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theinkSlingersMonday, 28 March 2011 • IS#1:280311(1) • For internal circulation only
No access cards for Taylor’s residents yet
As a result of prior agreement with Bandar Sunway Residents Association (BSRA) and Subang
Jaya Municipal Council (MPSJ), Taylor’s will not issue access cards to students staying at the Lakeside Campus’ hostel for now.
COO of Taylor’s Education Group Facilities Management Sheena Angelina said, “When we were negotiating, MPSJ had said no to hostel students [holding access cards].”
MPSJ has since allowed a three-month trial run of pedestrian gate usage to
Professor Dr. Hassan (center) with the Taylor’s Education Group Team. And the Putra Brand Gold Award on the right.
Prof.Dr.Syed Jalaludin (left)
By Thomas Yap
Taylor’s University is once again the people’s choice when it comes to the most preferred education
brand.The University won the gold in the
Prestigious Putra Brand Awards for the second consecutive time, since its inception
Other institutions in the category were KDU, HELP and UniTAR.
The award, introduced in 2010 by the Association of Accredited Advertising Agents (4As) with the Malaysia’s Most Valuable Brands (MMVB), recognizes
Continued on page 2
Taylor’s University welcomed its new chancellor Tan Sri Prof Dr Syed Jalaludin Syed Salim at the
recent graduation ceremony held last month.
The former Universiti Putra Malaysia Chancellor and former Bank Rakyat chairman obtained his PhD from London University and has five more honorary doctorates to his name.
Speaking to the 624 graduates from various schools, Prof Dr Syed advised them to observe and emulate previous graduates who are shining in their respective fields.
“Each of you can emerge as leaders, shortcuts do not work,” he said.
He added that graduates should weigh their options before making decisions, saying this would help them secure jobs in the future.
Also speaking at the ceremony, Taylor’s University Council chairman Datuk Loy Teik Ngan said the University is growing from strength to strength.
“We see positive changes and we are well on our way to being the leader (in the education field) in the country and the region,” he added.
A total of 65,000 students have graduated from Taylor’s since it was opened in 1969 from its various programs.
New Chancellor appointed for Taylor’s University
Taylor’s the leading education brand
Carpooling to solve parking woes
“It wasn’t to fight”An exclusive interview
When does violence begin?
> Page 5 > Page 10
members of the Taylor’s community who are PJS7 residents and RapidKL bus users. Students living with their families are also eligible.
During these three months, MPSJ will do random checks to make sure there is no violating of the agreement. They can revoke their approval if they find any kind of infringement.
“If everything is okay, you never know, we might make an appeal [for students living in the hostel] later,” Sheena said.
A student who declined to be named said he was concerned that students living at the
hostel could not just walk out of campus using the pedestrian gate to go to shops or the RapidKL bus stop in PJS7, instead, they had to take taxi.
Another student staying at the hostel, School of Design student Aseel Omar said, “I was asked to walk on the LDP highway which is ridiculously dangerous especially for girls.”
Student Central Manager Saw Bee Lian said Taylor’s had noted hostel residents’ concerns and would do the necessary to ensure their needs are met.
mooted my fight the
> Page 6
By Nurul Ain Jamaluddin
By Syakirah Hamad
NEWSMonday, 28 March 2011
Teams at the starting line in Taylor’s Subang campus
AdventuRace a Macho success
Team Macho fnished strong to take first place in a race of the fittest and the smartest.
AdventuRace, organised by Taylor’s Sky Adventure Club Subang Jaya, was based on the concept of popular reality series ‘The Amazing Race’, sending participants to various places as far as Kajang and Seremban.
The tasks before the competitors ranged from eating satay to abseilling, kite-flying and even peeling 100 onions with their bare hands.
Puzzles and mind-boggling clues also riddled the path to the finish line in true Amazing Race fashion.
The Sky Adventure Club also extended an arm into charity for this event, collecting donations and products for Rumah Keluarga Kami, a children’s home in Klang.
Electrical items, kites and monetary donations collected from students and teachers were given to the home.
“The donations will be used to buy tables and chairs for the children as well as to fund them in building their ‘Dream House’ for a more conducive environment,” Sheryl Hoe Kye Li, Assisting Organizing Chairperson of AdventuRace, said.
Teams had to bring goody-bags to the children there as one of their challenges.
Subang Parade was the final pit-stop and the closing ceremony was also held there.
Team Macho – Joanne Chin Pui Shan and Tay Huey Yuin of Taylor’s – came in strong to take first place, with Team Amazing Drumsticks and Team Bro finishing second and third respectively.
“We were really shocked when we found out. We had been known as the ‘walking team’ because we didn’t like to run. We brisk walked!,” Tan said.
The podium teams won a month’s membership at Celebrity Fitness and two personal training sessions each, Beryl’s Chocolates, Domino’s Pizza vouchers, Famous Amos Hampers and trophies.
The Sky Adventure Club TCSJ is happy with the success of AdventuRace 2011.
“It would definitely be one of those memories never forgotten by the members of Sky Adventure Club TCSJ,” Hoe said with a smile.
By Michelle Chun
As the world remains shell-shocked from the devastating 8.9 magnitude earthquake and tsunami hitting Japan, the scenes that explode in the news speak of despair, de-struction and desperate hope. Thousands have lost their lives, with many more still missing. And the nuclear crisis has allowed the world to see the true depth of Japan’s determination.
At the same time, nation after nation in the Middle East teeter precariously on the edge of a mass revolution.
Thousands of people find their voice against the iron fist of tyranny, corruption and the aching realisation of generations lost. The Allies have joined forces against Libya as Col. Gaddafi promises no mercy. Bomber planes hover over the war-torn areas as people hope and pray for change.There is always something new, a hurting loss or flicker of hope, each day.We some-times really are not very in touch with our world.
If we don’t read the papers, watch the news channels or click onto news online, we don’t see the shrivelled, old man in dire agony, hoping beyond hope that his chil-dren are alive. We don’t see the grimy child clinging to a rescuer with painful fear in her eyes.
We don’t hear the prayers lifted every day by the wife of a worker risking his life at the nuclear plant, or the 17-year-old boy forced to dress in military uniform talking about his seven-year-old friend killed and dumped in a football field.We can go about our day in all its monotony just as long as we stay
unshaken. It’s rather ironic how we pride ourselves
in being global citizens yet remain bliss-fully unconcerned with the horrific events that occur around us. There needs to be a change of mindset. The world we live in, this planet called Earth, is our world, not just the cradle of comfort we create.
We need to stop stripping our planet of its resources or let lives be lost to feed the power-hungry.
There is only so much Earth can give at a time - selfishness, greed and the obsession for more has gotten the better of us. Rights come with responsibilities; there needs to be a balance, ensuring there is give and take.
Malaysia has been blessed – blessed beyond comprehension. We have never
felt the hopelessness of watching our entire nation drown in unforgiving wa-ters or seen the g round shake in furi-ous anger.
Our generation has never had to stay in our homes under curfew and watch the si-lent streets shout an impending change. We have always risen, wiped the dust off our trousers and moved on.But all this could change. It all comes down to what we want, not just for ourselves, but for the genera-tions after.
This, all of this, is the cost of change, and it is inevitable. We must hope and pray that we will be blessed with the gift of fur-ther sight, so that we will choose that which is of true worth.
Editorial
The aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan
2
theink Slingers
Editor-in-ChiefMichelle Chun
Sub-EditorsMizna Mohamed
Marie Erin Pereira
Layout EditorsMax Choong
Dina Melda MatiusNur Affizza Binti Azmi
Distribution Nurul Ain Jamaluddin
Online EditionAlia Ali
Writers/ContributionJoyce Ling
Thomas YapFlorence Song
Write to us at [email protected]
PrinterC&T Graphics
Mr. Ng Hock Swee AS 82 (1st Floor)
Jalan Hang Tuah 4Salak South Garden
57100, Kuala Lumpur
Contact Number+603 7981 2250
016 277 8201
brand building as an integral part of business investment.
It was determined through a consumer research polling system developed by Pulse Group on a sample size of 6,000 Malaysian consumers.
