Teluk Rubiah, The Chief Justice & The Chauffeur (Me)

Gambar Hiasan

This story popped up in my head sometime ago. Here goes... 

It was the judges conference in Lumut, in 1999 I think. I was then the special officer to the chief registrar, Datuk Ramly Ali. So one evening during some downtime, we were told that the Chief Justice then, Tun Eusoff Chin wanted to go to this place he's heard of. I think it was the Teluk Rubiah Resort. 

He was asking around but no one knew where it was. But we met at the car park and Datuk Ramly said, "Zul, you drive". Alamak. This was pre GPS days lah. 

I got in and started driving his Perdana, and the Chief Justice's car and a couple of other judges were following us. Funnily, I don't know why there were no police escorts then. Terketar kaki. 

I just drove and followed the sign boards. Siap masuk like kawasan hutan, and all the while I was thinking, manalah aku bawak Ketua Hakim Negara ni. 

But somehow we found the place. My boss just laughed. 

But I really thought my head was on the chopping block, or paling kurang kena transfer to somewhere like Kuala Krai or something. Haha. 

Ours. Again.

 

Having won the title almost a month ago, Liverpool FC finally lifted the Premier League trophy as the champions of the 2024/25 season! Woohoo. And what a glorious sight it was.

And the day after, it was time for the trophy parade! We were there in 2019 when over 750,000 Scousers flooded the streets to welcome home the champions League trophy, but reports said that there were DOUBLE the number of people this time around. No one does it better than us, indeed!

Enjoy these magnificent pictures...

Why I'm Not A Computer Wizard

 

When I was growing up, there was a time when I wanted to become a computer whiz sort of person. And of course (much like everything else that happened during my childhood), I was influenced by popular culture. First, it was the TV show "Automan", then there was the movie "War Games".

But then it became apparent to me that to become a computer whiz, I'd need to be good in maths and science and stuff. But I wasn't. I just wanted to play Star Wars and Matchbox cars, and read comics. Then I started writing stories and reading books.

The "dream" came back briefly when my late father bought for me a ZX Spectrum 48k (above) when I was 15. I HAD AN ACTUAL COMPUTER!

I tried doing some "programming", but I ended up playing "Football Manager" (below) and "Gremlins". So I never became a computer whiz. 

Instead, I fell in love with Law and content creation. So I worked in both fields for much of my life.

Years later when I joined media prima, I was lucky enough to be part of the new media pioneering team. I still can't program nuts, but I know what kind of content to put online. So I worked with nerds to create and launch stuff online. 

So really, do what you love. And there'll always be nerds to help you out with stuff you don't know about...

May The 4th Be With You!

How long have I been a fan? Here's a pic of my cousin and I decked out in Star Wars gear circa 1980 😀

My most prized Star Wars possession though is this collection of 1st edition figurines by Kenner. I bought them piece by piece, along with the rare Darth Vader case, at the NTUC FairPrice store in Woodlands, Singapore.

Read the full story HERE

Liverpool Are League Champions For The 20th Time!

 

It was 1.25am, Monday morning Malaysian time when the final whistle was blown and Liverpool were officially crowned the 20204/25 Premier League champions! 

And let's be real; we had actually sewn up the title back in December, but to finally officially win it felt no less satisfying. 

To be perfectly honest, I had absolutely no expectations when Arne Slot took over the helm from Jurgen Klopp at the end of last season. I knew very little about the Dutchman, his record and methods. But he did look like a cool guy from the get-go.

Things did look promising during pre-season though. While he kept things mostly intact, a couple of big tweaks, like playing Ryan Gravenberch in the defensive midfield position, and not having the fullbacks on attack mode most of the time, gave the team a somewhat 'new look'.

Then the first match against Ipswich arrived... and I remember not being very impressed by their first half performance! Oh man, we're in for a looong season, I thought. 

But Slot made a couple of crucial changes at half-time, and we won 2-0. Phew!

Since then, it's pretty much smooth sailing for us in the league. And with Mo Salah in the form of his life, we dazzled and dominated with Slot's prog-rock approach, as opposed to the heavy metal assault we've been accustomed to.

And here we are now: LEAGUE CHAMPIONS FOR THE 20th TIME with 4 matches to spare. Alhamdulillah. 

Now we await the guards of honour (ahem) and the final day of the season when get to finally lift the trophy again!

