It is another long weekend in Malaysia, as Sunday, July 7, is Awal Muharram, or the Muslim New Year. As such, Monday is a public holiday.
The home minister is excited about the break, as she was under the weather earlier this week. However, she also wants to do something instead of “staying at home”, and suggested going to the movies.
Going to the cinema was a weekly affair for her and my daughter – BC (before Covid-19). But since then, we pick and choose when to go. One thing stopping us these days is that – like pretty much everything else in Malaysia – prices have gone up.
On Thursday, a good friend, P. Kuganeson, lamented that very same thing, while looking for seats for the Indian movie ‘Kalki 2898 AD’. He finally bought two tickets for RM45.
I remember when tickets cost RM12-15. In the late 90s and early 2000s, we could get tickets for RM5 on Wednesdays.
But now, if the home minister, my daughter, and I were to go for a show, we spend between RM60-80 on tickets, and another RM20-30 on snacks. It’s just too costly to be a weekly affair.
Plus, streaming options like Netflix, Disney Hotstar, AppleTV, and Amazon Prime, make it possible to watch thousands of movies on the idiot box.
But having said that, we might go to the cinema tonight, with the choices being ‘A Quiet Place: Day One’, or ‘Kalki 2898 AD’, which is breaking box office records, even though many are unhappy with the film’s twists and turns, as it reimagines the Mahabharata.
The last time I watched a movie from India was the ridiculously entertaining ‘RRR’ two years ago.
For those celebrating Awal Muharram, wishing you a blessed Islamic New Year!
STRIKE FORCE FIVE
In a previous Diary, I mentioned listening to American talk shows during my drive to work, and back home. The monologues keep me sane in the traffic.
For the past two weeks, I have been listening to a podcast called Strike Force Five.
The podcast was released last year during the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists strike from July 14 to Nov 9.
During that 118-day strike, television programmes came to a halt, and that included late-night talk shows. So, five of those hosts – Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers, Jimmy Fallon, and John Oliver – came together to do a podcast to raise money for their striking staff.
They recorded 12 episodes. A year later, they are still hilarious. If you are up for a laugh, search for Strike Force Five. You won’t regret it.
JBL HEART OF SOUND ROADSHOW
If you are an audiophile, you will want to be at the ‘JBL Heart of Sound Roadshow’ at 1 Utama, Concourse Old Wing. The event ends on July 7.
The lifestyle audio brand has unveiled three upgraded portable speakers, a new earbud, and interestingly, audio-equipped sunglasses.
The sunglasses were something I had been looking at for my fun runs, but I ended up buying a cheaper version online.
I happily own a pair of JBL earphones, so I am tempted by these audio-equipped sunglasses.
KARNIVAL SEGALANYA FELDA
We previously mentioned Karnival Segalanya Felda, but here’s a timely reminder as it is happening at the Malaysia Agro Exposition Park Serdang from July 12-14.
The event is also in conjunction with Settlers’ Day (Hari Peneroka).
Settlers’ Day is celebrated annually, as a one-day affair. This is the first time Felda has turned it into a three-day celebration, with some 500,000 stakeholders and visitors expected to throng the venue.
Numerous programmes have been lined up across 12 fields, or clusters, during the carnival. They range from education to job opportunities, an FGV festival, talent shows, and food stalls.
The carnival has attracted numerous big brands in Malaysia, including local banking giants Maybank and Abra Group.
