KEPENTAS Aidilfitri Meeting

After another long absence, I returned to Pelangi Utama Block DEF in PJ to attend a KEPENTAS meeting. My first this year.

There were just five of us yesterday. And the evening's topic was on sales pitching.

Ustaz Mohd Asri Ismail set the tone for the meeting, acting as both trainer and opening speaker. And he plugged his "nasi minyak tiga puluh tahun". 

Faizol discussed his property snagging services. Ali Shaifulakbar Talib promoted his Smart Health Healy socks. 

And I, predictably, pitched my second book "The Pearls of Your Speech" to everyone at the meeting. Actually, only three members mattered and I sold one copy. 😌

The meeting was held in a relaxed atmosphere at Sandy Tan’s home, where we enjoyed a simple Hari Raya Aidilfitri celebration.

Photos featuring all the attendees (except me):

Pertandingan Pidato 2026 by KEPENTAS

On Saturday, I took part in the Pertandingan Pidato Piala Ramadan, organized by KEPENTAS. I wouldn't say I volunteered freely, more like I was being volunteered. 😂😂😂

There were eleven contestants and I was speaker No. 6. 

Halimah Abd Hamid as the Chief Judge gave a quick summation of all our speeches. Mine was witty and engaging – but it was too short. The speech duration was 5-8 minutes and I ended my speech a full seven seconds too soon. 

She didn't say it – but I know I need to work on both my proficiency and fluency in Malay, as well as overcome my tip-of-the-tongue moments. I certainly could do better.

Admittedly, the learning process will require time and effort – but I'm glad I took up the challenge. I accept my speech wasn't great but it wasn't too bad either. 🫣🫣🫣

Door gift and dinner 👇

Donald Trump Adds Afghanistan's Bagram Air Base To His Wishlist

US President Donald Trump had intimated his desire to annex Greenland, reclaim the Panama Canal and absorb Canada as the 51st state – and now, he wants back Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan. 

“We should have never given it up”, Trump told reporters at the White House on Friday. 

"We're trying to get it back", Trump said of Bagram during a news conference a day earlier alongside British Prime Minister Keir Starmer that capped a whirlwind state visit to the United Kingdom. 

Taking aim at the Biden administration's fraught withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan as a "total disaster", Trump criticized the decision to relinquish Bagram airfield, which quickly fell under the control of the Taliban as they swept back into power in 2021. 

[Note: About an hour's drive north of Afghanistan's capital, Kabul, Bagram served for years as a crucial hub in the war against the Taliban and Al Qaeda. At its peak around 2012, the sprawling complex saw more than 100,000 US troops pass through its compound]. 

"We gave it to them for nothing", bemoaned Trump, who has long criticized the Biden administration's handling of the retreat from Afghanistan. "We want that base back", he affirmed.

And he made clear at least one motivating factor for his interest in reclaiming Bagram, noting its proximity to rival superpower China. “It’s an hour away from where China makes its nuclear weapons”, Trump said during his comments Thursday.

Needless to say, Zakir Jalaly, an Afghan Foreign Ministry official, wrote on X on Thursday that the people of Afghanistan would reject the return of American troops.

Undeterred, Trump threatened on Truth Social on Saturday: “If Afghanistan doesn’t give Bagram Airbase back to those that built it, the United States of America, BAD THINGS ARE GOING TO HAPPEN!!! President DJT”.

For sure, he's not going to regain the facility but I would like to suggest to Trump to demand instead the return of the former US colony, i.e., the Philippines!! 

After all, Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr just loves being America's lapdog!!🐕 And so, he might as well surrender his country to Trump!! 

😆😆😆😆

It's been a long, long time since I attended a KEPENTAS meeting. 

But on Friday, I went. It helped that the venue was at Sunway Mentari in Bandar Sunway, Subang Jaya. The topic explored was "Ucapan Penghormatan" (in English, it'll be a tribute speech) and the session was conducted by Roslan Hassan. 

As was the practice, after the mini-"lecture", members were expected to present a speech where we were allotted 7-10 minutes. Yes, I spoke and if you want to know, I infused it with a wee bit of wry wit.  👩🪳

As was the norm, every presentation was accompanied by an open evaluation.

KEPENTAS Ulang Tahun Ke-14

KEPENTAS are celebrating their Ulang Tahun Ke-14 today! 

 

It is held at Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka in Jalan Dewan Bahasa, Kuala Lumpur. 

 

KEPENTAS have been making great strides and they are presently present in five countries, Brunei, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand and of course, Malaysia. 

 

I attended the morning session only – the preliminary rounds of the speech contest consisting of four groups with nine participants per group. I was the Timekeeper for Group 4 contestants and three judges are to pick three qualifiers to progress to the finals of the "Pertandingan Pidato Piala Nusantara 2023" later in the day. 

 

My group's nine contestants are from outside of Malaysia: Brunei; Banda Aceh, Jakarta, Medan, Palembang, Surabaya, and Tanjung Pinang in Indonesia; Singapore; and Patani in Thailand. 

 

All speeches are between eight to twelve minutes long. 

 

 

Crisis? What Crisis?

UK’s Daily Star blasted out this headline on its front page yesterday: 

Obviously, the government are firmly in denial!

I had blogged about struggling UK – refer to my posts on June 10 “UK Petrol Prices Hit £100 to Fill Up a Car”; July 05 “UK is Not in a Good Place Right Now”; July 09 “Life in UK Has Gotten Worse”; August 09 “UK Is Setting Up Warm Banks”; and August 10 “Brits Gripe Over Just Essentials” – and we know there’s a burgeoning crisis in the UK alright! 

Yesterday, I was at the KEPENTAS meeting at TTDI, Kuala Lumpur. 

The session was "Read a Story" and its purpose was for the speaker to present a narrative using vocal techniques that will make the audience understand and enjoy the story. The speaker was to convey the author’s meaning and emotions. 

My selection was "The Story of the Elephant and the Ant".