Announcing The Release of 'Kisah Hidup & Budaya Pop Anak Gen-X'!

Salam and greetings! Excited to share my third and latest book, and also my first in BM – Kisah Hidup & Budaya Pop Anak Gen-X! 

This digital-only release (for now) takes you on a nostalgic ride through the life and pop culture moments of a Gen-X kid.

Click the link below for more info or to purchase:

mzulkifli.gumroad.com/l/anakgenx

Want a special discount? You can also buy directly from me – just PM!

Thanks for the support, and happy reading!

Pengenalan

Generasi-X memang unik dan sangat bertuah. Kami hidup di antara era hitam putih dan warna. Analog dan digital. Manual dan automatik. Walaupun kehidupan tidak secanggih sekarang, namun ada saja pengalaman baharu untuk kami rasa dan cuba, dan simpan jadi kenangan.

Kini, kisah indah kehidupan Gen-X banyak diceritakan semula di Internet dan media sosial melalui jutaan klip video, hantaran #throwback dan meme. Generasi ini diiktiraf sebagai kental dan kreatif; ada adab, prinsip hidup dan jati diri. Tidak lembik, dan bukan jenis yang mudah mengeluh tentang itu dan ini. Rasa 'entitled', jauh sekali. 

Buku ini merupakan koleksi cerita-cerita peribadi saya sebagai seorang anak Gen-X; dari zaman persekolahan dan seterusnya ke universiti, hingga ke alam pekerjaan dan berkeluarga. Saya juga mengupas tentang pelbagai trend dan budaya popular ikonik yang mewarnai hari-hari generasi ini.

The Great OceanGate Tragedy

The documentary on this great OceanGate tragedy is currently showing on Netflix...

Dalam kitab al-Majallis as-Saniyyah karya Syekh Ahmad bin Syekh Hijazi Al Fusyni ada menceritakan, pada suatu hari, malaikat maut Izra’il AS datang menghadap Nabi Sulaiman AS. Tiba-tiba Izra’il AS memandang tajam ke arah seorang lelaki yang sedang duduk bersama tetamu Nabi Sulaiman AS. Tidak lama kemudian malaikat Izra’il AS berlalu pergi.

Lelaki itu bertanya, “Wahai Nabi Allah! Siapakan orang itu?” “Dia adalah malaikat maut,” jawab Nabi Sulaiman AS. Lelaki itu berkata, “Wahai Nabi Allah, tadi aku melihat dia selalu memandangku dengan tajam dan aku menjadi sangat takut. Mungkin dia ingin mencabut nyawaku. Selamatkan aku daripada dia.”

“Bagaimana caranya aku boleh menyelamatkanmu?” tanya Nabi Sulaiman AS. “Arahkan angin untuk membawaku ke negeri India. Mungkin dengan begitu tidak akan dapat menjejakiku,” jawab lelaki itu.

Nabi Sulaiman kemudiannya memerintahkan angin untuk menghantar lelaki itu ke India dalam sekelip mata. Sesampainya di India, Izra’il AS terus mencabut nyawa laki-laki itu, dan setelah selesai, Izra’il AS kembali menghadap Nabi Sulaiman AS.

Nabi Sulaiman AS kemudiannya bertanyakan Izra’il, “Kenapa kau merenung lelaki itu?” Izra’il AS menjawab, “Aku merasa sangat hairan. Aku diperintahkan untuk mencabut nyawanya di India. Namun mengapa dia berada sangat jauh dari negeri itu. Tiba-tiba ada angin yang membawanya sampai ke India. Lalu aku mencabut nyawanya sesuai dengan apa yang telah ditakdirkan oleh Allah SWT.

Sesungguhnya, setiap yang bernyawa pasti akan mati. Setiap manusia tidak akan mungkin lari dari takdir kematian.

5 Ways To Enjoy Amazing Views Of London

1. Sky Garden

Amazingly, it's free! Yup, you can just walk up to the 35th floor of the Walkie Talkie building to enjoy 360 views of the city, BUT it is strongly recommended that you book your tickets online first. Living up to its name, there's a nice bit of garden up here and also cafes for you to buy a cuppa and just relax on the sofas as you continue to ooh and ahh over the splendid views. 

2. Hampstead Heath

An ancient heath spanning over 320 hectares, it's a great place for a walk and/or a picnic. Some really famous people live/have lived here, but the highlight of course is the amazing views from Parliament Hill. 

3. Primrose Hill

From Camden Market, you can just walk up to Primrose Hill. On the way to the park and lookout point, you can check out various cute and quaint shops in the area. Then, just sit back, breathe in the fresh air, and enjoy captivating views.

4. Greenwich

The easiest way to get where you need to be is hopping on the DLR and get off at the Cutty Sark station. Then, just take a leisurely stroll to Greenwich Park, and uphill to the Royal Observatory. You won't be disappointed.  

5. Tower Bridge

For GBP16, you get access to the Tower Bridge exhibition, the engine rooms, and also to the glass floors which are 42m above sea level. If you're not a fan of "walking on air", just skip this bit and take in the spectacular sights waiting for you.  

Salam Eiduladha

Selamat Hari Raya, Eid Mubarak! Alhamdulillah, got to perform my solat sunat eiduladha at Masjid Negara in KL this morning, and what a beautiful experience it was. The masjid itself looked as majestic as ever, and it was simply wonderful to see a diverse group of congregation present as early as 7 in the morning. Have a look at some of the images I managed to capture... 

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!