Lying on a resume is nothing new as it has been in the news every now and then such as cases mentioned in Alicia C. Shephard’s article on the Huffington Post. Or perhaps this famous Adam Wheeler scandal which was in the news very recently (you can read more here and here). However, my question as a blogger is this: is it really worth jeopardising one’s future over a lie in a resume when it comes to applying for a job. Unlike white lies, unfortunately, lying in a resume is a point of no return where that person will guarantee to have sleepless nights where he hopes that he would not be caught out or his luck will just simply run out when he gets found out thanks to a background check and some suspicion. Once that person gets caught out, he can kiss his future goodbye and be humiliated for the rest of his life or worse of all, face the consequences of his action in the form of jail time or a lawsuit from the company he lied to.

However, this kind of lying does not just apply to job applicants alone but also it goes the same to those who lie in their resume (and also on their social networking pages) when they try to enter university or college for a course they are applying for. A few examples of university applicants lying their way into the doors of universities and colleges would include doctoring college/university entrance scores, forging letters of recommendations and academic transcripts or even falsifying claims about one’s employment history.

I know of a real-life example of someone who lies in her both her resume and her social networking profile. This person, let’s call her J, happens to be a former flatmate (and a very toxic frenemy) of one particular friend who left her job with a black mark in her employment record. So why the black mark in her employment record? It is because J has an attitude problem (stemming back from her days flatting as a university student) which made her unpopular with her fellow work colleagues and the people she served. When she left that job, she came home to my friend’s hometown (as she happens to be from the same hometown as my friend) and tried to apply for other jobs but to no avail because of the black mark she sustained due to her bad behaviour in the workplace. Then, J saw a postgraduate course at a prestigious university somewhere in Europe as her a second chance for her and her career only to find that she had to fulfill some criteria in order to enter that course. So out of desperation (from what we were told) she made a false claim on her application and her resume (somehow with a help of a friend it seems) that she worked as a tutor at some college in her hometown to make her application into that postgraduate course easier just to cover the fact that she was unemployed for months with a black mark in her previous employment. That was not all, she had the gall to lie on her social networking page too with that so-called tutor job just to inflate her ego and make herself look bigger than the people whom she deems as threats to her. J lived with that lie for more than a year until we heard in the grapevine recently that some people dobbed her in to the university for lying. As a result, the university was prompted to do a thorough background check on J. To cut the story short, J (along with her deflated ego) altered her social networking profile by omitting that false claim knowing that she has been caught red-handed by a few people who would not stand by and allow her to get away with lying. As far as we know, J’s future is now in jeopardy due to her undoing. Anyway, we do not know what is happening between her and the university but the case of J is a cautionary lesson every graduate and job applicant should take seriously. Once again, lying on a resume is truly not worth it when one’s future in the employment world hangs in the balance.

What says you about the issue of people lying in their resumes whether to apply for a job or for a course? Do you believe companies and tertiary institutes need to do thorough checks on applicants as well as getting tough on people who lie on their resumes especially those who lie about their qualifications and work history? Have you heard or known someone who lied in their resume? Opinions are welcome.

Thankfully, the little girl had been saved by the authorities, however, this case has prompted many to wonder how can a bunch of grown-ups and a system let her down. But then again, we cannot just blame the system alone for failing her. As a blogger, I cannot help but wonder what kind of monster would dare to hurt her own flesh and blood when she was supposed to care, protect and nurture her. Let alone a helpless little girl who could not defend herself from any danger. The more I read about that unfit mother in articles such as this, this and this, it makes me feel so sorry for the little girl and her brother to be born to one person who only cares about herself and never for them. What this mother had left on those children are long-term emotional, physical and mental scars that will take many years of counselling, support and therapy. She has robbed those children of their childhood, their innocence and their rights to be protected from any form of harm. No child should ever go through what they had endured for long. Secondly, I hope those children will be placed in a kind and loving adoptive family who can love them and help them to start anew. Personally, those two children are better off permanently adopted rather be put and transferred into different foster families repeatedly throughout the remainder of their childhood and their upcoming adolescence years.

As for the mother, I don’t even know her but something tells me that she may or might have had been from a dysfunctional or broken family background herself. However, that does not give her every divine right and excuse to abuse her own flesh and blood to the point of damage and fear. No sane parent would ever scribble profanity on their child’s body or assault a helpless child with a machete or a hammer. Secondly, I want to point out that not all people from dysfunctional or abusive families turn out to be abusers and monsters. There are some who are determined to break the cycle of abuse and be good parents who can love, protect and nurture their children. As a blogger, I sometimes get the feeling that the mother might be an exploitative and selfish person who wants the attention to herself even at the expense of her own children. Personally, she sits in the same level with Diane Downs (the notorious unfit mother who shot her own three children) and other unfit parents out there. Lastly, this child abuse case prompts us to stop thinking ‘this is not our problem’ and we should be a bit of a busybody when it comes to tackling child abuse in our own backyards. Enough of keeping quiet and pretending that it is none of our business when child abuse exists in our neighbourhood or close to home.

As an individual, if I had my own way (this is just my opinion and my wishful thinking) I rather if that abusive mother is not given any name suppression and be named and shamed so that the public and the world will know who is this world’s most unfit and monstrous mother to ever walk on New Zealand soil and this planet. Secondly (again, it is my wishful thinking), she does not deserve to be a mother and should have been sterilised. That woman is better off sent awaycri and throw away the key for life since seven and a half years imprisonment is not going to change her for better.

Anyway, what says you about this child abuse issue? Do you believe the little girl, ‘M’, deserves better and needs help to allow her and her brother to heal? What do you think or believe needs to be done to prevent another case like this from happening again? Do you think seven and a half years of imprisonment of her mother is not enough? Do you think or believe her mother should be named and shamed? Opinions are welcome!

This link was recommended by a friend of mine and after reading through it, I was left reeling in shock. Oh. My. Goodness. What sort of dumb law would give powerful men and women or a group the power to censor the Internet to the point of creating a blacklist that can clamp down on the free web for everyone in this entire planet. As a blogger, I cannot help but wonder if this law comes into power I bet the world is going to go back to the Dark Age (I don’t mean medieval Dark Age but actually a technology and communication Dark Age).

It does not take a rocket scientist to tell any of us what happens if this law goes into power and therefore, I have already signed that global petition set by Avaaz. Yes, it is definitely a global petition where anyone on Planet Earth can start signing. If interested, come forward, sign it, pass it on and tell your friends, family or even acquaintances about it. So, fingers crossed and let us all hope that it is the people that hath spoken to sign the global petition and fight to take a stand for free and open Internet. Last but not least, I believe having a free and open Internet is crucial to protect our democracies worldwide.

What says you about this Avaaz global petition? Do you believe or agree that a law which clamps down on free web is detrimental for everyone? Do you think that Internet censorship should not go to extreme? Opinions are welcomed.

Since the issue has been mentioned in Stomp and within cyberspace, the kid’s post got what he truly deserves: a flurry of comments condemning his behaviour. At least this shows that there are some well-mannered netizens out there who will not tolerate his behaviour. As a blogger, I feel sorry for his parents if word not only gets out but also I bet they would not dare to show their faces in public over what their son did. If that boy was my son, he is going to get a clipping from his parent, a lecture on the importance of netiquette and grounding him from using the Internet until he truly understands that good manners still apply in cyberspace (and it is not private as we all think) whether he likes it or not. That boy may never have fully understood the phrase “Internet is forever” because whatever he posts on Facebook he does not realise that any post will not only reflect his true colours as a person but also it will haunt him later on and for the rest of his life when he tries to enter the world of employment (Imagine his potential employers snooping in cyberspace and reading up his Facebook Wall ten or fifteen years from now).

However, the issue on the boy’s vulgar rants against his maid on Facebook do address the needs for teaching youngsters about the importance of netiquette in cyberspace and social networking sites. At the same time, all parents (doesn’t matter if they are Baby Boomers and are not part of the Net Generation) need to be familiarised with the Internet and play a role to ensure that children not only maintain good manners online but also teach them the consequences of posting a vulgar or obscene rant on a Facebook Wall page.

