FOR THE WORRIERS

By Raeesah Hayatudin

What did you say? I can’t hear you. I can’t hear you. I can’t move. I can’t breathe, I need to get out of here. No, please don’t look at me. I can’t take this, I don’t know what to do. It’s a sudden throbbing ache in the chest, the way your expression freezes over and your muscles tense as if to flee. The way your mouth won’t open to say the words that ball up in your throat, tasting like bile and fire and the most sickening sort of guilt. I’m so sorry, it’s a chant endlessly repeating in your head.

It’s anxiety, can you see it?

All of us suffer from it, a little dose or one that’s not so little, sometime or another during our lifetimes. Before giving a presentation in class; before going in for an interview for that position you want so badly; when you’re singled out for giving the answer to a difficult question by your teacher and you’re so, so afraid of looking the fool. When you’re sitting down to organize applications to places you want to go to so badly and so scared your efforts weren’t enough, that you’re not good enough. Sometimes it can even be the little things like asking a question about something you don’t understand but feels like it’s obvious to everyone else. And for some people, it’s hard to get out of their house and face the chaotic unpredictability of the outside world.

It can be overwhelming. It can be so bad it debilitates you, freezing you and stopping you from taking action. In a world that’s so fast-paced and busy and where everyone else seems like they have their life in order and where you can’t afford to make mistakes, it can be so easy to believe that you’re at the bottom of the ladder, that you’re a mess and just another person in the crowd. But you are not, you are not, you are more lucky than you think you are.

Take a breath and put your chin up and look around. Really look.

Look at how far you’ve come and how much farther you have to go. Don’t be ashamed if you need to talk out the burdens that are weighing you down. Curl into the warmth of your parents’ hugs and take a break to enjoy laughing at the craziest things with friends. Send a message to that old school friend you could think of a million things to say to and miss so dearly, say hello. Pet a cat, be it one that’s fluffy and sweet or touch-starved and needy or just plain suspicious. (Or a dog, if you prefer that.) Breathe and listen to your favourite songs or replay your favourite games or reread your favourite books. Study as well as you can and go ask your lecturers what you don’t understand and work on improving what you can and be happy in the process of making an effort to be better. Be happy because while you can be better, of course you can, you are still as whole as you are now. As people, we are not meant to be perfect, we are meant to work to be better and grow into our potential. That’s the goal, isn’t it?

Sometimes it can feel so hard, even when you try it feels like something inside you doesn’t want to let the hurt go, something dark wants to hold onto the blackness in your head and never let go. Procrastination becomes a habit and nervousness is a constant presence, spiking up the stress in your body. And maybe advice will not help and you won’t want to hear it, but just know that you are not alone and you will get out of it eventually.

You’ll figure it out. It is up to you to figure it out because you are your own power, but you are not alone, far from it, and you can do it.

When your hours are hectic and there’s that busy panicky I-can’t-stop feeling in your chest, well then, stop and put your head down to rest and take comfort in the little routines: fluffing up your pillows for bed, washing the dishes and feeling the water run over your hands, walking to class and rolling your eyes when you realize those scribbled chemical structures or formulae or economics facts are still running around amok in your head. Look out of your window and see the pretty, streaking orange-blue colour of the sky at 7pm. Sometimes it is the little moments that bring us the most clarity.

ON THE VERSATILITY OF LANGUAGE

By Raeesah Hayatudin

I stir the sky, the day, the night

I dance with the wind, the rain

A bit of love, a drop of honey

And I dance, dance, dance, dance, dance, dance

And in the noise, I run and I’m afraid

Is this my turn?

Here comes the pain

In all of Paris, I abandon myself

And away I fly, fly, fly, fly

– Dernière Danse by French singer Indila (translation of lyrics from here)

I found this song from a Yuri!!! On Ice fanvid on YouTube. (And yes, I have watched that anime. Have you? Be warned, it will give you an obsession with real-life professional figure skating!)

