Beer Drinking Job

Attention beer lovers! The National Museum of American History is offering a dream job – traveling the country with all expenses paid and drinking brews.

 

It is a real job and it pays $64,650 (RM260,300) a year.

 

The Washington DC-based museum – part of the prestigious Smithsonian Institution – wants to hire a beer specialist for three years to taste beer in breweries across the country. Liquid Gold Toastmasters surely qualify!

 

Susan Evans, the Smithsonian’s director of Food History Programs explained: “Brewing and beer have been an important part of the American experience since before the nation’s founding, and continue to shape industry and community life into the present day”.

 

The position is responsible for documenting the history of beer brewing in the US of A. The lucky historian would conduct research, write articles and gather archive material for use in exhibits.

 

Already hordes of interested applicants have expressed interest so much so the museum’s online job site crashed after news about the position got out. According to Evans, they number in the hundreds of thousands.

 

She added the position “has made a lot of noise because people are very excited that we are interested in something that concerns them (so) much”.

 

Candidates have until August 10, 2016 to apply. Warning: Competition is expected to be extremely fierce.

 

Actually, the museum is seeking candidates with advanced degrees as well as evidence of scholarly research, preferably those who specialize in the beer industry. BTW, the job is funded by the Brewer’s Association.

 

I am also trying to send in my application!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Image credit: http://www.thestar.com.my/sport/squash/2016/07/31/nicol-david-wins-womens-squash-invitational/

 

The inaugural SRAM Women’s Squash Invitational (July 27-31, 2016) in Kuala Lumpur saw Nicol David claiming her first title win of the year – although the tournament does not offer any PSA ranking points.

 

David, who is gearing up for the start of the 2016-2017 PSA season with the defense of her Hong Kong Open title in August, won 11-6, 11-6, 11-4 against India's Joshna Chinappa in the final.

 

I am happy for her!

Oil Companies Continue to Take a Beating

Exxon Mobil Corp and Royal Dutch Shell Plc this week reported their lowest quarterly profits since 1999 and 2005, respectively. Chevron Corp’s third straight loss marked the longest slump in 27 years, and BP Plc lodged its lowest refining margins in six years.

 

Welcome to year two of a supply overhang and depressed crude prices – that is threatening to tip into yet another bear market, dashing hopes that a slump that began in mid-2014 would show signs of abating.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pix by Hasriyasyah Sabudin @ http://www.nst.com.my/news/2016/07/161832/squash-nicol-and-joshna-make-sram-invitational-finals-contrasting-style

 

Nicol David checked into the finals of the SRAM Women's Invitational in Bukit Jalil in Kuala Lumpur after beating Egypt's Omneya Abdel Kawy 11-4, 11-4, 11-6 on Saturday.

 

Tomorrow, she will meet India’s Joshna Chinappa for the second time in this tournament – after the latter rallied from two games down to oust New Zealand's Joelle King 8-11, 5-11, 11-8, 11-4, 11-9.

 

David had defeated Chinappa in three games in the group stage on Thursday. The top seed, however, had to come from behind in each game to win 11-8, 11-8, 12-10 in 37 minutes and preserve her record of never having dropped a game against Chinappa in twelve meetings.

 

A day earlier, she needed just 24 minutes to win over England's Jenny Duncalf 11-4, 11-4, 11-4.

 

On Wednesday, Celtic emerged from a testing visit to Astana in Kazakhstan where they were largely second best with a commendable 1-1 draw.

 

Looking to reach the Champions League group stage for the first time since 2013 – they fell behind to a Yuri Logvinenko header in the nineteenth minute. But Leigh Griffiths found the equalizer when he rifled the ball past FC Astana’s goalkeeper in the seventy-eighth minute – thanks to Patrick Roberts who won possession near the byline and picked out Griffiths inside the penalty area.

 

Celtic must aim for a win in Glasgow next week to reach the Champions League play-off stage.

In Peaceful Malaysia, 5 Shootings in 3 Weeks

In a period of just three weeks, there has been another five shootings, resulting in six deaths!

