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Like this song, my new fav, nice! Enjoy the video & have a fun weekend! TGIF ;) http://youtu.be/YqeW9_5kURI

Just a simple question, no controversy here. I notice some people here read and follow Chinese language media. For me, while I can speak Chinese (and have worked in China), I'm a bit illiterate at reading Chinese words. I mostly read in English.

Hi all have a friend whose sec 3 niece is looking for 1 to 1 tuition teacher near Yishun area or better still go to her house to teach. Found some which are good but charge by the hour and expensive. Btw they are from china so need to have good english background, if not at least for sec 3 standard. Thanks in advance!

Met this Deaf and Mute Russian Biker along the walkway around OG (Albert Complex)/Fu Lu Shou/The Bencoolen, saw him asking passerby to read his notes but most people walking there are Chinese and many of them can't read a word of English and so they just walk away. I went over and donated a few $ to his cause and using my phone's Notes function and key in English to him that most of the passerby along there don't really understand English so I will try to translate it into Chinese Characters and pass it to him this weekend. Me 'England' and 'Chinese' also '1/2 pail water' only I used Google to Translate and this is the result: "I want to enter The Guinness book of records as the only deaf and mute individual who has traveled all the former soviet union, europe, africa, australia, asia and the americas on a motocycle. Russia. www.yarets.com" "我想进入吉尼斯世界纪录作为唯一的聋哑个人谁走过所有的前苏联，欧洲，非洲，澳大利亚，亚洲和美洲的摩托车。俄罗斯. www.yarets.com" "Can you help me with some petrol? Thanks you very much for your kind support !!!" "你能帮助我的一些汽油？谢谢你的热心支持!!!"

excited and looking forward to the start of the new season! starting off on the news of Son leaving Spurs for Asian Games... Son Heung-Min sorry for leaving Tottenham to play in Asian Games http://www.espnfc.com/tottenham-hotspur/story/3580361/son-heung-min-sorry-for-leaving-tottenham-to-play-in-asian-games via @ESPN App http://es.pn/app

https://www.kinitv.com/video/24ebcc40-287b-4c1c-92b8-269a02892b2e Was watching an extract of a speech from the Shangri-La Dialogue By Malaysia's Defence Minister Mohamad Sabu. He has been widely criticised by many for his poor command of English on geopolitical issues. I listened to the entire dialogue as it is and though broken at times it was easily understood and the gist of the message was not lost. He used simple English instead of bombastic words. English may not be a country first language. Are politicians expected to speak a certain level of English? I would certainly be more concerned about getting the main facts right than working hard to be a grammar nazi. English is lingua franca, widely spoken in many countries. When we go overseas to countries whose native language isn't English we speak to them in English expecting them to understand. Looking at the shift of major power in the world today should we be shocked if the lingua franca one day becomes Mandarin? Fair enough to assume the rise of China will be accompanied by the rise of Mandarin? Where will that leave the Americans? Who are widely known to perceive the world as "It's okay everybody speaks English anyway." Just interested to hear more opinions. Here's his message for those unable to view the video: So what did Mohamad speak about? Christchurch terror attack “accident” in New Zealand The video began with Mohamad touching on the Christchurch terror attack in March 2019. He condemned terrorism and praised the response of New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to the attack. Mohamad said: “So, we understand that terrorist is no border, and no ideology, and no religion. So we have to fight with them in soft way and hard way. But I am very appreciate the role of the Prime Minister of New Zealand, how she faced with the accident in New Zealand. We appreciate him, that’s the way the world leader should behave when that thing happen in their country. So I salute the Prime Minister of New Zealand.” Mohamad then addressed the sources of terror funding, calling them the “father” and “mother” of terrorists. Elaborating on how terrorists have access to advanced weaponry and funding, Mohamad said: “These terrorists, who’s the father and mother? Because they have a lot of money, they have very sophisticated weapons. If they’re an NGO, I think they cannot afford to have that modern weapon.” Mohamad then referenced the presence of terrorists groups in Idlib, Syria, adding: “And now in Idlib, they even have rocket launcher. So who’s the father and mother? We must our intelligence must share and expose who the mother and father, then we can reduce their activity throughout the world.” China’s regional activity: “The China coast guard is bigger than Malaysia warship” Subsequently, Mohamad talked about the behaviour of China in the region and stressed the need for diplomacy, given that “the China coast guard is bigger than Malaysia warship”. Mohamad highlighted: “We know China is a border with us, China is near to us. So, any they changing of the policy will affect us. That’s why we — I know… sometimes they send their coast guard. The China coast guard is bigger than Malaysia warship. So how can we begin to chase them? So we cannot fight with them. But we will always talk to them, defend diplomacy, respect sovereignty…” Mohamad then referenced the opening speech of Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, on May 31, who stated that a clash between America and China will see many nations affected. “… and if they (China) send a warship there, then America will also challenge them. So, when the elephant fight, the grass will suffer. When elephant laugh, the grass will suffer. That’s mentioned by Prime Minister Lee last night. So we must active defend diplomacy, that we must get together, many time, this not the first time, second time or third time, many time to dialogue, because we want to keep the peace neutrality zone in this area, especially in South China Sea.” Mohamad concluded his speech by criticising the behaviour of large countries for not sticking to their rhetoric of respecting the sovereignty of other countries, as laid down by international treaties: “Big powers, they come and they give speech, they say we respect sovereignty, we respect UNCLOS, we respect COC (Code of Conduct), but their behaviour is different. That is we, the small country, especially ASEAN, we must unite together to face this problem. Thank you very much.”

I'm wondering if there is a way to change the language display for a parallel import Toyota harrier from Japanese to English?

Very curious here as I think most drivers will listen to the radio on the way to work. having worked overseas, i am quite shocked by the standard of our morning shows though i can understand to an extent why, with our strict censorship here. so i would like to know the consensus of you guys. i am only choosing the more popular stations here for drivers; i am aware of more english morning shows. personally, comparatively speaking, I do think Kiss is doing the best. the chemistry between the DJs is strong and they come across as very genuine. second would be 913 with Glenn and FD. They started out well but are declining as I think their shows are not really prepared beforehand. So they just say whatever that comes to mind or simply topic of the day. And it does come across as lazy and lacking effort at times. But well they too have a good chemistry. I find it hard to decide which is the worst, Class 95 or Gold. Class 95 with Vernon and Justin do make an effort on their show. However, their jokes can be stale and so 90s. And I find it a bad match for Class 95. They probably do better with a channel that targets the younger crowd. I find their jokes to be a bit crass at times. Gold with Mike and Vernetta likewise, is quite awful. Vernon and Justin, however crass, can come up with smart jokes now and then. However Mike and Vernetta come across as trying way too hard and mostly falling flat with their banter. Quite cringe worthy very often. And really, i find them a poor fit for a station with a more mature audience. in a nutshell, i find that Vernon, Justin, Mike and Vernetta all caught in a time warp, so stale and tired. i hope there are newer DJs that will shake the roost a bit. probably the only industry where it's the same old faces for sooo long lol

Hello dear parents need your expert advice on ballet classes and chinese classes recommendation. have promise 2 kids would let them attend the above classes. can share what's the damage and which school to recommend, preferably near orchard/suntec or river valley area. thanks

Looks like with the previous president (local chinese) replaced by Angmo, 华文 is really on the way out from NTU. http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/education/request-to-remove-chinese-signs-at-foodcourt-a-misunderstanding Pity because I thought cultural diversity and tolerance is Singapore's strengths.

Please post your favorite English movie scene preferably with original dialogue & a simple introduction. The other thread too much rojak. Sorry. Here I start the ball rolling... Drive through shooting & suicide bomber scene in THE KINGDOM.

EF INDEX: Beats Singapore to place 11th in overall ranking MALAYSIA'S improved ranking worldwide in terms of English language proficiency shows that government is on the right track, said Deputy Education Minister 11 P. Kamalanathan yesterday. A survey conducted by Swiss international education company Education First (EF) showed that Malaysia had the highest English language proficiency level in Asia. The nation also climbed two notches up to 11th place from 13th position last year in the EF English Proficiency Index, which saw more than 60 countries surveyed. "As far as the command of English is concerned, we are happy and of course, this is good news," said Kamalanathan The results also showed that Malaysia, which was placed in the "high proficiency" category, had overtaken Singapore, which fell to 12th position in the ranking. Malaysia scored 59.99 points in the survey while Singapore received a 58.92. Kamalanathan said the Malaysia National Education Blueprint 2013-2025 would continue to strengthen the level of English language proficiency. "We will make sure the standard is raised to meet global requirements and to make Malaysia the choice destination for foreign directi investment and services." EF, in a press release entitled "The World's Top 60 Countries in English according to the EF English Proficiency Index" posted on its website on Tuesday, said this year's country rankings were based on tests taken by 750,000 adults from 60 countries last year. It said the seven countries with the strongest command of English were all small European nations, "whose size compels them to adopt an international outlook". The analysis of evolving English proficiency over a six-year period (2007 to last year) uses test data from nearly five million adults. Sweden topped the list of the "very high proficiency" category, with Norway and Netherlands trailing in second and third places respectively. Other countries listed as among the best were Estonia, Denmark, Austria and Finland. The survey also concluded that some Asian countries, such as Indonesia and Vietnam, have improved on their English proficiency over the six-year period. Source: http://www.nst.com.my/nation/general/malaysia-no-1-in-english-proficiency-in-asia-1.395773

PSLE English is tomorrow. Any bros here got kids sitting? What will they be up to tonight? Told nephew to take a break tonight - he'll be having swimming lessons! Exercise good for the brain. Gave him some brands to take tomorrow morning. Wishing everybody all the best!!

no wonder the slightly better of families in KL send their kids to private colleges.