For the record, Indila’s an amazing singer. Her voice is so beautiful, and she has a way of singing that just sweeps you off your feet and away into her world, despite the fact that I don’t speak French. But it’s amazing, the way the emotions wound into the music just carry through and you just get it, like that. It’s partly her well-directed music videos, but definitely not just that alone. Her other songs, Tourner Dans Le Vide and S.O.S in particular, are also just spectacular.

It’s moments like this where you see the beauty of a language and you just want to learn it so badly, to see what your own voice would sound like under that other language; see how you’d think in it. Different languages change your thought process, after all – English has been the lens through which I’ve perceived the world for so long, and while I can speak and write Malay as well, it’s very different from the precise flow of communicating in English.

Anyway, language is such an interesting thing – the way it can turn into a process of transformation and growth! (Now I say that, but you’ll have to remind me of that the next time you catch me trying to learn a new language, because then I’ll probably be whining about wanting to quit and forget about all the flowery things I’ve just spouted! And you get a whole new appreciation for the way the infuriatingly slow process of learning can become a seemingly effortless demonstration of skill.)

There’s something very romantic about the fact that no matter what language you speak in, there is a universal way people communicate with each other that anyone, even a child, can recognize: emotion. Even something as subtle as the slightest inflection in your voice, a hitch in your breath, or a small change in your expression can tell other people so much about what you’re thinking and feeling. The little things like that just make it all the clearer that no matter what culture we were brought up in or what language we speak, deep down, we are capable of sharing a deep connection that can traverse all boundaries.

It’s something to remember.

Hospitals Beyond Boundaries

Written by: Mah Wen Yi
Edited by: Wong Kit Yin, Nicole

“Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.” That is the working principle of Hospitals Beyond Boundaries (HBB), a NGO that was established in 2012 with a goal to improve the health of vulnerable communities through sustainable health care efforts. In order to understand more about what HBB does and what we can do to help HBB with its mission, I interviewed its founder, Dr. Lutfi Fadil Lokman. We talked about social health enterprise (SHE), the working model of HBB, healthcare issues in Malaysia and how to tackle them, as well as the future of Malaysian healthcare.

Q: Can you tell me the brief story of how and why you set up HBB?

A: As a medical student, I have always been inspired by volunteerism and wanted to start my own NGO. I’ve always thought that I had to become a specialist first, but an accident happened when I was a fourth year medical student, which changed my mind. I couldn’t walk, and couldn’t hear out of my left ear. It made me realize that life can be short, and that God can take away my abilities anytime. This accident motivated me to work on HBB. I met my co-founder, Dr. Wan Abdul Hannan and shared my ideas with him. When I was in India, I was inspired by the NGOs there, which focused on development, in contrast to those in Malaysia, which focus on providing funds and short-term aid. After 10 years, the community may still remain poor. The cycle goes on and the problem is not solved. HBB is special in that it focuses on the development of community instead of total charity. Our goal inspired more people to join our team. For example, we now have accountants, engineers and architects, and it’s important to note that, in the beginning, we were all students. We did a lot of promotion on social media, but we also did activities on the ground. Our Malaysian team is composed of full-time volunteers, but in Cambodia, we have 7 staffs, who are hired and salaried.

Q: What is a social health enterprise (SHE) and how is it different from other social enterprises?

A: The main difference is that SHE is sustainable financially and we empower community instead of maximizing profit. To put it simply, SHE is the “centre” way between private healthcare and total charity. The private sector mostly works for monetary causes, and not so much on charity work. However, the total charity model is imperfect as well in that it is not sustainable financially. Charity is important and necessary for disasters, where immediate response is required, but not in the long run. HBB uses the SHE as a working model. In Cambodia, the income inequality is very evident. For example, there can be a huge bungalow standing right next to a small hut of a poor fisherman. However, the community generally has the desire to help each other. The rich will come into our clinic and pay the normal price for consultation, and all the profits from this will be used to help treat the poor. At the same time, we generate economy by hiring community health workers from the poor community. We teach them how to do simple things such as taking blood pressure and this creates job opportunities for those who cannot afford education.

