OVER A CUP OF KOPI AND SOME YU TIAO...

Remember those days when people had more time on their hands and they would gather in small groups at the kopitiam (coffee shop) to talk about the economy and complain about the government?

Well, these days you don't need a kopitiam. Any place will do as I discovered last Saturday in a downtown Singapore mall. Early that morning before the doors opened for business, a small group of 13 buddies, all senior citizens, got together to enjoy a light breakfast (with kopi of course) and some fellowship. It was my first time at the session. It turned out to be the most enriching two hours I've ever spent in a hair salon.

Group coordinator and facilitator, Joo Hock, leads the self-introductions.

Called the Bucky group after Buckminster Fuller, key philosopher and innovator of the 20th century, the friends would meet every Saturday to discuss topics and issues of current interest, and share their personal views. 

All ears and all eyes on the screen as the group learns about measuring what makes life worthwhile.

Lest anyone thinks these sessions sound like dry intellectual discourses, let me say they are NOT. That particular morning we had a karaoke session, singing favourites like "Starry, Starry Night", and "One World". Then we listened to a TED talk on YouTube, specially selected to make us rethink how success should be measured. The screening was followed by a round table discussion on pertinent points raised in the video. The session ended with an activity and a debriefing.

There is a lesson to be learned about getting out of knotty situations.

Sessions like the Bucky group sessions are a meaningful yet fun way to meet up with like-minded friends on a regular basis. Venue and snacks can be provided on a rotation or volunteer basis to save costs.

It was recently reported that retirees and senior citizens in Kuala Lumpur have no place to go that doesn't cost money or require membership registration.

Well, the Bucky group has shown that it is easy enough to start a small group with your friends and meet up weekly for some organized activities. If you register the group, you will have to set up a committee, charge membership fees and impose rules. Why go through all the hassle and stress?

If you have started a special interest group and would like others to know about it, do drop us a line at seniorsaloud@gmail.com.

Life is like a cup of coffee

Here's a most inspiring video worth sharing again and again, lest we forget. Time and again we need to ask ourselves - what do we want in life? Are we looking for things that truly make a difference in our lives? Or are we wasting precious years seeking transient gratification?

TIME OUR LANGUAGE POLICY MAKERS REMOVE THEIR BLINKERS

Source: Straits Times July 9, 2010

No, those headlines are not from our local papers. Wish they were. Perhaps only then would there be an all-out effort for Malaysians to start getting serious about improving their English. The language has been in freefall over the past 30 years.

A real pity. There was a time when English was our second language. Now, it is more like a foreign language. No thanks to blinkered politicians who seem to think that those who speak English are traitors to our national language. What utter rubbish! My bi-lingual Malay friends would find this libellous, to say the least.

Even the Sultanah of Johor, Raja Zarith Sofiah Sultan Idri has lamented that most Malaysians cannot speak or write well in English, compared to older Malaysians who are at ease using the language.

At the root of the problem are the English language teachers themselves. If we are to believe the news reports, the majority of these teachers are barely proficient in English. Some of the application letters I received for the post of English language teacher at my former private school were written in such atrocious English, it would have been criminal of me as Head of the English Department then to allow such teachers to wreak further damage in our English language classes.

The Education Ministry is ever so quick to defend itself. In response to a letter "Teachers need help to improve their English", the ministry has this to say: "Apart from being trained in universities or teacher training institutes for a minimum of three years at pre-service level, these teachers also attend in-service programmes conducted by the ministry's Teacher Training Division."

A teacher may have received training, but that does not necessarily make him an effective teacher. If we apply the ministry's argument, our children should be speaking the Queen's English by the time they leave high school since they would have learned the language for 10-11 years by then. We all know this is not the case. Far from it.

Unless the government is prepared to take drastic measures, and not flip-flop as they have done over the teaching of Maths and Science in English, Malaysia will lag further behind in competitiveness.

A CHILD'S DREAM OF GREATNESS

World Cup Quarter-finals: Germany vs Argentina

Germany team leaving the field after their 4-0 win over Argentina

Allow a grandma to indulge a little here. My only grandson returned from two weeks of World Cup excitement in South Africa early this morning. He skipped school to go with his parents. Which little boy would pass over the chance of a lifetime to watch a World Cup live? And which teacher or headmaster would disapprove when in their hearts they probably wished they could be there too.

Max was six when he first saw World Cup action in Germany in 2006. Two years later he was at the Beijing Olympics with his parents. Max was so inspired by 8-gold winner Olympian Michael Phelps that he vowed to be a world-class champ in the pool just like Phelps.

