Foul!

As published in Malay Mail today. Words by Frankie D’Cruz frankie@mmail.com.my 2014 was dreadful. It was horrible. It stank. It epitomises the utter array of horror. We did not know how to solve problems. We had crises. We fixed some. We allowed some to fester. Perhaps, there were some upsides. I am trying to think of what they were. Always, the bad seemed to crowd out the good. Maybe the good news was that our eyes were opened, at least a little bit. But what we saw was downright depressing. We wanted 2014 to end soon enough. 2015 will surely have plenty of bad news in it. That 2014 could have been worse should offer some hope. ‘Smart’ people predicted a lot of even-more-terrible things in 2014 that never came to pass. That might feel like a low bar. But these ‘averted’ catastrophes point toward some interesting ways to be optimistic about 2015. Unless, of course, someone wants to carry the misfortune into 2015. ...

As published in Malay Mail today. KUALA LUMPUR — Forget denim jeans and leather jackets. Get Steppenwolf’s "Born to be Wild" out of your head. Instead, imagine gentlemen donning suits and neck ties. Some may have their better half dressed immaculately as pillon riders on custom and classic motorcycles — accompanied to the tune of Frank Sinatra’s "New York, New York". Such a sight will be seen worldwide tomorrow as thousands of riders in 57 countries will participate in the Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride 2014. In Malaysia, more than 300 riders have registered for the event on the official website but organiser of the Kuala Lumpur chapter Naked 13 Cafe Racer are expecting more than 450 motorcycles to hit the streets in and around the city. Several enthusiasts have also organised another leg in Kuching. The ride is a campaign to support research of prostate cancer. The international organisers had earlier aimed a fundraising goa...

As published in Malay Mail today. KUALA LUMPUR — Teachers, students, parents, tutors and even Examination Syndicate personnel could face stiff penalties under the Official Secrets Act (OSA) 1972 following the leak of the UPSR Science paper scheduled for today. Police said at least one report was lodged in Putrajaya and were verifying if more reports were lodged in other states following the fiasco involving Year 6 pupils nationwide. “We will investigate the matter under OSA,” said Bukit Aman assistant chief of Inspector-General of Police secretariat ACP Datin Asmawati Ahmad. “Please give us time to verify the details and investigate this thoroughly.” While preliminary investigations by the Education Syndicate revealed the 018, 028 and 038 papers were circulated over social media, it is learnt questions and answers for other papers were also circulated through instant messaging WhatsApp. There were also claims the primary school students had also obtained answe...

As published in Sunday Mail today. KUALA LUMPUR — It will not be your typical weekend ride. More than 300 riders, dressed in suits and bow-ties, are set to make plenty of “noise” in Kuala Lumpur in conjunction with the annual Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride 2014 on September 28. The worldwide event, which started in 2012, is to promote men’s health and raise funds for research to fight prostate cancer. The organiser of the Malaysian chapter, Kamarul Azahar Azman, 30, said the event aimed to promote a positive outlook of men on motorcycles and to help raise money for a noble cause. “Some US$300,000 (RM951,000) has been collected worldwide and we hope to reach our goal of US$1 million (RM3.17 million) soon,” said Kamarul, who is an architect by profession. “We have received strong support since the event’s inception we are confident the numbers will keep on growing.” The participants will assemble at KL Tower before riding to the National M...

As published in Sunday Mail today Malaysian badminton fans have been left disappointed for far too long and only by winning the Thomas Cup would renew their faith into the sport, says Tan Sri Elyas Omar. Elyas, who was the Badminton Association of Malaysia president when the nation last won the prestigious tournament in 1992, hoped the national shuttlers would remain composed as they take on Japan in the final at the Siri Fort Stadium in New Delhi, India, at 3pm local time (5.30pm in Malaysia). “Yes, of course (fans have been left disappointed) ... for the past 22 years,” said Elyas, who was also former mayor of Kuala Lumpur. “This is the best chance and I believe they did not even expect to play in the final given the line-up but let’s not put pressure on them, let’s motivate them instead.” Elyas said the players must overcome the pressure and maintain their fighting spirit instead of being jittery on the court. He recalled the motivational words he uttered to former ...

   

There were fireworks in every part of the nation but for Dataran Merdeka - the iconic landmark of the nation. It says a lot. Here's hoping for a meaningful 2014. Happy New Year folks! Beautiful pic by Bernama