By SAMANTHA SIN MACY A small on photographer, Joylene's wrist. | Photo credit : Joylene Ling Ai Hui As the newer generation grow, it has become a fashion trend for youngsters to have tattoos. Lately, the craze is getting a tattoo when one turns 18 or 21 and some students are getting inked without putting much thought into the impact it would have in their futures.
Since tattoos were introduced, it has been a taboo for people to be permanently marked at workplaces. Stereotypes have been formed on people that if they have tattoos, they are “bad” and “are bad influences”. However, this is no surprise. Criminals and gangs are known to be tattooed all over their bodies, thus, creating a negative perception on tattooed people of different professions. Seeing that tattoos have become more of a fashion trend than something of meaning, students tend to follow trends with the mindset that they would look more appealing or more fashionable if they had tattoos. Considering the fact that tattoos are permanent, the impressions formed by other people depends on how visible those tattoos are. If a tattoo can be hidden by an article of clothing, others may not even be aware that the individual is inked. For example, if the tattoo is on the calf and covered by pants, employers may not even be aware that their employee or potential employee has a tattoo. On the other hand, if the tattoo is on the wrist, for example, employers may be hesitant to hire the individual. School Of Communication (SOC) student, Joylene Ling Ai Hui, 21, who had also completed her internship stated that her employers did not discriminate her at all based on her tattoos. “They didn’t see me as some sort of dysfunctional student just because I had tattoos.” With that being said, as time passes, tattoos are slowly being accepted by the working world, especially in the arts-related industry. Arts-related industries may be more open to tattooed fresh grads as opposed to traditional corporate companies. “I think with industries like business or even flight attendants, they’re stricter with tattoos. My brother’s in the advertising industry and they don’t mind that he has tattoos,” said Taylor’s Business School student, Aaron Chong Yoong Seng, 22. Manager Of Career Services, Raja Edriana Baizura also agrees that tattoos should be covered up in corporate companies and banks whereas advertising and broadcasting companies may be more carefree about tattoos. “We don’t discriminate students with tattoos. In fact, I think it’s more of managing expectations and it heavily depends on the line of work in which students decide to choose,” said Raja Edriana. With internships coming up soon for some students, inked students may be facing the problem of being discriminated while carrying out their internship. The concern of being discriminated and looked down upon by supervisors will haunt them. “I’m a little concerned for my internship, but it should be fine in the broadcasting industry,” said SOC student, Sheryl Lynn Chan Lee Thin. “But, then again, I feel like it’s up to inked students to prove people wrong when they have negative impressions.” People’s mindsets have become more progressive. Employers are slowly starting to disregard inked students as negative people. After all, it’s just permanent ink on skin. It does not mean that one is a bad influence to society just because they are marked.
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By PARK JUNG A Eye contact imparts a sense of intimacy to your exchanges, and leaves the receiver of your gaze feeling more positive about your interaction. | Photo Credit :The World’s Biggest Eye Contact Experiment Eyes tell a lot of things about who we are. Sometimes when you look into them deep enough, it looks like a universe in a smaller form. We also talk of our eyes as the reflection to our souls
We feel that people are paying attention when they look into our eyes. We ask people to do so, because that is the polite way of talking. But do we talk to our parents with proper eye contact? Before being a student, we were all children to our parents. Yet, we feel more awkward to be close with them the older we grow. Students shared their stories of their eye contact experiment with their parents. Approaching parents was the hardest part, since both students and parents falt awkward about making eye contact. “My mum gave me a really confused look and asked about the purpose of it,” said School Of Computing And IT (SOCIT) student, Hoesni Abdul Aziz, 22. Besides Hoesni, students who shared their experience had difficulties at first. Parents were puzzled to try out the eye contact experiment because they were not used to doing it. “After starting the clock, we just stared into each other’s eyes and tried to maintain eye contact. It was naturally very awkward for us and it slowly dawned on me how little I actually try to look into my mother’s eyes.” Hoesni shared. “While I was looking at them, the first thing that came to mind was, 'Wow, they have aged quite a bit’ and then I suddenly recalled all the things that they have given me throughout these years,” commented School Of Tourism, Hospitality And Culinary Arts student, Caryn Tan Poh Choon, 22. Tan mentioned that she was delighted to know her father was thinking the same of her. “My dad said that I’ve grown so much and wondered whether I will be able to sustain on my own in the future. “To be honest, it was the longest minute ever, but I would do it again. It made me have a smooth conversation with my dad, which I thought was always hard,” added Tan. Gazing into each other’s eyes isn’t easy. But it is important as it gives you access to the internal thoughts and emotions of others. It is definitely precious to share the moment with your parents. By THEDORA Danar Jovian (first row, on the right) among his younger classmates. | Photo Credit : Danar Jovian For most, an academic course takes a linear route. We go to primary school, secondary school, college, university and maybe follow it up with a master’s or doctoral degree. However, some choose to deviate from this path, either because they spent a short time away from the academic environment, or ended up in jobs they simply didn’t enjoy.