Q: Do we need more SHEs in Malaysia and why?

A: Yes, we definitely do. Social enterprise itself is a relatively new term in Malaysia. SHE in Malaysia tends to revolve around technology, such as developing an app to promote exercise. But in terms of health services, there is no SHE like HBB yet. It is especially important now and in the future, because the government plants to impose a 4-year contract with undergraduates. If the undergraduates perform well during that period, they will be recruited into the public health sector, whereas the rest will be left out to seek for their own future.

Q: What are some issues with the healthcare education in Malaysia right now, and how can these issues be tackled?

A: In Malaysia, there are too many undergraduates and not enough training available. This problem will propagate further into the Masters programme. As of now, there are not enough spaces to train housemen. In the future, there will not be enough spaces to train specialists. For now, specialist trainings are only available in public universities and hospitals such as UM and UKM. This problem is further worsened by the fact that there are no policies to make it compulsory for private hospitals to train doctors. However, in recent years, KPJ has started training specialists in ENT and radiology, and in the near future they will be training orthopaedics as well. This could help relieve the problem, and is the beginning of a brighter future in healthcare where private hospitals are willing to train specialists. Another issue often raised is that private patients do not want to be seen by medical students. In KPJ, they do one-to-one mentoring, where one medical student is attached to one doctor during bedside teaching. According to a survey that KPJ did, patients do not mind if there is only one student watching as it does not affect their care. This should encourage more private hospitals to improve the quality of our learning process.

Q: If you are given a chance to talk to all current and future medical students in Malaysia, what would you say to them?

A: The future is very competitive. Medical students cannot think in a mainstream way anymore. You can still choose to go into the more popular pathway, such as specializing to become a cardiologist or a paediatrician, but you need to keep your options open. Instead of thinking of how to become a more prominent doctor, think about how you can best contribute to your community. Think about how to reach out to the community and improve their health, study about public health, join NGOs, become a doctor who volunteers in rural areas, be different. When you are young, you have more energy and passion to do what you like, so start now. Many medical students are convinced that they’re too busy studying medicine to learn about anything else, but to survive in the new world, we need to learn about other happenings in the world, such as politics and economics. For example, doctors always think that our mission is to save lives, but our resources are limited. If you learn about economics, you will learn how to relocate resources to best serve the society, and figure out ways to save more lives using minimum resources.

What are some of the things that non-medical individuals can do to help HBB?

Financial aid is always welcomed. You can visit our website, www.hbb.org.my, to make donations. In terms of volunteering, we also welcome non-medical individuals to do simple things like calculating BMI, and do administrative work. Other than that, we also focus on community development. We don’t send a gastritis patient back into a house where there is no food available, so we also need volunteers to help with food package delivery and to educate on the importance of hygiene. For anyone who wants to fundraise for our project to build hospitals, you can send us an e-mail for further information at enquiries@hbb.org.my.

HBB began with an idea, followed by consistent hard work and determination. Now, HBB is up and running, spreading its wings and changing people’s lives. This is the power of students who come together to work toward a common goal. I decided to write this article for a few reasons. Firstly, I hope that HBB will get more recognition in the student community. Anyone who happens to read this article and has the financial capabilities or medical knowledge necessary can help HBB work towards their future goals. Secondly, I hope that HBB’s success will motivate our student community to work for a better future together. We have the potential to do great things together, but we need to start doing them now. As the future leaders of the world, we can only hope to improve ourselves and do our best in our respective fields.

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ANGER – A NEW SOURCE OF POWER

Written by: Reshna Reem Ganesan

Do you ever feel that no matter how hard you try you just end up getting disappointed? And of course there are those that hardly try and have everything falling onto their laps. This irks you even though the latter could be your dear and close friends. There are times where you just want to grab life by its neck (assuming it has a body) and strangle it for simply being grossly unfair to you!