“Even employers prefer students from Taylor’s as we deliver an excellent education experience,” said Taylor’s Chief Marketing Officer Lydia Wang
The university’s brand advocacy is based on its strong heritage and household name.
“With over 65,000 alumni’s since 1969, the education group has equipped many successful leaders who recommend this brand to others by the word of mouth,” added Wang.
The Putra Brand Awards recognition provides the Malaysian brands and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SME’s) with a platform to position their brands effectively to eventually become a global brand.
The award is the only brand award in the country endorsed by MATRADE and supported by the Branding Association of Malaysia (BAM), the Malaysian Advertisers Association (MAA), and the Media Specialists Association (MSA).
The award ceremony was held at the One World Hotel on 11 March with Taylors represented by Vice Chancellor Prof.Dr.Hassan and the Taylors education team.
from page 1
NEWS3
Smoking allowed at Recezz food court in commercial blockBy Nurul Ain Jamaluddin
Smoking is allowed at Taylor’s Lakeside Campus’ commercial block because it is not campus area, COO of Taylor’s
Facilities Management Sheena Angelina said.
Therefore, the Recezz food court which is now located at the commercial building is also considered beyond campus area.
“There is a boundary between campus and the non-campus area … from the roundabout where parents drop off their kids at Block A to half of the lake. That is why you will not see the no-smoking signs at the second half of the lake [facing the commercial building],” Sheena said.
Recently, some students have been complaining about people smoking at the food court.
Student Siti Nur said she was uncomfortable eating around those who smoke.
“It is quite hard for me to breathe when people smoke near me. I also hate it when the unpleasant cigarette smell stays on my clothes afterwards,” she said.
Meanwhile, smokers are relishing the prospect of getting to smoke openly at the area.
Student Shaheera Amelia said, “I love that we are allowed to smoke at the commercial building. At least now we have a place to smoke comfortably.”
Another student Tun Syed Hisham said he was happy that smokers could now freely smoke at the commercial block, but he felt it was unfair for non-smokers to be exposed to secondhand smoke.
He added that Taylor’s should provide an area strictly for smoking as a solution to the problem.
Sheena said the University has no jurisdiction to dictate the rules at the Boardwalk and that the management of the food court has already designated non-smoking sections.
Treasure hunt promotes English learning
By Michelle Chun
Students ran throughout the campus in a flurry of activity, all in an effort to understand English better.
For 140 students in the Intensive English Programme (IEN) who participated in Taylor’s Language Centre’s (TLC) treasure hunt, it was a day of putting their knowledge of the English language to the test.
TLC lecturer Chin Yen Looi organized the hunt, held on 8 February, which showcased an admirable 13 pit-stops and five barrier challenges – amounting to four hours of non-stop action.
“We decided on a treasure hunt because it can promote purposeful use of the English language in an authentic setting,” Chin said.
Besides the English language, the hunt tested the students in communication and leadership skills, as well as teamwork and cohesiveness.
According to Dr. Ratna Malar, Head of TLC, the students’ efforts were commendable and demonstrated their ability to think critically throughout the race, solving the puzzles and clues before them.
Li Zong Yi, a student from China, felt the hunt united students and helped them to understand the language better.
“It improved my methods of learning English, helped me find better ways to do so and increased my interest and motivation to learn English,” he said.
After four hours of thinking, running and more thinking, three teams emerged as winners and received cash prizes, dictionaries and course books.
Taylor’s notepads were also given as consolation prizes.
“The Treasure Hunt has indeed provided a platform for our IEN students to showcase their English proficiency in an authentic environment,” said Dr. Ratna.
Taylor’s at a glanceHealthy Taylorians, Happy Taylorians
The joint efforts of Taylor’s Counseling and Psychological Services Centre and Tay-lor’s Health Services Centre resulted in the successful conclusion of the Health and Wellness Campaign with almost 200 staff and students of Taylor’s attending the event.
Held on 3 March, the event saw partici-pants being given the opportunity to have free health screening including free bone and eye screening.
Some eager participants donated blood while others generously pledged to have their organs donated in case the need arises in the future.
According to Taylor’s Health Services Centre, a subsequent campaign would be held in the second part of the year.
La Fiesta indeedA slight downpour did not seem to
dampen the spirits of 200 Taylor’s students who turned up for a successful orientation party held for the February 2011 intake.
Organized by the Taylor’s University Student Council (TUSC), the event was held on 24 February and saw live perfor-mances by current as well former students of Taylor’s.
Performances included dances, magic shows and beat boxing while the dance floor was opened to all participants.
The organizers also planned ice-breaking games as well as more challenging games for the participants.
TUSC urged new students to attend such events, which will be held for each intake
throughout the year, as it will help students make new friends and know more about the university.
Taylorians win big in design competition
Two design entries from Taylor’s stu-dents won first and third place respectively in the recent Eco Retreat Student Ideas Competition organized by Pertubuhan Ak-itek Malaysia (PAM) and Green Building Index.
Lee Car Rol of Taylor’s University struck gold with her entry with her innovative and unique design.
Lim Ker Chwing, Koh Hern Lit, Chok Kwan Kin and Teoh Jin Yong also collec-tively bagged third place.
The competition, which was open to all university students, asked students to de-sign an eco-friendly retreat centre within the Penang National Park at Teluk Bahang, Penang.
Emphasis was placed on innovative ar-chitectural design, efficiency of resources and the least impact on the environment.
PAM and Green Building Index seek to promote eco-conscious design among ar-chitectural students in Malaysia, and this competition was a means of achieving this.
Senior Lecturer at Taylor’s School of Ar-chitecture, Building and Design Nor Hay-ati Hussain is very proud of the students’ achievements.
“It shows that our students are quite competitive and competent. They are able to produce highly innovative and creative design solutions,” she said.
Recezz at The Boardwalk now has a designated smoking zone
Teams hard at work solving puzzles
Monday, 28 March 2011
NEWS4
Public speaking trainer wows audience
Useful tips on public speaking and over-coming stage fright
were shared at the recent Expert Forum entitled “The WOW Fac-tor”.
The forum, held on 14 March, featured Low Ngai Yuen, Head of Kakiseni Sdn Bhd, a centre of performing arts.
Low, a prominent figure in the Malaysian media circle and former host of 3R, said that one of the main reasons students face stage fright is due to their lack of con-fidence.
She added that students should focus on the goals that they wish to achieve through their presenta-tion and make it clear to their audiences the stand they wish to
take regarding the issue. This requires a lot of practice
and only when one is comfortable with their surroundings can one perform well.
“If you want to overcome stage fright, you need to be on the stage always. Only then will you become familiar with your surroundings and will feel comfortable,” said Low.
One should engage with their audience by greeting them and having small conversations before the presentation.
Nevertheless, one should al-ways remember that the most im-portant part of presentation is the accuracy of the content itself.
“But the biggest fear we have is the perception that we will not be
able to satisfy our audience,” said student Bryna Kaur.
Students should learn that if they feel uncomfortable, it means that they are challenging their fears, Low stressed.
More than 200 people attended the event, and many found the talk beneficial.
“I really hope that there will be more talks like this to boost our confidence and to teach us how to carry ourselves properly in the future,” communication student Pann Soo Hui said.
In conjunction with the In-ternational Woman’s Day 100th anniversary, Kakiseni.com will be screening 100 hours of per-forming arts in various locations around Kuala Lumpur.
By Vasenta Selvanayagam
DREaM summer program starts
The 3rd DREaM Interna-tional Students Summer Program has returned,
with student applications closing on 1 April 2011.
Organized by the office of In-ternational Affairs of Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), Indonesia, the program gives international students a chance to visit Indo-nesia and be involved in a series of socially and culturally enriching activities.
This year the program is sched-uled to take place from 26 June to 6 July 2011 in Yogyakarta, Indo-nesia.
DREaM began in 2009 as an acronym for Disaster Research,
Empowering Community and Microeconomics. It has since ex-tended into other areas revolving around the creation of mutual un-derstanding among youths.
According to Dini Nur Latifah, Secretary and Participant Coordi-nator for the program, 100 par-ticipants from several countries around the world will join this 11-day program.
