Foul!

As published in Malay Mail today HARESH SAYS By Haresh Deol HER flaming red hair stood out among her peers on stage. There stood Bihzhu   (pic above) in her bubbly self. The fingers of the bassist and guitarist ran wild all over the frets but just as the Penangite sang, my left foot was already tapping to her jazzy tune. Halfway through her performance during Moonshine at Publika last Wednesday, I asked myself why such songs do not enjoy airtime on radio. Amir Jahari was next. The young Kuching lad went on to play several yet-to-be recorded songs, impressing those who attended the show. The others who performed that night included Bil Musa and Narmi. I joined Amir after he performed and asked him how life had been in the scene. “Bolehlah,” he said with a smile. “I’m not making much, but it’s enough to put food on the table, pay the bills and do what I love doing … singing.” Amir, who turned 23 on May 31, has come a long way sin...

Haresh Says, as published in Malay Mail today LET’S not kid ourselves. Doing 20 push-ups before eating chicken briyani is not going to turn us into hunks or lower our cholesterol.   But this is beyond push-ups or crunches for a free meal or to post such antics online to get the attention of fellow social media users.   Here is an initiative by the Youth and Sports Ministry to get people to sweat it out and maintain a healthy lifestyle.   It has been a while since the ministry had embarked on such an aggressive campaign on social media to get people active. Led by its minister Khairy Jamaluddin, the hashtag #FitMalaysia and informative tips by @FitMalaysians on Twitter have certainly caught the attention of many.   Khairy, had for several weeks, encouraged the masses to perform exercise routines. There is also a promotion where if one could do 20 push-ups at a restaurant in Publika, he or she would get either a chicken briyani or a ...