Well, if you are reading this article do not expect it to be one laden with motivational tips on ways to embrace life, to get back out there and try harder because we have tons of YouTube videos of inspirational people that can give you that. I, however, am just going to give everyone out there who are considered “second class” – because they apparently did not try hard enough or were not as good as those who had everything fall into place for them – a REALITY CHECK!

So, you think you are not good enough because no matter what you embark on you come in last? Well, think again! This life we are trapped in is all about survival of the fittest. Just like animals we are fighting to survive and to be on top of the food chain to prove to others and ourselves that we are the best of the best. Do NOT let anyone distract you from your wants or needs. However, there are distractions that divert your attention and guess what – the minute you give in to those distractions you LOSE!!!

It’s alright to be distracted or even angry occasionally. I for one am easily distracted or angered. I was also a person without any goals because I kept thinking to myself “What’s the point? Someone else is going to just slack off and yet he/she is going to get whatever he/she wants given to him/her without trying.” The irony is such people perceive they are trying really hard when in fact they just have more options than some but they have never seen the way others have to struggle to get to where they want to or need to be.

Just recently I realised that if instead of looking up motivational quotes or watching YouTube videos of people who changed their life around because they believed in themselves (which is obviously the better choice), it would be better for me to use my anger and dissatisfaction to drive me to achieve what I want in life. I know that sounds wrong to get things done but it helps me get what I want. Do not use the anger you have to demotivate you or to destroy things or people around you. Use that energy expelled by your anger to DRIVE you to success.

I know that this article appears to be a motivational speech gone off course. As I have mentioned do not let these people, who you think do not put in as much effort as you in any endeavour, bring you down. The only person that can bring you down is YOURSELF! Do not let them think they have power over you because your fall becomes their fire and that is what drives them. If any of you have watched Suicide Squad maybe you remember a line the Joker said to Harley Quinn before she jumped into the chemical pots. He said, ‘Desire becomes surrender. Surrender becomes power.” So, let the anger and dissatisfaction in you fuel your desire to become POWERFUL!

CHALLENGE THE RULES

Written by Wong Kit Yin, Nicole.

The reason why this article was titled “Challenge the rules” is because people nowadays seems to have a misconception that wearing expensive brands, chunky jewelries and basically dressing themselves over the top are ways of being fashionable and trendy. Fortunately for us 21st century mankind, a simple tank top and shorts are already sufficient enough to make us appear stylish as well. Thus, in other terms, “Challenge the rules” may also meant defying the ways of dressing up ourselves. There are no rules in fashion and that is one of the many beauties about it. Anyone can wear anything they are pleased with and as long as they feel comfortable in it.

In this new continuation of “Campus Fashion”, Echo is delighted to introduce Ng Zhi Yan, an 18 year-old female student from AUSMAT, and how she is all about challenging the so-called rules of fashion.

Describing her style as “simple” and “nice”, Zhi Yan is all about being casual. In fact, her top three must-haves in her wardrobe are her black shorts, tank tops and short skirts. With that being said, when asked which piece in her closet that she could not live without, she replied that it was her shorts that she could not live without. I could only imagine how many pairs of shorts she has stored in her wardrobe.

Ever wonder where she got her stylish pieces, you might want to take a look at her favourite store—“Factorie”. Zhi Yan thought the clothes there were stylish and they absolutely suit her casual style.

Almost similar to Cara Delevingne, the person she hopes she could dress up like, Zhi Yan has her own distinctive style as she draws no inspiration from her surrounding. Cara Delevingne was also known for challenging the rules of fashion and is one of the few who does not follow the current trends. Instead, she creates them, just like how Zhi Yan is creating her own.

Cara Delevinge

Given a chance to choose between comfort and appearance, Zhi Yan sighted appearance to be more important as it reflects more onto the individual.

After reading this, students belonging to the Diploma in Fine Arts are going to be really happy. This is because Zhi Yan thought that most of the well-dressed people belongs in there.

