By SAMANTHA SIN Lepidopterophobia, the fear of butterflies Everyone is scared of something but not everyone has a phobia. Phobias are irrational fear that can either be caused by experiences while some phobias are unexplainable to why people have them, hence, the term ‘irrational’.
Phobias are when you avoid it as best as you can. For instance, a person with acrophobia (fear of heights), would try their best to avoid the view of heights. On the other hand, some phobias cannot be avoided. If a person has germophobia (the fear of germs), it is almost impossible to avoid and may lead to severe obsessive compulsive disorders (OCD). There are several ways to identify one’s phobia. The first sign would be irregular breathing. Other signs would be nausea, accelerated heartbeat, skin crawling and chills down the spine. There are tons of different phobias and not many people know the scientific term for phobias. The most common phobia is claustrophobia (fear of small spaces). Many people who have this phobia fear elevators the most, since an elevator is an enclosed area. Other common phobias would be arachnophobia(fear of spiders), coulrophobia (fear of clowns), acrophobia and katsaridaphobia (fear of cockroaches). “I hate cockroaches. “I mean, it’s tolerable but when I see cockroaches, I just… No," said Marketing & International Business student, Aaleyxia Intan Termizi, 22. “I have slight vertigo. “Vertigo is kind of like when I look down from a certain height, I get dizzy and lose my balance easily. Unfortunately, with vertigo, it kind of makes me phobic of heights,” stated School Of Engineering student, Ryan Jerome Lee. On the other hand, there are unusual but common phobias. The infamous unusual common phobia would be trypophobia (fear of holes). Many peoples’ skin crawls just hearing the word. Another unusual phobia is koumpounophobia (fear of buttons). Actress, Nicole Kidman has an unusual phobia; lepidopterophobia, (the fear of butterflies). The co-founder of Apple, Steve Jobs, has koumpounophobia and that was how he developed touchscreen phones. School Of Communication (SOC) student, Jerrold Man Jing Wei, 21, shares somewhat of a similar phobia with Steve Jobs. “I’ve always cringed at specifically school uniform buttons, the white-ish transparent ones. I never look at my shirt when I button or unbutton them. Thankfully, I had to wear a tie in school. I wouldn’t have to look at them. “Actually, I hate jade colours as well. Every time I see anything with jade colours, I feel super nauseous,” he added. Some phobias are so rare that there might not be a scientific name for it. SOC student, Carrie-Ann Lee Keng Sue has a strange fear of octopus tentacles. “It’s not trypophobia, I don’t like the idea of suctions and vacuums, especially from octopus tentacles. I can’t even listen to suction-like sounds, which makes my neck tighten," said Lee. Avoidance of the phobia is an easy way to treat mild phobias but treatments are available for severe phobias. Most phobias can be cured with proper treatment and medications. A popular way of treating phobias is through behaviour therapy, or better known as desensitisation. In this case, exposure to the phobia in progressive steps would slowly help in curing phobias.
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By PARK JUNGA Five years after establishing a YouTube channel that is now famous for its comedy vlogs and short films, Grim Films founder Jared Lee has finally managed to make his first feature-length movie entitled Sex-Operator.
“This is my first time making a completely self-funded 90-minute feature (film). We’ve faced a lot of challenges, especially financially,” said Lee. He added that the film was shot in 16 consecutive days, with Lee only managing to slot in two to five hours of sleep a day. “It was a miracle we made it through without anybody being hurt. I'm very thankful for the team we had, because most of them have more experience in production than I do. “It was really a learning experience on my part, they were very patient,” said Lee. Now 31 years old, Lee said that making a full-length movie has always been his dream, ever since his first short film in 2011. “It was always a dream to make a full-length feature film and to be in the movie making industry; YouTube was something that happened by chance. “This is my first step towards what I've always wanted,” he said. Lee began in animation, before moving to the events industry and finally settling as a YouTube content creator. He had also dabbled in hairstyling and playing the guitar as well. Lee’s career in the film industry began when he submitted his short film “Long Distance Relationship’ as an entry for the BMW Shorties short film competition in 2010, after which he founded Grim Films. He initially wanted to make short films but a YouTube partner manager advised him to change the direction of his content. Mix feedbacks from audiences was harsh at first but he still pursued what he wanted to do. Despite all the challenges, the joy that Jared and his team felt from the production process kept them moving forward. “Do not think so much when you consider to pursue your dream, just do it. Worry later. At least you will find out if you really like filmmaking and that if you're built for it,” said Lee. He encourages people who are interested in production to seek guidance from other people when they have doubts. Joining film events and screenings, immersing yourself in a community of creative minds, and let it all flow. There will always be a way to overcome any obstacles. Jared’s feature film is currently in the process of editing and they are aiming to release it next year. With the experience they have built, Jared and his team are already planning to produce their next feature film. By TAN TEE MAY Recently, bookshelves at the ‘local reads’ bookstore section has been piling up with new releases from both newly-aspiring authors and seasoned writers. The writing scene in Malaysia has grown and expanded thoroughly, encouraging people to open up more to the prospect of reading a locally-written book. However, many people are still held back by the misconception that local books do not stand up to the standard of international books which dominate our own bookstores.
