It has been a strange year. From the UK’s exiting the European Union (Brexit) to Donald Trump’s election as US President, and everything in between.As the 365 days of 2016 come to an end, let us revisit the stories that raised our eyebrows, made our jaws drop and led us to exclaim “What!”
SPRINTING OSTRICH
1. Move aside Usain Bolt, for we have our own Chickaboo, the sensational “road runner” ostrich, that bolted out of a Hilux and sprinted down the Federal Highway, slowing traffic as motorists gaped at the rare view of the flightless but frightened bird in their midst. Our two-legged friend was finally reunited with its owner unharmed, and then gained more fame by posing with American singer Greyson Chance for a photo that itself went viral on Twitter.
HERE’S TO HORSEPOWER
2. Not wanting to be outdone by Chickaboo, a dark chestnut horse named Michael, was seen frantically yet still majestically galloping down the highway in Kota Bharu soon after. Unfortunately, it is unknown if Michael found his way back to his owner, who claimed he had run more than 10km away from the family’s home in Kubang Kerian, Kelantan.
PIGGY BACK RIDE, ANYONE?
3. Animals took to our roads again, this time in the form of an adult pig slowly sauntering on the left side of a busy road in Kuching, Sarawak in broad daylight. Totally unperturbed by the honking vehicles at a crossroads it encountered, the strolling porcine calmly avoided vehicles and crossed the road possibly because it was too “boar-ed” to wait for the pedestrian lights to flash, allowing it safe passage to the other side.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3zSflnn4O8&feature=youtu.be
MONKEY SEE MONKEY DO
4. A university student fully “armed” with his motorcycle helmet, riding gloves, and a broom had to fend off a monkey who showed up in a dormitory room in Universiti Teknologi Petronas in search of a higher education, rumour has it. However all hell broke loose when the macaque decided to grab a closer look at the funnily dressed student who shrieked and ran helter-skelter.
MONKEY BUSINESS
5. Then we had marauding monkeys that ambushed a postman, overpowering him within seconds and making off with the mail he was trying to deliver in Terendak Camp, Malacca. Luckily the cheeky monkeys only made off with everyday mail and not confidential military documents.
NEW KID ON THE BLOCK
6. Cuteness levels were raised to an all time high when a baby was born to giant pandas Fu Wa and Feng Yi. Unveiled for the first time at Zoo Negara, Kuala Lumpur, the baby panda was later named Nuan Nuan (meaning friendliness), a name picked out of a pool of nearly 23,000 suggestions from the Malaysian public. A totally ‘Awwww’ moment.
http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/videos/2015/11/17/panda-cub-unveiled-for-the-first-time-to-public/
FESTIVE FELINES
7. A custom-tailored Baju Melayu complete with songkok for cats created a frenzy among cat lovers during the holy month of Ramadan. Nobody would have guessed that this idea came about when a designer noticed that during the previous Raya, everyone was dressed in festive attire, except for the cat. Lest the cat felt left out, the designer decided to go into cat tailor mode this year, although no one asked if the cat liked having a songkok strapped onto its head.
KITTENS GOT THE MUSIC IN ‘EM
8. A roadside busker on Pangkor Island was seen serenading his audience of four of the cutest kittens who intently listened to his music, bobbing their heads to the rhythm of his song. Like a true singer, he gave his undivided attention to his adoring fans, and even sportingly ended his song with a ‘Terima kasih semua’ as he bowed to his groupies. This video beat Nuan Nuan hands down.
COBRA QUEEN
9. A fireman was disappointed that foreign journalists did not verify facts before posting pictures of him and his pet cobra, who they described as his “wife”. The largely pictorial news article showed the “couple” doing everything together including watching TV, playing board games and working out at the gym. The fireman explained later that he kept snakes to observe their behaviour so he could train other firemen on how to handle them better in their day-to-day work.
EVERY DOG HAS ITS DAY
10. The Pretzel Dog at Auntie Anne’s became a source of confusion, and later ridicule when it was banned for fear that pretzel lovers would confuse it with dog meat, mixed into dough and baked for public consumption. The international pretzel chain in Malaysia had to change the “Pretzel Dog” in its menu to “Pretzel Sausage” so as not to confuse any unsuspecting patron.
All in all, it was not too bad a year, perhaps just amusing and unpredictable and a tad ridiculous at times. It would be most interesting to see what lies in store for us in 2017.
Happy New Year all!