How to Disable Your Facebook E-mail Notifications

deactivate

I was surprised to find out that many of my friends did not know how to disable their Facebook e-mail notifications. This inevitably led to their e-mail account being flooded with hundreds and thousands of unwanted mail. And the best part is, few of my friends went through every one of their e-mail and deleted it.

Actually, there is no reason to have your Facebook e-mail notifications activated, but sadly, Facebook auto activates it and puts many people in the dark as to how to disable it. Maybe it’s a marketing ploy, so that you don’t forget about your Facebook account, don’t you think so?

Anyway, here, I would like to help those who have no clue whatsoever as to the possibility of disabling your Facebook e-mail notifications by guiding you through a step-by-step process that I have prepared using screen shots below (refer to the orange-highlighted lines for what you have to do). Hope it helps you.

Step 1

On your Facebook homepage (or any page for that matter), click on the ‘Account’ tab on the top right hand corner beside the ‘Home’ and ‘Profile’ tab.

Step 2

Once you have clicked on the ‘Account’ tab, a scroll-down menu will appear. There, click on the ‘Account Settings’ tab which is the third tab from the top.

Step 3

This will take you to a new page. Here, click on the ‘Notifications’ tab which is located third from left.

Step 4

Now, you will see a long list of details, all or most of which have the boxes beside them checked. To disable your e-mail notifications fully, uncheck all the boxes. If you want to disable it partially, uncheck those notifications that you want to disable.

Step 5

That’s it! You’re done. Just head over to the bottom of the page and click on ‘Save Changes’. Now you can say good bye to e-mail inboxes laden with unnecessary e-mails from Facebook.

Did that help you? Or do you need more help? Either way, feel free to leave a comment below.

Malaysia Could Go Bankrupt By 2019

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Idris Jala dropped a bombshell when he said that if the government didn’t cut back on its heavy subsidies immediately, Malaysia could go bust by as soon as 2019.

Relating to what has happened to the Greek economy which accumulated well over RM 1 trillion worth of debt recently, he said that at the current rate of 12%  a year, the government would accumulate RM 1158 billion worth of debt by the year 2019, enough to take us into bankruptcy, Greece-esque.

Now, that’s something to ponder on. We Malaysians are surely going to feel the pinch as a result of this. However, is this step necessary? Many of us have that question in our mind. I’m afraid the government thinks so.

Their point of argument is that Malaysia offers the lowest rate for the sale of many subsidised goods in the Asean region. Take, for example, sugar. For every one kg, the price is RM1.65 here as compared to RM2.41 in Thailand, RM2.62 in Indonesia, RM3.15 in Singapore and RM3.78 in the Philippines.

I think the people are not really worried about the subsidies of goods such as flour, sugar and cooking oil among others. What they are really worried about is the fuel subsidy. Everybody is apprehensive over what the government is going to do about it, as a new subsidy structure for petrol, diesel and LPG is in the pipelines.

How bad is the situation?

But really, is the situation so bad that with the current rate of subsidy our economy could go bankrupt by 2019? Or is the government try to play mind games? We can never be sure, but it is best to play it safe. The government could have very likely exaggerated the figures there, but maybe this is a sign that it’s about time to do something about the heavy rate of subsidies dished out by the government.

Who is affected the most?

If the government were to slash all sorts of subsidies across the board ranging from sugar to petrol, those from the hardcore poor category will suffer the most, followed by the poor and the middle-class earning people. The rich and more-than-rich folks by my reckoning will weather through this storm unharmed, which is unfair I feel.

What can be done?

Therefore, with different classes of people who earn differing incomes making up the population of this country, the government must come up with a subsidy plan that burdens the hardcore poor the least and burdens the more-than-rich the most.

What I am saying here is that different subsidy structures should be implemented. To put it to perspective, the present fuel subsidy rates should be continued for those earning below RM2k per month, decreased by 5% for those earning between RM2k-RM5k, decreased a further 10% for those who earn between RM5k-RM10k and for those earning more than RM10k, the cutback rate should be 15%.