“People believe that the quality of writing isn’t as good as overseas books. Most of the younger generation readers are not that interested in the local writing because they are more accustomed to the foreign aspects that they usually read,” said Steven Steel, a Wattpad award winner and author of his own Sci-Fi novel, Someone’s In My Head. “Because of this judgement, they miss out on an opportunity to discover local authors and their works,” he added. They shift to international books because of all the hype that those books are being made into movies, have won many awards and has garnered a huge fanbase. However, they do not realise that we have our very own gems in our own country. Books like Five Star Billionaire, The Garden of Evening Mists, Sorcerer to the Crown, and The Japanese Lover have all won awards. It is because that they are local-based that most Malaysians are not aware, if not uninterested, to know more about it. For example, Harmony Silk Factory by Tash Aw had won the 2005 Whitbread Book Award as well as the Commonwealth Writers Prize for Best First Novel. Recently, his newest novel Five-Star Billionaire has been shortlisted for the 2013 Man Booker Prize, making him one of the most decorated authors in Malaysia. “What I loved about Five-Star Billionaire was how the author accurately described the locations in Malaysia without directly mentioning the place. His description of our country and culture was something every Malaysian could relate to,” said School Of Education student, Clovey Lye Shu Zhen, 20. Many Malaysians are not willing to open up a local book simply because they think the plot lacks originality or the Asian elements are too repetitive. While it is true that writers do indeed overemphasize on our Malaysian background and religious culture, it is not a bad thing to be proud of your nationality. Plus, local writers have been in the industry long enough that they have been able to branch out to different genres. School Of Communication student Jacey Hen Hue Tyng,18 explained about Zen Cho’s novel Sorcerer to the Crown, an epic fantasy tale about a slave boy studying magic and travelling across the borders of Britain to discover why England’s magical stocks are drying up. "Even better, it's part of a series," said Hen. The long-maintained stereotype that Malaysian authors can only write about Asian culture or boring biographies are broken with debut authors like these. The writing scene in Malaysia has expanded enough that our own authors are brave enough to start out their own debut novels. The growth of this industry is a breakthrough for many, readers and writers alike. Farah Hanna bt. Mohd Alkaf, author of best-selling book GILA, which illustrates how it’s like to live with mental illness expresses that its important for Malaysians to support the local scene in order for it to grow. “Publishing is a business and publishers aren’t going to take on a book if they know they can’t cover the costs without demand for it first. "If Malaysian readers gave local writers the same chance, the same respect that they give writers from other countries, we have a better shot at getting published at all,” she said. “It is partly the media’s fault that local authors do not get as much exposure as international. “Because they are able to make more money advertising the popular book series, local books often get pushed aside," added Steven. The saddest thing about our community is that most don’t even realize the existence of these bestselling authors that originate from their own country. Citizens from other countries are more aware of Malaysian authors promoting overseas than our own people. Anna Tan, editor from Fixi Publications, explained why Malaysians have a natural disdain towards the local writing. “First of all, its our underlying perception bias that anything local is poor in quality. Then of course there's the actual quality of the work - Malaysian writing in English is still very new and unestablished. "Because of low submissions or poor quality of editors our publications aren't as good as international books - which have the advantage of established quality as well as choice and monetary backing. So this feeds into problem one: perception," said Tan. Farah Hanna agrees wholeheartedly, adding that we’re more supportive of things that have achieved an international status rather than backing up what had started here. But the truth is, there are a lot great Malaysian writers, and international publishers are willing to take the chance to publish them. Therefore, if we Malaysians do not give them a chance to read their work, that is where all their pride goes- wasted on a country that will not acknowledge their talent. By SULAIMAN SHAFIQ There has been a steady increase in locally produced films, as the number has doubled to 80 films being produced last year, compared to the number of films produces back in 2010. This clearly shows that this relatively young industry is ready to grow.
