Nine Lives

On Monday, after a brief sabbatical – okay, a long, unauthorized hiatus – I finally returned to the Money & You Toastmasters Club at Commercial Circle Sdn Bhd, on Jalan 1/137B, 5th Mile, Old Klang Road in Kuala Lumpur. 

[I used to be a regular there. I even paid dues for an entire term, which technically makes me a lifetime alumnus in my own mind]. 😜  

A huge thank you to Chin Siew Mui for advocating for me and securing one of only two coveted speaking slots. 

I stepped up to deliver "Nine Lives", my second speech for Project 4, Level 1 under the Engaging with Humor pathway. Milestone unlocked: this marks my 963rd speech!

My speech focused on a confession: for a long time, I genuinely believed I was a cat. While it may sound bizarre, it is a recognized clinical condition known as galeanthropy. 

Convinced of my feline identity, I lived under the illusion that I had nine lives. Looking back, I shared how I spent eight of those metaphorical lives just trying to find my footing. 

Pointedly, I told my audience not to wait until they are down to their final chance to start valuing the only life they actually have. Learn from my missing eight lives, so they don't have to waste theirs. 

Now, on my ninth and "last" life, I urged them to trade the fiction of nine lives for the friction of a real one. We only get one shot – let's make sure we live it purposefully and meaningfully.

My evaluator, Kelly Chaw from Sunway Toastmasters Club, made a great point. She said I ended my speech on a serious note and that it could actually be enhanced with a bit of humour. 

Anyway, it was a good speech and a good meeting! 

As a footnote, four attendees were inspired to purchase six of my books (two Diamonds and four Pearls).

RM50M SRC Fine Still Outstanding

Najib Razak has yet to pay the RM50 million fine imposed on him after being convicted of criminal breach of trust, money laundering, and abuse of power in the SRC International case, according to Malaysia's Attorney-General Mohd Dusuki Mokhtar on Sunday. 

As reported by Sinar Harian, the latter stated that the latest information received by the Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC) showed the payment remains outstanding. 

He added that there is no specific deadline for the former Malaysian prime minister to settle the amount. 

When asked whether the convict would have to remain in prison until the fine is paid, the Attorney-General confirmed that this is indeed the case.

Malaysian squash icon and reigning Asian champion Sivasangari Subramaniam delivered a masterclass in dominance to storm into the quarter-finals of the US Open in Philadelphia. 

World No. 4 Sivasangari proved entirely untouchable, dismantling Egypt’s world No. 25 Kenzy Ayman in a ruthless 21-minute, straight-games blitz (11-3, 11-7, 11-3) during Monday's second-round clash. 

This masterclass followed an equally devastating opening-round performance just 24 hours prior, where she dispatched world No. 21 and compatriot Aifa Azman 11-2, 11-4, 11-6 in a mere 22 minutes. 

With back-to-back clinical victories under her belt, the Malaysian powerhouse carries unstoppable momentum into today's high-stakes quarter-final showdown.

China Targets Manned Moon Landing Before 2030

China plans to land Chinese astronauts on the Moon before 2030, with a crew of three, two of whom are expected to set foot on the lunar surface, the Global Times learned from the 7th Human Space Symposium, held in Beijing on Saturday, October 31, 2026. 

The country’s first manned lunar mission will employ a lunar-orbit rendezvous and docking profile, Wang Xiang, deputy chief designer of China’s manned space program and chief designer of the lunar exploration program, said at the symposium. 

The crew for China’s first crewed lunar exploration mission is planned to consist of three taikonauts, two of whom will land on the lunar surface, Wang added. 

A “two launches, one lunar landing” approach will be used for the mission. Under this mode, two Long March-10 carrier rockets will be used: 

First, the lander will be sent into lunar orbit, after which a crewed spacecraft will launch to rendezvous and dock with the lander. 

Two taikonauts will then enter the lander, which will separate from the crewed spacecraft and land on the lunar surface to carry out scientific exploration activities. 

After completing the mission, the taikonauts will ascend from the lunar surface aboard the lander, conduct a second rendezvous and docking with the crewed spacecraft in lunar orbit, and return to Earth aboard the crewed spacecraft. 

At present, research, development and construction work for the lunar landing phase of China’s lunar exploration program is progressing steadily.

Outsmarting the Dinosaurs: Bersama’s Bold Bid for Melaka

For voters in Melaka looking for a genuine alternative, backing the Sang Kancil (Mousedeer) symbol – represented by Parti Bersama Malaysia – offers a completely different approach to politics ahead of the 2026 Melaka State Election. 

Here is why voting for the "Kancil" represents a radical departure from the political status quo: 

• A Deeply Rooted Local Identity: The choice of the kancil logo is a direct tribute to the historic founding of Melaka by Parameswara. It symbolizes wit, agility, and the courage to outsmart larger forces despite being small. 
• Independent Check and Balance: Bersama operate entirely outside the traditional coalitions. By refusing to bow to established political "dinosaurs", the party position themselves as a fierce, independent watchdog for the people. 
• A Fresh Generation of Leaders: Moving away from career politicians, the party is fielding 16 fresh faces across key Melaka state seats, drawing candidates directly from professional and grassroots backgrounds. 
• An Escape from Political Polarization: As voters grow fatigued by the shifting alliances and fluid branding between PH, BN, and PN, Bersama offer non-aligned Malaysians a third option focused on candidate merit rather than coalition politics.

Vote for actual change. 💪 
Vote for RR (Real Reformasi). 💪 
VOTE BERSAMA! 💪

The Architecture of Pure Storytelling

This is a follow-up to my "The SAL In Hot Pursuit Speech" post published on October 30, 2026.

