RIFLE RANGE BOY

Starting 1st January 2023, the State of Kedah in Malaysia closed all their gaming outlets. Nobody in the state could place their bets on their lucky numbers in 4D, Toto, or DaMaiCai or buy lottery tickets anymore. What they need to comprehend is that Man is very innovative when it comes to beating the system. I remember a neighbour during my childhood who ran a clandestine betting business. After taking all the bets for the day, he would sneak the counterfoils above the electricity switchboard that served the whole floor of the flat. If he gets caught, the police cannot put his involvement in it. Again during my childhood, as the European-run estates came to a grinding halt, the estate-managed spirit shops also closed. Labourers, who by then were addicted to the bottle, got their fix from bootleg booze. They had to settle for locally brewed concoctions because they were out of jobs, and legal liquor cost too much. Methanol poisoning caused blindness to many and cost their lives to some...

A sign of women empowerment? Gin and Tonic - a lady's drink? Gin shops, unlike taverns, had  feminine interior with pink walls, mirrors and lacey curtains. It started with COVID-19 and the movement control order. Even though the notification notices from my WhatsApp had been disabled for the next year, curiosity took the better of me. I was curious where those 100 over messages came from. Was I so likeable that people found that extra time to keep my acquaintance? First, there was a debate on whether hydroxychloroquine was effective against coronavirus infections. The messages went a full circle, finally ending up with two sides vehemently defending or denying its usefulness. Both back up their stands with statistics and accuse the other of sabotage. One party said there is no rational explanation to use an antibiotic to fight a virus; a vaccine is needed. The other quoted success story with recovery numbers; to use what is freely available. The question of vested ...

Raees (Hindi, 2017) When a man is desperate, when his next meal is an impossible dream, any form of work that comes his way is God-sent. He will be grateful that the Divine forces are responsive to his pleas to meet his biological need. When his position is a bit stable, he introspects. He wonders whether his line of duty may irk the Creator. He feels guilty. He knows that his line of work is not sanctioned by the religious leaders who delved into this type of theological matters. He knows he has himself knee deep to retreat. His dependents, who by now are quite used to the good life start demanding. He would set his own modified rules, cherry picking rules and regulations to justify his illicit trade. He draws his boundaries, area which are a no-no and would defend his modified predilections to the core. Deep inside, he knows of his ill actions. To sanitise his 'sins', which actually do not appear in his psyche anymore, he immerses himself in philanthropic deeds and in th...