theinkSlingersThursday, 28 May 2015 • IS#27:280515(2) • For internal circulation only

Taylorians participate in Foodtography competition

Page 3

NEWS

Spiderman and Deadpool at TBS welcoming party Page 6

FEATURES

Upcyling for a better tomorrow Page 11

NEWS

FEATURES

Easier access to public transport for TayloriansBy PRETHIBA ESVARY SUBRAMANIAN

An artist’s impression of the BRT station and the busway. Source: Prasarana Malaysia Berhad

BANDAR SUNWAY: Construction of an 800m-pedestrian bridge that connects Taylor’s University (TU) to the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT)-Station 4 at Sunway Medical Centre is expected to be completed by the end of next month.

Prasarana Malaysia Berhad Group Communications and Strategic Marketing Department Head Lim Jin Aun said an eight metre-long escalator that will be constructed at the Taylor’s end of the bridge is expected to be completed at the same time.

In regards to both projects, Taylor’s Administration Senior Manager Amir Hamzah Abdullah said, “It’ll benefit the

Things to learn from Avengers Page 12

community especially Taylor’s University and its students, as it provides easier access to public transportation.”

According to a media brief provided by Prasarana, there is a “Park n’ Ride” facility nearby BRT-Station 5 and Monash University, which has 1,153 parking bays.

Amir said TU students are able to park their cars at this four-storey parking facility and board the BRT at station 5, and switch to the pedestrian bridge at station 4 to go to campus.

He said this ease of access to public transport could lead to a reduction in traffic congestion and parking issues at Lakeside Campus.

Amir added that Taylor’s had approached Prasarana to request for a BRT route that goes directly to campus.

However, instead of a BRT route to TU, both Prasarana and TU had reached an agreement to construct a pedestrian bridge as an alternative.

Prasarana Malaysia Berhad spokesperson Azhar Ghazali said, “The entire BRT route was determined after a comprehensive Transport Study.

“The project was executed after engagement with targeted stakeholders. We even met resident associations to secure their support and understanding for the project.”

Azhar noted that the pedestrian bridge will be lighted, elevated, covered and secured with CCTV.

The entire BRT-Sunway Line is expected to be completed by the end of the month and begin operating next month, he said.

According to the media brief, this is the first BRT system in Malaysia to be built on an elevated busway.

The brief stated that this public-private partnership project by Prasarana and Sunway Berhad aims to connect residents in Bandar Sunway and Subang Jaya to key locations around the area.

Azhar said students who apply for a concession card will receive a 50% fare discount when using the BRT.

The locations of the BRT stations are as follows:

• Station 1 – Near Mentari Court & Setia Jaya KTMB

• Station 2 – Near Mentari Business Park & PKNS Flat

• Station 3 – Next to PJS 9 & Sunway Lagoon

• Station 4 – Next to Sunway Medical Centre

• Station 5 – Next to Monash University

• Station 6 – Nearby Casa Subang• Station 7 – Nearby future Kelana

Jaya LRT (connects to Putra Heights & KL Sentral)

For further information on the BRT project, users can also visit the website: http://www.myrapid.com.my/projects/brt-sunway-line or call +603-2299 1999 / 2287 5959.

The pedestrian bridge connecting Taylor’s to the BRT-Station 4.

2 NEWS May 2015

By LEE JIA ANN

CSI crowned champs in Scholar’s Sports Day

EditorLee Jia Ann

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By MOHAMED KHAIDIR MOHAMED ZARAAI

Care for students’ career developmentBy MOHAMED KHAIDIR MOHAMED ZARAAI

SUBANG JAYA: Due to overwhelming concerns over the career development of Taylor’s University students, Career Services has launched the Career Ambassador Programme.

The programme is created to enhance students’ career pathway, according to its founder, Nicholas Woo Jiahui, 21.

Woo said, “Career Ambassadors are the bridge of information, so students have someone to look up to if they have inquiries about career paths.”

They can then share career-related topics with their peers, such as internship and job application and how to write a curricular vitae (CV).

The ambassadors will also receive career coaching by managers from Career Services.

Woo, who is an International Business and Marketing major said, “In cases where the ambassadors encounter technical questions, they need to direct it back to Career Services.”

Career Counsellor at Career Services Elaine Loh said, “Psychologically,

people who have a caring personality can see the word ‘care’ in career.”

Loh added that the word ‘care’ is significant as shown in the Career Ambassador’s logo, highlighted in the word ‘Career’.

“It is a test for the candidates during the pre-interview, if they can see the word ‘care’, they’re what we need to be a Career Ambassador,” Loh added.

One of the candidates, Carmen Chia, said, “I joined the Career Ambassador, because the ambassadors will get the first hand information from top companies.

“If the companies are recruiting interns and employees, we will share it with peers and we guide them on the application,” the 20-year-old Finance and Economics major added.

Loh said, “The minimum academic requirement is 2.5 (CGPA) because we don’t need them to be an excellent academic scholar.

She said that the reason for such a low requirement is because passion cannot be measured by results, but at

the same time students who intend to apply must not neglect their studies. Loh added that self-belief and emphathy is vital in future ambassadors.

SUBANG JAYA: A team consisted of Taylor’s College’s Canadian Pre-U, South Australian Matriculation and International Baccalaureate (CSI) students took home the first prize for the Scholars’ Sports Day held on 24 and 25 April at Taylor’s University’s (TU) Sports and Recreation Center.

CSI dominated the event by securing 23 points as they won gold medals in the female ping pong, basketball, and male fun run categories.

SUBANG JAYA: Taylorians splashed colourful paint on canvases filled with words of verbal abuse as a sign of burying the words that have hurt them with something positive.

Words such as “Cry Baby”, “Whale” and “Sepet” (squinty eyes) were previously spray painted on blank canvases during the “INKED”, anti-verbal bullying campaign.

Held on 8 May at the TU Amphitheatre, the colourful paint splash was a free admission event to attract students and staffs.

The Talent Management Programme of Taylor’s University (TU) organised the four-week long campaign held in front of the Student Life Centre.

Event project leader Amanda Woo Meijze, 20, said, “The paint splash is the climax to our awareness campaign where we get people to splash bright colourful paints onto the canvas containing the stenciled words.”

She added that the idea for the campaign was actually inspired by musician, Avicii’s lyric video of the song “The Days.”

Woo said, “The video depicted a person spray painting words on the wall and ended it with splashes of paints.”

She added, “We also hope that with this campaign, victims of verbal bullying will be empowered and be able to grow positively from the bullying.”

Taylorians splash aim to end verbal bullying

Medicine and Surgery major Mohd Nor Ameerul Roselly (middle) in the midst of dodgeball action for TUSOM4

Finance and Economics major Joel See Yue Jian (right), 20, being interviewed for a Career Ambassador role.

CAL from Cambridge A Levels (CAL) came in second place with 21 points as they won gold medals in netball, female fun run and futsal.

This year’s edition, co-organised by Sponsorship Support Unit (SSU) and Taylor’s College’s High Flyers Club, also featured Taylor’s School of Medicine (TUSOM) and Taylor’s Undergraduate (TUG) participating as two different teams for the first time.

“The separation is to increase the teams’ quota to join the sports day,” said organising committee member, Muhammad Haziq Mansor, 20.

“Combining TUG and TUSOM will cause a huge pool of players but only small quota of teams can be sent to the tournament,” Haziq said, who studies Medicine and Surgery at TU.

Biomedical Science major Muhammad Nur Alif Mohd Zamri, 21, said, “TUSOM is my enemy during the tournament but we are friends outside of the tournament.”

In the futsal category semi-finals match, TUG 3 defeated TUSOM 2 but TUSOM 4 managed to get their revenge as they defeated TUG 2 in the dodgeball semi-finals.

TUSOM 4 emerged victorious by winning the gold medal in the dodgeball finals, beating ADP 2 from American Degree Transfer Programme (ADP).

Despite being a new team, TUSOM achieved third place position with an overall score of nine points and this was a huge accomplisment for them.

