By TAN TEE MAY Just around Block B in the far right end beside the Student Central counter, is a white sign labeled Counseling Services, which gives a gentle ring as I push the door open cautiously. A couple of counselors greet me with a warm smile, and I gradually feel more welcome as they offer me a glass of water and hand me a few magazines to occupy myself while I wait. A couple minutes later a woman appears and politely asks me about my day as we seat ourselves comfortably and she changes the room slot to ‘engaged’.
She introduces herself as Miss Nithiya Ramasamy and we begin our session. I share about my day, the highlight of the entire week as she listens and nods appreciatively. The minutes tick by and I end up sharing a lot more than originally planned. Before I realize it, an hour has passed, and I leave the room feeling much lighter and less burdened. Counseling services have always been provided in all educational institutions; however, most students do not utilize them as they are mostly afraid of being judge from by their peers. They are held back by the preconceived notion that going to counseling labels you as ‘weak’ and ‘unstable.’ However, this is nothing new. Many times I have walked by the sign and had a silent debate to go in and enquire, or risk another moment of regret the instant I went home. Out of curiosity and small measure of desperation, I resorted to signing up for an appointment online via the Student Central portal, which is another way to book an appointment if you are too shy to approach the counter. While counseling is largely used to treat people with mental illness such as depression, anxiety, bipolar and eating disorders, it is not limited to such issues. Students are more than welcome to share any problems they may be facing, such as family-related stress, assignments, friends, challenges in fitting in, or adapting to a new environment. “What’s important is that they are willing to take the first step in opening up. Once they do, there’s nothing to worry about. We are more than willing to listen,” said Ramasamy, one of the counselors. She also adds that they have clinical psychologists for those that may be suffering from a more serious form of mental ailment and want to be diagnosed. However, they do not prescribe medications. “We encourage students to get professional help outside if they really need it,” said Ramasamy. However, if students are not comfortable in approaching the counselors, they may go through their lecturer or a trusted friend to book an appointment. There have been cases where a student is referred to a counselor by their lecturer, often if he or she has not been performing well or has a number of unexplained absences. As it may seem, majority of students seem to need prodding before they are willing to take steps in confronting their problems. Too often we simply brush it aside and blindly hope for the best. However, this only creates extreme stress for the student and it is not a healthy state to be in. Too often we do not realize the importance in taking care of one’s mental health, especially since we are surrounded by so many crippling pressures and expectations extended by society today. “I really enjoy the sessions I have with my counselor. She lets me talk about anything I want and isn’t judgmental in the least,” said School of Computing & IT student, Samanza Kishwar Parvez. Information shared in the counseling sessions are strictly confidential and kept within the room. “We do not disclose anything that you have shared with us. We abide by our own code of ethics,” said Ramasamy. When asked about what she would say to students that are still too scared to come forward, she smiled and said, “My boss used to say that we don’t bite.” Students can drop by the Counseling Services anytime from between 10am-4pm on weekdays. Appointment booking is also available on the student portal under Student Central.
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By CLARISSA LOI PUI LING Is the Cursed Child a flourishing return to the much-loved Harry Potter series, or a flat affair? | Photo Credit: Scholastic Were you ever curious about the growing pains of being the son of The Boy Who Lived? Add a dash of twisted timelines and the burden of family legacies to the mix, you now have the eighth installment to J.K Rowling’s spell-bounding universe of magic.
