Category: Daily Whatevers

61 years ago today, the US Army Air Force dropped the “Fat Man” atomic bomb on Nagasaki. Nagasaki was not the primary target. It was supposed to be Kokura, where most of the military arsenal were. However, conditions did not allow them to bomb Kokura, so they switched to the nearest secondary target.

At 11.01am, Captain Kermit Beahan, the bombardier of the Bockscar flown by Captain Frederick C Bock, saw a break in the clouds over Nagasaki and released the bomb. 43 seconds later the bomb exploded 469 meters above the city, nearly 3 kilometers away from the planned hypocenter. The blast was confined to the Urakami Valley and a major portion of the city was spared, unlike Hiroshima which was 90% destroyed.

At Hiroshima, some 80,000 people were killed instantly, while in Nagasaki, some 70,000 did.

Let us pray that Nagasaki will forever be the last city to suffer an atomic bomb attack.

61 years ago yesterday the United States Army Air Force’s B-29 bomber dubbed “Enola Gay” dropped an Atomic bomb over Hiroshima. The rest is history.

It may have been, arguably, the most correct decision then given the recalcitrant nature of the military hotheads in Japan who refused to surrender to the Allied Forces. But it was the Japanese people who had to pay for the sins of their rulers.

Two days later, on the 8th August 1945, a second Atomic bomb was dropped over Nagasaki, and the Japanese government capitulated. Tens of thousands more died immediately. Hundreds of thousands died in the following years due to radioactive sickness.

Let us all strive for the the end to all hostilities in this world and make it a better place. Let us hope that the two bombs dropped will be the only ones ever to be used to kill human beings.

So this session’s winner is Faizal, the kid from Terengganu. Well, he’s not bad really, but a bit bland for me. Considering he’s had 9 weeks of intensive training.

No, like football, I don’t really watch Akademi Fantasia. I hate it when the choice of winners lie in the hands of untrained people like me. So what should these kids be judge according to? Looks? Talent?

I cannot say anything about Akademi Fantasia Season 1. I didn’t watch any of it until the last concert. I remember Azizi’s headbutting of Aznil Nawawi. I watched Season 2 because of Bob, who consistenly performed the very best, but because he is not what the public wants to see win, he did not. Bob is a real talent. When he sang the song entitled “Laguku Untuk Mu” originally sang by Hasnol, he moved my heart.

AF3 saw several gems that did not get chosen either because they did not have the looks, or they don’t have the correct background. Felix sang well. He can hit the highestand lowest of notes without even batting an eyelid, and was always consistent. Idayu, a powerhouse, who probably did not make it to the finals because she did not have the right body cut. Then Amylea…superb performer. Alas, she did not win because none of the female voters would vote for her, and the guys don’t find her good-looking enough.

This season saw several more gems. Haziq, the kid who was always struggling for votes. Boy, can he sing malay traditional songs. He, like Bob of AF2, moved me. Then we have Zila who was voted out a few weeks prior to the finals. I would say she would sing well in the same genre as Haziq. She does have good voice. And my biggest disappointment was Farhan. I would have fasted a day had she won. Such a powerhouse. Of course, the guys wouldn’t waste money voting her. She finished 2nd Runner Up, while Haziq was fourth.

That is the reality of reality shows. Where fantasies come true, and the true and real gems are left out.

I’m tired.

I just got back from taking a look at the intended LOB. I drove the wife’s Proton Perdana V6 this time, and not the Proton Saga or the Naza Ria.

Total mileage was 703km and fuel used was RM129.00.

That comes to 18.35 sen of petrol to a kilometer.

Not too bad actually. Filled her up from really almost empty in Kuang (RM104.00), went to Tanjung Gemok, drove back, stopping only at Kuala Pilah to fill her up again (RM25.00).

I am already 40. When Mohsin passed away yesterday, he was only 41. But does age matter? My MCKK batchmate, Johan Ismail or fondly known amongst us then as “Mawell” died three years ago of a massive heart attack when I was away in Geneva, Switzerland attending a trade show.. He was 37.

A member of Mohsin’s batch, Anis, who was there when Mohsin’s body was brought to the Serdang Hospital for a post-mortem around 2pm wrote:

Speaking on behalf of Crotalus 78-82 (his batch), the body arrived at around 2 at Hospital Serdang. Serene look on his face.

Post mortem was conducted by our very own Dr. Karim (budak kolek grad 1966 kot). Was about to negotiate for external post mortem but aruah’s case is classified as a high profile case, and he had to perform internal post mortem as well.

Post mortem findings basically reveals a bad and enlarged heart with pin point blockage of coronary artery(ies?). Calcification noted at the vessels. The rush to check in might have precipitated the ischaemic heart attack. (Was told by the accompanying sergeant that he was about to check in, suddenly became dizzy and fainted back first!)

So, may I suggest to those friends of mine, me included, especially those who smoke on a regular basis, aged 30 years and above, to just spend a day with your heart specialist and have yourself checked out?

Time I do that again.

Happy birthday to my Little Wing! More dives in the future, I hope! 🙂

Hani Mohsin Hanafi, 41, passed away of a heart attack at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport, early this morning. He is remembered by most Malaysians as an actor, and most of all, as the second host of ASTRO’s Roda Impian.

He was my senior by one year at my alma mater, the Malay College. He was active in dramas while still in college, and in 1982, was my platoon commander in the Pasukan Kadet Bersatu Malaysia (I was promoted to replace him the very next year).

In 1996, when Datuk Seri Effendi Norwawi wanted to conceptualise his then-soon-to-be-launched TV station, he handpicked several MCKK Old Boys who were involved in arts/dramas/plays/movies/advertisements to help him out, so yours truly was included, because I was involved in stunts for movies, and also for my refusal to watch malay movies produced post-70s. The rest were Azizul Callahan, Raja Petra Kamaruddin, Hishamuddin Rais and several others. For a week we were hosted at the Damai Beach Resort in Kuching. We came up with a tentative name for the station: ENTV. This became NTV7 later.

At one point, we were all watching local malay dramas and Effendi saw my point. He then asked if we knew any old boy who is actively involved in drama production. The name Hani Mohsin came up. So we called Mohsin (as he is known to us), and he was with us the next morning. I won’t get into how he lost Jacquelina to Effendi. However, when he was still married to her, he was looking for a house in Bukit Antarabangsa, where I lived for a while when I was single again. So he asked me to help him out. Even after Jacquelina left him, he continued to live there to the end.

I bumped into him on several occassions, mainly at the Malaysian Film Festival, Anugerah Seri Angkasa, and several other functions. I last bumped into him was last year at the Esso station in Desa Pandan, exchanged short notes, and hoped we’d meet again for teh tarik or something.

That never happened. And now he is gone.

So remember to always keep in touch with friends you have made along the way, and especially with your family members. Life is short. You will never know what you may miss.

Rest well, Mohsin. Al-Fathihah.