Danar Jovian Vadya Putra, 24, School Of Architecture, Building and Design student, planned out his career as a professional football player since Form 4, however due to unfortunate circumstances, he had to take a turn in career change. “After finishing my A Levels in 2011, I tried to pursue my career of becoming a professional football player. It wasn’t until 2 years later after an ACL (Anterior Cruciate Ligament) injury and a dislocated knee, that I couldn’t perform up to my usual standards and decided to hang up my boots”, said Danar. Career change is one of the most frequent reason cited by older students. Like Jovian, after graduating from A Levels, I planned to pursue a Law degree in the UK. However, midway into the application process, I realised law might not be the best option for me, which led to the two years of delay in continuing my studies. For whatever reason, being the older student in university is highly rewarding. One advantage about returning to college later in life is that the student will likely have a greater sense of purpose and focus hence the desire to excel academically is often heightened. Jovian said that his focus and motivation are probably stronger than those of his younger classmates. He is not in university to socialise or have fun – he is there to learn. "Because of the three to four years’ age gap between me and my peers, I often feel pressured to do better than the rest. Not to mention, the constant nagging from my relatives questioning why I am still studying while people at my age have started working. "Older students often face unique challenges; having to juggle academic study with paid work, family and financial responsibilities which can add pressure to an already demanding study situation," said Jovian. Jaysree Maganathan, 25, School Of Biomedical Sciences student took different paths before pursuing her degree, she has explored many jobs as sales clerk, medical laboratory technologist after her diploma and is currently working part-time as barista. Many students also worry about the social integration with younger students and fear of isolation. “I felt the fear of isolation prior to my enrolment, where I thought I will be alone in university due to my age,” admitted Jaysree. Jovian too, had a concern before enrolling his degree, as the oldest student in his class, he felt insecure of his age and was worried he might not fit in with the rest. Older students shouldn’t see this as a hindrance, they should instead see their life experiences as an opportunity to bring something new to the table and add value to their conversations among peers. Although Jovian said otherwise, he thinks that age can’t judge life experiences. "Some people are not exposed to what others might have gone through," he said. Mature students are usually able to provide life experiences into discussion, often bringing different perspective to a common situation or a clinical discussion. Their views are at a tangent to the younger students, who seem to learn a great deal from having mature students amongst them. Jaysree, who is the "big sister" among her peers agreed. As she had first-hand experiences with the working world, her classmates tend to seek advice from her whenever they are faced with dilemmas. "Bottom line? Being the older one in college has more advantages than disadvantages. Having the privilege of a student I.D., for one, helps in saving on expenses. "But most of all, I get the chance to do something over when I am at the right time and place to relish it. After all, I am more responsible and organised than I might have been if I would have gone to university at a younger age," said Jaysree. By NATALIE CHAN XIN CI Quiet time is equivalent to breakfast - breakfast for the spiritual health | Photo credit: www.odb.org Everyone needs a healthy breakfast! Breakfast is the most important meal of the day as a good breakfast will help start our day right. Morning quiet time is as important as having a big breakfast, but it is for our spiritual growth instead.
