]]> http://www.ucsifrontiers.com/ssla-potluck/feed http://www.ucsifrontiers.com/nintendo-wii-a-new-dimension-of-gaming http://www.ucsifrontiers.com/nintendo-wii-a-new-dimension-of-gaming#comments Fri, 05 Mar 2010 12:43:55 +0000 navindran http://www.ucsifrontiers.com/?p=1744

Do you feel bored playing the same games? Are you looking for new and exciting games? Then, you must try Nintendo Wii, the latest version of Nintendo games.

Nintendo Wii is a revolutionary game that caters to everyone regardless of their age and it’s truly a unique experience for your family. This highly revolutionized and sophisticated video game first started to make a name for itself in December 2009 when it surpassed the record for the best selling console in a single month in the United States. At the moment, Nintendo Wii is leading the worldwide sales compared to their rivals.

Nintendo Wii has two special features, Wii Remote and Nunchuk that distinguishes and sets them apart from other video games. Both work as a motion sensitive control system which contains a three-axis motion sensor that is capable of translating movement directly to the TV with the usage of wireless Blue-tooth technology.

The Wii Remote control that was modeled after an ordinary TV remote control can also be used as a tennis racket or ball if you are playing tennis or bowling. Using this extraordinary remote control in Nintendo Wii video games will make you feel as if you are really competing in a surreal tennis or bowling match rather than an imaginary fantasy video game. This awesome controller can also be used as a handheld pointing device.

There are also other special functions such as WiiConnect24 and Wii Tech which enables Wii to be connected online 24 hours a day and downloads updates even if it is on standby mode while Wii Tech allows you to enjoy the pleasure of playing online games as well as accessing the Internet with a wireless Wii Remote. This can be easily done by setting up the compact Wii console beside your TV.

With Nintendo Wii, you can also get the opportunity to play some of the hottest and well known franchises such as Mario, Zelda and Metroid together with all new classics such as Wii Sports and Wii Play. This video game also allows you to design your very own Mii character to star in Wii games. You can also play with your friends online through Nintendo Wii-Fi Connection. So what are you waiting for, give it a shot today.

Many of us have watched or attended concerts organized by our university but how many of us can truly say that we have witnessed students singing their own compositions? Well, I am very proud and honored to say that I was one of the very few lucky people to have witnessed such an impressive musical performance by my peers.

The Song Writer’s Night held once a year, celebrates artistry and talent of the students from the School of Music at their best. This also gives them an avenue to showcase their original songs which they have produced and written.

This musical event not only signified the coming of age for them, but also gave them the opportunity to display their skills and unlock their hidden talents in front of a full house. A total of ten songs were performed and most performers sang their songs accompanied by various musical instruments such as piano, guitar, drums, bass, keyboard and others.

The first song of the night was a beautiful, touching, and romantic love song called ‘I Gave My Heart Away’ by Catherine Marie Danuarius which was truly inspiring for young people in the audience who were in love. The next song was ‘Dirty Beat’ by Lim Shunmin that closely resembled an electrifying and energetic American hip hop song that had the crowd applauding and standing.

There were also other songs performed, such as ‘No Longer’ and ‘Free’, that saw the participation of Sara Ngooi and Emmanuel Chin, who were the organizer and emcee of Song Writer’s Night 2010 respectively. Ngooi performed ‘No Longer’ with intense soul and passion, which was a heart-breaking love song by Karen Lui.

Emmanuel Chin performed as a drummer for ‘Free’ by Eddy Lim. The theme of the song was freedom, and it delves into the story of a young man’s desire to escape from the troubles of the world and experience freedom. Lim sang this song exceptionally well.

There were also songs written in other languages such as ‘Happy’ in Chinese performed by Low Sim Ni and Shally Chan who captivated the audience and ‘Nak Tak Nak’, a Malay number performed by Dennis Law. This song was rather unusual with a different ring to it and best described as refreshing and unique.

As a finale, the crowd was in for a treat when Simon Lee, a famous Malaysian musician, made a special guest appearance. Lee was full of praise for the students’ fantastic performance and he urged them to keep it up. His advice to the budding students: “continue your learning process and practice yours skills”. After his speech, Simon Lee rounded off the show with one of his classic songs, ‘This is how I feel’.

The Song Writer’s Night 2010 left everyone in the audience enthralled with their amazing musical performance. Clearly, this concert had proven that UCSI Music students have got what it takes to be top musicians.