What says you about the issue of the 11-year-old Singaporean boy who posted this unacceptable rant on Facebook? Do you believe there is a need to teach youngsters about netiquette? Opinions are welcome!

I too was a victim of bullying growing up in the 1990s and 2000. As a former victim, I can tell you that bullying not just robs a person his or her happiness or self-esteem but also it robs him or her the right to feel safe and secure in a classroom environment. Secondly, to be bullied all the time made one feel that life was not worth living as well. Now as a young adult in 2011, I am no longer in primary and high school but I cannot say the same for this day and age as bullying is still rife. That is not all, suicide driven by bullying is on the rise and don’t be so surprised if the statistics get younger.

Ashlynn deserved better than to be verbally abused and face cruel taunts daily to the point that she could no longer feel that life is worth living. Ashlynn had dreams like every other kid. She had dreams to become a veterinarian because of her love for stray cats. Sadly, she can never have her dream nor will her parents be able to watch her grow up, graduate from high school, attend university and have her own future. Why? It is all because of bullying and the three teachers who did nothing to put a stop to those bullies’ antics and accused her for being a tattler.

Having just read the Chicago Tribune that powder-blue balloons (each carrying a note) were released during Ashlynn’s wake showed that she had people who loved and cared so much about her. As for the nasty kids who taunted and bullied her, well, they should be feeling sorry for themselves because they caused the death of someone’s child and sister. If they don’t feel sorry for themselves and their actions, sad to say they have no conscience. As for those three teachers, they are incompetent and they are better off out of the class for good after putting a stop on Ashlyyn’s attempt to end the bullying. At the same time, her tragic death shows there is a need to address the issue of bullying. Bullying can affect anyone and its impact touches on both the victims and their loved ones.

What says you about Ashlynn Conner’s tragic suicide? Do you believe her death is a need to address the issue of bullying in schools? Do you think teachers should also not only recognise the signs of bullying but also take action in helping bully victims? Opinions are welcome.

Alright, I will admit one thing though: I happen to be a Hui brothers fan when I was growing up as a child where their movies such as The Private Eyes (1976) and Front Page (1990) would leave me in stitches with their gags and humourous antics on screen. Despite the fact that I am in my late twenties, their gags, humour and slapstick comedy from their movies has never failed to entertainment and make me laugh. And yes, it will be that way for as long as I am alive while I watch their movies on DVDs or the occasional reruns.

Anyway, before I go off-topic, let’s focus something on the late but legendary Ricky Hui. Although he may lacked in the good looks department, his ability to make people laugh and be funny along with his brothers, Michael and Sam, and his fellow castmates onscreen is a great but true talent that not so many people can do as beautifully as Ricky. Here is something very interesting that not many people know about Ricky Hui. Prior to entering the film career, he used to work as a correspondent for Agence France-Presse (AFP) as mentioned in the Hong Kong Cinemagic website. That is not all, he sang and wrote songs too (he did some collaborations with his brother Sam with songwriting and did guest appearances in Sam Hui’s concerts). Truly talented and intelligent fellow he was, don’t you think? Although he is gone too soon, he is never forgotten and he is loved by his family (as reported here) and his fans in Hong Kong and abroad. I believe he leaves a lasting legacy on both the Hong Kong entertainment industry and also he is an inspiration to those doing comedy. Lastly, I believe a posthumous lifetime achievement award should be awarded for his contributions on the entertainment industry in Hong Kong.

Datin Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim has a point in regards to allowing those students to be able to understand mathematical and scientific terms in English, especially for those who opt to learn in English as a medium of instruction in the classroom. Although the Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, has been thanked for listening to parents in regards to the PPSMI issues, I believe he and those other government men should have done better than listening alone. If they want younger Malaysians to become fluent in English as well as stopping the deterioration of the standard of English, why don’t they just leave the PPSMI policy alone if they know pretty well that policy is going benefit many younger Malaysians in the long run. Or how about this, come up with a blooming referendum and a massive public survey to find out if Malaysian parents and students still want to learn both mathematics and science in English as a medium of instruction. If majority of the parents and students say yes to English as a medium of instruction for the learning of maths and sciences, then so be it. Let the PPSMI policy stay. If many parents and student say otherwise, perhaps the PPSMI policy can remain as an option for those wanting to learn maths and science in English.

