Wordplay and Puns

Melbourne, Australia-based cartoonist and illustrator Paul Woods enjoys using wordplay and puns to bring his single-panel comics to life:

 

 

A Speaking Club Like No Other

2022 is coming to a close – and World Speakers’ Coalition Kuala Lumpur have just had our eleventh meeting last week. 

 

And since our second anniversary celebration, we’ve had four more meetings – making it a total of eleven meetings since we were chartered on September 04, 2020:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

Now, our membership strength is 10 + 1, and yes, we continue to thrive!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For the people out there who don’t know us, we’re a speaking club. Also a conversation club. Even a friendship club.

 

To be sure, we’re not your typical public speaking club. We don’t even need a podium. And we’re not structured and formally organized as in other established outfits. We are a free-form entity that promotes public speaking and zeroes in on impromptu speaking. 

 

Yes, we do a lot of speaking and listening. We provide you with a non-judgmental space so that you’re comfortable to share your thoughts and ideas. It can be on anything as long as you speak. In other words, we want you to be yourself and enjoy the company. 

 

For us, communication is the human connection. We’re sure you know that when we communicate, we become aware that we are all different in the way we perceive the world and so, we use this understanding as a guide to our communication with others. 

 

Anne Morrow Lindbergh, American writer and aviator. is right when she says: “Good communication is just as stimulating as black coffee, and just as hard to sleep after”. 

 

After all, in the routine conversations we have every day, we have no problem being ourselves. Yet too often, when we stand up to give a speech, something changes. We focus on the “public” at the expense of the “speaking”. To become effective at public speaking, you must do just the opposite: focus on the speaking and let go of the “public”. 

 

Note that participation in our meetings is by invitation only. We’re not being elitist – we merely want to stay small and personal. 

 

#publicspeaking

#theartandscienceofrhetoric 

#confidentcommunication 

#communicationinnovations 

#worldspeakerscoalition

Avatar 2 Surpasses $1B Ticket Sales

I refer to my post “Avatar Sequel Not Doing Too Well in China” yesterday. I can tell you it is still getting eyeballs, when I read today that “Avatar: The Way of Water” has hit a new box office milestone, surpassing $1 billion in ticket sales globally in just 14 days. 

 

Only six movies in history have cleared $1 billion in their first two weeks of release. 

 

As for 2022, just three films released this year managed to surpass the billion-dollar mark. Apart from Avatar 2, the other two are Tom Cruise-starrer “Top Gun: Maverick” (which took 31 days to clear the benchmark) and the Chris Pratt-led “Jurassic World Dominion” (which took more than four months to join the club). 

 

Still, it’s halfway to the mark director James Cameron said his technologically innovative movie needed to break even, though analysts believe the threshold to profitability is probably closer to $1.5 billion. 

 

The long-delayed sequel has proved a hit, even if it has received mixed reviews from critics, with ratings varying wildly between one star and five stars. While some said it was "dazzling", others described it as a "soggy, twee, trillion-dollar screensaver". 

 

“The Way of Water” is the follow-up to 2009's “Avatar”, which remains the highest-grossing movie of all time – with box office receipts of $2.97 billion. The new installment is expected to struggle to near the heights scaled by the original “Avatar” because the global box office hasn’t fully rebounded from the Covid pandemic, according to Variety. Moreover, China, a major theatrical market, is said to be experiencing a resurgence of the coronavirus and Russia, another big territory, won’t have access to the film as a result of Western sanctions. 

 

Never mind, we’ll know soon enough how well the box office continues to fare for the Avatar sequel.

The Sacking of Zuraida Kamaruddin

 

Parti Bangsa Malaysia sacked Zuraida Kamaruddin and 10 others on Tuesday, after they failed to respond to show cause letters issued on December 19, 2022. 

 

Hopefully, the PBM saga ends here. 

 

But you and I know that where Malaysian politics is concerned, that is just not likely! We won’t hear the last of Zuraida, that’s for sure! 

 

Celtic will go into next week's "showcase" Glasgow derby on a run of 12 straight Scottish Premiership wins after thumping Hibernian 4-0 on Wednesday. 

 

Aaron Mooy opened the scoring with his first goal in the twenty-eighth minute, Daizen Maeda doubled the lead with a wonderful strike in the thirty-sixth minute, Mooy made it 3-0 from the penalty spot in the fifty-eighth minute, and Kyogo Furuhashi made it four in the sixty-fourth minute to cap a thoroughly dominant performance.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ange Postecoglou's side remain nine points clear of rivals Rangers, who they visit on Monday in a potentially pivotal second derby of the season. 

 

"We know it's a significant game", he told BBC Scotland. "A significant game for our supporters and our league. 

 

It's a showcase game. They are second and we're first. There's all of those elements, but I can assure you we put in the same preparation for every game and we'll be ready for it”.

Avatar Sequel Not Doing Too Well in China

With $889 million in the can worldwide, “Avatar: The Way of Water” is closing in fast to reach $1 billion at the global box office. 