Talking to my mother about women’s rights in the 1960s, she said women then were housewives, took care of the kids and their ‘workplace’ was the kitchen. They got meals ready on time, waited patiently for their husbands to come back from work and obeyed their orders, even if they were dissatisfied.

Some parents also felt it was unworthy to spend a considerable amount on their daughter’s education. They were never given the same chances in education as compared to boys. Daughters were always meant to be given away. Thus, in the past, women were not appreciated and perceived as unknowledgeable, so they did not commanded equal rights as men.

To date, women have come a long way to make a difference. They are part of a strong society with equal footing with men. These can be seen in institutions of higher learning where the ‘occupants’ are mostly women.

In the workplace, women have already climbed higher than men. They can achieve better and hold higher positions. Women have successfully blended into politics and have become Prime Ministers like Indira Ghandi, Benazir Bhutto, Khaleda Zia, Margaret Thatcher and Corazon Aquino just to name a few.  But no matter how capable they are in the industry, I feel, women still belong in the kitchen. They never forget their responsibilities at  work or at home.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Recently, I read an interesting online article, titled “Social Justice: Equal Rights for Men and Women”, published by the Food and Agriculture Organizations, United Nations. The article states women play an important role in producing the world’s rice. In Africa, the men plough fields and drive draught animals as the women do the major work which is to sow, weed, apply fertilizer and pesticides, harvest and thresh.

Sadly, women’s work always doesn’t figure in economic statistics because of discrimination. Women farmers also do not have rights to own land and they do not get paid for their farm work. This situation does not happen only in Africa, but in many other developing countries in the world. Personally, I think women who work on these farms should be given equal rights as men. They deserve to have their contribution in farm work recognized, receive payment for their work and own land because they are, in fact the community that keep the farms going.

Countries such as the United States and United Kingdom have taken action to protect equal rights for women. In Malaysia, the government has enhanced women’s equality in 1995 by increasing women’s participation in decision-making positions, safeguarding their rights to health, education and social well being. Legal obstacles and gender discriminatory practices have also been removed. Through this enhancement, I believe we will have a bright future in terms of equality of women in our country.

After years of collecting plastic bags with brand names emblazoned across them in a drawer which can’t be closed because of its contents, now I actually use a recyclable bag. The reason for my turning over a new leaf was a back-breaking grocery trip with my family recently.

I was caught the first Saturday when the Selangor government implemented the ‘No Plastic Bag Day’ in January 2010. When we were at a hypermarket, we realised that all the shoppers who had paid left with their purchases in their trolleys, all arranged haphazardly.

It was only when we reached the checkout counter that the cashier told us that they were not supposed to give out plastic bags unless customers paid 20 sen a bag!

We decided to get one of those plastic bags that they claim can be exchanged for a new one once the old one gave out, without any limit, for just 99 sen. Ever the shopaholic, I thought the bag displayed near the cashier was a great buy.

But it was still a plastic bag, and started to show signs of giving way after being filled with a few items. So we decided to leave the bulkier items in the trolley, just in case it broke. Later, we had a ‘fun’ experience transferring all the items one by one into the car booth.

After that incident, I vowed to get a few recyclable bags which I keep in my bag and car, just in case I have the sudden urge to go shopping.

Did you know that all the money from the sale of plastic bags is donated to the state Hardcore Poverty Programme in Penang? Meanwhile, Carrefour and IKEA customers who chose to pay for plastic bags should be glad to hear that the money would be channelled to the Malaysian Nature Society (MNS).

But if you prefer to use recyclable bags instead, Tesco has a programme that rewards their customers with Tesco Green Clubcard points each time they use their own bags or the Tesco reusable bags available at all Tesco stores. The points are then converted into Clubcard Cash Vouchers that can be used to offset the cost of purchases made at any Tesco and Tesco Extra stores.

So, what are you waiting for, get a recyclable bag for more savings while saving Mother Nature at the same time!

Must read!

Thanks for the Memories is the fifth book by Cecelia Ahern, and is a rare book in my collection, because the plot is so different from other books that I have read. I must say that she really has a good imagination, and is of course the queen of modern fairytale.

‘How could you know someone you’ve never met before?’ This line describes the storyline, and as the plot unraveled, I couldn’t stop reading. The thrilling storyline made me finish the book within three days! When I started to read this book, I could not figure out where the turning point was, but eventually I caught on the storyline.

So this is how it started: Joyce Conway’s character is portrayed as a very pitiful woman. She has lost everything in life, except for her elderly father. Joyce’s life changes after an accident. The road to her recovery was even more difficult with the loss of her baby and after being dumped by her husband. Despite the thorny life, she starts to have unusual dreams and feelings toward certain things she doesn’t know and doesn’t relate to her.

The author Cecelia Ahern

The other character in the book is Justin Hitchcock, who practically has nothing valuable in life, except for his job as a lecturer. He has also given up on his marriage and lives alone. While in Dublin giving a lecture about the arts, he donates a pint of blood.  Since it was his first time, Justin was eager to know whose life he had saved. In search of his blood receiver, he discovers Joyce and feels a connection to her at first sight.

Although Joyce and Justin are from different backgrounds, they have the same aspiration - to find someone to begin a new chapter in their life. Although their journey to find each other is a long and difficult one, they somehow enjoy a very warm ending. As the title suggests, Justin’s memories connected him to Joyce.

Thanks for the Memories is filled with love, magic and the instant connection you feel when you meet someone you’re meant for. I believe this is what faith and destiny is all about. If you’re meant for someone, no matter how long or how awful the journey, faith will bring you back together.

Not to sabotaged a romantic interlude but there have been stories of unrequited love or ill-fated relationships that have galvanized the whole world because they were so passionate, so matching, so true and yet not destined to be fulfilled.

But such bizarre and sorrowful tales of unhappy love were actually real life happenings as I found out from WAN HUA CHAPOUTHIER’s article titled Tales of Two Cities: Paris.

Have a read:

To begin with, there was Alain Delon, the dangerously handsome French actor and Romy Schneider, the talented and beautiful Austrian actress. In the 60s and 70s, their Paris-based and much-publicized romance ended in each going separate ways until, at the early and untimely demise of Romy in 1982 in Paris, some form of redemption finally came by in the form of a long, handwritten letter of adieu written by Alain Delon who confessed that he had lost the love of his life and placed the letter on her coffin.

Much earlier, in the 1940s, Edith Piaf (1915 - 1963), the late French singer whose signature song is La Vie En Rose fell in love with Marcel Cerdan, France’s middleweight boxing champion who won the world title in 1948. Marcel was already married with three children. Then suddenly, an unforeseen plane crash took Marcel away from Edith. Took him away from her, forever afterwards.

Edith Piaf never recovered from the loss and she delivered the heart-wrenching Hymn to Love which many regard as even more unforgettable than La Vie En Rose as it evokes the searing, inconsolable pains of a broken heart.

Before spending ebbing years in a nursing home in Grasse near the French Riveria, Edith Piaf used to live in a ground floor apartment at No. 19, Boulevard Lannes in the 16th district in Paris where for a while, she tried to carry on, boosted morally by sincere friends, by the attention of a much younger companion and by the rare and forgiving attitude of Marcel Cerdan’s widow who used to visit her with her children. But she finally passed away like a burnt-out candle with no wick left to be rekindled.

Not far from Boulevard Lannes, the great diva, Maria Callas (1923 - 1977), breathed her last inside her apartment along avenue Georges Mandel near Place de Trocadero. Except for two faithful and long serving domestic helpers, she was alone. Her solitude epitomized her great destitution. Fate robbed her first of her voice and then of Aristotle Onassis, the Greek shipping magnate for whom she left her first husband and manager.

When a heart breaks, life’s vital force is also shattered and any inherent talent also flies out of the window. So, when gifted persons stop to sing, to act, to paint, to write and even to rule, their entourage should take heed of the crippling effect that can be caused by sentimental deception and grief.

Get a CD where you can listen to Maria Callas singing the role of Norma. You will weep with her and comprehend this Greek melodrama of our era.

As the whole world saw it, Onassis dumped Maria Callas and married Jacqueline Kennedy. But, shortly before he passed away at the American Hospital at Neuilly, just outside Paris, Onassis returned to Maria Callas and the latter held a press conference at the chic Maxim’s restaurant where she was dining with Onassis. The press conference retrieved her loss of face, so to speak. Nobody likes to be jilted and especially, publicly jilted.

But illness overtook and this great passion was snuffed out into another unhappy ending.

Next in line is not an apartment haunted by a sad love story but a gigantic gold-painted torch. Like a flaming Olympic torch, it stands above the tunnel near the Alma Marceau metro station where Princess Diana and her friend, Dodi Al-Fayed were killed in a freakish car accident around midnight of Aug 30, 1995.

At that instant, you cannot even wish for a fairy godmother who, with the wave of a magic wand at midnight could save Cinderella from any impossible situation. Tragedy struck so quickly, so unsparingly and with such cruel fatality!

I saw a few, faded flowers placed near the base of the torch which is still regarded by tourists as the landmark for the famous “romance that was nipped in the bud”. It only convinced me that in the awful, cutting cold of February, Valentine’s Day is also as a day to remember such broken lives, broken hearts and broken dreams.

There is no remedy or substitute for such shattered affaires even if you join me in humming “And when I grow too old to dream, your love will live in my heart”.

This is the third time that Malaysia hosted the AIAE. Previously Malaysia was the host for the 5^th AIAE and 13^th AIAE in 1990 and 1998 respectively. The 24^th AIAE featured the handiwork of some 250 artists from 12 countries, namely China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Thailand, Macau, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Vietnam and Malaysia.

Puan Rohana Mohd Yusof, the Public Relations Officer of the gallery said that she was glad that the art exhibition has received an overwhelming response from both the public and foreigners alike. So far an estimated 22,120 people have visited the exhibition. The visitors comprise of individuals, family, institutions, schools, companies and even a political party was given a guided tour.

The main gallery on the ground floor displayed the gallery’s permanent collection while four additional galleries hosted exhibitions by local and foreign artists. Some 45 artworks of Malaysian artists were displayed. During the duration of this exhibition the art gallery organised various programs such as films, lectures, workshops and special art related activities for children.

Some of the visitors were impressed and fascinated with the various contemporary artworks which are a mixture of local and multinational flavour. One of the visitors, Aberami Jaishana from Malaysia said that the collection of artworks that was on display was creative, thought provoking and mind enriching. As an art student, Aberami observed that there were abstract and intricate paintings that use contemporary painting techniques.

Some of the abstract artwork exhibited were ‘The surface of painting’, a monoeramit  art piece by Oh Beung Ouk from Korea in black and white using different shades that looks like trees in shadows and Shin Tang Sik also from Korea with his artwork, ‘Keumgang Mt- Winter that looks like mountains. Intricate paintings can also be seen through the artworks of Malaysian Ng Bee titled ‘Rebound from the jungle’ describing a man’s terrified experience of being attacked by a rhinoceros and Araceli “Cheloy” Dans artwork, ‘Shawl of the Innocents’ portraying babies.

There were also artworks that conveyed meaningful messages from Vietnam. For example, Nxgunyen Xuan Long’s artwork, ‘Viet Chat’ emphasizes on the importance and value of wisdom

found in abundance in Vietnamese proverbs. Another artwork by Vietnamese Pham Huy Thong,

‘Stop’ focuses on child abuse.

Artworks that are difficult to interpret could also be found. One such example was Steven Lam Woon-heong’s ‘Peach Blossoms’ with integrated elements of painting, printing making and digital imaging that resembles  printout artwork in Adobe Photoshop when you are standing near it. But from a distance, Steven’s artwork is actually a portrait of a woman that teaches people not to make assumptions and take their time to reflect upon it.

This art exhibition is a must for art lovers, art students and budding artists. What more, its admission is free.  The next time it is in town, don’t forget to check it out and feast your eyes and nourish your mind and soul.

This restaurant serves delicious Indian and Malay cuisines. A variety of seafood based curries cooked in northern and southern Indian styles are sold at reasonable prices. The curry dishes can be eaten with either plain or briyani rice.

For those who are cautious about calories, you can opt for thosai, idli, roti chanai, naan or chapatti. The restaurant also sells a range of breakfast and lunch items such as murtabak, roti arab, fried mamak mee, vadai, currypuffs and a host of favourite Malaysian pastries.

One of the most popular items in this restaurant is the Thandoori Chicken, a grilled chicken dish from north India, which is also my favorite dish off the menu. The tandoori chicken is specially prepared by marinating the chicken in special gravy and then grilled in an earthen oven.

According to Haji Farook Hassan bin Mohamed Hassan who has been managing the family business for the past 15 years, the recipe is a family secret which he is unwilling to reveal. The tandoori chicken is served with naan, a pancake made of wheat flour and cooked in an earthen oven. It also comes with spicy chilly gravy with a hint of mint. The naan can also be eaten with dhal, a dish of sorghum lentils boiled and cooked with spices. In addition to the heavy menu, comes a salad dish made of lime, onion, sliced cucumber, carrot and mint leaves.

The tandoori chicken is prepared as you order and therefore you can be ensured that the food you consume is freshly made. I have also noticed that the service here is good and fast and customers are prepared to queue up to order the authentically prepared cuisine which is a specialty of this restaurant. On top of that, it is open from 6 a.m. in the  morning to 12 midnight.  So if you happen to go up north, this sumptuous spicy chicken is a must try.