PHD HOLDER FROM ENGLAND JOBLESS FOR 2 YEARS!

 
In today's Star, headlined "Quail farmer a PHD holder", Dr Asmawi with a PhD in corporate management, returned from England two years ago, went into quail farming last year after having failed to secure a job. There was a time when a tertiary education obtained in England was held in high regard. Malaysians used to look down on graduates from local universities but looked up to those who got their degrees from England. Looks like Dr Asmawi's failure to get a job in 2 years despite having a PhD from England goes to prove that either employers in Malaysia are no longer impressed with a degree from England or that a person with such a degree is no longer automatically marketable in the job market. Either way our Government should seriously look into the viability of sending our students to England. Each time a student like Dr Asmawi, assuming that he was on a Government scholarship, returns from England and fails to find a job, a fortune invested in his tertiary education is irrecoverable. What a waste! 

TOURING CHINA'S MOUNTAINOUS REGION BY BUS CAN BE FRIGHTENING!

 
The tour bus accident in Shanxi province, China, which claimed the lives of four Malaysian tourists has prompted the Sun to come out with a write-up on "Tales of China's Manic Drivers" by Giam Say Khoon yesterday, 5th. June. The article quoted frightening experiences Malaysians have had in the hands of "crazy" drivers in China who have no regard for traffic lights and pedestrians and other road users.
When I was with a local tour group in Jiuzhaigou last year, the crazy bus driver that we had was driving like the devil was chasing him. The bus was careening down the mountain slope and at one point where road upgrading was being carried out we could hear the tyres skidding over gravel as the bus sped around a bend. I told the local tour leader who was accompanying us to tell the driver to take it easy because I had come to Jiuzhaigou to enjoy the scenic view, not to die in the mountains. The tour guide went to the front of the bus and spoke to the driver and then came back and told me that she had conveyed my message to the driver. She said that the driver was not happy with what I had said and that he knew what he was doing. He reduced speed nevertheless and we didn't die. 

ROLAND GARROS 2006 - LADIES' QUARTER FINAL

 
In the ladies' quarter final at Roland Garros today:
(8) Svetlana Kuznetsova (Rus) bt (14) Dinara Safina (Rus) 7-6 (7-5), 6-0
(16) Nicole Vaidisova (Cze) bt (11) Venus Williams (USA) 6-7(5-7), 6-1, 6-3
(2) Kim Clijsters (Bel) bt (12) Martina Hingis (Swi) 7-6 (7-5), 6-1
(5) Justine Henin-Hardenne (Bel) bt (13) Anna-Lena Groenefeld 7-5, 6-2
The match between Vaidisova and Venus was the only one that went into the rubber set and in spite of the fact that Vaidisova is only 17 years old she was not over-awed by the fact that she was playing a five time grand slam champion in Venus Williams. It was probably the most enjoyable of the four quarter final matches. The much awaited clash between Hingis and Clijsters was a disappointment and even though the first set went into a tie-break, it was a listless and dull set with Clijsters playing as badly as Hingis. The second set saw Clijsters bringing her game up a notch higher while Hingis was still just as unimpressive as she was in the first set. 

MARTINA IN THE QUARTER FINAL AT ROLAND GARROS!

 
(12) Martina Hingis (Swi) has made it to the quarter final at Roland Garros the first time in 5 years, beating Shahar Peer (Isr) 6-3, 2-6, 6-3, in a match that stretched into 2 days. The match was interrupted by poor light on Sunday when the score was one game all and was continued on Monday morning. The whole match lasted 2 hours and 8 minutes. Martina will next play Kim Clijsters. Martina has never won the singles title at Roland Garros but she was runner-up on 2 occasions, 1997 and 1999. However, she won the ladies' doubles title twice, 1998 and 2000. This time she is also entered in the mixed doubles with Mahesh Bhupati as her partner. 

THE 2 BEAUTY QUEENS ARE OUT IN ROLAND GARROS!

 
The 2 beauty queens of tennis, Maria Sharapova and Daniela Hantuchova have lost their respective 4th round matches in Roland Garros. (14)Dinara Safina (Rus) beat (4)Maria Sharapova (Rus) 7-5, 2-6, 7-5 and (2)Kim Clijsters (Bel) beat (15)Daniela Hantuchova (Svk) 6-1, 6-4.