That would be a fair solution as it would benefit those in need the most. Of course, to implement these sort of subsidy structures need a whole lot of planning to be done. Having different prices say, for sugar, would be a headache for those in the supermarkets as they will have to have different rates for different people. And then there will be cases of cheating.

But hey, whatever it is, it’s the responsibility of the government to crack their heads and find a solution that plays to the needs of all. After all, that’s why we voted them into the office, isn’t it?

How do you find the news that Malaysia could go bankrupt by 2019? And how do you reckon the government could try to cut back on its subsidies so that we don't go bust? Feel free to share your thoughts by leaving a comment below.

Severe Disciplinary Cases in a School in Rawang

News reports over the past few days in the New Straits Times (NST) and The Star newspaper have been focusing on the social ills and disciplinary problems that have been plaguing a school in Rawang, with cases ranging from gangsterism and the usage of drugs to rape and vandalism.

It’s hard to imagine that this is going on in a rampant fashion in a school in Malaysia. Such cases have either been isolated cases or one-off cases before, but seeing the magnitude of the cases implicating this school in Rawang (SMK Seri Garing), there has to be cause for serious concern.

The authorities have to wake up from their slumber and face the hard reality that there may be other schools out there suffering from a similar fate, just that they have not got any media attention. This has to be rectified sooner rather than later so as to curtail the spread of these social ills from contaminating the mind and soul of more students all around the country.

How did this school come under media scrutiny?

This particular school in Rawang came under the media spotlight after a 14 year-old female student was cruelly raped by her male classmates during recess. The story spread from there and when the police came to investigate the case, they also found information linking students to underworld gangs and drug dealers among others.

Who is to be blamed?

Is it the society, the parents or the school authorities? Or is it even the police force and the government that is to be blamed for this problem? I think all of the parties should be held accountable because each and every one of them have their own roles to be played.

In addition to that, these students no doubt get influenced by their friends and even those from the 'underworld' too, so if there is no interference from their parents and the school authorities at the initial stage and proper enforcement of the law by the police, matters can get out of hand.

A police car heading to the school (NST Pics)

Who is affected?

The ones on the receiving end from the actions of this small portion of students are the teachers and their school mates. It would be no surprise that these students might go to the extent of threatening the teachers; while there have been reports that they exhort ‘protection’ money from their school mates. Worse still, seeing such behaviour, other students might get influenced and join the bandwagon.

How can this problem be solved?

The solutions should not apply to this school only – it should apply to any school facing these problems. Even if there are one or two individuals from a school involved in cases such as those mentioned above, that school should be put on a watch-list overseen by the police. Police should then keep a more vigilant eye on the schools that are on the watch-list.

At the same time, the Education Ministry should send teams conducting open talks on all these matters. Perhaps the students just act as they wish because they do not know the implications of their actions. Therefore, it is very improtant to create awareness among the students.

More importantly, the hard-core students who still persist with their ungodly actions despite numerous counselling sessions and other forms of rehabilitation should be sent to juvenile or reform schools as they are a threat to their peers, teachers, and the community at large. Hopefully, they will then change.

What is your opinion on this matter? How can it be curbed so that there is no repeat in the future? Feel free to share your thoughts by leaving a comment below.

The Better Newspaper: NST or The Star?

It would be hard for many to imagine living without newspapers as newspapers play a vital role in their life by educating them and also keeping them on track with all the current local as well as global news, ranging from politics to economy to sports.

Every country, as a result of that, tries to produce top-quality newspapers for the benefit of the public. Like in the UK, the popular newspapers are ‘The Daily Mirror’, ‘The Telegraph’ and ‘The Sun’, all of which face fierce competition to sell their papers from one another.

In Malaysia, we have two English-medium newspapers of the so-called ‘highest quality’ which fuels the nation’s readers. The two papers are namely The Star and New Straits Times (NST). There are other newspapers such as ‘The Sun’ but they are not as full-fledged and prestigious as the two above.

Here, I would like to take the opportunity to compare our nation’s top two newspapers and see which tabloid is the better choice for reading. Ultimately, there has to be one, right? This is just my take on things, so it’s based wholly on my perspective and therefore, there's no reason to get angry if I demote your favourite newspaper to second spot.

