If we ourselves stubbornly resist, then we are surely doomed. Let’s hope the powers-that-be will wake up in double-quick time to intervene before it's too late...
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Failed Leadership
If we ourselves stubbornly resist, then we are surely doomed. Let’s hope the powers-that-be will wake up in double-quick time to intervene before it's too late...
Monday, June 29, 2009
I Look Like a Pufferfish

Former PM Mahathir Mohamed was quoted in a news report to have said: “We have to speak the truth, and the reality is, the people are disappointed with UMNO’s leadership. To be respected, you must be Malays with morals” (The Malaysian Insider, June 28 at webpage http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/index.php/malaysia/30784-dr-m-wants-umno-cleansed-of-corruption-, accessed June 28). Duh! Don’t we all know it!
There’s a news report dated June 25 that talked about research being conducted by the blog UberCEO.com. By studying Fortune’s 2009 list of the top 100 CEOs, this study concluded that not one CEO had a blog; 81% of CEOs did not have a personal Facebook page; and only two CEOs had Twitter accounts (Webpage http://malaysianinsider.com/index.php/world/30509-top-us-execs-still-shun-blogs-facebook, accessed June 29). Sharon Barclay, editor at UberCEO.com who runs executive PR firm Blue Trumpet Group said “It’s shocking that the top CEOs can appear to be so disconnected from the way their own customers are communicating. They’re giving the impression that they’re disconnected, disengaged, and disinterested”. Strange but true!
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Eventful Saturday
I also had a bad fall, just as I left the forum’s venue – I tripped and landed on my face, literally. My right side of the face, to be precise. I don’t know how I landed in this manner, but I did and I grimaced in agonizing pain. My skin tore and bled, and soon, it became clear that half my face would turn black-and-blue.
And for some reason or another, I had felt as if I had transformed into Two-Face – remember him in the Batman movie? Okay, so I am exaggerating, I am not hideously disfigured. Besides, Harvey Dent's face was mangled on the left side. But looking at my image in the mirror today, it sure makes me feel like him, nevertheless. My fertile imagination has been working overtime, I guess...

I kept a low profile throughout since I was still shell-shocked after the nasty fall earlier today. No matter what, I had a nice evening because I was among very good friends.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
The Glam Carnival


With July 04 just around the corner – let’s see if we can celebrate American Independence Day with a big bang! We are thinking of doing something different this year – but dare we? Can we?
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Peace and Quietude
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Westminster's Shame
More than one million claims and receipts were finally released one year after the High Court ordered their publication – but as the June 19 editions of newspapers illustrated, the names, addresses, and other details were conveniently blacked out – further outraging the British public.
Even as early as May 09, the Daily Mail has already begun to expose Labour ministers’ spending excesses (Webpage http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1178516/Dont-blame-As-expenses-scandal-rocks-Westminster-predictable-response-rulers.html) – little did anybody suspect this was just the beginning of something so very scandalous!


Ex-Premier Tony Blair claimed £260 to shred “papers” and a whopping £6,990 expense claim for roof repairs on his designated second home, just 2 days before stepping down.
Jeremy Hunt, Tory MP for South-west Surrey claimed one penny for a 12-second mobile phone call.
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Sir Peter Viggers, Tory MP for Gosport claimed £1,645 for the cost of a floating duck home – a miniature replica of an 18th century Swedish building, and £30,000 for ‘gardening” over 3 years, including £500 for 28 tons of manure.
Ben Bradshaw, Labour MP for Exeter submitted a WH Smith receipt for gay magazine Attitude for £3.25.
Liberal Democrat Lembit Opik claimed £19.99 for the “mother of all wigs” to wear to a charity event.
So it’s not just Malaysian politicians who need to be lynched, the antics of British politicians demand the same punishment!
Monday, June 22, 2009
Part 4: Last Day
Being the stickler for punctuality, I decided to travel early to Stansted (about 25 miles from London) – I had to make sure I caught the flight to Kuala Lumpur in good time, since I was expecting to reach there on Sunday, and I would be starting work on Monday. Again, I enquired the best route to take to go to Stansted, and this helpful soul manning the ticket counter at Bayswater tube station gave me really sound advice.

I faithfully followed his instructions by proceeding to Queensway station, and travelling on the Central line to finally disembark at Liverpool Street.




