Campus Plus Magazine February 2015 by Campus Plus Magazine

FEB2015 campusplus.com.my

CONTENTS

FEATURES

BEAUTY

Nailing The Date

Some D.I.Y. manicure ideas!

FEATURE

Ways to Get Out of a Date

Sometimes, dates don’t go as planned. Here are some escape strategies.

CAREER CHAT

We Speak to the Co-founder of Carousell, Lucas Ngoo

Find out how this new marketplace app was developed.

ANIME

The Deadly Winter

There are three titles that look promising this season.

WIRED UP

Plug into the future of tech

We learn more about the Philips PicoPix PPX3614.

GAME ON!

Simple, Yet Profound

We try to solve the many puzzles from ‘The Talos Principle’

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COVER STORY

Figures of Passion

The world of figurines, magnified.

JAN 2015 | CAMPUS PLUS |

FEB2015 campusplus.com.my

CONTENTS

78 74 FEATURES

WANDERLUST V-Day Vacation

We’ve listed down five places you could plan a retreat to.

ARTS & CULTURE Oriental Oddities

This Chinese New Year, learn more about some rather strange Chinese culture.

LIFEHACKS/DIY

Naturally Clean with Homemade Detergent

Learn how to make detergent at home.

REGULARS

FOOD DIRECTORY

Frisky? Only with Ideas

This month’s Food Directory gets conducted at The Frisky Goat

NEWS ......................................... 07 FASHION BUZZ ......................... 24 CAMPUS COUTURE...................... 26 BEAUTY BUZZ ............................ 28 BEAUTY Q&A ............................. 30 BEAUTY CASE............................. 31 GUYS STUFF .............................. 32 MUSIC......................................... 36 K-POP ........................................ 38 MOVIES ........................................ 40 CAREER CHAT .............................. 50 WELLNESS ................................. 53 BOOKSHELF ................................. 54 DREAM CAR ................................ 68 EVENT-FULL ................................. 73

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SIGHTS & INSIGHTS FROM THE EDITOR

takenote

FROM THE EDITOR

EDITORIAL

THE TEAM Publisher

Mac Sivanesan

MAC@CAMPUSPLUS.com.MY

Editor

Bryan Chan

Writers

Andrew Tan

bryan@campusplus.com.my

andrew@campusplus.com.my

Ivy Chin

ivy@campusplus.com.my

Grace Chan

grace@campusplus.com.my

Rachel Fong rachel@campusplus.com.my

General

Editorial

CREATIVE

NEWSDESK@CAMPUSPLUS.com.MY

Art Director

Suzanne Chuah

Visual & DI

Kamil Haziq

CORPORATE

HAZIQ@CAMPUSPLUS.com.MY

Corporate Communications

Nancy P

Events Manager

Jeyasekhar M

Heart

o all our Chinese readers, Gong Xi Fa Cai! Also, to all the lovebirds out there, Happy Valentines!

Before I talk about what we have in store for you this month, let’s talk about hobbies. Hobbies play a large role in developing character. Among the many types of hobbies though, one of the most misunderstood is that of figurine collecting. Many believe that collecting figurines are both a waste of time and funds, but for those who do collect figurines, it’s a totally different story. This month, we approached figurine collectors as well as shop owners to learn more about how this hobby is much more than buying figurines of famous characters and putting them in a showcase. To fully appreciate this hobby, one has to look closely at the minute details present in these figurines. When you do, you’ll probably notice details like a scar or perhaps even a scratch that was reproduced after the artist studied a particular scene from a movie, frame by frame.

nancy@CAMPUSPLUS.com.MY

jeya@CAMPUSPLUS.com.MY

Jaccqueln Lee

Sales

Of Figurines and Matters of the

ZANNE@CAMPUSPLUS.com.MY

Sales & Marketing Nicholas Ng Director nicholas@CAMPUSPLUS.com.My

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It is this level of attention to detail that many collectors have come to admire and the reason why many are willing to fork out a significant amount of money. This has led many others to recognise the value of figurines – that it is much more than a reproduction of a character from the big screen/comic book/cartoon series. It’s a work of art that’s a representation of the artist’s love for fine details. Of course, that’s not all we have in store for you in this issue. It’s the month of love and we’ve prepared some content that would (hopefully) help any lovebirds out there turn a cheesy day into something a little more special. Our Beauty Buzz writer, Rachel Fong, for example, has scoured the web to bring you a D.I.Y. nail-painting tutorial for ladies in her Fashion Buzz section. Should you have any feedback about our content, feel free to email me at bryan@campusplus. com.my! Till the next issue,

D2-02-01, Blk D2, Pusat Perdagangan Dana 1, Jalan PJU 1A/46, 47301 Petaling Jaya, Selangor D.E.

Stay frosty!

Tel: +603-78426688 Fax: +603-78426689 E-mail: mail@campusplus.com.my

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© All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from Campus Media Resources Sdn Bhd. The publisher has made every effort to ensure that the contents of this material is accurate at the time of printing, and therefore will not be held responsible for any errors or omissions. Opinions and advice expressed by advertisers and contributors in this magazine do not necessarily represent those of the editors, staff and the publisher.

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NEWS CENTRE

DEC 2014 | CAMPUS PLUS |

campusnews

THE LATEST FROM YOUR CAMPUS

FEBRUARY 2015

SPOTLIGHT

Sunway College and Victoria University

Celebrate 20 Years of Partnership

Earlier this year, Sunway College celebrated its 20 years of partnership with Victoria University (VU) of Australia, at the Sunway Lagoon Resort & Spa. Present at the event was Sunway Group’s Chief Executive Officer of Education and Healthcare, Dr. Lee Weng Keng. There, he took the opportunity to express his appreciation to VU for their contribution to the growth of the Sunway Education Group over the past 20 years. With the support of VU, Sunway College was one of the pioneers in offering twinning programmes in Malaysia, which gave many Malaysians the chance to obtain a degree from a foreign university, while studying locally. Thanks to this collaboration, he said that the Government granted Sunway Education Group the permission to conduct ‘3+0’ degree programmes in 1999. Following that, VU’s Master of Business Administration (MBA) programme at a postgraduate level was also subsequently launched in 2004. According to VU’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Engagement & Commercial), Professor Duncan Bentley, VU Australia will hold its centennial celebrations in 2016, and hopes that Sunway College and VU will continue to work together for many more years to come. “The alumni and students stand as a testament to the power of education to transform lives and as we look back on our journey, we remember not the buildings, not the programs, but the people: our classmates, our teachers, leaders and mentors,” Bentley said. To date, there are more than 2,200 VU Bachelor of Business graduates and more than 400 VU MBA graduates from Sunway College.

A Shot at a

Curtin Sarawak Scholarship Those with stellar achievements in SPM now have a chance to join Curtin University, Sarawak Malaysia, under a full scholarship. Named the Curtin Sarawak Malaysia (CSM) Scholarships for SPM High Achievers, this programme is available for school leavers who have scored 7As and above. Those who are interested can opt to pursue either a Foundation in Commerce and Arts Stream or Engineering and Science Stream. Currently, the intake for the first semester of the year is already underway, and classes for the foundation courses will begin on the 30th of March. There are many pathways that await students who enroll in these courses. Annually, almost all of the students in the courses are offered places in undergraduate courses in Curtin Sarawak’s Faculty of Engineering and Science and Faculty of Business and Humanities. For students of the Commerce and Arts Stream, they can advance into degree programmes that span a variety of career fields, such as Business, Marketing, Public Relations, Mass Communication and Technology. Those within the Engineering and Science Stream course can look forward to a myriad of routes too, such as Engineering, Applied Geology and Technology as well. Additionally, students will be in good hands with lecturers who have industrial experience who engage in modern, diversified teaching methods.

| CAMPUS PLUS

campusnews

THE LATEST FROM YOUR CAMPUS

FEBRUARY 2015

SPOTLIGHT

UCSI University Holds

Annual Award & Scholarship Presentation Ceremony 16 December 2014 was another momentous day for UCSI University as it held its annual Award & Scholarship Presentation Ceremony. RM12 million in scholarships and bursaries were disbursed to nearly 600 students by the UCSI University Trust. As varied as their achievements were, all of them had one thing in common: they all had sustained impressive levels of excellence in both academic and extracurricular activities. The event was graced by a slew of UCSI University’s VIPs, such as UCSI Group founder and chairman Dato’ Peter Ng, UCSI University Council Chairman Tan Sri Dato’ Seri (Dr) Musa Mohamad and chairman of the UCSI University Trust Dato’ (Dr) Haji Mohd Karim Bin Haji Abdullah Omar. Dato’ Peter Ng ascended to the stage first with an inspiring speech to motivate the recipients, saying: “They (the students) are walking testimonies that reflect the saying excellence begets success.” He also made the announcement that the University has been conferred Tier 5 or ‘Excellent’ status in the Rating System for Malaysian Higher Education Institutions 2013 exercise (SETARA 2013). It is no small feat, as Tier 5 is the highest classification awarded to the best public and private universities in Malaysia. Since 2006, over 2000 scholars have benefited from the UCSI University Trust, with over RM50 million being awarded in scholarships and bursaries. One of the most exclusive scholarships is the Tan Sri Ahmad Razali Merit Scholarship Award (TSAR) as it gives recipients a full scholarship. Last year, Tan Yi Xun was the very deserving recipient of this scholarship.

Sister Campuses Join Forces to

Aid Flood Victims

During last year’s new year eve till 14 January 2015, the Leo Club of INTI International College Subang Metro (O) and the Student Action Club of INTI International College Subang concluded a donation drive to help the flood victims in the East Coast. The event was seen as a success, as it saw a tremendous amount of cooperation between students and staff from both campuses. Thanks to the efforts of the students and staff, large amounts of dry food, electrical appliances, toiletries, blankets, beverages and much more were successfully collected. All these items were successfully collected and passed on to the Malaysian Red Crescent Society to be distributed to those affected.

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CAMPUS PLUS |

campusnews

THE LATEST FROM YOUR CAMPUS

FEBRUARY 2015

SPOTLIGHT

Starting the Year

in High Gear

Excited students of Brickfields Asia College (BAC), PJ campus gathered around a shiny new Lotus Elise CR last month, each waiting with bated breath as one of them would have the opportunity to be called its new owner. It was Shirly Vun Siew Fui however, whom Lady Luck picked that day, as her name was selected among thousands of eligible students. Vun, who was still in the middle of a class when her name was picked, rushed to the stage to accept the keys to her brand-new car. When asked how she felt, she ecstatically said “I did not expect to win at all!”. The Lotus Draw was part of the ‘BAC Gives Back Millions’ campaign that started in 2014. The campaign has already seen the college give away a round trip for two students to watch the 2014 FA Cup live in London, a Mini One car, as well as various other goodies, gifts and prizes. BAC also further stepped up their charity efforts by launching two concept stores back in August 2014. The concept stores, located in both PJ and KL campuses, sells everything from musical and sports equipment to stationery and clothing. With these stores in operation, 10% of proceeds from all sales goes to charity. “The BAC Gives Back Concept Store was always meant to be an experiment, where we could try something new to give back to the community” said BAC’s Chairman, Mr. Raja Singham.

A Healthy Start to

2015

Cross sections of organs show the damage caused by smoking.

Officers from the Petaling Jaya Health District Office speaking to students about the disadvantages of smoking.

There’s no better way to start 2015 than with a healthy reminder to stop smoking. Early in January, KDU launched a ‘Quit Smoking’ campaign at its Damansara Jaya and Utropolis, Glenmarie campuses. Organised with the aim to promote a healthy lifestyle, this initiative is encouraging smokers to quit the habit for a better quality of life. KDU Head of Student & Alumni Centre (SAC), Mitchell Leong, who is also the organiser of this campaign, said “The series of events in the pipeline are aimed at encouraging both staff and students to engage in a healthy lifestyle from the start of the year, which coincides with our January intake.”Statistics from the World Health Organisation (WHO) have said that nearly six million people are killed each year from smoking. Of this amount, 600,000 are non-smokers who have died of taking in second-hand smoke. If this continues, more than eight million people are expected to die from first- and second-hand smoke intake by 2030.To ensure the success of this campaign, several activities have been planned to run throughout this campaign. The activities include talks on the myths and facts about vapourisers or e-cigarettes, the savings provided by quitting smoking, how smoking elevates health hazards and a sharing session from those who have successfully quit smoking.

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Portable Audio

Stretching The Limit of

Portable Audio A speaker that goes wherever you go

IMPRESSIVE SOUND

PAIRING MADE EASY

What’s great about the BT2000 is that it has anti-clipping technology built-in. What this means is that you’ll be able to play your music loudly without hearing any distortion, even when the battery is low!

You can easily pair any Bluetooth-enabled device and immediately begin enjoying great music. It’s compatible with both Android and iOS devices, so you don’t have to worry about compatibility.