Value for Content

This is one of the most important factors that readers take into account when picking up a newspaper from the newsstand. The more the content, say for RM1, the more readers that are going to buy the newspaper because it caters to a bigger audience. Looking from this aspect, The Star has a higher value for content as compared with NST due to its high volume of classifieds and inside pullouts, which NST has but only to a certain extent.

Score: The Star 1-0 NST

Maturity of Writing

Having experienced journalists who can deliver a high level of maturity in their writing is also important. Readers would definitely want to read news that is supported by a whole lot of facts and figures and cemented by a good use of the English language. In that sense, NST is better than The Star. You would agree with me by comparing both their local sports sections – NST has more in-depth analysis.

Score: The Star 1-1 NST

Layout and Presentation

Having a good, slightly colourful and neatly arranged layout means that the readers eyes would easily be able to capture what is written and also catch whatever advertisements that there are in the newspaper. Otherwise, readers would not feel inclined to read to the end of articles. Speaking of which I think The Star newspaper has a better and more interesting layout on the overall as compared with NST.

Score: The Star 2-1 NST

Opinion Columns

Opinion columns are usually what define a newspaper – the widely acclaimed New York Times has one of the best opinion columns in the world. Opinion columns are not news as in per se, instead opinions of intellectuals from various fields - writers and non-writers alike - on issues that make us think. It’s not often we find these sort of columns in The Star, but NST has two whole pages dedicated to this in their paper.

Score: The Star 2-2 NST

Weight and Size

In this age where many people travel to and fro their colleges and universities and working places using public transports, it is ever more important to have a light newspaper that isn’t bulky and is easy to carry from place to place. The Star newspaper, with a whole lot of pullouts and other inside sections, is very bulky and doesn’t suit this purpose well, much unlike the NST which is light.

Score: The Star 2-3 NST

Which is the better choice for you - NST or The Star? Feel free to share your thoughts by dropping a comment below.

How to Improve Your English Language Proficiency

The English language is the universal language of the world. It allows many people from diverse backgrounds and different countries to communicate with one another using one common platform.

Therefore, it comes as no surprise that millions of people from all around the globe strive very hard and make it a point to learn English – or at least the basic of it – due to its importance. Jobs can be earned, relationships can be forged and barriers can be broken via the usage of the English language.

However, after learning the basics, many come across numerous stumbling blocks in a bid to improve their English language proficiency and to take it to the next level. Some of them find it too difficult and complicated a process while others just don't seem to get the hang of it.

Here, I would like to share a few ways that can be practised by anyone who wishes to improve his or her English. A bit of tweaking is needed to see what way(s) suit you best. All these methods are modern by means, so I hope it can help you in some way or another, if you need help that is.

Watch TV Programmes/Movies

Let me start with the most enjoyable way to improve your English language proficiency – by watching television programmes and movies that is. You might have heard of this method before and not paid attention to it, but it seriously does work. It works for me at least.

Besides being entertained (of course), you would observe the language that the characters use to speak, and you will inevitably improve yours in turn. Additionally, by watching movies that promote good usage of the language such as those from the Pirates franchise, you could pick up some bombastic words and phrases to be incorporated in your daily usage of English.

Read Novels/Newspapers/Magazines

This is perhaps the most common way in which people increase their English language proficiency. With a wide array of reading materials available out there, you will never run short of supply. You have the benefit of choosing whether to read novels, newspapers, magazines or even professional blogs for that matter.

Then you can choose which niche interests you and develop your reading habit from there. Say, if you are a sports fanatic, then you could read the sports section of the newspaper while if you are a fashion-holic, you could make do with fashion magazines.

Chat Online

Well, you’d be thinking I must be joking, but no, I’m dead serious here. Although online chatting uses a whole lot of short forms and other types of non-formal English, but the thing here is that you would get more comfortable using the language if that’s not the case yet.

This method doesn’t apply if you want to take your English to a very high standard, but it works to bring it to a respectable level. I’d say that this method of chatting online with friends comes in handy especially for those who use English as their second language.

Play Video/Online Games

Another peculiar way to improve one's English you must be wondering. But it isn’t. I say this because if you are an avid gamer, you will familiarise yourself with gaming terms that would help you master the English language.

