Weekend In PD

Arrived in PD earlier today for a brainstorming retreat with the MHI team. Think it's the first time the MHI team has gone out of KL for such a session and I'm definitely looking forward to tomorrow where stuff will be discussed and ideas spawned. Hopefully!

But before the heavy stuff, got to do a bit of running on the beach just now. Can't remember the last time I went up against the sand, and it was quite a tough session.

But it was pretty cool, especially when I got to catch the sun coming down...

Now for some shut-eye before tomorrow's session. Nite peeps!

Rugby World Cup 2011

Odd-numbered years are always seen as boring by sports fans. Why? Er, you don't know is it? No football World Cup, Euro or the Olympics. So we just have to make do with regular club football, F1, tennis and premier league snooker (haha).

BUT it's gonna get pretty interesting in 2011 pretty, pretty soon as the Rugby World Cup arrives beginning 9th September!

I'm not the biggest rugby fan around, but I do understand the sport and enjoy the big games. I played the game a bit during school (since English College was THE rugby school in JB), but I can safely say that I'm much better at basketball, football and lari dalam guni.

So, who will I be rooting for? Like you don't know me already meh? England, of course. I still remember the World Cup in 2003 where "Ugly, Ugly England" surprised the rest by getting to the final and beating hosts Australia in a pulsating match. A match that was aptly won by a Jonny Wilkinson drop goal.

Four years later in France, England surprised again by getting to the final, but South Africa came out tops and brought home the trophy. Don't remember much of the game though since it was played in the wee hours, and well, it was a one-sided affair pretty much.

This time around though, the Three Lions are gonna be known as "Boring Boring England", and aren't really expected to come within sniffing distance of the trophy. But hey, that's what they said these past two World Cups, right?

But in all honesty though, I wouldn't mind hosts nation New Zealand winning it all this year. It's been 24 years since the All Blacks are world champions, and they do play the most attractive rugby at the moment.

So yes, I'm all pumped up. And the best part? All the matches will be during office hours! So I can just switch off the lights, crack open some soya bean and enjoy the games in the comfort of my office. (But if the big boss is reading this, I'm kidding only lah Dato'!). Haha.

A Picture A Day: Idiots On A Bike

Coming back to the office from lunch just now, I spotted these guys on a bike without any helmets on. What idiots! Seriously, ingat kat kampung lagi ke?

Saw them going into the IBM building parking lot, and judging from where I saw them first, they must have gone out for lunch near the Pelangi condo. Not a long distance, but hey, it's still Bandar Utama with loads of vehicles at all times!

A Picture A Day: First Run After Ramadhan

Yup, after a little more than 30 days, went to the park today for my first run. The result? It wasn't as tough as I expected, to be honest.

Sure, my knees felt kinda stiff in the beginning, but it just took a few hundred metres to get it going normally again.

And I did finish the 3km I was targetting. So, yay! But of course I need to step things up seeing how my first 10km run is coming up real soon!

Social Media And The Need For Speed On Info (Updated)

Firstly, condolences to the family of Noramfaizul Mohd Nor, the Bernama cameraman who died of a gunshot while on duty in Somalia. I have read so many tweets on arwah from his friends and collegues, and he was known to be a good, cheerful and honest person. Al Fatihah.

However, there's another unfortunate issue that has cropped up, I.e.: that arwah did not have the proper insurance coverage provided by his employer. This bit of info has spread really fast on social media, and has caused distress and outrage among the general public.

If this is in fact true, it's a tragic situation, no doubt. Life has to go on, but what about arwah's family?

BUT, there has been no official statement on the matter. As I'm writing this, hours has passed since it was mentioned on social media, and because of the replies and retweets on twitter especially, it has been taken as a "fact" by most people.

But then again, this is the problem faced by the majority of organizations (and the government) in this age of social media; the underestimation of its impact and the lack of response to hot-button issues.

"News" these days is not just what's reported in the papers or on TV, but the conversations created on social media, especially when such conversations are participated by credible users and commentators.

And we've seen how this has impacted issues. By the time a statement is issued and published by the papers, perception has been formed and the delayed-response will be labeled as "spin" and/or a coverup.

So, I'm hoping those responsible would clear the air on this particular issue. And again, condolences to the family of arwah Noramfaizul Mohd Nor.

* It was a great relief to everyone when reports came out that arwah was in fact insured. At the very least, we know his family would be taken care of. Read it HERE