WIRELESS FREEDOM

SIMPLE, YET EFFECTIVE

Thanks to Bluetooth support, you can wirelessly enjoy your music! Say farewell to messy wires and say hello to wireless freedom.

The BT2000 has a foldable speaker system that when unfolded, adds more bass. It’s highly simple to use, so there aren’t any headaches when trying to get better sound.

For more information, please visit www.philips.com.my Contact: WOOX Innovations Malaysia Sdn. Bhd. Level 8, Menara Axis 2, Jalan 51A/223, 46100 Petaling Jaya, Selangor Dahrul Ehsan Customer Care 1 800 880 180

campusnews

THE LATEST FROM YOUR CAMPUS

FEBRUARY 2015

Carpooling

Made Easy Last month, online carpooling platform Tripda appointed several university students as ambassadors to help spread the benefits of carpooling. As Tripda ambassadors, the students have pledged to carpool whenever possible. They have also been tasked to encourage their peers to carpool as well. Tripda Malaysia’s Country Manager, Victor Ang, has said that several campuses in the Klang Valley are facing car park issues. Taylor’s Lakeside Campus for example, has a total 2,500 car park bays, but approximately 3,000 vehicles are usually found driving in to the campus. Ang also said that “It is paramount that road users start carpooling to reduce traffic congestion, alleviate car park issues and also reduce their carbon footprint to preserve the environment.” He also said that the company hopes to be able to influence more Malaysian road users . In Malaysian Tripda’s strategy is to start off by instilling carpooling practices among students. Ang said that “once they are accustomed to carpooling, they will continue doing so even after leaving college and university life. The Tripda app is available for download via the Apple App Store and Google Play. To begin using the platform, users just need to sign up on Facebook and register to offer/join a ride by entering the date of travel and destination.

Tripda Campus ambassadors and their peers from UNITEN.

Rallying Support for

Flood Victims

While many were celebrating the new year, the University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus (UNMC) held a flood relief effort to aid those affected by the flood in January. To effectively provide aid, staff of UNMC arranged and packed supplies for the flood victims in Kuala Lipis, Kuala Krau and Kerdau. The project’s lead coordinator, Ilham Mithali said generous donations of cash came flowing soon after UNMC CEO and Provost, Prof. Christine Ennew pleaded the staff to provide aid for flood victims. The cash collections were accumulated as part of a donation drive organised by Boustead Holdings Berhad, the majority shareholder of UNMC. Ilham said “My colleagues and I gathered on a Friday morning, collecting and sorting items so that it could be disseminated easily to recipients. It was the first working day of the year, and we were working around a Christmas tree, which made it feel like we were preparing many presents for those who are affected.” Additional donations contributed by the staff and students include necessities such as infant formula, food supplies, bottled water, toiletries and clothes. Items were immediately transported in four SUVs to the flooded areas that evening itself. UNMC staff subsequently delivered more necessities to the affected areas the day after.

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SPOTLIGHT

Students From Taylors do

Malaysia Proud

Taylor’s College kick-started 2015 by announcing that its South Australian Matriculation (SAM)/ South Australian Certificate of Education (SACE) International students have achieved recordbreaking results at a global level. Competing with SAM/SACE International students worldwide, Taylor’s College students achieved the most number of achievement awards presented by the SACE Board of South Australia. A total of 690 students from Taylor’s College Subang Jaya and Sri Hartamas campuses have successfully completed SACE in December 2014. Moreover, 185 of them attained an Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) of 90 and above. 10 of them are the receivers of Highest SAM/SACE International Subject Achievement Award as they have achieved the highest score in a certain subject. In addition, Taylor’s College students also managed to collect 43 out of 51 SACE Subject Merits, which is an award that recognises students who achieved an A+ with merit. A Taylor’s College student even achieved a remarkable ATAR score of 99.90 and was awarded the Highest SAM/SACE International Student Achievement

Award in the world. The student, Lim Shir Ling, said she was pleasantly shocked that her efforts paid off. She added, “This success would not have been possible without the help of my lecturers who were very responsible and patient in assisting every student wholeheartedly.” Meanwhile, Taylor’s College Principal of South Australian Matriculation, Quek-Lai Cheng See,

congratulated all the students for their well-deserved achievement. “This is a wonderful achievement for our students who have not only excelled in their studies, but also have showcased their leadership capabilities by managing the continuous assessments and learning beyond classroom activities successfully,” she said.

Good Teamwork Overcomes

SAP Lumira Challenge 2014 Last year, UTAR students Lawrence Lee Chun Pei and Tan Teck Yin took first place in the SAP Lumira University Challenge in Kuala Lumpur. The challenge was organised by software leader SAP and is aimed to bring awareness to economic, social and environmental issues by using the SAP Lumira visualisation tools. Each team was expected to present their insights through data and propose their ideas on how the issues could be overcome. With their project, entitled ‘War and Armed Conflict in Africa’, Lee and Tan successfully beat two other teams from Universiti Sains Malaysia and Tunku Abdul Rahman University College during the final stages. When asked about how they managed to win, Lee said that good teamwork and synergy is important. He also said that “We had faith in our ideas and that made us stand out with confidence.” As for how they felt about the competition, Tan said “We joined the competition with the aim of enjoying it as part of our learning experience. It was also a good way to learn about the latest technology.” Lee and Tan, as well as the second and third place winners, will be representing Malaysia to compete in the regional stage of the competition, where they will go head-to-head with the top three winners from Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia and Philippines.

CAMPUS PLUS |

lifestylenews

THE LATEST FOR YOUR WORLD

FEBRUARY 2015

SPOTLIGHT

Bii’s Concert Tickets

Now Available!

If you’re a fan of Bii, then you’d be happy to know that he has announced his very first overseas solo concert, which is titled ‘Bii My Love Live in Malaysia 2015’. Being held on 21 March (Saturday), 8pm at Stadium Negara, expect a big turnout! Bii was also in Malaysia from 16 to 19 January to promote his concert and third album, ‘Action Bii’. ‘Bii My Love Live in Malaysia 2015’ is organised by Absolive Entertainment and co-organiser Click Entertainment. The tickets were sold at a one-day event on 17 January (Saturday) at Fahrenheit 88, KL. Pricing for the tickets were set at RM488 for VVIP; RM388 for VIP; RM338 for PS1; RM238 for PS2; and RM168 for PS3. The first 200 VVIP ticket purchasers also walked away with a number of Bii’s merchandise. In addition, a 10% discount was also offered to those who purchased VVIP, VIP and PS1 tickets during the event. If you missed the chance to purchase a ticket, you can still purchase a ticket online at www.ticketcharge. com.my or by making a call to 03-9222 8811. For more information, visit Absolive Entertainment www.absolive.com.my ,or Click Entertainment www. click-ent.com. You could also visit the Chinese version of Universal Music Malaysia’s Facebook page.

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WeAreGorgeous (WAG) Makes Following Your Favourite Celebs Easier Social media apps are undoubtedly popular in this day of age and now, there’s one that gives you the chance to connect with your favourite local celebrities more personally. Enter WeAreGorgeous, or WAG for short - a new platform that provides Malaysian stars with customised profiles that their fans can follow. Downloadable for both Apple and Android smartphones, WAG has already enlisted 100 local celebrities to create profiles on the app. Through these profiles, celebrities can publish the latest updates in their lives, as well as interact with their fans. Furthermore, these profiles will be synced to the celebrities’ Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube and other social media accounts to keep fans posted on the latest happenings of their favourite stars. Among some of the glittering names to grace WAG were founder of hair salon group ‘A Cut Above’ Datin Winnie Loo, dance troupe Elecoldxhot, beatboxer Shawn Lee and top female model Cathryn Lee. They, along with their peers will officially start using their personalised profiles in 2015. As the app grows, WAG also has plans to take their brand to Singapore, Taiwan and Hong Kong.

Discover the New Skincare for Men Maintaining healthy skin can be difficult, especially if you have an active lifestyle. The new adidas line of Skincare for Men may just be what you need. We take a look at what these products are all about, right here.

The Skin Refresh series is specially developed for oily skin which is one of the main concerns young men have today besides acne, while the Skin Power series is formulated for tired skin. It helps to invigorate the skin and boost its freshness and vitality, leaving it looking healthy and energized. Both series of adidas Skincare for Men contains Skin Protect Complex, which is specially formulated to offer maximum protection for men’s skin.

Skin Power Whitening Cleansing Foam If you have dry and tired skin, this gentle-touch white cleansing foam has both energising and whitening properties. Created with a formula which includes Ginseng extract, the Skin Power Whitening Cleansing Foam revitalises and clarifies skin, making it look brighter than ever before!

Skin Refresh Whitening Purifying Scrub Skin Refresh Whitening Purifying Scrub is formulated with fine beads and Whitening Complex. It helps with exfoliation for clear, soft, brighter looking skin. 100%** of Asian men noticed that their skin felt purified after 2 weeks.

Skin Refresh Whitening Cleansing Foam This gentle foam, with Whitening Complex, gently cleans your skin. It leaves your skin looking brighter, less dull and more evenly toned. 100%** of Asian men who have used this product saw improvement in their skin tone and noticed reduced dullness in just two weeks!

Skin Refresh Charcoal Facial Foam

Skin Refresh Deep Cleansing Foam

The Skin Refresh Charcoal Facial Foam helps to purify and refresh your skin. Formulated with ultrafine Bamboo Charcoal powder, this product easily absorbs excess grease and also helps to remove dirt and other impurities.

With Manicouagan clay as one of its ingredients, this facial foam works deep underneath the skin’s surface. By doing so, it helps to control excess sebum production, helping you obtain healthy skin that’s clean, smooth and soft.

** Based on % of positive opinion in consumer tests conducted on 50 consumers in 4 weeks on adidas product: used twice daily, results after 2 weeks. Adidas Skincare for Men is available in Watsons, Guardian, Caring, AEON, Parkson, AEON BIG and other leading pharmacies & supermarkets.

lifestylenews

THE LATEST FOR YOUR WORLD

FEBRUARY 2015

Lenovo VIBE X2:

Combining Beauty and Brains Lenovo Malaysia recently welcomed the arrival of its new smartphone, the Lenovo VIBE X2. What sets this smartphone apart from the competition, is the fact that it’s the world’s first multi-layered smartphone. Each VIBE X2 has a total of nine different coats of paint, giving these phones a highly elegant finish. In terms of performance, this smartphone is equipped with a 2GHz MediaTek MT6595 True8Core octa-core processor and has 2GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage. Other features of the Lenovo VIBE X2 include a 5MP front-facing camera and a 13MP rear-facing camera. Speaking of the camera system, Lenovo included a number of nifty features for those who love taking selfies. With the front-facing camera enabled, the phone will automatically take a photo when it detects a blink, or sees a peace sign. Despite being crafted in three layers, the VIBE X2 is reasonably thin and light, measuring only 5.11mm. Other features include an impressive 5-inch Full HD display that runs on a heavily customised version of Android 4.4 KitKat. Lenovo further enhances its customization options through its own UI skin. Last but not least, the smartphone is packed with a 2,300mAh non-removable battery. For even more battery life, Lenovo also introduced the

new Vibe Xtensions series of click-on cases that come with an external battery that boosts the capacity by a further 75% just by adding an extra 5.1mm thickness. The Lenovo VIBE X2 is now available in White, Gold, Red and Charcoal for RM1,199.

SPOTLIGHT

An Army of Pandas Invade Malaysia

The 1600 Pandas World Tour in Malaysia culminated in a two-week long stop at Publika, Kuala Lumpur, following a journey that spanned over 15 iconic locations in Peninsular Malaysia. Organised to draw awareness to the importance of environmental conservation and sustainable development, the tour has been embraced with open arms by Malaysians and tourists eager to get their pictures taken with the papier-mâché pandas. The Publika exhibition, held from 13 to 25 January, was distinctive from the ones before it, thanks to seven special edition Malaysia-themed pandas on display. The fruit of a collaborative effort between 1600 Pandas creator Paulo Grangeon and Faster Advertising Group, the seven special pandas represented various facets of Malaysian culture. As such, the pandas are depicted with elements beloved to Malaysians, such as the Wau (traditional kite), Badminton and Bunga Raya (Hibiscus). Following the conclusion of the exhibition, the public was given the chance to take the pandas home with them through an online adoption programme. They were priced at RM150, with proceeds from the adoptions going to WWF Malaysia’s conservation efforts. Apart from the pandas, people were also able to donate by purchasing panda-themed merchandise, such as umbrellas, plush toys and hand towels from a booth set up near the exhibition.

| CAMPUS PLUS

Triple Layers of Protection with the

NIVEA Cool Kick

For centuries, men have been bothered by body odour due to the hot weather and active lifestyles that make them sweat. As you may be aware, sweat causes sticky underarms, which also leads to bacteria accumulation and body odour. Thankfully, NIVEA has launched a new range of deodorants called the NIVEA MEN Cool Kick series. Featuring the latest in deodorant technology, this range helps to protect men against sweat, bacteria and odour, the three elements that are recognised as the three main factors that affect the confidence of the modern man. To celebrate the launch of this range, NIVEA also organised its Cool Kick – Triple Shield Campaign, which aims to highlight how the three factors affect the confidence of a man. Part of this campaign is the Triple Shield online game, which can be found NIVEA MEN’s official Facebook page. Participate in this game and you could win your share of prizes that’s worth up to RM80,000. There’s still time to participate in this game, as it’ll only end in April 2015. In addition to the digital campaign mentioned above, an on-ground battle inspired from dodge ball also scheduled to take place at Sunway Pyramid Blue Concourse from 11 to 12 April, 2015. 64 teams from various colleges will battle over two days to win prizes worth RM50,000.

