Apologies if you had tuned in to MHI on Thursday morning for the exclusive interview with Yusuf Islam. Rest assured that on one was as disappointed as I was when we got the news that Sheikh Yusuf was really unwell that morning and could not make it to TV3. It was really hard for me to focus on the show that day after receiving the news.
But the MHI team worked really hard to re-arrange the interview, and by the same evening, I was asked to standby to interview him at any time at a different location.
By 6pm, I was told that it was really happening later that night. It was then time to re-focus mentally and go through the questions once again.
The interview took place at the hotel he was staying and I got there about an hour earlier to go through things over with the producer.
And right on time at 10.30pm, Yusuf arrived together with his wife and friends. My first impression was that the man had a calming presence with a great aura. And yes, I was a bit star struck.
...The interview went smoothly, but due to the limited time allocated (from a production standpoint), I had to skip several questions I had earlier prepared.
...Yusuf was an attentive interviewee, always looking me in the eye and replying my questions with great clarity and thought. I also sensed a great openness and acceptance on his part in his viewpoints, something I would elaborate further some time soon.
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The interview was aired the very next morning on MHI, and I will post the link once it's up on tonton, but here are some questions I asked him off-camera:
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Q: You shared the same stage with Ozzy Osbourne during Jon Stewart's Rally for Sanity in Washington recently. What was that like?
A: I love Ozzy! His songs are hard and loud, but they always have messages, don't they?
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Q: Is there a side of Yusuf Islam the performer we haven't seen yet?
A: I don't know if there's yet another side to me, but I hope to get better and better always. Insya Allah.
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Indeed, it was a very memorable experience. It was such a great honour talking to a man, icon, who has impacted the Muslim world through his humanitarian efforts as well as his music. And the great news is, it was his promise that he will return to Malaysia soon! ...
Yes indeed, legendary performer and songwriter, and humanitarian activist Yusuf Islam (formerly known as Cat Stevens) will be a guest on MHI tomorrow. And the most awesome part? I will be doing the interview, if everything goes well :) ...
...So don't forget to tune in to MHI on TV3 tomorrow around 8.40am. For more details about his visit to Malaysia, CLICK HERE
Funny how life can be sometimes. I had never been to South Korea before this year, but whaddya know, I made a SECOND trip to soap opera-central a couple of weeks ago. But if the March trip was purely on business, this one was purely for pleasure. Awesome huh?
And I got to experience a different season as well! Early spring back in May was cold and bland, but autumn in Korea is simply breathtaking! And cold also lah.
AND I also got to experience Korea beyond its capital city, Seoul. And by popular demand, the first place we went to was Nami Island. If it doesn't sound familiar, this was where they shot that hugely popular soap opera, Winter Sonata. See, now you're going, "aaaaa"... ... ...
And of course the place was postcard material lah. Naturally, I had to jump for joy... ...
I call this phenomenon, TV show-triggered Tourism. Seriously, I know of many people who've spent their hard-earned money on a trip to Korea just to relive the show's couple's magical moments here. Sappy giler....
...Knowing this fact, the Korean government had actually turned this into a full-fledged tourist attraction with shops, restaurants and sufficient signs pointing you to locations you should be snapping away. ...
...The next day, it was time for some high-altitude action. But before that, I must say that the bus rides to our various destinations were rather long and boring, so if you're making the same trip, make sure you have sufficient kerepek and a book (or two) to read.
Anyway, Day 2 was all about Mount Seorak. Have a look...
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...Nice, huh? And if you're the type who likes to pose-pose manja, this is the place to go. In case you're wondering, the average temperature during these few days were between 5-12 degrees celsius. So, I really needed the gloves OK? Bukan saja nak eksyen. ...
What's not here though are pictures of us in the cable car that took us right up to the mountain top. It looked like a pretty long line, but I timed it coming back down and the whole journey only lasted 3 mins . So if you're afraid of heights, the agony won't last that long lah. Cos really, the pay-off, ie: the view at the top, was pretty spectacular.
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Anyway, let me breeze thru the other interesting stuff we saw and experienced.
This was at the second hotel we stayed. Saw a sign in the lift with the "Lovely Bones" movie poster, but I had no time to check what the connection was with the film. But it had a cool name though, "The Kensington"!
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We also took a train ride along a coastal area. Lovely. (If my info on the places seem lacking, please blame the tour guide. So malas lah the fler).
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With all the nature-loving activities, we didn't get to do much shopping. I know, MAJOR bummer! However, we did get an hour(!) at this luxury brand shopping centre. But with the limited time given, it felt like "Supermarket Sweep" as we had to swiftly look, try on and pay for the stuff we wanted.
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...Another interesting spot was this beach that had this temple (Haha, again, really sorry lah for the sketchy info). ...
We also had a few minutes at this seafood night market. ...
...At this point, I'd like to just say a few words about the food over there. NOT GOOD. I mean, everything was boiled or grilled. And since meat was off limits, we had to endure five days of soup, kimchi, other veggies and rice, from morning till night! Yeah we had SOME seafood, but nothing as spectacular as Muara in Klang or even Muhibbah in Taman Tun! So yes, I'm being very Malaysian and advise you to bring along the sambal goreng . Loads of it!
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OK, back to the good stuff. A memorable day was also spent at the Everland Theme Park. Never heard of the place before, it did live up to its reputation of being "one of the four biggest theme parks in the world". ...
And really the place had everything; cool rides, cool parks, a big-ass rollercoaster and even a safari complete with dancing bears. Sure they don't have "official" cartoon characters, but you can be assured of a nice day out at Everland.