This framed and autographed poster of Michael Phelps occupies pride of place in Max's room. It is his vision chart.

Max's impressive haul of medals, mostly for swimming and triathlon.

Now that Max has seen many of his football heroes in action, he is ready to take his football skills several notches higher. If my grandson maintains that focus and determination, who knows what heights he might reach, what aspirations he might achieve. The least we can do for our children and grandchildren is to give them all the support they need, and not be cynical about their lofty ambitions.

 A little boy can dream of greatness one day, can't he?

On a related note, it must have been heart-breaking for Ghana, the last surviving African team, to bow out of the World Cup in the quarter-finals. It was robbed of a sure goal when Stephen Appiah's shot was by blocked by Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez's 'hand of God'.

 

Headlines from a copy of South Africa's Sunday Times.

It must have been heart-warming for the Ghanian players to see this double-page spread (above) in the national papers the morning after their loss.

A final note: these little pill-boxes (below) with a football logo on the lid were distributed free in the streets of Capetown. Inside were edible paper-thin wafers each one with a quote from the Bible. Popping one of them in your mouth is like taking communion in church. A rather novel idea for evangelising, I must say.

LATEST ON ALTANTUYA CASE

For those who have been following the Altantuya case, here's the latest from Malaysiakini.

IS THE COUNTRY REALLY FACING A MORAL CRISIS?

Working as an anti-vice volunteer must be exciting and titillating. You never know what or who you may discover behind locked hotel room doors, behind coconut trees on the beach or inside cars parked at lovers' haunts.

"We go to places identified as hot spots to catch the culprits in the act. We listen for sounds of heavy breathing and kissing. We observe and wait for a while to get evidence for prosecution purposes if they are Muslim couples. Then we move in and aim our torchlights on the young couples who are usually naked," says one such volunteer who reportedly has had enough. He is calling it quits after six years of nabbing 1,200 naked couples doing 'it' on the beaches in Terengganu.

Gee, this is one case of burn-out I never thought I would read about.

So what are the authorities going to do about it? Their plan? "Light up the beaches and intensify patrols at hot areas." Well, good luck in their fight against raging hormones! If years of patrolling the beaches has only resulted in more khalwat cases, it's obvious this approach doesn't work.

According to statistics from The National Registration Department, a total of 257,000 birth certificates issued between 2000 and July 2008 did not bear the names of parents. This translates into 2500 babies born out of wedlock monthly or 84 cases daily. In 2009 alone, Malays top the list with 17,303 such cases. That works out to 1442 cases a month!

What is shocking is not the number of illegitimate babies, but the high incidence of babies abandoned at roadsides or left at dump-sites, often to die. The young mothers have nowhere and no one to turn to. They see no other way out of their predicament. They should be given all the help possible. Punishment and condemnation are the last things they need.

If the harsh approach of fire and brimstone, imprisonment and social ostracism doesn't seem to work, perhaps what is needed is love, forgiveness and support from the family of young unmarried mothers, and a sense of duty and responsibility from young unmarried fathers.

While our leaders are lamenting the 'moral decline' among our youths, we have laws in our country that allow child marriages. Did you know that the marriage of children below the age of 16 is permitted with the consent of the Syariah Court? When a man old enough to be the father or the grandfather of the child is legally allowed to marry that child, that, in my view, is morally wrong, and bordering on paedophilia.

With the appointment of the first two women Syariah Court judges at the Putrajaya and Federal Territory courts, hopefully there will be greater protection and justice for Muslim women in the country.

FEASTING AT THE CHARITY DURIAN FEST

T-shirts with caricatures by Reggie Lee were on sale for RM8 each.

Durian lovers, if you missed this year's Charity Durian Fest at Subang Parade, you will regret it for the next 12 months. For only RM20, you get to eat all you can in an hour. But the best part is all proceeds go towards helping grant the wishes of children with terminal illness. Organizers of the annual event Children's Wish Society of Malaysia is hoping to raise even more funds this year.

Our group of seniors from RAMLEA managed to purchase 25 tickets for the 2-3pm session before they were all sold out. As the pictures below show, we had a feast, and all for a good cause.

Good idea to leverage on the charity event to register new voters.

After what seemed like forever, the first basket-loads of durians finally made their way to the sunken plaza at Subang Parade.

More waiting as the durians are being opened.

Our group digging into the king of fruits.

30 minutes later...beginning to slow down. Oh, there's mangosteen and rambutans too?

The sight of more durians as we made our way out was enough to make us belch durian breath!