Share Your Memories with Kingston

for a Trip to Hong Kong!

To show its appreciation for its Malaysian customers, Kingston is currently running a contest that allows Kingston customers a chance to win a five-day, four-night trip to Hong Kong. The ‘WhatsApp and Win’ contest began in December last year and will run till 15 March, 2015. If you’re interested in joining this contest, all you need to do is head on over to your nearest IT store and purchase a Kingston product. Once you’ve bought a Kingston product, simply take a picture with the product and the receipt, and provide your personal details, including full name; NRIC number; email and the name of the shop you purchased the Kingston product from. You’ll also need to complete a slogan that begins with “The memory that I wish to share with Kingston is...” When you’ve completed the details, send all of it via WhatsApp to +6018-3980520. In addition to the grand prize, there are monthly prizes to be won as well. Each month, a random entry will be selected and a cash prize worth 10 times of the pictured Kingston product will be given to that person. What’s great is that those who have already won a monthly prize will still be in the running for the grand prize. You can submit as many entries as you like, as long as each product and receipt is unique. CAMPUS PLUS |

entertainmentnews

THE LATEST FROM SHOWBUSINESS

FEBRUARY 2015

SPOTLIGHT

The LEGO Movie 2 Details Revealed

Wong Kar-wai and Tony Leung to Star in

Alibaba Pictures’ First Movie

The unexpected success of The LEGO Movie last year has led to three more sequels! Aside from ‘The LEGO Movie 2’, there will also be ‘The LEGO Batman Movie’ and ‘Ninjago’. In an interview, The LEGO Movie’s directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller revealed that they will be writing for the sequel, but possibly not going to be directing it. According to Lord, it is nice to see how other directors can come in to add their own creative voice to all these other films. In addition, he mentioned that the other directors could “come up with solutions you wouldn’t think of” and the films would be boring if they directed them all. ‘The LEGO Movie 2’ is set four years after the original story, giving us an opportunity to see where and how the characters are after the time jump. It also allows us to see how growing up changes a child’s perception on toys. ‘Ninjago’ will be released on 14 October 2016, while ‘The LEGO Batman Movie’ will come out on 10 February 2017 and lastly, ‘The LEGO Movie 2’ is set for a 2018 release. Stay tuned for all of them!

While Alibaba may best be known for its e-commerce services, the company may soon be just as well known among moviegoers. The company has announced that it will be producing a movie called ‘Bai Du Ren’, which means ‘The Ferryman’. It will be directed by prominent Hong Kong movie director, Wong Kar-wai and will star Tony Leung. Writing the movie is Zhang Jiajia, a renowned Chinese author. According to Wong, cooperating with Alibaba Pictures is something new, as it’s a company that specialises in technology and the Internet. He said that “This film is a combination of the literature, movie and technology industry.” In a prepared statement, Alibaba Pictures’ CEO and Executive Director Zhang Qiang said, “The company will leverage Alibaba Group’s cloud computing and big data technologies to help tap customer demand and create a comprehensive ecosystem for its film and television production and marketing businesses.” In addition, the company will also be working with Taobao Marketplace to improve the online booking system and purchasing system for movie tickets. ‘Bai Du Ren’ will be distributed through Alibaba’s current online platforms, including Taobao and Tmall.com.

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NEWS FROM THE SPORTING ARENA

FEBRUARY 2015

sportsnews

Third Time’s the Charm Cristiano Ronaldo ended 2014 on a high note by winning FIFA’s 2014 Ballon d’Or Award, beating Lionel Messi and Manuel Neuer. In addition, this was his second consecutive year and overall third time that he has won the FIFA Player of the Year award. To date, Ronaldo’s achievements include scoring 31 goals and 10 assists across 22 appearances in La Liga and the Champions Leagues this season. Moreover, he has also netted a combined total of 48 strikes and 13 assists during his 2013 and 2014 competitions, a track record that truly proves his ability on the field. His 17 strikes in last season’s Champions League has also set a new standard for Europe’s top players to try to surpass. Ronaldo said he has always wanted to be “the greatest players of all time”, but he understands that “this requires a lot of effort” and he hopes to get there one day. Furthermore, he is now one behind Messi’s record of four. Messi won the award four times from year 2009 to 2012 consecutively. While Messi’s Argentina lost in the World Cup final, Ronaldo’s Portugal was eradicated in the first round.

SPOTLIGHT

Qatar Wants to Take F1 to the Streets Back in December, Formula One Group, Chief Executive, Bernie Ecclestone had an understanding with Bahrain that there would not be other races in the region without their consent. And unfortunately, this has become a problem that may hinder his plan to hold a Formula One grand prix on the Lusail Street Circuit. According to FIA Vice President, Nasser Khalifa al Attiyah, the competition between countries in the region would be good as it will help promote Lusail. He added, “We are looking at the World Endurance Championship as well but they have an exclusive agreement with Bahrain, so we’ll see if Bahrain will accept Qatar to join the series.” When asked, Bahrain’s F1 CEO Sheikh Salman bin Isa Al Khalifa, said Bahrain is not ready to have another race. However, he has also denied that there are any clause in the contract that would grant him the authority to block the race. Having said that, he added that Ecclestone is a person whom values friendship. Therefore, he wouldn’t let this race to happen without Bahrain’s support. “He appreciates the step they (Bahrain) took in hosting the F1, as they (Bahrain) were the first people to take a chance in the Middle East.”

CAMPUS PLUS |

fashionbuzz by rachel fong

Satchels aplenty

FEBRUARY 2015

1 Latch

on to the Satch’

t takes a really well made bag to get you through your day, no matter where you’re at in your life. When we were school-going children, trolley school bags alleviated the burden of carrying heavy textbooks on our backs, and when you go out into the working world a sturdy briefcase can help strike the right first impression. Similarly, having the right arm candy that can be used for classes to shopping dates and dinner dates is essential, because with all the assignments and all the cash flow problems, who’s really got the means to designate a different bag for every occasion? That’s why we have our hearts set on the Britain-born satchel. You can already tell from a glance that it’s chic and covetable, but have you also considered the fact that it can store pretty much everything you need for uni? A satchel comes with the style of a handbag, and the storage space of a backpack. You can drop your iPad, your 13-inch laptop, folders, smartphone, and no doubt, your makeup armoury in there too. Furthermore, with the right make and tender loving care, the perfect satchel for you can last years, and maybe even be passed down to your daughter one day. Plus, seeing as the satchel’s origins date back to centuries ago, and has withstood the cruel tests of time and trends, it will never go out of fashion. Better yet, there’s almost no outfit that it won’t go hand in hand with. To make your quest a little easier, we’ve selected over a dozen gorgeous satchels for your wish list this month. Time to add a touch of Brit chic to your everyday ensemble!

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3 6 7

4 1. UNISA Classy Convertible Satchel > RM99 Available on zalora.com.my 2. sometime by Asian Designers Jutes XL in Brown > RM119 Available on sometime.com.my 3. LZD Double Strap Satchel Blue > RM85 Available on lazada.com.my 4. LZD Belt Buckle Flap Satchel Beige > RM69 Available on lazada.com.my 5. sometime by Asian Designers Derby II in Orange> RM119 Available on sometime.com.my 6. sometime by Asian Designers Jutes XL II in Chocolate > RM119 Available on sometime.com.my 7. sometime by Asian Designers Derby in Red > RM119 Available on sometime.com.my 8. sometime by Asian Designers Jutes XL II in Mustard > RM119 Available on sometime.com.my 9. sometime by Asian Designers Jutes XL II in Navy > RM119 Available on sometime.com.my

9 For more images, donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t forget to download our digital interactive magazine app via Google Play Store or Apple App Store!

FEB 2015 | CAMPUS PLUS |

fashionbuzz

a history of Satchels

by rachel fong

FEBRUARY 2015

Taylor-ed to Impressed: Taylor Swift steps out in NYC with a Mark Cross Scottie Large Flap Satchel

The Catalyst: The Cambridge Satchel featured in the 2009 Guardian Gift Guide that started it all

Spring in her step: Miranda Kerr leaves the Christian Dior Spring 2012 Show holding a Miu Miu satchel

A Classic

On Set Style: Emma Stone is seen with a Cambridge Satchel Company 11” Vintage satchel on the set of The Amazing Spiderman 2

A Bagful of Glee: Lea Michele carries a small leather satchel with her as she makes her way to a recording studio.

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Navy Savvy: Alexa Chung sports an 11” Classic Navy Satchel from the Cambridge Satchel Company

g a B e in th idge ok up the Cambr bells for you, lo y an g rin on so n’t is do f satchels trend, which t for the satchel lys ta ca ry e er th rb is Bu Satchel. It ch like how r estimates. Mu ou by ny ic, pa ss m cla to be a ge Satchel Co at, the Cambrid formal trench co reinvented the staple. ane ck into a stuffy as and Julie De injected life ba ders Freda Thom un fo r te gh the au of r-d t While mothe el business ou ade leather satch m nd ha gs e ba th e d th had only starte fees in 2008, ildren’s school ch e’s ft an Gi De as r tm paper’s Chris need to pay fo an English news en wh d its an on m s de wa the satchel came into high om that day on, them in 2009. Fr ent space an Guide featured s, d a perman ion history book sh fa e th in r te set. way to a chap nd-me-down clo true fashionista’s ha all began. The it in any sensible e el is not wher tch Sa ge ore id m br as m Yet, the Ca ere it was seen nturies ago, wh ce n ga en be stm g po ba history of the ild’s schoolbag, from being a ch t ar Ap on h. k lis ar sty m el’s indelible functional than Such is the satch rs. tte in le g in rry ca sid re y’s satchel also used it to original schoolbo an en ev is e er history that th eum. d and Albert mus many shapes an London’s Victoria olved to take on ev s ha el tch in n sa e ste th fa , the bag to These days that folds over y, featuring a flap ’s body diagonall er ar sizes. Primarily we sses over the cro at in th el ap tch str sa a feature a the front and days that doesn’t g no brand these e and Alexa Chun on St there is almost a m lebrities like Em Ce . ey gs th , in us er of off e the rest its seasonal eirs, because lik spotted with th - a satchel. is have also been at th by the charmer d te iva pt ca ly are hopeless

DRIVEN BY DANCE

events

FEBRUARY 2015

SHAKELOVEBOOM FAITH CREW

VANITY CREW

LINGO TWIN JUNIOR BROTHERZ

It was a day filled with excitement, plenty of adrenaline rush and most of all, pure energy as the GATSBY Dance Competition returned this year. Deemed as Asia’s largest dance event, the Malaysian leg of this event was held on 10 January 2015 at Nu Sentral Mall, KL. Unlike the former seasons, this year’s competition welcomes the participation of students as well as non-student dance enthusiasts. In the student category, Vanity Crew from Kuching earned the championship title this year with their versatile and energetic moves. The trio, Chong Shau Tin, Pue Zhi Xin and Ariel Lo did not give up despite being eliminated during the Top 10 last year. This year, they returned and charmed the judges with originality as well as entertainment appeal, which subsequently earned them RM2,000 cash and GATSBY products, a single STEEZ Audio System, and most importantly, an all-expense paid trip to participate in the Asia Grand Finals in Tokyo, which is happening on 7 March. While they may have danced their hearts out, the performances of Lingo-Twin and ShakeLoveBoom did not manage to win the hearts of the judges. However, they were indeed impressive, earning them first and second runner positions respectively. LingoTwin consists of Ou Jia Yin and Hee Li Xuan, while ShakeLoveBoom consists of Chan Joe Ming and Wong Yi Xin. Both teams hail from Johor Bahru. Meanwhile, Jayden Koi and Nic Tan won the first and first runner-up respectively in the Non-Student Category. Now in its seventh year, the GATSBY Dance Competition continues to support and challenge the spirit of competition with its special panel of judges that comprised of Alex Poppin’ Rex (GATSBY Dance Competition 2009-2010 Champion); Jackson ‘Boggie J’ (dancer, musician and entertainer who also owns the FreakZ Dance Academy); Dennix ‘ECX’ Yin (celebrated dancer from award-wining dance crew, Elecoldxhot); and FishBoy (acclaimed dancer and TV host for Dance@TV ). GATSBY’s annual regional contest is open to Asian students from Hong Kong, Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Japan. Central to the contest is GATSBY’s intention to provide a platform for aspiring students to express their creativity and passion through modern dance. CAMPUS PLUS |

FISH BOY

campuscouture

Spotlight on raffles college

FEBRUARY 2015

Metamorphosis by Delbar Tavangar Iran Story: Delbar Tavangar’s design symbolises a profound change in form, from one stage to the next in the life of an organism. It shows how God creates nature with unique celebration, and is fuelled by the quote: “Every Creation has its own process of living just like an illusionist playing with trickle toes”.