NEWS 3May 2015

Taylorian foodies participate in foodtography competition

Free printing service for students by students

By SIM PEI XUAN

SUBANG JAYA: Taylor’s University engineering students created solutions to real-life challenges within three days during the 48-Hour MakerFest.

Initiated by Asia School of Business (ASB), the competition aimed to provide undergraduate engineering students with action learning experiences which integrated technological skills and business thinking.

Each of the nine teams was supplied with a box kit consisting of basic materials such as programming boards, sensors, and LCD displays to kick-start their projects.

Team Alpha Q, who came in at second place, created the “Robotic Gripper”, a mechanical flex sensor gripper inspired by the challenge of needing an extra hand to hold items or to reach for distant objects.

“Time constraint was the tough part; our prototype turned out to be less

SUBANG JAYA: Taylor’s Business School (TBS) has led the way for other schools to follow suit as their implementation of buddies system has been utilised well.

“Each senior will be assigned to three to four juniors according to the selection from juniors through a Facebook page. Juniors will have to register online for this privilege,” International Business and Marketing major Mel Edzwan Mashor, 22, said.

Such system is proving to be a hit among the TBS students as it is beneficial and rewarding for all parties. Some students are using the system to meet new people.

“It is a chance to meet new people, especially for freshmen in this course as certain freshmen tend to be loners because they are new on campus and they do not know everyone,” Mel added.

Students from other academic schools are even starting to take notice of such a system.

“It will help in terms of guidance on assignments, as our lecturers always refer to previous assignments by our seniors. So might as well we have such a system so we can approach them for advice ourselves,” Tan Wee Kar, Hotel Management major said.

While some are reveling in such a system, there are minorities that feel that the buddies system needs more time to fully kick into gear.

“In my opinion, it might not work for everyone because the truth is, not every junior is friendly enough for the seniors to approach,” International Business and Marketing major Irene Hii Sze Jing, 21, said.

TBS introduces buddies systemBy VINCENT WONG YEW SING

SUBANG JAYA: A Pharmacy major was one of the winners of the Taylor’s University’s (TU) “Foodtography” competition, with her photo entry of a salmon dish cooked by a friend.

Tiffany Lena Wong, 23, said, “It was a dish created based on my liking for salmon and when I look at that picture, it reminds me of the many good conversations over meals we’ve had.”

TU’s students and staff participated in the competition and posted their captioned images on Facebook and Instagram with the hashtag #taylorsuni.

Five winners were selected and they each received RM40 worth of vouchers from Starbucks.

Software Engineering major, Sim Hong Chun, 22, won with his entry of a burger with bacon strips, taken at a restaurant in the United Kingdom.

He dedicated the momentous coup to his parents, because without them, he would not even have the opportunity

By LEE JIA ANN

precise than intended because we did not have enough time for the 3D printing process,” Mechanical Engineering student Nik Shazril Bakti, 20, said.

Apart from creating the prototype, all teams were encouraged to figure out an investment pitch that could generate funding to transform their project ideas into reality.

One project that received a judge’s approval for its investment pitch was the “Ultrasonic Distance Sensor” by Team Halberd.

Foundation in Engineering student Bryan Chang Xien Qiang, 19, said, “Our project addresses the inconvenience of measuring tape; the ultrasound sensor in our device can measure distance from one’s current location.”

During the workshop session, students learnt new software programs for designing and coding their projects, guided by a mentor.

“Every day we see brilliant ideas, but not every day we see them in practice,” ASB Faculty Director for Action Learning Prof. Loredana Padurean said.

to taste good food, and be able to enter the competition.

Sim’s inspiration was to capture the food, and remember it forever.

By BEGAIYM DZHANOVA

He said, “At some point we will forget the taste of the food. Hence, the best way to remember it, is to capture and store it in my own photo album.”

Students solve real-life challenges within 48 hours

Team Halberd took home the title as the winner of 48-Hour MakerFest.

The winning shot photographed by Sim Hong Chun was taken in a restaurant in the United Kingdom.

She said the insight gained through the thinking process, teamwork, and time management is the ultimate achievement for the students.

SUBANG JAYA: A group of Taylor’s University (TU) students has started a company called FRUNI PRINT that provides free printing service for other students and helps to lower the cost of their studies.

Founder of the company, Finance and Economy major Alexis Ang Wei Zhong said, “Students already paid enormous school fees, living expenses; and printing cost is an extra burden.

“Our initiative is an answer to that problem,” he said.

FRUNI PRINT allows students to submit their lecture notes through Facebook page and receive printouts the following week on a daily basis.

“The initiative was possible because of sponsored advertisement by relevant companies who would like to reach out to university students,” Ang said.

Ang said they have received an approval from Dean of Business School Vinitha Guptan to operate on campus.

Students who have used this service mostly give positive feedbacks.

“It is quite convenient for us students, so I decided to give it a try since this service is free” Business Administration major Ho Xin Yi, 26, said.

Electrical and Electronic Engineering student Ahmad Fakri, 24, said, “It saves time if I want to print my lecture slides, I can just send them through Facebook and collect anytime I want.”

Ang said they plan to expand to other universities as they aim to become one of the leading suppliers in printing throughout Malaysia.

4 NEWS May 2015

SUBANG JAYA: Taylor’s University International Student Council is organising their annual Cultural Festival known as World Fest 2015 which will take place on 5 June at the Grand Hall from 6pm to 11pm.

Their aim is to attract 800 international students from Taylor’s University as well as from other private institutions in Klang Valley.

International Student Services Senior Executive Mohamed Hussaini Abdullah said, “The festival promises to be action packed with local and international performances and other exciting activities.”

Tickets are now on sale and are going for RM55. You can purchase them from the World Fest Booth outside the Student Life Central or from any of the World Fest committee.

Cultural World Fest to take place soon

Constellation-themed ball happening soonSUBANG JAYA: Taylor’s University (TU) Annual Ball will take place on 6 June at Sheraton Imperial Kuala Lumpur Hotel.

The organisers, TU Student Council, has chosen Constellations as this year’s event theme.

“This year it is all about the stars. It is about seeing their brightness in the darkness,” TU Student Council Campus Integration Committee Member and TU Ball Organising Chairperson Mukund Rai said.

There will be live performances, dances, games and a rave party during the event.

“It is going to be a classic movie-like prom night atmosphere with the crowning of Prom King and Prom Queen,” Mukund said.

IN BRIEFBy TRECIA TAN SHU HUI

SUBANG JAYA: It was a difficult time for some Nepalese students in Taylor’s University as they watched the place they call home in ruins after two major earthquakes struck the country in the span of two-and-a half weeks.

“I found out about the news on Facebook and I tried calling my family back home immediately but I wasn’t able to get hold of them,” Culinary Arts and Foodservice Management student Sudan Rai said, after the first nerve wracking earthquake with a 7.8 magnitude on 25 April.

The 25-year-old said he was trying to stay positive and he eventually managed to contact his family after over 30 tries.

Sudan was not the only one who went through the ordeal as International Tourism Management major Niteesh Shakya lost contact with his mother for 48 hours following the earthquake.

“I was so scared and I thought about the worst case scenario because every time I checked the news, the death toll kept on rising.

“I had my phone with me the whole time in case she called back,” the 23-year-old said.

When she finally called, she informed him about the horrors of the earthquake which took away the lives of their neighbours.

Niteesh, who had not been home for a year said, “My mom is staying with her cousins now because there are cracks in our house and it’s no longer safe to stay there anymore.”

Despite the relief of knowing his family was safe, Niteesh said he is still worried about the aftershocks following the first quake, and he feels helpless over the situation in Nepal.

“I wanted to go back during the mid-semester break but my mom told me there is no point, and the money for the flight ticket can be used to buy necessities such as food and tents instead,” he said.

International Business major Aanchal Bhandari said she plans on starting a fundraiser on Lakeside Campus with her friends to help the earthquake victims, especially after Nepal was hit by a second earthquake with a 7.4 magnitude on 12 May.

“Our country really needs our help right now and we can’t do anything

from here except for this,” the 22-year-old said.