 

2009's Avatar remains the undisputed king of the box office, and the killing it made in China made it a global juggernaut. According to Comic Book Resources, though, The Way of Water is falling far short of its projected returns in China. 

 

James Cameron's “Avatar: The Way of Water” has been under immense scrutiny, particularly where its box office performance is concerned. It was able to accomplish what few Hollywood blockbusters have in recent years: get into Chinese theaters, where, despite early projections, the film is just not performing well. 

 

According to ticketing company Maoyan, the film has thus far earned ¥726 million, equating to roughly $100 million, after nearly two weeks in theaters. This is far below the initial projections, which estimated the Avatar sequel would earn ¥2.5 billion, or roughly $357 million in China over the course of its run. This was later reduced to $143 million by Maoyan, shortly after the film's release. 

 

Anyway, I’ve not seen the movie – so I can’t say if it is deserving of all the hype it’s getting.

Run, Tom, Run

I came across this Devin Nealy piece on Boing Boing, found it interesting and wish to share it here. 

In the age of dwindling cinema attendance, many film critics and fans have begun to proffer multiple theories pertaining to why audiences aren't tuning out in droves. One of the most widely accepted theories is how we're currently in a post-movie star era. Outside of a handful of established names, most actors can't summon audiences in the numbers they used to. 

One of the few celebrities that can generate public interest with their name alone is Tom Cruise. Since his debut, Cruise has essentially remained a top draw, irrespective of the era.

As one of the most recognizable stars in all of Hollywood, Cruise's distinct mannerisms are as iconic as his stature within the industry. Without question, one of Cruise's most defining mannerisms is his trademark run, which appears in copious movies across his catalog. 

In the video below, the YouTube channel "Scene It Reviews" explains why Tom Cruise's run is more important than most people realize:

WSD Speeches On Malaysian Food

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hooray! We've collected another 3 videos for World Speech Day Culture – and these 3 are all from Malaysia.

Anabelle Teh talks about her favorite Malaysian food, i.e. nasi lemak, roti canai and nian gao 年糕 (kuih bakul).

 

Nasi lemak is actually rice cooked in coconut milk that is traditionally served with anchovies, cucumbers, peanuts and boiled eggs, and served together with a spicy chili paste called sambal. It is considered Malaysia’s national dish. 

 

Roti canai is a type of flatbread, usually served with dhal and/or other curries. 

 

Nian gao is a sticky sweet rice cake eaten during the Chinese New Year. A popular dessert made of glutinous rice flour and sugar. 

 

Nian gao is 年糕 in Chinese. The character 年 means ‘year’, and the character 糕 means ‘cake’, which shares the same pronunciation as 高 (gao), meaning ‘tall’ or ‘high’. So, the pronunciation of nian gao sounds like 'year high' (年高) – and so, nian gao symbolizes a high year, an increase in prosperity.  

 

Lim Chien Cian shares about the Chinese celebration of the winter solstice, Dong Zhi (which means “Winter Arrives”) – it welcomes the return of longer days and the corresponding increase in positive energy in the year to come. 

 

Occurring only six weeks before the Chinese New Year, the festival has its own significance for many Chinese people, and is believed to be the day when everyone gets one year older. 

 

An important and auspicious recipe to make during the Winter Solstice is the tang yuan 汤圆, a traditional dessert made of glutinous rice shaped into balls – often brightly colored – that is served in a hot broth or syrup. 

 

The celebration may have begun as a harvest festival, when farmers and fishermen took time off to celebrate with their families. It’s not an official holiday, but remains an occasion for families to join together to celebrate the year that has passed and share good wishes for the year to come.  

 

Nurul Rafidah features three Bidayuh dishes, ikan bakar, bamboo chicken and kurat sisub.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ikan bakar is charcoal-grilled fish. The fish is seasoned with a spice marinade, then wrapped in banana leaves before being laid on a hot grill. Bamboo chicken is, as the name implies, chicken cooked in a bamboo tube. And kurat sisub is a traditional dish of wild mushrooms, chicken and rice. 

 

Incidentally, all three speakers are students at Sunway.

 

#unexpectedvoices #worldspeechday #wsdculturemalaysia

China is Finally Reopening

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When China executed its dynamic zero-Covid policies, some Western media had been calling for China to reopen. But when China eased its Covid-19 measures, not surprisingly, they were just as quick to badmouth China's move. 

 

For the West, especially the US, the issue has never really been related to the epidemic or how China responds. After regarding China as their main “competitor”, Western media outlets have spared no effort to smear China with endless criticisms. The Covid-19 epidemic is just one of many anti-China tools in use – and it has been entirely weaponized even since the initial stage of the outbreak. 

 

To China's credit, it doesn't care because it follows its own agenda – and the good news is that the country is finally reopening after zero-Covid. Meaning China to resume outbound tourism, scrap Covid testing and quarantine for arrivals, starting January 08, 2023.

 

Certainly, China is set for a big rebound in 2023. And this can only be good news for the world economy. 