A Passage, I by Max Sim Jiun Yuan Malaysia Story: In the words of the designer himself, ‘A Passage, I’ is “like an unfinished tale that strikes straight inside the ambience of serendipity, an unspoken silence towards a story that has endless possibilities.” The design also unites silhouettes, shapes and balance inspired by transition.

Nebula:

ase Highlights from Ra ffl es’ 32nd Graduation Showc

tion Showcase, lege of Higher Education’s 32nd Gradua Nebula, which is the name of Raffles Col , Campus Plus most recent batch of graduates. This year celebrates the talents and works of its Fashion Design a brand new section that gives you, a , ture Cou pus Cam with e sam the g is doin designers. se your designs to inspire fellow budding student in Malaysia, a platform to showca plex designs from Raffles’ finest. ing things off are five evocative and com 26 Kick | CAMPUS PLUS

Insane ‘N’ Tea by Amelia Ng Chye Wen Malaysia Story: Insane ‘N’ Tea derives inspiration from Lewis Carroll’s 1865 magnum opus ‘Alice in Wonderland’, and more precisely, the iconic tea party scene. In the story, Alice looks back at the party once or twice as she storms away, reluctant to leave because she does not necessarily want to grow up. However, she does not have a choice in the matter, and it is this tale of growing up that brings life to Insane ‘N’ Tea.

Marionette by Ding Kai Yih (Alyssa Cross) Malaysia Story: Marionette tells the tale of a girl living her life as a puppet, manipulated by twine from high above. The puppet sees what no one else is privy to because her agony is unseen by everyone else, and while she is seen as perfect, she secretly struggles with her own forlorn dreams that will never come true.

The Leading Edge by Connie Gan Xiao Hui Malaysia Story: The Leading Edge seeks to characterise the flow of wind and aerodynamics of a sleek sports car, which is unseen, but is instrumental in auto sports.

FEB 2015 | CAMPUS PLUS |

beautybuzz by rachel fong

romance-themed manicures

FEBRUARY 2015

Nailing

THE DATE

This month, it’s all about fingernails! Seeing as you’ll (hopefully!) be spending much of the evening walking hand-in-hand with your date, it’s a good idea to keep them in tip top shape. Enter: DIY manicures. Tutorials for gorgeous nail art that can be done at home are trending on social media right now and here are some easy-to-do designs that we’ve narrowed down. Happy experimenting!

1. 2.

Apply a base coat layer to your nails. Choose three of your fingers to paint solid coats of yellow, mint and lilac on, leaving the two remaining nails for the statement designs. After the first colour coat, wait two minutes and apply a similar second layer to reinforce the strength of the polish. Now onto the statement nail art! Paint the bases of white on the two remaining nails, and let them dry for two minutes. Dab some baby pink nail polish on a sheet of aluminium foil, and dip a nail dotting tool in the puddle of polish. Create a heart on one corner of your nail by making three closely connected dots (two side-by-side, and one below them). Repeat with mint, lilac and yellow to create the three other hearts. Other household alternatives for dotting tools: bobby pins, ballpoint pens and ends of thin paintbrushes. Dab some lilac nail polish on a sheet of aluminium foil, and dip the nail striping tool in the puddle of polish. Draw a straight line down the second white nail. Repeat with yellow and mint to create the two other lines. Other alternatives for striping tools: thin watercolour brushes and old liquid eyeliner brushes. Let them dry for two minutes, and paint your favourite top coat over all of your nails. Voila, a set of deliciously pastel digits is yours!

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Pastel Hearts ‘n’ Stripes

Crimson Pouts and Polka Dots

1. 2.

3. 4.

5. 6.

Nail polishes used: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

Apply a clear base coat on all your nails and let it dry for two minutes. Paint two solid coats of your favourite red nail polish on three of your nails. Wait two minutes between each coat. Paint a solid base coat of white nail polish on the two remaining nails. Wait two minutes to dry. Dab some red nail polish on a sheet of aluminium foil, and dip your nail striping tool in the puddle of polish. On the white nail, draw a small curve resembling a wide grin for the bottom lip. Then, draw another thin curve resembling an ‘M’ on top of it for the upper lip. Fill in the lips until it is to the thickness of your liking. You may choose to draw two more to fill up the nail. While waiting for the lips to dry, use your dotting tool to create black polka dots around the remaining area of the nail. Repeat steps 4 to 8 for the remaining nail. And now, your nails are just as ready to pucker up as you are!

Gwen Stefani Limited Edition OPI Nail Lacquer in 4 In the Morning : RM63 available in Colour Culture (OPI nail bars), nail spas and nail salons Elianto Nail Color 20 in Rosewood: RM6.90 available in Elianto outlets nationwide Elianto FW Nail Color 09: RM9.90 available in Elianto outlets nationwide Revlon Nail Enamel in Charming: RM20.90 available in Watsons & Guardian outlets nationwide Revlon Top Speed in Jaded: RM25 available in Watsons & Guardians outlets nationwide Revlon Parfumerie in Pink Pineapple: RM20.90 available in SaSa outlets nationwide Winmax Matte Finish Top Coat: RM5 available in Daiso outlets nationwide Revlon Colorstay in Buttercup: RM25 available in SaSa outlets nationwide Sally Hansen Dries Instantly Top Coat: RM19.90 available in SaSa outlets nationwide Tools: Nail dotting tool; nail polish remover; thin paintbrush; aluminium foil; nail file; French tip guides

nch Tips re F k in P g in Matte Blush

nails. Let it dry for two minutes. Apply a clear base coat on all your . Leave to dry or pale pink nail polish on all nails Paint two solid coats of baby pink for two minutes between coats. e top coat and wait for it to dry. 3. Go over the nails with a matt base coat isn’t fully cause your polish to smudge if the 4. As the French tip guides will and stick the minutes to be safe). Then, position dried, give it more time to dry (30 st according nails (a.k.a. the white part), or adju guides below the free edge of your tip to be. to how thick you would like your of your nails outlined nail polish on the small section 5. Paint a matte black coat of e black coat is remove the guides until the matt by the French tip guide. Do not that’s soft yet minutes. Now you have a manicure completely dry. Again, give it 30 subtly seductive!

The Face Shop Lovely Me: ex nail polish in WH002 : RM12 available in The Face Shop outlets nationwide

1. 2.

10 FEB 2015 | CAMPUS PLUS |

beautyq&a by ivy chin

from the ocean

FEBRUARY 2015

The Healing Power

of the Sea E

mbrace the sea! The sea contains an enormous amount of resources, most of which have positive effects on your skin. The use of ingredients from the sea for cosmetic purposes is not a new concept. In fact, items from the sea have long been used as skincare products. If you don’t believe us, just take a look at the product labels of some beauty products and you might be surprised to learn just how many of them use ingredients from the sea. New discoveries and benefits of ingredients from the sea are constantly being revealed by scientists. This makes the marine environment a bountiful source that provides a lot of beauty and health benefits. Among the many beauty products with ingredients from the ocean, is the Sorabee Skin Care series. This product line is the world’s first to make use of marine collagen extracted from the starfish (or sea stars)! What’s more, Sorabee Skin Care products are exclusively formulated with “Intensive Triple ‘S’ Action Technologies” that help to protect and enhance your skin. Here’s a closer look at some of the ingredients used in Sorabee products:

Sea Star Collagen It has been proven to provide better moisturisation and effectively replenish collagen as well as reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles around the eyes. Moreover, this product helps to refine the skin’s texture for a young and radiant look. Apart from that, the sea star collagen is also able to enhance you skin’s elasticity, while shielding it from the sun.

Deep Sea Water Deep sea water is taken from depths 200 metres below the sea’s surface. Rich in different minerals that help to purify, balance and enhance your skin’s condition, this ingredient is great for treating acne and atopic skin. Deep sea water apparently also helps with your metabolism.

Sea Pool (Porphyridium Cruentum Extract)

These planktons that live in the ocean contain a wealth of nutrients that enhance more than 45 per cent of skin’s own moisture barrier component! In other words, it keeps your skin intensely moisturised, supple and radiant. 30

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Now that you have an idea on the sort of ingredients used in Sorabee products, let’s take a look at some of the latest range of products from Sorabee:

The Sorabee Balancing Series If your skin is suffering from dehydration, dullness or fatigue, this is the series for you. It is formulated with complex vitamins that help to intensively nourish, rejuvenate and strengthen your skin. It also helps to protect against ultraviolet rays, environmental stress and the visible signs of ageing. Don’t worry about your skin type as it is suitable for all skin types.

The Sorabee Anti-Wrinkle Series Looking for an anti-ageing product? Look no further than Sorabee’s Anti-Wrinkle Series! It is specially formulated for those who want to have firm, younger-looking skin. With its many marine ingredients, it will also improve your dry and exhausted skin, soften fine lines and wrinkles, as well as enhance the overall health of your skin.

The Sorabee Whitening Series Don’t just wish you had fairer, radiant, supple and moisturised skin. With the Sorabee Whitening Series, all this is possible. Not only does this product help to repair damaged skin, but it’ll help to brighten and deeply moisturise the skin simultaneously. In addition, it’ll also replenish collagen and prevent sagging.

The Sorabee Homme Series Developed specifically for men, this range of products helps to protect against the harmful environment. Using a variety of marine ingredients, including Allantoin, Scoria Water and Hwanggum Extract, these products offer anti-inflammatory and a soothing cleansing effect.

Maybelline New York’s Color Show Nail Lacquer

GLOWING FOR V-DAY

FEBRUARY 2015

beautycase compiled by rachel fong

FEBRUARY 2015 RM9.90 Available at selected Watsons and Guardian stores The world’s certified number one colour cosmetics brand takes inspiration from catwalks for its latest range, Color Show. Featuring a wide and versatile range of bold colours, the Color Show Nail Lacquer also makes for easy application - especially for beginners - thanks to its enhanced thicker brush. It also boasts an improved colour formula which allows the hue to go on as strongly as it looks on the bottle.

innisfree Green Tea Pure Sleeping Pack

Your Shopping List for this

Valentine’s

RM55.00 Available on www.fhclub.com.my The renowned Korean skincare brand makes use of the healing properties of green tea to create a sleeping mask that you can leave on overnight to wake up with smooth supple skin the next day. The Jeju Island-imported green tea provides 100% skin hydration without leaving the usual cloying sheet of greasiness on your skin and also helps to lock in moisture.

K-Palette Lasting 2Way Eyebrows (Pencil and Powder) 24h Miss Tiara LipIce Color Gloss RM14.90 Available at leading pharmacies and major supermarkets Give those lips a chance to shine this Valentine’s Day with LipIce’s new lip gloss. Miss Tiara aims to give your lips a moisture-rich, shimmering shine that evokes images of opulent jewellery. Once applied, your lips will be left with a soft translucent colour, along with a host of ingredients like Vitamin E and Aloe Extract to keep them healthy inside out. Choose from three juicy colours of Cherry, Pearl Pink and Sugar Pink.

RM59.90 Available at selected SaSa outlets The latest product from K-Palette keeps your eyebrows in shape all day with dual tips of pencil and powder. How does it work exactly? The soft pencil tip lets you draw on your brows smoothly to create a natural line, while the gold pearl powder on the other end coats the line for a long lasting finish. As a result, you get soft brows that are natural, defined and best of all- durable!

Naturals by Watsons Prestige Rose from RM15.90 Available at Watsons outlets For hair with a healthy sheen, try out Watsons’ latest range of hair care products, which is divided into two variants: Olive and Argan Oil. Each range| has eight products DEC 2014 CAMPUS PLUS | 31 that are geared at repairing and maintaining your roots’ health on every level. The Olive range is formulated with Organic Olive Oil from Italy, Grape See Oil and Shea Butter, while the Argan Oil range makes use of Moroccan Argan Oil, vitamins and avocado oil.

guysstuff by rachel fong

casual cool combos

FEBRUARY 2015

Take All Casual(tees)

-shirts are a mixed bag. Depending on its fit, design and styling, it can either make you look like you left the house without a mirror, or a regular subscriber to men’s style bible, GQ. That last metaphor might have been a bit of a stretch, but trust us when we say that the right T-shirt goes a long way, even more so when paired with a kick@$$ pair of shoes. Furthermore, tees are easy to get and easy to wear. Unlike other style staples like loafers or ties or blazers, tees are a mainstay in menswear that actually do not break the bank. They also offer more flexibility (round collar, button down, statement) and room for individuality (casual, formal, minimalist). With a point in the right direction – i.e. the right stores - one can amass a versatile and chic arsenal of tees to pull on for all occasions, whether it’s a first date, attending classes or a smart casual function. As mentioned above, having the right combination of t-shirts and good kicks will go a long way. Just imagine for a second a nondescript T-shirt and jeans combination. Now add in a pair of distinctive sneakers, and tell us the whole look doesn’t pop more with it. Similarly, tasteless shoes can diminish the impact of a good ensemble. Sorry, but your house slippers will just not fly with your long sleeved denim shirt and designer jeans, no matter how trendy they might be. To get you started, here are three combos, with each one geared towards a different outing. Now it’s time to tee off!

Look 1 The Class(y)mate

a a. BIEM Short Sleeve T-Shirt > RM49.90 b. DC Evan Smith Switch S > RM329 32

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Look 2 The Hot Date

a. Snails Original Short Sleeve Shirt > RM53.90 b. Pull & Bear Sneaker Boots with Zip > RM159

Look 3 The Dapper Diner b a

a. Chargers Outfitters Long Sleeve Shirt > RM129.90 b. Bershka Buckle Ankle Boots > RM199 FEB 2015 | CAMPUS PLUS |

casual with class

guysstuff by rachel fong

Blooming with Style: Orlando Bloom in a grey roundneck tee on the streets of New York

FEBRUARY 2015

A Guide to Casual Cool 2 Cool for School: Taecyon in a multicoloured button down cardigan and shirt-tie combo for SIEG Fahrenheit Spring Summer 2014 Collection

f you want to make a conscious effort to dress better but don’t know where to start, take a deep breath because everyone’s got to start somewhere, right? The fact that you’re on this page is already a step in the right direction, if we may say so. While there’s no way one can master casual dressing overnight, here are a few tips that will hopefully spark a promising evolution for your wardrobe.

1 2 3

O’Pry looking spry: Sean O’Pry in a red striped sweater for Tommy Hilfiger’s Summer 2012 campaign

Don’t loosen up! At least not in the case of shirts. Baggy garments almost always give off a couldn’t-care-less vibe, as if wearing a loose shirt clues people in on how little effort you put into selecting it. That said, tight shirts that make you look as if you’re suffocating are just as much of a no-go. Not only are they restrictive, they also shout narcissist. The perfect tee is somewhere in between. it should be easy to move around in, allow your skin to breathe, and highlight your body’s best parts. Everyone has colours that complement their skin tone, which explains why some colours look better on some than on others. There are two types of tones: warm and cool. To figure out which of the two your skin falls under, put them against silver and gold jewellery. Skin with cool undertones will look better with silver, while warmer undertones blend into gold more. Cool undertones look best in purple, blue and green, while warmer undertones are right at home in orange, red and pink. The devil’s in the details! After your top and bottom are sorted out, look to your accessories to take your outfit to the next level. We’ve already touched on the significance of shoes on the last page, so think watches, scarves, hats or even socks. Decide on what you want the focal point of your outfit to be, and go from there. If it’s your clothes, coordinate the details to flatter and not overwhelm them. If you want an accessory, say a pair of quirky socks or a new watch to be the centre of attention, keep your clothes simple and in muted tones such as black, grey or dark blue.

Magnet(o)izing: Michael Fassbender in a V-neck cotton shirt for GQ December 2011

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Feeling Blue: Tom Hiddleston in a blue dress shirt while arriving at Incheon International Airport

Right Direction: Zayn Malik in a black leather jacket over a loose white shirt while performing on the “Today Show”

selection of New Products

FEBRUARY 2015

offtheshelf

F&N Creameries JWEL

Treat yourself with F&N’s JWEL ice cream and fall into a world of indulgence. Meet The Decadent Duke of Vanilla, The Curvaceous Countess of Tiramisu, The Delectable Duchess of Double Chocolate, The Extravagant Earl of Caramel and The Brazen Baron of the Dark Forest. Priced at RM3.50 per stick, these ice creams are sinfully delectable. Should you want to try the entire range, you can also grab a multipack that contains all four flavours for a suggested retail price of RM13.80. Check them out now at selected leading hypermarkets and supermarkets nationwide.

L’Oréal Paris Faux Cils Papillon

LEADERS Masks

If you’ve been neglecting to take care of your face lately, now is the perfect time to get a pack of masks by LEADERS. There are a total of five different masks from this brand, each developed with ingredients that help address different skin issues. You can choose from a mask that helps to prevent pimples, or perhaps one that’s moisturising. Apart from that, there’s also a mask that helps to improve your skin’s elasticity and one that helps with whitening. Head on over to your nearest Watson’s store to begin pampering your face for just RM7.12.

Inspired by butterfly wings, L’Oréal Paris’ latest product has been specially formulated to give you dramatic false eye lashes. This product gently envelops your lashes, leaving them silky smooth. Once applied, expect the effect to last an entire day, so you won’t have to worry about your lashes falling out of place halfway through a date. With the L’Oréal Paris Faux Cils Papillon applied, rest assured that the beauty of your lashes will rival that of a butterfly’s wing. You can get it now for RM54.90.

Clio Salon de Cara

Developed by the top Korean cosmetic brand, Clio, the Salon de Cara range is the first of its kind. A series of salon brush mascaras, the products in this range are incorporated with salon technology and formulas. There are currently three types of different mascaras in this range, with each optimised to provide a different effect. One adds extra volume, while another helps to give extra curls. The last one makes your eye lashes look longer. Salon de Cara products are available at all Watsons Store in Malaysia for RM65.90.

OPI’s Fifty Shades of Grey Nail Lacquers

If you haven’t yet guessed by its name, this range of nail lacquers by OPI was inspired by the bestselling novel ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’. As its name suggests, this range consists of six limitededition nail lacquers. Five of these products are grey, but are unique in their own individual way. One comes with glitter, another with a glowing silver effect, and two comes in different shades of grey - cool grey crème and dark charcoal. The one that stands out is the Rich Crème Red, which represents passion. DEC | CAMPUS PLUS |OPI 35Kioks These nail lacquers are available at2014 any Colour Culture, and leading nail, beauty, hair salons and spa centres throughout Malaysia at RM65 per bottle.

music

ALBUM RELEASES AND REVIEWS

FEBRUARY 2015

REVIEWS

the pinkprint nicky minaj

How can we not be excited when this album shows an emotional side of Minaj that we have never seen before? The Pinkprint is her third studio album and is also the first album that gives us a look at her personal relationships in the past. The

Meet the Vamps: Christmas Edition The Vamps

After releasing their debut studio album Meet the Vamps, the boys have rereleased this album in festive themed,

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album begins with ‘All Things Go’, which is sort of a confession where Minaj talks about her personal life in R&B. This song has a pretty big impact as it makes you understand her a little bit more. She follows this up with ‘The Night is Still Young’, a beautiful song that makes you want to sing along like there is no tomorrow. If you are looking for songs that truly shows Minaj’s vocal range, try ‘Pills N Potions’ and ‘Bed Of Lies’. However, the one song that you really ought to hear is ‘Grand Piano’. It is a beautiful and heart-breaking ballad that gives us a glimpse of her past relationships. In this song, Minaj sheds her rapper image for something more personal, showing you a different side of her. In a nutshell, The Pinkprint is an album that shows a more grown up and serious Nicki Minaj. If you are a fan of Minaj, you certainly don’t want to miss this album!

entitled Meet the Vamps: Christmas Edition. It offers the entire original album, along with eight Christmas tracks. The album kicks off with ‘Jingle Bell Rock’, a pop rendition of the classic Christmas song. In addition, The Vamps have infused many of the classic Christmas songs with their own style and charm. The result is something that’s rather fascinating. It effectively embodies the Christmas spirit, while adding a brand new spin. Their boyish tones and sweet falsettos are what make them attractive. This album may not be for everyone, but it’s unquestionable that The Vamps are talented. Having heard all the tracks on this album, there remains little doubt that you’ll enjoy this album if you’ve been faithfully listening to this group.

mcbusted mcbusted

The two like-minded super groups, McFly and Busted have collaborated to release a brand new joint album. Sadly, former Busted singer, Charlie Simpson is understandably absent in this new endeavour. However, that doesn’t make this album any less desirable. After a series of successful singles, McBusted has finally released their much anticipated self-titled debut studio album. ‘Air Guitar’ is the perfect album starter as its catchy riffs and

The Legacy Collection: Sleeping Beauty Walt Disney

To celebrate the anniversaries of 11 different Disney films, as well as Disneyland’s 60th anniversary, the

chorus makes us want yearn for more! Up next is ‘Hate Your Guts’, a fun song with awesome drum beats and guitar riffs. What comes next is one of our favourites, which is ‘What Happened To Your Band’. We love the guitar and drum beats that’s featured in this song as they really go well together. ‘Beautiful Girls Are the Loneliest’ is a soft and gentle song that makes you just swoon and gives you that feel-good feeling. Apart from that, there is another catchy pop-rock song that caught our attention in this album and it’s called ‘Back In Time’. Its verses flow flawlessly and its repetitive ending is oddly addictive. One of the more outstanding tracks in this album is ‘Getting It Out’, which is a song that’s now stuck in some of our heads. If you wish to listen to a happy party song, do listen to ’23:59’! It is a pop song with amazing beats and interesting lyrics. McBusted has proven their ability that they can produce a range of wonderful songs together. It is definitely an album that you don’t want to miss!

company has released a two-disc album called The Legacy Collection: Sleeping Beauty. It was released on October 2014 to coincide with the 55th anniversary of ‘Sleeping Beauty’. Needless to say, it is a musical experience like no other, to be able to listen to all the enchanting songs from ‘Sleeping Beauty’ once again. Moreover, this beautiful two-disc album features some songs that was never released before. What makes it even more exciting is the fact that you will get to listen to the studio recordings of Princess Aurora’s songs performed by Mary Costa. By listening to the whole album, this iconic movie once again comes to life. The producer of the album, George Bruns has successfully proven himself as a brilliant lyrical composer. All of the songs are perfectly composed and arranged to bring us back to the entire story once again. If you’re a Disney fan, you’ll definitely want The Legacy Collection: Sleeping Beauty as part of your collection.

Closer to Coldplay

FEBRUARY 2015

music

Know More About

Ghost Stories

Chris Martin Talks About Coldplay’s Latest Album So how has it been playing with the same guys for almost 20 years? Will has been sort of the rationality of the group. The more that time goes on, the more I begin to appreciate the chemistry of our group because it becomes apparent to us, what all our strengths are - like Will is really kind of an anchor. When I think of him, I think of something heavy and granite-like, in a great way; like the base of a statue. Without that, the thing topples. While sometimes we can fall out, ultimately that chemistry is what keeps us together. The whole band feels like they’re hugging you in this record. You guys sound amazing! Did you do anything to improve upon your sound? We’re very very tight at the moment. I know that I’m the front man and the one that is on the magazines and stuff. But with everything that we’ve been blessed with, what we constantly come back to, is this relationship. Because none of us are prodigies or virtuosos and we’ve seen lots of bands come and go in the time we’ve been around. We’ve worked really hard to communicate with each other in a way that brings the best out of everybody and that started when we started working with Brian Eno. He said we really have to respect the chemistry between everybody. Were there any drastic measures that Brian Eno imposed to help you guys out? There was a time when he kicked me out of the band for a few weeks to get everybody else’s confidence up. Because at that time, I could be quite strong minded. And so, he gave more flexibility and let everyone get to the end of their idea before any judgement was passed. So when Brian came in, I was so grateful because it felt like we had a teacher. I was not aware that you could keep learning after college finished before I met him. Was it important to have a direction for Ghost Stories? Is there a general theme to the album? There were lots of songs written, but the way that we wanted to put it together was to be a journey from looking at everything going through with your life. Be it good or bad, and thinking, am I going to run away

from it or deny it? Or is there a way by really opening yourself right up to it that you might actually get to a more joyful place. I don’t know if it’s an English thing or a religious guilt thing. But up to a certain point in my life, I was not completely vulnerable and it caused some problems. If you don’t let love in, then you can’t give it back. So for me, Ghost stories is you got to open yourself up to love. And if you do, of course it’s going to be painful sometimes, but it will be great. What’s the meaning behind ‘A Sky Full Of Stars’? That’s like “okay, just approach everything with love and see what happens”. Don’t worry too much. Life is so scary. There’s planes going missing, there are people getting shot, there are wars going on and anytime where you get thousands of people in a field jumping up and down that is the most beautiful feeling. What should we take out from ‘Magic’? Although it starts seeming like a heartbreak record, it’s actually a joyful realization that you can’t escape from what life’s going to throw at you, so just enjoy it. You know when you’re in the gym and you have to do an hour on the treadmill, and you’re looking for any excuse to get out of it, but then after you do it you’re like “I’m so glad I did that”. That’s what the album is. It’s basically 42 minutes on an emotional treadmill. So what’s next for you and Coldplay? Well, I feel grateful for every day on earth so I don’t know what’s next. I feel grateful to be alive and between all of us, I would say I am very proud of it and I feel so grateful for the brotherhood. I’m thankful for all the family around us. Basically, I’m doing an Oscar speech, but a real one. So am I happy that it’s done? Yes, because it’s exactly what we wanted to do. (Interview courtesy of Warner Music Malaysia)

