By LYDIA GEORGE Sydney Chik posing with Kakak in her customised wheelchair. Rehabilitation and physiotherapy for pets in Malaysia is a relatively new field when it comes to veterinary treatments. Canine physiotherapist, Sydney Chik decided to start her own pet rehabilitation centre, currently known as Paws Rehab Centre.
Located in SS18, Subang Jaya, Paws Rehab Centre is a home based centre which offers electrotherapy, heat therapy, treadmill exercises, gym ball exercises, aquatic therapy and cryotherapy. After graduating from her degree in United States, Sydney realised the growing need for pet rehabilitation in Malaysia. Right after graduating, she worked for animal shelters such as Furry Friends Farm, Second Chance, Lost Animal Soul Shelter and Cherish Life Home. She then decided to put aside an investment to start her own place. She expressed how canine rehabilitation may take a long time to bloom here in Malaysia and admitted that it was tough when she started her career three years ago. “It is quite difficult to become recognised here in Malaysia as a canine physiotherapist. “Getting certified is tough, so that’s why my rehab centre is home based,” said Chik when asked on the possible opportunities for canine physiotherapists here in Malaysia. The common cases Sydney receives on a daily basis would be arthritis, senior cases, hip dislocations in young dogs and even paralysis. She gets three to five cases on an average per day and each session can go up to RM 80. Sydney further explained that owners have to book her one week in advance in order for her to plan ahead. “Each session usually takes a maximum of one hour, and I don’t allow any dogs to board overnight so each owner is always with their pet for the whole session,” said Chik when asked on whether dogs are allowed to board overnight after their session. She expressed that she would be willing to work together with Taylor’s Paws Club if ever given the chance. Chik further added that since she works alone now and if her business picks up, she'll definitely be open to students working part time for her. “I never knew there was a rehab centre just for dogs, it would be really interesting if we could spend a day with Sydney at the rehab centre to get to know more about what she does,” said Taylor's School of Communication in Broadcasting student and member of the Taylor’s Paws Club, Sandhya Nair, 20. Not only did Sydney set up a rehab centre of her own, she even designed her very own wheelchair device to help dogs who are paralysed. Each wheelchair is custom-made to suit the size of each dog who needs it. “I definitely would love to move my current centre to a shop-lot while providing grooming and boarding services. “The location for this would definitely be in Subang Jaya,” said Chik when asked on her possible career plans for the next few years. She continued to express on how she hopes the very best for her business to take off. Helping dogs who can’t help themselves makes her happy and that has always been her main strive in why she chose to be a canine physiotherapist.
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By FARHAH SYAMILAH MAZMIL Taylor's security guard, Chatri is one of the foreign workers that celebrates Deepavali. Deepavali, or Festival of Lights is celebrated widely by Indians across various continents around the world. Although this auspicious festival symbolizes victory of good versus evil, the occasion is mainly about celebrating blessings with loved ones. Different countries have different Deepavali traditions but for those that stay away from their homes and families, the festival is an entirely different experience all together.