“Many NGOs are only focusing on helping the city while the rural villages are not getting as much help.

“Sarvodaya Nepal is a credible organisation that will directly assist the rural communities that are affected by the earthquake,” Aanchal said.

To support the Sarvodaya Nepal Earthquake and Recovery efforts, visit www.sarvodayausa.org.

SUBANG JAYA: Looking for something surreal and wacky to watch this June? SIFU Productions presents to you: FIFTEEN, a play that acts out different viewpoints of young adult characters as they struggle to compete in the rat race of the working world in 2015.

Director of FIFTEEN, Siti Farrah Abdullah said, “This isn’t your regular linear full-length play. FIFTEEN features eight different situations of KL folks. From the planning of a bank heist to corporate job interviews.”

This play will show you the twists and turns of things that can potentially happen when you start working.

Catch FIFTEEN at KuAsh Theatre, Taman Tun Dr. Ismail from 11 to 14 June at 8.30pm and 3pm (Sunday only). Admission is RM53 for adults and RM38 for students.

Niteesh could not contact his family for 48 hours.

FIFTEEN: A glimpse of the real world

Wong spoke up for the opposition against legitimising corruption during the debate.

SUBANG JAYA: Student debaters speaking against political bribery took home the first prize for the Youth Speak Up Debate on Integrity and Corruption at Taylor’s University recently.

The opposition team, which consisted of three leading student debaters from different universities, argued that it is not legitimate for progressive voters to bribe politicians to ensure some changes.

Deputy Prime Minister of the opposition, Behrad Taadoli, 21, said, “A bribed politician will never fight for progression, as there is an expectation of payment for him to do his job.”

Elaborating on his viewpoint, the debater from Asia Pacific University said benefits promised by corrupt politicians are unreliable, as it is possible for them to get more bribes from parties acting against the interest of the people.

Also representing the opposition were Taylor’s University Diploma in Education student Felice Wong Jing-Yi, 20, and International Islamic University Malaysia student Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman, 23.

Syed Saddiq, who was awarded Best Speaker, said, “With money as a determinant of political work, people who are unfortunately poor and already

under-represented will then be further disenfranchised in a world which is full of corruption.”

While the government team insisted that bribery is a moral choice for progression in a context where all means have been exhausted, the opposition rebutted that social movement is the best line of defense that progressive voters should fight for in the long term.

Aimed to raise awareness and initiate open dialogue on the issue of corruption, the debate was organised by Transparency International Malaysia (TI-M) in collaboration with the Malaysian Institute of Debate and Public Speaking.

“Based on a survey, 30.5 percent of university students in Malaysia would get involved in corruption if given the chance,” TI-M President Dato’ Akhbar Satar said, urging students to influence their peers in combating corruption.

However, both teams of the debate reinforced that the arguments provided did not represent their personal sentiments towards the issue.

Kelviin Manuel Pillay, 20, who spoke on behalf of the government said, “Generally bribery is not a democratic idea that I stand for, but I am not all out in the opposition side either; I think bribing your way to make progressive changes is an interesting idea, but I don’t think it works.”

Youths win debate by speaking up against corruption

Nepalese students worry for home after earthquakes

By SIM PEI XUAN

NEWS 5May 2015

By PRETHIBA ESVARY SUBRAMANIAN

Underprivileged teens take up self-defense

Participants enjoying themselves on the castle. Source: Bounce Campaign 2.0

Bounce Campaign 2.0 relive childhood memoriesBy CINDY JUNOVICA

By CINDY JUNOVICA

SUBANG JAYA: A basic self-defense class was conducted recently for underprivileged teenagers by the Taylor’s University (TU) Pharmacy Students Society (TuPSS), in collaboration with TU Muay Thai (TUMT) club.

Twenty-three teenagers from Enggang apartments, Puchong who are under the supervision and care of local NGO Community at Heart, were brought in for the session.

Community at Heart Programme Director of Urban Community Development and Welfare unit Margaret Kogilavani said the teenagers from Enggang are brought up in a rather negative environment.

They are exposed to various social issues, financial problems and lifestyle inadequacies such as lack of food supply, she said.

She added that self-defense is thus a good opportunity for the teenagers to build their motivation and to become fearless people.

President of TUMT and lead instructor for the muay thai session Nigel Yeoh Eu-Haan said, “In muay thai, there is defense and attack.

“For today’s session, we will focus purely on defense techniques by teaching them punches, push kicks and techniques using the elbows and knees.”

Throughout the session held at TU Sports Complex, it was observed that

while Yeoh was giving instructions and providing demonstrations, the teenagers were listening attentively and were enjoying the lesson.

While the teenagers attempted to mirror Yeoh’s movements, the other instructors from TUMT guided them on a one-on-one basis.

In the middle of the session, some of the teenagers were seen engaging in

SUBANG JAYA: A Batman-themed bouncy castle was set up at the Taylor’s University (TU) Amphitheatre recently to help Taylorians to relive their best childhood memories.

TU Campus Welfare Director Lum Kit May said, “Our vision is to give Taylorians the best campus experience ever and this is one of our initiatives.”

Lum added that The Bounce Campaign 2.0 provided a chance for people to channel their inner child without worrying about self-image.

She said, “If university students were to see a bouncy castle in the public area, most probably they won’t go because they are shy.

“But here, everyone can bounce like a kid and experience their childhood joy again without being judged upon.”

Apart from the bouncy castle experience, free goodies such as snacks, beverages, and stationeries were also given away to the participants.

The variety of the giveaways like Pocky snacks and Ribena drinks, which were part of most people’s childhood memories, also supported the whole concept and idea for the Bounce Campaign 2.0.

The first Bounce Campaign was held late last year, and its aim was to help students release any pre-exam stress that they might have had.

SUBANG JAYA: Taylor’s University students have been exposed to deforestation and habitat construction issues in Malaysia through a short documentary titled Sunset Over Selungo during the Anugerah Hijau campaign held recently.

Taylor’s University Nature Club (TUNC) in collaboration with the

local NGO EcoKnights aimed to educate and inform students about the environmental issues in Malaysia, through the movie screenings.

TUNC President Lee Wei Liang said, “Nature is a very valuable resource and many people are trying to take advantage of it for personal benefit, especially in terms of money.”

Lee added that uncontrolled tree loggings and illegal poaching have affected some populations in Malaysia such as Penan community in Sarawak.

The screening also served as a forum discussion about environmental matters, between the participants and the speaker, EcoKnights Program Director Fadly Ahmad Bakhtiar.

“We hope to provide everyone with better insight about the issues and urge them to take actions to preserve our nature,” said Lee.

Along with this campaign, EcoKnights announced its annual Anugerah Hijau competition, which challenges young adults to be creative in promoting sustainability.

friendly fights with their friends, prior to being taught on how to spar with another partner.

The session conducted on April 26 was the third project under The Extra Mile Project (TEMP), a community outreach programme under TuPSS and Community at Heart.

According to TuPSS President Alene Yong Sze Jing, “TEMP is all about

teaching a man to fish, so that he will have food for his life.

“It is not about giving them food, but about leaving a legacy that will catch on and continue to empower each community we reach through positive impact and relationship.”

TUMT member Cheah Kaxin, 21, said, “We just want to do our part for the community in need.”

TUNC educates students with short documentaries

Yeoh instructing and showing a demo of “punches” to the teenagers.

May 2015

Tenacious bottle boat makers champs of ADP-organised competition

Marvel superheroes welcome TBS newbiesBy MARY CHRISTINA BRITTO

SUBANG JAYA: Marvel Comic hero, Spiderman and anti-hero, Deadpool along with Taylor’s Business School (TBS) recently welcomed its freshmen with games, food and dancing.

First Year Experience (FYE) Committee Member Hou Hung Yen said the welcoming party was held to welcome and bond new intake students from TBS, and allow them to interact with their lecturers.

“It allows students to take a break from their studies to have fun and enjoy the free food, performances, games as well as winning prizes,” the Finance and Economic major said.