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k-pop

by ivy chin

YOONA REVEALS HER SECRETS

FEBRUARY 2015

Girls’ Generation

Joins the

Honor Society Girls’ Generation Yoona, who has been helping out a number of low income families since 2010, has finally joined the Honor Society. The Honor Society is an affiliate of the Community Chest of Korea, which is also known as the Seoul Fruit of Love foundation. It is an organisation for individual donors to provide assistance to the needy and also to spread the spirit of giving. According to the Seoul Fruit of Love foundation’s President, Lee Yeon Bae, Yoona is the first member to join the Honor Society in 2015. She joins other Korean celebrities, including entertainer Hyun Young, actress Soo Ae, singer Hyun Sook and actor Kim Bo Sung. In response to some news concerning her previous secret charity work, she responded that she just wanted to help those in need quietly. However, she realised that in order to help more people who are facing difficulties, she will need to cooperate with others. She said, “I decided to join the Honor Society in the new year because I want to help in bettering the

REVIEWS

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like a cat

jyp nation korea 2014 one mic

aoa

jyp nation

Ever since their first mini album, Short Hair, we have been looking forward to AOA’s future releases! Well, it’s good news for us as the girls are back with their second mini album, Like A Cat. The intro ‘AOA’ runs under a minute, but it’s something that’s highly addictive, thanks to a catchy tune that’s handled by an acoustic guitar. Next up is the title track ‘Like A Cat’, which is an uplifting and fun song that just makes you want to dance along. What comes next is our favourite, ‘Girl’s Heart’. It has a ballad-like beginning with husky vocals, which then moves on to become a rather enjoyable soft rock tune. After all of the catchy and upbeat songs, ‘Time’ slows things down a bit thanks to sweet piano playing and powerful vocals. The last track of the album, ‘Tears Falling’ is a powerful track and does justice to the talents of AOA. Overall, this is a solid and satisfying album from them.

JYP Entertainment came together to release an exciting live compilation album, which featured the strongest vocals from their family concert that was held in August 2014 in Seoul. A total of nine songs were selected to be featured on the album and the selected artists will not disappoint you! The album begins with 2PM’s ‘Come Back When You Hear This Song’. It is one of their strongest vocal songs and is incredibly good. The album then continues with Park Jin Young’s ‘Don’t Leave Me’, which is one of the most wonderful songs on the album. It is a joyful song that makes you smile and definitely worth a listen. If you would like to listen to something slow, look no further than missA’s Suzy and Bernard Park’s ‘Farewell Under The Sun’. You’ll fall in love with it because we already did. This excellent pair works astonishingly great on this ballad and able to draw out the emotion of the song. There’s no reason for you to not listen to this album because this album is just too great!

THE LATEST IN KOREAN POP MUSIC

k-pop

FEBRUARY 2015 culture of sharing any way I can.” To this effect, Lee also commented, “To do something on a regular basis takes will and hard work. Yoona’s unchanging attitude of giving for the last five years will inspire many people to contribute in sharing love to their neighbours.”

K-POP CHART

UP & DOWN

YOUR VOICE

WIGGLE WIGGLE

THE WINTER’S TALE

CHEER UP

SSEUDAM SSEUDAM

PIANO MAN

PUNGPUNG

CANDY JELLY LOVE

EXID | UP & DOWN

NOEL | INVISIBLE THINGS

HELLOVENUS | WIGGLE WIGGLE

BTOB | THE WINTER’S TALE

HONG JINYOUNG | LIFE NOTE

10CM | 3.0

MAMAMOO | PIANO MAN

ALI | TURNING POINT

LOVELYZ | GIRLS’ INVASION

AT THE HAN NAVI | REAL STORY

WEEK OF 11 JAN 2015

from my heart

touch & move

5urprise

sistar

5urprise is a unique five member acting idol group. They were formed by the talent agency Fantagio in 2013 and have now, finally released their first single album From My Heart. Leading the album is the first track, ‘From My Heart’, which is a sentimental pop urban R&B ballad that effectively showcases the vocal prowess of the group. It is a rather interesting choice from them and we are now very curious with what they are capable of. For something that’s a little more exciting, you’ll want to listen to ‘Jump’, an upbeat and catchy song that highlights their ability to harmonise in a faster paced song. After listening to the whole album, it’s safe to say that we can now include them in our favourite’s artists list.

The girls are back with their third mini album Touch & Move! However, things aren’t exactly the same as they’ve somewhat shed their mature and sexy image, for something younger and sweeter for this album. Regardless of how the group intended to portray themselves, we found this album to be very decent. It begins with ‘Wow’, which is one of the best introductions we’ve heard so far. Needless to say, we were left wanting more of the smooth and lovely ballad that’s accompanied by a guitar. This great introduction is followed by ‘Touch My Body’, which is catchy, upbeat, cheerful and some might even say powerful. Thanks to the reoccurring saxophone beat in the background, we’ve had trouble getting this song out of our heads for some time now. There’s also ‘Naughty’, a fun and refreshing mid-tempo song that goes well with Jint’s rapping and SISTAR’s

SOURCE: MNET.COM

vocals.

CAMPUS PLUS |

movies

THE LATEST CINEMA FLICKS

FEBRUARY 2015

PREVIEWS

chappie

cinderella

STARRING: Sharlto Copley, Hugh Jackman, Dev Patel, Sigourney Weaver, Jose Pablo Cantillo

STARRING: Cate Blanchett, Lily James, Richard Madden, Helena Bonham Carter, Holliday Grainger, Sophie McShera

RELEASE: 5 march 2015

Chappie (Copley) is an experimental robot that’s designed to learn and feel. Unfortunately, he gets kidnapped by several individuals who are up to no good. Will Chappie be influenced by the criminals to assist them in their evil plans? Or he will rely on his heart to find his way to live in the world?

RELEASE: 12 march 2015

A live action of the classic fairy tale with several twists, this movie reimagines this childhood memory in many ways. In this version, Cinderella (James) meets with the Prince (Madden) prior to the fateful ball without knowing his true identity. Apart from that, the Fairy Godmother (Carter) has also been watching Cinderella for a long time as an old beggar before she reveales herself as a fairy.

in the heart of the sea

insurgent

STARRING: Chris Hemsworth, Benjamin Walker, Cillian Murphy, Tom Holland, Ben Whishaw, Brendan Gleeson

STARRING: Shailene Woodley, Theo James, Ansel Elgort, Ray Stevenson, Kate Winslet, Naomi Watts, Octavia Spencer, Maggie Q, Jai Courtney, Miles Treller

RELEASE: 12 march 2015

RELEASE: 19 march 2015 Based on the book ‘In the Heart of the Sea’ by Nathaniel Philbrick, this movie is set in the year 1820. It follows the story of how Captain George Pollard, Jr. (Walker), first mate Owen Chase (Hemsworth), second mate Matthew Joy (Murphy) and cabin boy Thomas Nickerson (Holland) are on a voyage with their whaleship Essex. Unfortunately, during their voyage, the ship is attacked by a very huge and enraged bull sperm whale who eventually leaves them to be stranded at sea for 90 days, over a thousand miles from home. To survive, they’ll have to resort to extreme means, which includes cannibalism.

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The sequel to ‘Divergent’, this movie continues where the previous left off. Tris (Woodley) and Four (James) are racing against time as they attempt to find out what Abnegation sacrificed their lives to protect and why Erudite’s leader, Jeanine Matthews (Winslet) will stop them at all cost. We’ll also see Tris facing a number of impossible challenges when she reveals the truth about the past, which also leads to her future.

FEB 2015 | CAMPUS PLUS |

coverstory

miniatures made large

by grace chan and andrew tan

FEBRUARY 2015

Figures of n PWaE TAsKsE Aio LOOK AT THE FIGURINE INDUSTRY IN MALAYSIA

rt is a highly subjective matter. Some may call ballet a beautiful dance, while others may see it as people just prancing around in tutus. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the same for collectible figurines. To some, they are merely plastic toys that once bought, sit in a showcase or somewhere on a shelf. Their

value? Merely aesthetic. To others though, they are works of art that represents the artistâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s relentless quest to capture even the finest of

details of a character (or item) and immortalising them in clay and/or plastic. This month, we take a look at the figurine industry here in Malaysia and learn more about just

what it means to be a collector. We speak to both collectors and shop owners in this article, to get insight into this relatively hidden world.

FEB 2015 | CAMPUS PLUS |

How It All Began To start things off, we’ll have to learn about the beginning of figurines. While the broad term used nowadays is “figurines”, they can actually be categorised into several different types, but more on this later. The first type of figurine was the “action figure”, which was first coined by Hasbro in 1964 in order to market the famous G.I. Joe figure designed by Stan Weston. The G.I. Joes were originally military-themed 11.5-inch action figures that were inspired by the popular movie “The Story of G.I. Joe”. For girls in the 60’s, Barbie dolls were all the rage. As for boys, G.I. Joe figures were the equivalent.

Spot the Difference Yes, there is a difference between toy figurines, action figures and dolls. Here’s how to differentiate between the three:

Toy Figurines (Size: From extremely miniature up to approximately 6-inches)

Don’t confuse a figurine that is meant to be displayed by your mom in your living room, like that of a horse or a ballerina. Those figurines are almost always made of porcelain or clay. The key difference lies in the word “toy”. Similar to action figures, toy figures are built from molded plastic. They are typically small and sculpted painted representations of iconic movie characters or superheroes that collectors can identify with. The key distinction for toy figures is that they do not have moving parts and are typically attached to their base.

clothing that can be removed and accessories that can be attached. Although dolls may also have movable joints and can be posed to mimic different movements, unlike action figures and toy figurines, they are rarely displayed or kept somewhere safe. Instead, dolls are almost always bought to be openly showcased.

Dedicated to the Cause As we venture into the world of action figures and collectible toys through the lens of six enthusiastic collectors, you would realise that the phrase “collecting for fun”, is truly an understatement used to describe the passion behind this hobby.

Dragon Sim Wee Lun (27, Sales Executive in Construction Materials) Believe it or not, but Dragon used to print out his own name cards highlighted with a “Want to Buy” headline and distributed it to toy store owners just so he could complete his action figures collection. While it may seem like a desperate attempt, it was really during that period of time that Dragon gained valuable experiences and expanded his network within the community. He actually started off with a Gashapon capsule when he was 15 years old due to financial constraint. From Gashapon, he shifted to Gundam model kits

Action Figures (Size: Approximately 3-inches to 11-inches)

The word “action” here represents the ability to pose the figure. While toy figurines are static and do not have moving parts, actions figures on the other hand, are meant to showcase action. It is compulsory for action figures to possess at least three moving parts or points of articulation (also known as posability). They can be posed in various ways to mimic the movements of the character.

Dolls (Size: Typically 12-inches or larger)

Dolls are commonly much larger than toy figurines and action figures. They usually have

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Action figure box signed by the artist exclusively for Dragon

(Gunpla). As he became more financially stable, he slowly aimed for more exclusive pieces with higher level of detail. Currently, Dragon is solely focusing on 1/6 scale action figures that are mostly based on movie characters like super heroes from Marvel, DC and even the Alien Vs Predators universe. He revealed with a grin on his face that the Predator series remains a highlight among his collection. As an avid collector, it’s no surprise that Dragon has dedicated a room specifically to display and house his valuable collectibles. Glancing around his room, there are at least 150 pieces of collectibles that are worth at least RM600 each. That totals to approximately RM100,000 worth of collectibles! Generally, he restraints himself to two or three action figures every month. However, when we asked about his allocation for collectible toys, he just chuckled and admitted to spending a lot. Aside from getting his collection from local or online toy stores, Dragon also consistently travels overseas to attend toy fairs and exhibitions. What’s even more impressive is that his passion is contagious. Through his efforts, he has founded the Malaysia Figure Community (MFC), which serves as a platform for many collectors to meet, discuss and even trade. Many collectors have attributed this platform as one of the go-to sources for high-quality figurines. It’s also worth mentioning that he occasionally receives prototype figurines and exclusive invitations to toy fairs, making him one of the most wellknown and recognised collectors here in Malaysia. The MFC is a Facebook group dedicated to the debate, review and information sharing of all collectible toys and figurines. For more information, log www.facebook.com/ on to malaysiafigurecommunity.