Check out this slideshow for more of Zhi Yan’s everyday college looks:

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From Your Computer Screens to Your Countries

Written by Tan Li Ying, Merissa

 

If you’re even just a little bit familiar with the YouTube music scene, you would have, at some point heard of the names Kurt Hugo Schneider and Sam Tsui. Apart from producing stellar music videos on YouTube, they have travelled the world performing in top venues to thousands of fans. Just a few weeks ago, they completed their second tour around Asia and Australia, and in this article, I will be introducing their amazing tour team to you!

Sam Tsui

Born in 1989 in Pennsylvania, the singer of Hong Kong descent is best known for his acoustic, slowed-down cover of pop anthems. He was childhood friends with Kurt Schneider and the two attended the same schools. Majoring in classical Greek, Sam attended Yale University where he was a member of an all-male acapella group, The Duke’s Men of Yale. Sam has since made appearances on multiple television shows such as ABC World News and The Ellen DeGeneres Show, and hosted behind-the-scenes for the third season of NBC’s a capella competition show, The Sing-Off. As of 2016, he has released 2 studio albums, 3 EPs, and 23 singles (including 2 original songs) and has garnered over 2.5 million subscribers and 285 million views on his YouTube channel, TheSamTsui. Sam recently wedded fellow YouTube singer Casey Breves, whom he has collaborated with for a couple times on his channel. Cue a power couple!

Bonus Question: If you could describe the tour with a food, what would it be and why?

“Penang curry! Because all of the different experiences we had were like all the flavors in a Penang curry :)”

 

Kurt Hugo Schneider

With a total of more than 7.2 million subscribers and almost 2 billion views on YouTube, the 28-year-old producer is undoubtedly one of the largest artists in the scene, but most people won’t know that he is also the crème de la crème in academics. Apart from becoming a chess master at age 15, Kurt graduated magna cum laude with a degree in Mathematics from Yale. He now produces music videos in collaboration with musicians worldwide including Kevin Olusula of Pentatonix. One of his most famous videos is a cover of “Just a Dream” performed by Christina Grimmie and Sam Tsui, which now has over 100 million views. Kurt has also partnered with big companies, such as Coca-Cola (for multiple times) and has directed several filmography works such as College Musical : The Movie, and Yale’s 2010 promotional video “That’s Why I Chose Yale”. As a brilliant multi-instrumentalist, Kurt plays dozens of musical instruments including the harp, piano, guitar, and drums. Talk about a man of many talents!

 

Tiffany Alvord

Cited as one of YouTube’s first “Home-grown Celebrities”, 24-year-old Tiffany Alvord joined Sam Tsui and Kurt Schneider on their Asia/Australia tour this year. With over 2.8 million subscribers, Tiffany’s channel is among the top 50 most subscribed channels on YouTube. At age 15, she published her first song on it; by the time she finished high school, her music career was taking off, with her mother acting as her manager. She has since released 6 records, featuring both original and cover songs. In 2012, Tiffany performed in Times Square on the Nivea stage with Carly Rae Jepsen, Train, PSY and Taylor Swift as part of the New Year’s Eve celebration. She has also headlined and co-headlined multiple international tours around the world, including in Europe and Southeast Asia. Always maintaining a close relationship with her fans, Tiffany is truly the sweetheart of the YouTube music industry.

 

Jason Pitts

Jason Pitts was a viral Internet sensation back in 2011, when he decided to ask fellow student Lianna to the prom at Santa Monica High School by performing a ballad he wrote in front of his class – complete with a few lads on backup vocals while he plays accompaniment on his guitar. (She said yes!) Jason then went on Good Morning America, performing his “Prom Song” on air to millions of television viewers. In 2012, he met Kurt through a singer he wrote music with, and the producer recorded him playing guitar for a song they wrote together. Shortly after, he recorded guitars for Sam’s Make It Up album, and the rest was history! Now aged 23 and passionate in fingerstyle guitar, Jason makes regular appearances in Sam and Kurt’s YouTube videos as their guitarist, records with them and joins them on their international tours.

