Hot Topic 11/3 : Moronic Malaysian Motorists

So okay, not quite a hot topic, but more like a never-ending sore point for many of us. It’s getting tiresome complaining about moronic Malaysian motorists, but it’s becoming a sin NOT to do so.

Just the other day, the topic of traffic jams was opened yet again to the viewers of Malaysia Hari Ini, and the 2 main factors blamed for the problem were the construction of the roads and the attitude of motorists themselves.

And in all seriousness, I would love it if someone were to do a full-on research on the subject. I mean, have people standing by and stop those queue jumpers, road hoggers, etc and straight up ask them what the hell was wrong with them. Seriously.

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I’d love to know the reasons for being such morons; especially those who always end up on the wrong lane when paying for tolls. It can’t be that the signboards aren’t big enough, but there are people everyday who do this, backing up traffic and generally getting a lot of people pissed off.

Why people, why? Is it so hard to queue? Or stay in the right lane? Or, you know, NOT be such a moron?

Just writing about it makes my blood go upstairs lah…

Hot Topic 7/3 : When The New Sultan of Johor Speaks…

So I was pleasantly surprised to read an exclusive interview with the new Sultan of Johor in The Sunday Star today.
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The Sultan basically spoke his mind and I sincerely hope everyone takes note of his, well, wishlist. Allow me to recap the major points:

1.The Sultan wants a “trouble-free Johor”
2. A new bridge should be built to replace the causeway
3. MRT line from Singapore in JB would be good for everyone
4. Politicians and government servants should shape up or get out
5. More should be done for the state’s tourism industry

As a proud Johorean, all I can say is, bravo!

A great state like Johor has the potential to achieve so much more and the Sultan has basically outlined the roadmap for it.

Let’s take tourism for example. When someone mentions Malaysian Tourism, Johor doesn’t exactly come to mind, does it? The question is, why not?

A great empire once upon a time, Johor’s got a lot to offer those into history – if things are organized much better. And talk about eco-tourism, Johor has enough waterfalls, islands and forest reserves to rival an other state in the country.

Till when do we have to depend on the “accidental tourists” from Singapore alone? More should be done to also lure the millions from all over the world who drop by the Lion City each year.

And yes, why is Johor food is not as world famous as it should be?

Loads of points to ponder really, and it’s great to see the new Sultan speaking his mind on these issues. Daulat Tuanku!

Hot Topic 1/3 : Wajib Siar

So, the local entertainment industry is currently buzzing about this new government policy, “Wajib Siar” where radio stations are obligated to play new songs by local artists, starting today.

I’ve read opinions by people in the business and it’s apparent that the opinions are split as to whether this is a positive thing or otherwise.

I personally know people from both sides of the divide, and this is my own stand: I support it.
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The thing is, I just feel that things are really slipping away for the industry, as we know it. People say numbers don’t lie, and the numbers are that the industry have lost some 60% of its worth compared to just a couple of years before. That is huge, people.

And we’ve heard more than once about local artists getting the door slammed in their faces when asking some radio stations to play theuir latest song. These are real situations and numbers.

No, I don’t see this policy as “closing off (international) competition”. I mean, there are tons of stations that play nothing but International music in other languages, so why should the malay-language stations go the same way?

Oh, I forgot, cos “the listeners want it”. But really, if you play something a dozen times a day, sure, you’ll get people “wanting” to hear it even more. But what you CHOOSE to play a dozen times a day is the problem here. Why not apply the same test for all the songs?

The way I see it, the policy doesn’t give a free ride to local artists as well. It just basically evens up the playing field for everyone, and yes, the listeners would be smart enough to differentiate between crap and class.

So, in the end, these local artists would find that ultimately quality is key. But the need for the right environment and support must first be addressed, no?

So okay, in this day and age, there are other potential revenue streams for the average artist, like digital sales, RBT and synchronization, but what’s the reality in those as well? For RBTs, for example, the telcos are the ones truly benefiting, taking 50% or more for every piece of content sold. Yup, it’s not really as rosy as you might expect.

And I personally know that Malaysians don’t really download full songs legally, so that route is virtually a dead-end at this point in time.

One of the biggest criticisms raised against the policy is that it lacks specifics. And on this point, yes I agree. So hopefully the specifics will be revealed pretty soon.

After which, I hope to see those benefiting from this will work their asses off to get what they think they deserve.