This however, on your part, requires a little attention towards the sort of language used in the game. For instance, if you play Star Wars, you will come across the word ‘rendezvous’ (that’s how I got to know it), a not so common word. Likewise, if you play football games, you would pick up the football lingo by listening to the game commentary.


Have any ideas on how you improved your English language proficiency, or how others can improve their's? Feel free to leave a comment below.

Nokia 'The Rookie' Online Reality Show

Malaysian edition of 'The Rookie'

If you happen to be one of those ‘reality television shows’ buff, then chances are you might like ‘The Rookie’, a reality show by Nokia. But wait, there is a catch. ‘The Rookie’ isn’t a reality television show; it is an online reality show as each episode is streamed online in the form of a webisode.

What is ‘The Rookie’ all about?

‘The Rookie’, as aforementioned, is an online reality show that pits 12 contestants between the ages 18-30 against one another for the elusive honour of being labelled as ‘The Rookie’. The contestants have to go through gruelling challenges and have to perform to their highest ability as the weakest contestant is kicked out after each round.

The contestants of 'The Rookie'

What are the prizes?

Besides being crowned as ‘The Rookie’, the winner will win a cash prize amounting up to RM10, 000 while the top four contestants will win an internship with Nokia, Universal Music, Standard Chartered or 8TV, all of which are prestigious companies. Special prizes will be given to the winners of each round too.

Where can I watch ‘The Rookie’?

You can watch ‘The Rookie’ on its Official Website for free. Each webisode is short (around 10 mins) and the quality is pretty good (no HD for the time being though). At the moment, I am not sure how frequently they upload each webisode but it must be something like twice every week.

My take on ‘The Rookie’

To me, there are quite a few similarities between ‘The Rookie’ and ‘The Apprentice’. As such, I’d call it the poor man’s version of ‘The Apprentice’. What ‘The Rookie’ lacks is someone mega-influential like Donald Trump to make it a tad more interesting.

Anyway, I like this show because of its originality. It's nice seeing the contestants trying out every trick from the book to win their challenges. Moreover, in an open and no-holds-barred manner, they would criticise a team-mate or even their leader for any shortcomings during their challenges.

It’s pretty obvious that ‘The Rookie’ is a vehicle to promote the Nokia brand and its E72 model which each contestant is given to utilise during the challenge. However, with some fine challenges lined up for the contestants and short and brisk webisodes, I’d have to say ‘The Rookie’ makes for a good viewing.

The Madness in Bangkok

You must be from some other planet if you have heard nothing about the political unrest and the subsequent turmoil on the streets of Bangkok in recent weeks. Scenes of oblivion have been depicted in all our local dailies as well as international news agencies such as CNN and Reuters.

What Happened?

The ‘Red Shirt’ people, supporters of the opposition in the Thai political scene and purported supporters of ousted Thai PM Thaksin Shinawatra, had called for a fresh elections, citing that the previous election results should be nullified due to discrepancies arising from the voting process and that the present government led by Abhisit Vejjajiva is an illegitimate one.

When the present Thai administration declined to have fresh elections, the ‘Red Shirt’ supporters decided to occupy strategic locations in downtown Bangkok. The main financial and shopping districts of Bangkok were the scenes of violence as-never-seen-before in which more than 50 people have died and 400 more injured.

Is It Over?

As violence raged on and on, the present Thai administration had the last straw. They gave the ‘Red Shirt’ supporters an ultimatum to vacate the areas that they had occupied for the past one month. However, defiant as ever, many did not leave. This resulted in a large scale military offensive that left many of the supporters and their leaders taken under arrest.

The aftermath of the military offensive left the ‘Red Shirt’ supporters deploying tactics such as burning an awful lot of tyres and torching numerous buildings, most notably the biggest shopping mall in the whole of Bangkok.

The good thing though was that the supporters were harried off the streets and order was restored to a certain extent after the month-long stand-off between the ‘Red Shirt’ supporters and the Thai government but at a very high cost as a lot of damage was caused amid all this fighting.

What Next?