 

Liverpool fans – me included – were desperate to see the team get back to winning ways in the Premier League and on Monday, they did just that as they secured a welcomed 3-1 victory over Aston Villa. 

 

The Reds started in positive fashion as Mohamed Salah opened the scoring after just five minutes, tapping in from an Andy Robertson cross. Virgil van Dijk doubled the advantage in the thirty-seventh minute after he latched on to a pass from Salah following a corner kick into the box. 

 

The Villans got a goal back in the fifty-ninth minute but substitute Stefan Bajčetić slotted home to give Liverpool their third in the eighty-first minute. 

 

My sideswipe at Darwin Nunez – I was critical of him in the EFL Cup fourth round match against Manchester City on December 22 – was valid. And is valid. He couldn’t convert any in this game too, despite having five chances to score!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Anyway, a valuable three points have been secured. Now to collect the same haul on Friday against Leicester City, in the final game of 2022.

Alarmed Tarsier Makes Meme-worthy Expression

Do you know that tarsiers have the largest eyes of any mammal on earth, in relation to their body size? 

You can say that the tarsier is the wide-eyed staring contest champ of the animal world. Its eyes have evolved to be so enormous, it can’t even move them in its head. Which means you can say whatever you want to a tarsier and it can’t roll its eyes at you. 

And I suspect the inspiration for Yoda must have come from the tarsier. 

Anyway, check out the video filmed by National Geographic Explorer Joel Sartore for the National Geographic #PhotoArk of an alarmed Horsefield’s Tarsier (Scientific name: Cephalopachus bancanus) making a meme-worthy expression:

 

The PBM rigmarole is restarting. (Kindly refer to my last post “Pricey Soap” dated November 04, 2022). 

An FMT news report published on December 25 highlighted Zuraida Kamaruddin’s criticism of Parti Bangsa Malaysia president Larry Sng over the way he is managing the party, calling him “immature and arrogant”. 

A day later, the same news online portal reported Sng telling them: “Zuraida and her supporters should do some soul-searching and perhaps take a back seat or call it a day in politics. Their voters have already rejected them”. 

It looks like the peace is broken. 

France, Stop Crying

I refer to my post that was published yesterday. In response to the French petition, Argentinians have banded together to start a petition of their own with a "France Stop Crying" demand. 

 

And as at 16:00 hours (Malaysian time) today, it has already amassed more than 725,000 signatures! Grow up, France!

 

A UK businessperson has been left with 18,000 useless T-shirts which wrongly herald England as World Cup champions.

 

Football fan Karl Baxter was so convinced the Three Lions were going to return home from Qatar as winners that he had the tops printed ahead of the quarter-finals. Sprawled across the back of the shirts are the slogans 'England, Cup Winners 2022, It's Finally Home' and 'The Day It Came Home'. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

But the gamble didn't pay off, with Gareth Southgate's side losing 2-1 to France in their quarter-final match.  [My post "Morocco and France Advance To Semi-final" on December 11 pertsains}.

 

In his plea to fellow English supporters, Baxter had reportedly said: "We have reduced the price of these unique items as we certainly won't be getting any more. So, wear it with pride, add it to your collection, use it to clean the windows... we don't know". 

 

LOL!

Yesterday is Missing Ana de Armas

Movie fans disappointed that their favorite actor was cut from a film after appearing in the trailer can sue the studio for false advertising, a US judge has ruled. 

 

Two film buffs say Universal Pictures tricked them into renting 2019 flick “Yesterday” because the trailer featured actress Ana de Armas. 

 

Peter Michael Rosza, 45, of San Diego, and Conor Woulfe, 39, of Maryland, say they forked over $3.99 each to watch the Richard Curtis comedy on Amazon Prime, only to discover that de Armas (right) had not made the final cut. 

 

A class action suit filed earlier this year alleges fans had been led to expect the Cuban “No Time To Die” star would feature prominently. However, they “did not receive a movie with any appearance of Ana de Armas at all”, says the suit, reported by US media on Friday. 

 

Accordingly, “such consumers were not provided with any value for their rental or purchase”, the suit added. 

 

Universal had asked US district judge Stephen Wilson to throw out the complaint, arguing that trailers are protected by the First Amendment of the US Constitution, which guarantees free speech. 

 

But in his ruling on Thursday, Wilson rejected the studio’s argument, saying trailers are commercial speech and subject to laws around honest advertising. 

 

“At its core, a trailer is an advertisement designed to sell a movie by providing consumers with a preview of the movie”, the judge wrote. 

 

AFP could not immediately reach a representative for Universal. The suit is claiming at least $5 million on behalf of disappointed fans. 

 

Lawyers will convene again for the case on April 03. 

 

Danny Boyle’s “Yesterday” tells the story of a musician, played by Himesh Patel, who is thrust into an alternative reality where The Beatles do not exist. 

 

He achieves global mega stardom by releasing the Fab Four’s back catalogue as his own. 

 

De Armas, who also appeared in “Knives Out” in 2019, was originally cast in the movie, and appeared in the trailer and certain advertising, but her role did not make the final version, according to the suit.