“Some of the foreign embas-sies are willing to send delegations under their scholarship to join DREaM. The Indonesian embas-sies in Algeria, Ukraine, and An-tananarivo have confirmed their involvement. Meanwhile, the Aus-trian Embassy will also send del-
By Mizna Mohamed
egations from Austria as they did last year,” she added.
This year, the program will highlight ‘Social Entrepreneur-ship’, focusing on identifying and solving social issues that gradually bring about social changes.
Participants will get a chance to do community services, join lec-tures and talks on the broad topic of ‘Social Entrepreneurship’, at-tend social events and also en-joy internship opportunities that might come their way.
Those interested are welcomed to visit the DREaM 2011 website, http://oia.ugm.ac.id/dream/for more information regarding the summer program.
International News Venezuelan student hunger strike endsVENEZUELA: A group of Venezuelan students dispersed after 24 days of protest during which they consumed only water and saline solution.
The strike, which began on 31st January, was organized by an opposition youth group called Active Youth, Venezuela United (JAVU). Initially, only 9 students participated but it soon increased to more than 80 people being in-volved in the hunger strike.
The protests were held in the country’s capital, Caracas, and also in several other cities.
The protesters were calling for the release of what they claimed as 27 ‘political prisoners’. They also wanted the Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS) José Miguel, to be al-lowed to enter into the country, so that he could evaluate the human rights situation in Venezuela.
The Venezuelan government has so far agreed to some of the protesters’ terms by releasing one prisoner and promising the release of some of the others.
Ancient university edges closer to restorationINDIA: After sitting in ruins for nearly 800 years, the Nalanda University in India, founded in the third century, has come a step closer to being restored to its for-mer glory.
The University’s board of gov-ernors met last month and
announced that the university would be opened by 2013. They further added that the construc-tion work is being undertaken by 5 countries including Japan, Singapore, Thailand, China and India as well.
The initial focus of the university will be on postgradu-ate education as well as research in humanities.
“There has been immense interest from the international community. Scholars not just from East Asia, but from the West as well, have expressed inter-est in collaborating with the pro-ject,” said newly appointed Vice-Chancellor Gopa Sabharwal.
According to Sabharwal, a global competition to choose the university’s architecture will be launched soon.
Historians have suggested that the university had once accom-modated 10, 000 students and scholars from all over Asia and had studied a variety of subjects that focused on science, philoso-phy, literature and mathematics.
China clamps down on low quality journalsCHINA: Chinese authorities have ordered the publications of sev-eral academic journals and maga-zines to be stopped in an attempt to reduce the number of sub-standard academic journals in the country.
Beginning mid-February, the Chinese General Administration of Press and Publication (GAPP), in charge of regulating overseas news and other publications, or-dered the cessation of 6 journals while publishers of 8 others were to be punished on the basis of low quality publication.
GAPP has found that certain publications were incapable of maintaining the quality of the aca-demic papers and that one such journal had published nearly 200 papers in one issue.
China has recently come under international criticism for their lack of supervision on peer evalu-ation when it comes to academic journals. Thus the Chinese gov-ernment is determined to put a stop to such criticism.
It is estimated that around 8,000 journals are published in China with 4,600 of the journals relating to the scientific field and more than half of the articles published are seldom cited.
Source: University World News
From universities around the world
Films and filmmaking encouraged for eco awarenessBy Dina Melda Matius
The Eco Film Fest 2011’s roadshow kicked off at Taylor’s Lakeside campus
with the screening of two award-winning environmental films.
The roadshow, going to vari-ous institutions around the coun-try, aims to evoke environmen-tal awareness among youths by screening thought provoking films and encouraging young Ma-laysians to make such film.
EcoKnights Founder and Pres-ident Yasmin Rasyid threw some ideas to the audience to start ex-ploring green issues.
“This is a green competition and the topic is all about environ-ment,” she said.
She said that they were seek-ing talented youngsters who could tackle the issue and able to present the message and deliver it well through short film.
Eco Film Fest 2011 offers stu-dents a chance to win grand prizes up to RM 3000 with a trophy.
There are few distinct catego-ries which are the Best Film, Best Malaysian Film, Best Young Film-maker and the Best Audience Re-action Award.
A 2008 Eco Film Fest winning-film, “Plant a Tree”, made by a final year student of ASWARA, Audrie Yeo Sui Wan was screened during the 2-hour roadshow.
When talking about her past ex-perience of filmmaking, she urged students to join the Eco Film Fest
2011 contest. “Don’t be afraid to dream,
don’t be afraid to throw out ideas because any crazy idea can turns into a brilliant one.
“The most important thing is, don’t fall in love with your first idea. Try to give time for it to
Filmmaker Audrie Yeo speaking about her experience
grow; as you enhance it and de-velop it will come out mature and it will be much better,” she said.
The Eco Film Fest 2011 crews have been travelling throughout the country with stops to Univer-sity Malaya and ASWARA still to come.
Monday, 28 March 2011
NEWS5
Tourism students raise funds to assist children in needStudents from the Diplo-
ma in Tourism course (Batch 34) organised the
first ever charitable effort in con-junction with a regional trip on 11 March.
‘Clothe a Child & Feed the Hungry’ raised funds for the Chres Village School & Orphanage in Siem Reap, Cambodia.
The event came about as they were planning a 5-day tour trip to South East Asia as part of their final semester project.
“Since we will be visiting Chres Village, we figured that we should raise money for them as well, hence, this project,” Chairperson Vanessa Tevi said during the event.
It will be a night of glitz and glitter as ProPassion Communications rolls out
the red carpet in honour of the glam.
Happening in April, Glam Tour is promising to be a star-studded night of fun, laughter, and unprecedented glamour.
ProPassion Communications, a consultancy managed by the Sem 6 Diploma in Communications students, is hosting the event in partnership with external company MyPartners.
“It will be a sensational and fun event whereby youths will be able to enjoy sophistication for a night of absolute sizzle and style,” Eric Chan Mun Ho, ProPassion Operations Director said.
This event is to coincide with the newly-launched YUBERACTIVE,
an online platform for youths to connect with global leading brands.
Through this portal, young people will gain experience and also be rewarded for their efforts in introducing and connecting their peers to the brands.
Launched on 1 March 2011, YUBERACTIVE is managed by ProPassion client MyPartners, Malaysia’s leading youth marketing and communications agency.
Two world brands are already connected to YUBERACTIVE, namely StarAsia, a prominent distributor of notable fragrance and cosmetic brands, and 20th Century Fox.
Glam Tour will be part of ProPassion’s efforts to create further awareness on YUBERACTIVE and to reach the desired objective of 10,000 sign-ups on the portal.
In the meantime, there will be a contest for the title of ‘Most Glamorous’ person in Taylor’s. Known as Glam Hunt, it will begin with the ‘Glam Squad’ on the lookout for potentially glamorous people.
The shortlisted people will then battle it out during Glam Tour for the title, where public voting will take place.
ProPassion’s Marketing and Communications Department Head Abigail Ngai Su Yeen promises a night not to be forgotten by all.
“Besides glamour, come and see performances from bands, meet new people and decide who should be crowned the winner of the Glam Hunt,” she said.
Tickets are priced at RM10 and are on sale now.
ProPassion promises aglamorous nightBy Michelle Chun
A Rimmel make up artist at work with a Glam hunt contestant
By Nurul Ain Jamaluddin
A trailer stuck between two illegally parked cars causes massive jam on Jalan Taylor’s
Students are encouraged to carpool to ease the prob-lem of inadequate park-
ing spots at Taylor’s Lakeside Campus.
“Students have to cultivate the culture of carpooling,” COO of Taylor’s Education Group Facilities Management Sheena Angelina said.
She added that it would be impossible to cater one parking space to each of the 10,000 students in Taylor’s.
However, Taylorian Alia Ali
said it was difficult for students to carpool.
“Students live at different places and have different timetables so it is not easy for us to carpool as much as we would like to,” she said.
Taylor’s University provides 2000 park-ing spots for students (plus an additional 500 spots for staff), at a ratio of one parking spot per five students, which, according to Sheena, is the most among other private institutions.
However, this does not appear to be enough as finding an empty parking place has been a major problem since the opening of the campus.
This problem has only been escalating since the Zone G park-ing lot was recently restricted to staff only.
