Donald Trump's Triple Crowns

It should be obvious to Americans by now that Donald Trump is unhinged!

Three examples among many:

On February 20, 2025, Donald Trump referred to himself as "the king" in a Truth Social post celebrating the termination of New York City's congestion pricing program. 

He wrote, “CONGESTION PRICING IS DEAD. Manhattan, and all of New York, is SAVED”, adding, “LONG LIVE THE KING!”. 

The White House official X account further highlighted this with a mocked-up image of Trump in a crown.

On August 25, 2025, he asserted that EU leaders "jokingly" referred to him as the "president of Europe", stating it was "an honor" during remarks in the Oval Office.   

On March 25, 2026, during the annual National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) fundraising dinner in Washington DC, USA, he declared that Iran had suggested making him its Supreme Leader, but he declined the offer! 😂😂😂

There's no denying it. Trump is narcissistic, solipsistic and vainglorious. A megalomaniac of the highest order. 

Surge of Animal Births at Zoo Taiping and Night Safari

Malaysia's Zoo Taiping and Night Safari, located at Jalan Pekeliling, Taman Tasik Taiping in Taiping, Perak are recognized for their successful species propagation programs, naturalistic habitats, and commitment to wildlife conservation and biological continuity. 

And in the latter half of last year, there was a surge in new animal births, highlighting ZTNS captive breeding achievements. Among the notable births were a Bornean orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus), three agile wallabies (Macropus agilis), three milky storks (Mycteria cinerea), two Bawean deer (Axis kuhlii), two chital (Axis axis), and a sambar deer (Cervus unicolor). 

During the same period, 16 milky storks also hatched naturally in habitats outside the zoo's exhibition areas. Taiping Municipal Council president Mohamed Akmal Dahalan said the total population of milky storks at the zoo – including those in enclosures and free-ranging outside – now stands at 106 birds. 

He said the achievement reflected the high standard of animal care and habitat management at the facility. 

"The successful births of several species within a relatively short period show that the environment and care provided at the zoo are conducive to wildlife breeding. This is an encouraging development as it contributes to conservation efforts, particularly for species that are threatened and require continuous protection", he said in a March 11 statement. 

In a related development, the zoo also contributed two sambar deer and three wild boars to the Deer Release Programme for the Conservation of the Malayan Tiger's Food Source, held at Royal Belum State Park on February 11. 

The programme marked a first-time collaboration between the Taiping Municipal Council, the Perak state government, the Perak State Parks Corporation, the Department of Wildlife and National Parks Peninsular Malaysia (Perhilitan), the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), and Yayasan Sultan Idris Shah II. 

Akmal said the initiative aims to strengthen prey populations in forest ecosystems, ensuring a sustainable food source for the endangered Malayan tiger. 

"This initiative demonstrates that Zoo Taiping and Night Safari (are) not only a recreational and educational destination but also an active conservation institution supporting efforts to protect the nation's biodiversity", he added.

The current heatwave is a blessing for durian growers. The scorching weather has pushed early flowering, although farmers have to work hard to manage tree stress through intense watering. 

In Malaysia’s Penang state, this means durian trees are anticipated to fruit sooner than usual, fueling expectations of an earlier harvest with higher-quality yields.

US Marines Arrive Close to Iran's Doorstep

US sailors and marines aboard USS Tripoli (LHA 7) reached the US Central Command (CENTCOM) area of responsibility, on March 27. 

Their arrival came as the Washington Post reported that the Pentagon were preparing for weeks of ground operations in Iran. US officials have not confirmed whether ground troops will be deployed. 

It is reported that the United States could soon have more than 17,000 ground troops on Iran's doorstep, according to The Wall Street Journal. Of course, that is far short of what would be needed for a full-scale invasion, but they could seize strategic territory on the mainland, secure Tehran’s uranium stockpiles or take an island.

Iran's parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf is defiant, warning that his country's military are "waiting for American soldiers" and they will "rain fire" on any US troops attempting to enter Iranian territory. 

The Americans are likely to be soft targets in this situation. It will be like shooting fish in a barrel for the Iranians. 

I await to see the veins surrender their scarlet tide.

Let the slaughter commence!

CWC @ UTAR Sungai Long Campus

On Saturday, I joined Ahmad Fakhri and team to the UTAR Sg. Long campus for the 4-hour Communicate with Confidence workshop. 

I believe this program is beneficial for varsity students because they're mostly not exposed to public speaking. And communication studies, where available, tend to be largely theoretical in nature. Moreover, many undergraduates struggle to express ideas clearly as well as lacking the ability to present them with enduring impact. 

[For sure, one workshop won't solve much – but it is a meaningful start because it opens up possibilities and opportunities]. 