The FYE committee is made up of lecturers from TBS, and the welcome party is a semiannual event.

Committee member of FYE Goh Kan Poh said the superhero theme was chosen for the event, because it was obvious and different.

By MOHAMED KHAIDIR MOHAMED ZARAAI

Students and lecturers played various games, and the highlight of the event was a highly energetic game of dodgeball.

Senior Law Lecturer Ambikai Singam said, “I feel like a student and students are seeing that lecturers are approachable. This is important for better communication between us.”

In the midst of the event a flash mob filled up the square with the Spiderman mascot twirling amongst the students.

International Business and Marketing major Kashyapa Naranpanawe, 20, who is currently in his second semester, attended the event.

Naranpanawe said, “It was different seeing the lecturers play games with students. It will definitely make it easier for me to talk to them about any problems I may face.”

The evening had performances from the students, such as acoustic music, beat boxing and dancing.

Spiderman and Deadpool battling it out at the event. Photo credit: Mohamed Khaidir Mohamed Zaraai

Trapped createshuman traffickingawarenessBy WONG SOW YEE

NEWS6

SUBANG JAYA: Strive without surrender brought victory for Penguins 4lyf from SMK Subang Jaya when they won the Remote Control Bottle Boat Challenge organised by American Degree Transfer Program (ADP) at Taylor’s University (TU).

Team leader Aaron Tan Kah Sam, 17, said, “The biggest challenge that we faced was the servo, which is our boat’s rudder, did not function.”

Tan said, water went inside the potentiometer that was controlling the servo’s motion.

“We were so upset and we thought we were going to lose but we did make it in the end by letting the wind at the lake to turn the boat around,” Tan said.

Their boat traveled for only six minutes around TU’s lake, but the team managed to win a prize of RM900.

Tan’s team members were Amin Farid Miskon, Neoh I-van, Chong Zia Chee and Ng Zi Jun, all 17.

The boat challenge was one of the three challenges held during the ADP Engineering and Science Challenges 2015 competition, on 30 April.

The elated champs of the bottle boat competition, from left, Neoh I-van, Ng Zi Jun, Aaron Tan Kah Sam, Chong Zia Chee, and Amin Farid Miskon.

SUBANG JAYA: Cases of minor flooding in classrooms which occurred last month were due to heavy downpours, according to Taylor’s University (TU) Facility Management.

Facilities and Operations Manager Pravin Murugaiah said, “The wind blew the rain into the corridors and some of the classrooms were affected by it.”

“The rain volume and wind velocity were high, you could see that even the roads experienced immediate flooding,” he said.

He added that the way the academic buildings were designed with spaces between each building block was the reason why flooding occurs whenever it rains heavily.

“If we are able to cover up the areas that are affected, we can eliminate this problem,” Pravin said.

He added that the project planning committee has proposed to install a new roofline and they are still waiting for the budget to be approved.

“For now, the only action we can take whenever there’s a heavy rain is

to send the cleaners to mop the floors immediately,” Pravin said.

Architecture student Tan Foo Wong, 21, was present during one of the floodings in the classrooms on 25 April.

He said, “I think it is an issue, but it rarely happens and I don’t usually use this classroom, so I don’t feel the need to file a complaint.”

Heavy downpour causes flooding in classroomsBy TRECIA TAN SHU HUI

Organising Chairman and Senior ADP Lecturer, Dr Loh Kah Heng said the objective of the challenges in the

competition is to instill interest in science and reverse engineering technology to secondary school students.

The other two challenges were the Spaghetti Bridge Project and Cabbage Juice pH Indicator.

SUBANG JAYA: Trapped, an anti-human trafficking campaign which allows the audience to experience the life of a human trafficked victim, was held recently at Sunway Pyramid.

Event organiser and co-founder of Change Your World, Kelvin Lim Teck Kwang, said the campaign aimed to increase awareness of the Tenaganita (Women’s Force) hotline.

He said, Malaysians can dial the hotline whenever they sense anything suspicious happening in their neighbourhood, and the caller will remain anonymous.

SMK Seafield student Priscilla Lai Wai Sum, 18, said, “This campaign helped me catch a glimpse of what it is like to be trafficked.

“Imagine how the victims would feel like being in those conditions.”

7May 2015 FEATURES

A learning journey for lecturers and students

By TRECIA TAN SHU HUI

A HUNCHED figure trudged the long stretch of road to her car at the end of Zone H, attracting open stares and furtive glances from passersby who noticed the tears that were streaming down her face.

Mechanical Engineering student Lai Shen Ai was crying because she had just handed in a blank paper 10 minutes into a test that she had trouble completing.

“It was already the ninth week of the semester and yet I was still so lost. It was as if the questions were written in a foreign language,” Lai recalled the episode which happened two years ago.

Since then, the 21-year-old had bounced back from the lowest point in her university life, all thanks to her lecturer – Dr Abdulkareem Shafiq Mahdi Al-Obaidi.

“I realised that I should’ve been consistent in my studies from the very beginning, so after a good cry, I emailed Dr Abdulkareem and he replied, ‘Although it came late, I am truly happy to receive an email from you.’”

“There were no harsh comments or lecturing in the email, but instead, he gave me warm words of encouragement and asked me to set an appointment with him immediately,” Lai said.

“I met up with Dr Abdulkareem the next week and he asked me which part of the subject I don’t understand. I said ‘everything’, and he literally taught me the whole syllabus all over again.

“This is what I call a dedicated teacher, and the world needs more teachers like him,” she said.

Lai’s wish came true in the form of School of Architecture, Building and Design lecturer Delliya Mohd Zain, or

Ms Dee, as her students would fondly call her.

Architecture student Surayyn Selvan, 21, blurted, “I hated Ms Dee when she taught me during Foundation because she was very hard on us, and I thought to myself, ‘Oh my God, this lady is making our lives a living hell!’”

“Only when I started my Degree did I realise that she was just pushing us for our own good, and the extra information that we learnt in her class, which we found unnecessary at that time, had prepared us for what’s to come.

“In our Design and Visualisation class, she always liked to tell us to just ‘be awesome’, and I think those words encouraged us to not limit ourselves.

“She has trained me to take things easy and in a more positive way,” he said.

Over time, Ms Dee had become not just a lecturer to Surayyn and his classmates, but she had turned into a friend as well.

Surayyn shared that when he graduates from university, he would not only take with him the design knowledge, but the life lessons he learned as well.

It is common for students to learn from their lecturers, but there are times when the tables are turned as the students play the role of the teacher.

School of Computing and IT lecturer Hemalatha Ramalingam once had a student who taught her a life lesson that she will never forget.

“There was this boy from Botswana who opened up to me one day when the other students had left the class. He asked me, ‘What if I told you I have AIDS? Would you sit far away from me?’” she recounted.

“I told him I won’t stereotype him that way, and he said to me, ‘Well ma’am, I have AIDS.’ And at that point I asked myself, ‘Why him and not me?’”

The student shared with her his life story and his plan to use whatever time he had left to make a difference by being a part of an AIDS NGO back home and contribute to the cause however he can.

“He taught me that everyone has a journey to fulfill, and there will be an end to that journey, but we can still make a difference.

“His positive attitude on life also taught me to look around and appreciate what I have in my life,” she said.

Hemalatha pointed out that learning is a two-way street because she believes that a teacher cannot just merely enter a class and teach.

“You come into class and all eyes are looking at you, but what about you looking back at the students and look

at what they are going through in life?” she asked.

School of Education lecturer Kasthoori Bai Munusamy Naidu echoed the sentiment as she believed that it is important for teachers to be connected to their students.

“The most valuable lesson I can give them is to teach them to establish this connection with their future students, and only then can they be the stimulant of change to them.”

To Kasthoori, a teacher may not be able to create a change in a student, but they can be the catalyst of that change.

She said, “When I see my ex-students changed for the better and are successful in life, not just career-wise, but successful in the sense that they are doing what their heart wants and leading a happy life with good values, I think that’s the best gift a teacher can ever receive.”

