I landed in Nice around noon (local time is six hours behind Malaysian time) from Heathrow and from there it was about an hour by SUV through scenic and meandering sea-front road to Monaco, the second tiniest nation on this planet. I am here for the Monaco F1 with a small group of media people courtesy of Petronas, the national oil corporation, which is in it with Mercedes. Two other Malaysian groups are also deeply involved with the Formula One - Proton, the national car manufactuers=, and the team comprising Tony Fernandes' Air Asia and SM Nasaruddin SM Nasimuddin of NAZA Group.
MH002 from KLIA to Heathrow was full. More than half the passengers were probably going to the UK to watch Manchester United play Barcelona in the final that has got nothing to do with Malaysian football but a lot with our passion for the game and the simple fact that a lot of us CAN afford it.
Monte Carlo will be my last assignment with the MSM. My contract with The Malay Mail ends on May 31, after which I will not longer act as adviser to the tablod, the Malaysian Reserve and the Bernama TV that Rais Yatim, the Information Minister, so wanted to take back for I don't know why. I rejoined The Paper That Cares this time in 2009 on a two-year contract. I will still sit on the Malay Mail Care Fund, on voluntary basis, until further notice.
By the way, Rais Yatim's case against the Sabah blogger is expected to be heard in the High Court of Kuala Lumpur next Friday. The Sabahkini editor, who is being sued by the Minister for defamation over a certain allegation of rape of an Indonesian maid, is standing by his story. It won't make world headlines like the MU game or the Monaco F1 will, but the court case will be as furious. And since the Blog House of Malaysia has promised to consider helping bloggers against lawsuits, it will have to decide one way ofanother where this case is concerned. After May 31, I will still be adviser to the Blog House Malaysia.
You'll Never Walk Alone bro
ReplyDeleteDITTO AsiaKops
ReplyDeleteEnjoying the spoils of your labour?
ReplyDelete"kipas-kipas" has its perks eh
wah can u give me sum euos as a gift?
ReplyDeleteyou'll will walk alone , when broke
ReplyDeleteHow much of trip is coming out of your pocket? No wonder Msia is fcuked with people going all over the place for fuck all. Disneyland comes to mind.
ReplyDeleteSalam Datuk,
ReplyDeleteSport, Sport and an absolutely poor Sport.
Wishing you splendid moments in your final assignment.
Best regards,
Freddie
All the best.
ReplyDeleteI'll still adopt the 'only jeans' and 'run a blog' policies. :)
Cheers!
Fu@k the rest and enjoy the world for life is too short! BTW I am trying to find my way to Salonika in Greece to see some old Greek hippie friends and I know I will have a good time if it happens!
ReplyDeleteno wonder la you write the way you are writing now.
ReplyDeleteget to travel like no one else, courtesy of...
remember when you were out in the cold few years back? Nothing right?
So go ahead, enjoy yourself while you can.
continue writing and ensure butter applied on the right side.
Brew,
ReplyDeleteWho cares what you do next !
Maybe you will resell your soul again for a bounty.
Bigots like you should just fade away.
Shame on you to jet set on the poor rakyaat's money.
Good riddance and don't go back to journalism and don't shame the profession
“Sometimes, the winner is the one who is able to let go and move on. Wise people know when to do so.” - Anon
ReplyDeleteI believe its all the time. Only the best in store for those who dare to get out of the comfort zone....
Wah....Latuk Locky mixing around with the rich and famous in Nice, Monaco, London....and so many rich Malaysians are there to watch the European Cup final at Wembley.
ReplyDeleteThis is the problem with this country run by UMNO - rich Melayus and Mamaks taking advantage of all the corny policies like NEP, and being able to fly all over the world to watch a football game.
Spare a thought for the poor having to tune in the radio to listen to the radiocast. Many can't even afford Astro. What high income nation are we talking about ?
Godfather
Dato Rock's, sounds that you 'really" want the contract to be extended...nvm..hopefully some big guns read this ...and your wish can be considered....