What I Did After SPM...

After SPM, I came to the city trying to make it in modelling (yes, just like a Tom Cruise movie). 

This set of pics were taken by a photographer at an agency somewhere in SEA Park. 

A couple of print ads and fashion spread later, I became lost in the glitz and glam of the modelling world; the parties, the rising fame, the late night mini bus rides. 

I felt like I wasn't myself anymore then. 

So I insaf-ed and studied law instead. 

(PS: I still remember losing a BP TVC job once to Azhar Sulaiman and I'm still sore about it) 

* some parts of the story have been wildly exaggerated...

Food, Glorious Food!: Exotic Meats, Anyone?

 

Fancy some belut? Rusa? Arnab? Jom ke Sekinchan! Yup, this is the place to try some exotic dishes if that's your thing. We are more "safe" haha, so we had the rendang rusa, along with some patin and other normal fare when we were there recently. But it IS worth a visit, IMHO. And btw, what's the weirdest thing you've ever eaten??

Restoran Lembah Bernam, Sekinchan

Jalan Main Canal, Tali Air 9, Sekincan,, Pasir Panjang, Selangor

Masa Operasi: 11 pagi – 5 petang setiap hari kecuali Jumaat

Our Brothers In Tatarstan

 

Just started watching 'Langkah Nabi 2' hosted by ex-colleague Zainal Ariffin and in one episode, he goes to Kazan in Tatarstan and meet up with a couple of prominent local business personalities who're also alumni of IIUM! 

Yes, during our time in the 90s, we had many students from troubled regions/countries including Afghanistan, Tatarstan, Bosnia, Somalia, Albania, Sudan, Chechnya, Palestine etc. Alhamdulillah, good to see these Tatar brothers contributing so much to their home country now.

Mo Salah Stays!

 

Alhamdulillah, the news all Liverpool fans have been waiting for the longest time finally arrived earlier today. The Egyptian King will remain on his throne for at least a couple more years!

I have a lot to say about how FSG has been (mis)handling the issue (and it's far from over really, as our very own club captain and Trent have yet to sign on the dotted line), but let's just enjoy this bit of fabulous development for now. We have a league title to win!

Hari Raya Teristimewa

 

Tempat kami berkumpul adalah di rumah arwah nenek kami (yang kami panggil ‘atuk’) di Jalan Merdeka, Kampung Melayu Majidee, Johor Bahru. Sebuah rumah batu yang agak besar, tetapi kalau dah diserbu 10 atau lebih keluarga pada masa yang sama, penuhlah hampir setiap ruang yang ada. Dan asalkan ada toto dan bantal, ceruk di tepi gerobok perhiasan ruang tamu pun boleh jadi selesa.

Ramai yang akan pulang sehari sebelum Aidilfitri. Selain daripada yang memang menetap di Johor, ada yang akan tiba dari KL, Kuantan, Kuala Terengganu dan beberapa tempat lagi. Aku biasanya akan sampai ke rumah Jalan Merdeka pada awal pagi Raya itu sendiri.

Sebelum apa-apa lagi, akan kucari setiap pakcik dan makcik untuk kucium tangan mereka. Tak kiralah kalau ada yang masih blur dan belum sempat mandi (boleh faham sebab queue untuk ke tandas pun biasanya agak panjang). Terserempak dengan sepupu-sepapat ketika ini pun hanya mampu untuk tersenyum atau mengangguk kepala tanda isyarat, the good times are going to come.

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If The Suit Fits!

So, I only realised recently that I've been wearing suits all of my life. Haha. And guess what? I actually have all the pictures to prove it. 

It started in school when being a prefect meant I looked a bit more dashing than my normal classmates, having to wear a blazer on most days. 

I then joined the judiciary a few months after graduation at that meant wearing a black suit every work day for most of my 20s.

Joined the media industry in my 30s, and while it was mostly casual every day of the week, I did have to slap on the blazer for board meetings and fancy dos. 

But of course at the late age of 39, I landed a talkshow gig with 'Malaysia Hari Ini' on TV3 and so I had to look suitably sharp for the cameras. 

Then in my mid 40s, I found myself working in the education industry for a couple of years, so there were no T-shirt and jeans days!

The same during my time at iclif. 

And finally now, I only have to crank out the suit and tie for photoshoots at work, but they also come in handy on winter holidays : )