Taylor’s University lecturers smile upon receiving appreciation packages from Orientation Leaders for Teachers Day. Photo Credits: Tan Xue Ying

An online platform to connect creative peopleBy MARY CHRISTINA BRITTO

IN order for “creatives” to realise their dreams, it is essential that they meet the right people to help them. The Internet has made this much easier, but who is to know which platform is legit and which may lead to a large violation of one’s personal rights?

Mow FM is a social media platform that aims to connect creatives from around the world, and its investor and CEO Kapeniak Vasyl said, “The site is picking up in Asia and Europe. The point is to connect the East and the West and see what comes out of it.”

Kapeniak explained, “Creatives are people who play a role in using imagination to express something. It can be music, paintings, clothes, furniture or jewelry. Connecting them is important if we want to make a change.”

Josef Stanaway, the bassist of Swedish Metal band Stygian Ascent, is

usually looking for ways to network with people who are relevant to his field.

“I’ve tried many websites and the problem was that it either required payment or you meet people who were wasting your time,” he said.

Mow FM is a site that does not require payment and active users can earn the rewards that come with the site.

It may not be as visually appealing as the other social network platforms, but it is convenient as the website is categorised well.

“The administrators and I monitor the profiles and we encourage users to be as positive as possible when interacting with each other,” Kapeniak said.

When registering with the site, it is important to remember that there are two kinds of pages.

The first, you create when you initially register; a personal profile and can go

under your name. Then, you have the option of creating as many “FM pages” as you like.

Painter Susantha Steve Sembacuttiaratchy said it was a little confusing initially.

“I made myself a profile and didn’t realise I needed a FM page to be sharing my work publicly,” he elaborated.

A “FM Page” is a representation of the art that you want to share. You upload videos, photos, music and anything else that is a depiction of your craft. Most importantly, it should be able to be used to sell your talent to people.

Being active on the pages entitle you to “Fun Energy”, which is a virtual ticket that can be converted to “Money Energy”. “Money Energy” can then be utilised to buy other people’s products such as their personal music tracks or concert tickets.

Other users can engage with you, giving you “Fun Energy”. The more energy you collect, the higher you climb in the rank ladder.

The site is like a game, which is interesting but does not make up for the lack of visual elements.

“Once you get the hang of it, it is possible to get sucked in. The downside of this is it takes quite a bit of your time,” Susantha said.

“I like it because you have everyone here, even painters and stage artists, who are all on equal ground, no fans and idols,” Josef said.

No dream that is ever worth pursuing comes easily but it is important to keep trying. Remember not to feel let down if one of the paths to success did not work out. Simply keep trying until you find one that works for you, whether it be online or in reality.

To commemorate Teachers Day which falls on 16 May every year, The InkSlingers takes a look at a few of the interesting learning journeys of both students and lecturers.

8 FEATURES May 2015

5 applications to beat mental blocksBy VINCENT WONG YEW SING

HAVE you ever had moments where you are focusing on a task at hand but end up stuck? Sitting in your chair for hours, thinking hard about what to write next, yet not a single idea is coming to fore? Rest assured this mental block that you often experience is normal. In fact, studies have proven that the concentration span for an average student is just over two hours.

The most common advice you will probably get in this situation is to take a break, rest or even a nap. However, knowing students these days, they will probably reach for their phones. Catching up on Facebook and Twitter, or even double tapping on friends’ latest Instagram post – that is their definition of taking a break. Next thing you know, you feel even more tired from all the scrolling and looking.

Instead of all that, the brains of the modern era have provided us with phone applications to counter mental blocks, which will eventually assist you in dealing with stress better. You can check out these inventions and coming up with ideas for assignments would not be an issue at all!Unstuck

Unstuck is like your very own digital life coach. When you’re stuck with a problem, the Unstuck application helps you to reevaluate your predicament and find a new perspective to tackle it by asking you a series of questions to further understand your situation and the problem (e.g. asking you how you currently feel); it categorises the “stuck” that you’re facing and then provides you with ideas to help you overcome the

problem. The core of the application relies on four principles: seeing, believing, thinking and acting. The creators of Unstuck believe that these four principles are essential in order to face obstacles and make healthy changes in your life.InstaGrok

The application instaGrok is essentially an “educational search engine”. The application is extremely handy when trying to gather ideas regarding a certain topic (especially when doing research). The app looks up the keywords or phrase entered and then it proceeds to create a mind map that branches out with related concepts.

Basically, it helps you to compile all the information needed and makes it easily accessible and understandable. The mind map includes key facts, websites, images, videos and related concepts all easily available through an interactive visual interface.Pocket

There will always be a time when you are reading article upon article to write your research paper, and eventually you get frustrated just by looking at the crazy number of tabs open on your browser. Pocket allows you to save articles, videos, images, pdf files (you name it) for viewing, later. The best part about it is that you can view everything that you’ve saved, offline.

That’s right, you can view everything on Pocket (be it on your phone or laptop), anytime. There’s no need for you to worry about the wifi connection or your limited data usage. So, if there was an article you’ve been avoiding,

Catfishing in the world of cyberspaceBy SALIM HAMOOD AL-AFIFI

EVER since the dawn of digital age, building a virtual relationship was a norm in the land of cyberspace. These interactions could be wonderful experiences, but sometimes one ends up falling for a catfish.

According to the urban dictionary, a catfish is someone who pretends to be someone they are not using social media, particularly to pursue deceptive online romances.

Countless reasons could contribute to the formation of online persona; the most common reason is having no self-acceptance. Public Relations major Yong Kah Kin, 22, said, “The issue stems from low self-esteem which the internet’s anonymous nature then enables them to forget who they are.”

Loneliness is another motive. The anonymity factor allows people to fabricate stories to fulfill their romantic relationship need, which hardens the idea of letting go of their fake self. International Business major Ayushree Thapa, 22, said, “They create this

alternative universe where they personify traits that they think other people like.”

Another reason is conning, which has a major presence on social media and dating sites. According to Taylor’s University Counselling and Psychological Services Center (CPSC) Counsellor Kok Choon Foong, scammers target lonely victims who are in desperate need of affection, and people have the tendency to believe

what they hear online. Additional reasons include boredom, attention craving, pathological lying and curiosity.

“Online identity is a fantasy, is an imagination,” the counsellor said, adding that they take an identity as a way to escape from reality. Given the reasons mentioned, catfishes require help to overcome this predicament.

Yong said “Folks like these really do need emotional guidance so that they can embrace themselves for who they are.” He added that society plays a large and vital role in mending and developing values that promote individualism and self-development.

In order to help them, the counsellor advised that we make them realise the consequences of their actions, and what sort of harm it causes to those around. If loneliness is the cause, then one must be active offline by learning how to socialise better, make friends and build relationships accordingly.

Another way to help them is to bring them back to reality by encouraging

them to find a drive to motivate them to work towards becoming closer to their ideal self.

Preventing people from becoming a catfish is important. According to Kok, lowering down the character to someone closer to ideal self can help you succeed in achieving your goal, which prevents opting for unrealistic personality.

As for victims of catfishing, they must be alert at all times while building a relationship online, especially on dating apps such as Badoo and Tinder, which are popular in the virtual dating culture.

Kok said that one must know how to detect false identities by looking at photos, asking questions, and analysing stories’ consistency, as well as appearance descriptions.

Business Administration major Farhana Oberson, 21, said “It is eventually bound to end because it’s all built on lies.” A catfish can affect anyone of us, regardless of age and background. Therefore, we must learn, prevent, and avoid this issue.

Illustration of false online identity. Source: www.dtc-wsuv.org

you can finally tackle it outside, under the tree, with a breath of fresh air and a brand new perspective.Cold Turkey

The best way to beat a mental block is by allocating your time well. This means, stop procrastinating, cold turkey. The application helps you to boost productivity, schedule breaks and achieve better grades.

Cold Turkey does this by helping you stay focused on the task by allowing you to block websites and applications that would normally cause distraction (e.g. Facebook) for a certain amount of time.