Set 19 years after the events of the seventh novel, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is a script-book of the hit stage play, written by playwright Jack Thorne. The story however, is the brainchild of Rowling, Thorne, and the play’s director John Tiffany. A quick note for those who’ve yet to feast their eyes on this book – there might be spoilers ahead, so beware! The whirlwind narrative focuses on Albus Potter and his unlikely friendship with his best friend, Scorpius Malfoy, and their attempts (coaxed, on most part, by Albus) to right past wrong-doings when they come into possession of an illegal Time-Turner. It also explores the domino effect that comes with messing up the order of events in the past, and usually that never turns out well. The Cursed Child also takes readers on a brilliant rediscovery of many of the Potterverse’s key timelines and characters. But it may disappoint a few fans because it lacks the amazingly immersive prose that is expected from Rowling’s stylistic writing, inadvertently putting its dialogue under close scrutiny. Although Thorne has his moments where he is able to perfectly replicate Rowling’s heartfelt and warm charm, there were times where what was said totally contradicts the personalities and ethos of characters that have evolved and matured under Rowling’s hands. (Ahem, pretty sure Harry as a dad wouldn’t have said that to any of his kids.) Liberties were also taken for its main plot device of time-travelling, and it feels like it is done with a convoluted excess. As it unravels near its end, the obvious plot holes surface; which have become a true bane for many Potterheads reading the book. Unnecessary almost, it ruins the escapist experience of trying to delve deep into Albus and Scorpius’ scattered adventures. The story shines truly with Albus and Scorpius, with their parents and their famous friends relegated to individuals that work as a force to allow this new generation of wizards to grow into themselves by fighting their own battles. Albus is the poster child of teenage rebellion, shouldering the expectations of being Harry Potter’s son and relatable in the ways he deals with them with cynicism. It’s also easy to see why Scorpius is the Internet’s new favourite – his dry humour and optimism has made him the current literary equivalent of the innocent cinnamon roll meme. It’s understandable why responses towards The Cursed Child have largely been mixed, with it coming off as a watered-down version of Rowling’s explosive imagination and emotional depth. It is however, without merit. It may not be the most charming book in the series thus far, but it has certainly kept the spark of magic alive that many have come to grow, and love. By KHALDOON ALWAN Wayne Rooney, who has Androgenetic Alopecia. | Photo Credit: Carl Recine/Reuters Everyday each human being loses between 100 to 125 of 100,000 hairs. 10% of our hair, on any given time, is in what is called the “resting phase".
Two to three months later that hair falls out while new hair grows instead. However, some people encounter more hair loss than normal. Androgenetic Alopecia is the medical term for an inherited condition of hair loss, and while it might affect people in different ages, it is young adults that has to endure it the most. “When I was 19, I started to notice that I had a problem of hair loss. "Now I’m 22 and it’s very obvious that my hair is way thinner than before,” said School of Engineering student, Zain Saryah. Androgenetic Alopecia, also known as Male Pattern Baldness, causes hair follicles to shrink and eventually atrophy. “Genetics are the primary cause in hair loss - testosterones convert to Dihydrotestosterone (DHT) causing the membranes in the scalp to become inelastic, and restrict blood flow. "Men produce more testosterone than women, therefore, experience more hair loss,” said a Dermatologist in Saudi German Hospital Sana'a, Basheer Jamal. “The fact that my dad is bald makes me more anxious about my hair situation. "I have looked for solutions online, tried natural supplements and different types of treatments but nothing seems to work” Sarhah explained. Hamza Saeed, a School of Business student, thinks that he loses more hair during his semesters in university; an odd thing that he attributes to stress. “I started to lose more hair when in my first semester in university, however hair loss was obviously less during the breaks,” he explained. While current researches cannot verify that hair loss is completely ascribed to emotional stress, Dr. Jamal says that some studies have suggested that certain hormones released in response to stress can communicate with hair molecules. ”The procedure of stress influencing hair loss does exist,” he added. Emotional stress, which is the type of stress students may experience during exams, work or relationship problems, plays the dominant role in the hormonal imbalance, other factors could also contribute highly. Lack of sleep, nutritious diets, or other poor lifestyle choices students make do affect the hormonal process in their bodies as well. “Now I try to exercise more and have at least 7 hours of sleep at night in order to better manage the university stress,” said Saeed. Lowering the stress level could also help improve other aspects in students’ lives as many studies has shown the harmful impact of stress in the immune system. “Despite the ill effect stress has on hair loss, it would be beneficial for everyone to be aware of the stress they encounter,” Dr. Jamal added. Whether your hair loss is due to an inherited form or to a stress factor you shouldn’t be too anxious about it. Starting to panic over your hair loss is a waste of your time and energy that could be put into a more productive use. Do not fall into the trap of the hair loss industry that will only find reasons for you to waste your money. By NATALIE CHAN XIN CI Home is not a dwelling place but it is one's self, love and passion. | Photo Credit : TaiBai Home is a place where we find ourselves, know our likes and dislikes. When you have discovered what you like and surround yourself with it, that becomes your home. If you don’t know yourself well enough to define yourself, it is the same as not being at home because home is yourself.