 

Malaysia may have very strict laws governing gun control – yet, guns seem readily available. Frightening, isn't it?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

Image via Mohamad Hazman Mokhtar

 

 

 

 

  

Image by Twitter

Image via Shalena

 

At approximately 3.35 PM on July 27, 2016, a 43-year-old moneylender was shot 16 times in his car while he was at the Jalan Taman Ibu Kota/Jalan Genting Klang junction – near Setapak Central – in Kuala Lumpur.

 

Just a day earlier, at about 09:00 AM, armed men on two Yamaha 125Z motorcycles and in a white Toyota Camry and a grey Proton Wira Aeroback ambushed a Toyota Fortuner at the Putajaya-bound exit of the Elite Highway. 

 

Shots were fired but fortunately, the three victims, aged between 51 and 58, were unharmed because the vehicle they were riding in was bulletproof(!). It was reported that they had sent off a friend who was carrying an undisclosed sum of money at KLIA2 in Sepang, Selangor.

 

On July 13,  2016, a 32-year-old man shot dead four members of a family, including a two-year old boy in a room at a chicken processing factory in Batu Maung, Penang. Eleven bullet casings were found at the crime scene.

 

On July 11, 2016, a mini-market owner and his female assistant cheated death after being shot a number of times in front of his Taman Seri Fajar house in Batu Pahat, Johor. The victim, known only as Cheng, 40, suffered injuries to his chest and right hand while the woman escaped unhurt.

 

Two days earlier, a man was found dead with gunshot wounds on his head in Teluk Kulat, Pulau Banding, Perak. The victim was known as Khairul Azizan Zaidi, 29. 

 

Citizens are getting alarmed!

 

Maybe we do need to summon Marvel's Punisher after all. He will do a better job than the Malaysian police, I am sure! 

 

Yesterday, I was at the EduFly Aviation Academy in Wisma Naza at 12, Jalan Sungai Besi, KL.

 

At the Metro Toastmasters meeting, I started the first of ten CC speeches – my thirty-seventh round actually. The Ice Breaker had a title “Lonesome”.

 

This week alone, from Monday to Thursday, I made four speeches at four Toastmasters meetings, three of which were Advanced speeches and the other, a CC speech. Now, that's a feat!

A Brand New Airline in Malaysia

Image via 肥媽 Maria Cordero/Facebook

 

Malaysians should be familiar with “teksi sapu” or in English, unlicensed taxis. Any public transportation that operates without license or permit from the Land Public Transport Commission (or more popularly known by its Malay acronym SPAD) can face action under Section 16 of the Land Public Transport Act 2010.

 

This is Boleh-land! Illegal cabs are one thing, but an unlicensed airline is another!

 

A brand new airline had a glittery launch in Subang on July 22, 2016. The public only heard about MonSpace Sky Airline two days later when Malay Mail Online featured them via Galaksi Media Online.

 

Operated by Suasa Air Sdn Bhd and owned by one Dr Jessy Lai, MonSpace Sky Airline are reportedly operating from the KLIA, running domestic flights to Langkawi.

 

According to Lai’s "biography" on her website, she's "a multi-faceted entrepreneur", philanthropist, inspirational coach, educator, and investor. If you scrutinize carefully, one of the businesses she is involved in, sounds very much like those pyramid schemes.

 

That is not all! Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai was caught napping. In fact, the Star Online quoted him as saying on July 24, "I have not heard of this airline". A day later, the authorities scrambled to say something!

 

The Malaysian Aviation Commission announced they would investigate Suasa Airlines for their July 22 ‘demonstration’ flight from Kuala Lumpur to Langkawi – despite the said airline not having an Air Service Permit from Mavcom to operate commercial flights. 

 

Liow who managed to finally learn about MonSpace Sky Airline asserted that Suasa Airlines had only received “technical approval” from the Department of Civil Aviation in the form of an Air Operator’s Certificate; they did not give the company the authority to start flying.

 

DCA director-general Azharuddin Abd Rahman clarified that the department had not issued an AOC to either Monspace Airlines or Monspace Sky Airlines.

 

Yet, SUASA Airlines aircraft were marked with ‘Monspace SUASA Airlines’ and there is also ‘www.monskyways.com’.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pic L-R: Maria Cordero, Shila Amzah and Jessy Lai. Image via Maria Cordero/Facebook

 

BTW, two of the invited guests who flew to Langkawi were Malaysian singer-songwriter Shila Amzah and Hong Kong celebrity, Maria Cordero.

 

Only in Malaysia!

 

Last evening, I was at the KGPA in Jalan Damansara in KL to attend the Speakers Dream Toastmasters meeting. There, I took up the role of a Grammarian as well as deliver an Advanced speech from the Humorously Speaking manual.

 

The title of my speech was “Save a Life, Smoke”.

 

I was to use exaggeration to tell a humorous story and my evaluator K Loghandran believed I did just that. The speech was premised on my 'contention' that smokers live longer than non-smokers! LOL!!

 

 

SEGi University Student Commits Suicide

I am sad to report yet another suicide.

 

Two Sundays ago, a 29-year old female hanged herself. She was a student at SEGi University Kota Damansara. She suffered from bipolar disorder.

 

I am not sure what drove her to do what she did – but a life is lost.

 

I know that people with bipolar disorder experience periods of unusually intense emotion, changes in sleep patterns and activity levels, and unusual behaviors – called “mood episodes”. And just because you suffer from bipolar disorder does not mean that you are doomed. It is treatable.

 

Consider one person I know who has this manic-depressive illness – and yet, today, she leads a fulfilling life.

 

Tan Su Mei wrote today: "Discovering that I had Bipolar I Disorder came as a relief to me. It was an explanation to my extreme high moods and depressing lows. It made me understand more about myself and allowed me to start working on recovery through medication, art and therapy. The diagnosis was only the beginning and my condition did not stabilize for another few years. The main reason was because I kept taking myself off the medication as it dulled my personality and made me feel emotionally numb.

 

However after 5 years and 3 hospital admissions, I finally found a combination of medication which did not make me feel like a zombie, I was able to feel regular feelings without getting in to a manic or totally depressive mood. It is not something that happens overnight but Recovery means constantly trying to live a fulfilling live despite having the symptoms of your disorder.

It is achievable but you cannot do it alone. You need to learn to trust not only your medical professionals but also your family and friends. It is all about harnessing this incredible amount of positive and negative energy that comes from within. Through that, we can do anything we set out to achieve and nothing, especially not our disorder should hold us back from living life”.

 

Tan Su Mei. Pic credit: Sarah Ho

 

We need to really appreciate how precious life is!

Shark Finning @ Mabul

Dead sharks in bloodied waters. Image credit: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2016/07/19/environmentalists-horrified-by-shark-finning-pictures-in-sabah/

Photos from Danau Girang Field Center

On July 16, 2016, gory photos of shark finning said to be taken at the Mabul dive haven, off Sabah’s famed Sipadan island began circulating on the Internet and have enraged environmentalists, including state Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Masidi Manjun.

 

Masidi who has been advocating shark protection in Sabah’s waters denounced the heinous act, but indicated that there would be little the authorities could do as there is currently no law banning shark finning in the state.

 

The island itself is home to a fishing community living in water villages, as well as a host of dive resorts ranging from backpacker to luxury stilt chalets.

 

Conservation research group Danau Girang Field Centre director Dr Benoît Goossens who posted on their Facebook page said that it was incomprehensible to think that such an act was allowed to be carried out near a world class diving island like Sipadan.

 

Masidi, don’t just talk! Do something about it! The Federal Government must be compelled to amend the Fisheries Act so that the sharks can be protected.

 

The massacre is at our doorstep – it has to stop!

 

Yesterday, I was at KL Sentral where I attended the Allianz Toastmasters meeting and there I delivered an invocation speech, took part in the Table Topics session and evaluated a CC #6 Vocal Variety speech. And I was voted Best Evaluator.