However, the same cannot be said about the quality of these movies, especially when realizing the fact that our locally produced movies are not being internationally recognised. One of the main reasons why this is happening is because the majority of the audience is not ready to accept and support a higher level of intellectual movies. “A small percentage of the Malaysian audience is ready, but the majority is not; they still prefer popcorn flicks,” said Astro Shaw producer, Abu Baker b. Siddiq, 38. He added that the local industry has a content problem, whereby content is created specifically to the Malaysian market, and they are happy with what they have and do not want to take steps to try something new. The local audience is the fuel that drives the industry, therefore it is no surprise that producers and studios want to cater to local needs and wants in making a movie. “This is because if the audience feels like it’s time to stop watching movies, then we will not have an industry to work in,” said Abu Baker. He added that it is always good to cater to what they need, but at the same time it is important to slowly expose them to a variety and a change of how a story is told. The audience must break from their typical mind-set. The current audience has been conditioned to a certain type of movie and this must slowly change. The first steps are already being taken, as the National Film Development Corporation Malaysia (FINAS) have provided a platform to fund new and passionate filmmakers to create their concepts and ideas. The Content Malaysia Pitching Centre, which was initiated by FINAS together with other organising bodies, is a platform to help Malaysian content creators and producers create good content with good entertainment values. “We see a positive feedback on that and the industry is slowly shifting its gears to a more daring approach,” said Abu Baker. Another sign that the industry is growing is the implementation of the ‘Film in Malaysia Incentive’ back in 2013, where local or foreign producers are entitled to a 30% cash rebate to all qualifying Malaysian production expenditure. Therefore, there should not be any reason why the local industry is not able to bring our movies abroad when countries like Indonesia and Thailand are already popular around the world. “We need to follow their formula to make it happen and let’s hope one day, every movie we do will get distributors from around the world lining up to buy out our product,” said Abu Baker. By LIM YUE LYNN Mobile devices has been globally embraced by humans, thanks to our insatiable gadgetry consumerism and dependence on constantly-evolving mobile technology. Honestly, it’s hard to keep up with the tech world’s progress even though things aren’t moving at the speed of light. Speaking of gadgetry, one of the fundamental elements of smartphones is the presence of apps. Apps and smartphones are like fluffy cute couples; joined at the hip and look good together. For the unlearned, an app or application is a piece of software designed to perform a function. Nowadays, most people usually refer to apps as software programs that run specifically on mobile devices. Nonetheless, the app industry is a booming market whereby apps (both free and paid) of various usages are made available. However, in the sea of apps, there are bound to be some, no matter how useful or brilliant, that are overlooked by users.
“While it may not have certain features found in Google Docs or Microsoft Word, it’s still great for group projects, as we can discuss and edit our documents together at the same time without switching between apps just to chat,” said School Of Computing And IT (SOCIT) student, Navin Roshan, 22.
“It’s a very convenient app when you need to attach a document to an email and when there’s no scanner/printer around. Plus, the crop function is more flexible than your normal camera app so you don't have to waste time ‘posing’ your paper to take a picture; this’s why I love how easy it is!” said fellow SOCIT student, Kimberley Foo Chia Yean, 21.
Thanks to its minimalistic design, simple mechanics and photo-friendly feature, Journey could be your new ‘best journal friend’. “I’ve been using Journey because personally, it’s an aesthetically-pleasing digital diary! Visuals aside, I like using it because my jottings are organised in a tidy and nice way; especially the entries with photos,” said Roshan. A win for inclusivity: In Astoria: Fate’s Kiss, you can romance a non-binary Demigod! | Photo Credit: otometoshi.blogspot.com
“With its self-paced learning mechanics, it’s an ideal learning platform for tech-savvy users,” said Roshan.
Recognised and commended for its diversely well-written and oftentimes tantalising storylines, the part game, part love story has swiftly garnered a loyal fanbase for providing a quality dose of fun to players. Hence, with the existence of so many mobile softwares, Earth really is the ‘Planet of the Apps’. In a world filled with smartphone users and technological marvels, Earth rightfully deserved the aforementioned title, unless Venus and her inhabitants has caught up with us behind our backs. |
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