Coaching for Form 4 and 5 English Literature in 2010/2011

I wish to inform you that I will be coaching students who intend to pursue the English Literature paper privately in the SPM  in 2011 and those who need some serious coaching on the paper before sitting for the examination in 2010.

This is a great opportunity for you .

Currently, I am coaching students in SS2, Petaling Jaya  for this paper for the 2011 examination. I will start with the drama,"Julius Caesar", a majority of  the popular poems and the novel "Holes".

As there are 4 selections for most sections, I will cover at least 4 books to give you ample choice.

Anyone interested in this can contact me through my email as below:

jonjee0203@gmail.com

Najib: On The Chopping Block!

This report iis filed by Sheridan Mahavera in the  Malaysian Insider today. I think PM Najib is trying his best to fight against a Malay mindset that has been well entrenched for the last 40 years.


"SINGAPORE, April 6 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak claimed tonight that he has put his political career on the line by committing to purging rent-seeking and patronage politics in Malaysia’s economy.

He said this is because those who benefit from these practices are powerful and politically connected, and he hinted that they could even exert their influence in Umno, the party of which he is president.

Najib, who has made needs-based instead of race-based affirmative action an important plank of his administration, said that his approach has put him in a “dangerous” position.

“We don’t want rent seekers and the politics of patronage in our economy. I committed to that and it is dangerous because they are politically connected.

“But we have to help the Bumiputeras who need help, the Sarawakians, the Sabahans and the Orang Asli. Not just the Malays.

“Affirmative action has to be market-based, merit-based and needs-based because we want a more equitable society,” he told the audience at the Singapore Foreign Correspondents Gala Dinner here tonight."

We are with you, PM Najib!

JAKS: The Civil Suit Continues

JAKS informed Bursa KL on 26th March that at the case management of the civil suit between JAKS Resources Berhad and three parties, namely Perbadanan Urus Air Selangor Berhad, Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor  Sdn Bhd and the State Government of Selangor, held on 25^th March 2010, the Kuala Lumpur High Court adjourned the matter to 5 April 2010 for mention to ascertain whether the matter can proceed by way of mediation.

Well, it looks like the first and second defendants refuses to resolve matters through mediation. As such,the High Court has fixed 10 April for case management.

What do you think will happen if the civil suit is to be settled through mediation? Will the outcome benefit JAKS? 

I guess there are strengths and weaknesses on both sides as to the arguments of the issues at stake in this civil suit. My take is all parties will benefit in one way or the other. I think JAKS which is the aggrieved plaintiff will stand to gain.

If the former agreement for the supply contract for re-piping is considered valid in substance, then JAKS will stand to gain at least from the remedy viewpoint which can bring in extraordinary profit to its current cash position. 

Assuming that this contract indeed subsists, JAKS can also use the  supply contract  as a gambit to win concessions from the 3 parties. As the State Government is now a Pakatan Rakyat Government and no longer the BN Government which defaulted on the supply contract, I think many things will be possible through mediation with the government of the day.

Now that mediation is history, let us watch how the trial proceeds on this long-standing civil suit.

Meanwhile, looking at the share price of JAKS these days gives one a feeling of hope. As other projects which JAKS is involved in like the project in Trengganu and China will start up very soon, it is quite easy to see that barring unforeseen circumstances, JAKS share price may just touch its par price of RM1.00  or go beyond that very soon.

The Pahang-Selangor Water Transfer Project which will yet be another booster for JAKS  in 2010 began today and should have some speculative effects on the price of JAKS from tomorrow.(7 April 2010)

So, do watch out for JAKS,won't you?

Budget Bust: What! Is this true?

I was shocked to read this news item field by Lee Wei Lian in the Malaysian Insider today (6 April 2010).

Is it true that we have busted our budget for 2009 as well as the current budget  2010 even as we enter the second quarter? This is getting to be serious if it is indeed true.

Let us read her report.

" KUALA LUMPUR, April 6 — DAP’s Lim Kit Siang has demanded an explanation for the RM12 billion in supplementary expenditure which he says will swell the government’s budget deficit to 7.9 per cent for 2009 from the official estimate of 7.4 per cent.

He also said that the other Bill — another RM12 billion in supplementary expenditure, this one for 2010 — will cause the government to miss its target of lowering the budget deficit to 5.6 per cent of GDP this year.
“With these two sets of supplementary estimates, Malaysia’s budgeting has again gone awry with the budget deficit in 2009 shooting to as high as 7.9 per cent of GDP in 2009 and over 7% in 2010,” he said in Parliament today while debating the supplementary estimates.

“A full explanation for this fiscal indiscipline and even irresponsibility should be given, as this is proof of imprudent control of public expenditure amidst inefficient utilisation of the nation’s financial resources.”
A larger than expected budget deficit may derail the Najib administration’s efforts to introduce fiscal reforms. The budget deficit was earlier estimated to have hit a record high of 7.4 per cent last year and reach 5.6 per cent this year.
The Fitch ratings agency had cut Malaysia’s local currency ratings to “A” from “A-Plus” in June last year due to concerns over the country’s growing budget deficit and said that Malaysia needed structural reforms to improve its long-term growth prospects and strengthen its credit profile.

There are two sets of supplementary estimates being presented in parliament — the second supplementary estimates for 2009 totalling RM11.36 billion, of which RM8.98 billion is for operating expenditure and RM2.39 billion for development expenditure, and the first supplementary estimates for 2010 totalling RM12 billion for both operating and development expenditure.
In his speech, Lim took aim at RM32 million allocated in the 2009 Development Supplementary Estimates for the purchase of aircrafts for the police.
“Apart from allowing the Inspector-General of Police and top police officers to work in style (it) makes no contribution whatsoever in the campaign to fight crime to make the country safe to work and play by Malaysians, tourist and investors,” said Lim. “The RM34 million would be better spent in purchasing say some 68,000 bicycles or 6,800 Honda cubs for all the police stations in the country to increase police visibility with frequent police beats, which is the best and most effective way to combat crime to keep the people in the streets, public places and private homes free from crime and the fear of crime!”

