Compiled by KHOO JIAN TENG, C.ARUNO AND R.ARAVINTAN
A HOUSE-CLEANING session turned into a frightening experience for a man in Kelantan when a cobra suddenly appeared in the garden of his home.
Sinar Harian reported that the man, in his 50s, was tidying up his house in Kampung Che Wal, Kuala Krai, when he heard an unusual noise coming from the garden.
Initially assuming it was a lizard, he was shocked to discover a cobra instead.
Guchil Volunteer Fire and Rescue operations chief Mohd Hamdan Mahadi said the man attempted to chase the snake away but it became aggressive and tried to strike him.
The venomous reptile then slithered towards the kitchen and took refuge under a dish rack, prompting the man to call for help.
“It took us just two minutes to catch it,” he said, adding that the cobra would be released back into its natural habitat.
> Making a living as a full-time street performer has not been easy for Muhd Hafizam Zaidon, 25, reported Utusan Malaysia.
After eight years busking around tourist hotspots in Bandar Hilir and Ayer Keroh in Melaka, he is finally proving that street music can be a sustainable career.
He shared that he used to face scepticism and cynical remarks from those who believed performing on the streets had no future.
But today, he is earning between RM300 and RM500 daily, and sometimes even more.
“Who says a busker can’t support a family? If you perform around tourist areas like the Stadthuys on weekends, you can earn up to RM1,000 a day,” he said.
During performances, Muhd Hafizam plays the keyboard while Amirul Amin, 29, accompanies him on guitar. The duo have become a familiar sight to both locals and tourists.
“So far, the feedback has been very encouraging. People enjoy the songs we play,” he said.
He added that they make it a point to keep with music trends.
“We’re always on the lookout for new songs that are popular on the radio. We try not to rely too much on repetition,” he added.
(The above articles are compiled from the vernacular newspapers (Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese and Tamil dailies). As such, stories are grouped according to the respective language/medium. Where a paragraph begins with a >, it denotes a separate news item.)