Thereafter, I got on the Stansted Express to take the 45-minute train journey to Stansted Airport; making just two stops – at Tottenham Hale and Bishop Stortford.





An £11.03 meal at Stansted
Stansted Airport – London’s third airport – offers flights to more than 30 countries, and many leading low-cost airlines have made Stansted their base (e.g. Ryanair, EasyJet, Air Berlin, Pegasus Airlines, Air Malta, and not forgetting, AirAsia X). All our Malaysian airports, save KLIA pale in comparison even to Stansted.

I must mention about the return flight to KL for the simple reason that the AirAsia crew this time around, were very good at looking pretty (not that they were pretty, mind you!) but beyond their “serving” duties, they did little else. AirAsia X is certainly not going to win awards for cabin service any time soon. And they didn’t like to smile. When they did try to give a half-smile even, they looked really constipated. This crew on the London-Kuala Lumpur flight D72007 were really sad-looking. Oh yes, food wasn’t any better too.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Part 3: London Beckons
So from the University’s de Havilland campus, I walked to the Galleria, where I took bus No. 301 to the train station (Hatfield, I think), and then onwards, by train of course, to reach London King’s Cross station. From there, I took the tube to Bayswater, where a 9-minute walk saw me arrive at the doorstep of Malaysia Hall, 30-34 Queensborough Terrace. I was fortunate to secure a room – I was told, that Malaysia Hall is almost always full house during summer – and in spite of what we read in some of the blogs about the rotten hospitality there, the reception I experienced was almost pleasant but in case, we get excited about it, let me add that it was a typical Malaysian-style service – very laidback. But what the hell, the room rate was only £15.28 for a single room on the fourth floor. Anyway for those Malaysians keen to get cheap accommodation at Malaysia Hall, kindly check out http://www.masduke.net/vs/index.php but remember, it is best to book one month ahead, and also do take note that Friday afternoons are not the best of times to drop in because they are closed for Friday prayers. Also doors are locked at 11 PM, so no painting the town red until the wee hours of the morning – unless you’re not staying at Malaysia Hall!

Flower stall at Bayswater
Once, accommodation was settled, I thought I would stray from the Bayswater area to go into the city center. And so, I took the tube to Oxford Circus, and immediately having exited the station, I came upon Oxford Street. It’s often described as UK’s and some said Europe’s largest high street (it has more than 300 shops). For anyone visiting London, a visit to bustling Oxford Street is a must. It's central, it's well connected and it's busy. Boy, was it busy, as I have always remembered Oxford Street – crowded with shoppers and tourists alike. Sale signs were everywhere, and people of all hues and colors were flooding in from every nook and corner of the world – and I did not believe I was exaggerating when I said this. But I was not one for walking – even though the weather was great – and after an hour or two, I decided I had enough.
By the time, I headed back to Bayswater, I wanted to put my feet up, and so I decided to take in a movie. Not just any movie, but one that was likely not to be screened in Malaysia, a “screamingly funny” comedy called “The Hangover” – replete with expletives and other interesting stuff. Most reviews gave it a four-star rating (e.g. London Lite, Daily Mirror, Metro, News of the World, The Sun, Independent, Sunday Express). I am not the type who laughs easily – still, it has its funny moments. By the way, the ticket price at the Odeon was £9.80, so it was not really a bargain-basement way to take a breather. Here's the trailer:
And as is normal in the UK, a couple of beers before I called it a night.

Malaysia Hall at night
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Part 2: The Blended Learning Conference

Part 1: The AirAsia X Experience
Once in the plane, I was mighty relieved. And I began to relax. Still, take-off was kinda slow since we were aircraft No. 5 in the queue. But what's important, flight No. D72006 did take off.
This AirAsia X flight was okay – I had no major complaint whatsoever. Yes, I had to pay for my drinks (e.g. a can of Carlsberg 320 ml cost RM10). I had to occupy myself since I had 14 hours on my hands – luckily, I had my trusted Walkman to entertain me throughout the journey, since the airline didn't provide any (unless you paid RM30 for a portable video player where one could enjoy movies, tv shows, music and games). Food, I must say, was disappointing. Other than that, cabin service was pleasant, and even friendly. I was not the type to sleep well on a plane – but on and off, I did managed to drift into deep slumber, accompanied by loud trumpets of snores (or at least I imagined them to be).
I landed in London's Stansted Airport to be met by wonderful English sunshine (the ground temperature was a lovely 15-degree Celsius). Come to think of it, I should have kissed the ground as my feet touched the tarmac - but that would have been so Hollywood, right? I have really missed this British weather...
Going to the UK
Monday, June 15, 2009
The Branding of Universities
Saturday, June 13, 2009
A Marathon Meeting

Former UMNO minister, Zaid Ibrahim has joined PKR. He resigned from the Barisan Nasional cabinet last year in protest against the use of the Internal Security Act (ISA) and was subsequently sacked from UMNO. Anwar Ibrahim announced Zaid's decision at a special PKR congress today, according to The Malaysian Insider. Finally, Zaid made a decision...
Friday, June 12, 2009
Brush with Bureaucracy
And with Gordon Brown facing a crisis, being confronted with ten ministerial resignations, amidst the expenses infamy – Daniel Hannan MEP had called UK’s Prime Minister, the devalued Prime Minister of a devalued Government – I had hoped that the pound sterling would take a tumble this week, but it remained relatively steady: On Saturday, our money-changers are selling pound sterling at 1 GBP = RM 5.76; on Thursday, it was 1 GBP = RM5.77 I had hoped to stretch my ringgit, but alas, it was not to be… Perhaps, tomorrow?

Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Jack Welch's Leadership Formula
A second Jack Welch quote awakened inside of me: “Strong managers who make tough decisions to cut jobs provide the only true job security in today's world. Weak managers are the problem. Weak managers destroy jobs”. Is it any wonder that Fortune magazine named him one of America’s toughest bosses? It is not uncommon to read of massive job losses because of the current weakened economic state worldwide. It’s a tough call to make – erase jobs to save jobs! A third quote from Jack Welch rightly nailed it down: “Face reality as it is, not as it was or as you wish it to be”. I am a Jack Welch fan now. In fact, anybody who needs lessons in leadership should read this book!
Monday, June 8, 2009
Prodigious Teaching
Out of the blue, a Jack Welch quote lit in my head: "An overburdened, overstretched executive is the best executive, because he or she doesn't have the time to meddle, to deal in trivia, to bother people". This is so betul. A straightforward point is being made here.
I paid attention to the 55th PAS muktamar only because I was interested to know how Nizar Jamaluddin fared at this meeting. I read in The Malaysian Insider (June 08) that many in PAS supposedly wanted him to compete for a vice-presidential spot. But he declined, and he vied for only a place in the party’s Central Working Committee. And when the results were announced last Saturday, he had in fact spectacularly succeeded, by romping home with the highest number of votes – over 800 votes, which meant that almost all the delegates gave him their support – it is not wrong to trumpet his immense popularity; after all, many see him as a symbol of the people’s fight for democracy in Perak.
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Busy as a Beaver
On Tuesday, I attended a funeral. In Malacca. My father’s funeral. He died on Monday at the age of 87.
On Wednesday, I finally completed a Conference paper, “A Qualitative Study of Blended Learning in a Malaysian Tertiary Institution” and emailed it to the UK organizers. Barring unforeseen circumstances, I will be presenting this paper at the University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, UK in 2 weeks' time.
On Thursday, I finished the examination question papers for ENL103 Critical Thinking, the subject I am teaching at Foundation-level. Sadly, I missed the deadline by 4 days. And in the evening, I attended a farewell dinner for Ng Siew Chuan, the HOD of Professional Studies - he is well-known as an industrious and tireless manager; and his departure from HICT will definitely be a loss to that department.
On Friday (i.e. yesterday), HICT Toastmasters Club organized a 30-minute seminar on “How to Project the Right Image, Professionally”, conducted by Master Trainer/International Image Consultant Sheila Wong, AICI, CIBTAC, ITAC (of SWET Advancement Centre; check out their website www.swet.com.my). Close to 30 people were in the HICT Conference Hall to get invaluable tips on grooming. Thereafter, Sheila and her colleagues (Cherrise and Enrique) began selecting interested HICT students (and even staff members) to model for a forthcoming catwalk show at Sogo’s. My students get the opportunity to learn not only in the classroom but also outside of the classroom. Of course, most of the selected “models” are my students, and they started their first catwalk lesson on that day itself.