Student Raidatul Husna said,
“Students are urged to be mindful of others when they park.”
Taylor’s Student Council
Carpooling mooted to solve parking woes“It is very frustrating to not be able to park at Zone G. Some-times while I am driving around campus tr ying to f ind a park-
ing spot, I can see empty parking spaces there.”
Sheena said there would be empty parking spots at Zone G throughout the day because staff could have either gone out for ap-pointments or
come in at later times.Nowadays, students have been
spotted parking their cars along the side of the road as a last re-sort.
Earlier this month, a massive traffic jam occurred inside the campus area.
A construction lorry was trapped between two cars parked at both sides of the road near Taylor’s exit.
Held outside the Student Life Centre, it attracted a great turnout, proving to be the perfect opportunity for the organisers to spread awareness and raise funds for those in need.
Among the various activities held throughout the event were pool, arm wrestling, and a ‘Fear Factor’ competition. Winners
of the pool and ‘Fear Factor’ competition were awarded with a two-day one- night stay in either Langkawi or Penang courtesy of Nantha Travels.
None of the contestants left empty handed as they were given vouchers by Sakae Sushi and T-Bowl. Other sponsors such as Genxin Charity, Mercedez-Benz
and Explorer Travel pitched in by donating directly to the Chres Village School and Orphanage.
The orphanage, which was established in 2006 through the Sustainable Organization for Community Peasant Labourer Student Development and Orphans, is a non-profit and non-governmental association.
Monday, 28 March 2011
NEWS / FEATURE6
Radio stations help our grads in recruitment By Cheryl Lee Sze Huey
Three local radio stations have joined hands to help unemployed graduates
find jobs through a newly launched Resume Bank.
As part of the L.O.L (Live Out Loud) campaign organized by Media Prima Radio Networks (MPRN), the Resume Bank, accessible through their respective websites (lol.hotfm.com.my, lol.flyfm.com.my, lol.onefm.com.my), allow students to submit their applications for internship or jobs online.
Chief Operating Officer of MPRN, Seelan Paul said the respective radio stations would look through their resumes and provide proper guidance to help students find jobs or internships.
“Education has always been
in our minds and this is part of our efforts to help propel young individuals step into the job industry,” he said.
“Students will be able to plaster the LOL site’s bulletin board with any upcoming events happening in their respective schools or campuses,” he added.
L.O.L is an ongoing campaign by MPRN comprising Fly FM, Hot FM and One FM focusing on students and graduates.
Paul added that MPRN plans to visit secondary schools at least three times a year starting in April and also host talks six times a year at selected universities around the country.
The talks will touch on career topics, such as broadcast engineering, marketing, brand and promotions, and even tricks of becoming a radio announcer.
Taylor’s to improve facilities for people with disabilities
More ramps are going to be installed around Taylor’s Lakeside
Campus to enable students and staff with disabilities to access all areas around the campus.
COO of Taylor’s Education Group Facilities Management Sheena Angelina said, “We are now moving into stage two [of our plan] where we are going to set up more ramps and make this campus a handicap-friendly campus.”
During stage one, Taylor’s made sure each block had parking spots for people with disabilities. Visitors with disabilities were also given parking spots near the bus stop.
In addition, ramps were made at the bus stop to make sure visitors with disabilities were able to move easily from the car park
to the first level of Block B.Taylor’s lecturer Abdul Razak
Mohd Kassim, who has had to use the wheelchair since he was a child, said he was happy with the facilities provided at Lakeside Campus.
“So far so good, but I’m sure a lot of things can be done to cater the needs of people with disabilities,” he said.
However, some students with disabilities still find it difficult to move around the campus, especially from classes in Blocks C, D and E to the food court at commercial block.
IT student Kent Gowiko, who had to recently start using crutches, said, “It is very tiring to go to commercial block so I just ask my friends to buy food for me and bring it here [to Block E].”
Parking spaces for the disabled placed near a ramp
By Nurul Ain Jamaluddin
Twitter: My daily news sourceBy Neha Naresh
I know the topic of social net-working websites has been completely exhausted. But
here I am giving my slightly dif-ferent take on such a website: Twitter.
While not as famous as its nemesis, Facebook, Twitter has been rapidly gaining popularity.
It is a micro-blogging website that is used worldwide. Twitter is all about sharing your thoughts; it could be anything from a minute detail about your life to your thoughts on a current world affair.
Basically, you can use Twitter to talk about anything!
A lot of celebrities, politicians and other prominent members of society use Twitter as well; be it the King of Bollywood, Shah Rukh Khan to our very own Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.
It is a vast platform for public figures to share their opinions and to also let people know what is going on in their lives.
To be completely honest, when I first heard about Twitter, I was not enthusiastic about it. I just sighed and said, “Not anoth-er one!”
A few months later, however, I was surf-ing the net and came across the Twitter page of Lady Gaga and start-ed reading her tweets.
I was hooked! From her profile I jumped to another and soon enough I was stuck in front of my laptop.
Then one day, a friend of mine mentioned that she had created a Twitter account and after hearing that, it stuck with me. I decided to create one and set about ‘follow-ing’ all sorts of people.
At first I wasn’t too active on Twitter as I was still hooked on Facebook. Comparatively, Face-book seemed infinitely more in-teresting.
Some time ago, I was check-ing Twitter and I saw everyone discussing the earthquake that hit Christchurch in New Zea-land. That’s when I said to myself, “Why should I watch CNN, when I can just follow CNN on Twitter!
This opened up a whole new
vista of opportunities for me. Soon enough, I found myself turning to Twitter for current af-fairs.
Now, I had a way of keeping in touch with what was going on in Malaysia and around the world! How convenient it was, I mar-velled to myself.
That’s when it occurred to me that websites such as Twitter don’t only serve the singular purpose of allowing one to socialise with one’s peers.
It also allows one to keep up with what is going on in the world.
So what are you waiting for? Go check out Twitter today and if it meets your liking then get your-self an account.
You will definitely enjoy the ex-perience. I know I am!
By Aizuddin Arshad
I have been fortunate enough to visit the home-land of the Leprechauns
recently. The weather there was typically Irish – unpredict-able – and the winter was frigid and cold.
But the sights were truly magnificent. That is not, howev-er, what intrigued me the most.
It’s not St. Patrick’s Day, if that’s what you think. It is the craic that was most noteworthy as it is quintessentially Irish.
Pronounced as crack, the term does not correspond to any specific translation or defi-nition.
But it can be roughly captured as ‘fun’ or ‘general enjoyment’.
There can be great craic go-ing on, especially in pubs, or you
Let’s get craic-ingcould be a craic yourself by be-ing good company.
Besides social settings, the merry culture of the craic can be seen in other aspects of Irish society.
To go along with the craic, one needs a more easy-going at-titude.
As such, the intense “over time” working lifestyle com-mon in Asia is unheard of in that part of the world.
They work efficiently during working hours and come 5p.m., they bolt out the door to un-wind.
And the politicians too are a lot more casual in carrying themselves in public, lest be deemed snobs and not embrac-ing the craic, which could cost them the election.
This culture is something that would be beneficial if it
was acculturated into our own. We are a serious, protocol-
conscious, and high-strung group of people.
Couple that with our cho-lesterol-laden diet of daily nasi lemak and roti canai, it’s a recipe for the ultimate heart attack.
Or at the very least an anxi-ety attack. So why not try to loosen up a bit and take more time to enjoy life? We start small, with ourselves and those in our charge – family and employees.
Then maybe we can get this thing viral and create something like the Facebook mania.It is going to be a long way before the entire society can get on with this culture, so we better get craic-ing now!
Monday, 28 March 2011
FEATURE7
Caring for the elderly
By Nur Affizza Binti Azmi
There is an old adage which says that as we become senior citizens, our characters become
similar to those of childre n: stub-born, sensitive and attention-crav-ing. Elderly care is an emotion-
ally challenging process for all the parties involved. The caregivers, who are mostly children caring for their aged parents, must freely forgive the latter’s shortcomings and ensure the best care for them.
In today’s fast-moving world, adults are increasingly caught up in their work and surrounding
matters. Asian values, however, highlight our duty to care for par-ents as they once did for us. Most of us are willing to do this but are unsure of how to provide good care for the aged while manag-ing our own lives. Therefore, here are some tips on eldercare for the concerned younger generation.
