MY favourite British television series is MI-5, or Spooks as it is titled here in Malaysia.

I don’t watch the series on TV because of too many commercials and instead, get a whole season's episodes on DVD to see how MI-5 chief Sir Harry Pearce makes good decisions, controls his operatives with precision and professionalism, and keeps the nation safe from threats, both internal and external.

(SERI MENANTI) MALAYS are not and never will be racist (Feb 1)

IT'S just mistrust and suspicion of another race. Whereas racism is more towards hatred. – Ooi

SOME Malays are racists, just like some Chinese and some Indians too. There are racists in Australia, Europe and America. Racists exist in every country and in every ethnic group. Non-racists are the types who focus on what unites people rather than what divides them. – Angel

TanWC GANGSTERS issue death threat (Feb 1)

I WAS going to describe in my column this week about a book titled 19th Wife, a story of Brigham  Young, the prophet and leader of the Mormon church, then maybe allude it to Tiger Woods' 19th mistress and probably write about how Malaysians, especially the Malays, love to have mistresses. Then, I said to myself: “Nah! Boring!”

● Bloggers condemn 'kurang ajar' fellow blogger (Jan 25)

EVEN soldiers in war respect their vanquished enemies. The late Sultan of Johor would walk, ride, fly and boat around to meet his subjects anywhere, which is extraordinary when one compares him with other royals in Western countries. – Anonymous

● SERI MENANTI: Macho, Macho Man Claptrap? (Jan 25)

IN the 70s, everyone was or appeared to be a leftist or a revolutionary. The leftists loved Cuban revolutionary Ernesto Che Guevara, popularly known as "Che", and other symbols of freedom.

In Europe, mainly in the Netherlands and Germany, I never failed to wear my black beret and my army fatigue trying hard to look like "Che", and smoking that awful French cigarette, Gaulouise.

THERE is this very popular Canadian CBC documentary that traces the ancestors of prominent Canadians. And among its most interesting discoveries is that Margaret Trudeau, the then wife of Canada’s former prime minister, the late Pierre Elliot Trudeau, has a strong Malay blood connection living in Singapore.

I read with great interest the article written by Rusdi Mustapha on Seri Menanti and the new ruler Tuanku Mukhriz.

In fact, I read it more than once as it brought back memories of my younger days living in this tiny royal town, particularly during the Japanese occupation and the years immediately after the Second World War.

Seri Menanti has not changed much over the years. It is still a quaint town, which revolves around the palace and is dotted with small villages.

LET'S make one thing very clear: the cry “Daulat Tuanku” is, if uttered, meant to affirm the sacred power of the king or sultan of the day in a ceremony, or to pledge allegiance.

Let us make another thing very clear here: The system of rulers in this country reaffirms the fact that Malaysia has a long history of Malay sultanate governance, even after the peninsula was colonised by European powers.