Foul!

As published in Malay Mail today HARESH SAYS By Haresh Deol SHE put on a mesmerising performance that awed the audience. Her rendition of the classic hit Seri Mersing was unorthodox compared to versions by Saloma, Datuk Sharifah Aini and Datuk Siti Nurhaliza. But one cannot imagine the agony and despair Najwa Mahiaddin went through at the 27th Malaysian Film Festival, which was organised by National Film Development Corporation (Finas) last Saturday. And one would not fault her if she had shed a tear or two when she was not allowed to perform at the eleventh hour. In fact, the term eleventh hour is an understatement for the host, Nabil Ahmad, was just about to invite her on stage when he received orders to cut for a commercial break. Nabil, a comedian, could not hide his expression as he was confused by the situation. After the commercial break, Najwa was nowhere to be seen. Backstage, her representatives had a tough time understanding why sh...

As published in Malay Mail today HARESH SAYS By Haresh Deol CRIES of “Aunty!” echoed in the porch. There stood our neighbour’s son with a dumbfounded look on his face.   Lee junior, who studies in a vernacular school, came armed with a workbook, pencil box and plenty of questions.   Right after he stepped into the house, the Year 4 pupil flipped open his book and zoomed in at a question — Danny bought a _______ for his father and a pair of _______ for her mother.   “So is Danny a boy or a girl, aunty?” Lee junior asked my mother. The other question is about the book The King of Kites.   “Who is the author?” the question read. As the young man pointed out, the book is written by Judith Heneghan and Laure Fournier.    “Shouldn’t it be ‘Who are the authors?’” he asked.   “I is so confused leh,” the boy said jokingly, poking fun at the literals.   He highlighted another sentence in the book: “Anil’s mother i...

Haresh Says, as published in Malay Mail today.   LET’S go back to at least 25 years ago when the Internet was still in its infancy.   The term “social media” was unheard of then. The only thing social was when one attended a relative’s birthday party or hung out with friends at a nearby coffeeshop.   Conversations revolved around investors who cursed a political party’s supposed economic vehicle to boost the income of a particular race but failed to produce returns and had instead turned into a farce.   Parents complained about the merit system, claiming their children were unable to secure places in local universities despite scoring straight As.   Friends made fun of how politicians talked as jokes about leaders and their bizarre antics would leave many in stitches. It was a sure way to keep the night alive.   But such talk was either within the four walls of a living room or a coffeeshop.   Today, such socia...

“We have decided to die in Lahad Datu’ “We have decided to die in Lahad Datu’ Are our waters easily penetrable by hundreds of armed men? Why did the government choose to keep mum over the issue? Why are the Media downplaying the episode? Why was ample time given to the 'intruders'? While we continue to seek the answers, here are some reports of the standoff in Lahad Datu . We lost good men, as seen here and here . 'We have decided to die in Lahad Datu' , as reported by FMT . PM Najib Razak gives full mandate to police and army , as published in NST . "I have to make this clear because there have been announcements of a curfew in social websites and blogs. I am in charge of issuing the order for a curfew, but I have not issued any order following yesterday's incident," he said.   Read more here .  Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin today slammed Parti Keadilan Rakyat vice-president Tian Chua as "irresponsible" after the l...