We’re all in this togetherAs soon as an elder shows signs
of needing care, gather all fam-ily members together and discuss about eldercare. Make a list of responsibilities and divide them among all members. Some of your family members may not be very pleased with the thought of looking after an aged person, but remind them that being a family means caring for one another: - something they would also require in their old age. When each fam-ily member plays a part, the aging will feel loved and cared for.
Happy (nutritious) mealElderly people in general
should avoid salty and spicy food. If you are not cooking for your family, team up with the cook and prepare a weekly menu of nutri-tious food for them. Talk to your grandmother to find out her fa-vourite foods and try to incorpo-rate them into the menu.
Outdoor momentsA simple walk in the park is
enough to give a person a healthy feel as spending time indoors would not be beneficial to their health. Take time to bring them out. Change that Sunday lunch to a picnic by the waterfall or a weekend outing with the family. Not only does going outdoors make your loved ones feel happy
and rejuvenated, you also get to strengthen family ties. Senior citi-zen Hasimah Kasah said, “I really enjoy doing outdoors activities with my children and grandchil-dren. It makes me feel so happy.”
Bridging the gapThose who are bedridden are
much more difficult to entertain since bringing them outdoors is practically impossible. A simple solution is to bring children to meet the elderly since they like to interact with kids. The upbringing of children should include regular time spent with the aged ones in the family.
Expert assistanceDon’t be afraid to seek expert
assistance if you are not sure about how to care for the elderly, especially when caring for senior citizens with mental health issues or terminal diseases. “I take my parents for medical check up at least once in three months in or-der to monitor their health,” said Mohd Idzham Baharudin, 25, an accountant with Telekom Malay-sia Berhad. In Malaysia, the Na-tional Council of Senior Citizens is available for consultation, as are medical personnel throughout the country. Keep things positive when speaking with your loved ones. Always provide the assur-ance that you are there for them in times of need.
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Caring for the elderly in our lives should be practised
Monday, 28 March 2011
Aren’t Taylorians sporting enough?By Nurul Ain Jamaluddin
Sports clubs at Taylor’s are facing difficulties in recruiting dedicated
members, reflected during the recent Clubs and Societies Day held earlier this month.
President of Taylor’s University Anime Society Edwin bin Sabturani said more students join non-sports clubs because they view these clubs as physically less demanding.
“By joining non-sports clubs, students expect the activities to be held indoors. They prefer to just attend meetings.
It is much more convenient compared to joining a sports club which requires outdoor activities,” he said.
Tabitha Ujang, a member of Taylor’s Book Club, said many Taylorians have hectic lifestyles as university students.
“We students are too busy with our studies and assignments. Most of us cannot commit to the demanding activities of a
sports club,” she said.Meanwhile, Nurul Syahirah, a
Foundation in Science student, mentioned that some students who were interested in joining sports clubs during Clubs and Societies Day failed to do so because there was no one at the booths.
“I actually wanted to join the Athletics Club but there wasn’t anyone,” she explained.
Edwin also pointed out the inconsistency of sports clubs’ activities as another contributing factor to the students’ lack of interest.
“Personally, I was planning to join the basketball club but I heard that practices are inconsistent. If the club is inactive for three months, students would start to think the club does not exist anymore,” he said.
Taylor’s Women’s Futsal Club experienced this exact situation when the club was inactive for two months recently.
“Our last futsal practise was in December last year. We will start training regularly again beginning this March with new members
already signed up,” said Aseel Omar, captain of Women’s Futsal Club.
Meanwhile, Swimming Club president Jillian Ng said the club had not been active because nobody was running it previously.
Student Event Advisor J.B. Aravind said Taylor’s management had activities planned for sports clubs last year but students in charge did not execute them.
“However, there are clubs who are consistently active, like the Muay Thai and Ping Pong clubs,” he said.
Aravind added that Taylor’s was looking to change the situation this year.
8FEATURES
International Women’s Day
their never-ending struggle for equality, peace and development.
Not only that, it also serves as a platform to unite, network and mobilise meaningful change.
Here in Malaysia, IWD has been celebrated by fighting violence against women.
By Marie Erin Pereira
A century ago, the world began to recognise the contribution of women to society.
The International Women’s Day (IWD) is celebrated each year on 8 March in their honour.
It is a major day of global celebration whereby women are acknowledged for their achievements regardless of divisions such as nationality, ethnicity, linguistic, culture, economic status or political leanings.
Numerous events are lined up not just on this day but throughout the month of March to celebrate women and appreciate their contributions to society all these years.
Besides serving as an occasion to recall past hardships and triumphs, it also gives us the chance to look forward to the untapped potentials and opportunities that await the future generations of women.
This year marks the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day, with the global theme selected by United Nations as “Equal Access to Education, Training and Science and Technology: Pathway to Decent Work for Women.”
For women across the globe, the symbolism of IWD holds a deeper meaning in their hearts. It offers them a chance to look back and see how far they’ve come in
Seminars, exhibitions, and campaigns are among the few initiatives that have been carried out to raise awareness and to allow women to express their dissatisfactions against gender violence.
Consequently, two noteworthy legal achievements have been made: one, the implementation of the Domestic Violence Act in 1996 - Malaysia being the first country to recognize domestic violence as a crime; and two, the reforming of laws with regards to rape.
One of the events held this year in conjunction with IWD was the Stop Motion Project.
Running by the tagline, “When does the violence begin?”, the project aims to end violence against women.
This KL-based project also sees the participation of Michelle Tam, 22, a final year student of Communication and Media Management (CMM) at Taylor’s University.
She mentioned that she’s always felt strongly about violence against women and is glad to finally be able to contribute towards ending, or at least reducing the severity of the problem.
“I want to challenge people to be more concerned with “When does the violence begin?” instead of picking up the pieces in the aftermath of abuse. Prevention is cure,” she stated
The new millennium has witnessed a significant shift in both women’s and society’s perception regarding equal opportunity for women.
Women nowadays have their own opinions and are eager to speak their minds, demanding to be heard.
They want to be at the forefront, together with men, striving for more success and leading their nations to be more progressive.
But the sad truth is that women aren’t treated as their male counterparts in many parts of the world; they are not equally represented in business or politics, and internationally, women’s education and health are of poorer quality than that of men.
The continued violence against them still has not seen an end to it.
Nonetheless, improvements have taken place. We now have female astronauts and prime ministers, school girls being accepted into universities, women securing better job positions while having a family, and many more.
Even if the situation seems to be getting better, there is still much more that needs to be done to uplift women’s standard in society.
Each individual out there has to play his or her respective role in ensuring that the future for women is bright, equal and safe.
Celebrating women as they continue to march forward
“I want to challenge people to be more concerned with “When does the violence begin?” instead of picking up the pieces in the after-math of abuse. Prevention is cure,” - Michelle Tam
source: http://topuspost.com
When does the violence begin?By Alia Ali
You know your neighbor sees red easily, you have seen the tell-tale bruises his wife tries so
desperately to hide and you have heard her muffled screams in the dead of the night. You ask yourself, “When does the violence stop?”
Stop Motion Project founders Temme Lee, Ong Jo-Lene and Lim Kar Mern are instead asking, “When does the violence begin?”
Funded by a grant from Association of Progressive Communications’s (APC) initiative for ICT use in ending violence against women, this project is organized in Malaysia by Pusat Kesedaran Komuniti Selangor (EMPOWER).
This video campaign is being carried out in three phases over six weeks, using creative storytelling through stop-motion animation to promote awareness on the issue of violence against women. Short and simple, each video displays social scenarios relatable to many Malaysians,
ending with the tagline of “When does the violence begin?”
By asking this question, Stop Motion Project hopes to encourage discussion. It also aims to help the public identify which situations come under the term “violence against women” - whether that person is the victim, the perpetrator or the bystander - and to rectify the prevailing local attitudes towards the problem.