Bonus Question: If you could describe the tour with a food, what would it be and why?

“If I could describe the tour with a food, it would be NASI GORENG. Because that’s my favorite dish in Southeast Asia and we’re a spicy group of people :)”

 

Joel Manduke

Graduating summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts (majoring in ethnomusicology jazz studies and minoring in music industry) from UCLA, Joel Manduke is no stranger to performing live in front of thousands of audiences. At a young age of 22, he has already been on multiple international tours and has opened for well-known artists such as Bon Jovi and Ariana Grande, playing in exclusive events and venues as a professional drummer. Joel was a friend of Jason’s from UCLA and was asked by the latter to be a part of the Make It Up music video in 2013. He then started playing music with the lads and since then has been featured in both Kurt and Sam’s music videos playing various musical instruments (though usually percussion), and also records and tours with them across the world.

Bonus Question: If you could describe the tour with a food, what would it be and why?

“Ramen. Ramen. Ramen. Does it really need a reason?!”

MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN?

Written by Wong Kit Yin, Nicole.

 

Dear Americans,

November 9th, 2016 is a date so special that I doubt anyone would forget about it. It was the day that changed America’s future. The day that shocked the entire world.

When Donald Trump was running for the presidency, all I noticed was television hosts making jokes about him on their talk shows, whether it was in his presence or not. The internet was bombarded with creative memes on the speeches that he had made, criticising everything he said. Everyone despised him, wrote horrible things about him and made fun of him in all forms of social media. Yet, he is to be the next President of the United States of America.

It was said that the American Dream was to make America great again or at least that was what Donald Trump promised during the election, but how can you achieve that when its citizens no longer feel safe in their own homeland anymore, where the basic foundation of human rights have been ripped apart from them.

No offence to the Trump voters, I imagine you have a good reason on choosing him as your next president. However, with every vote to him, you have indirectly given the racists, sexists and homophobics more reason to look down and to bully those whom are seemed as beneath them. You have just given power to those rich, white people to do whatever they want. If crimes were committed, they might actually get away with it. Thus, this is how the flames of justice smothered at their feet as they laugh away their wicked deeds. With plans on deporting so-called immigrants and building walls, all I can say is that America, this is your future now. For all these reasons, I am seriously torn between in giving you a big hug or a shoulder to cry on.

When the election was over and Donald Trump was officially elected, no one stopped expressing their shocks and disbelieves. Lady Gaga went on protesting in front of the Trump Tower in New York. Anti-Donald Trump protests happening on the streets of New York, hoping for a change even though none could be salvage by then.

It was then, amongst the pile of hopelessness and sorrow over the loss of Hillary Clinton as their president, there was a slight glimmer of hope. People from all different gender, races, religion and culture walking on the same street, marching together in the protest, fighting for something you truly believe in—a safer and better America. Most of you have thought it lost, but unity had happened and it is burning brightly deep into your hearts and souls.

I realized there should be no fear, especially when everyone are standing together. No one should be afraid anymore; not the homosexuals, Muslims or women. Instead, they should feel braver and almost invincible because they are each other’s source of power now. They have each other’s back.

I guess I would have to thank all of you for that because without these happenings, the world would have never known the importance of unity and just how powerful it could be. I lived in a multiracial country my whole life and yet, unity has become almost a rare occasion now. Yes, we might not have big racial fights, but underneath it all, there is no denying of the tension between the races. Perhaps, this could shed some light on us and hopefully we could learn a thing or two.

We are living in the 21st century; a time where we should be focusing on pushing forward and creating a better future for our descendants. This is not the time to judge the colour of people’s skin, whether that person has a penis or a vagina, or whether or not they are wearing a hijab. There are more matters at hand than fighting with people who are no more or no lesser than you and I.

However, in the end, I am no American and nothing I say could describe what you are genuinely feeling or change anything, but I got a feeling that a new age has almost begun; the age of unity, for as long as we stand together, we are invincible. With this new mindset, there will be no doubt that America could be great again.