It also reminds you to take a break (yes, you need them) after hours on end of studying, to maximise productivity. Cold Turkey is all about prevention, preparation and user control.TED and TED books

A new source of inspiration is incredibly helpful whenever you hit a

mental wall. TED is a great platform to discover new ideas and material, to refresh and reenergise your mind. You can find thousands of motivating TED Talks by experts in their various fields (e.g. technological masterminds, business gurus and others), that will satisfy your curiosity and equip you with a fresh mindset.

People from various ages, cultural backgrounds and ethnic groups, world and political views are often the speakers at TED Talks, as they share about their passions and inspirational things that matters to them. If you are the type of person who enjoys reading, you can also look into the TED Books application. The content in this application is fairly short, and can be finished in a short space of time. It is highly recommended as it is not time consuming and probably suitable when you are having intervals while doing your assignments.

Having a mental roadblock? Ted Books can be your inspiration.

9FEATURESMay 2015

A checklist for entrepreneurial successBy PRETHIBA ESVARY SUBRAMANIAN

A SUCCESSFUL start-up clothing company by 21 years old, a multimillionaire by 24 and a Datukship title by 26.

Listed as number 16 of the wealthiest men in Malaysia by Forbes magazine in 2008, Datuk Dr Vinod B Sekhar is an inspiration for the youth.

He was the man behind the creation of the world’s smallest optic engine for projectors, which was later sold to global giant, Toshiba.

He also snagged the title of the first and youngest Asian to be a part of the US-based International Honours Society for Education.

The 46-year-old President and Group Chief Executive of Petra Group shared a few pointers on how to become a successful entrepreneur.1. Be tenacious

According to an article by Entrepreneur, to be tenacious, one has to learn to deal with ambiguity and power through hurdles that may come along the way.

During Vinod’s inspiring and informative speech at Mind Valley, Menara Uoa Bangsar on 23 April, he startled the audience when he said, “Here is one guarantee. You will fail at some stage.” In fact, according to Vinod’s website, his lack of experience

in the field of farming had led him to lose a staggering investment USD$40 million (RM143 million).

Vinod asserted that it is through failure that one will be able to differentiate between what is right and wrong and to make necessary amendments for a better business.

He said in order to become a successful entrepreneur, “You got to have that ability to fall, get up and walk.”2. Temper your greed

Vinod believed that it is human nature to have a greed for something.He equated greed to a powerful engine

The rise and growth of modesty fashionBy NADIA AHMED ABDALLA

FASHION is a universal language spoken and understood by everyone. However, as fashion keeps evolving, new genres start to grow and appear in the fashion industry.

Who would have imagined; mainstream fashion sharing a spotlight with a new trend that would turn out to be the epitome of the new fashion world growth.

CoverTime Magazine USA Editor-in-chief and Co-founder Stephanie Khalil Al-Ghani said, “Mainstream fashion is definitely open to accepting Modest Fashion.”

However conflicting arguments about what truly is Modesty fashion is what puzzles people up to date. No clear understanding has been summed up of what this new trend is all about.

“Modesty fashion” is a reserved way of dressing during a particular time or among a particular group of people. The modesty fashion trend has been evolving in the 21st century, however wrong perceptions have been inflicted on various female fashion lovers.

International Business student Lubna Malik, 23, said, “Initially I thought modesty fashion was fully covered fashion trends that were only suitable for deep-rooted Muslim women.”

“After familiarising myself with numerous Modesty fashion trends and fashion bloggers, I realised that modesty fashion can be embraced by anyone,” she added.

As much as the modesty fashion world is mostly embraced by Muslim women, the trend has no limitation on who can embrace it or not.

Just like mainstream fashion, this trend offers many designs and inspirations for women to open-mindedly embrace it.

“Realistically, Modest Fashion caters to more people than high fashion does particularly in the way it is presented in magazines and advertisements. Modest Fashion has been seen in all faiths,” Stephanie added.

So what are the criteria to place outfits under this category?

Modesty fashion clothing are outfits that would not draw out a woman’s body shape or expose excess body skin, such as long sleeved tops, knee or full length dresses or skirts, boyfriend jeans, turbans, and colorful scarves.

Marc Jacobs, Calvin Klein, and Chanel are few of the well-known designers who have embraced Modesty Fashion Trends on the runway and in their own personal designs.

Global Fashion Networker Franka SoeriaNatanegra Semin said, “The industry is overwhelming as everyone is doing everything related to modesty fashion. The number of bloggers is so high and new brands and designers too.”

Countries like Kuwait, Dubai and Qatar embrace modesty fashion; Indonesia and Malaysia, too play a big

role in modesty fashion and creating awareness for it in the mainstream fashion world.

However, the real advocates of modesty fashion who have millions of audiences on social media are the numerous modesty fashion bloggers that exist, from the likes of Dina Tokio, who is a designer, stylist and blogger from the United Kindom, to Ascia Akf, who is an American Kuwaiti Hybrid blogger and designer.

Their constant advocacy for modesty fashion on different social media platforms has influenced a lot of women to embrace their style and make it their own.

Furthermore, they have spurred the interests of a lot of international fashion brands who are now endorsing them with the intention of winning the modesty lovers’ trust and likeness towards their numerous designs.

Taylor’s University International Student Council Vice President of Community Farhana Oberson said, “Now that we have modesty fashion advocates, a lot of young girls out there are finding it easier to fit in and embrace the style as one of their own without wanting to alter any part of their bodies.”

like that of a Lamborghini Diablo, which has a 6.0L engine.

“If you don’t know how to control that car, you are going to crash it.”

He added that at some point, during an entrepreneur’s journey, a really good offer may present itself, but it may come at the price of one’s soul.

Thus, knowing how to temper one’s greed is crucial.3. Control over money

Vinod advised that one should never let money control them.

He said, “Making money the source of your happiness won’t work.” Although,

he highlighted the importance of cash flow in order to ensure profitability in every business.

Properly understanding every aspect of a business ensures control over the business’s cash flow. 4. No specific formula for success

“It’s just one of those things that happen,” Vinod said.

He advised aspiring entrepreneurs to keep experimenting until they find what excites them.

He specifically encouraged youths to make mistakes as there would be less room to fail when they are older and bear more responsibilities.5. Find who you are doing it for

According to Vinod, Petra Group had given away 60% and soon will be giving away an additional 20% of its company ownership to charity.

While some may think this is an absurd decision, Vinod did not agree. He said, “Success cannot be about you. You always have to think about how what you are doing is going to impact society and yourself.”

For him, it is his mojo that drives him to do what he does and it is derived from his family, his children and his business partners.

He said the feeling of making a difference in someone’s life is great.

Sekhar describing some of the challenges he faced throughout his journey as an entrepreneur, during his speech at Mind Valley, Menara Uoa Bangsar. Source: Jikey Wee

Designer and blogger, Akf dressed chicly in a white full sleeve jacek, boy-friend jeans, Source: Ascia Akf

10 FEATURES May 2015

Board games - the ones that are less playedBy LEE JIA ANN

MENTION “Scrabble”, “Snakes and Ladders” or “Monopoly”, even non-board game enthusiasts would be familiar with these names.

They were especially popular before the rise of technology and recent popularity of game applications such as “Candy Crush” and “Temple Run.”

Hence, the question is whether board games are a dying hobby, or can they make a much-waited-for return?

Pharmacy major Ooi Wen Li, 23, said, “Board games are already a dying hobby as no one seems to talk about it.

“People are more interested in games like ‘Candy Crush.’”

Ooi still occasionally plays board games, however because of her course workload, she does not have the time to play it anymore.

Tourism and Events major Trisha Toh Ee San, 22, said she does not play board games anymore, but the one exception is the board game “Risk”.

Toh said, “I enjoy playing ‘Risk’ at parties with friends.”

Whilst board games are a matter of individual preference, Toh said, “It’s a dying hobby and it is unfortunate that the millennials aren’t as exposed to board games as much as we were.”

Interactive Multimedia Design major Adrian Yap Wei Hsean, 23, said, “The modern generation tends to gravitate towards technology and any digital- related objects.”