Ong Jo-Lene herself came to Taylor’s to speak about the project and facilitate discussions. Participants opened up, sharing personal experiences about their own brushes with discrimination
and violence against women. Even
though time was limited, the discussion brought to light questionable
situations that many women
find themselves in, and how it affected
them in the long run.Estimates by the Women’s Aid
Organization reveal that up to 93% of domestic violence cases are only reported after years of the victims suffering in silence. This happens for many reasons, though the many campaigns held through
the years have helped some. Maria Chin Abdullah of EMPOWER
notes on the Stop Motion Project website that “The project will add on to the work of many groups working on violence against women, which opens up possibilities to redefine violence against women and creating spaces for discussions in an interactive manner.”
“I felt honoured when the core team invited me on as a member,” said Michelle Tam, one of our own Taylor’s University students who was directly involved with the project.
Her favourite experience was while working as the makeup artist for
“Segregate the Zombies”, which highlights gender segregation and sexual harrasment.
“Transforming three good looking guys into the undead and making batches of realistic fake blood using dark blue paint, deep red food dye, and a dash of cornflakes for ‘guts’ - with no prior experience whatsoever - is something I’ll always be proud of.”
Online partners of the campaign include the video channel PopTeeVee.net, legal community blog LoyarBurok.com and supported by ChicYamada.com.
It will also be featured at the Women:100 festival organized by KakiSeni.
Stop motion animation on violence against women
Monday, 28 March 2011
The season of Davids slaying Goliath after GoliathBy Mizna Mohamed
It was a typical Saturday evening and I was flopped in front of the TV. Newcastle was hosting Arsenal and I
was curious to see how the Toons fared after losing their star man, Andy Carroll to Liverpool.
The match started and it looked like it was over with 26 minutes on the clock as Arsenal eased into a comfortable 4-0 lead. Feeling a bit sorry for the Toons, I was overly grateful for the halftime whistle.
The first few minutes of the second half was again painful for the Toon fans as their team struggled, then suddenly it all changed.
A fourth goal of the season for Leon Best, sandwiched between two Joey Barton penalties made me sit up straight and smile in anticipation.
The Arsenal defense crumbled under the intense pressure from the home team, urged on by the intensifying roar of their fans.
The rest they say is history but Cheik Tiote’s first goal in English football completed the greatest comeback of all time.
This season of the Barclay’s English Premier League (EPL) has been one roll-ercoaster of a ride for every team. The hun-gry Wolves breaking the illusion of invin-cibility surrounding Manchester United, a disciplined Sunderland side dismantling
champions Chelsea at Stamford Bridge and a determined West Brom side thrashing Arsenal. One thing is clear though, English football is changing.
Gone are the days when teams like Bolton, Wolverhampton and Sunderland succumb to the pressures of playing against the big names of English football.
Instead, the game has become attack-minded, raging with flair with fancy back heels and outrageously exceptional goals. (Wayne Rooney’s match-winning volley
against City is worth a mention here). There is a belief among teams that with
proper discipline and tremendous hard work, they can have a go at any team in the league; be it away or on their own turf.
This amounts to one of the reasons why the league table is so tight at both ends this season. Teams are finding it difficult to string a decent run of games.
Every match is hard work and no team has the luxury of taking their eyes off the ball, be it those fighting against relegation,
challenging for the title or competing for coveted European spots.
However, many believe the quality of English football has gone down and that although teams are scoring goals, they are letting goals in as well. So far this season, 797 goals have been scored and conceded.
Last season, with 38 rounds of matches played, 964 goals were scored and conceded.
With 11 rounds of matches still to be played, it is highly likely that the teams will surpass this number by a margin.
I do agree that as a fan (even of Liverpool) it has become extremely difficult to predict in which games your team will drop points.
But as a fan of football, this season has been the most exciting season of recent times. Seeing newcomers Blackpool play such attractive football and witnessing the change in Bolton’s game makes me feel proud to be a fan of the beautiful game.
And come May, no matter who wins the title or who relegates, this would be written down as a season of Davids slaying Goliath after Goliath.
Dimitar Berbatov might have scored six goals in one match and Fernando Tor res may be the most expensive player in English football.
But the names of Charlie Adam of Blackpool, Demba Ba of West Ham and Peter Odemwinge of West Brom would certainly leave a greater mark on the minds of EPL watchers around the world.
9FEATURES
The Red Carpet verdict - from the OSCARS 2011 By Florence Song
On one spectrum of the globe, fashion juggernauts and industry darlings alike pound the pavements
by the Italian palazzos in their red-soled Louboutins – speculating what the next fashion maison might send storming down the runway.
From Missoni’s signature tweeds dyed in a magpie mix of popsicle hues, to Cavalli’s armour-like bodices; fashion week’s Autumn-Winter offerings were the only talk of Milano town.
Au contraire, on the sunnier side of downtown LA, lays a sartorial spectacle of its own.
It was once again the time of the year for Hollywood Boulevard to dazzle under the spotlight (and sometimes, unforgiving scrutiny) cast by fashion pundits, as the 83rd Annual Academy Awards rolled round.
Though some may beg to differ, the defining Oscars moment is when a celebrity saunters down the iconic crimson runway in her sartorial best.
Why else would millions so willingly subscribe to the pre-show dress coverage? Surely that lies with the guilty pleasure of marvelling at the fashion triumphs and mishaps of Hollywood’s finest.
Esteemed to be ‘The Holy Grail’ of all red carpets, Tinseltown’s A-listers know full-well that scoring praise for their red carpet ensemble is almost as elusive, if not more so, than clinching one of the coveted
golden statuettes. Consequences are dire – you’re either
elevated to fashion icon status or immediately typecast as a passé. Here you’ll find seasoned red carpet guests pulling out all the stops - glitz and glam amped up to the ninth degree.
It seems that most got the memo dictating sensual siren reds to be the look du jour of this year’s Academy Awards.
Vivacious rogue colours ranging from high-wattage tomato hues to tangerine brights studded the red carpet.
Jennifer Lawrence in particular ravished as the seductive femme fatale (Jessica
Rabbit anyone?) in a basic figure-hugging, bright red Calvin Klein dress.
Some opted for the embellished route with trains and frills as Sandra Bullock – a classic purist – donned a strapless red Vera Wang while Anne Hathaway oozed old school Hollywood charm in a vintage red taffeta gown by Valentino Haute Couture.
Jennifer Hudson showed off her new-found svelte figure in a vibrant tangerine piece by Versace alongside Penelope Cruz who flaunted her amazing post-baby figure in a bold L’Wren Scott sequinned gown.
Fiery reds aside, others explored calmer waters with gowns in metallic and neutral palates.
Gwyneth Paltrow – the queen of subtle elegance - shone in a liquid Calvin Klein molten gunmetal gown proving yet again that clean aesthetics were her forte while ‘Blue Valentine’ star Michelle Williams played up her gamine appeal in a pearly white Chanel gown that was devoid of any frippery.
Hilary Swank was yet another red carpet stunner who capitalized on understated evening glam with her silver Gucci feath-ered gown.
While others played safe, Cate Blanchett delighted in a lavender-hued, avant-garde Givenchy crafted couture piece which gar-nered surprisingly mixed reviews.
They say that only the bravest few dare to stray, but whether you’re making a statement in a provocative Galliano gown crafted for the fashion daredevil, or wowing in an Elie
Saab sequinned sizzler fit for the vixen-ish starlet, remember, there’s nothing duller and more forgettable than being formulaically safe.
No one remembers a mediocre dress, but a statement dress? Now that will burn a lasting impression into people’s minds for years to come.
Case in point? Bjork’s notorious Marjan Pejoski swan dress – complete with giant egg no less – back in 2001’s Academy Awards.
Mentioned to death? Perhaps. Forgotten? Never.
Newcastle Midfielder Cheik Tiote celebrates after his equalizing goal against Arsenal
Jennifer Lawrence in figure-hugging, bright red Calvin Klein dress
Cate Blanchett in a lavender-hued, avant-garde Givenchy
Monday, 28 March 2011
10FEATURES
“It wasn’t my fight to fight” An exclusive interview with a student studying in Egypt
By Alia Ali
The current wave of Middle East and North African protests have been making their way steadily through many countries. The clashes, self-immolations and death tolls have been
frightening for many of us who have been watching from afar.