Sincerely,

Outlander.

Sunway Unite Revelation by Esther Cheok

‘Your Music, Your Night’

Organized by Sunway Music Society, this very ‘lit’ event was held on Thursday, 8th September from 7-11pm, with an estimated number of students attendance of 700-800. With tickets available from as low as rm10, students were able to enthralled by various performances. There were even special guest performances, among them being, the Sunway University Choir, Sunway University Ensemble, the band Back2Basixx, the and of course, the DJ Deonix who pumped the whole Jeffery Cheah Hall up with his sick beats during the rave session.

It was a particularly unique experience for me as I did not go to enjoy the event alone, but rather to help out as well. I was among the 20 volunteers under the Sunway Student Volunteer club to have been chosen to help out in the event. Being in charge of taking care of the crowd flow by ensuring people only entered and exited through the right doors allowed me to be able to watch the performances as well. There were a number of dance performances, vocal performances and even beatboxing. There was a lucky draw competition in addition to all the invigorating happenings, and the emcee of the event would read out winning numbers in between the acts.

After all the performances were over, the lights finally dimmed and it was time to rave. The party lasted all the way till midnight; and even then, students wished it had lasted longer. With the participants tired and sweaty, it was no doubt a satisfying event.

Buying and Selling on Carousell

Written by Esther Cheok

I was one of the early few to discover the theme-park of a name marketplace back in 2013. Being available on a mobile app and desktop, Carousell is an online marketplace catered to Malaysians selling and buying their stuff (both new and preloved) for cheap prices. It is much like Shopee, or Mudah.my, but I find it much easier to use. Not to mention, the variety of products on sale on the site.

 

I access Carousell mostly using the app. Back in 2013, I used it mostly to buy things such as clothes (among them being preloved jeans for RM10, a new Tapas cropped top for RM10), shoes (I recall purchasing an authentic Nike sport shoe for RM80) and English novels. Purchasing on Carousell is so easy. You could choose between doing an online bank transfer or cash on delivery, if the seller is willing.

 

It wasn’t till this year, 2016, when I began to list my own items for sale. To be honest, I was slightly hesitant of it all at first; I was worried that no one was interested in my items out of the number of other things for sale; I thought it would be a difficult and a -in Malaysian slang: ‘mafan’- process to list out all of my items. I was also afraid of being conned. I certainly didn’t expect to have sold five items during the first week of listing up items.

 

I haven’t been using Carousell for long, but there are a few things which I have picked up during the limited amount of time I have been an active user.

 

Firstly, as a buyer, do not hesitate to negotiate on the price. As a buyer, I used to wonder whether sellers would ‘dislike’ me or choose not to sell their items to me if I demanded for a lower price. However, I learnt as a seller that I was quite open to negotiations as long as the price offered was reasonable. I can recall a one buyer of mine who was constantly requesting for a discount. It drove me to a point where I chose not to sell my items to him even though I could have earned over RM100 from the transaction.

 

Secondly, do look over your buyer’s status before accepting the offer. If the buyer has created the account on the same day itself and have no positive feedback left, do be wary of him/her, but do not let that stop you from selling the item to them.

 

Lastly, the post office located near the ice rink in Sunway Pyramid is very convenient for us students to post out our items. I never knew it existed and I was ecstatic to find out that I didn’t have to drive out to the nearest post office from my home to post out my items.

ImaginASiAN

Written by Wong Kit Yin, Nicole

“The most exciting thing we have ever done with this band is performing for SUNMUN’s social night. Actually it was also the most terrifying.”

–ImaginASiAN

On this episode of “Students on Campus”, Echo Media is proud to present our very first feature of “Echo Music Hall”—“ImaginASiAN”, a local Malaysian band created almost a year ago by four high school students. Although still unnoticed across the country, “ImaginASiAN” definitely caught some Sunway students’ attentions with their soulful voices and fresh faces. Deeply honoured for interviewing them, here is a background story on the band and what they think the future might hold for them.