Most speakers embed a story inside a speech. On Thursday, I did the exact opposite: I let a single story be the entire speech, structure and all.

For speakers who want to lean heavily into storytelling, this can serve as your roadmap:

But I have to tell you that that speech I delivered was different. 

In rhetorical terms, I shifted from using narrative as evidence to using narrative as the architecture of the performance itself. Technically, this is known as a diegetic speech. 

It sounds elegant in theory. In practice, it is incredibly difficult. When you strip away the standard structural safety nets – the textual signposts, the deliberate physical transitions, the visual slides – you leave absolutely no margin for error. You are asking an audience to maintain an unbroken arc of narrative tension and emotional investment for five to eight minutes straight. 

In fact, it requires me to carry the entire story-speech through flawless vocal variety, precise pacing, and authentic emotional delivery just to keep the audience engaged.

And if I may add, it didn't even follow the conventional narrative structure. Admittedly, it was a challenging task but I'm glad I acquitted myself fairly well.

16 Bersama Candidates Ready for Melaka

On Saturday, October 31, 2026, the nomination process concluded flawlessly, officially paving the way for 16 Bersama candidates as they charge forward to shape a brighter future in the 16th Melaka State Election. 

Polling day is on November 14.

Yesterday, Falkirk secured a stunning 2-0 victory over Celtic, exploiting early defensive lapses and relying on an inspired goalkeeping performance to seal the win. 

The match was turned on its head just three minutes after kickoff when a Hoops defensive miscue allowed a cross into the penalty area to be poorly cleared, falling directly to a Bairns attacker who rifled the ball home from close range. 

Stunned by the early setback, Celtic attempted to dictate the tempo, but their defensive fragilities were exposed once again in the 38th minute. A perfectly weighted infield pass pierced the Celtic backline, releasing the running left-back, who composedly slotted the ball into the bottom corner to double the hosts' advantage. 

Celtic racked up 24 shots over the course of this Scottish Premiership match. However, their efforts ultimately proved futile against a former Celtic goalkeeper turned opponent, who made 10 crucial saves to preserve the clean sheet and anchor Falkirk's memorable triumph.

Martin O'Neill's side have won just three of their last 10 games in all competitions. That is simply unacceptable!

South of the border, Arsenal defeated Liverpool 1–0 at Anfield, marking the reigning Premier League champions' first league win at the ground since 2012. 

The Gunners scored the only goal of the match in the sixteenth minute, ruthlessly punishing a sloppy mistake by the Reds. 

Even though Liverpool threw the kitchen sink at them, they simply couldn't find the back of the net against Arsenal’s defensive masterclass. That elite backline won Arsenal the league title last season and might just do it again this time around. 

As for their rivals, it is the same old Liverpool, blowing hot and cold from game to game. Neither possession nor shots count for anything when nothing comes of them. It hurts even more to know that Liverpool failed to register a single shot on target at home for the first time since Premier League records began.

Spider-Man Fiction Takes Flight Over the Yangtze

In October 2026, the boundary between comic book fiction and reality blurred over China's Yangtze River when 26-year-old Song Xingyu successfully piloted a homemade, rideable hoverboard across a 300-meter gorge. 

Known online to millions as Shenqi Ayu ("Amazing Ayu"), Song grew up in rural Badong County, Hubei Province, and left school at just 14 years old to work in his father’s timber shop. 

Completely self-taught in mechanics, electronics, and coding, his ultimate triumph – a real-life incarnation of the Green Goblin’s glider (right) from Spider-Man – was brought to life through a mix of raw grit, engineering intuition, and AI. 

His journey to the sky was paved with literal fire. His first prototype, powered by five turbojet engines, abruptly burst into flames during a test flight. 

To solve the mystery, Song fed his flight telemetry into an AI agent, which revealed that the tightly clustered engines were suffocating on their own hot exhaust. Pivoting instantly, he redesigned the craft into an electric powerhouse, equipping it with ten brushless electric motors that generated over 660 pounds of thrust. 

The biggest hurdle was remaining upright on a machine with no handlebars. To survive the test flights, Song rigged an ingenious dual-phone AI coaching system: one smartphone inside the hoverboard tracked its tilt, while a second phone on his wrist processed the data and spoke real-time posture adjustments directly into his earbuds. 

After ten days of intense balance training, Song (left) took to the skies on October 06, 2026, successfully clearing the Hubei chasm. 

He spent the rest of the week conducting additional test flights over the Yangtze River and local streets, before the footage went viral online on October 15. 

To me, Song's historic flight serves as a powerful reminder that groundbreaking innovation is no longer confined to billionaire tech labs or prestigious university halls. 

By merging low-cost electronics with readily available AI tools, a self-taught tinkerer from rural China managed to conquer a canyon and capture the world's imagination. 

While he strongly warns his followers against replicating his highly dangerous, exposed-rotor craft, Song has definitively proven that with enough imagination and perseverance, even the most far-fetched comic book fantasies can be engineered into reality.

Our Two Titles Already Surpassed 2,000 Copies

October was a momentous month for our two titles, "The Diamond in Your Speech" (2022) and "The Pearls of Your Speech" (2025), closing out 61 books and marking a staggering 64.86% growth spike over September. That is an incredible leap for a month-over-month increase! 

Driving this momentum, our flagship edition has reached 1,682 lifetime copies, while our newest release has already brought in 619 sales todate. Together, they have officially pushed us past a massive milestone: 2,000 total books sold. 

Certainly, an astonishing achievement – and we will only do better!