As we typically do, partakers enjoyed dedicated support from four accomplished speech coaches, ensuring personalized attention for every presenter. I can tell you, these people are good. I should know because I am one of them. 😁

And of course, we incorporated a mini showcase. For this particular batch of students, eight participants from two distinct groups – one to target business investors and the other to target internal stakeholders – got to present a 3-minute business pitch. Just to clarify, it was to be a simple business pitching exercise. An "elevator pitch" format, if you will, designed to test the individuals' ability to communicate a business idea correctly, compactly and concisely.

A selection of photos from the said workshop:

Donald Trump and the Never-ending Iran War

☝US President Donald Trump can't decide; poor thing!  

Just so you know, today is March 29 and the latest iteration of the Iran war is in its 30th day. It represents a continuation of, and escalation from, earlier tensions (such as the 12-day conflict in 2025), marking a more violent and dangerous phase that's surely going to bring precarious volatility to the Middle East. And maybe, even the collapse of the hereditary monarchies therein. 

It makes me wonder what endgame are the US (and Israel) actually pursuing? 

Maybe not. I am inclined to believe that Israel wants to see the total obliteration of Iran. And it wants to become the regional hegemon. The US, being an Israeli stooge, is aligning itself with this agenda and actively supporting this initiative. 

On Wednesday, Trump himself boasted: "We're winning so big. Nobody’s ever seen anything like we’re doing in the Middle East with Iran. And they are negotiating, by the way, and they want to make a deal so badly, but they’re afraid to say it because they figure they’ll be killed by their own people. They’re also afraid they’ll be killed by us. There’s never been a head of a country that wanted that job less than being the head of Iran”. 😮😮😮

His comments came after Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi maintained that “we do not intend to negotiate”. 

Of course, on the same day too, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt added her two cents' worth by warning Iran that Trump would hit them harder if ‌Tehran fails to accept that they have been "defeated militarily"! 😂😂😂

And, the USS Gerald R Ford, that was going to win the war for the United States and Israel, had retreated to the Souda Bay naval base in Crete, Greece, a safe distance from Iran and its missiles. 😂😂😂

The US Navy's most advanced aircraft carrier pulled into port on March 23 after months at sea facing combat, fire, and plumbing problems. The locations of the other warships in the strike group are unclear. 

Locals have reported smoke billowing from the carrier and dozens of planes taking off from it and landing on terra firma. Perhaps they're having a BBQ on the deck. 

The Ford left its homeport in Virginia in the US on June 24, 2025, beginning an action-packed deployment, only its second fully operational deployment since it commissioned, that has been extended twice and is now eclipsing the nine-month mark. It is atypical for aircraft carriers to remain at sea for this long. 

The Ford's departure from the Middle East leaves the Navy with only one aircraft carrier – USS Abraham Lincoln – in the region as combat operations against Iran continue.

SAL Club #001

I attended the Speakers and Leaders Club meeting at Sunway Mentari on Thursday. Three words to describe this club: Energizing. Enlightening. Enriching.

Nine participants. Five project speakers. Five "That's One Minute" speakers. Five evaluators. 

And I was given the role of Language Observer as well as being tasked to evaluate Ken Chan. 

And for good measure, I took part in the "That's One Minute" session. This was an off-the-cuff quick huddle which had a unique twist – everyone had to speak about the same one-word prompt. In this case, it was 'energy'.

But that was not all. It was supposed to be an elevator pitch – and the winner (through voting) got the opportunity to expand on the said subject for another 5 minutes!

SAL's value proposition lies in the promise that while talents may differ, they guarantee equal opportunity to speak and grow. No bystanders, only speakers!

Meta Layoffs Continue in Pivot from Metaverse to AI

Meta are laying off about 700 people at Facebook and their VR division reality Labs, according to a March 25 report from CNBC. The layoffs come as Meta seek to pivot away from their metaverse bet and lean more heavily into AI. 

Less than 24 hours earlier, the company unveiled a new stock program for six top executives that could increase compensation for some of them by as much as $921 million each over the next five years. Meta explained the move was a way to retain their senior talent in the AI era and push them toward ambitious growth. 

The hundreds of new layoffs come after Meta cut about 1,500 workers in January, mostly from Reality Labs, which make the Quest VR headset and the Horizon Worlds platform. Meta employ about 78,000 people in total. 

“Teams across Meta regularly restructure or implement changes to ensure they’re in the best position to achieve their goals”, a Meta spokesperson told Gizmodo in a statement Wednesday. “Where possible, we are finding other opportunities for employees whose positions may be impacted”. 

Facebook were renamed Meta in 2021 because CEO Mark Zuckerberg thought the metaverse was the future. But it turns out that the need to strap a gigantic computer to your face is quite a tall hurdle for mass adoption. Meta’s Ray-Ban glasses, while a different product and use case, have sold much better, perhaps because they look like normal glasses on your face. 

