Fifth floor raya do at NSC

Loose cannon dropped by uninvited at the National Sports Council's fifth floor raya do before noon just now. The fifth floor houses the director-general's office and the international preparations division, which is basically the hub of the government agency.

Liverpool fan-cum-ex hockey international, Arrifin Ghani, entertains Olympic Council of Malaysia's Chua Hong Tam

Without them, the raya do would be nothing

The VIP table

NSC director-general Datuk Zolkples Embong queuing up for food?

NSC's longest-serving DG, Datuk Wira Mazlan Ahmad, being greeted by the staff

Michelle Lau and Zawawi discussing the issues of the day

Nestle's Ng Ping Loong, Michelle and Izwan of NSC

Tuan Haji Nordin and Ping Loong

Zolkples discusses the gastronomical delights on offer

Former Bernama, Berita Harian and Harian Metro journo, Fahmi Omar, with loose cannon, with the NSC paddy fields as the backdrop. The two covered the 1998 Thomas Cup in Hong Kong, where loose cannon usually made life difficult for the Malay Mail sub-editors by sending his stories at 5.0am after a good sleep. Fahmi would wake him up around 4.0am.

At one time, NSC's annual raya do was a highly anticipated event, with the Sports Minister dropping by as the guest of honour. Loose cannon would make it a point to wear the traditional baju Melayu. The NSC raya do was strictly for the sports fraternity until it was hijacked, put under the same package at the Youth and Sports Ministry and held at the Putra Stadium, where businessmen, celebrities and others took turns to shake hands with the Minister. Loose cannon skipped a few!

Loose cannon, Latiff Endot, Mazlan and Zolkples in 2001

loose cannon and Noraseela Mohd Khalid

Eight years on, Noraseela remains fit as a fiddle, whereas loose cannon has given up on his weighing scale