It remains to be seen whether the government will hold on to its promise of dissolving the parliament and having fresh elections in November. This is because despite making the promises, the ‘Red Shirt’ supporters continued to defy orders to vacate the areas in central Bangkok that they occupied.

As for now, after the military offensive on the 19th of May, there have been no notable fresh cases of violence. But you may never know, the ‘Red Shirt’ supporters who have a very good support from the rural poor might just strike back and leave not only Bangkok engulfed in massive turmoil but drag the whole of Thailand into a full-blown civil war.

What's your take on the situation in Bangkok? Feel free to share your thoughts by leaving a comment below.

The Mascots for the 2012 London Olympics

The mascot(s) of any given international sporting event are important as a symbol of what the games stand for and as a mean to publicise the games in a creative and innovative manner. With a little over two years to go before the 2012 Summer Olympics gets underway in London, the official mascots of the games have been unveiled.

Meet one-eyed jacks Wenlock and Mandeville, the two mascots of the 2012 London Olympics. Wenlock is the official Olympics mascot whilst Mandeville is the official Paralympics mascot. At first glance, both mascots look good and have a distinctive artisitic value embedded in them. Here's a little more information on the mascots from the official 2012 Olympics webpage.

Wenlock

How did I get my name?

My name is inspired by Much Wenlock in Shropshire, a town that is at the heart of Olympic history. In the 19th century, Baron Pierre de Coubertin was invited there to watch the ‘Much Wenlock Games’ inspired by the Olympic Games of ancient Greece. De Coubertin was inspired by the Wenlock Games too, and went on to found the modern Olympic movement. The Much Wenlock Games are still held annually to this day!

My most distinctive features

Do you like the light on my head? It’s inspired by the lights on London’s iconic black taxis. The shape of the front of my head is based on the shape of the Olympic Stadium roof. My eye is a camera lens, capturing everything I see as I go..

If you’re wondering about the three points on my head – well, they represent the places on the podium where successful athletes stand to receive their medals. I can’t wait to meet some of Britain’s London 2012 hopefuls – and I really hope they will achieve their personal best at the Games and get to stand on the podium too.

Mandeville

How did I get my name?

My name is inspired by Stoke Mandeville in Buckinghamshire, the birthplace of the Paralympic Games. On the same day as the Opening Ceremony of the London 1948 Olympic Games, Sir Ludwig Guttmann held his own sport competition in Stoke Mandeville for World War II soldiers with spinal injuries. It was no coincidence – Sir Ludwig dreamed of a ‘parallel Olympics’ for athletes with disabilities. The Stoke Mandeville Games grew and grew until they became the Paralympic Games.

My most distinctive features

My eye is a camera lens, capturing everything I see as I go. On my head are three prongs – they represent the three parts of the Paralympic emblem. Like my tail and my hands they’re aerodynamic, which is really important as I’m a ‘spirit in motion’, always rushing around. I’m constantly trying to beat my personal best – the personal best timer on my wrist helps me keep track, as well as making sure I’m focused on London 2012.

I also love the light on my head – inspired by the lights found on London’s iconic black taxis! And it helps me see where I’m going, which is always useful.

Pictures

Wenlock impersonating Usain Bolt

Mandeville as a blade runner

Introducing the short animation film 'Out of a Rainbow'.

Malaysia's Thomas Cup Campaign

Local badminton enthusiasts must surely have been terribly heartbroken to see Malaysia fall easily to China in the semi-finals of the recent Thomas Cup, and that too at our own home. After so much hope, to see our team fall pitifully without giving even a decent fight does not augur well for the future of the national badminton side.

The results

Malaysia's results

Malaysia were handicapped in a sense that they did not play Nigeria, their first opponents in the group stage who did not even arrive in Kuala Lumpur to take part without any reasons given. That was very unsporting of Nigeria as it did not allow Malaysia to have a warm up.

Anyway, next up were Japan who Malaysia had never lost before in the history of the Thomas Cup. Too bad for us though as the history books had to be rewritten.

In the quarter-finals, Malaysia faced Denmark. Some journalists had earmarked Denmark as plausible champions of this edition of the Thomas Cup, but it was not to be. The match seemed to be lost after the tie came down to the third singles, but somehow, Hafiz Hashim conjured some magic to down Joachim Persson.