But what of those who were right there when it happened? The Inkslingers talked to Anis Natrah Muhammadd Khairulailzaki, one of the many students studying in Egypt when the revolution happened.
Inkslingers : Where in Egypt were you studying?Natrah : I’ve been studying medicine at Mansoura University for the past year and a half. There’s always some protest going on at the university, to be honest (laughs).
Inkslingers : When did you realize that something was wrong?Natrah : My friends and I heard about what was happening in Tunisia sometime in the middle of January. I started stocking up on food even then, just in case. Then the protests happened in Mansoura itself, on the 24th of January. This time we knew the protests were serious when we noticed that the police were there at the university.
Inkslingers : How did the communications black out affect you?Natrah : It was a little worrying. Phone lines in Cairo and Alexandria were cut off. Thankfully it did not extend to Mansora. Then on the 28th of January onwards, we could not connect to the Internet. That was really difficult, as the only real way I could get updates on what was happening was by contacting my family back here in Malaysia. They would then relay to me what they knew from the news and Internet.
Inkslingers : So you had to call your family half the world away to get updates on the country you were in?Natrah : Yes! It was ironic, to say the least. I remember at some point my mother told me that there was a directive from the Malaysian High Commission telling us to go out one last time to stock up on food for a month. That would have been a scary thing to hear, had I not already stocked up food long before that.
Inkslingers : What happened next? How did you finally get out?Natrah : We took the bus out of Mansoura to Alexandria on the 5th of February. There were about 22 buses all in all. We only stayed in Alexandria for one night. Me being me, while we were there, I wanted to catch at least a glimpse of the action so I went out and managed to get some photos. Then from there we were flown to Jed dah. Some went with MAS, some with
AirAsia like myself, and others on military planes. To be honest I was a little disappointed that I wasn’t on a military plane! That would have been such an interesting experience. We were then housed in the Tabung Haji building in Jeddah for about six days. It was terribly boring there just waiting, so we managed to get permission to go out in groups to shop and sightsee. That wasn’t so bad. Later on we were flown back to Kuala Lumpur on SriLankan Airlines. We finally arrived back here on the 12th of February.
Inkslingers : Now that you’re safely back here in Malaysia, how do you feel?Natrah : I’ve been back here for over a month now. It would have been interesting to be there and part of the rev olution there. But to quote my uncle, it wasn’t my fight to fight. School is starting next week. I’ll be flying back soon. I hope everything will be stable and safe enough for me to continue my classes.
World Consumer Rights Day (WCRD) observed on 15 March every year aims to promote the basic rights of all consumers.
The theme this year, “Consumer for Fair Financial Ser-vices” is most appropriate as consumers continue to battle difficult economic conditions.
Citizens should be well-informed and understand the risks of using bank services, as clauses in fine print free banks from liability most times.
Banks in Malaysia are known for fast loan approvals, such as the personal loan, housing loan, car loan and education loan.
Malaysians are therefore able to take out loans easily, ultimately leaving them in debt.
The Star reported a rapid increase of household debt at 11.1% per annum from 2004 to 2009 and from RM516.6bil at end 2009, it climbed by 8.4% to RM 560.1bil as of August 2010.
Many people are not adequately informed on the terms and conditions banks have.
“I was not aware that banks fined people for bounced cheques. Sometimes it’s not even the consumer’s fault, but they get fined anyway,” student Esmee Elissa said.
WCRD 2011 aims to educate people on the use of financial services and calls for the financial services industry to stop misleading consumers through their ads and campaigns.
A burnt car on the street in Alexandria.
WCRD 2011 highlights fair financial services
“...there was a directive from the Malaysian High Commission telling us to go out one last time to stock up on food for a month.”
- Anis Natrah Muhammadd Khairulailzaki By Joyce Ling
Monday, 28 March 2011
She is the author of the number one bestsellers Can You Keep A Secret?, The Undomestic Goddess, Remember Me?, and Twenties Girl, as well as the immensely popular Shopaholic novels.
However, as Madeleine Wickham (her real name), she has written seven bestselling novels.
The Gatecrasher tells the story of Fleur, a gorgeous yet lazy woman. At forty, she goes around searching for rich men who are able to provide her and her teenage daughter a glamorous and comfortable life.
With the help of The Times, she looks through the funeral and memorial services of the wealthy - where gatecrashers are less noticeable-and preys on rich men. She makes her way into their lives, making full use of their credit cards and then moves on to yet another vic-tim.
When Richard, himself a wealthy businessman, meets Fleur at his wife’s memorial service, he was smitten by her. Gradually, Fleur works her way into Richard’s family and cashes in on their wealth simultaneously. But she finds herself staying behind longer than expected.
Personally, Gatecrasher isn’t my favourite book from Wickham’s collection. But due credit has to be given to her as she managed to keep me reading straight through.
Wickham gives us a peek into the lives of the British upper-class with a combination of suspense and wit.
Although I don’t quite fancy the main character, I found Fleur to be an interesting person. Wickham keeps me on my toes thanks to Fleur’s antics.
I found myself eager to know who would be her next victim and what deceitful ways she might use to enjoy his wealth.
The same can’t be said about the rest of the characters. Not only did they pale in comparison to the main character, but I didn’t find any personal growth for any of them. The story was interesting but kind of predictable in a way.
Also, I felt that the ending was quite abrupt and dull. If you are a Sophie Kinsella fan, don’t expect too much from this book. It pales in comparison to her other notable works, but makes a good boredom cure.
It was certified platinum in the U.S. within several months and went on to sell over six million copies worldwide.
The following years proved to be tough for this young starlet as she was embroiled in plagiarism issues and her marriage to Sum 41’s Deryck Whibley saw the end of the road.
But she’s put all her woes aside to come up with an album that is sure to please her hardcore fans, and maybe even gain some new ones.
I’m not really a fan of Avril Lavigne, but I have to admit that it’s nice to see her back in the music scene once again.
The release of Goodbye Lullaby’s lead single, “What The Hell”, once again showcases Lavigne’s edgy persona which she has been known for since the start of her career.
In a way, I found the song somewhat similar to “Girlfriend” from her previous album. The energy from this song is also featured in another track titled “Smile”, which has a pop-heavy appeal to it.
Meanwhile, the lyrics for “Alice” talk about triumphing over obstacles.
“Black Star” serves as a graceful introductory track for the album. Tracks such as “Everybody Hurts”, “4 Real”, “Remember When” and “Goodbye” contain layers of emotion.
I feel that certain tracks in her album were inspired by her divorce.
While she’s already known for being a songwriter for her own music, this new album sees Lavigne being the sole writer for a couple of songs.
Not only that, she also assumes the role of a producer for a pair of tracks.
After listening to her album, it became evident that she tried to incorporate just a hint of her musical style from the previous album while experimenting with new music.
Goodbye Lullaby will definitely excite all her fans seeing that she hasn’t put out an album in the last four years.
Avril Lavigne fans are certainly in for a real treat as their favourite punk princess is back in town.
Well-known Hollywood actors Matt Damon and Emily Blunt star in this thriller.
On the verge of winning a seat in the U.S. State Senate, ambitious politician David Norris (Damon) has a chance encounter with a beautiful contemporary ballet dancer Elise Sellas (Blunt) in a restroom.
Just as he realizes he’s beginning to fall in love with her, a group of mysterious men reveal their plan to keep the two apart.
David soon finds out he is up against agents of Fate - men of The Adjustment Bureau - who will do everything possible to prevent David and Elise from being together because it isn’t in the ‘plan’.
However, David is willing to take on this group despite the consequences.
I’d have to say that Nolfi certainly had great ideas playing in his mind on how to tackle this movie. However, he falls short of expectations when it comes to translating Philip’s short story to the big screen.
If only he had come up with a better storyline to compliment the interesting characters that he had created (David and Elise). In short, the storyline brought the movie down.
On the other hand, I have to take my hats off to both Damon and Blunt for dishing out some genuinely good acting performances.
Not only that, both actors also shared very good chemistry on-screen. They brought out the best in their respective characters and managed to make them look absolutely believable. Both Damon and Blunt were definitely on top of their game in this film.
If you are a fan of Matt Damon or Emily Blunt, there’s a possibility that you might enjoy watching The Adjustment Bureau.