ReplyDeleteGlory! Glory! Rocky!
ReplyDeleteKL-heathrow flight is always full. It has nothing to do with the football match.
ReplyDeleteWhen u r in the good books, perks comes naturally.
ReplyDeletetok.. malam kena pergi JIMMY Z.. best.
ReplyDeletesms.. saya tingal di la paris hotel..
salam
Dato' while youre there, make sure you try Moules Frites. Theres several decent Resto along Quai Albert 1. Immediately after you came down from that steep corner to the left.
ReplyDeleteKalau tak try jangan balik. LOL
Bon Appetite
Alloo Latuk Blu!
ReplyDeleteItu hali wa ale jumpe sama fung shui punya olang..lia bilang itu Abang Lait ale kalah oo lawan itu kes..wa ale lengar..sana SKMM punye olangpun bilang lia musti kalah punya..lu ale pichaya ka Latuk?
We won't miss you at the Malay Mail bro!!
ReplyDeleteDear Datok.
ReplyDeleteNC Seah articles in Insight Down South column in Saturday's STAR was about the end of elitism in Singapore's PAP,.post 2011 Singapore GE phenomenon.. however North of Singapore some UMNO elitist and warlords ( including Rais Yatim) never learn......
Prof Awe Kecik
p.s I am marching with Datok Rockybru
And what about your role in National Press Club?
ReplyDeleteYou forgot that part?
PARAMESWARA
Bro,
ReplyDeleteThis is out of topic but can you please investigate what is happening in JKR now. the minister wanted to remove the DG who is known to be a straight arrow but the government machinery fumble and did a mistake and appointed a new DG without getting the unwanted DG accepting the post at CIDB properly. So now the unwanted DG is still there and the new DG also there. So JKR have TWO DG now. The old unwanted DG has an clean record and did not blatantly follow ministers instruction. For that he was removed illegally.
This is the problem with UMNO minister like Shaziman there. They run they minstry like their own harem. If this continues I am afraid UMNO will lose peoples support especially civil servant. najib do not need someone like shaziman spoiling the pot.
Please check on this Bro!
Enjoy the summer and the smell of gasoline.
ReplyDeleteGood to get away from the putrid dirty politics of small, short men eh?
Catwoman
Ahh.. not too worry bro. you walk on the true path, as always, you will find problem. you walk on the liar's lair, you will find happiness. cause that liar's path happiness is just a facade of pain.
ReplyDeleteso,the moral of the story, heck, i have no idea.
anyways, don't worry, you have my support wherever you are.
cool bro!
Dato'
ReplyDeleteI wish you the very best in your future endeavours.
"Sekali air bah, sekali pantai berubah" But the problem with this country is that, change initiated by the new management/ CEO/ minister/ new powers-that-may-be are often negative...opaque schemes of fiefdooms not for the organization's best interests, but for the select few to milk.
I too am getting the heat from newbies in an established GLC media giant. Semua "nak buat duit selagi bos orang dia" mentality.
But we must peservere, be patient & have faith that what is right, will always (no matter how long)be proven right. And God always rewards those who do things to His pleasure, though the rewards may not be the material gains, we seek.
Salam
LOCK
Could you please drop a word in Tony Fernandes's ear that it's time for him to pull the plug on Team Lotus and stop throwing good money after bad?
ReplyDeleteThere's no glory or economic or PR spinoffs in finishing in the bottom third of every F1 race!
It would be far better for Tony F to use his millions to provide scholarships to deserving Malaysian students, fund professorships for worldclass academics at the Malaysia's top universities or even build a top-level business school or law school in the country.~
Heck - maybe he could even persuade the government to privatise UM or USM to him and let him run the university using Harvard, Stanford, MIT or Cambridge as models.
Let Petronas and Proton pursue the Holy Grail in F1 as part of "national service"!
entering a nue frontier eh olde chappie!