Billy with his favourite Gundam Exia

Vince (28, Network Tester) Vince’s first contact with models and figurines came in the form of Legos. The Lego ship which he built when he was eleven still stands proudly on display in a room dedicated to his collection. Now he mainly buys Legos for the mini figures instead of the actual sets and backgrounds. Vince collects any figurines that catch his fancy. In his collection, there are various Lego mini-figures, comic books, anime characters and even an odd vehicle or two. His latest obsession is with Nendoroids, a series of plastic figures manufactured by the Japanese Good Smile Company. They are characters from various anime and mangas and are designed with a large head and smaller body to give them a cute appearance. “I like putting these happy characters around my work table”, he states. “Whenever I get too stressed, I take a break and look at their cute, smiling faces and I loosen up a little; it is like my own way to stay Zen.” He showed us backdrops and sets that he designed and made himself, for the sole purpose of posing and capturing the adorable scenes with his camera. Among his huge collection is his pride and joy, the Yukino Doll, which cost him around RM4,500. It is one of the rarer specimens of figurine collecting and he says even seasoned collectors and enthusiast have some difficulty obtaining them. He spends about RM500 to RM800 per month acquiring new subjects into his collection, and usually finds new targets on local forums and eBay.

Carl Lum (27, Professional Miniature Painter) Carl is one of the most recognised miniature figurine collectors in Malaysia. It all started when he was 15 and a friend from the U.K. brought back a Games Workshop miniature as a gift. Not knowing what it was then, Carl picked up some Buncho paints and started playing around with it. Little did he know that

he would be hooked on the whole process of assembling, painting to displaying the completed miniatures. As a professional miniature painter, it is of no surprise that his entire cabinets are filled with Warhammer Fantasy, Warhammer 40,000 and Warcraft characters. He also has an obsession with tanks and there are plenty of Tamiya Tanks filling up his cabinets today. He’s been painting all of his miniatures to date and even created some from scratch. With all his experience in collecting, he admits that it can be taxing at times and he has cut down on the number of purchases over the years. However, it seems this hasn’t affected the quality of his purchases, as the centrepiece of his collection is a Diablo III statue (worth about RM1,300), which is anything but plain. Spending about RM100 to RM300 per month, the main way he goes about getting more into his collection, is by browsing through certain Facebook groups filled with like-minded collectors and hobbyists, and buying from them. Check out more of his works at chaosbrushes.blogspot. com

proud of the range of characters he has in it. “The reason why I buy figurines is because it allows me to look closely at the artists’ craftsmanship, searching for small details that are normally hard to see or hidden in the original design.” Similar to Carl, Billy does all of the panel lining and painting of his Gunpla models himself, and is now even starting to mix and match different limbs and parts from other model kits to create some models that are completely unique.

Where do I begin? By now, it’s likely that you’ve been bitten

Billy

(23, Graphic Design Student in UTAR) The first model that Billy acquired was a Gunpla (Gundam Plastic Models). Nowadays, he spends about RM50 to RM150 per figurine and his collection has grown large as he hunts for characters to add to his collection frequently. He reckons he has spent more than RM5,000 on his collection and is very Carl’s masterpiece of a Diablo statue

FEB 2015 | CAMPUS PLUS |

Special Mentions Shuenn Woei

William

(24, Processing Officer) • Once hospitalised for severe gastritis just to buy an action figure when he was younger. • His passion started off when he received his first action figure from his father • Regularly purchases up to three collectible toys every month. • Highlight: Masterpiece Collection of Scar Predator from the movie ‘Alien Vs Predators (his most expensive action figure that cost him RM800).

by the figurine collecting bug. If you’re eager to begin collecting, you can start by heading over to Amcorp Mall’s Sunday bazaar, where collectors are aplenty and deals are reasonable. Once you know what you’re looking for, you can then begin haunting stores like ToyWiz; ToyGarden; XL-Shop; Mothership Toys & Collectibles; Shioktoys Collectibles; and Dream Toyz.

From the Other Side of the Fence: An Interview with Toywiz Toywiz is the story of three brothers who passionately turned their hobbies into entrepreneurial success. The Choe brothers (David, Steven and Alvin) quit their respective jobs to establish Toywiz in 2004. Over the years, the business has expanded into two more branches under the company name of Toy Garden. When asked just how popular the figurine market is today, we were told that it’s rather healthy, thanks to the growing demand of figurines based on movie characters from Megablocks. According to one of the cofounders, Steven, he foresees Star Wars to conquer the market this year around after the major hit from Frozen last year. Steven defines the community as growing towards pop culture as the hobby of accumulating collectible toys has been slowly

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Steven Choe, one of the founders of ToyWiz.

(37, Senior Art Director) • Spawn figurine ignited his love for figurines. • Spends about RM600 per month to his collection of military figures from various comic, movie and anime universes. • Loves art and takes photos of his figurines and superimposes them into backgrounds from movie scenes • Highlight: ThreeA EMGY DROPCLOTH (cost him around RM1200)

transforming into a lifestyle. This is particularly true in major cities like KL, where collectible toys are seen as contemporary art. For instance, placing an action figure of Ironman in the living room is seen as more interesting as compared to showcasing a traditional vase. If you are curious as to how much avid collectors are willing to spend on collectible toys, Steven revealed to us that his regular clients consistently spend around RM1,000 to RM1,500 on a monthly basis. On months when blockbuster movies are released, the sale of collectible toys from famous movie characters can even shoot up to 100 pieces each. Depending on your selection, the price ranges from as low as RM7.90 (Hot Wheel Cars) to a whopping RM15,000 (collectible statues and replicas). As an example of a movie-based collectible, Steven brought out a replica of the batmobile used in the ‘Batman’ movies that were directed by Tim Burton.

Before ending the conversation, we asked Steven to share some tips on how to hunt for genuine items. As a rule of thumb, it is essential for collectors to be able to identify brand names that are well known like Hasbro, Hot Toys, Mattel and more. Knock off items also mostly do not come in original packing. So, the next time that you are offered an action figure in a plastic bag or without a proper packaging, think twice! Store location: • (ToyWiz) 3rd Floor, Amcorp Mall, • (Toy Garden, Sungei Wang) – 3rd Floor, Sungei Wang Plaza • ( Toy Garden, Pavilion) – Level 6, Tokyo Street, Pavilion KL. For more information, feel free to check out their Facebook at www.facebook.com/toywizard and official websites at www.toywizard.net / www. toygarden.net.

Custom hand-painted Iron Man figurine with battle damage

The Next Step: Customisation For many enthusiasts, being contented with a stock purchase is next to impossible. There will always be a need to go to the next level and for figurine collectors, that next level happens to be customised figurines. In Malaysia, one company stands above the rest in terms of customised figurines – OOAK (One of a Kind) Empire. Founded by Charles Lim and Alan Mark late last year, OOAK Empire offers a rather unique proposition for collectors, which is the option to add details to toys and make them movie accurate. The process is simple: The first step is to contact OOAK Empire, either via Facebook or their upcoming website. You’ll then enter a consultation session with a representative of the company, to confirm if what you want done is possible. Once the final details have been hashed out, just sit back and watch as the amazing people from OOAK Empire work

their magic. Of course, the two founders of OOAK Empire aren’t in it just for the money. It’s all about creating awareness (that customisation is possible) and that figurines can be seen as something more than just toys. They are actually modern works of art. When Lim was younger, he did not have the means to purchase toys. As he grew older and flourished in his career, he began to buy collectible toys and soon fell in love with this hobby. To date, his collection features many exclusive items, some of which are prototypes and never mass produced. As for Mark, it was always his dream to start up a toyshop. However, having worked in the industry for years, he is well aware of the risks as it is a relatively competitive market and there are too many toystores with only a limited population of collectors. Most importantly, he does not wish to be a competitor to existing toy store owners, whom he has known for ages. In order to retain his existing customers without posing a threat to local toy store owners, Alan came up with a brilliant idea of providing custom repaint services. Mark’s love for repainting first came about when he stumbled across a Transformers action figure in Toys “R” Us. Frustrated by the plain colours on the action figure, he brought it home and repainted it. When done, he posted it up on eBay for fun, but to his surprise, his newly transformed figure was sold overnight for RM600, after multiple biddings. Today, OOAK Empire stands as a platform for local artists to showcase their abilities when it comes to the creation or even customising of figurines. The company also aims to provide an

Lim (left) and Mark, the co-founders of OOAK Empire.

avenue that cultivates a different approach in toy collecting through the introduction of new concepts of figures, statues and even props. Everyone is encouraged to start popping questions on their Facebook page at www. facebook.com/ooakempire. To learn more about OOAK Empire, you may also log on to their website at www.ooakempire.com.

Unlimited Possibilities While this phrase is overused to describe many things, many of the people we’ve spoken to believe that there’s truly a huge amount of possibilities in the figurine collection industry. Many more people are beginning to see the value (both monetary and sentimental) of figurine collecting. It may not be something that everyone approves of or understands, but at least many more are beginning to appreciate this artform. It is about time that we rid the stereotype on collectible toys as an expensive hobby that only serves to burn a hole in our wallet. Indeed, there is so much more in the world of collectibles toys that extends beyond its perceived value. Although it may not be a “thing” for everyone, it is essential that we learn to appreciate the monetary and artistic value of this hobby. FEB 2015 | CAMPUS PLUS |

Feature by aaron pereira

the escape Plan

FEBRUARY 2015

t u O t e G o T s Way

e t a D A Of

going to be great, but as w t gh ou th u yo at th te Ever said yes to a da way too uninteresting or st ju be to t ou ed rn tu the other person him or her? Here of d ha u yo at th e ur ct pi didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t match the mental cky date, or at least su a of t ou lf se ur yo t are some ways to ge d out for a second. ke as be to g in go t no re uâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; ensure that yo

| CAMPUS PLUS

1 2

s Perhaps 1. Practise Bad Manner bad

than a date with nothing is more off-putting dig your nose openly. or h, manners. Pick your teet r appearance, use thei on Make snarky comments in one sentence; es letiv exp three different kinds of e. just be plain rude and crud

: Ask your date if they Suggested plan of action to take a bite of your eed enjoy seafood? Then proc works well if the This g. win food, and talk while che ause now they bec – ood person answers yes to seaf – and if while wed che g bein can literally see your food es on them. piec food of talking, you spew tiny bits

ze without covering added effect, cough and snee at your date’s ctly dire your mouth (preferably direction or food.) method is also generally Effectiveness rating: This when paired with number so e effective, on its own and mor poor hygiene. You’re not of t 2. People are normally intoleran with this method. date her likely to be asked out on anot t more if the person No one likes a chatterbox. Wha themselves. So, that ut abo keeps on talking and only points if you also al ition is what you must do. Add down during your date r you manage to belittle or put

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sation

4. Overpower the Conver

monologues.

r clothes 2. Dress To Un-impress You eone

t way to tell som tell a lot about you, so the bes the date is to dress into rt you’re not putting effo going to a fancy ’re you inappropriately. Whether road, opting to the n dow ak restaurant or the mam e your date mak to way one dress inappropriately is think twice about you.

: This works best Suggested plan of action to a fancy restaurant. when you’re planning to go the most unattractive and Wear slippers, a singlet . find pair of shorts you can

risingly, this may not be Effectiveness rating: Surp people – so assess your e som a major deal breaker for the person might think and fire date! It might even back off that look in public. you’ ve so much confidence to pull llowed to enter some disa be On another note, you may restaurants. Cleanliness 3. Practise Poor Hygiene with

ss…and your aim is after all, next to Godline possible – easy right? as this is to be as ungodly d with step number -han d-in This method goes han get you the desired uld sho , 2, and if paired together effect. : Your date is on Suggested plan of action nesday. Also, for Wed on ing Friday? Stop shower

: Just keep on talking Suggested plan of action ut yourself. Start a abo il about every single deta I am smarter than you, sentence with phrases like “As ert dish name) instead I’ve decided to order the (ins Also shut the other e).” nam of (insert partner’s dish even begin to try to person up the moment they speak. ss the person you’re going Effectiveness rating: Unle , he or she should find your out with is an extreme introvert Thus, it is a very effective off. turn excessive talking a major want to go out with you ever way to get someone to not have to hear a word even ldn’t again. If done well, you wou from your date. ly can’t stand 5. The Final Call If you real llow

the Earth to swa your date, and are wishing for there, this tried and and you up whole right then t seat from a date ejec ate tested method is the ultim that’s going bad. : Plan with a friend to Suggested plan of action your date. All you need call you some time midway n pick it up and look is for your phone to ring. The is to say you have plan The . worried/angry/surprised to bail. an emergency and you need one is a winner! It’s a sureEffectiveness rating: This you create an absolutely fire way to get yourself out. If your doctor just called and ridiculous, or scary excuse – like be your Schizo meds ran said you’re HIV positive (or may s. out), it should deter any more date | FEB 2015 | CAMPUS PLUS JAN 2015 | CAMPUS PLUS | 49

careerchat

SELLING, MADE EASY

FEBRUARY 2015

We speak to

Carousell’s Co-founder,

Lucas Ngoo

| CAMPUS PLUS

n this day of age, buying and selling items online has become a norm. One of the easiest way to do so is by using Carousell, a new marketplace app that allows for easy person-to person buying and selling. We were able to speak to one of the co-founders of Carousell, Lucas Ngoo last month and here’s what he had to say.