10 Films I Watch Over And Over

Inspired by a piece on ew.com recently, here’s my list of the 10 films I can watch over an over and over again...

Return Of The Jedi
Not the best, but Jedi is in fact my favourite Star Wars film. I even liked the ewoks, ok?

School Of Rock
Rock 'n' roll and comedy. And Jack Black! How can it get any better than this? Fave bit? Every time Jack Black launches into a song… His facial expressions are priceless. And for the record, I have the VCD, DVD and soundtrack to boot.

Nacho Libre
Another Jack Black flick. Hugely underrated, but loaded with awesome and awkward dialogue, like: “Chancho, sometimes when you’re an adult, you wear stretchy pants in your room. It’s for fun”. Haha!

Jerry Maguire
Yeah, yeah… I’m also quite the romantic. There, I said it. And with a sports setting, I’d watch this 12 times in 24 hours, no prob. It completes me.

Cocktail
Tom Cruise makes great dude movies, and this one made me want to go to New York and work at a bar more than anything else in life at that time. The waterfall scene is not too shabby either.

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Ali Setan
So many great lines, and funny till today. It was 1Malaysia before the concept existed. And yes, I had a crush on Ogy. A huge one.

Notting Hill
A quiet romantic flick that gets better with every viewing. A fantasy every guy can relate to, no?
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Back To The Future 2
The cool “futuristic” gadgets, the slightly-confusing plot, memang best lah. There’s no better Time Machine movie out there till today.

Braveheart
When I first saw it, I couldn’t stop thinking about it for days. It raises your spirits and makes barbaric seems romantic. The true power of a film.

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Superman 2
So yeah, he gets all lovey-dovey and loses all his powers. But the 3 equally-powerful baddies was a great idea, and I simply love the opening Eiffel Tower scene. Altho I do despise Lois Lane.

Pertandingan Cerita Lawak GUA

So yesterday we had the PC and launch of "Pertandingan Cerita Lawak GUA" at the colourful cafe "Stuff You Face" at Bangsar Shopping Centre.

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Basically it's a video UGC contest on GUA where anyone can send in their funny videos and stand a chance to win fantastic cash prizes.

It starts on March 1st and will run till 31st May. Each month we will be giving away RM1,000 for the top 3 videos, while the grand prize winner will take home RM2,000! Not bad huh?

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Best part, the grand prize winner will be judged by celebrity comedians, Harith Iskander and Din Beramboi. The duo will also be giving away 3 other subsidiary titles.

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For more info, click HERE

Hello, Pacific Coffee Company!

Yup, this whole coffee-craze is not going away anytime soon, is it? And yet another new player has just entered the game; Hong Kong-based Pacific Coffee Company.

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It's first outlet in Malaysia can be found at IOI Boulevard and I must say it made a pretty good impression on me.

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It's spacious, tastefully decorated and crucially, serves pretty good coffee.

Of course being new, the "bau kedai" is still there as well, but that's not really a complaint. And apart from the usual magazines you might see at other coffee places, they also have a nice mini library at one corner that stocks novels, travel books and shakespeare (!).

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And you know what? This place definitely has the potential to be my new favourite coffee hangout...

Hot Topic 20/2

So just moments ago, Tiger Woods made his much-awaited apology on TV. It wasn't really a news conference as there no questions allowed, and reactions have been mixed so far.

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Personally, I think a sit down interview with say, Larry King, would have been more appropriate and sincere. The apology did look and feel extremely rehearsed. So points have to be taken off there.

But the real question is, does the world forgive him now?

Well, does it even really matter?

As pointed out by some in twitterverse, he owes the biggest apology to his family. The rest of us don't really matter.

I mean, I've been a fan since forever, and what I've always admired about Tiger is his athletic abilities. That's all really. And because of that, I've bought his shirts and caps, and magazines with his mug on the cover. Didn't really know or care about his personal life.

But of course there would be those who would argue that he's cheated all of us by putting on this wholesome image of a superfamilyman all this while. And that it wouldn't have mattered if he had played his cards the way, say, Mike Tyson did. Which was basically, "I'll do whatever I want cos I'm a thug and I'll always be one".

So in case you're wondering, as a fan, yeah I forgive him. He screwed up and I truly hope things will work out between him and his wife Elin.

After which, I sure as hell would want to see him back on the course wowing us with his athletic abilities again. After all, this IS the Year of the Tiger...