Things were never looking good as Malaysia faced China in the semi-finals. Lin Dan always had the upper hand over Lee Chong Wei in important international meets, while Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong always succumbed under pressure. And that was exactly what happened. Malaysia were whitewashed ruthlessly by China.

What went wrong?

Wong Choon Han

Everyone could see that Malaysia’s Achilles heel was their second and third singles players. Wong Choon Han is way past his prime, whilst Hafiz Hashim is just about as unpredictable as he can be. If only we had someone as capable as Lee Chong Wei in second singles, things could have been different.

This caused an over-dependency on Chong Wei and Koo-Tan, which resulted in them having to bear a tremendous load of pressure. Inevitably, this was what undid them, for they had to win or else Malaysia’s hopes were as good as lost.

Where do we stand?

Officially, Malaysia were ranked in third place behind China and Indonesia and ahead of Denmark, South Korea and Japan for the Thomas Cup. However, that seems to be marginally misplaced, especially after having lost shockingly to Japan and barely scraping past Denmark.

If nothing is done, and if the players don’t pull up their socks and buck up, then we could very well be behind all the other five countries by the time we line up for the next Thomas Cup in two years time.

What is to be done?

Iskandar Zulkarnian

It is obvious that Malaysia need to invest in younger singles players such as Iskandar Zulkarnian who have done well in the junior stage and should forget about those who have lost their touch such as Choon Han and Hafiz.

The doubles department, on the other hand, actually have enough raw talent to fly Malaysia’s flag high but what is lacking is a strong mental belief and some much needed consistency.

When we have those things settled, then it would be safe to say that Malaysia can have a realistic shot at wresting back the Thomas Cup.


What's your opinion on Malaysia's performance during the recent Thomas Cup? Feel free to share your thoughts by leaving a comment below.

NST Spell It Right Experience: Final Round

The final round of this state-level competition was a very heated affair. The eleven preliminary round winners, me included, took our place on the stage. This time, there was money, newspaper coverage, TV coverage and a ticket to the National Grandfinals up for grabs, so no surprise that all the finalists were fired up to do their best.

I felt that I was at the wrong place, a mismatch in other words, as before the finals, the other contestants were frantically looking up words in the dictionary, much unlike me. I took things way too lightly, but that’s how I like it to be.

The format for the finals was a little different from the preliminaries. We would all be given three words, irrelevant of whether we get it correct or wrong. The contestant who gets the most points would be crowned the state winner. But you could guess that one wrong and there goes your first-prize dreams since the level of competition was very high.

The finalists... ready for the finals to roll on

This time round, the words were freaking tough. Yeah, I say freaking tough! I was hoping for a word that I knew. And God bless my luck, I got a word that I knew: ‘Scintilla’. All sorts of things started coming into my mind. A winning start would be great. As the correct spelling played in my head, for all the reasons unknown to me, I spelt out ‘Scintella’. Holy cow!

I was very angry at myself. The stage had got the better of me. I screwed up something I knew as I had spelt it correctly many times before. First place was out of reach. Probably second and third too. As I was called up on stage for the second time, I tried to keep my composure in check.

The presenter said it was a mathematical term. Finally, after giving the meaning and stuff like that, he asked me to spell ‘Parallelogram’. I had gone through this word numerous times during my practice sessions. For a moment, I thought I was going to screw this one up too but goodness gracious me, I got it correct.

At least there was a chance for me to nick fourth or fifth place now. I was confident going into the final round of the finals. But then, disaster struck. I got a word I had never heard of before: ‘Pernicious’. I tried to get what the presenter was saying, and instinctively I spelt ‘Pernicious’, which was actually correct.

But guess what happened next? As I finished spelling the word, I paused for a second or two. The presenter was silent. I thought he was going to say that was the end of the road for me. Thinking I was wrong, I quickly changed my spelling to ‘Penicious’. Upon hearing this, the presenter straight away said that I was wrong, and my first spelling was correct! Imagine what was running through my mind at that time.