What says you about PAGE and JMM’s view on giving Year One (seven years old) students the option to learn science and mathematics in English? Do you think it is a good idea? To those following the PPSMI policy issue in Malaysia, do you believe the policy need to stay? Do you think that the Malaysian government men should have done better in regards to the PPSMI policy? Opinions are welcome.

A day after this article was published, The Star reported that some parents are not taking it lying down as reported in this one. PAGE chairman Datin Noor Azimah AbdulRahim has a point and I couldn’t agree more with her. The PPSMI policy should not only stay for many generations to come in Malaysia but also it will benefit many young Malaysians in the long run. Therefore, I ask these questions. Why get rid of a policy that will give young Malaysians the competitive edge their older brother and sisters were deprived of prior to 2003? Don’t these politicians know that they are going to put younger Malaysians (especially those born after 2003) in great difficulty when they are unable to have the chance to compete in the maths and sciences arena at international level? Why not come up with a compromise of keeping PPSMI as an option (although I personally prefer PPSMI to placed full on in the education system) for those choosing to learn mathematics and sciences in English (especially for Malaysians whose English is their mother tongue)? Last but not least, those politicians do not know what they are doing and they have no right to change or abolish an education policy according to whim and fancy. They should just stop and listen to parents and students since citizens have the God-given right to decide what is best for their children especially in the teaching of mathematics and sciences in English as a medium of instruction.

Anyway, what says you about this issue? Do you think the PPSMI policy should stay for good and many generations to come? Or do you believe the PPSMI policy should be an option instead? Opinions are welcomed.

As a blogger, I couldn’t agree more with the fact that the Malaysian government has to stop changing education policies according to their whims as if one is changing clothes everyday. Education policies are also not something one can experiment and change overnight in an instance. Secondly, I have to agree with the Malaysian parents having their say on retaining the PPSMI as an option in the Malaysian education system for their children. Malaysian parents are not the only ones wishing and hoping the PPSMI will stay even their kids are hoping too. Looks like the Melissa Yoong effect has rubbed it in on parents wanting the PPSMI to stay.

What says you about parents having their say on Facebook in regards to the PPSMI issue? Do you think or believe that the Malaysian government needs to listen for a change rather than simply change an education policy without consulting their citizens? Opinions are welcomed.

As a blogger, I believe Melissa Yoong is not the only one hoping and praying that the policy will stay not just for her but also for other Malaysian students learning Maths and Science in English. A girl like Melissa should not only be applauded for standing up and having her say for herself and the behalf of other students but also the Malaysian Prime Minister and his deputy truly need to listen and leave the PPSMI policy alone once and for all. What Melissa did has totally made sense that most grown-ups tend to take for granted. Secondly, in a world where some grown-ups can be a bunch of idiots, Melissa has proven all is not lost for those wishing that the PPSMI policy is retained in the Malaysian education system

To Malaysians who are backing Melissa’s messages to the Prime Minister and his deputy on Facebook, I cannot help but be pleased to know that you have shown your support to her and calling for the reconsideration on the PPSMI policy reversal. As for those Malaysians who kicked up a big fuss and scolded Melissa online for making her say, well, shame on you because you have no idea how important is English language for your children when globalisation is sweeping in every continent of the world. Last but not least, an education policy is something that one cannot go and change according to one’s whim and fancy as if one is changing clothes. Let the people speak and decide what is best for their children when it comes to the education policy.

What says you about Melissa making her statement on reconsidering the PPSMI policy reversal? Do you think she has made a point on behalf of many Malaysian students and herself to her country’s prime minister and deputy? Opinions are welcomed.

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