Everyone needs to grow spiritually, mentally, and physically. All three are equally important and it is vital to keep them all at balance. With an imbalance of one aspect, we will not be able to power through the day filled with challenges. Quiet time is a form of religious worship and observation through reading the bible and praying. It is a thought for a day, with words from the bible for our spiritual growth as Christians. Strengthening of faith and relationship with God will also develop through this. A School Of Communication student, Lai Zhi Xian, 21, said that she feels more positive and calm when she does her morning prayer. “Morning prayers can achieve a positive and calm mind, just like doing a workout in the morning or yoga as form of meditation,” said Lai. Lai also added that quiet time allows her to build relationship with God. The more time she spends with God the more she knows Him, hence the lessening of burden and worries within her. Many dislike having breakfast in the morning and grumble about how eating in the morning is such a discomfort. But, researchers show that breakfast is essential yet many disregards it - students, especially. It is the same scenario in the life of Christians students. Christians students will backslide when they arrive to their tertiary education as it is the phase where students face with many challenges daily. Sometimes Christian students are so caught up with many things, they tend to backslide in carrying out daily quiet time. Due to time constraints, a School Of Engineering student, Darren Lee Jun Weng, 22 has lost his consistency in doing daily devotions. “I used to do my devotions every day but then college life and Uni life came in and it’s a real struggle to balance time. So sometimes we get carried away with the world and time,” said Lee. Daily quiet time guides us throughout the day and reassures that God will be with us. God is unfailingly reliable and He puts us at where we are for a reason. It is important to begin our day with God’s word. His words are comforting and faithful. Having His words are just as important as having a big breakfast for our body. A big breakfast is fuel for our physical growth and quiet time is fuel for our spiritual growth. Students and breakfast do not get along often and the same goes for Christian students and quiet time. May Christian students come to see that the importance of reading His word in the morning is as vital as having breakfast. Let’s fuel our body and spirit with good vitamins to take on the day. By SAMANTHA SIN MACY Customers awaiting for their drink pickup and interacting with the JuiceLab staff JuiceLab gives their customers a fruitful life every day! The latest addition to the Boardwalk's list of specialty beverage shops, JuiceLab offers a variety of fresh juices and smoothies.
With smoothies and juices made from freshly cut fruits, students can refresh themselves and recharge their energy with fruity beverages of their choice. The four main fruit smoothies feature avocados, berries, dragonfruit and mango. They also offer healthy fruit and vegetable juices. Customers can also choose to customize their drinks by mixing and matching fruits and vegetables of their preference, and they can even opt for ice cream shakes too. JuiceLab has a modern-looking setup with wooden counters and a glass case that displays their fresh fruit along with an overhead menu board. Two banners and a small poster advertise their daily promotions from Monday to Friday with a different fruit beverage offered every day. It was a Monday when I had the Berryberries smoothie which consisted of strawberries, blueberries, yogurt and tropical fruit. Unfortunately, they were out of blueberries that day. For a person who personally does not prefer berry drinks, I really enjoyed the smoothie. A friend of mine ordered the Green Ninja and I tried some as well. The fruit smoothie had avocado, green apple and apple juice. It tasted quite good and had a lingering avocado aftertaste but it was still delicious. Another friend of mine customized her drink. She had ordered a mix of mango, ginger, beetroot and asam boi. However, the portion of ginger was too much and her drink was overpowered by the ginger flavour instead of a balanced portion of all four ingredients. Seeing that the reception of JuiceLab has been quite good since their opening, they tend to run out of certain ingredients rather quickly. It might take some time for JuiceLab to have sufficient stocks after they are able to predict the list of fan-favourite beverages. On the other hand, the friendly staff are excellent in suggesting drinks as well as creating conversations with their customers despite the slow to moderate wait. It's also a plus point that the price range is quite affordable, especially on their daily promotions. So, if students ever need an energy booster, they can grab a smoothie of their choice at JuiceLab from 10am to 8pm. By CLARABELLE AK LAWRENCE A student watching a video on the topic BIG TALK on YouTube. Building relationships; be it friendship, a romantic attachment or strengthening your bond with family members, is essential in our lives. When you form a relationship, it is a process where individuals learn to connect and build a mutual understanding between each other.