[media]https://youtu.be/CRU-fwS6aAU[/media] 😂

http://www.todayonline.com/singapore/mindef-explains-s25900-language-course-pla-officer SINGAPORE — Language proficiency is important for foreign military officers who attend staff college courses here and the Defence Minstry will help them gain that proficiency so that they benefit from their time here, said Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen in Parliament yesterday (Nov 5). He was replying to a question from Non-Constituency Member of Parliament Lina Chiam who had asked about a tender that had been called to provide an English Language course for an officer from China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA). The course had cost S$25,900. The personalised, one-on-one, 360-hour course, was needed to get the officer to the level of proficiency conducted by a qualified English instructor, explained Dr Ng. The Ministry of Defence had put out a tender on government’s e-procurement portal — GeBiz — for the course language course. “We had about five or six people, companies, who replied. The contract was awarded to the lowest offer that met the requirements and this was the amount of S$25,900, which worked out to about S$70 an hour. All this was in strict compliance with government’s regulations,” Dr Ng said.

And he proudly shares it on facebook... https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=555315377912494&id=266048183505883

Come and play soccer with me, I let your score 2 or more goals ...... yahoo news: Has Priscilla Wong been sexually harassed by English footballers? 11 Jun – TVB actress and host, Priscilla Wong recently denied being sexually harassed by English footballers on the latest episode of her sports programme, "Pilgrimage to Football Meccas". According to Hong Kong's On CC News, Netizens recently expressed their concern for the actress, after watching the 19th episode of the programme, whereby Priscilla and co-host, Tony Hung travelled to Manchester to visit the Old Trafford Stadium. While playing football with the Village Manchester FC, Priscilla scored a goal and was quickly surrounded by other players who then pinned her down in celebration of her success. Several Netizens alleged that some of the players may have taken advantage of her and groped her chest. However, Priscilla was quick to dispel the harassment allegations. Speaking to the media at a function recently, she revealed that Village Manchester FC is a team consisting of gay footballers and that playing with them felt like spending time with a group of sisters. "I didn't feel like I was violated at all, but I did protect my chest," said the actress. Priscilla also complimented the team for being very friendly and took good care of her while they were filming the episode. link: https://sg.entertainment.yahoo.com/news/priscilla-wong-sexually-harassed-english-footballers-053600217.html

Forward to 2:15

The debate some months ago regarding SMRT's announcement of station names in only English and Mandarin threw up some interesting views. Proponents raised arguments that there was nothing wrong in catering to the linguistic needs of elderly Singaporeans and Chinese tourists. Those in opposition contended that it neglected our Malay and Indian communities. Some groups wanted all four official languages to be used. The incident was a microcosm of different groups in Singapore with competing linguistic interests and ideologies. Of course, the social and economic dominance of English in Singapore is not new. Both the Government and various groups have long been trying to reverse the declining use of mother tongue languages. However, for the first time in our history, those who use and see English as their de facto mother tongue, are becoming the majority of the population. There are implications for all of us. CONTRADICTIONS WITH POLICY After two generations of the bilingual policy, many Singaporeans are increasingly using English as their principal home language. This shift towards English is prevalent in all racial groups, but most apparent amongst young Chinese families. According to Ministry of Education figures, the proportion of Chinese students entering Primary 1 who speak predominantly English at home, rose from 36 per cent in 1994 to 50 per cent in 2004. At the same time, surveys suggest that as younger Singaporeans grow up as native speakers of English (ie, English being the first language they acquire as a child), they will increasingly claim ownership of English, with the language being core to their identity. This is not to say that Singaporeans are becoming monolingual English-speakers

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMGfsWgIujk Boleh Land GE message from DAP

There is a funny phenomenon in SG that English-speaking people are considered higher class people. When it is a common language in certain less developed countries. Singaporeans commonly take it as so. And newer immigrants /FTs knows about this too. Even my neighbor speaking half-fark English insist on speaking half-fark English w/o making effort to improve/or not know how. And it is commonly so. And i observed many new FTs/new immigrants here do the same, probably infested by us. But when you see the way they behave,eg,speaking loudly in buses/MRT/restaurants etc,they are no less than 3rd World low class. And it seems they think they are high class and proudly doing it away. Is there a correlation between English speaking and high classiness? What you think?

Saw this sign just now.