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Stuff that matters
“In the situations I have witnessed, there is no divine intervention. All we have is each other. We create our own problems, and it us up to us to solve them.”
James Nachtwey, anti-war documentary photographer (1999: 469)
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(updated: February 8, 2008)
Publications
Forthcoming
David, M. K., Ngeow, Y. M, Yoong, D. (fc). Gender Stereotypes in Malaysian Parliamentary Sittings: Stereotypes and Their Implications.
Yoong, D. (2008). Mixing Them Together: Interdiscursive Elements in Contemporary Animes and Mangas. La Trobe Linguistics Working Paper.
Yoong, D. (2008). Framing Poverty in Indonesia. Journal of Poverty.
Yoong, D. (2008). Standard English and Singlish: The Clash of Language Values in Contemporary Singapore. [pending]
2007
David, M. K. and Yoong, D. (2007). Elderspeak: Deprivation of Linguistic Human Rights?. In M. K. David (ed.) Language and Human Rights. Serdang: Universiti Putra Press.
David, M. K. and Yoong, D. (2007). Code-Switching in Eldercare. In S. I. Harnisch (ed.) In Memorium Rudolfo Jacobson.
Yoong, D. (2007). Rapport Building between an Uncle and Niece in a Malaysian Chinese Family. In David, M. K. (ed.). Politeness in Malaysian Family Talk. (In press).
2006
David, M. K., Jariah Mohd Jan, Kow, Y. C. and Yoong, S. C. (2006). Function and Role of Laughter in Malaysian Women’s and Men’s Talk. Multilingua 25. ISSN 0167-8507
Yoong, D. (2006). Accommodating to the Elderly in a Malaysian Geriatric Day-Care Centre: A Discourse Analysis. Unpublished Master Dissertation. Faculty of Languages and Linguistics, University of Malaya.
Yoong, D. (2006). Boycotting an International Tourism Company: A Critical Discourse Perspectives. In M. K. David, H. Burhanudeen, A. N. Abdullah (eds.). The Power of Language and the Media (146-161). Frankfurt: Peter Lang.
Yoong, D. and David, M. K. (2006). Talking to Older Malaysians: A Case Study. Multilingua 25, 165-182. ISSN 0167-8507
Paper Presentations
2006
David, M. K. and Yoong, D. (2006). Applying Knowledge of Psycholinguistics in Language Teaching. Paper presented at the Universiti Sains Malaysia International Language Learning Conference (November 23-25, 2006: Batu Feringgi, Penang).
David, M. K. and Yoong, D. (2006). Constructive Communication in Marriage and the Family. Paper presented at the Marriage Philosophy Seminar (29-30 Mac 2006), University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur. Vol.2 Paper 39 (12p.)
Yoong, D. (2007). Framing Poverty in Indonesia. Paper presented at the Discourse of Poverty Conference (July 19, 2007) at the Faculty of Sociology, La Trobe University, Australia.
In progress
Yoong, D. (in progress). Orders and Disorders of Discourse in the Dewan Rakyat during Question Time. Unpublished PhD Thesis. La Trobe University, Australia.
Academic activities
An abstract reviewer for the Eleventh Conference of the Foundation for Endangered Languages: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, "Working Together for Endangered Languages: Research Challenges and Social Impacts." University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. 26-28 October 2007
He nodded and pursed his lips before saying, "You're doing pretty damn good. For someone who has written about five and a half chapters in one and the half years, you're ahead of the game. I know of third year students still struggling with their first chapter."
He spent about an hour pointing out and correcting some of the current misconceptions in my thesis, and introduced me to some terms (e.g. "filibuster") and theories (e.g. "relevance theory").
Thereafter, he leaned back and started talking about stuff, philosophy, religion, politics, linguistics, the accidents of life (think: butterfly effect), etc. It was mostly a monologue-lecture style discussion, but one which can really keep you in your seat literally, for hours.
And you know, today I realised that my supervisor really has an unquenchable thirst for knowledge. And when he talks, he doesn't talk shit (like a lot of people whom I know).
I seriously want to be like him... a damn well read, respectful down-to-earth guy.
Anyway, before we ended our discussion, he said, "well... we have to keep ourselves busy... because life really has no meaning." XD
AUSTRALIANS are abandoning the dream of home ownership in record numbers, with new figures showing a collapse in residential borrowing since the start of February...
...The figures, blamed on rising interest rates, soaring petrol prices and the sharemarket rout, have sounded alarm bells for Australia's home building industry and for the broader economy.
The slowing in residential construction predicted to flow from reduced lending could not come at a worse time, as Australia already struggles to house a booming population fuelled by the biggest migrant influx on record and a higher birth rate.
More than half of Victoria's $20 billion construction industry is residential, and any slowdown will quickly spread to manufacturing, tertiary sector employment and services, experts warn.
People locked out of home ownership due to the supply shortage and downturn in lending will be forced to rent, putting more pressure on an already tight rental market and forcing rents even higher.
"Australia has never experienced anything like it," said Craig James, chief equities economist at CommSec, referring to the collapse in home lending. "Something has to give unless you are going to have people in their 30s and 40s still living at home with mum and dad."
"The situation is unsustainable," Mr James said. "More homes will need to be built to house our growing population."
Economists blamed the bigger-than-expected decline in the number and value of new loans on higher interest rates, and the extra strain on family budgets caused by higher fuel and food prices.
Anyway, was pretty surprised (and pleased!) to have received a mail from a website called Schmap.com, seeking my consent to publish a picture of mine, taken some time ago at the Melbourne Zoo.
No royalty, but free publicity... -.-' Better than nothing, no?
I'm told that this picture (I prefer others instead of the selected one... but hey, whatever) has been short-listed for inclusion in their fifth edition of their Schmap Melbourne Guide, to be published at the end of this month.
I went for an orientation program at the NGO at Clifton Hill today... and must note: the lady was sooooo sweet and attractive. She's such an angel to be doing social work. *heart melts*
Here's the sad part.. (no, she's not married). Unfortunately I cannot dedicate myself to the NGO because it requires dedication and long term commitment. Not sure if I will be staying that long in Australia... but I told her that I'd definitely engage myself in the organisation back home in Malaysia.
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Clifton Hill is such a nice place to live in. Cozy and warm... unlike Bundoora. If I have the money, or someone wants to stay with me over there, I won't hesitate at all to move over.
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Assoc Prof Dr Karen from FBL, UM was actually here in Australia, in my uni for 3 months! And no one informed me about her presence... -.-'
I got to know about this from my-to-be UM colleague. She dropped by my office yesterday with her kids.
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Yesterday I missed Aikido. Damn shit! SHIT! All because the bus was crowded and there was a jam. >:(
Missing class makes me sad.
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Spent AUD100 for a Lowepro camera bag that would be arriving from China in two weeks time.
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On the brighter side of things, I'm finally able to play a couple of segments of Tommy Emmanuel's Guitar Boogie.
He took a couple of the segments from SRV's rude mood.
Whilst some may condemn the poor chap as an illegal immigrant or law-breaker, it's a sad tragic end to a guy looking to improve his social economic standing... but then again, can't comment much. I hardly know the guy.
MELBOURNE: A Malaysian who overstayed his visa drowned in the Murray River in South Australia after police tried to subdue him with capsicum spray, an inquest in Adelaide was told.
Chan Wah Aun, 27, who was staying illegally near Adelaide, had been told by a friend to “just run away” when approached by the officers, The Australian newspaper reported.
Chan died on or about Sept 11, 2006 after he was pulled over for a random breath test outside Waikerie, 175km northeast of Adelaide.
Police questioned Chan, who had arrived in Australia from Malaysia in May of that year, and an immigration check showed he had overstayed his visa.
Chan had been working at a Waikerie meatworks, breaching his visa’s condition not to take up employment.
South Australian Coroner Mark Johns heard that Chan had been speaking on his mobile phone to a friend while at the random breath test unit, asking the friend if police would shoot him if he tried to run.
“If you get the chance to run, just run away,” the friend reportedly told Chan, saying that he would not be shot unless he was violent.
The court heard that Chan then struggled when police arrested him as an unlawful non-citizen.
Chan “became violent”, leading the police officers to use capsicum spray.
He broke away and escaped, running towards a cliff top by the river.
Nine days later, two men fishing found his body floating face down near the cliffs.
The coroner will deliver his findings at a later date. – Bernama
I ain't lookin' back. I'm not going to regret. I'm going to put my investment into good use.
BTW, if you want to buy your camera gears, visit the Imaging World. They have much sweeter deals compared to BnH Photography and Adorama. I know... I got my 100mm f/2.8 lens and now, the 17-40mm f/4L, from them.
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I took a couple of pics at Bundoora Park, and along Main Drive road with the 5d, and I so totally love some of the pictures. Will post them up after I've finished post-processing the images.
Might even consider creating some wallpapers. :) Stay tuned.
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I've signed up as a volunteer for some NGOs here. Hope to do some pro-bono work as a photographer/guitarist.
... err... not really. By the look of things, I have to plan my departure from Australian soil at a much later date. :(
And yes... I travel (exclusively) with MAS. XD And besides, Singapore Airlines tickets in comparison are not really too cheap. I don't mind taking budget airlines, but I dread making a couple of terminal stops... -.-'
Many people kinda advised me not to return just yet, but to continue my tenure as a Doctorate candidate (so that I can continue to receive scholarship funds from the government and UM). -.-' *sigh*.
I miss Malaysia like hell (although there are many people I certainly do not miss).
On the brighter side of things... I'm about 85% done with my PhD thesis, and have written about 110,000 words (that's right. Let me show-off a bit: I've exceeded the maximum number of words by 10,000). Not too bad, considering I've only begun my thesis writing about 1.5 years ago.
Also, all linguistics postgrads are encouraged to participate in the upcoming International Pragmatics Conference, which would be held at the University of Melbourne in 2009. Apparently, it's a BIG event that's held once every 4 years... but upon submission of paper, one has to be a member (AND PAY about Euro350).
*sigh*
I'm thinking of doing some volunteering work here. Might join the Salvation Army (although I'm an atheist) and do social work. See how la.
... urgh... This is my first dealing with the Australian Customs and already... I hate it. >:( Hate it hate it hate it. So much paperwork and I've got to make a trip down to Customs office and make a tax payment of AUD300.
But on the brighter side of things... it's a great exposure, I suppose, to the intricacies of Custom bureaucracy.
... photoshooting events I've ever conducted. Today the sky was like shit (although sunny) and prior to today, my model had no experience in posing. But I'm glad I managed to shoot a number of decent-to-good pictures. I also learnt something today... sometimes people do look good when they don't smile. No, seriously.
Now... behold! Some of my favourite pics of the day! :P
Aikido was cancelled today, BUT... I met a 3rd dan Karate black-belter Indian guy (from India) who told me that the Karate class at the university was "a bit disappointing." XD HAHAHAHAA!!!
Of course man, what do you expect?
Well, this guy's a pretty serious and dedicated martial artist who has done lots of tournaments (in fact, he proudly showed me his news-clipping in a magazine), so it's not surprising that he kinda found the Karate class to be... *ahem* kiapcai/subpar. XD
When I told him that I'm a 2nd dan ITF black-belter (got to flaunt my status a bit mah), his eyes widened and he went, "OH!" With that, I managed to convince him that Aikido would suit him better.
And oh, did I mention that he thinks he has found a new best friend in the martial arts at the uni? :P
This is going to be one of my largest camera investments, but it'd be worth it as I plan to do photo exhibitions, wedding photography, etc with it.
Up next in my camera shopping list would be a flash gun and a super wide angle lens... Might be spending about AUD600 for the Canon 580ex flash, and about AUD700 for a 10-20mm Sigma lens.
I might consider getting a tripod too... but most of the time I dread being weight down by my gears, and I tend to step up the ISO setting. With the 5D, I'd be able to step up the ISO to 3200 and from reviews, noise level at this setting is not so atrocious.
The Clifton Hill training centre is located (surprisingly) in a Baptist church community hall, and it has a nice shrine (?) of O'Sensei and I really like the setup of the place. HONTO DESU! Very traditional Japanese (psst: think of Kamiya Kaoru's dojo in Rurouni Kenshin).
Anyway, I learnt a new technique which I never thought existed: Tsuki iriminage.
It's a very very simple technique yet very good way to throw an attacker off-balance.
Anyway, prior to grading, we had a training session which was damn exhaustive (albeit fun!) XD
And yah... I passed my grading. In fact, everyone did... The examiners actually advised grading candidates on wrong or poorly performed techniques, and they were pretty nice men O.o
The chaps are pretty nice and not stuck up (unlike those slime balls back at that miserable Msian dojo). In fact, I was pretty surprised to know today that my sensei is actually a very senior member at CH dojo. Such a down-to-earth guy. I'm so honoured to train under him... *bow*
Alright... I admit: I only have one complaint... the sparrings in Aikido is not as natural as the ones in Taekwondo. They're pretty simulated, and you don't get the feel of urgency and adrenaline rush when you're sparring with 2 frenzy rabid dogs opponents.
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While I'm on martial arts, take a look at a typical Judo tournament video clip.
Finished watching? Pretty hardcore and aggressive, no? Well, surprise surprise... Get this:
Judo (柔道, jūdō?), meaning "gentle way", is a modern Japanese martial art (gendai budō) and combat sport, that originated in Japan in the late nineteenth century. (Source: here)
Alright... I'm beat. Am going to McDs to give myself a large nice quarter pounder treat.
Attended a damn interesting talk yesterday on linguistic (typology) data maintenance and storage. In the digital age, anything seems possible.
And one of the speaker's closing remarks is this: As professionals, it is imperative for professionals to keep abreast with the latest developments.
A good lesson which I intend to 'radicalise' at UM when I get back.
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Sorry have not been updating this blog. Busy as hell. Pretty gung ho about my 6th chapter (written about 23 pages already) and many more sections to work on.
Plus! I am working with my Prof (back in Msia) on a new paper, and I might be doing documentary work in Singapore come December as a research fellow! :P (note the modality).
AUSTRALIA'S ballooning foreign debt topped $1 trillion for the first time in the March quarter, as the nation borrowed record amounts from the world to finance its spending habits.
The current account deficit also widened to a new record of almost $20 billion in the three months to March 31, as exports of resources were constrained by infrastructure bottlenecks and bad weather, and import volumes continued to soar.
But the news was better for home buyers yesterday, when the Reserve Bank board decided to keep its official cash rate on hold at 7.25% for another month.
In another reminder to the Rudd Government of its economic challenges, the Bureau of Statistics reported that net foreign debt (what Australia owes the world, minus what the world owes Australia) rose almost $9 billion in the March quarter to a record $616.1 billion, equivalent to about 57% of GDP.
Gross foreign debt - which excludes what the world owes Australia - topped $1 trillion ($1000 billion) for the first time, prompting warnings from economists about our vulnerability to economic shocks.
"Australia's large foreign debt is a risk," said Commsec economist Craig James. "If there was a major global economic downturn, foreign investors would quickly take a negative view on highly indebted countries like Australia," he said.
Mr James also expressed concern at figures showing the current account deficit widened by $776 million to a record $19.5 billion during the March quarter.
"The simple fact is the extra income coming in the door from the commodity boom and rising exchange rate is going out the other door, spent on imported goods," he said.
Australia's net exports, the difference between exports and imports, is expected to detract 0.7 percentage points from Australia's GDP in national accounts figures to be released today.
Meanwhile, economists have warned that interest rates could go higher in the next six months, despite yesterday's decision by the Reserve Bank to leave them unchanged until July.
In a statement explaining the decision, Reserve Bank governor Glenn Stevens said the board was worried about inflation expectations lifting wages, and the minerals boom boosting national income and household spending ability.
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said it was important to treat the bank's decision with caution because of the continuing battle with price inflation. "There's no knock-out blow when it comes to inflation," Mr Rudd said.
It was so dense last night that I thought to myself... "AHA! Here's a good photo op!" :P
It was a pain in the ass taking these pictures because I don't have a tripod (must get one, one of these days!), so I stepped up the ISO to 800 and 1600 and used a f/2.8 setting.