According to figures provided by DAP, if the supplementary bills are passed, the total expenditure for 2009 will hit RM229.25 billion against revenue of RM176.2 billion leading to a shortfall of RM53.05 billion, or 7.87 per cent of GDP.

The total spend for 2010 will be 203.57 billion against revenue of RM148.8 billion, or a deficit of 7.12 per cent of GDP."

I am getting worried. Is it caused by inflation? Why couldn't we review the budget and cancel irrelevant non-priority projects and expenditures?

The Interfaith Panel-A Great Start but.....

News that the Cabinet finally agreed to set up this Panel to be headed by Ilani Ishak is most welcome by all quarters but some parties are cautioning that we should not read too much into it because many issues need to be ironed out before a truly working panel can do its work.

Issues like the restriction of a word to call God, proselytism,burials arising out of 'hidden' conversion and child custody are currently major concerns.

Until the leaders of all the religions in this country sit together on a common platform and come to an agreement on the resolution of these issues,having such a panel may just be ornamental and could even become a mockery.

We await for details on its set up and its terms of reference because as the Bard says," The devil is in the details"!

English: A Exercise in Synonyms and Antonyms

Let us have a exercise in antonyms and synonyms.

Remember synonyms are very important when you do summaries. As you cannot re-use most of the words in the text, try to substitute them with the right synonyms.

• Write a synonym for the following words.

1.      above		2.      back
3.      absent		4.      bad
5.      accept		6.      beautiful
7.      admit		8.      better
9.      adult		10.  big
11.  after		12.  bitter
13.  alive		14.  black
15.  always		16.  brave
17.  ancient		18.  bright
19.  answer		20.  broad
21.  arrest		22.  build
23.  arrive		24.  bull
25.  artificial		26.  busy
27.  asleep		28.  buy
29.  attack		30.  cheap

·         Give one antonym for the following words

1.      above		2.      back
3.      absent		4.      bad
5.      accept		6.      beautiful
7.      admit		8.      better
9.      adult		10.  big
11.  after		12.  bitter
13.  alive		14.  black
15.  always		16.  brave
17.  ancient		18.  bright
19.  answer		20.  broad
21.  arrest		22.  build
23.  arrive		24.  bull
25.  artificial		26.  busy
27.  asleep		28.  buy
29.  attack		30.  cheap

For the PMR Student: Writing a Formal Letter

There two types of letters that we write. One is the personal letter that we write to our family members and friends. The other is the formal letter that we write to other people such as those in government, companies as well as those in clubs and social organizations.

Let us look at the format and content of a formal letter.

INFORMAL LETTER	FORMAL  LETTER
·         Sender’s address  on the top  right hand corner	·         Start with Sender’s name on the first line at  the top let hand corner ·         Follow with the address of the sender
·         Date of letter directly below sender’s address	·         Draw a line across below the sender’s address ·         Write the recipient  post followed by the address next ·         At the end of the address, on the right hand side, write the date
·         Friendly salutation,  “ Dear….“	·         Write the salutation-“Dear Sir/ Madam”
·         Friendly introduction	·         Write the title for the subject of the letter. ·         Underline it.
·         Purpose of letter	·         Write purpose of the letter
·         Background information	·         Next is the body of the letter: ·         Purpose should be briefly spelled out ·         Details
·         Conclusion	·         Conclusion      ·         Giving thanks
·         Signing off- “Your loving……”	·         Signing off- “Yours faithfully/Sincerely……”
·         Signature at the bottom right hand corner	·         Signature at bottom of left hand ·         Write designation below signature

Let us look at a sample of a formal letter.

Sender Address of Sender	Tomas Bala, The Football Club Sekolah Menengah Taman Selasih 87000 Klebang Besar Melaka
Recipient Address of Recipient/ Date	The President The Melaka Tengah Municipal Council Jalan Bandar 85000 Melaka                                                                    5 April 2010
Salutation	Dear Sir,
Title of Letter Subject	Seeking Permission to Use Indoor Courts for Annual 5-A-Side Football Tournament
Introduction	On behalf of the Football Club, I wish to request permission for the use of the indoor courts at the Melaka Tengah Municipal Council Indoor sports complex.
Main Body: Purpose	2. We intend to hold our Annual  Kelebang Besar/Tranquerah Area  5- A –side Football Tournament for the students of our school. The purpose of this tournament is to encourage healthy competition among the students of the school, to promote friendship as well as to identify good players for grooming for the All-State School s competition in July 2010.
Date and time	3. We would like to use the courts from 20th to 25th April 2010 from 2.00pm to 6.00pm.
Number of courts	4.  About 20 teams will be involved in this tournament and we would need to use 4 courts per day
Rental and other requests	5. Could you let me know what are your usual rental charges and also if a special rate or exemption from charges be provided to students. In addition, I would appreciate if you could also kindly sponsor the drinks for this tournament.
Conclusion	We hope to receive a favourable reply from you soon.
Signing off	Yours faithfully/sincerely
Name	Tomas Bala
Designation	Secretary, The Football Club

Now you can do an assignment to test your skill in formal letter writing. 

ASSIGNMENT:

As the Secretary of the Sekolah Menengah Taman Mutiara Swimming Club which is organizing the annual Swimming competition for schools in Petaling Jaya,please write to the Petaling Jaya City Council for the use of the Public Swimming Pool in Petaling Jaya for 4 days. Following the format above, mention the details such as purpose of the competition, days that you require the pool, rates of rental and other requests.