Larian 40 Taman: Where It All Began

 Whoa, it's been 12 years since I started this community running project, huh? Check out the video!

A Mike Tyson Memory

MIKE TYSON will be fighting tomorrow, so here's a throwback story. 

It was in 1990/91, at the UIA matriculation campus in Lembah Pantai. That morning, there was going to be a Mike Tyson fight on TV, so everyone was pumped up and excited like mad.

After I had finished class, I made a dash to the TV room. There were loads of other guys already there but I managed to get a good viewing spot.

Then the TV room became packed like sardines. Full like a mini bus! 

BUT just like a mini bus too, there were guys still trying to squeeze in. 

Then there was this one guy who squeezed in and sat right in front of the TV, but not before slamming his books on the TV cabinet (for whatever reason). 

That caused the antenna to fall off and the reception went KAPUT! 

Immediately everyone booed and heckled the guy. "Woi pasang balik lah!" "Amende lah kau!" 

The guy straight away panicked and muka pucat. He fiddled around with the antenna and we finally got the reception back. Phewww...

The fight then started, and Mike Tyson won in just a matter of seconds. Then we went back to class.

THE END

A Story About Stephen Rahman Hughes

 

Let me tell you a story about Stephen Rahman Hughes from all those years ago.

He came into the studio for MHI that morning looking all perky and energetic. When introduced to myself and Nurul, he greeted us with, "Hey Mzul, how are you?" "How are you, Nurul?" He made an effort to find out our names. 

Maybe his manager told him, but it was important to him. And we had a good conversation from thereon, like we've known each other for ages.

Meanwhile, some people come to the set and ask us, "Er maaf, tapi siapa nama ya?" Then proceed to refer to us as "Selamat Pagi Malaysia" or "HMI". Or even say, "Saya jarang tengok program ni." 

Not that I'm famous and expect to be recognised, but it's only polite when you go somewhere, you find out who you're meeting, no?

Stephen had great PR and knew how to create a rapport. A real professional. Thanks, Mr. Hughes :)

Lo and Behold, Jambatan Marudi!

 

Historic! Today was the soft opening of Jambatan Marudi. No more ferries from now on, and the bridge that stretches across Sungai Baram will reduce traveling time from Miri to Marudi, to only 30mins!

I have a soft spot for this place. This pic is of me at a long house somewhere in Marudi circa 1996. At that time, the magistrates in Miri (there were 2 of us) were also required to sit at circuit courts, including Marudi, once a month.

There were no roads from Miri to Marudi, so we either had to take the boat (2 1/2 hr journey ), or the MAS twin otter plane. The town itself was so small that you could walk the entire place in 10 mins.

The national papers came 1 1/2 days later and there were only two good hotels around. Which became a problem for me on one occasion.

I can't remember what the case was, but I sentenced this one accused to imprisonment for a period of time. I then went back to the hotel after proceedings as usual. In the afternoon, I received a call from the hotel reception. I was told that the father of the accused was downstairs and wanted to see me. They guessed right as to where I was staying 😑

Of course I had to tell the reception that I'm not allowed to see anyone outside of court and chided them a little for revealing I was staying there. I think I didn't leave the hotel until I had to go back to Miri, and just ordered food to the room!

An Evening With Datuk Lat!

 

I gotta say that Kuala Lumpur has been experiencing a renaissance of sorts for arts-related events these past couple of years. Different groups of passionate peeps have been working tirelessly to ensure that this city has more than just food and fancy buildings to offer locals and tourists alike, so a big THANK YOU to everyone involved!

The latest was KALAM: Confluence of Writers & Ideas, a community-driven literary gathering, which was a part of the Kreatif KL Festival, organised by Think City. It took place this past weekend at several locations, including the Muzium Telekom.

We managed to catch some of the action, and it was a pretty awesome one: a chat with our own national treasure and world-renowned cartoonist, Datuk Lat!

(I wanted to attend a couple more sessions on Sunday, but the Malaysian MotoGP in Sepang was also waiting for me. Haha)

Anyway, check out my own experience in the video below: