Malaysian Graduates Speak Sub-par English

Another prominent personality has added his voice to the cacophony of loud concerns that our graduates speak sub-par English. 

Daim Zainuddin (left) had expressed in an interview with Astro Awani on Wednesday that at its current pace, Malaysia will not be competitive globally because our young people have poor English language skills. 

He said: “When someone questions in English, they cannot answer. Whereas knowledge is English”. 

He asked a pertinent question. “We must think of the future. Where are we going to bring our nation to?” 

And the debate over the increasingly second-rate ability to understand and speak English, particularly among those who attend public education institutions, has risen to a point that we can no longer afford to ignore. 

We all know this only too well already. But so far, it is all talk. 

I can add too that even graduates from our private tertiary institutions speak mediocre English. A sad situation. 

Worse, we also have a mediocre Education Minister. His priorities are screwed-up big-time and the country is still in a mess.

On Wednesday evening, I was in Plaza 33 in Petaling Jaya, Selangor for the Nielsen Malaysia Toastmasters meeting. 

Again, they didn’t start on time. Being fourteen minutes late is inexcusable and it shows they have zilch respect for those who came on time. 

Anyway, I was there because I had a speech to give. I delivered a CC #3 titled Quick, Quicker, Quickest. This was my 60th Get to the Point speech and I was voted Best Assignment Speaker: 

Photos of the said meeting:

In Singapore, Don’t Play Play!

When in Singapore, don’t play play! Not like Malaysia, everything “boleh” (can).  

The city-state is known for being super strict and strait-laced. 

I’m sure everybody knows about the chewing gum ban. The penalty for the selling of gum (with the exception of therapeutic, dental or nicotine chewing gum which can be purchased only from a doctor or registered pharmacist) is a S$100,000 fine or a prison sentence of up to 2 years. 

(But it is not as draconian as it is made out to be – it is NOT illegal to chew gum in Singapore).

There are other Don’ts too. 

You are not allowed to feed pigeons. Otherwise, get ready to pay a S$500 fine. 

You cannot be naked in your own house even – unless the curtains are drawn. Otherwise, you can be levied a S$2,000 fine, 3 months jail or both. Both being nude in public and being nude in a private place where you are exposed to the public eye are considered ‘public nuisance’ offences. 

If you play a musical instrument in a public place and someone gets annoyed – this can be an offence that includes a fine of up to S$1,000. 

If you’re caught singing ‘dirty’ (obscene songs or songs peppered with obscene lyrics) in a public place, you’ll face imprisonment of up to 3 months, a fine, or both. 

Graffiti is not considered art in Singapore. You can be arrested and caned. 

On Monday, the National Environment Agency said they fined a Singaporean S$300 after he shot two rubber bands that landed on a public road. 

The incident was labelled as littering and it happened last Thursday at Jurong East Central 1 at around noon time.

A photo of the S$300 ticket issued by NEA for the littering offence – that was posted on social media. Image credit: Twitter/khrluffy 

NEA did explain: “We would like to remind the public that littering has environmental consequences, and keeping our environment clean by not littering is a gracious and socially responsible thing to do”.

You can’t argue with that!

Yesterday, I was at the Kelab Shah Alam Selangor in Jalan Aerobik 43 in Seksyen 13, Shah Alam, Selangor. And I was there to present my CC #8 Get Comfortable with Visual Aids speech titled The Projectile – this is for my Competent Communication award #57:

I was also a speech evaluator for a CC#10 speech – and I was voted Best Evaluator (again).

Intimacy Coordinator

In the wake of the #MeToo movement, the role of the Intimacy Coordinator in theater, film and television production has become more important.

 

Hollywood and the other players must learn to shift from the old, problematic phrase “that’s just how things are” to facing issues of consent, harassment and sexual assault head on. 

Those changes have found their way onto sets, which are increasingly staffed with intimacy coordinators – movement coaches who help choreograph intimate scenes with a focus on the actors’ safety. 

An intimacy coach helps people feel safer, closer and more connected to their lover or partner. Tackling issues around physical and emotional intimacy, these coaches teach their clients a sense of safety they may have never learned as children.

After all, it’s supposed to be staged sex. No unpleasantness, no awkwardness. A safe environment for all. 

FYI, HBO have declared in October 2018 that they will have intimacy coordinators for all shows containing intimate scenes.

A Question Mark on the American Economy

Donald Trump should worry. The greenback fell on Friday from a two-year high against a basket of major currencies after orders for US-made capital goods fell – further evidence that manufacturing and the broader economy are slowing, due in part to the US-China trade dispute. 

The weaker-than-expected data, a closely watched proxy for business spending plans, drove the dollar lower and added to a fall which began Thursday following a report that showed manufacturing activity hit its lowest level in almost a decade in May. 

Taken together, the reports suggested a sharp slowdown in US economic growth is under way, which could affect the dollar's safe-haven status. 

This may well be a tipping point. 

I came across this Dhrumil Mehta article on fivethirtyeight.com published May 24, 2019 that said “there is evidence suggesting that Trump’s approach to China is becoming more unpopular among the public. According to a Quinnipiac University poll released Tuesday, the share of Americans who say they approve of the way Trump is handling the nation’s policy toward China is 40 percent, a decline of 7 points from April 2017, when Trump first met with Chinese President Xi Jinping on trade. But while Trump’s handling of the US relationship with China may be losing popularity as the trade war escalates, one reason it may not be more unpopular is that the economy is strong”. 

The Quinnipiac poll found that the share of Americans who feel “the state of the nation’s economy” is either “excellent” or “good” was 71 percent – its highest point in nearly 18 years. 

Interestingly, the share of both Republicans and Democrats who gave their thumbs-ups to the economy has surged. In last week’s poll, 92 percent of Republicans and 54 percent of Democrats said they thought the economy was either excellent or good; that’s an increase of 24 points and 3 points, respectively, from April 2017.

As long as the economy continues to do well, Trump may not be risking much by doubling down on his strategy with China – despite headlines screaming that the trade war is hurting US businesses. 

A CBS News poll conducted the week before found that even though 49 percent of Americans anticipate that the tariffs will lead to short-term economic pain, 39 percent – a plurality – felt that they could lead to better trade deals with China in the long run. And 6 in 10 Americans said that they favor China changing their trade policies toward the US. 

Mehta is right when he suggested that the economy is protecting Trump from any trade war backlash. 

That also explains why Trump is so abominably arrogant in his dealings with China. Not to mention that he himself believes he can bully China into submission.

But should the US economy continue to de-escalate – it is Trump who will find himself in deep shit. 

And Trump’s promise to make America great again may be hollow and empty.

Liverpool's 89 Goals in the English Premier League

Liverpool may have only achieved second place in the EPL this season – but we are already looking forward to the 2019-2020 season. 

In the meantime, we can view all 89 of Liverpool's goals from the 2018/19 season – knowing that the next time around, we will mount a stronger challenge:

#YNWA 

In yesterday’s Scottish Cup between Celtic and Hearts, the former defeated the latter 2-1 to clinch the Scottish Cup – and securing a ninth domestic trophy in a row for the Glasgow side. 

A treble treble! Wow! Double wow!! Triple wow!!! 

Odsonne Edouard's devastating double were enough to overcome the setback of Ryan Edwards' second-half close-range strike. 

Edouard (right) equalized from the penalty spot in the sixty-second minute after he had been fouled by Hearts goalkeeper Zdenek Zlamal. 

This was followed twenty minutes later, after Mikael Lustig's header had sent the ball through for Edouard to chase – and he coolly lifted the ball beyond the keeper's reach and into the net.

Sudirman Hj Arshad

Google paid tribute to late Sudirman Hj Arshad with a special Saturday "doodle". He would’ve been 65 yesterday. 

His legion of fans knew him simply as Sudirman (left), singer, songwriter, visual artist, author and actor. 

A lawyer by profession, he started his singing career after winning Bintang RTM on August 11, 1976. 

On April 15, 1986, Sudirman performed at an open-air concert on Kuala Lumpur’s Chow Kit Road, which was the first time ever that a street concert drew a 100,000-strong crowd on a Monday night. Lifted above the audience by crane, he sent the Malaysian crowd wild with his rousing performance. 

In fact, the English daily, The Star wrote that "Kuala Lumpur came to a standstill”! 

In 1989, Sudirman won acclaim at the Asian Popular Music Awards at London's Royal Albert Hall, when he sang his signature hit "A Thousand Million Smiles" and a rendition of "Send In The Clowns" with choreography that paid tribute to Charlie Chaplin – that performance immediately raised his profile internationally. 

He was even appointed a "Singing Ambassador" by the Malaysian Ministry of Tourism – and he could sing not only in Malay and English but also Tamil, Tagalog, Korean and a couple of Chinese dialects.

Sudirman died from pneumonia at the age of 37 on February 22, 1992. 

My selection of three of my favorite Sudirman numbers: Merisik Khabar (1986) Antara Hujan dan Airmata (1989); and One Thousand Million Smiles (1989):

 

Yesterday, I was at the BJRA Community Center, Dewan Kosmos in Bukit Jelutong in Shah Alam, Selangor. I attended the Kota Anggerik Toastmasters meeting there – my thanks to VP Public Relations Hilal Adnan for getting me a speaking slot too. 

I presented another CC #10 speech titled My Public Speaking Mojo. And wow, their club president Shafiq Shamshir was my evaluator. 

This was my fourth project speech this week: 

Photos from the said Toastmasters meeting: