Merdeka in 2016

Image credit: http://www.proton-edars.com/merdeka_pic.jpg

Happy Merdeka Day, fellow Malaysians!

 

I still harbor hope that this country will indeed turn out for the better. I continue to be optimistic. I choose to believe.

It's No Longer Illegal to Wear that Yellow T-shirt

The High Court on February 19 of this year had rejected Bersih 2.0's challenge to the Home Ministry's ban of the Bersih 4 T-shirt – maintaining that the order was within the ministry's jurisdiction.

 

[Note: On August 27, 2015, the government gazetted the order after Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi instructed to ban all items related to the Bersih 4 mass demonstration, including its promotional materials and any item of clothing bearing the rally’s name as well as its signature yellow]. 

 

In any case, the electoral reform group filed an appeal.

 

And yesterday, the Court of Appeal allowed Bersih 2.0's appeal and quashed the ban at the same time. The panel led by Justice Mohd Zawawi Salleh said they agreed with lawyer Edmund Bon's submission, adding the Home Minister's order was “unreasonable”.

 

In fact, it was silly. And it was stupid.

 

Anyway, it's no longer illegal to wear that yellow T-shirt!

 

I was at No. 18, Lorong Maarof in Bangsar, KL for the KL Advanced Toastmasters Club contests. I participated in both the Humorous Speech and the Speech Evaluation contests.

I was first runner-up in the Speech Evaluation contest and champion in the Humorous Speech contest.

To be sure, I have already identified my flaws. And I shall diligently work on them so that I am better prepared for the next round of contests at Area-level.

 

A Cancer of Violence and Evil

I am not the only one who is appalled by the sheer number of crimes being regularly reported in the country.

 

Well-known Malaysian comedian Harith Iskandar must have felt the same thing – he took to Facebook to highlight the crimes reported in The Star. All in one day only. August 25, 2016.

 

The Star, Malaysia, August 25, 2016, pages 22, 24 & 31

Harith’s post must have resonated with many Malaysians for it gained more than 3,000 shares in just a day.

 

Crime is a real issue that we must address. Malaysians no longer feel safe in their own country. And yet, the Police keep dispensing crime stats that tell us crime is plunging – they really think we will lap it all up!

 

As Harith says “There is a cancer of violence and evil that has overtaken Malaysia and we are numb to it. We hardly even notice news like this anymore”. And that is not funny at all!

 

Yesterday, reigning world junior champion, eighteen-year-old Nouran Gohar defeated Malaysia’s squash queen Nicol David in the semi-finals of the 2016 Hong Kong Open squash championship – a 57-minute battle which the Egyptian won 3-1: 11-9, 11-7, 11-13 and 11-9.

 

On the same day too, Liverpool only managed a 1-1 draw against Tottenham Hotspur in this EPL encounter. Red leftback James Milner's penalty in the forty-third minute – after Erik Lamela fouled Philippe Coutinho – was cancelled by Danny Rose's seventy-second minute strike to give both teams one point each.

It was an enjoyable open game and I watched it 'live' at Restoran Khaleel in Persiaran Gurney, Georgetown, Penang.

Nicol David's Quarter-final Win on 33rd Birthday

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the quarter-finals of the Hong Kong Open Squash Championship yesterday, Malaysia’s Nicol David celebrated her thirty-third birthday in style as she saw off the threat of World No.6 Camille Serme of France 3-1: 11-8, 13-11, 7-11, 11-2 in forty-nine minutes.

 

On Thursday, David who is a 10-time winner of the tournament, tamed New Zealand’s Joelle King 11-7, 7-11, 9-11, 11-8, 11-5 – she took sixty-three minutes in this second-round clash.

 

A day earlier, the Penangite also needed five sets to beat Wales qualifier Tesni Evans in the first round – a match lasting 68 minutes.

 

Meanwhile, Low Wee Wern, was quickly knocked out from the tournament when she lost 5-11, 8-11 and 7-11 to England’s Alison Waters in the opening encounter.

 

And two upcoming events from Liquid Gold Advanced Toastmasters Club:

 

Forget about Pokemon GO, Go for Pokeburgs

Image credit: http://sobadsogood.com/2016/08/23/pokeburgs-are-best-thing-ever-come-out-australia/

Image credit: http://www.themalaymailonline.com/gallery/view/pokeburgs-can-you-eat-them-all

Creative director Ben Kagan (left) and business partner Archie Saliba pose with their limited-edition Pokeburg hamburgers on August 26, 2016. Reuters pic

Pokémania has been sweeping the world ever since Pokémon GO's release, and countless businesses are finding ways to cash in on the fad.

Now a burger restaurant in Sydney, Australia called the Down N' Out has started selling Pokeburgs. From August 22 through September 03, 2016, these burgers in the form of Pokemon characters are available at $15 apiece, at least while supplies last.

 

If you live in or are visiting Sydney, I suppose they are worth capturing! Only because they feed your stomach!

 

Last evening, I was in Wisma Naza in Jalan Sungai Besi in KL to deliver another Advanced speech. It was titled “Fiery Lessons” – assignment #5 The Crisis Management Speech from the Public Relations manual.

I was to assume I was the spokesperson for a company that was experiencing a crisis. I was to present a 4-6 minute speech to the media about the situation, and striving to build and maintain a positive image for the said company. And following the speech, I conducted a 3-5 minute Q&A.

 

I took up the Timekeeper role too. Additionally, I participated in the impromptu speech session and I was voted Best Table Topics Speaker.

 

 

Interesting Facts about Cockroaches

Did you know that cockroaches drink beer?

 

The fact of the matter is that roaches do seem to like alcoholic beverages, beer included. But it’s likely because of the sugars found in alcohol, and not because roaches love to party.

 

Cockroaches are really fascinating! Consider these:

 

The cockroach (scientific name: Blattaria) is estimated to be at least 200 million years old. And there are roach fossils dating back as far as 350 million years.

 

There are approximately 4,600 species of cockroaches and they can be found all over the world, in every continent – except Antarctica. And only about one percent are considered pests.

 

Cockroaches will eat anything. And we mean any organic matter. Apart from eating any human food, cockroaches can eat dead insects, paper, cloth, soap, wood, glue, hair and poop. Yup, just about anything.

 

A cockroach can live almost a month without food. A cockroach can live about two weeks without water. A cockroach can live for up to one week without its head. This is not because they don’t have brains. They do. But their brains do not control all of their functions. Rather, the organs that control the vital functions can be found in the thorax or the middle part of the cockroach. Therefore, a cockroach can lose its head and still survive. It won’t be able to drink, though, so it eventually dies of thirst.

 

A cockroach can withstand 10 times more radiation than a human. In fact, cockroaches were found in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, where the Americans dropped atomic bombs, and in Chernobyl, where the worst nuclear accident happened. And not to mention a cockroach was Wall-E’s only companion in post-nuclear Earth.

 

Some cockroaches can hold their breath for up to 40 minutes, and others can survive up to 30 minutes underwater.

 

Some female cockroaches only mate once and stay pregnant for life. Cockroaches can run up to 3 miles an hour – which is very fast given their size. Even a baby cockroach, called a nymph, can travel at close to those speeds.

 

Cockroaches can spread nearly 33 different kinds of bacteria.

 

And finally, roaches are edible. Yummy!

 

Richard Kaae, an entomologist at California State University, USA reckons that cockroaches are the number one insects feared by humans. So, it is not surprising that many people suffer from katsaridaphobia, or cockroach phobia.

 

Today, I was in Wisma IJM in PJ’s Jalan Yong Shook Lin to attend the IJM Toastmasters meeting.

 

I was one of two project speakers – and I delivered my Advanced speech from the Public Relations manual – assignment #3 The Persuasive Approach. My speech title was “Seeking Adventures” – a good speech, if I may say so myself.

IS Gain Strength in Malaysia

The Islamic State are gaining strength, if you still didn’t know – and I am talking in the context of Malaysia.

 

A propaganda video released by IS on June 21, 2016 called on nations to fight governments they have labelled as “Toghut” (sinners/those against the teachings of Allah). It featured the first known Malaysian IS fighter, i.e. Mohd Rafi Udin in Syria, along two IS combatants, decapitating three captives.

 

 

A screenshot of the said video. The three IS fighters with the Malaysian on the right. Image credit: http://www.nst.com.my/news/2016/06/153883/police-brace-attacks-gains-strength

 

Bukit Aman’s Special Branch Counter-Terrorism Division chief Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay – in a New Straits Times report dated June 23 – said his unit had already crippled nine planned attacks by IS supporters. Three of them were at the “stage two” planning level, where they were ready to execute their plans.

 

And the IS fan base is growing. In fact, almost 20% of university students in Malaysia are known to be sympathetic towards the IS.

 

This scary statistic was obtained from a University Utara Malaysia research done on local students in four public universities, according to the varsity’s vice-chancellor Prof Dr Mohamed Mustafa Ishak in a report carried by Utusan Malaysia today.

 

The four universities are Universiti Malaya, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia and UUM.

 

Let’s hope the police are really on top of the situation – before we witness any bloodletting.

 

Celtic withstood a furious fightback from Hapoel Beer Sheva to progress 5-4 on aggregate and qualify for the Champions League group stage for the first time in three seasons – despite a 2-0 defeat in Israel on Tuesday.

 

On the same day too, in a League Cup second round match between Liverpool and Burton Albion, the former’s Divock Origi and Roberto Firmino gave their team a 2-0 halftime lead before a Tom Naylor own goal and two late strikes by Daniel Sturridge completed the rout.

Rodrigo Duterte's War on Drugs

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This photo taken on July 08, 2016 shows police officers investigating the body of an alleged drug dealer with his face covered with packing tape, with a cardboard sign on him reading 'I'm a pusher', in a Manila street

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This man was attacked by anti-drug vigilantes as he drove his tricycle, his body left hanging from the humble vehicle as blood dripped onto the street












A young alleged drug dealer pictured with his hands and feet bound and his head wrapped in tape besides a road

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A man is seen shot dead outside of a local shop in Manila and was another alleged drug dealer

The Philippines police director-general Ronald dela Rosa speaking at a senate hearing into the sharp rise in deaths since Rodrigo Duterte became president insisted there was no declared policy to kill drug users and pushers. He said police were "not butchers".

Maybe so but Duterte won the presidency with his hardline policy to eradicate drugs. He had previously egged on citizens to shoot and kill drug dealers who resisted arrest, and even reiterated that the killings of drug suspects were lawful if the police acted in self-defense.

The president even threatened to "separate" from the UN after it called his war on drugs a crime under international law.

On Tuesday, dela Rosa told the inquiry that a total of 1,916 deaths had been recorded during the crackdown on illegal drugs in the past seven weeks.

One news report dated August 04, 2016 had also mentioned that a staggering 565,806 drug users and small-time dealers, had turned themselves in.

 

I daresay the killings are not expected to stop anytime soon.

 

Yesterday, I attended the TMIKL contests where I was the Contest Toastmaster: Humorous Speech. I took up this role because I am presently working on my CL #12 & #13.

On Friday, I had received notification from Toastmasters International that my ALS and DTM applications are being processed. Note: This is my second ALS and my second DTM.

And yes, I have already earned five education awards in the month of August itself.

A Zika Update

Health officials have already concluded that Zika infections in pregnant women can cause microcephaly, a birth defect marked by small head size that can lead to severe developmental problems in babies.

 

Todate, 1,835 cases of microcephaly have been confirmed.

 

The US of A looks unlikely to be spared. On Friday, Florida Governor Rick Scott confirmed that state health officials had identified five cases of Zika believed to be contracted in Miami in Florida. 

 

Still, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the allergy and infectious diseases unit of the National Institutes of Health said the conditions in most of the country make it unlikely there would be a “diffuse, broad outbreak,” even though officials need to prepare for that possibility.

 

He compared it with diseases such as dengue, which is endemic in many tropical and subtropical regions of the world but rarely occurs in the continental United States.

 

But Zika’s containment is more complicated because it can be sexually transmitted.

 

Already the World Health Organization has said there is strong scientific consensus that Zika can also cause Guillain-Barre, a rare neurological syndrome that causes temporary paralysis in adults.

 

On Saturday, Celtic maintained their 100% start to the domestic season after surviving a late St Johnstone comeback in this Scottish Premiership match.

 

The champions had scored three goals in sixteen minutes before half-time. Leigh Griffiths rifled home a volley (28) before Scott Sinclair tapped in a rebound (40) and followed by James Forrest's superb run and finish (44).

 

Saints rallied with two late goals – thanks to Danny Swanson who converted a penalty in the eighty-third minute and then Steven MacLean bundled in another six minutes later.

 

Substitute Ryan Christie sealed it for Celtic with a smartly taken goal (90+2).

 

In an EPL match on the same day, disastrous defending ensured Liverpool went down to Burnley by two goals. 

 

Liverpool’s Nathaniel Clyne gave the ball away for the Clarets' first goal, with Andre Gray finding Sam Vokes to blast home in just two minutes into the game. And Steven Defour, on his Burnley debut, was allowed to charge forward and set up Gray to roll home the second in the thirty-seventh minute.

 

This was in spite of Liverpool having 81% of possession and 26 shots! 

Today, I was at the Speakers’ Dream Toastmasters meeting where again, I delivered a speech from the Speaking to Inform manual. 

It was Assignment #4 A Fact-Finding Report. I am now done with the third Advanced manual for the 2016-2017 term, having completed all five speeches in the said manual. 
 

My speech title was “An Acquired Taste”. The topic I chose to speak about was on Entomophagy. In simple English, it means the human consumption of insects.

 

I also took part in extemporaneous speaking and I took the most votes and be recognized as the Best Table Topics Speaker.