1.2 tons of durian to celebrate 27th birthday

Compiled by ILYIA MARYSA ISKANDAR, C. ARUNO and R. ARAVINTHAN

A GOLD shop owner celebrated his 27th birthday by throwing a durian banquet with 1.2 tons of the king of fruits, Sinar Harian reported.

About 700 residents in Kota Baru, Kelantan, came for the durian party provided by Murtadhatumizi Mustapha on Saturday.

Besides the durian, he also served pulut (glutinous rice) and durian ice-cream.

He said he opted for durian, despite it being pricey, so that the people could enjoy them.

“I think this is a form of sharing that can give joy to the public,” he said.

> Several victims of a recent haj pilgrimage scam were so traumatized and embarrassed that they avoided their neighbors, Harian Metro reported.

Apparently, they were reluctant to go home as they did not want people to know that they did not perform the haj.

“There were those who wanted to buy dates and raisins as souvenirs for their neighbors. They were traumatized and ashamed,” said Mohd Hanif Mohd Salleh, 57.

Mohd Hanif, who was supposed to perform the haj on June 28, was also disappointed because he had yet to receive a refund from the travel agency.

“We were supposed to fly to the Holy Land on June 28, but our flight was delayed several times until July 7. Some people withdrew on July 5 when the flight was delayed and they received their money back through the agent instead of the travel agency ,” he claimed.

> After about 15 years as an actress, Sweet Qismina is now excited about becoming a singer.

Her debut single, Namo, is the result of a nine-month collaboration with Warner Music Malaysia.

Namo was officially released on July 23, Kosmo! reported.

Sweet, whose real name is Farhanna Qismina Supandi, said acting is in tune with her soul but she found a new satisfaction in music.

“I’m not hoping for much. It would be enough to receive positive support from my fans because I’m still a ‘kid’ in the music industry,” said Sweet, 25.

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.