Board games were played more by those from a generation whereby technology was not as prominent as it is.

Yap said, “Board games in its initial intention was to draw people together and it’s a form of medium we used to have fun before the birth of ‘#throwback’ and ‘likes’.”

Yap added that people do appreciate the occasional conventional ways of having fun.

With the increase of board game cafes, especially in the Klang Valley area, board games are now becoming much more accessible than before. People can still play without owning them.

PR and Marketing major Chien Su-Lynn, 22, has patroned board game cafes and stated that she enjoyed the environment, as it was nice to see everyone enjoying their company and the games.

Spending hours at a café may be costly, with places like Meeples boardgame cafe in SS15 charging approximately RM6 an hour.

Finding the best nasi lemak at Syopz MallBy SHAZWANI CHE RAHIM

NASI lemak is listed in menus as one of the main dishes in almost every restaurant at Syopz Mall, Taylor’s University. To find that one great nasi lemak that tantalises your tastebuds is not easy. It matters as one good meal may cure one’s bad day.

Nasi lemak is a well-known Malay breakfast that serves rice prepared in coconut milk and pandan leaf. It is accompanied by delicious accompaniments like anchovies,

peanuts, boiled egg, slices of cucumber and chili paste or sambal in a plate.1. OldTown White Coffee OldTown White Coffee is the only restaurant that offers variety of nasi lemak, such as Nasi Lemak with Turmeric Fried Chicken or Fried Chicken, Curry or Rendang Chicken, Nasi Lemak with Sambal Sotong, Ayam Masak Merah and Nasi Lemak Bungkus.

The Nasi Lemak Classic is served warm and is medium-sized. OldTown

is one of the restaurants that offers a sunny side fried egg in their nasi lemak, making it a wholesome meal. The nasi lemak tastes almost as good as it looks.

OldTown provides generous amounts of sambal that produce sweet and spicy flavours at the same time. It tastes even better when mixed with the fragrant rice as it reduces the sweet and spiciness. The sambal has several anchovies and big onions that make it much tastier.

However, the sambal is oilier than it should be which may thicken your throat and the rice is salty.

The nasi lemak ought to be tried even though it is a little too pricey at RM7.90.2. JC’s Pancakes

At JC’s Pancakes, expect a thin and tasty omelette on your nasi lemak rice. It is delicious and is neither overcooked nor oily.

The spiciness of the sambal can be considered as very mild and is suitable for breakfast. The sambal is less oily. Unfortunately, the rice was not soft.3. Star Teh Tarik

Nasi lemak at Star Teh Tarik or the “Mamak” is one of the best, because of its quantity and quality. This dish looks deceiving; as it tastes better than it looks.

The sambal is blended well and goes perfectly with the coconut milk rice and the boiled egg it comes with.

Have your nasi lemak with mamak-styled fried chicken for more allure.

Star Teh Tarik’s reasonable prices, where the cost of a nasi lemak is RM4, attracts a lot of students. Even if you are health conscious, order a plate of nasi lemak and a glass of teh tarik for the perfect guilty pleasure meal.4. Selera Penang Café

Nasi lemak at Selera Penang is just plain rice and it uses a different kind of sambal. Even so, the rice does not taste very aromatic.

The sambal tastes decent but it is not how a nasi lemak sambal usually tastes like. It tastes similar to the sambal that is used in a highly popular Indonesian meal called Ayam Penyet.

The fried chicken saves the meal. The meat is soft and the skin tender. The flavour is just right to be eaten with rice as it is not too salty nor sweet. However, the meal is worth the RM 10 even if you do not really get a nasi lemak. 5. Kampung Cili

There is something unique about the nasi lemak at Kampung Cili; it is dry and has spicy sambal with anchovies and flakes that tastes like shrimp. When these are eaten together with the tasty chicken rendang and the fragrant and soft rice, the nasi lemak hits the perfect level of spiciness, sweetness and saltiness.

The nasi lemak tastes totally different than the other nasi lemaks at the Syopz Mall and it deserves all of the attention from you. If you do not like spicy food, make sure you add very little sambal.

However the variety of games that were otherwise too expensive to purchase, justified the price.

Modern games has changed the way that people play, with newer games such as “Settlers of Catan”, “Saboteur” and the very exciting “Shadow Hunter”, becoming favourites amongst board game patrons.

Chien said, “The concepts are unique and challenging, and relevant to other pop culture references.

“The design, look, and feel of the games are also more engaging. Even the classic board games are trying to compete, like ‘Monopoly Deal’.”

She believed that modern board games are gradually taking the place of traditional ones, as people tend to favour more complex games, which help in creating a bond and also promotes teamwork amongst the players.

Board games have received changes over time. Hence, even when traditional games are played lesser nowadays, people are still interested to play the modern ones, even at a price.

The games may be different now, but the idea of playing it is still the same.

Ooi said, “Board games are really good for any age because they make us think and we interact more.”

Star Teh Tarik serves a generous portion of nasi lemak with fried chicken, anchovies, peanuts and cucumber for only RM4.

Traditional old school boardgames are hardly played anymore these days.

11FEATURESMay 2015

Upcycling towards a greener planetBy PRETHIBA ESVARY SUBRAMANIAN

A SURVEY conducted with Taylorians revealed that most of them are not familiar with the term ‘upcycling’ and even if they did, they were unsure of what it meant.

The Inkslingers thus took the opportunity to meet with local non-profit social enterprise, eHomemakers.

eHomemakers specialise in providing a platform for homemakers, especially disadvantaged women, to undergo IT and skills-based trainings, in order for them to work from home and generate an income.

One of their projects include an upcycling project, the Eco-Basket Project, where pages of old magazines are rolled and weaved to create beautiful, handcrafted eco-baskets.

This project was established in 2002 by Salaam Wanita, an arm under eHomemakers, and is called the EnWeave Community. The handcrafted baskets are sold to eHomemakers, who will then sell it to clients.Upcycling vs. recycling

eHomemakers Administrator Rhonwyn Hagedorn puts it best by saying that with recycling, the materials are sent for processing before they are made into a new product.

“With upcycling, the materials are kept in their original state when they are used to make a new product,” she said.

According to online retailer for upcycled products, Hipcycle, “When you upcycle an item, you aren’t breaking down the materials. You may be

refashioning it, but it’s still made of the same materials as when you started.”

Examples of upcycled products from Hipcycle include drinking glasses made from upcycled Coca-Cola Classic bottles and vodka bottles. Why is it important?

Hagedorn said, “In today’s society, when people don’t want to use a product anymore, they just throw it away. This is not good for sustainability.”

According to Hipcycle, “When you upcycle, you remove items from the global garbage stream. Upcycling instead of recycling is good because recycling requires energy or water to break down materials. Upcycling only requires your creativity and elbow grease.”Malaysia Book of Records

Last month, eHomemakers established a large upcycling project in order to raise awareness among Malaysians about upcycling and educate them on the importance of cutting down on production of waste.

At the same time, the goal of the project is to land the Malaysian Book of Records for producing 3,000 baskets by April next year.

Hagedorn said the Malaysian society is not well educated about upcycling and thus it is time they took responsibility towards caring for the sustainability of the environment.

She said the simpler eco-baskets made by volunteer weavers during this project, can be taken home by the weavers themselves.

Types of group mates you might encounter in universityBy TRECIA TAN SHU HUI

THERE are always various types of reactions whenever a lecturer informs the class that one of the assignments for the module is a group project.

Some students would begin whispering among their cliques to sort out the groupings; some would make eye contact with their friends across the room and in just a single nod, the partnership is sealed; while others would just sit back, relax, and cross the bridge only when they get to it.

If you have gone through at least one semester of university, you would realise that through group assignments, you are able to meet various types of people, some of whom you might end up being friends with, and some you might not enjoy working with as much.

Here are a few types of group mates you might come across in university:The Boss

As the title suggests, these are the people whom you would automatically answer “yes, boss!” to whenever a task has been assigned to you. They always don the role of the group leader

unquestionably because they simply cannot switch off their natural tendency to be in charge.