Created by fellow member and lead vocalist of the band, Mellaney Goh, the whole concept behind this creative name, “ImaginASiAN”, sprung from the idea between the diversity of Asians as well as their creativities. Hence, the word combination, “Imagination” and “Asian”.

Having used to jam out during Form 2, both Mellaney and Jia Wen decided to audition for a “Talent Search”. It was then, third member, Paarisha joined. Phui Sian was recruited afterwards.

Each of them not only play different roles in the band, but they are also students to different courses in Sunway College:

Lee Phui Sian is currently studying Ausmat and he is the percussionist of the band;

Sak Jia Wen is currently studying A-Levels and she is the guitarist of the band;

Paarisha Emilie is currently studying Mufy and she is the pianist of the band;

Mellaney Goh is currently studying A-Levels and she is the lead vocalist of the band.

Easy to play and arrange to suit their personal style, “ImaginASiAN” enjoys playing mostly pop genre. However, the fun does not stop there, they also like to keep their options open by playing other variety of genres, preferably R&B, Country, Jazz and Oldies genres, as well.

“The most exciting thing we have ever done with this band is performing for SUNMUN’s social night. Actually it was also the most terrifying,” said the members of “ImaginASiAN”. With that being their first ever live performance, some of them suffered major anxiety and stage fright beforehand, but fortunately, they managed to calm themselves down and just let the present feeling and moment sink in.

With some of its members enrolling in different courses and in plans of pursuing different careers, the members of “ImaginASiAN” are already facing problems rehearsing with their fellow bandmates due to their busy schedules. I took this opportunity to ask what they think the future might hold for them. Will they still be alive and jamming for the next 10 to 20 years? Or will its flames of passion die out one by one? They simply replied, “We strongly believe in each other. Even if we were to disband, it would just be a temporary situation. We’ll just have to wait for our next time to jam again.”

“We strongly believe in each other. Even if we were to disband, it would just be a temporary situation. We’ll just have to wait for our next time to jam again.”

–ImaginASiAN

Away from all the seriousness, here are some fun Q&As between the members of “ImaginASiAN” and I: 

Q: Who is the “leader” of this band?

A: Mellaney is the leader. She’s the one that scolds everyone when they goof around. Then, everyone will be like: “Yes, mother.”

Q: Who is the “thinker” of this band?

A: Jia Wen is the “thinker”. Her catchphrase is literally: “Let me think ah.”

Q: Who is the “funnest” in this band?

A: Phui Sian is the funnest. He’s literally the clown in the band. Also the sassiest creature you’ve probably ever met.

Q: Who is the most “serious” in this band?

A: A bit conflicted on the “Serious One” here. Mellany is definitely most serious when it comes to practices and rehearsals, but Paarisha is a very serious when it comes to the actual music itself. She takes the extra miles of making sure our music is on par with the songs.

Q: What are your personal favourite songs?

A: PS—Superman by Five for Fighting

JW—You Need Me, I Don’t Need You by Ed Sheeran

P—In the Arms of the Angel by Sarah McLachlan

M—Thinking of You by Katy Perry

Q: If you guys could sing only one song in your lifetime, what would it be?

A: PS—Not Over You by Gavin Degraw

JW—The A Team by Ed Sheeran

P—Pour Que Tu M’aimes Encore by Celine Dion

M—Thinking of You by Katy Perry

Q: Which artists do you guys admire or gain the most influence from?

A: PS—Boyce Avenue

JW—Ed Sheeran

P—SquidPhysics (YouTuber)

M—Katy Perry and Miley Cyrus

Want to know more about this lovely band and to be there for their next YouTube video, do not hesitate on clicking the links down below. And don’t forget to hit that “like” and “subscribe” button.

YouTube: ImaginASiAN

Facebook: ImaginASiANTheBand

Instagram: @theband_imaginasian

Email: imaginasian.15@gmail.com

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