Nepalese security guard at Taylor’s University (TU), Rudradhal Dahal Chatri, 39, said that there is a lot of similarities that can be found in Deepavali celebrations in Malaysia but there’s also notable differences. “Back in Nepal, as the population is made up of 83% Hindus, Deepavali is hugely celebrated for five days straight which is unlike here in Malaysia, where it is only given one day public holiday,” he said. As the holiday is celebrated with family members, Chatri admitted to feeling lonely as he is not able to be at their side for the festival due to work. “Luckily I know how to cook my country’s own food. “At least this way, I still have a piece of home with me,” Chatri said. This sentiment is shared with Sanjay Khawas, 28, a fellow Nepalese who works as a janitor at TU. “I don’t have time to celebrate Deepavali because even if it’s a holiday here, I still have to work to find money for my family who lives in Nepal,” he said. Khawas added that although he doesn’t have time to celebrate it, he is happy to see the holiday being celebrated as joyously here as it is in his country. School Of Hospitality and Culinary Arts student from Tanzania, Jay Pradeep Tank, 21, who came from an Indian background, also noticed the obvious differences between the celebrations held here and back home. “In Tanzania, we have a lot of rituals that I haven’t seen practiced here in Malaysia. “For example, on the morning of Deepavali, we pray to the goddess of books and knowledge. “We also have a huge mountain of food which we distribute to the poor,” he said. Tank added that in his country, they don’t have the snacks, savouries and sweet dishes served here. “The whole Deepavali celebration is celebrated in a Southern Indian manner rather than in a Gujerati manner,” he said. American Degree Transfer Program student, Farhin Farnaz, 18, from Bangladesh expressed her excitement for the festival as this would be the second time she would celebrate Deepavali in a foreign country. “The first time I saw the fireworks burst in the sky, I was pleasantly surprised because the fireworks played here are quite wilder compared to the ones used in my country. “Also, Kolam (a form of art made of colourful rice), which is typically created either with rice or powder back in Bangladesh, is created using a blend of both here,” said Farnaz. Despite the differences in traditions and celebrations, Deepavali remains the most awaited celebration for the Indian community around the world, no matter where they are. By KHALDOON ALWAN Smoke rises during an airstrike on an army weapons depot on a mountain overlooking Yemen's capital, Sanaa, April 20, 2015. | Photo credit: REUTERS Khaled Abdullah Early in the morning and under the anti-aircraft shotguns, Amal Almontaser, 22, and her family were driving to the country’s borders. Jets were hovering just as they did for the past two months. The sound of bombardments would grow closer and then further away.
As they were hastening out of the city, everyone in the car was just numbed, suddenly, the mountain in front of them was struck by a jet’s missile. However, even that did not necessitate a reaction from Amal or her family. “At that moment what are you going to say? It was a very quiet drive,” said student of Taylor’s Design School, Amal. It has been 18 months since an airstrike campaign began in Yemen. The war in Yemen is described by many as one of the most underreported conflicts in the world. Despite being one of the largest humanitarian crises, the Yemen crisis remains ignored. This is a story about two Yemeni students from Taylor’s tackling a war at home. Each of them has endured the war differently, yet they still share a sense of hope and resilience. Amal was one of the lucky people who managed to flee the country during the complete shutdown of the airports. However, it was still an arduous journey. “It was devastating. I had to fit everything in one small suitcase and leave. I left everything behind, my books, my stuff, and everything,” said Amal. Amal was already in her third semester in university back in Yemen and had to start all over again here. “I contacted my old university to get the reports and documents but there was no reply,” added Amal. Unlike Amal, Omar Al-Eryani, 21, was already studying in Malaysia when the war broke out. “I knew the war has started through Facebook. I called my mother immediately, and I could hear the airstrikes sounds very clearly. “It was a nightmare, still a nightmare,” said Student of School Of Business, Omar. Jets rumbling over, flash in the sky, a sickening pause, then the thud and boom of explosions as the missiles strike. This is what the people in Yemen have been encountering restlessly for almost every day. “When I ask my friends in Yemen how they are doing. They never want to talk about it. They just want to know how I am doing here. “It’s like they are looking for distractions. They want to be somewhere else,” added Amal. As shattering as it must feel for people to experience all of this horror, looking at the situation from the outside seizes you with an impotent and overwhelming frustration. “I was very angry at everything and everyone. I wasn’t able to study for exams or do any assignments. I was in constant fear for my family and friends,” stressed Omar. During my conversation with Amal, it was clear that she is lost in cluttered memories, as if they were something she is used to locking away. “You can’t empathize with a person who is going through all of that. You can try to feel bad about it, but you can never really feel the same as they do. “I have learnt to numb everything out, I’m really upset to say this, but I have been locked away” said Amal. There was a long silence. Amal was struggling to express her thoughts. Her hopes and dreams for Yemen’s future were deflated. “I feel guilty because I don’t know what to do, how to fix things, how to make things better,” she added. Omar, being the active person he is in social media, decided to do something to express himself. “I had this idea of making a video, a massage in different languages to everyone to stop the war. “I wrote the script, contacted my friends and made it. It went viral, 110k views, 5k shares, it was even aired on the national TV,” Omar elaborated. After making that video, Omar felt some sort of satisfaction. He did what he could, as small as it might seem. “Many people liked the idea of the video. I spoke for thousands who couldn’t express themselves,” stressed Omar. Though Omar might lose hope sometimes, the war did little to shake his persistence to demonstrate for Yemen. “The media is not covering what is happening in Yemen. I think it’s our fault that we couldn’t make our voices reach the world,” said Omar. Even though Amal seemed to be upset with all the perpetual sorrows in Yemen, however she still could not despair. “I have such a dead image of Yemen right now but I still wish for a brighter future. I hope that people (of Yemen) would be able to overcome all they have been through. “We are the future of Yemen, and it is on us to make a difference,” said Amal. By ILI RUZANNA IQBAL At the drug store, you go through cabinets and shelves of various facial products to choose from. Most of the bottles and tubes you see are colourful, vibrant and eye catching. You choose one of the products out of the rest, open to find out how it smells like. You notice a price sticker on the product, costing about a minimum of RM30. And every time you finish up a product, you repeat this whole process.
As students, paying for semester fees, food and other necessities have been draining us dry. Spending a whole lot more money on facial products may be mandatory for some but, are they really necessary? If you believe so, then all these clever marketing schemes convincing you to buy their products for clearer and fresher skin has been working. We, especially young adults, have been conditioned to believe that we need these products to remain youthful-looking. Most products you see on counters have common ingredients such as petrolatum, sodium laurate sulphate and parabens. Did you know that these ingredients can clog your skin pores, aggravating to more acne breakouts? They are also very irritating and can be dry to the skin. So, why pay so much when you can use a better alternative? Get ready for the better alternative; natural ingredients! There’s honey, aloe vera, olive oil, oatmeal and more. You can get these at any convenience store, for a much cheaper price. Better yet, they are most probably already in your kitchen cabinet at home. Let's answer this together: Why go natural? Natural ingredients don’t have chemicals or any added preservatives that your face don’t need. The properties in these ingredients are naturally moisturising, are acne-fighting and nourishing for the skin as well as affordable. One of the best ingredients to use is honey. Honey is antibacterial, which helps with preventing and clearing up acne. It is also packed with antioxidants and it can moisturise your skin, giving it a radiant glow. Honey is also clarifying, which can open up skin pores to prevent clogging. The easiest way to use honey is to apply a thin layer on the skin and letting it do its magic for 30 minutes. Once that’s done, rinse the honey off with some lukewarm water, and you will be left with soft and glowing skin. School Of Communication student, Syafira Dina Maudi Juartiyono, 22, said that honey has helped her when her skin was acting up. “I always get pimples when I’m stressed, which is probably all the time when doing assignments. “Using honey has really helped clear them up within a few days,” said Syafira. Another great natural ingredient to use is aloe vera, which is a cactus plant from the Liliaceae family. The plant excretes a clear-like gel that can directly be applied to the skin. Just like honey, aloe vera can also treat acne, and is moisturising. It can also be used to reduce the visibility of stretch marks and treat sunburns. It contains Vitamins A and E, which helps to firm and hydrate the skin. The best way to use aloe vera is to apply all over the skin and letting it dry. Once it dries, wash with lukewarm water and you are good to go. Olive oil is just like aloe vera too, but can be used as a makeup remover. You can add a few drops of olive oil on a cotton pad, and gently rub the makeup off the face. If heavy makeup is used, massage olive oil on the face, and wash with lukewarm water after. This not only removes the impurities, but also moisturise the face. Taylor’s Business School student, Ili Syazeaa bt. Mohamed Fauzi, 21, said she stopped using makeup removers and started using olive oil instead. “The makeup removers at the store caused my skin to irritate and dry out after use. “After trying olive oil, my skin felt softer. I encourage others to try it out too,” said Ili. Now that you know how beneficial and easy it is to use natural ingredients, give it a go. Who knows, it might be something you will start doing from now on. When you go grocery shopping, keep in mind that you will also be doing your beauty shopping. That’s an added bonus! Say goodbye to harsh chemicals and hello to natural ingredients. By NATALIE CHAN XIN CI Lecturers and tutors. We see them everyday but when was the last time you sat down and gave a thought on how they inspired you? We see them carrying out their responsibilities tirelessly everyday, without them our lives on campus will surely be a breakdown: but how well do we actually know them? What keeps them motivated in wanting to discover students’ potential? Student Of School Of Architecture Building And Design (SABD), Phua Jing Sern, 21 and student of School Of Computing And IT (SOCIT), Thomas Chong, 21, shared their story on how have their lecturer and tutor made an impact in their lives by discovering potentials that they do not see in themselves.
Phua said that he enjoys learning from his Architecture Design Studio tutor, Lim Hwa Hong as he tries to mould personality into their design and ensure that his students create honest architecture. Phua believes lecturers who take this initiative will help build students’ confidence. “In our final architectural design project, I attempt to find out who my students are and how to best showcase their innate talent and interest. “The resultant projects should reflect who they are as an unique individuals and hopefully be imbued with a soul that speaks volume of referring the design architect,” said Lim. The last thing Lim wants to be as a tutor is a purveyor of style, cramps and dictate students’ style in their design.
“Everything needs to be balanced, no one is the pro one over the other. “This is where freedom of speech and expression is the sanctity of our design studio,” added Lim. Being able to have a voice matters, because how else can people differentiate themselves from others and excellence from mediocre. Hence, Lim ranks students twice a semester with marks that are being made transparent to every student to know where they should benchmark themselves for improvement. Collaboration over competition is not only emphasised in SABD but also in SOCIT. Chong experienced it first hand by being the project manager of Imagine Hack 2016 that just happened last September. “We had problems with sponsorship. He gave us advice on tips and tricks to secure sponsors,” commented Chong. Chong added Tee also prefers collaboration over competition because it will help students work better and be at their top performance. Lim and his students from Architecture Studio Design class. | Photo credit : Phua Jing Sern
“The reason why we encourage this direction and movement is because we care for their future and wish to see them overcome their weaknesses, find their strengths and live up to their true potential and be successful!” said Tee. Chong expresses Tee motivates students to join external events and makes sure every one of his students are able to step out of their comfort zone and do things beyond classrooms. “He is always there to motivate you and ensure you never give up on the things you do (project/startup). He will be there to assist you and provide support,” said Chong. Lecturers who prioritize students’ success and motivate them throughout their education makes an impact in their lives by exposing their students to different opportunities. Students will push themselves forward in assigned tasks when they are being motivated by their lecturers who believe and follow up with their progress, as they know that there is someone who will guide them as they embark on this learning curve.
Phua added tutors or lecturers who are approachable and friendly enables them to be more open with their creativity. Lim believes learning is not about protocols and hierarchies, everyone should be given the freedom to express themselves. He also cultivates a non-intimidating learning environment, as he knows empowering people is the key to success. This is because people’s confidence, independence and resourcefulness is being improved through this environment. “My role in design studios is to facilitate discourse in a non-intimidating environment. Everyone should be given equal opportunity to express themselves freely and for me to acknowledge their participation,” said Lim. The relationship Tee shares with his students are not constrained by the formal walls of a typical student-teacher hierarchy. He enjoys having friendly conversations with his students because he acknowledges the ideas and passion of the students and wants to be a part of their success and failures. Every student is unique and would love to be acknowledged for who they are. Students appreciate lecturers and tutors who wants to know and bring out the best in them because it will help them grow to become innovative creators in the future. |
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