If only Nolfi had seized the chance to do more with his storyline, this movie might have been exceptional rather than ordinary. The Adjustment Bureau had the potential to be a great movie had it been well thought out, but all in all failed to impress.
BOOK MOVIE MUSICREVIEWS
Our maestro of reviews crashes The Gatecrasher
By Marie Erin Pereira
It was the first week back at college. My friend and I were strolling around campus while eyeing the fresh-ly-opened restaurants.
After much contemplation and with a tight grip on my not-so-heavy wallet, we finally settled for Hoagies Hauz; I was not expecting anything as the name was unfamiliar to me.
Boy, was I surprised when minutes after placing our orders, I found a savouring plate of melted cheesy pasta and mind-tingling aromatic Italian bread beckoning me to take a huge bite. After the first mouthful, I knew I had found the subject of my food review.
The outlet focuses on healthy, wholesome meals. Hoagies offer 9 various types of sandwiches and 4 different spaghetti and vegetarian dishes.
As for beverages, there are a few types of drinks available ranging from brew, refreshment, blended fresh juices to soda drinks.
The common sandwiches are usually filled with meat as well as lettuce, tomatoes, sliced cucumbers, topped off
11
with a dash of ketchup, cheese mustard, mayonnaise, and BBQ sauce on an Italian roll. You can actually choose dif-ferent types of bread, salad and sauces that you want to add into it.
We dove into our meal, a Supreme Sandwich (parmesan bread) and a plate of Barcelona Cheesy Chicken spaghetti with a Snowy Mango Blend and fresh watermelon juice. The parmesan bread was amazingly soft with a bit of crisp on its edge.
The smoked chicken with ham was well seasoned and ten-derly moist. It tasted like heaven combined with the fresh flavours of cucumbers, capsicum, parsley, carrots and toma-toes.
The snowy Mango Blend boasted milk, ice and mango juice blended together and then topped off with mango slic-es and jelly. It is definitely refreshment in a glass and gives a fruity punch to the tastebuds.
Unlike other food chains, Hoagies Hauz’s pastas are not too soaked in sauce, making Barcelona Cheesy Chicken ideal for spaghetti-lovers.The watermelon juice burst with flavour and colour, a healthy yet delicious choice.
Although the prices are slightly higher than average, you do get your money’s worth, especially if you are looking for a healthy meal or an alternative take to sandwiches.
The setting is cosy and comfortable, great for meet-ups or alone time alike.
Supreme Sandwich - Smoked chicken with ham
FOOD
The Adjustment Bureau fails to impress, saved by good acting
By Marie Erin Pereira
Avril Lavigne hits the charts with Goodbye Lullaby
By Marie Erin Pereira
My preferred sandwich by Dina Melda Matius
Sophie Kinsella has writ-ten numerous novels during the last ten years
and is an international best selling writer.
Written for screen and directed by George Nolfi (writer of
Ocean’s Twelve, co-writer of The Bourne Ultimatum), The Adjustment Bureau is based on a short story written by Philip K. Dick (Minority Report and Blade Runner).
Sk8er Girl is back to complicate your life with her latest release, Goodbye
Lullaby. Avril Lavigne’s last album, The Best Damn Thing, was released back in 2007 and received much acclaim.
source: coverlandia.netsource: filmofillia.comsource: nollybook.com
Monday, 28 March 2011
Monday, 28 March 2011 • IS#1:280311(1) • For internal circulation only
Upcoming Events Orientation Party for March 2011 intakeTime and Date: 6:00-8:00pm, 7th April 2011Venue:Multi-Purpose Hall, Taylor’s University
Taylor’s University Career & Employment Fair 2011
Time and Date: 10am-4pm, 14th April 2011Venue: Multi-Purpose Hall, Taylor’s University
After conducting a random survey, the Inkslingers team found out that only about half of the stu-
dents who signed up for a number of the sports clubs turn up during practices.
“Usually we get forty to fifty people signing up for our Volleyball Club during registration day but only half of them turn up during trainings,” Sayaka Hashimoto, sec-retary of Volleyball Club, said.
The Women’s Futsal Club experiences the same thing.
“It is very frustrating because we aren’t able to form a proper futsal team. There were a lot of girls who joined the club and then quit. So, there was really no one to play with,” said Aseel Omar, captain of Wom-en’s Futsal Club.
When asked why a lot of students skip practices after joining a sports club, Aseel says it is probably because they are busy with their studies.
“The hot weather acts as a factor too. If the activities could be conducted indoors, it would be easier for people to play sports,” she says.
Meanwhile, Sayaka thinks that timing is the reason why students skip practices.
“Our trainings are usually conducted at night. So, it is very inconvenient for stu-dents who live far away from college to come here just to practise,” she says.
Taylor’s University Manager of Sports and Recreation Centre P.L. Murali said Tay-lor’s would send emails to students who registered for sports clubs to ask them to come for training.
Poor turnout for practices Malaysian fans welcome legends
The EPL All Stars Masters lifted the Standard Chartered EPL Masters Malaysia Cup 2011 with a pulsating
3-2 win over defending champions Man-chester United Masters in the final played on 13 March.
Over 4,000 English Premier League (EPL) fans were treated to a dazzling dis-play of football as some of the biggest names in English football were in town for the tournament held at Putra Indoor Sta-dium in Bukit Jalil.
The United Masters and EPL All Stars Masters contested the final after fin-ishing first and second respectively ahead of the much-fancied Liverpool Masters and Malaysia Masters in the round robin group stages.
Faustino Asprilla, who scored a hat-trick in the final, claimed the Top Goal Scorer Award with six goals in the tourna-ment while United Masters’ Andrew Cole was named Player of the Tournament.
Malaysia Masters captain Zainal Abidin Hassan’s string of impressive per-formances in the group stages earned him the Best Malaysian Player of the Tourna-ment award.
In earlier rounds, a mouth-water-ing clash between arch rivals Liverpool and Manchester United was one for the fans, as the former overcame a two-goal deficit to prevail 4-3.
Buoyed by home ground advan-tage, the Malaysia Masters also performed admirably against the EPL big guns, aiding their cause with six goals in the tourna-
ment. ‘Overall, the matches were enter-
taining. I’m happy an underdog team won, but on the downside, the dance perfor-mances between matches were horrible,’ observed Malaysia and West Ham United supporter Nurul Ain Jamaluddin.
From 12pm onwards the free-en-try carnival boasted inflatable games, food, and face painting. There was also a ‘meet and greet’ session with the players.
“Seeing them up close and per-sonal is certainly something I’ll remember,” said Michelle Chun, a Taylor’s student who
managed to obtain the winning team’s au-tographs.
Football greats from different clubs in the EPL graced the pitch, much to the de-light of the enthusiastic crowd.
“It was a day for football fans to see their club’s legends here like Andy Cole, Bryan Robson, and Robbie Fowler,” said Matthew Lim, a 20 year-old student.
This was Malaysia’s third year hosting the tournament. The Liverpool Masters won the inaugural competition in 2008 while the United Masters prevailed in 2009.
By Wong Boon Ken and Akil Yunus
theinkSlingers
EPL All Stars Masters pose with trophy
Harmesh Singh (right) of Taylor’s watching his shot go in. Source: The Star
SPORTS
The School of Computing & In-formation Technology (SOCIT) took first place against American Degree Program (ADP) in the Taylor’s Closed Football tour-
SOCIT is Champ
Taylor’s Hockey team makes 2nd runner upTaylor’s University’s hockey team reached the semifinals playoff of the KL Hockey League after earning a point against Royal Selangor Club.
The team grabbed 2nd runner-up in the KLHA Division 3 by destroying the opponent 8 - 1 in the 3rd placing playoffs in convincing fashion.
It missed out on the finals after losing 1 - 2 to Kg. Pandan Sikhs who scored a golden goal in a controversial decision during extra time.
nament on 1 March held at the Matsushita Sports Complex, Shah Alam.
It was a well-played tight-knit match as it ended with a 1-1 draw at full time. The championship then came down to penalties, where SOCIT prevailed 2-1.
The School of Business & Law got third place with a 6-0 win over ADP’s second team.