ReplyDeleteWhy not AirAsia X or SIA to London, eh?
ReplyDeleteLooking at MAS's latest financial numbers doesn't exactly inspire confidence in the airline's management!
The Singapore Girl is a "great way to fly"! Some more got A380s to London, lah!
On a brighter side, after 31st May you are free to do what you've always wanted to do, good luck.
ReplyDeleteBro,
ReplyDeleteThis UDA thingy happening recently! I dont understand why PM keep appointing this well known liberal malay Nur Jazlan in GLC position. He is known in TM before to cut deals for himself. And he also is very bitter towards Tun M. I know he is Hisham buddy but look at the mess is creating in UDA. He even said Bumi agenda will cost the government!! How about the the contracts he siphoned off, who pays for it????
Rais Yatim should join DAP because they share the same idealogies in dealing with media freedom. Only nice things must be said, or else....
ReplyDeleteA GOOD MAN DOES NOTHING.
After 2 years your masters only used you. Go back to your blog roots of independent blogging . Was a Datukship worth the pain of hippocrisy for blogging half truths.you sold your soul and I don't think a street man want to hear what you have to say. You took the gamble and you lost big time. You werw UMNO's one night stand. I do not think something of a critical analaysis comments will be published .I ccommand to respond to injustice when your were in MSN but your blogging became very personal. Return to your social ideas , I do not take enemies bot only victory for the common rakyat BN or PR I do not care as long as they are Malaysians
ReplyDeletei miss cote de azur, go and have coffee watching time passes by...
ReplyDeleteBro,
ReplyDeleteWhats this with UDA thingy? We all know Jazlan is a malay liberal that supporrs KJ and yet Najib appoints him as UDA chairman. I do not understand the logic. This fella have been lambasting TDM regularly and has been known to be corrupted while in Telekom etc. Now he has created a fiasco in UDA. It is like Najib never did his homework or what?
Working for MSM is such a blot on your reputation. Now you will be a free man and can say what you think and no mincing of words.
ReplyDeletewah Bro, if you can get a free trip to Monaco to watch the F1, then I think you've arrived. And BTW, a lot of us CANT afford to go to London just to watch a football game... He3
ReplyDeleteCheers,
MUS
Good riddance to you Rocky
ReplyDeleteAiyah Anon,
ReplyDeleteI have been with MSM since 1985 la. Was forced to go on a "sabbatical" from 2006 to 2009, helped end the Badawi era and rejoined MSM between 2009 and 2011. I was with the Star, Business Times, NST (London), and the (old) Malay Mail and the (new) Malay Mail. While on "sabbatical", during which I became a blogger and was made popular by the people who sued me, I was also writing for the MSM in Singapore.
So that's over two decades of "blot" on my reputation, my dear.
Rocky then, is different from Rocky now. Your friends from then, are not friends of you, now. Ooh, you may have the odd one or two arse holes like you as friends, not the ones' with principles.
ReplyDeleteI know you from the 80's, when I used to follow you and the others' at football matches and other functions. My, now you have become a pompous man. I even paid for your meals and listened to your grouses then. I was shocked at what you have become.
When Najib goes, watch your back, the new guy, will come after you. You are only useful to people like Najib and Rosmah, the others' don't trust you.
And now you take credit for unseating Badawi, sheesh, you have nothing to your credit, and so you claim this for yourself.
You will learn, you will indeed learn.
What good advice did you give Malay Mail when you were editorial adviser? I hear they are not doing very well and planning to scale down its operation. Some advice, eh? Buta gaji.
ReplyDeletecyrano
Anon 7:36/10:18,
ReplyDeleteDon't be such a sour puss la fren. Give credit where credit is due la. Rocky has been consistent in his views since he started blogging and always transparent in a sense he never censored any views from his comments box. I know some bloggers who only showed comments that are supportive and bias towards them. So to say that he has change is not true la fren. If you are envious of him just say so. Where were you guys when he in the doldrums during Badawi era?