People in this category are competitive high-achievers who usually end up furiously editing their group mates’ work because it is not up to their usually high standards.

One of the perks of being in a group with these people is that they would drive you to do better and you would most likely get good grades for almost all your assignments.

The downside is that it would not be surprising if the assignment ends up being a one-man show if they find their group mates incompetent.The Procrastinator

It is easy to identify a procrastinator because they would still be online in the wee hours of the morning when the whole world is fast asleep, just to meet an impending deadline.

Even if they are given a whole year to complete an assignment because they would only begin working on it the day before it is due.

These people secretly do not welcome deadline extension as it is akin to endorsing their behaviour since they know deep down that they would procrastinate even more.

When they are finally struck by anxiety attacks, the last-minute adrenaline rush is what motivates them to roll up their sleeves and get the job done.

They are the risk-takers who will always manage to pull through in the nick of time, with a lighter weight on their shoulders and darker circles under their eyes.The No-show

Elton John’s hit song says that “sorry seems to be the hardest word”, but this is not the case for the people who fall under this category.

The word “sorry” seems awfully rehearsed when it leaves their mouth because they are always apologising for not being around.

Whenever there is a group discussion, these people conveniently have an important errand to run or are not feeling well.

In the worst case scenario, they might not even reply to your messages or phone calls, especially at the crucial moment when the group leader has to compile each and every member’s work for submission.The Chill Pill Popper

They live by the motto “Hakuna Matata” because they do not seem to have a single worry in the world.

It is nice to work with them because they teach you how to kick back and enjoy life a little when you are up to your neck in assignments, barely surviving the chaotic school week.

Nothing ever gets them worked up, not even the impending deadline for the assignment that count towards 40 percent of your overall grade.

There are many other types of group mates besides the ones mentioned above. If you are lucky enough, you might meet someone who thinks and operates in the same frequency as you. And if that ever happens, here is a piece of advice: latch onto them and never let them go!

The better or more creative baskets may be sold off for a low price and the money collected will then go to the disadvantaged women.Student volunteers

EnWeave Community student coordinator Tam Xueh Wei, 19, said, “We currently have 18 student weavers and 11 rollers from Methodist College Kuala Lumpur.”

She said, “It is the experienced underprivileged women under the Salaam Wanita - EnWeave Community project that trains the student volunteers.

“The role of a student volunteer is to partake in rolling and weaving the baskets in accordance to a fixed measurement to enter the Malaysian Book of Records.”

She added that weaving training is RM40/pax (for students) while volunteers are required to attend at least four hours of training.

For more information on upcycling and how to help and do your part to make the planet greener, visit http://dosomething.gd/event/malaysia-book-records-number-baskets-made-paper/

Methodist College Kuala Lumpur students Joe Lew, 19 (left) and Lew Yu Yeng, 18 tearing pages off old magazines in preparation for the rolling and weaving session.

Life lessons from Avengers superheroesBy CINDY JUNOVICA

theinkSlingersFEATURES

May 2015

When it comes to the opening weeks for box office movie, the only one that could beat the first-ranked Marvel movie Avengers in the chart is its sequel, Age of Ultron.

According to Washington Post, Age of Ultron had been named the second biggest film opening ever. Starring six greatest superheroes of all time, there is no way that the Avengers will disappoint.

The word ‘superhero’ will always be closely related to cool weapons, infinite power, and mind-blowing fighting scenes and there is no doubt that the Avengers can deliver all. However, apart from all the physical actions, the movie conveys certain life lessons that we, as university students, can incorporate in our daily lives.

1. Teamwork is importantAs university students, the demand

to work in group is inevitable. There will always be a time when we need to work together with other people no matter how great we are as an individual. Like in the movie the Avengers, all the

superheroes ought to team up to fulfill their ultimate mission – to save the world from devastation. Likewise, in order to achieve the satisfying outcome, we need to work hand-in-hand with our team members.

2. Think of others before making a decision

When Tony Stark secretly discovers an artificial intelligence and uses it to complete his Ultron - a global defense program, it turns out to be malignant. He makes the decision without telling

the rest of the crew and his mistake hazards other people, including his own team. In this case, we need to learn that sometimes, our actions do affect others. Hence, we need to think not only for our own benefit, but also for the rest.

3. Embrace the uniqueness of each other and make the best of it

Thor and Iron Man have specialty of flying; Hawkeye exceeds in archery; and Black Widow has excellent martial art skills. If you realise, each of the Avengers characters is created different, but it does

Selfie Coffee cafe showcases unique coffee art culture

The scene from The Avengers: Age of Ultron. Source: collider

By VINCENT WONG YEW SING

There is no doubt that the two most common pictures found on social media are: selfies and cafes. Going to a cafe to have your daily fix of coffee is becoming a very common routine, thus it has prompted many to venture into starting up cafes. Furthermore, with the introduction of the front camera on your smart devices, taking pictures of yourself or with group of friends has never been easier (sometimes with the help of a selfie stick).

But what if you put the concept of selfies and cafes together? When I first heard about such idea, my initial reaction was, “who on earth would want to drink their own face?”

However, just like any other human being, curiosity drove me to explore the selfie café experience. And it must be said that I am no coffee lover. But the thought of having your face as the topping on your beverage, who would not be intrigued by that?

Besides, such new and refreshing idea beats your typical coffee art on your café beverages. Ask any café baristas, they have probably run out of ideas for new coffee art by now. But with this concept, the baristas would not have to worry about coffee art. Your face is now THE coffee art.

So as I took my first steps towards the Selfie Coffee café, my first observation was that it is not situated strategically. The café is situated along the side of Sunway University.

Aside from facing potential competition from other cafes along the same row, they also face parking issues. But as I approach the café, I was greeted

by one of the employees in a friendly manner, which attracted me more. Nothing beats good service. I saw a bunting stating that the Selfie Coffee café is the first of its kind in Malaysia, but their concept were beaten to second in the entire world.

The café has a very good ambience to it. The dim lights dangle from the ceiling, attached to thick ropes instead of the typical wires, giving it a very rustic and industrial vibe. Just like any other cafes, they cater to both smokers and non-smokers with the indoor and outdoor sections.

As I approach the counter, I was duly greeted by a friendly cashier who was very helpful and informative. The price for each product of the Selfie Coffee café is similar to every other cafés in and around the scene. After ordering my drink, the employee instructed me to head to a section to take my selfie with a camera phone provided by the café itself.

After taking my selfie, I was seated. While waiting, a waiter provided me with whiteboard markers and whiteboard duster to entertain myself. The Two of the latest trends in a cup.

management actually allows customers to draw on their glass table. And after the customary few minutes of waiting, my order arrived. I was just fascinated by my face appearing on the beverage I ordered.

When I asked the waiter the ingredient used to produce the image on my coffee, he told me it was edible egg, further stating that they have a special machine to print the image transferred from the camera phone I initially used.

He did not reveal much though and I do not blame him as revealing the secret to their concept would be suicidal in the business industry. He further explained that the selfies taken can be printed on both hot and cold beverages.

All in all, it was definitely an original concept, a unique selling point and really something you do not see every day.

And as the lives of the average youth these days is swamped with assignments, why not take them here as well? Multiple workable plug points, relaxing acoustic music and a cooling, almost soothing environment, it is equipped with what your necessary wants and needs, whether it is assignment or leisure wise.

not mean that one is simply better than others. Their various strengths make the team successful. Likewise, in any group, we will meet people with different skills; one may be good in writing, another may excel in photography. As a team, we have to complement each other’s diversity to accomplish the excellence.

4. Catch each other when fallingRemember the scene where Black

Widow falls off the building and Hulk catches her? Yep, that is what a great teammate does. Likewise, when one of our group members is facing difficulties or feeling down, we ought to help and support them.

5. Own up to own your mistake and fix it

Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch who are firstly on Ultron’s side finally realise their mistake and eventually join the Avengers to save the earth. They had a choice to run away, but they did not. Likewise, the best way to learn from our mistake is to admit it and set everything right, rather than making excuses.