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:

10 Halal Food Places You Must Try In London

 

No, it's really not that difficult to find halal food in London, as many of you already know. But what's also great is that, unlike some other European cities where you must love kebab very much, London offers a lot more variety that includes Middle Eastern, Indian, Chinese and Southeast Asian cuisine! 

And here are some of our favourite joints... Enjoy!

PODCAST ANAK GEN-X [SHORTS] - Hello World!

Salam and hello! Introducing my new podcast series, PODCAST KITA ANAK GEN-X. There are 2 different "productions", actually. A full-length series that will be out soon, and these SHORTS. Happy watching, and let me know if you have suggestions for any Gen-X-related topics I could cover in the future too!

"Excuse Me, Can I Have Another Fork, Please?"

One of the compulsory courses I had the pleasure of attending while in the judiciary was the etiquette course held at Intan. We had a couple of trainers who taught us basically everything about dining etiquette, formal wear dos and dont's, how to converse with dignitaries etc. 

One of my colleagues from the AG chambers really took the course seriously cos he believed that one day, he would actually be dining with the Queen.

But it was a really interesting couple of days learning how to eat soup the proper way, and knowing which fork to use for every course. And oh, if we're offered alcohol at these functions, just say "no, thank you" politely; no need to be apologetic about it. 

But no, my ex-colleague never quite had the chance to dine with the Queen of England, as far as I know 😅

A Chinese Boy Who Truly Made My Day...

A Chinese boy (probably 4 years old) just really made my day! 

I was in the lift going back to my place, when a Chinese family entered. The boy pressed level 2, then remarked that they're on 2 and I'm on 3.

THEN he asked me: "Are you Malaysia Madani?"

I was stunned but I smiled and proudly replied, "Yes, I am! Wah, that's a very good question."

His parents just smiled sheepishly. 

Then the boy said, "I know because you're wearing this... (he made a sign like a songkok on his head)."

I just laughed and said, "That's very good. I AM Malaysia Madani."

But before I got to ask for his name, the lift reached the 2nd floor and we parted ways. 

And I still can't stop smiling 😁

1-6, 6-1 -- Revenge Is Sweet!

I travelled from JB to KL with my late father in a packed van to watch the 1986 Malaysia Cup final. It was my first time tengok Tugu Peringtan, and pergi Pertama Complex and Merdeka Stadium. But then, Johor lost 1-6 to Selangor. We got booed at the stadium. I was heartbroken and don't even remember the journey home. 

BUT a couple of months ago, I was part of the 80,000 people at the Bukit Jalil Stadium to witness the FA Cup final between JDT and Selangor. 

And the final score was... JDT 6 Selangor 1! Revenge is sweet, I tell ya! 

Alright Stop, Collaborate, And Listen!

 

So, we were talking about poetry when I told my daughter Tia this TRUE STORY:

It was in 1990/91 at the IIUM Matriculation Centre in Lembah Pantai (see photo). This was IIUM back in the day. Everything was pretty much segregated and still very, um, conservative.

So one night, our law faculty had a Malam Puisi at the main hall. The project head had earlier called for performers and quite a handful volunteered, including myself and classmate/roommate/bandmate Fino.

On the fateful night, the first guy stepped up, and he went, "Kacaaa Kacaaa Kotaaa..." So puisi. So dramatic.

A few others followed suit. We had sajaks, gurindams and guys who syair-ed the night away. 

Then it was our turn.

Fino and I stepped on to the stage and into the spotlight. I walked up to the microphone and said: "We're going to present something different. But this is ALSO poetry."

Then we proceeded to rap "Ice Ice Baby". 

Jaws literally dropped. 

Of course, we also had to change some of the words. Art is art, but we didn't want to risk suspension or expulsion for the sake of freakin' Vanilla Ice!

We finished the performance and literally ran out of the hall. 

We were then told that the supervising lecturer wanted to see us. But we never took up on the invitation. 😅

THE END

Sunsets!

I was going thru my IG archive and came across this video taken at Cottesloe Beach, Western Australia. So, here's a bunch of other sunset vids/pics in my collection. Masya Allah, they're so beautiful ❤️ 

Cottesloe, Western Australia

Miri, Sarawak

Cambridge, UK

Ipoh, Perak

Bukit Jalil, KL

Pantai Minyak Beku, Batu Pahat

Sekinchan, Selangor

Dubai, UAE

Hyde Park, London

Morib, Selangor

Singapore

Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan

A B*B* Story

The first piece in the 1997 book "Generation" that I'm currently reading is by Amir Muhammad and is titled "A Khinzir's Eye View". It's about how, one day, the word "babi" was thoroughly replaced by the more polite (and "almost glamorous" according to Amir), "khinzir", in our local media. 

This reminded me of something that happened years back when I was hosting Malaysia Hari Ini on TV3.

It was an episode near CNY, and my co-host and I were talking about what animal year it was according to the Chinese calendar, and what it meant for the people who were born in the year of that particular animal. 

Then, my co-host (who shall remain nameless) asked me, "MZul lahir tahun apa?"

I just smiled and said, "Tak perlulah tahu."

But she didn't give up. "Alah, ceritalah. Mzul lahir tahun apa?"

"Takpelah, nanti saya cerita lain kali."

She refused to give up. "Ceritalah, penonton semua nak tahu."

I didn't know what else to say, so I went to: "Ok, kita rehat seketika, jumpa lagi selepas ini."

As we went into the commercial break, I turned to her and said, "Alah you ni, I lahir tahun Babi lah."

The End 🤣🤣

Food, Glorious Food!: Tingkap Cafe, PJ Old Town

Breakfast Muo style in PJ! Alhamdulillah, semua sedap; sate, lontong, ubi, roti jala, kuih, kopi 434. Retro aesthetics, service tip top!  Definitely one of the best breakfast spots in the Klang Valley. 

PS: Tingkap Cafe is owned by Tan Sri Johan Jaafar's son. Was cool to bump into him this morning 😄