Growing up in an Asian family where many decisions are made by our parents as parents only wants the best for us. But, what if the decisions they make are not the ones we prefer? The more they force us to take the path they have decided for us, the more we feel like they are strangers to us. To avoid that, we need to know our self-worth and self-identity because it will be easier to communicate and to not lose ourselves in the midst of judgements and most importantly to not feel disconnected with the ones we love. “As you grow up, judgements come in and you feel like the people you thought who know you don’t anymore and everything just suddenly becomes stranger to you,” said student of School Of Architecture and Building (SABD), Jane Ooi, 21. Jane mentioned that home is where the heart is, family are like the people who you assume they know you best because they are the people you first connect with since birth but when they don’t, you feel lost. Home is not just identifying our identity but it is a feeling that we have within ourselves when we are spending time with the people we love. “Being with the person makes you feel like home,” uttered Jane. Jane was separated from her childhood best friend since the age of seven and she didn’t know how she should feel as she didn’t know how to identify that feeling. As she grows older, she realized that it is difficult to find a true friend who understands and makes us feel like we are at home. A true friend is someone who we can relate to and still understands us even though we have been separated for a substantial point of time. That feeling that lingers is the feeling of home because they remind us of who we are and they are the light to us when we are lost. “It is like when they are with us, I feel like I am at home but when they are gone, I feel like I am lost again, I'm at a place where I don’t really belong, but when I am with them I feel like I am the happiest,” said Jane. To many, home is just being able to be with the people we love but it is actually more than that. It is also the ability of being able to do what we love doing. What if we are not given the opportunity to do what we love? This is like taking home away from us. Jane has a personal encounter with this when she wasn’t able to pursue what she truly loves doing. Her passion for drawing and designing is her home but sadly her parents and the society discouraged her from pursuing her passion. She was asked to pursue a professional course such as studying Architecture, Engineering and Medicine as she was a science student back in secondary school. Due to that, she agreed to study Architecture as it has drawing element in it but little did she know that it wasn’t what she thought. Jane faced with anxiety, depression and fear but she decided to give herself time to discover her passion for architecture and eventually she did. Besides, being at home to her means that she has a stand in what she likes to do and be able to be proud and build a future career with what she has passion in. A home is not a single contained space of air, bricks and walls that hold, that shelter. A home is not a door, fence or a window that protects. It is not sister, mother or anyone blood related, not photo frames that are hanging down the walls. A home is not just family but it is self, it is people and it is passion. By CLARABELLE AK LAWRENCE Malaysians debate as to pursue their studies overseas or continue locally. | Photo Credit: Vanderbiit.edu The expense and quality of education in Malaysia is constantly debated every year amongst its citizens. It has been claimed that education is mostly free in Malaysia’s public or government schools. However, at the same time complaints have been made regarding the quality and teaching methods of teachers in these schools. Thus, it leads to wealthier parents sending their children to international or private schools to ensure that they receive a well-rounded education. This habit ensues up to when their children start higher education.
With the changing economy and the rising prices of tertiary education, these parents again start to question whether it is even worth to send their children to local private universities. As someone who is currently pursuing my higher education locally, I would advise students who have the opportunity to study outside of Malaysia to take the risk simply because after comparing its fees and cost of living, the difference is minimal. Students who can afford it should rather take the opportunity not only due to the insignificant disparities in expenditure but the privilege of experiences that they may obtain in foreign countries. Malaysia is a country that all Malaysians are familiar with in terms of education specifications, quality and familiarity. With venturing abroad, a person will be exposed to a different culture and have access to better aspects of education, in which a student acquires expertise or accomplishments that foreigners excel in. Consequently, according to publisher Sadho Ram on Says.com, Malaysia happens to be the fifth most expensive country in the world to obtain a degree. It is backed up with the fact that 55% of a working parent’s salaries are spent on funding their children’s degrees. Based on a personal comparison done between the fees when I first started my degree, with the current fees applied to new students, an average tuition fee in the year 2014 would cost around RM24K per annum. Compared to the year 2016, the average tuition fee would cost around RM30K per annum. In Malaysia, the average wage of a parent is RM2000 per month, so most students will usually end up opting for scholarships or loans. With the amount of loan that a student has to pay at the end of their education, then students might as well go overseas as students are able to obtain study loans of the same price. Depending on the universities they choose to go for example in the UK, or European countries, students are usually offered better scholarships there. For example, Germany offers free education with the condition that a person has to master their language. In addition, the French government offers financial aid to international students who choose to study in their country. With the amazing opportunities and possibilities that other countries provide, I really encourage them to pursue their dreams in countries of their desire. All in all, the only thing that a person needs to do with that dream is like what I would usually do, which is to do thorough research on what the country and its education system has to offer along with a positive mindset! Students should also look forward to opening up their minds and having a sense of exploration where they can go travelling to different places and states in these countries. As what a wise person would normally say, learning does not stop in schools and colleges but continues through exploration! |
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