I received an SOS from Lee Meng Tze at 09:01 PM yesterday – and so, I found myself at Taylor’s University today – to serve as a Contest judge at the Division B Humorous Speech & Speech Evaluation contests.
I know I was not the only one being contacted fourteen hours before the contests – but we’re Toastmasters and we assist when assistance is needed.
It also gave me an idea for a Toastmasters meme, essentially a parody of the "Falling Stars Challenge".
[For those who are clueless about what this is all about – kindly read my post “Wealth-flaunting Meme Goes Viral” this morning and you’ll know what I mean].
I wish to thank the contest photographer, Hilal Adnan from Kota Anggerik Toastmasters Club for being my cameraman and his works are shown here:
Saturday's game against Cardiff City saw Liverpool again having to work hard before winning 4-1.
The Reds were dominant from the off, with Mohamed Salah giving them a ninth-minute lead and Sadio Mane's 66th-minute strike seemingly ended the game – until the Bluebirds pulled one back with thirteen minutes to go. Substitute Xherdan Shaqiri (84) and again Sadio Mane (87) went on to seal the three points thanks to Mo’s assists to send Liverpool to the top of the EPL table.
Shaqiri deserves some serious praise – he's raised his game to a lofty level where he walks into this team and just clicks. I see that in every game he has played.
Anyway, this was a hard-fought win against a frankly terrible opponent.
A woman on the ground surrounded by her makeup, camera, and handbag. Image credit: Weibo/Angeling Wong
Image credit: AFP/Wen Siyuan
A couple partook in the challenge with a child watching. Image credit: Weibo/Angeling Wong
A meme taking over China’s Internet is showcasing the privileged lives of its rich millennials.
The photos and videos spreading on Chinese social network Weibo have a common motif: Young women purportedly tripping out of luxury vehicles, sprawled on the floor and surrounded by prized possessions that have spilled out of their expensive handbags.
It’s the Chinese version of the “falling stars challenge”, which has already spread to Russia and India, similar-type countries with stark wealth inequality.
The meme has resulted in more than 1 million messages and 2.3 billion views for the hashtag #炫富假摔 (link in Chinese), translating to “show off fake fall”, on Weibo, which has 431 million monthly active users.
It might seem like a harmless, albeit pretentious, game, but Chinese authorities have not been amused. Some of these “falling stars” have received citations for violating traffic laws to get their shot(s).
Much of the online reaction to the wave of postings dismissed them as a waste of time compared with the altruistic objectives of the previous "Ice Bucket Challenge", which went global.
"Are these people out of their mind? How empty must their life be so that they are figuring out different ways to prove their existence", said one posting on Weibo.
But the falling stars challenge isn’t just for rich kids.
Ordinary people have also partaken, in part as a way to poke fun at the country’s wealthy. Instead of luxury bags and other expensive items – they’re surrounded by their work tools or books or whatever.
Even Chinese state-media People’s Daily has found amusement in the falling stars challenge, sharing some images of parody versions, such as those from firefighters, students and soldiers.
A medical school student on the ground surrounded by books.
An artist surrounded by his tools. Image credit: Weibo/Chongqing University
Li Dong lying on the floor with his six cats. Image credit: AFP/courtesy of Li Dong
The first "Falling Stars Challenge" was posted on Instagram by Russian DJ and music producer Andrey Shirman, known as DJ Smash, on July 30, 2018 showing him in tracksuit bottoms and a T-shirt sprawled face down at the foot of the gangway of a private jet.
Friday, October 26 – Breakfast and I’m satiating myself with what else, Coke and nasi lemak.
For those of you who are wondering why I’m telling the whole world what I’m having for breakfast every morning since this week Monday – it’s because I’m doing my bit to promote "healthy living".
Yes, believe it or not – this breakfast combo has kept me energized all these years.
From a calorie point of view, a plate of nasi lemak with some chicken, meat or fish/sotong contains between 800 to well over 1,000 calories.
So, having nasi lemak for breakfast means that over half the daily calories needed by most people are already ingested – which is a good thing because I prefer to have my calories at the start of the day.
Nasi lemak is essentially white rice cooked in coconut milk. In spite of what you think you know, this rice provides a significant amount of manganese and also some zinc, phosphorus and vitamins B5 and B6.
Besides, the other ingredients bring benefits too.
Cucumber is a good source of vitamin K, roasted peanuts introduce a bit more fat, fibre, vitamin B2, magnesium and some other trace minerals. Anchovies are a source of protein and some Omega-3 fatty acids and an egg contains some vitamins (A, B2, D), iodine, phosphorus, calcium and thiamine.
And Coca-Cola is not all bad either – as most people would like you to believe!
I read that doctors have found that one of the best treatments for gastric phytobezoar, a condition where a person has difficulty with food moving through their digestive tract and suffers stomach blockages, is a glass of Coca-Cola.
The high acidity in the fizzy drink acts like gastric acid and can ease severe abdominal pain, break down the blockages and get things moving again.
You would be surprised that many people swear by a glass of flat coke when it comes to settling an upset stomach and eradicating nausea.
While the jury is out on whether the drink is actually capable of curing a nasty bout of diarrhoea or sickness – what is agreed upon is the fact the sugar content in it will make you feel better – for a while at least.
Just like your morning cup of coffee, Coca-Cola offers a good whack of the stimulant caffeine (it’s a caffeinated drink after all).
As the caffeine enters your blood stream, it can spark increased concentration and mental focus – and so, if your attention levels are dipping drastically, a mouthful or two of Coke can get you back up to speed.
Best of all, if you’re all out of juice and in need of a quick blast of sugar to give you back that zing – just have a Coke!
So now you know. Please don’t believe the lies they tell you about how unhealthy nasi lemak is or how hazardous Coke is. They give me my daily energy boost but more importantly, they make me happy! You know you're a Malaysian when food makes you happy!! Yes, Coke and nasi lemak, as Malaysian as you and I. (Even Coca-Cola is sporting the Jalur Gemilang!)
Celtic's Europa League hopes took a beating after the Scottish champions conceded two sloppy goals in four first-half minutes against RB Leipzig in Germany yesterday.
We now really have to beat the Bundesliga side by at least 2-0 in the return game at Celtic Park if we want to progress. On this evidence, that will be a very stiff test indeed come November 08.
Brendan Rodgers insists our side can win in Glasgow. We have no choice but we simply must win!
Rami Malek shows off the Mercury strut. 20th Century Fox pic
The Live Aid sequence is seen by many as a fitting end to the film. 20th Century Fox pic
The movie I’ve been waiting for so long! Since 2010, in fact!
The Queen biopic that is aptly titled Bohemian Rhapsody.
Although, I note that Queen star Brian May insisted Bohemian Rhapsody is "not a Queen movie, it's a Freddie (Mercury) movie".
From what I read and according to the above video clip by WatchMojo – I tend to agree that it’s a Queen story but it centers around Freddie Mercury obviously.
And of course, Rami Malek's portrayal of the Queen frontman has been lauded more than the rest of the film.
The movie has attracted mixed reviews.
Variety said the film was "a watchable paint-by-numbers ride through the Queen saga, yet it's rarely the movie it could or should have been".
The Mirror's Chris Hunneysett was full of praise, writing: "This supersonic biopic of Freddie Mercury allows rock band Queen to claim their rightful crown as the champions of the box office".
Steve Rose in The Guardian gave the film two stars, saying: "Rami Malek's excellent performance aside, it feels less a pioneering musical odyssey than a really good covers band".
USA Today’s Brian Truitt opined: "Bohemian Rhapsody the song is a sonic masterpiece and Bohemian Rhapsody the movie is just a conventional rock flick, one all too ordinary for a man and a band that exemplified the extraordinary”.
The New York Post's Johnny Oleksinski bluntly said: "What we ultimately wanted from Bohemian Rhapsody was not carbon-copied concerts, but behind-closed-doors insight into a deeply private, complicated, internationally beloved superstar".
Bohemian Rhapsody is a foot-stomping celebration of Queen, their music and their extraordinary lead singer Freddie Mercury, who defied stereotypes and shattered convention to become one of the most beloved entertainers on the planet.
The film traces the meteoric rise of the band through their iconic songs and revolutionary sound, their near-implosion as Mercury's lifestyle spirals out of control, and their triumphant reunion on the eve of Live Aid, where Mercury, facing a life-threatening illness, leads the band in one of the greatest performances in the history of rock music (Rotten Tomatoes).
I’m ignoring what the critics said, good or bad because I don't really care! After all, it’s Freddie Mercury, it’s Queen! Their music lives forever!
And Queen fans will check out the movie, no matter what anybody says. It’s a given.
Bohemian Rhapsody has a PG-13 rating and is in US theaters November 02. And in Malaysia, it'll be November 08.
Liverpool’s strike trinity found themselves on the scoresheet as a dominant performance earned a 4-0 victory over Red Star Belgrade in the Champions League yesterday.
All three were on target in the same game for the first time this season.
Roberto Firmino fired in Andy Robertson's cut-back on 20 minutes.
Then Mohamed Salah (45, 51 penalty) got in on the act soon after by finding the back of the net on either side of the half to put the game out of sight.
Wednesday night was extra-special for Liverpool’s No. 11 because Mo Salah made history – hitting the 50-goal mark in the fewest games. 65 games, to be precise. And 12 games quicker than any other player in the history of Liverpool Football Club.
Sadio Mane rounded off the scoring in the eightieth minute when he slid in to poke into the bottom corner of the goalmouth.
The interplay was good, there was lots of movement on show and they all looked keen to get shots away whenever possible, and the final pass was much better in terms of both decision-making and execution.
I’m happy to see the Reds finally finding their fluency and I hope this is the start of that attack finally clicking into gear.
When Pekan MP Najib Razak was in Parliament yesterday, he spoke to an almost empty House.
I guess Pakatan Harapan MPs didn’t fancy hearing him speak. They know nothing good ever comes out of his mouth.
They are discerning parliamentarians after all, LOL.
Wednesday, October 24 and again, I’m posting pics of my favorite breakfast, i.e. Coke and nasi lemak. In fact, today, I had both Classic Coke and Vanilla Coke.
I am now fully charged! Watch out, world!
Yesterday, I gave a speech at the Shah Alam Toastmasters Club – thanks to club president Safura Atan for generously giving me that last speaking slot. I'm ever so grateful. This was a joint meeting with MAD Toastmasters Club.
I hadn’t expected a full house but it was – even better, there were Toastmasters from ten clubs. Besides Shah Alam and MAD, they were from EcoWorld, Sunway, Extol, PJ, USJ, IEM, Taylor’s and Witty Birds. And like Toastmasters International, last evening was just as international! We had participants from India, China and Ghana and of course, from Malaysia!
My speech was the “Let’s Get Personal” assignment from the Storytelling manual titled "Gibberish".
In case you're wondering, Gibberish is the name of my invisible friend (right)! And I was voted Best Project Speaker.
This was my 636th project speech todate. (Note to self: 364 speeches left to do in order to meet my 3rd Toastmasters KPI).
A good meeting overall and I certainly enjoyed it:
