Friday 23 December 2011
Friday 4 November 2011
Slideshow of EWC lunch on 26 Oct
Please click on the link below to view a slideshow of the lunch
https://picasaweb.google.com/113453409290577346205/EWCLunch26Oct2011?authkey=Gv1sRgCMzd3o6qp72qaA#
https://picasaweb.google.com/113453409290577346205/EWCLunch26Oct2011?authkey=Gv1sRgCMzd3o6qp72qaA#
Thursday 27 October 2011
Recent EWC Events in Kuala Lumpur
Aloha!
During the lunch, I managed to continue my question (from the talk) for Ric about "El Condor Pasa", it's origin, pentatonic scale etc.... I also learnt form Ric that like us, the Hawaii Chapter's meeting is sometimes attended by only three or four people! So, we are NOT alone....
I attended the following talk by EWCA President, Ric Trimillos on 25 October. The event was organised by Prof. Anis of UM, a fellow UH alumnus, and our latest EWC association's "honorary member". The talk was very enlightening and interesting, even entertaining, in spite of some unexpected technical glitches:
The Cultural Centre, University of Malaya (CCUM) Guest Lecture
“Global Sounds/Asian Bodies:
The International Circulation of Music”
Prof. Dr. Ricardo D. Trimillos, School for Pacific & Asian Studies
University of Hawai’i at Mânoa
Date: Tuesday, 25 October 2011
Time: 3.00pm – 4.00pm
Venue: Experimental Theater, University of Malaya
Enquiries: 03 – 79673454
BTW, during his talk, Ric made references to some music personalities most of us here in Malaysia are familiar with e.g. Anita Mui, Warren Mok, P. Ramli etc. I got to enjoy a short clip of Warren Mok’s rendition of Nessun Dorma, simply wonderful! If you missed the talk, too bad!
The EWC Alumni Association, Chapter of Malaysia hosted a lunch for Ric the following day, on 26th October, at Kampung Restaurant, at 12.30 pm.
The lunch party was very well attended by about 25 members and friends. The food, as usual, was delicious! Everyone had a good time enjoying the camaraderie, and reminiscing about the “good, old days”…. including the newbies or recent returnees, one of them a second generation EWC alumnus! Lai’s father is an alumnus who was at the EWC in the 70’s! (Sorry, I forgot her full name name, will have to get it from Poh who is keeping the name list of lunch attendants.) Also worthy of special mention is Vijayan who is currently working in Singapore and has turned up for the occasion to celebrate Deepavali with all of us. Then, there was Satwant whom we have not seen for a while because of his busy work schedule….and also Abdullah Tengah and wife who made a rare appearance! I will put up some photos later for you to see who was there at the lunch party….
The highlight or most important part of that event was of course, a talk by Ric to update us about happenings at the EWC. I was too busy taking photos and collecting money on behalf of Poh (for the lunch lah!) to take notes, but the gist of what I can remember is as follows:
The new intake of students/grantees at the EWC in September this year is around 120, thus bringing the current total student population to a healthy 240 something at the center. Although there has been a budget cut by the US Congress for EWC due to recent economic downturn in the US, President Charles Morrison is optimistic that funds will continue to come in. EWC will continue to play its vital role, especially since relationship with UH has been improving over the years after a “rough patch” in the late 80’s and 90’s. Many “old timers” whom we fondly remember have retired from the EWC. Sumi Makey and Rose Nakamura, together with quite a few other EWC retirees are now happily spending their now carefree days at a very nice (and upmarket) retirement home in Honolulu. I will find out the name of this home so that I can try to save up enough money to join them there one day!!! J
During the lunch, I managed to continue my question (from the talk) for Ric about "El Condor Pasa", it's origin, pentatonic scale etc.... I also learnt form Ric that like us, the Hawaii Chapter's meeting is sometimes attended by only three or four people! So, we are NOT alone....
If any of you have things to add to this posting, please send info to me and I shall update accordingly. BTW, photos are welcome! Mahalo!
Monday 29 August 2011
Thursday 18 August 2011
Conversational English
A project proposal by Kee-Chai Chong who has had extensive experience teaching conversational English as a volunteer in Indonesia:
A first small initiative is being planned to bring together interested individuals who want to practise conversational English. The basic purpose of this informal one-hour session is to provide a setting in which participants can interact in English based on the day’s editorial of a newspaper. Assisted by a facilitator, participants will be given the opportunity to read aloud the editorial and discuss its key messages, what s/he thinks of them and their implications in their daily life.
As a start, the session will be limited to ten participants and conducted after office hours. It is opened to working individuals on a first-come-first basis who wish to improve their English conversational skills. It is free.
This is an initiative of the Malaysian Chapter of the East-West Center Alumni Association. Venue and time will be announced once there is sufficient interest. Further details can be obtained by sending a e-mail to Chong Kee-Chai chongkc@yahoo.com or post a comment in this blog. (Non-profit Organisations and institutions are welcome to participate. This is a community service by the EWC Alumni Assocociation, Chapter of Malaysia.)
Sunday 7 August 2011
Good News From the President of the East-West Center
Forwarded by Poh Kok Kian
"Fr: Charles E. Morrison
Re: Good news for the East-West Center
Ric, please let members of the Executive Board know that the East-West Center is funded for the remainder of the fiscal year at a $21 million level in the House and Senate bills, less a small 0.02 percent across-the-board
rescission.
While this is a positive result more than half the year after the budget should have been adopted, the process has been enormously disruptive to our programming and wasteful of time and resources. I know that many alumni have been very concerned.
We are deeply indebted to Senator Dan Inouye and his very able staff for their constant support as well as the entire Hawaii delegation.
We are also appreciative of the great support we have always had from the alumni and especially at difficult periods. The alumni loyalty and participation have been among the main "selling points" when talking to members of the Congress, and I believe that there is no publicly funded program with as solid a support base in its alumni as the East-West Center.
The current budget figure is only through the remainder of this fiscal year, so we face other budget struggles ahead. But I am confident that based on our good work and with the support of our staunch Congressional friends, our committed alumni, our outstanding staff, and so many friends, we will continue to have the resources for pursuing our mission effectively.
Aloha and thank you, Charles"
Re: Good news for the East-West Center
Ric, please let members of the Executive Board know that the East-West Center is funded for the remainder of the fiscal year at a $21 million level in the House and Senate bills, less a small 0.02 percent across-the-board
rescission.
While this is a positive result more than half the year after the budget should have been adopted, the process has been enormously disruptive to our programming and wasteful of time and resources. I know that many alumni have been very concerned.
We are deeply indebted to Senator Dan Inouye and his very able staff for their constant support as well as the entire Hawaii delegation.
We are also appreciative of the great support we have always had from the alumni and especially at difficult periods. The alumni loyalty and participation have been among the main "selling points" when talking to members of the Congress, and I believe that there is no publicly funded program with as solid a support base in its alumni as the East-West Center.
The current budget figure is only through the remainder of this fiscal year, so we face other budget struggles ahead. But I am confident that based on our good work and with the support of our staunch Congressional friends, our committed alumni, our outstanding staff, and so many friends, we will continue to have the resources for pursuing our mission effectively.
Aloha and thank you, Charles"
Tuesday 2 August 2011
Bimonthly meeting on 31 July 2011
Posted by Gan Siowck Lee
The following attended the bimonthly meeting: Saleh, Poh, Gan SL, Kee, Syed Farooq & wife, Simrit, and Siaw Mei Li.
BTW, the next bimonthly meeting will be 25th September.
The following attended the bimonthly meeting: Saleh, Poh, Gan SL, Kee, Syed Farooq & wife, Simrit, and Siaw Mei Li.
Mei Li conveyed info from Clare Chan that Prof. Ricardo Trimillos will be in Malaysia from 23-29 October. His involvement with EWC began in the 60s and he is currently President of the EWCA Executive Board, which is the main EWC alumni association overseeing chapters in all the countries. Before his recent retirement, he was the head of Asian Studies and Ethnomusicology Department of University of Hawaii, Manoa. In the spirit of aloha, the meeting decided to invite him for a lunch or dinner during his visit to KL. At this meeting, he will report to us the development of the EWCA, and get our feedback with regard to our chapter development.
GSL suggested that perhaps we can explore co-organising talks/performances by Prof. Trimillos with the MPO and/or KLPac. But we need to get more info from Clare or him, to find out what he is interested to do here.
Kee shared his experiences as a volunteer English teacher teaching working adults in Indonesia. This led to further discussion about the possibility of our chapter doing the same thing. The meeting decided to identify one organisation or institution to kickstart the project.
Saleh suggested that our chapter focuses on helping to promote interculural relationships among young people in Malaysia. GSL proposed that we explore with The Star to see if we can help them add intercultural learning experiences into their NIE project.
If you have ideas, suggestions with regard to the above, please e-mail me at gansl@myjaring.net
Mahalo!
BTW, the next bimonthly meeting will be 25th September.
Monday 1 August 2011
Latest News From EWC Website
Malaysia's Political Awakening: A Call for U.S. Leadership
Former U.S. Ambassador to Malaysia John R. Malott writes about the internal political changes unfolding within that country that culminated in the large "Bersih 2.0" democracy rally on July 9
About the East West Center
From the EWC Website:
The East-West Center promotes better relations and understanding among the people and nations of the United States, Asia, and the Pacific through cooperative study, research, and dialogue. Established by the U.S. Congress in 1960, the Center serves as a resource for information and analysis on critical issues of common concern, bringing people together to exchange views, build expertise, and develop policy options. The Center is an independent, public, nonprofit organization with funding from the U.S. government, and additional support provided by private agencies, individuals, foundations, corporations, and governments in the region.
Over fifty years of serving as a U.S.-based institution for public diplomacy in the Asia Pacific region with international governance, staffing, students, and participants, the Center has built a worldwide network of 57,000 alumni and more than 750 partner organizations.
The Center’s 21-acre Honolulu campus, adjacent to the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, is located midway between Asia and the U.S. mainland and features research, residential, and international conference facilities. The Center’s Washington, D.C., office focuses on preparing the United States for an era of growing Asia Pacific prominence.
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