The creme de la creme

My story at the Spell It Right competition ended there. I got joint-sixth or join-seventh if I am not mistaken. The prizes were for the top five finalists only. That moment was probably one of my most frustrating, upsetting and exasperating moment in my life. It was a case of so close yet so far. I made an error at one word which I knew how to spell, and changed the spelling of another.

If I had gotten one of those correct, I would have got fifth place at the very least. If both of those correct, then third place at the very least, and a shot at the top honours. Such was the margin between winning and losing, between the correct and wrong spelling, so fine that it punished the slightest mistake I made.

Anyway, I am still happy that I made it to the final round, and I have my aunty, teacher and parents to thank for preparing me by shooting me with all sorts of peculiar words. It could have been better, no doubt, but I guess it could have been worse too. On the bright side, at least I can now spell everyday words such as ‘Embarrass’ and ‘Privilege’.

To read my experience during the preliminary rounds, click here.

A video on the Selangor Spell It Right

NST Spell It Right Experience: Preliminary Rounds

NST Spell It Right(SIR) 2010 logo

Imagine standing before a crowd and being asked to spell words that you had mostly never heard of before. Imagine getting an unsympathetic gaze from the presenter as you spell. And imagine having to spell the word out in less than 20 seconds. Well, if your imagination is spot-on, then you would know that I refer to the Spell It Right competition co-hosted by the New Straits Times and RHB Bank.

I had always wanted to enter this competition, but after two missed chances, I finally had the opportunity to pit my wits against pretty much all the best spellers from the whole of Selangor. As I prepared for the competition, I really didn’t know what to expect as I had never taken part before, but I had some clues after having watched several episodes of the competition on TV the years before.

I took part in the Selangor leg of the competition that was held at Subang Parade on the 16th of May. Officially, there were around 45 schools and over a 170 students that took part in the competition. I wanted to reach the final round at the very least, and who knows prop up with something more than that.

However, as I witnessed the first few preliminary rounds, I started getting butterflies in my stomach. Those guys and girls were superb. It was as if they had memorized the dictionary from cover to cover, something that I had not done. I still had a chance though I thought, if the words that I got were those that I knew how to spell.

Rehman Rashid, the presenter

After waiting in earnest for more than two hours, the time had come for my turn. I was third up to spell. I heard the presenter, Rehman Rashid, a senior NST man, say ‘Rustic’. Not too tough and a good warm up I thought as I spelt this first one correctly.

For the second round, the stakes were higher and the degree of difficulty was increased. Me palms were getting sweaty now. And oh yeah, did I forget to mention that one wrong alphabet at the wrong place would mean that you are on your way home. And that only one participant from each preliminary round will make it to the finals.

As I went up to the microphone for the second time, I was asked to spell ‘Hydrofoil’. I had never come across this word before but after hearing the definition which amounted to something like an aerofoil, I let out a sigh of relief as I got it right. This was followed by being asked to spell 'Vanguard'. Knew that one from the Star Wars games I play.

Now, for the fourth round of the preliminaries, there were only three of us left. The first, a Malay girl, got her spelling wrong, so it left two of us on stage. I was given the word ‘Extrapolate’. At first, I didn’t know what it was but after hearing the definition, I realised it was something I had learnt in Physics and I got it right. And I was on my way to the finals after the last contestant bungled her spelling.


Click here to read the second part of my experience, the final round that is.

South Africa 2010 World Cup Fever

Next month, 32 of the greatest footballing nations will descend on South Africa for a month-long football extravaganza that millions of fans wait for in earnest every four years. Household names such as Leo Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney will feature for their respective nations, who will all be giving their best in a bid to take home the coveted Jules Rimet trophy.

Currently in its 19th edition, the World Cup will produce mouth-watering clashes all along the way, from a match featuring minnows North Korea against the highly-fancied Brazilians in the group stages to a final match which could pit Spain against Argentina.

After an arduous qualifying campaign stretching way back to 2007, the 32 teams will come fully prepared to South Africa. The tournament begins with the group stages, and only the top two teams from each group will make it to the last-16 stage. From then on, it’s based on the knockout format, so it will be all or nothing for the teams. Of course, the last team standing would be crowned World Champions.

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Looking ahead to the tournament, there seem to be quite a number of teams who can threaten to mount a serious challenge for the top prize. Based on the present formbook, Spain, England and Brazil look to be the best bets, but don’t discount traditional powerhouses such as Germany, Italy, Argentina and France who can turn on the power when needed.

The stage is set for a magnificent tournament, no thanks to this being the first ever World Cup to be held on African soil. African soccer fans can be very fanatic at times, and this will only serve to kick up the atmosphere over there. Moreover, will such passionate fans, an African team might just end up lifting the cup, though the chances of such an outcome is remote.

There are other reasons to think this World Cup will be a success. Certain individuals will be out to silence their critics with some fine displays, most notable Messi who must conjure the same magic he weaves at club level with Barcelona for his country, Argentina, to be considered as the greatest footballer ever to grace the world.

However, amid all the positivity, there have been some drawbacks. Firstly, it was a grave concern that the stadiums could not be completed in time for the tournament due to massive inflations in the cost. Then, for fans that travel from afar, there is the constant threat of robbery on the streets of South Africa as the crime rate in South Africa is amongst the highest in the world.

For me, I just can’t wait for June. This would be my third World Cup, and I am looking forward to a great performance by all the participating nations. Personally, I would be cheering on Germany and Argentina, and I hope to see them play at a high level.

But hold on, there is something that threatens to spoil my fun, and maybe yours. The games would mostly be held in the early mornings, so there needs to be a sacrifice on sleeping and studying hours. And that doesn’t bode well for someone like me sitting for SPM this year.

Who would you be cheering on during the World Cup? Or who do you think will lift the coveted trophy on July 11? Feel free to share your thoughts by dropping a comment below.

Having a Prayer Answered

We all have something that we want so badly in life – whether it is a car, a handphone, a job or someone special – and some of us pray very hard for that desire of ours to be fulfilled.

However, despite praying, that ‘want’ and desire of ours has yet to be fulfilled. And we know what happens next most of the time. We stop our prayer, thinking that our efforts will go down in vain.

Why does it boil down to this?

Simple, because we did not pray hard enough. More importantly, we lost our hope in prayer. This reflects the fickle mental makeup of the human race. For our prayer to be answered, we must have unflinching believe in it, and never doubt our prayer, no matter how long it takes.

But just how hard should we pray?

Seriously, I doubt there’s one definite answer to this question. I suppose that we should pray as hard as we can and that for different people and for different causes of prayer, our prayer will take varying time spans to be answered. Since no one can exactly tell us as to how hard to pray, the best would be to listen to our 'inner voice' and we would then know whether it is hard enough or otherwise.

Who are we offering our prayer to, and who will answer it?

This is another abstract question that warrants another abstract answer. Well, one of the greatest mysteries in life is that we would never see the ‘being’ whom we offer our prayer to – how does He look like, what does His voice sound like and is He a he in the first place or a she or neither.

The one thing for certain though is that we can feel Him – and we can feel His warmth. Whatever said and done, we all know that there is a superior being who watches over us at all times. Some call Him God, some call Him Ram, while others call Him Allah. To be exact, His names are infinite.

It is to Him that footballers embroiled in a tense penalty shoot-out close their eyes and clasp their hands and offer their prayer to. It is also to Him that a mother whose only son is fighting for his life in the ICU ward offers her prayer to. And when He feels our prayer is sufficient, He fulfills our desires.

Prayer without boundaries

For all the aforementioned instances, the type of prayer involved is materialistic prayer because what the humans in general want is always from the material world. There is nothing wrong with this but it is important to note that in actuality, prayer is geared more towards the spiritual side of our life.

It is only through divine prayer to the Almighty Lord that we attain salvation because prayer, in the spiritual context, is literally the food for our soul while our soul is actually our connection with God.

In a nutshell

Therefore, the next time you want something real bad and in spite of praying real hard you get nothing, don’t lose hope because it is a matter of having an unflinching belief in your prayer and to whom you are offering it to. And perhaps you might want to consider offering a prayer to Him for the benefit of your spiritual life too every so often.

What do you have to say about prayers, both in terms of a materialistic context and spiritual context? Feel free to drop a comment below to share your thoughts.