Christmas is a time for forgiveness and compassion. In this festive period, have we thought about giving of ourselves? Do we ever wonder what it is like to serve others?

Like most other religious festivals in multi-racial Malaysia, Christmas has been over commercialised. As early as September, shops were already selling Christmas decorations and Christmas puddings. Most shops attempt to seduce us with decorations that grow more sophisticated each year. The competition to attract customers is stiff and we are bombarded with advertisements to spend money that most of us do not have.

There are presents to buy and parties to go to. Even adults welcome the over-indulgence. In today's modern world, families are increasingly abandoning the Christmas get-together at home and opt for lunch at restaurants, clubs or private homes.

Children pester their parents for expensive presents which by Boxing Day, have been discarded or broken. Despite the increased food prices, many of us feel that we must

Big, blue, jovial and powerful. That's how most of us remember one of the more popular characters in Walt Disney's Aladdin — the "Genie" portrayed by comedian and brilliant actor Robin Williams.

Genie in the 1992 movie was able to grant wishes for his master who had rubbed the lamp the genie was living in. This cartoon version of the Genie we know has evolved from its original form.

Jinn are believed to be creatures born of fireIn Arabic and Malay folklore, the genie is known to be of a supernatural kind, believed to occupy a parallel world to our mortal reality. The Genie or spelt more commonly, Jinn, is said to have originated in Egypt, Sumeria and ancient Persia.

Academics and authors Alan G. Hefner and Robert Lebling concur that the myth of the Jinn began with a story of the son of David, King Solomon, the master of these supernatural beings. He owned a diamond ring which can summon the Jinn's help to fight battles.

Commonly known as ugly and evil, these Jinns have supernatural powers but are

The first year of the second decade in the 21st century was indeed eventful, with protests being the buzz word as dictatorial regimes tumbled and politicians - both at home and abroad - faced off against a more savvy and critical public.

Some leaders were deposed or even killed after leading their countries for decades with iron fists. Others refused to take responsibility for scandals that were simply unconscionable. And then there were those who were literally caught with their pants down.

Of course, having to go through the entire stack of stories over the course of 12 months would be overwhelming to say the least. That's why we've decided to narrow the list down to what we think are the most notable events, in ascending order, for the year 2011 starting with;

10. The National Feedlot Corporation scandal

The National Feedlot Corporation is fast becoming a yoke around Barisan Nasional's neck
Here is a situation that has even the most die-hard Barisan Nasional supporter fuming. In a nutshell, the husband of Women, Family and Community Development Minister Sharizat Jalil

Kali ini aku melakukan sesuatu yang amat jarang aku lakukan.

Bangun pagi — di awal subuh. Ini bukan subuh biasa - ini subuh Ahad. Subuh Ahad ini biasanya aku masih enak berdengkur satelah berpesta pada hujung minggu. Subuh ini aku di Kuching, Sarawak. Jam 5 pagi aku telah bangun. Aku ingin menaiki pesawat udara dari Kucing ke

Miri. Aku wajib sampai seawal mungkin. Yang aku tuju ialah Tamu Miri.

Untuk warga Semenanjung jangan silap faham. Tamu ialah pasar. Bertamu ialah pergi ke pasar bukan menerima kawan dan sahabat sebagai tetamu. Apakah ini bahasa Iban , Kedayan, Bidayuh atau Kelabit - aku sendiri kurang arif. Apa yang aku arif ialah tamu di kota Miri adalah tamu yang paling istemewa untuk aku. Sepanjang perjalanan aku dalam dunia ini belum pernah aku melihat tamu yang bagitu menarik dan memeranjatkan seperti tamu kota Miri.

Ini kali kedua aku ke kota Miri.

Justeru aku tahu selok belok kota yang penduduknya kurang lebih 300,000orang ini. Kota ini adalah kota lumayan — bersih,

10. Rory McIlroy - a golfing sensation at only 22

Move over Tiger Woods. Wunderkind Rory McIlroy's win at the US Open has made him golf's latest sensation.In June, Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy became the youngest winner of the US Open golf tournament since 1923. The young professional golfer broke a host of scoring records, marking his journey to seal the first Major victory of his career. McIlroy's win at 22, marks a first for such a young winner since the late Bobby Jones' achievements in 1923.

9. India wins Cricket World Cup after 28 years

India won the Cricket World Cup after a lapse of 28 years, sending the cricket-mad nation into a frenzy of joy.India became the first team to win the Cricket World Cup on home soil after beating Sri Lanka by six wickets in the final in Mumbai. Yuvraj Singh gives India more to celebrate when he is named Man of the Tournament. The team is given extra incentive to perform by model Poonam Pandey, who promises to strip naked if the team is victorious.

The tournament, jointly hosted by India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, was initially supposed to be held in Pakistan and Bangladesh. However, the Pakistanis were not allowed to host the event due to a

10. Britain's Royal Wedding

Britain's Royal Wedding captured the imagination of the worldThe world's most watched couple — Prince William and Kate Middleton— walked down the aisle this year, completing a fairytale wedding the world was excitedly waiting for.

In April, royal couple Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were married in front of a 2,000 strong crowd and millions of viewers from around the world. UK television recorded close to 37 million viewers tuning into the Royal Wedding, while the YouTube Royal Channel recorded 72 million views.

The eldest son of Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales - met Catherine or fondly known as Kate, in 2001 when they were studying at the University of St. Andrews. William and Kate were engaged in October and their romance have been compared to that of his father and late mother Lady Diana Spencer. Much attention had been focussed on Kate's status as a commoner marrying into royalty.

9. Malaysia swears in monarch twice

Sultan Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah became the only sultan to become Agong twice.An 84-year old sultan who is big fan of crooner Frank Sinatra and a keen

A mother-to-be was in labour. Her midwife was urging her to "push" hard,  hoping the newborn would be delivered smoothly.

But, there was no baby. Only the mother's placenta appeared. No child was born. What happened? Where did the baby go?

"In a case like this, the baby is most probably taken by the Bunian community," Malay animism expert associate professor Datuk Zainal Abidin Borhan explained in an interview with Yahoo! Malaysia.

No medical or scientific reason can explain this incident. But, if you believe in the supernatural world, you're might speculate this: The midwife attending to the delivery could have had spiritual powers and might have struck a deal with the Orang Bunian to offer the newborn in return for material gains or fulfilment of other requests.

Hospital Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia psychiatry department doctor, Ruzanna Zamzam said she has encountered such a case before.

The patient was a 43-year-old woman, named as S.U., who claimed to be four months pregnant. S.U

Anwar Ibrahim has risen from the ashes to rebuild his political career

Anwar Ibrahim's meteoric rise to rebuild his political career involved the unification of opposition parties to capture several seats in parliament, in early 2008. His efforts energised the nation, but struck fear in Umno/BN.  In late 2008, Anwar was accused of another act of sodomy (Sodomy II). The opposition claims this charge is 'politically motivated'.

Sodomy II is not about "Anwar versus Saiful". On the contrary, in Sodomy II, the whole nation is being put on trial; Malaysians are being pitted against the crumbling rule of law.

The rakyat associates Sodomy II as a trial against injustice, against a tainted judiciary, against a police force which acts like the government's bully boy and against institutions forced to do the government's bidding. Sodomy II will be remembered as a fight to regain the rakyat's democratic rights and a sense of fair play.

Instead of improving the economy and the lives of the rakyat, BN has diverted funds, time and resources into this court case.

Sodomy