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Back in Seoul, we also managed to drop by at a few interesting attractions. This was at the Ice Gallery... ...
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And this was at the Gyeongbuk Palace, right smack in the centre of Seoul. ...
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And to make the trip complete, we just had to go where they make the stuff that was our diet for five days straight...
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...So if you're thinking of Korea for your next family/romantic getaway, do it! Just don't forget the sambal goreng...
It’s an argument that could go on and on, but here are my own personal favourite Top 10 sporting moments of all time…
10Owen takes on Argentina Yes, England suck at the big tournaments, but in the 1998 World Cup, its newest starlet, Liverpool’s Michael Owen provided one simply magical highlight. Collecting the ball close to the middle of the field, Owen got into higher gear and went past two Argentinean players before slotting it past the keeper. It didn’t matter that England eventually lost the game.
9My own layup vs Malaysia It was 1995. International Islamic University vs the Malaysian National Team in a friendly match. I was playing like crap until that moment. Someone in defence grabbed a rebound and I quickly made a run for it to the other side of the court. I caught the ball beautifully and made the 1-2 step before laying up the ball for 2 points. Against Malaysia! You can just call me Awesome. Thank you.
8 Jonny Wilkinson’s drop-goal at the death Even Hollywood couldn’t write the script any better. England and Australia were tied at 17 all in the 2003 Rugby World Cup final with only seconds to go in extra time. And when England won a penalty, everyone in the world knew what would happen in the next couple of passages, and Jonny was not to be denied. His kick was perfect. And England became world champions.
7 Kimi Raikkonen snatches the F1 world title All season long it looked like the 2007 drivers’ title would go to McLaren’s rookie Lewis Hamilton. When it came down to the final race in Brazil, no one gave Raikkonen any chance of winning the crown, being seven points behind. The Iceman needed to win the race while hoping Hamilton would royally choke and finish 7th or worse. And what do you know, that’s exactly what happened! Raikkonen drove a perfect race and snatched the championship by a single point.
6Alan Kennedy and the Kings of Europe I was nine-years-old then but I remember waking up at 3am to watch this European Cup final between Liverpool and Real Madrid in 1981. It was goalless in the first half, but deep into the second, Kennedy crashed a beautiful angled shot into the Roma goal for a wonderful win. Ah, the good old days.
5 The Michael Jordan “switch” B-Ball fans would surely remember this one. It was Game 2 of the 1991 NBA Finals (the first time Jordan’s Chicago Bulls were in the Finals) vs the LA Lakers. Jordan went to the hoop with his right hand like he was going to dunk the ball. But instead, in mid-air, he switches to his left hand and laid up the ball. Poetry in freakin’ motion.
4 Mike Tyson brings down Spinks Tyson was King of the World then, knocking out hapless opponents like they’re nothing. And Mr. Spinks was unfortunately, one of them. I remember sitting down expecting some sort of resistance from Tyson’s undefeated opponent. But the fight lasted a mere 91seconds when Tyson knocked Spinks out with a super Right hand. I hadn’t even started on my kerepek when it ended.
3 Michael Johnson’s 200 The conditions were perfect for a world record at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games. Johnson looked supremely confident. And when the gun was fired, it was evident that there can only be one winner in the 200m sprint. Johnson ran the race of his life and clocked an earth shattering 19.32. Usain Bolt has topped that time, but Johnson’s run is the one that sticks in my mind.
2 Tiger Woods wonder shot at the 2005 US Masters It’s The Shot that’s been recognised as the best of the past decade. It was at the 16th Hole. Woods still had a long way to go to the flag. When the ball got there, it stalled at the cup for a couple of seconds (for a close-up on the Nike logo) before dropping in. The commentator asked: “In you life, have you seen anything like that?” Giler ke apa??? ...
... 1 Michael Jordan wins his 6th ring With 20seconds on the clock in 1998's game 6 of the NBA Finals, Jordan stole the ball from Karl Malone and dribbled up the floor. Bryon Russell took up the job of manning Jordan. Futile it was. Jordan calmly dribbled, cross-overed, and sank the winning shot that gave Chicago their 6th title. Simple and expected, yet majestic in its execution. And with that, Jordan sealed his place as the greatest ever.
Hey peeps, totally forgot to plug this. After an absence of a couple of months, the GUA Review Show is back! To recap: It's a semi-serious online show where we review the latest in films, music and DVDs. It's hosted by yours truly and features a line-up of distinguished guests.
For the "comeback" episode, we reviewed the heist film "Takers". Next week will be a tad "panas" tho as we talk about the controversial film, "2 Alam".
I'm a big fan of Conan O'Brien indeed. And really, I ALMOST shed a tear or two when he got bullied out of his last job at "The Tonight Show". I know, I know, the dude's rich enough to feed the whole of Afghanistan, but come on, he got bullied by a RICHER guy with a long chin. Kesian, ok?
But 9 months after the debacle, the man's back with a new show, "Conan" (a tad unimaginative, I admit), on the cable channel TBS. It's been a couple of episodes and the reviews have been mixed, but Coco still rocks in my books. And seriously, someday I wanna be just like him. Minus the hair. And the beard.
No word yet on whether we'll ever get to see the show here in Malaysia, but I'd definitely PAY to watch it. Meantime, enjoy the cold open from the first episode......
...The interview went smoothly, but due to the limited time allocated (from a production standpoint), I had to skip several questions I had earlier prepared.
...Yusuf was an attentive interviewee, always looking me in the eye and replying my questions with great clarity and thought. I also sensed a great openness and acceptance on his part in his viewpoints, something I would elaborate further some time soon.
Didn't try it tho, so can't tell you if it's 100percent cocoa or not...
