Remembering Tun Mohamed Eusoff Chin

 

Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un.

Former Chief Justice of Malaysia, Tun Mohamed Eusoff Chin, passed away early Friday morning at the age of 91.

The first time I met Allahyarham Tun personally was when he came to Miri in 1997 (pic above), where I was posted when I first joined the judiciary. It was a historic visit, and you can imagine how hard everyone worked to make sure everything went smoothly and the visit would be a memorable one.

My encounters with Allahyarham Tun became more frequent after I was transferred back to KL in 1998. And here's one story I often tell...

It was the 1999 Judges' Conference in Lumut. I was then the special officer to the Chief Registrar, Datuk Ramly Ali. One evening, during some downtime, we were told that the Chief Justice wanted to visit a place he had heard about. I think it was Teluk Rubiah Resort.

The problem was, nobody seemed to know exactly where it was.

We met at the car park and Datuk Ramly suddenly said, "Zul, you drive."

Alamak.

This was pre-GPS days.

So I got into his Perdana and started driving, with Allahyarham Tun's car and a couple of other judges following behind. Funnily enough, I don't remember there being any police escorts then.

Terketar kaki.

I just followed the signboards and hoped for the best. Eventually, we turned into what seemed like a rather jungly area. And throughout the drive, one thought kept going through my head:

"Where the heck am I taking the Chief Justice of Malaysia?"

Somehow, we found the place.

My boss just laughed.

But honestly, throughout that drive I really thought my head was on the chopping block — or, at the very least, I was going to get transferred somewhere like Kuala Krai or something. 

Looking back, it's one of those little memories from my days in the judiciary that has stayed with me all these years.

Al-Fatihah buat Allahyarham Tun Mohamed Eusoff Chin. May Allah place him among the righteous.

Mo Salah Is Back!

 

After months of speculation, I have to admit this was quite a surprise. Mohamed Salah has officially chosen Trabzonspor as the next destination in his remarkable career. Mabruk! 

It'll certainly be strange seeing him in different colours after everything he achieved at Anfield, but football moves on, and so do its greatest players. I sincerely hope this new adventure brings him happiness, success, and the appreciation he truly deserves. 

And FYI... my birthday is in December, and that Trabzonspor jersey would look soooo good on me. 😊😊

31 Years On

Thirty-one years have passed since the Srebrenica Genocide, where more than 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys were systematically murdered simply because of their faith.

For many people, Srebrenica is a chapter in a history book.

For me, it has faces.

During my years at IIUM in the 1990s, I had the privilege of studying, playing basketball and sharing countless conversations with Bosnian students. They prayed, studied for exams, played sports and dreamed of better days, even as their hearts remained with families caught in the horrors of war back home.

I still remember seeing some of them clutching shortwave radios, desperately searching for news from Bosnia, hoping to hear that their loved ones were safe.

Those memories have never left me.

As we commemorate the victims of Srebrenica today, let us honour not only those whose lives were cruelly taken, but also the resilience of those who survived and rebuilt their lives.

May Allah grant the martyrs of Srebrenica the highest ranks in Jannah, bring comfort to their families, and establish justice for every innocent soul who suffered.

"And never think of those who have been killed in the cause of Allah as dead. Rather, they are alive with their Lord, receiving provision." (Surah Ali 'Imran, 3:169)

My Stadium Merdeka Memories

 

I never expected a simple Sunday morning visit to Stadium Merdeka to hit me right in the feels. But the moment I walked through the corridor and emerged onto the stands, it was as though four decades of memories came rushing back all at once.

The stadium was closed in 2016 and reopened in August 2024 after an extensive restoration that brought it remarkably close to how it looked when Malaysia’s independence was declared here in 1957. The second tier was removed, thousands of seats disappeared, and many original design features were painstakingly brought back. Walking around the place genuinely felt like travelling back in time.

My first visit was in 1986 when my late father and I squeezed into a packed van from JB to KL to watch the Malaysia Cup final. It was also my first time seeing Tugu Negara and Pertama Complex. Johor, the defending champions, were hammered 6-1 by Selangor. We got booed by the home crowd, I was absolutely gutted, and I honestly don't remember much of the journey home.

When I entered university in 1989, I became good friends with a bunch of Selangor boys. From then on, I regularly tagged along with them to Stadium Merdeka for league and Malaysia Cup matches. It was with this same gang that I watched Gary Lineker score four goals as England beat Malaysia 4-2. I can still picture so many moments from that evening.

I also stood in these very stands countless times, proudly singing Negaraku with thousands of fellow Malaysians before international matches.

Then came what is still, for me, the greatest Malaysia Cup final ever.

Johor versus Selangor. 1991.

I went alone, wearing a bootleg Johor jersey and hoping for the best. It poured before kickoff, leaving the pitch completely waterlogged. Selangor scored first and my heart sank.

Then Michael Urukalo showed exactly why he was such a brilliant coach. Johor cleverly played the drier parts of the pitch, seized the momentum, and our Croatian striker Ervin Boban did the rest. A hat-trick. At Stadium Merdeka. I screamed, hugged complete strangers and celebrated like there was no tomorrow. Soaked to the bone and somehow shirtless by the end of it, I happily took the minibus back to campus. To this day, it's still the greatest Malaysia Cup final I've ever witnessed.

Stadium Merdeka also hosted some incredible concerts over the years. The last one I attended was Bon Jovi in 2015, just months before the stadium closed for restoration.

Standing there again on Sunday, I found myself showing my wife exactly where I used to sit for some of those unforgettable matches. Everything around the stadium has changed, but for a little while, I felt frozen in time.

And yes... I almost broke into Negaraku.

"We Need More Parks!" -- Your Head Lah!

It’s one of the most tiresome arguments online that pops up every other day:

“We need more parks! We need more parks!”

Ughhh, seriously lah. Do these people actually go out, or just melalak on social media from the comfort of their rooms?

If you know me, you’d know I’m THAT guy who runs at parks. Ahem. More than 15 years ago, I even started a community running project called Larian 40 Taman 100 Kilometer, which took me to parks all around the country. Read all about it HERE

So, “we need more parks”? Allow me to share my own experience.

Within just 10 minutes from home (Bandar Kinrara), I already have at least FIVE major parks and running spots to choose from — Taman Rekreasi Bukit Jalil, Taman Subang Ria, Taman Bandaran Kelana Jaya, Taman Wawasan and Bukit Komanwel/Stadium Bukit Jalil. And look at how glorious they are:

 

Add another 5 minutes and there’s Taman Jaya in PJ too.

On weekends, if I’m willing to drive 20–25 minutes, the options become even more mind-boggling — KLCC Park, Taman Tasik Titiwangsa, Taman Dusun Bandar and Taman Botani Perdana.

But wait, there’s more!

Taman Tasik Danau Kota, Taman Tasik Ampang Hilir, Taman Rekreasi Sungai Chua and Taman Tasik Shah Alam are all within half an hour from our home too.

And this is just MY experience. There are still plenty more taman out there to enjoy and explore, from Putrajaya to Kepong to Taman Tun. And needless to say, there are also incredible parks outside of the Klang Valley, like these awesome gems:

Taman Ujana Nilai Impian

Tasik Biru Kundang

Taman Rekreasi Perigi Tujuh, Serendah

Taman Tasik Milenium, Kuala Kubu Bharu

So yeah — maybe stop whining and start going out more lah.

We already HAVE an amazing lineup of parks waiting for your precious presence.