We don’t need vouchers

By: Sharinya

The 1Malaysia Book Voucher or Baucar Buku 1Malaysia (BB1M) is an initiative by the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) in 2012 to help ease the financial burden of tertiary students all over Malaysia as well as help these students get better access to books and stationery that would help them with their studies.               

But according to few Segi University students, they are not really happy with the vouchers they receiving because as for them I doesn’t really help in any ways.

“It’s just unfair that only people who are aged 21 and above getting the BRIM payment and we students only get vouchers just to buy books,” said by Khisha, 18.

There were also certain student who complaining about the most of the book shops which sets an edge for the usage of the vouchers.

Joey, 21, said “Last year the BRIM voucher which worth RM250 was given to all students but the worst part is I have to spend RM200 for the books and only RM50 for the stationaries. I really don’t know what books to buy for that amount of money and at last I ended buying unnecessary books which are not related for my studies at all.”

It was questionable for some students why students gets just voucher but people who are aged above 21 simply getting cash when its actually students who the need money to buy so many stuff for themselves apart from books and stationaries.

“It would be better if we also get the BRIM payment like others by cash because we as students really need money to buy so many stuff for our education like pen drive, laptop accessories, or maybe we can also use the money to pay our fees as well,” Diwa, 20 stated. “Even lecturers nowadays don’t really use text books in class so why we need a huge amount of vouchers according to his experience,” he continued.

Some students suggested that the government to just gave them an amount of money replacing the voucher so that it will help them with their extra expenses as well.

 

Yes i do agree that the voucher is useful for us students but if i have the same amount of money instead of the voucher, at least i can buy my daily meals for god sake because as for me every day my biggest spend would be on my food. ,” mentioned by Aasorda, 20.

On the other view, there were certain students who felt the BB1M voucher do benefits and help them a lot.

 “I think the voucher is really worthy because it makes sure all the students use it to buy some academic book and also story books which can enhance their language and general knowledge,” said Pavathra,21.

Another student Jia Yi told “If students received the voucher in the form of money, I’m sure majority of students will use it for their own personal purpose like buying hand phone, credits and so on.”

Different students having different point of views regarding the BB1M voucher. Some students felt satisfied but most of them are still feeling unhappy about it.

“To resolve this issue, I think maybe it’s better to give out choices for students, either they want voucher or money so that it will be fair for them to make their own decision,” said Jennipher, 21.

Foodie lives and breathes food – venture

By: Chee Wah

Foodie lives and breathes food – venture

In our daily lives, there are a few things that we must have in order to survive.

As an example, one of the things we can’t live without would be food.

In this modernized society that we’re living in, people are constantly taking picture of their food and posting it up on social media such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

In order to understand more about the life of food enthusiasts, we had an interview with Liew Pey Ching, a 21 year old who constantly ventures for food.

Everyone has a different reason behind their food venture.

“I am obsessed about food because the food I ate would determine my lifestyle.” said by Liew.

There are also different reasons why people choose to snap pictures of their food.

“The reason why I take photos of nice food is because I have passion towards food and I would like to share it with friends and family” explained Liew.

While venturing for nice food, pictures of the food on the menu would be one of the factors that influences the choice of food being ordered.

Liew mentioned that the pictures inside the menu would affect the decision on ordering the food as it would serve as a guide for her to order food.

On top of that, the price would be another factor that affects the decision on ordering the food.

“Even though the pictures inside the menu look very nice, the price would play a big role on whether or not to order the food.” added Liew.

 In this modern society, people are constantly craving for nice food to satisfy their needs.

Hence that’s why they have higher expectations on just the appearance of the food.

This is especially true for the foodies.

“I only take photos of food that looks nice, and that of I rarely have the chance to eat.” mentioned Liew.

Besides that, the environment would also be one of the factors that influences the mood of people on whether or not to take photos the food.

“Of course, if there’s a great environment, I would be more enticed to take photos of the food.

Say a restaurant with a great interior, I would take a photo of the food while including the design of the restaurant in the background, as it would make the overall picture look beautiful.” she added.

A nice restaurant coupled with nice food is definitely worth a second visit.

“Every restaurant has its valuation on whether or not it is worth a second visit.” clarified Liew.

The valuation would not only depend on the taste of the food, but the environment of the restaurant as well.

“I would often recommend a restaurant to my friends to try if I find it very nice.” she added.

 “It is becoming a common behavior for me to take photos of my meals before having them.

I also do believe it is a common trend nowadays, especially for the younger generation.” mentioned Liew.

Before ending the interview, she talked about the current trend of taking photos of food before having them.

“Some people do this because they want to record their daily lives while some just want to take beautiful photographs of food.” explained Liew.

Every foodie has their own reason for food venturing, which undoubtedly includes Liew.

There is no downside to having a foodie as a friend, but rather an upside as you’ll almost always listen about their food ventures.

Then, you could plan your own food venture instead!

Time for a rain dance

By Ian Choong

PETALING JAYA: The looming dry spell has been compounded with grey smog infiltrates the air and dry taps. While the Air Pollutant Index (API) levels around the country has raised alarms, Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor (SYABAS) is not out to make situations better with its planned water rationing around Selangor over the next few weeks causing distress among those affected.

Hot weather had been persisted since the middle of February, when checking through the web portal The Weather Channel, most of the areas along the Peninsular Malaysia will sustain with dry hot weather for the next whole week.

According to Malaysia’s Meteorological Department (MMD), there would be lesser amount of rains in the coming days due to strong winds blowing from the north-east. “We are reaching the end of the north-east monsoon and so the weather is expected to remain hot with isolated showers for the next two weeks,” said the central forecast division director Muhammad Helmi Abdullah.

[The unusual bright sun due to the thick haze.]

Hot weather already an issue, and now, with the unhealthy API in certain areas around Klang Valley, it had exacerbation the situation. A lot of public blame our neighbor country as the mastermind of the haze.

  

“It must be the forest fire and the active volcano eruptions in Indonesia that causes the haze; it is repeatedly happen over the years, especially during the north-east monsoon,” told by Madam Tang, 53 from Ipoh.

On the contrary, the main cause of the suffocating haze in the northern region of Malaysia at this moment time is neither by the forest fire nor volcanic eruptions in our neighboring country, indeed it is us.

According to the Department of Environment on its website, “The medium-level of haze that Malaysia is experiencing now is due to internal sources, which are resulting from land and forest fires in a few states.”

The government had carried the cloud seeding operation to deal with the issues, and the long expecting rain had eventually falls in certain areas. However, according to Muhammad, there would be no more cloud seeding operations by this week, the results was not conducive for the formation of rain clouds, while only a few areas show satisfactory results. People are not impressed with the results of the artificial rain, the haze is still there.

Cloud seeding in the sky near KotaDamansara

“Although  the rainy season was expected to set in gradually from the third week of this month, but the water levels of the dams around Klang Valley is not affected after the artificial rain, the reservoirs at the Klang Gates and Sungai Selangor dams were still remain at 52.84 and 44.51 percent respectively,” said Muhammad.

In the prevention for the reservoirs to run dry and drops to the critical level, SYABAS has taken the initiative to go for water disruptions. The water supplies in most of the area in Klang Valley will be affected. Nevertheless, the bustling residency around the Klang Valley will suffer the most.

During the interviews, some of the respondents said that their daily routine has been affected due to the water disruptions. Some of them suffer a great impact where they could not even flush the toilet after use. Most of them have to wear mask under the oppressive hot weather to prevent the suffocating burnt smell causes by the haze or remain indoors and yet no water to wash away the stinking body odor.

“This detestable weather has make me sweat more than usual, to wash off the foul sweats, I am forced to take shower at my friend’s place since my apartment has a little water supply for the whole block and the water need to save for toilet flushing,” told by Miss Wong, 27.

Water has to be collected drop by drop in order to fill in the pail.
Photo credit: Miss Wong, taken at her apartment.

“I stay in a rental house with no air conditioner and I have experienced many sleepless nights due to the hot weather, however I decided to not open the window because if I open them, the burning scene of the haze will come in and I am sure that my asthma will attack soon. What I can do is take excessive showers to refresh my body, I hope that the water disruption will not affect my staying area,” told Anthony Lee, student from IACT.

However, there are some respondents who remain positive with the water disruption and try their best to find a way out.

“I stayed in Bangsar, I had experienced water shortage at my condominium, this might due to the crowded housing area in my neighborhood and water supply is inadequate for all the households. The water disruption did not affect me much as I am staying alone, I am eating out and I choose to take shower at my fitness center which located at the mall,” said Ching Keat, 43.

“It is okay, I had stored enough of water for my usage, but so far, there is still no water disruption in my house, I hope that the water supply will be always there,” told Zhao Tang, 24.

The small business might go through the hardest moment in their operations, especially the food and beverages industry. They need continuous supplies of water to sustain their business, ranged from toilet flushing, dishes washing and ingredient cleaning.

“Last Sunday, the water supply was interruption for the whole area in Section 21, Petaling Jaya; we had to call it off after 2p.m., there is not even a single drop of water coming out from the tap. We are forced to shut our stalls earlier and my workers have to wash all ten tubs of the greasy dishes and bowls with only a pail of water,” told Mr Lee, 59.

The implication of water disruption is to ensure that water will still be available after the long drought, however when we consider the cost of cloud seeding, why not the government start to put in more initiative to solve the issues of water shortage?

Metro-sexual Malaysian

By: Hareez

With the trend of metro sexuality gaining popularity among Malaysian men, certain perspectives have been raised both good and bad.

For Hilal Adnan, metro sexuality has become a major part of him and that he said, ‘I’m grateful for the media today, as they have shunned a very positive light on metro sexuality’.

 He then continued to say, ‘though it's mostly due to sell their own products, I still remember a time when I was growing up that people who regard themselves as metro-sexual are seen as a poster child for homo sexual by children and people a like’.

“It’s mostly seen as an oddity to people of older generation,” said Hanafi Aman, another acclaimed metro sexual, ‘my father for one, is a prime candidate that tells how older generation see people who are metro sexual, which is a disappointment to them’.

Nevertheless, “things are a changing,” said Josh, another metro sexual, further saying that, ‘with modernization, people are becoming more tolerate of people with different creed and life style, and I’m grateful that through the media, metro sexuality has become a growing culture which has been positively received by newer generation’.

Likewise, the women community since ages past has always praised men that adhere to the concept of metro sexual, saying that life would be much simple if all men have those particular characteristics.

Alesha, a 23 year old metro sexual admire, says that “it’s mostly to do on mutual understanding and admiration”, continuing that, ‘when men have the tendency to work on themselves to look good and be self-aware, it will make a women’s job less difficult in handling them’.

‘I can say for certain that most women that I know off appreciate and are more likely to date as well as marry men who have metro sexuality tendencies’, said Zaiton Saad a 53 year old housewife.

Further saying that, ‘my own husband is prime candidate of what a metro-sexual should be and that I choose him in a time when metro-sexual is not even a word, back then it’s just called a sense of decency in a men’.

Comparatively, other non-metro sexual has also come to appreciate the vast information to gain from metro sexual people.

Loo Swee Thing, a student studying in Taylor University says that, ‘I never knew how much care metro sexual took to look good, I just assume that it was minimal but then I tried it for myself... it was an utter failure, as I look like a complete loon when I first tried my first hair product’.

‘Furthermore by embracing the idea of metro sexuality, it does not particularly change you as a person, it just means that you just have a finer taste in your wellbeing’, says Faril Hamman, a degree student in Australia.

Adding that over in Australia, metro sexual is as normal as eating “nasilemak” like here in Malaysia and that he doesn’t understand why some Malaysian has a negative view on it.

‘I myself find that metro sexual men are an interesting breed, though I can’t claim myself to be one, I do appreciate the diversity of belief and social life style people have there in Australia’, ‘it has made me open up and accept people as they are without being prejudice’, continued Faril.

Aside from grooming and personal awareness, lots of metro sexual agree that to be one, a person needs to be specialize in other familiarity, such as cooking, gardening, and also sports attribution, particularly cardio activities.

‘This is mostly due that to be a proper metro sexual, he needs to be a person that is well rounded in all matters; especially regarding on one’s health and physique’, says Haffy Malik, a gym trainee as well as an obsessed metro sexual.

Further saying that, ‘your hair style is the most important thing to be aware of and that proper care in terms of hair product and dietary intake is crucial to have proper gloss and softness for your hair’.

With attention to attires, another obsessed metro sexual as well as a fashion advisor, Fasnor Hafiz strictly emphasis that your vast collection of personal attires are the objects that make you known as a metro sexual. 

‘Ranging from hats, pants, shirts, accessories and shoes; one need to be fully equipped with a vast range so that one can be properly adjusts to the surrounding of the events that is attending, social life and personal attire do go hand in hand’, continued Fasnor.

Further saying that, ‘to be a metro sexual, a person also needs to be suave as well as comfortable around people, this then make clothing crucial, as to be comfortable with your surrounding and people, you need to first be comfortable in your own, where in this instance, your clothing’.

By the same token, women has also find interest in getting to know people of metro sexual background, as Fasnor specify that “a lot of women has come to me for advice, both regarding on themselves as well as on their partners”.

‘They belief that sometimes it’s just hard to advice their other significance on fashion and that it’s better to just ask for professional advice for maximum result’, of that, on another note, Fasnor also state that, ‘couples would also come to me for advice on how to throw a Suarez or a party and that most of the times they would pay handsomely to hire me as the party planner.

‘More often than note, the Malaysian aristocrat scene has always been particular in organizing a get together among them and that the more extravagant it is, the better’, furthered Fasnor.

Barring that aside, Kuala Lumpur has become a major metropolitan in recent times, ‘live theaters and fashion shows are coming and going that it seems as a norm these days’, says Zan Yee, a frequent visitor of the city.

Further saying that, ‘there is a demand here for metro sexuality things, the visit I had to a live theatre titled “White Rabbit, Red Rabbit” has shocked me to see that there is more men in that event per session in comparison to women’.

 He then continued to say that, ‘I have never seen myself as a metro sexual and that maybe the idea of metro sexual has been embedded in the social cognitive of society that men this days see it as a norm or an uneventful stuff’.

Nevertheless, ‘maybe the idea of metro sexual is more connected to being cultured and not being well-groomed,’ says Emily, Yee’s girlfriend.

Where she says that, ‘I don’t see metro sexual men as those images the media has portrayed but rather I see them as normal men that have a taste for the cultured and art’.

She further says that, ‘anyone from a professor to a student can be known as a metro sexual if they have interest in watching live performance and going to art gallery’.

Virtual reality or virtual dependency?

By: Aleysha

PETALING JAYA: On the 3^rd of March, within the course of the Academy Awards ceremony, Ellen DeGeneres announced to the audience that they had successfully overloaded the social networking site, Twitter, by garnering the most re-tweets for a post since its creation.

The tweet, a ‘selfie’ of a group of celebrities taken at the Oscars, has to date, been shared over 3 million times.

The accomplishment of such a technological feat begs the question: how attached to our devices are we?

A group of 20 youths of diverse backgrounds from all around Petaling Jaya took the time to help us understand just how wired we are to our gadgets.

All twenty participants owned a smartphone, at the very least, with most owning either a laptop or a tablet as well, while roughly 30% also owned an additional device such as a music player or a portable game console.

All 20 participants answered that they used their smartphones every day, with varying degrees of use for the rest of the items.

Joshua Low, 20, who owns 4 devices, says that he fully utilizes them every day.

Most of the participants use their devices primarily for communication and social networking, adding that they feel that their devices have helped them stay connected with people, even over great distances.

Sarah Babiker, 20, feels that her smartphone has made it much easier to contact people, but it also puts a great deal of pressure on an individual to keep up to date with the lives of so many people.

Most respondents asserted that they don’t just use their devices for communication or entertainment but for working and doing assignments.

Alayna Rani, 20, states that gadgets have ‘made everything a lot easier’.

“As a growing adult,” she continues. “It’s nice to have some personal space to work - the laptop is good for that.”

When asked how much time they spend on their devices, almost 60% answered that they use their devices for more than 5 hours per day.

“I’ll die without my handphone because I need to hear my mum, dad, and sister’s voice at least once a day!” says smartphone user, Aqilah.

Many smartphone users such as Keshailla Menon, 22, and Roshan, 26, feel they have become dependent on their devices.

“I feel handicapped without it,” says Roshan.

When asked how much they would pay for a device, the respondents replied that they would be willing to pay upwards of RM600, with the highest being RM4,000 for a Macbook Pro.

Surprisingly, most would not be in a hurry to replace their devices, if they were lost with the average time before getting a replacement being approximately 1 week.

When asked about the length of time they feel they could live without their devices, they responded with answers ranging from a few hours to ‘indefinitely’.

When commenting on the darker side of things, most felt that the negative effects of reduced face-to-face interaction and overall efficiency in life occur when devices are used in excess.

Smartphone, laptop and tablet user, Eng Wei Han, 20, explains that his gadgets have clearly offered him convenience in many ways and increased his efficiency in certain tasks. However, the limitless access to information could easily disrupt a healthy lifestyle and reduce productivity, especially when one is engrossed in the virtual reality of games.

In the end, 50% of the participants felt that they needed to reduce the time spent on their devices and that it all comes down to balance in life.

In the words of smartphone and laptop user, Ming Shu, 22, ‘we need to exercise moderation in all things’.

Malaysia Retaliate: Kangkung, Ultraman, Bomoh, RM1 Chicken

By: Ivan, Kelly, CheeWah & Synru

With the rise of social media, government is forced to deal with a new form of backlash that takes the form of mockery from the public. When the government makes a statement or act that deemed outrageous by the public, it will immediately go viral on social media and strikes back at the government using humor in its deadliest form.

Below are a few incidences which recently went viral on social media:

1.      The emergence of “McKangkung”.

On Jan 12, 2014, Malaysia’s Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak delivered a speech on recent price hikes which frustrates the whole nation. It was recorded and was uploaded on Youtube. The 1:08 minute video clip went viral on YouTube with 619,962 views.

“…Kangkung dulu naik, sekarang ini dah turun. Bila turun apasal tak puji kerajaan?”

(“Water spinach used to be expensive, now the price has decreased. When the price is low, why no one shows appreciation towards the government?”)

He used the inconsistent price of water spinach to explain that government should not be blame on the price hike.

After the video went viral, McKangkung was then invented and was propagated all over the social media.

McKangkung”, a burger with Kangkung Fried Belacan replacing the usual meat patty was shared multiple times on Instagram.

Leon Ku, 22, said “It is so funny and I could not resist forwarding and sharing it with my friends.”

Ah Beng, 50, expressed his opinion by saying “McKangkung caught my attention the most and I think it is a trend now for the people to forward and share these news and pictures all over social media.”

“Malaysia is just full of talented and creative people,” said Thean Li Ren, 18 years old.

2.      Ultraman comic book was banned

On March 6, 2014, Kementerian Dalam Negeri (KDN) has banned the publication of Ultraman the Ultra Power due to the misused of the word “Allah”.

According to Home Minister, “It is an offence under Section 8 (2) of the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984 for any person to print, import, produce, reproduce, publish, sell, distribute, offer to sell or have in his possession for any such purpose the banned publication.”

The Ultraman backlash hits social media two days after the announcement of the ban.

“Haze also Ultraman, bridge collapse also Ultraman, now everything also related to Ultraman,” said Wong Siok Wen, a business admin student.

22 years old Wong Wei Jun shares his displease, “These reactions are made to shows the shameful truth.”

Take the previous incident as example, “How can a bridge collapse so easily? If there is no corruption involved then it must be the fight between Ultraman and the monster that caused the bridge to collapse,” Wong added.

Photo edit of the fight between ultraman and the monster causing the breakdown of Cyberjaya flyover and haze.

3.      Bomoh’s antics in finding missing plane

When Malaysians are united in finding the missing plane, the “raja bomoh” (shaman king), Ibrahim Mat Zin is invited to help in finding the missing aircraft at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA).

Social media was bombarded with the spoofs of their act the next day.

People making fun of the bomohs by imitating their act.

#Hashtag interviewed Gerald Lam Mun Wai, 20, who was involved in mimicking the act with his friends.

He said “We are imitating the bomoh’s act for fun. We are also trying to spread some sense of humor to our friends in social media.”

“I understand that these spoofing pictures will definitely affect the government. I hope these reactions will make them realize of the ridiculous choices they have made,” he added

Triapps, one of the apps and games developers, took advantage on this whole bomoh incident. They created a bomoh-inspired game, “Bomoh: Rescue Run” that surpassed 100,000 downloads on Google’s Play Store.

3,039 users gave a five star rating to this nine-days-old application. Over 40 bomoh-inspired game applications was created and achieved massive downloads on Google’s PlayStore.

4.      Prime minister RM1 chicken

On March 11, 2014, the prime minister advised citizens to shop wisely instead of complaining about price hikes after he manages to buy a whole chicken for RM1.

The news received massive responses on Facebook.

“The public’s negative comments on social media will destroy the government image. They are highlighting the incompetence of our leaders in managing the country,” said Hanis Farhanah binti Sukor, 18 years old.

#Hashtag interviewed a psychologist to find out the reason behind the behavior of Malaysian on social media platform towards this matter.

According to Ms Yew Wan Ping, a psychologist who specialized in Developmental Psychology said “Malaysia is a country that lack of freedom of speech.”

“The people took social media as a platform to voice out their thoughts,” said Yew.

Ms Samantha Siew, a clinical psychologist, thinks that social media had buzzed because the reactions are funny.

“The people show their anger through social media by posted silliness or dissatisfied of the government, rather than doing nothing and ignoring the authority,” she explained.

“I can see that every mockeries or sarcasm underlines a certain anger and disappointment. They are angry and disappointed but at the same time they are doing something about it,” said Siew.

“This is a maturing process and we can view it as a positive symptom for democracy. However, behind all this, I see there’s hope for a change in the future,” she added.

MH370: The Gen Y discourse

By: Paul, Eva, Vanessa & Aainaa

Earthquakes, tsunamis and hurricanes are ‘common’ disasters that cause a great deal of damage to the affected people on many levels; mentally, physically, emotionally as well as spiritually. These events often involve casualties and survivors will be traumatized.

Unlike these familiar cases, the emergence of the latest missing flight named MH370, a Malaysian Airlines (MAS) flight which flew from Kuala Lumpur towards the capital of Beijing which vanished soon after take-off, has proven to be an unprecedented disaster of its own due to the incomprehensible nature of its disappearance.

The MH370 incident has boggled the minds of people as to how a 135 ton object can possibly vanish into thin air. The effects of this event have led to many theories and opinions from people of different age groups especially among Generation Y, also known as the Millennials.

Originating from Malaysia, the investigation of this issue is led by Malaysian officials. However, Generation Y felt that the situation has exposed on how unprepared and incompetent the government is in handling the issue.  Tarra, 24, said, “The Malaysian government is already known for being ridiculous and hilarious. Now, they are enforcing it.” She commented that Malaysia has already made a name for itself with the aid of the recent ‘BERSIH’ rallies concerning the unfair elections last year. According to Malaysiakini, the government still continues to be the country’s ruling party for the 57th year in 2014 although the opposition won more than 51% of the public’s votes.

“I’m sad because Malaysia has become a laughing stock, relating to the ‘bomoh’ situation. Besides that, they have been broadcasting such clear incompetence,” stated Shook Wai, 21. 'Bomohs' or shamans have surfaced at Kuala Lumpur's airport (KLIA) and conducted rituals involving coconuts and a ‘flying carpet’ in the attempt to find the missing flight.

This incident has been ridiculed by people all around the world especially Internet users who posted pictures of themselves sitting on ‘flying carpets’ on social media sites such as Facebook and Instagram which has then gone viral.

Jake, a student, said “Memalukan Malaysia. Shows how inefficient the government is when handling these kind of cases. They even had the audacity to ‘promote’ RM1 whole chicken when everyone knows it isn’t true.” Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak has recently pointed out the availability of chicken for only RM1 which he saw at the market, despite the distressing situation. Jake added, “Also, he only attended one press conference on the missing plane. Shouldn’t the Prime Minister of a country take more responsibility during this critical time?”

For a fraction of people, the incident is trivial and is considered to be a norm therefore, it does not affect them. Ahmed, 27, said, “I feel neutral about it as plane crashes are somewhat similar to road accidents.” He also stated that accidents do not deter everyone from driving despite the increasing rate of road accidents in Malaysia. According to the Ministry of Works Malaysia, there are approximately 23.8 deaths per 100,000 people back in 2009 compared to 23.5 deaths in 2008.

“Well, surely I hope for them to be safe but even if they are not, life goes on and I still have to get through my days so, it doesn’t affect me much,” said Razim, 22.

Conversely, some felt that flying is no longer safe as they fear this might happen again. Aleysha, 21, thinks that safety concern is definitely in question especially with the MATTA Fair approaching and sales will be affected as many people will think twice of flying.

Krystle, an aspiring flight attendant said, “It has changed my perception on flying as I wanted to become a flight attendant. Since the MH370 incident, I have become more cautious and have reconsidered it.” Mark, 21, also stated how the incident made him think twice before flying.

MAS, serving the position of the national carrier have a well-known reputation of world class serving and safety credentials since its foundation in 1937 while scoring an impressive amount of aviation awards.

The last known fatal incident affecting MAS was the 1995 Tawau incident when the plane overshot the runway and crashed nearly two decades ago.

A flight stewardess from MAS, Eunice stated that she is upset and shocked at what had happened. “The security level of both the plane and the customs are managed well and the fact that a possible hijacking could happen is very shocking, especially for people who are working in this field. It makes me utmost worried about my colleagues who are subconsciously affected.”
On the other hand, the victims’ mental state and wellbeing of this event are also common worries as many have noted that mental support from closest family and friends is essential to those who are affected.

Foong, 21, said “Some of them might not be able to accept the fact that their family members are in the plane and may do harmful things out of irrational considerations. Hence, appropriate support and care from us would be of much help and encouragement for them to be stronger.”

Kim, 25, quotes the Malay proverb, ‘berat lagi mata memandang, berat lagi bahu memikul’ which translates to ‘the burden is heavier on those who are affected’, thinks that families and friends of those on board are facing critical pressure and experiencing grief.

All in all, the missing flight MH370 has proven to be food for thought, both in a positive and negative manner, and also provides exposure on how safe one can really be in the face of unprecedented disasters.

6 dead, 15 hospitalized – Music festival out of control?

By: Sarah, Bella, Nadia & Tarra

BUKIT JALIL: Kuala Lumpur's long awaited music festival Future Music Festival Asia (FMFA) cancelled on its third day after a drug-induced overdose befell a number of spectators leaving six locals dead, many hospitalised and 19 arrested, including foreigners.

FMFA is an annual music festival that features mainly Australian and other international artists and began in major cities of Australia since 2006 and in 2012, spread to Kuala Lumpur. FMFA 2012 was attended by over 20,000 people and the event is usually held annually in late February - early March

This year’s FMFA was the third of its kind in Malaysia and was expected to attract over 75,000 people compared to that of previous years.

To Go or Not To Go?

Music festivals may be seen as nothing new. However, they are getting more popular than ever - attracting fans that travel far and wide to attend such events for the fun of the experience and in support of their favourite International artistes. Hashtag spoke to some of those who are fans of such programs to understand why.

John, 24, said,” It's like homecoming and everyone is tremendous and friendly. It brings a feeling of togetherness. It also helps us to put our minds to rest by taking off time to have a little bit of fun and forget about our problems for a while."

Shania, 28, said," I would not miss it for anything, I get to hang out with my friends and let go and get a little crazy as am always busy with work."

Rawan Elkomi, 20, said he loves going to raves “to let loose and forget about whatever is going on.” “At raves you're in a whole new world and nothing matters except the music,” he adds.

However not all members of the community feel the same way about music festivals.

Halimah, 23 said “Such events are too hot, humid, and crowded. It is also not healthy due the smoke from all sorts of things that people smoke there. At the end of the day, I have messy and foul smelling hair to deal with so I would rather find something else to do for fun."

Farouk, 23, said," I would like to attend the festival but my father dislikes the whole idea of youth being out on their own in fear of them engaging in drugs, toxic substances and other behaviours. I have to respect his word and I think he is only being protective."

Natalie Obur, 21, was asked if she attends raves and this is what she had to say. "No, I don’t attend raves. I don’t have a specific reason but its more about safety and the fact that I’ve never actually had anyone convince me to go. There’s usually people under the influence of alcohol and drugs, and you never know what might happen. Besides, there are other ways I can have fun.  I am glad I don't have friends that might influence me to go for such events."

Eva Yong, a student at SEGi University, does not see the point in attending rave concerts. “Why rave with a bunch of sweaty strangers when you can do it in the comfort of your own home?” she says.

Atmosphere

We tracked down some of those who attended this year’s FMFA to get an insight on the atmosphere and occurrences within the Festival grounds.

Aly 21, described her time there in detail by saying “In the venue, there were different rides to for us to enjoy, such as Ferris wheel, bull rider and more. In order to commemorate the event, there was also photo booth around the corner to snap pictures with friends. There was also food catered for a wide range of audiences. Theeven set up famous fast food restaurants like Pizza Hut, Ayamas, and Burgerlab”

Rawan Elkomi, 20, said “Yes I attended and I had the most amazing experience. I saw everyone having a good time and dancing around to the music”

Joshua, 23 noticed that some people in attendance seemed to be under the influence of intoxicating substances. ”There was a guy shaking his head nonstop, and he would keep hitting us without realizing that we're annoyed by his actions. Before leaving the festival, we saw a guy passed out near the dustbins at the entrance. The paramedics were assisting him. We took the train home and in the train, there were a group of foreign people screaming and shouting. It was a fun moment in which we joined in as well.”

Noon Imad, one of the concert goers, said, “I saw a boy being dragged by his friends, as he couldn’t stand on his feet at all. I saw many people just lying on the floor.” “I didn’t hear about designer drugs but I know that there are drugs involved in raves,” she says.

Rave – Drug Relationship

To understand further the correlation of substance abuse and music festivals, Hashtag tracked down one such party who would have insiders intel. DJ Ramsey Westwood, the winner of the Malaysia Astro Hitz spin master season 2 and also a graduate from the music productions like Point Blank Studios, London was one of the performers on the first day of FMFA. Being one of the country’s top DJs and a regular at similar events, we asked him about drug usage during these events. “The overdose cases during festivals is actually pretty common, as it usually happens during big festivals all over the world,” he said.

There were multiple cases of drug overdose during the FMFA of 2013 and in other events previously held in Malaysia.

Dr. Mahmud Mazlan, who runs multiple clinics that specialize in drug abuse therapy, believe that this recent overdose may have been caused by mephedrone, a new party drug. “Mephedrone and Eramin-5 have overtaken ecstasy as the two most popular drugs at rave parties as these have a stronger effect,” he says.

Having not being included under the Dangerous Drugs Act, Mephedrone is also legal in Malaysia. It is believed that it is advertised and sold on social media sites and other internet-based domains. Mephedrone has been banned in numerous countries for being responsible for overdoses and death.

Blame game and Immediate Reaction

When something negative occurs, us humans tend to try and pinpoint the party responsible for the event to explain why it happened. The highlights of the news and the general public via social media have been focused on the ravers, the organizers, the consumption of the drugs and its resulting overdoses. Many have accused it to be due to lax parenting and absorption of western cultures. Many netizens have responded similarly, declaring that the cost of such events are too high.

Political parties have also taken stands on this matter. Following the drug overdose, Selangor PAS Youth urged for the event, Life in Color, be banned and that the government should not give approvals for programs that may prove counterproductive to the participants. 

Life in Color, which was to be the world’s largest paint party and scheduled to be held on the 9th of March in Sepang, was indeed cancelled and all ticket holders were guaranteed a full refund.

However the Youth and Sports Minister, Khairy Jamaluddin, pointed out that banning concerts and other events will not stop recreational drug use elsewhere. He continued saying that other measures that will effectively resolve the problem need to be carried out.

But what then to do?

Shankar Thiruchelvam, a psychologist who practices at multiple mental health centers, believes that the incident at FMFA is not as cut and dry as it appears.

Better enforcement and checking will help prevent this from happening in similar future events but will not address the root of the problem, as it is only a symptomatic handling of the issue, he says.

Shankar highlights that there is a specific psychological profile of ravers. “Basically what you’re looking at is a sensation-seeking driven personality. Sensation seekers have hyper vigilant tendencies and a willingness to try anything to give them a rush.” He elaborates that ravers tend to seek out situations that bring about thrill, excitement and a heightened state of arousal.

“The root of this,” he believes, “lies in the family”. Healthy parent-child relationships and secure attachment bonding helps meet the needs of children as they grow, which greatly affects their personality. Achieving this requires proper famial education, he stresses.

With the drugs, however, he states that it is a socio-political issue. “The politics support its usage (drugs) and is driven by the money that is gotten from drug behavior and consumption, which is high”. He adds that as regulations are lax, this combination allows for widely available drugs.

Reports indicate that during FMFA, drugs could be easily procured from the nearby LRT station and the car park.

As for the governments reaction, he understands that it was due to more potential harm, but states that it was still from a reactive stand point. “If X happens, you do Y. But why did X happen?” says Shankar.

“A symptomatic approach, such as to hang a few people and have new laws, is not going to change much,” he adds.

Dr. Shankar underlines that this problem cannot be dealt with in one strata of the society. As with any medical problem, only treating its symptoms bring a temporary relief, before it surfaces again.

Every facet of social political orientation as well as social belongingness needs to be conditioned to change this. This includes family, community, culture, law enforcement, regulation, and educational awareness, especially that of children.

What he says is most needed of these is an education of the masses, but it is important to know what to educate them with and at what level the education should take place.

But this cycle can only be broken by analyzing all aspects of the problem, identifying the root cause(s) and then changing it.

“Overall we need a social political change and this requires a complete revamp of the system. When asked if he means that Malaysia needs a revamp, he states that “Malaysia needs a revolution.”

Hence, the incident at FMFA – the drug usage and the resulting deaths – is not something that is to be blamed on the concert goers, the music festival or the organizers. The root problem lie in the dynamic mechanics of our society. Only by addressing this and having the courage to change it, can anything truly be resolved. Malaysia, is it then time for a revolution? 

Smelling bad, eating out, slogging through the drought

By: Lucas, Mark & Kimmy

The past one week has been a bothersome to many of the residence around the Klang Valley due to the water rationing which is caused by drying up of dams, and the weather which is constantly hot from day to day is not helping in the situation as well.

Many household activities has been limited, such as house cleaning, cooking, and even bathing as how people normally would, and the list goes on with many saving up on water usage to continue on with normal daily routines.

Big families are especially affected by the water shortage as there are more people living under one roof thus usage of water would be at a higher level as compared to those with a smaller amount of people.

When asked on the difficulty in going through daily routines, “It is hard as water is a part of our daily lives,” said Rina Goon who lives in a double storey house with six other family members.

“We find every possible means to stock up on water to use for two days when the water supply is cut off,” she added.

Such household has been coping in every way they could think of when water supply is not available to use, and this includes storing waters in containers, bottles or any pot which they could find which can hold water for their daily usage.

According to Gurvinder Kaur, 42, a housewife who is also affected by the water rationing said “this showed how water is really a luxury and how difficult it is to go through houseworks even just for two consecutive days,” she said.

There are different strategies used by different people throughout the Klang Valley with the on and off supply of water to their house.

Paramjit Singh, husband of Gurvinder Kaur, shared his strategy of saving water usage by saying “eating out for dinner when everyone is home,” he said as this will reduce water used in cooking.

“Clothes are only washed when the water is back and when eating home we limit our dishes and plates,” he added when asked on his water usage strategy.

Speaking of food, not only households have to bare with the water rationing system but also businesses such as eateries where water consumption is high for cooking and washing of plates, bowls and cutleries.

Food outlets


Eateries located in the area affected by the water rationing is in chaos as it is flooded by people from around the area which is saving on water usage by not cooking and eating out seemed like the best idea to everyone.

One such eatery operator, Alan Chan shared his experience in handling such crisis and how it could actually be a nightmare rather than a pleasant dream even with the constant flooding of customers.

“Peak hours is like a nightmare when everyone walks in, because water is needed to cook, make drinks and wash,” he said.

Water usage is hard to manage when you need to handle a huge amount of plates and cups that needs to be washed, foods that needs to be cooked, drinks that need to be made and even including moping of floor to keep the place clean for customers.

However Alan is prepared to serve his customers even under such circumstances, and has been using a few ways to cut down his outlet’s water consumption.

“Most of us cafe operators are using different ways to lower our water use to continue business,” said Alan when asked if there are strategies in handling such situation.

His cafe in particular, Shiok Kopitiam located in Bandar Kinrara, uses disposable plastics to wrap and cover their plates and bowls before serving their food and dispose of the plastic once a customer is done and wrap them up again with new plastic.

This saves up a lot on water consumption in eateries but that is not all as many eateries can be seen operating with the use of paper or plastic plates, bowls, cups and cutleries as well.

While venturing around a few usual spots for food, one can also notice that some of the eateries choose to only operate at certain hours and some seemed to be closed during the period when water supply is not available in the area.

Self Help

Various ways and methods are being used during this period where water supply is insufficient to go through with daily lives at home or even operation of business and patience is crucial for those affected as rain has began pouring down again and hopefully for the days to come.

Saving up on water usage is now crucial in going through with the water rationing, using only minimal and needed water is important when water is supplied to homes to reduce wastage.

Filling up on water in any found containers are the best way to tackle the days when water is cut off to cook, bathe flushing toilets or any other basic needs but usage still needs to be limited to not over use.

Due to the water rationing, water has been seen as a luxury in homes affected and it has been difficult for them especially when the family is big, but on the bright side, water bill will not be something to be worried about.

Is crime in the mind?

By: Alesyha, Prithiba, Priya, Joey & Kuna

PETALING JAYA: With frequent reminders from friends and family to stay safe, is the average Joe in a state of worry in a city that is increasingly more dangerous or is this simply a state of mind?

As mainstream news agencies shy away from reports of muggings and break-ins, citizens are looking to online social networks to share their concerns.

Facebook groups, in particular, have allowed users to share pictures and reports of crimes within minutes of the incident, with eyewitness testimony.

Crime Watch Malaysia, Malaysian Crime Awareness Campaign and the PJ Community Alert are three such pages that have a combined total of almost over 120,000 likes on Facebook.

Crime Watch Malaysia, in its ‘About’ page, aims to ‘highlight the horror of the rising crime rate and the brutality of crime in our country and perhaps initiate greater concern and action from the authorities and government’.

PJ Community Alert states its mission is to ‘quickly discover the latest modus operandi of criminal minds and brainstorm ways to bring down the crime rate in our neighborhoods’.

All three pages have moved beyond reports alone, providing documents such as digital download copies of the Whistleblowers Protection Act and statistical reports on global road safety and discussions on tips to keep safe when out and about in the city.

COPS.ORG.MY, a ‘non-profit organization’, has taken the information one step further by providing links to portals to make official police reports and lists of numbers to contact in case of emergencies.

Some groups however, are taking the perceived increase in the crime rate as a call to action.


Crime Fighter, a Facebook group with 994 members, seeks to ‘protect citizens and fight all crimes’ by sharing reports of crimes and accounts from victims with tips on how to fight back against assailants.

With all of this information at their fingertips, are everyday Malaysians in a state of paranoia with the crime in our country.

Counseling psychologist Shankar Thiruchelvan, 30, said that is normal for a person to have anticipated fear about safety, but paranoia is maladaptive and dysfunctional.

According to Shankar, visible signs and symptoms of paranoia include shortness of breath, sweaty palms, hyperventilating, deep breathing and dilation of pupils.

In terms of behavior, a person is likely to develop anxiety-related behaviors such hyper-vigilance, where they are preoccupied with though patterns of safeness and they are dominated by the thought of potential hazards to themselves or family members.

When asked in particular about how a child is affected when a parent speaks to them about their concerns about crime, Mr. Shankar feels that the manner of disclosure plays an important role.

“If you disclose how hyper-anxious an external environment can be, it might end up crippling them,” he says, adding that if a child has a tendency to be fearful, the child will respond anxiously.

“As a parent, it would certainly be difficult to monitor your child 24/7,” he continues. “Therefore, it is always best to teach the child street smarts and survival skills that allow them to function, making conscious, responsible choices.”

However, there is a difference between how the younger and older generations perceive and entertain paranoia.

Krishnasamy Alagesan, 57, felt that although he is familiar with his housing area, he has a certain degree of fear and feels that it is definitely not safe being out of his house.

Puspa Sankaran, a 55-year-old housewife, always makes sure that her family is home by midnight as she feels the safety of the country is not at its peak.

“Sometimes, my family members accuse me of being a paranoid,” she says. “But I feel it is because I happen to be a crime victim myself.”


Kumaran Krishnasamy, a 24 year old aircraft maintenance engineer feels that night life among the youngsters is inevitable and most youngsters do not worry much about their safety, especially men.

“I would not say that most youngsters are paranoid about crime, but they are aware of what is happening and do take safety into consideration, they are not that naïve”, said Sheila Nayar, a 22 year old student.

Atira Sreenivas, a 14-year-old student feels that her parents’ concerns are warranted, based on the reports she hears from the news or social networks.

“Individuals themselves also need to be vigilant,” says her mother, June Teh, 45. “There is no excuse not to be vigilant at all times.”

Suria Kunanathan, 22 feels that he rarely spends time thinking about crime as he has better things to think about such as his assignments and exams.

“I believe in the law of attraction,” said Ranita Isaac, 21. “If you constantly think about it you might atrract it.”

When asked whether or not the concerns of the public were reflected in reality, police inspector Surendharan, 28, from Kuala Lumpur, said that crime rates in Malaysia were high before but are in a stable condition right now the police are taking steps to reduce crime rates.

“We have successfully deployed 14, 222 officers at nearly 50 hot spot areas focusing on reducing street crimes, especially snatch thieves,” said Surendharan. “We also have a safe city program in collaboration with PDRM ( Polis Diraja Malaysia) , state and local authorities and private developers.”

He goes on to add that various measures have been taken, including the installation of CCTV cameras and roadblocks all around the city to prevent crime.

“We are expending rakan cop,” he says. “Whereby the public can inform us on any suspicious activities through SMS.”

Surendharan goes on to remind the public that if they witness any crime, they need to contact the police in order for them to take further action.

Being paranoid about a crime that is bound not to happen may not favour the situation, instead we should focus on the precautions that we can take to prevent crime from occurring.