The relationships you build might come in handy in the future as a means of physical and mental support to achieve your goals in life, or as a lesson to strive for self-improvement. A recent experiment done by Kalina Silverman, called the BIG talk, has caught the attention of people in the United States, where she talked to strangers by asking them big questions and observed their reactions and responses. Her aim was to build relationships and have deeper conversations with her random encounters. Within days, her video went viral and many people messaged her asking for tips on how to ‘make BIG talk’. As you can see, a straightforward means of asking simple yet significant questions can lead to a more meaningful conversation and consequently, to the formation of relationships. When you approach people the right way with a sincere heart, a connection will be established and people will be more than willing to open up to you. However, coming from a culture that is more closed off when it comes to communication and opening up to strangers takes time, encountering a stranger with BIG talk is not something that is considered normal. “If someone approaches me suddenly with a big question I will feel very weird. It makes me think about ‘what are you trying to do?’ and it feels uncomfortable,” said School Of Communication (SOC) student, Lau Vee Vian, 21. For some, although answering big questions from strangers is considered weird, their replies are actually based on their first impression of the person itself. “If someone approaches me very politely and if I notice that the person is older, and he or she is someone who is working or the campus staff, I will reply out of respect. But then, even so I will not give very detailed answers because it is still quite weird,” said SOC student, Low Pui Shuen, 21. Different people have different reactions and replies to when someone approaches them with BIG talks. It all depends on one’s personality or perhaps, one’s experiences in life. A Government Senior Administrative Assistant, Kimberly Chidlim, 34, said it is rare to meet someone who is very blunt and straightforward, because these people are the real deal. She emphasised that “a remarkable relationship begins unexpectedly” and points out that with random big talk conversations, we do not know when we are going to meet someone who is going to have a huge impact in our lives. Often so, you need someone to open up to new perspectives to allow you to see life through a different angle. Through BIG talks, someone will be able to approach you that way and change how one can see things. When you broaden your mind, you will be able to see the world in a clearer view. In order to achieve that, a way of approaching should first and foremost be analysed before making a move. Based on someone who has done it before, what is most important is to make the person in front of you feel comfortable. “Always approach them from the front, as long as they can see you, and give them a smile. Start with a few small talks before asking them the big questions - that way, they will open up because they feel comfortable. When they tell me their stories I listen very well. I relate with my own stories so everything continues naturally, but what’s important is the connection established after that,” said retired library assistant, Molly Arthur, 58. BIG talks often present opportunities for people to open up their deepest desires and share their moving stories by placing a sense of trust in strangers without the fear of it spreading to other people. Sometimes, sharing your stories with strangers feels easier than to do so with your own family and friends. “If someone tells me their stories, I would keep them and listen to it wholeheartedly. But if it’s a beautiful story and if the person doesn’t mind, I would share it with friends and family of course,” said Chidlim. The highlight of BIG talks is definitely the relationships formed despite getting to know someone only for 30 minutes of their lives. However, within those precious minutes, as humans who are willing to engage with another person and be there for them even just for a moment, it is able to influence a change. Be it making them smile or bringing them relief from their worries, you’ve made their day. “BIG talks work very well - some have become my friends and we keep in touch once in a while. After all, it is all about connections and networking and you don’t know when you might need them as a friend instead,” ended Chidlim. |
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