Reality Labs have burned through roughly $73 billion since Zuck shifted his company’s focus to the metaverse. Last week Meta announced they were shutting down Horizon Worlds only to backtrack just a couple of days later. 

Meta are trying to make a larger push into AI, with a March 25 report from the The New York Times suggesting Zuckerberg (left) was even creating a "superintelligence", or a god-like AI that can act as the ultimate personal companion. 

And if you must know, Meta suffered two legal defeats in the past two days, the first in New Mexico where the state Attorney General had brought a suit alleging they had misled consumers about the safety of their products and the potential harm to children. 

Meta have been ordered to pay roughly $375 million in civil penalties in that case, far less than the $2 billion the state had asked for. 

The second loss in court happened Wednesday when Meta and Google both lost a case brought by a woman who said she’d become addicted to Instagram and YouTube as a child and had suffered mental health issues as a result. Meta argued that the woman’s mental illnesses predated her exposure to Instagram. 

The jury awarded the woman $3 million in that case. 

The two cases had been closely watched because there are about 2,000 other cases against Meta pending in federal court around the issues of child safety and social media addiction. 

What's more, it’s entirely possible that more layoffs at Meta are just over the horizon. Reuters reported last week that Meta would lay off 20% or more of their workforce. That would be somewhere in the neighborhood of about 15,000 people. 

The reason for the layoffs, according to Reuters, was an attempt to offset “costly artificial intelligence infrastructure bets” and to “prepare” for “greater efficiency” that’s supposed to be realized by AI advancements. 

Meta told Gizmodo over email Wednesday that the Reuters report was “speculative” and had “theoretical approaches”, whatever that means.

Increased Prices Are Coming For You Next

The ongoing war in the Middle East continues to have global ramifications, and your wallet is next. 

The good news is that Malaysia's BUDI95 program, the subsidised RON95 petrol initiative – which is at RM1.99 per litre – remains in place. 

But starting April 01, the monthly subsidised RON95 petrol quota is reduced from 300 previously to 200 litres, as part of the government’s temporary measure to guarantee supply and to manage demand prudently. Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim assures the public that fuel supply remains sufficient and stable. 

The government expect that 90 percent of Malaysians will not be impacted by the belt-tightening.

On Thursday, the ministry of finance revealed that the country’s subsidy expenditure for petrol and diesel fuels is estimated to reach around RM4 billion a month, with Brent crude oil prices reaching $100 per barrel. By contrast, based on market prices two weeks ago when Brent crude oil was around $90 per barrel, the subsidies were estimated to be around RM3 billion a month. 

However, a bigger concern is the impact of diesel – which fuels much of the country’s logistics transportation – getting way more expensive, with prices skyrocketing over the past month. 

Anwar admitted that the supply of food and fertilisers will also be affected, and that “prices will certainly rise". 

Thank you, America! 😡😡😡 

[Note: In addition to BUDI95, the country has the SARA (Sumbangan Asas Rahmah) program, which is a form of cash assistance that will be credited to eligible recipients' MyKad for purchases covering over 140,000 basic items in 15 categories at over 10,000 selected stores and supermarkets nationwide. 

Both BUDI95 and SARA are designed to alleviate the rising cost of living for Malaysians by providing subsidies for essential needs, with SARA assisting with household staples and BUDI95 reducing petrol expenses].

These two programs have been incredibly helpful to me.

Donald Trump, U-Turner Extraordinaire

US President Donald Trump is consistently flip-flopping on his stated positions about the direction of the war on Iran, which began when the US and Israel brought iron and fire to the country's shores nearly one month ago, on February 28. 

In fact, he has regularly and repeatedly said Iran has been 'obliterated'. But we all know, nothing of that sort has happened.

On Sunday, Trump promised to attack Iran's power grid in an ultimatum to the country unless the Strait of Hormuz is re-opened within 48 hours. He wrote that he would strike energy plants, “STARTING WITH THE BIGGEST ONE FIRST”. 

Then, on Monday, he said he would delay the strikes for another five days based on “good and productive conversations” that Iran denies took place. 

On Thursday, he pushed back the self-imposed deadline to April 06, citing progress in negotiations to end the ongoing war in the country. 

“Talks are ongoing and, despite erroneous statements to the contrary by the Fake News Media, and others, they are going very well”, he had insisted. 

The US must have been conducting imaginary talks with invisible Iranians. 😂😂😂

The March 26 post marked the latest postponement Trump has announced since he first threatened Iran’s energy system. 

This whole affair is a frantic dance of ego on the edge of the abyss, choreographed by one self-absorbed, self-centered and self-serving clown and watched by a terrified world. 

Trump's drum of war beats belligerently, yet the tune is crazily chaotic; a theater of absurd arrogance where the curtain rises on calamitous catastrophe.