Campus+: Thank you for having this interview with us. Can you start by explaining how Carousell was founded? LN: Siu Rui, Marcus and I met across different times in our lives. Siu Rui met Marcus back when studying in Ngee Ann Polytechnic, and I met Siu Rui when we were housemates in Silicon Valley under the National University of Singapore Overseas College Programme. While at Stanford, we fell in love with technology and took the idea of Carousell to the Startup Weekend Singapore hackathon competition in March 2012 and won. People were Facebooking and tweeting that they want to download an app like this immediately. That was when we were convinced of the potential and decided to work on this full time two months later. During my student years at NUS, I was pursuing Computer Engineering and Entrepreneurship. I was also formerly a mobile & web engineer at TixxMe and RedBeacon. C+: How did you guys build the team? How important are good employees to your success? LN: We started off with three of us co-founders and two more engineers, Victor and Hoang, working on the initial version of the Carousell app. We now have 12 full timers and 11 parttimers and interns and we expect to grow to at least 20 full-timers in the next six months. All functions are centralised in Singapore, except for local community teams in each market. Our top priority is to grow our engineering team. We are looking for passionate and talented engineers across the stack, specifically backend, growth and web engineers. We are also looking for community and marketing personnel to join the family. Good employees are of topmost importance to Carousell’s success, given that we take on a community-first approach to developing the app. We want our employees to be absolutely committed to the company’s mission and vision – only then can we work together based on mutual trust to service our users so that they continue to find Carousell a platform that is useful and beneficial. C+: What do you feel is the major difference between entrepreneurs and those who work for someone else? LN: I would think entrepreneurs are risk takers who have dared to tread the path that the general man might be afraid of. For the three of us at Carousell, in order to set up this company,

Siu Rui dropped out of honours year in university; Marcus left his stable job at Oracle and I was juggling between school and work. At that point in time, I doubt any of us expected Carousell to have grown to how it is today. It has been a humbling process and for the risks that we took, including having to answer our families who were not the most convinced about Carousell’s potential initially, it has been a well-worth journey. C+: What has been the greatest challenge so far? LN: Scaling the Carousell app is one of the challenges that we face constantly. Managing a community as it scales with a limited set of resources is extremely challenging. There were times when we first started, where our servers were crashing frequently and it took us some time (weeks) to stabilise it. Thankfully, we now have Victor Neo, our lead Engineer, to help us scale. We do have a long list of exciting opportunities to work on the product now that we have grown quite significantly in listings and transactions, but our team of six engineers are absolutely stretched. Kudos to them for taking on the herculean task of scaling with the rapid growth in the past year. Hence, our top priority with the new investment is to grow the engineering team. We are specifically looking for backend, growth and web engineers. C+: What have been some failures and the lessons? LN: We worked on some other ideas prior to Carousell and decided to pivot from the ideas to work on Carousell instead. We started Carousell to solve a problem that we personally cared deeply about, and our passion for solving the problem was what kept us going and also the push for success. So, having the passion in what you are working on and solving the problem is key. C+: Any advice you would give to budding entrepreneurs out there? LN: You have to be passionate and persistent about what you are doing - Building a business from the ground up is not easy and there is no shortcut to success. Giving up is easy, but only persistence will be able to get you through. Listening is also important - be it on advice to better your work or just keeping a look out for what people are discussing so that your business can solve their problems.

FEB 2015 | CAMPUS PLUS |

CANCER :FACTS & FICTIONS

Misconceptions about cancer can cause healthy people to have misgivings about their health and unnecessarily stop doing things that they think will harm them when, in fact, these things won’t.

Most common myths:

Cancer is a death sentence

The fact is that more than 12 million cancer survivors are living in the United States. Thanks to improved treatments and earlier diagnosis of some cancers, more than 3 of every 5 cancer patients are alive 5 years after their diagnosis. For children, the 5-year survival rate is 4 in 5.

(global.cancer.org)

If a parent or close family member had cancer, you will inherit it

You cannot catch cancer from someone who has it. What can spread among people are microorganisms (viruses and bacteria), and a few of these can cause cancer.

Cancer treatments are worse than the disease itself

Although cancer treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation are aggressive and invasive procedures, healthcare treatment has advanced greatly throughout the years and patients are able to access better care than ever before. Symptoms like nausea, vomiting, hair loss, weight loss and tissue damage are much less common, and shouldn’t be a reason to avoid being treated for the disease

Cancer is contagious

You cannot catch cancer from someone who has it. What can spread among people are microorganisms (viruses and bacteria), and a few of these can cause cancer.

Using commercial artificial sweeteners gives you cancer, and eating sugar will make cancer grow faster. In the 1960s, the FDA banned cyclamate, an artiﬁcial sweetener that was allegedly linked to bladder cancer. Other sweeteners such as saccharin and aspartame are not in any way linked to cancer. Sugar can’t inﬂuence cancer growth; removing it from a cancer patient’s diet will not slow the diseases growth

You have no control over your own cancer risk

Although scientists haven’t ﬁgured out how to completely prevent cancer, there are things you can do to reduce your risk of certain cancers. For example quitting smoking, maintaining healthy lifestyle, get HPV vaccination & early detection and screening If you are interested in participating in any of our programmes or need further information about our services, kindly call us at 603-26987300; email to contact@cancer.org.my or log on to our website at www.cancer.org.my

not so low on fat

FEBRUARY 2015

wellness by ivy chin

The Promise of Low-Fat Food is a

Lie W

hen we talk about low fat food, a majority of us would jump to three conclusions automatically:

1. Low-fat means low calories 2. Low-fat means you will lose weight and won’t gain fat 3. Low-fat is the healthier eating option However, have any of you questioned just

how scientifically accurate these statements are, or did you just trust the product’s marketing? In this month’s article, we take a look at low-fat food and just what they are. Take a walk to the supermarket and you’ll see tons of fat-free desserts and low-fat cookies. You fill up your shopping cart with these and at the end of the month, after consuming all you’ve bought, you find that your waistline is still the same, or maybe even larger. Here’s why. Studies have shown that food manufacturers often only remove the fat of the food. This however, isn’t very beneficial because they will then increase the amount of sugar, salt and additives to make the “low-fat” food taste better. The next time you head on over to your grocery store, we highly recommend you think twice before buying some of the items listed below, as all of them are considered low-fat food.

Low-Fat Baked Food

Low-fat cookies and potato chips do indeed have less calories than their normal counterparts, but what you don’t know is that they also contain more sugar. This is to make them as tasty as the normal version.

Fat-Free Salad Dressing

You should eat salad, but pouring a large amount of fat-free salad dressing on your salad will make your blood sugar spike and you’ll soon be hungry again. It is because food manufacturers often add sugar or artificial sweeteners to the fat-free salad dressings to improve the taste.

Reduced-Fat Peanut Butter

Two tablespoons of common peanut butter contains 210 calories, while the same amount of the reducedfat version contain 200 calories. Once again, manufacturers add sugar and a little bit more flavouring to make the reduced-fat version taste better.

Egg Substitutes

Eggs do contain cholesterol and its yolk contains 5g of fat, but the yolk is where all the good stuff is. If you do not have heart problems, you should eat the whole thing. Don’t go for egg substitutes, because they are made from egg whites, stabilisers and colourings, and it won’t provide you with the essential nutrients that an egg has.

Low-Fat Snacks

Once again, all of them have slightly lower calories than the regular version, but these

snacks

also

have

more sodium, salt, carbohydrate, sugar, additives and other ingredients at the same time. These are the most dangerous as we sometimes tend to get carried away with the amount we eat.

Low-Fat Granola

Oats and dried fruit sound really healthy, but most types of granola bars, be it low-fat or regular, actually

contain a lot of sugar. However, you won’t see the word “sugar” written in the ingredients list because manufacturers use terms like “syrup” and “juice” to hide the fact that they’ve added sugar to the mix.

Fat-Free Yogurt

Yogurt itself is fine because the fat that it contains helps you to keep you full. Furthermore, fat makes it easier for your body to absorb vitamin D. Fat-free yogurt on the other hand, has no fat, but has artificial colours, flavouring, stabilisers and yet again, more sugar. At the end of the day, you have to make a conscious effort to buy healthy food. Don’t be fooled by food that are said to be low-fat. Read the nutritional facts, as well as ingredients list carefully. It might be tedious, but it will ensure a healthier diet and truly let you shed that extra bit of weight that you’ve always been complaining about. CAMPUS PLUS |

bookshelf

READS AND RELEASES

FEBRUARY 2015

GIRL ONLINE

THE BOURNE ASCENDANCY AUTHOR: ERIC VAN LUSTBADER

THE STRANGE LIBRARY

AUTHOR: ZOELLA

AUTHOR: HARUKI MURAKAMI (READ OF THE MONTH)

HARUKI MURAKAMI

Anyone with even the slightest bit of knowledge of modern cinema would surely know about the Bourne film franchise starring Matt Damon. While the fifth instalment isn’t due until 2016, you can still get your fix with the latest novel in the series-The Bourne Ascendancy. Now, the amnesiac rogue secret agent is faced ERIC VAN LUSTBADER with an impossible mission. In order to protect a government minister from being assassinated, he is tasked with impersonating him at a political summit meeting in Qatar. Out of the blue, gunmen storm the meeting, killing everyone but Bourne. However, instead of the minister, they are really targeting Bourne. Upon being kidnapped, Bourne meets an infamous terrorist named El Ghadan, who holds a few others prisoner. El Ghadan then poses an ultimatum to Bourne: kill the President of the United States, or he will murder the prisoners.

| CAMPUS PLUS

Finally available to English readers, The Strange Library’s roots can be traced all the way back to his 1982 short story ‘Toshokan kitan’, which was revised to become ‘Fushigi na toshokan’ in 2005 before reaching those of us who are less fluent in Japanese. Brimming

with creepiness and oddities, it starts with a young boy (the narrator) who visits the library. Once there, he is led to a special reading room in a maze under the library by a strange old man, which is perfectly normal. The twisted Alice in Wonderland-esque story begins here, as the boy ends up imprisoned with a sheep man who makes excellent donuts, and a girl who can talk with her hands. From here on, the boy has to find a way to make it back in time for dinner, without being made into dinner first by the old man with a penchant for little boys’ brains.

When Girl Online hit bookstores in England, it became the fastest selling book of 2014 and also broke the record for highest first week sales for a debut author. Now you get to see what all the hype is ZOELLA about, because the debut romance novel by Internet vlogger Zoella is finally here! The story revolves around 16 year-old Penny Porter who lives with her parents in Brighton. She seeks solace through the Internet by blogging about being cyber-bullied and her panic attacks, under the pseudonym GirlOnline. When she travels to New York with her family to accommodate her mother who is organising a wedding there, she meets a cute, guitar-playing guy named Noah. New York starts looking a whole lot better, but Noah has a secret - one with potentially devastating consequences for Penny.

SURROUNDED bY DEATH

FEBRUARY 2015

anime

THE DEADLY

Winter

Winter is here and based on what we know, only 31 new series will be airing, making this a rather light season for anime. Thankfully, it looks like a number of these anime are promising; three to be exact. We’ve listed them down here and hope that they are as good as their synopsis say they are. Death Parade

Assassination Classroom (Ansatsu Kyoshitsu) What would it be like to be in a class that’s being nurtured to assassinate a single target? That’s what this anime is all about. The students of Class 3-E from Kunugigaoka Junior High School seem to be your average bunch of high school students, but they are actually being trained in the art of assassination. Their target (who also happens to be their homeroom teacher) is Koro-sensei, a powerful octopus-like alien who has destroyed 70% of the moon and is now threatening to destroy Earth within a year. However, he offers mankind an opportunity to avoid this fate by letting his students kill him. The Japanese government has also promised a reward of 10 billion yen to whoever manages to kill Koro-sensei. However, killing him is seemingly impossible, thanks to his inhuman abilities. Things are further complicated when the students realise that he is the best teacher they ever had.

Welcome to Queen Dekim, a bar hosted by a polite bartender named Decim. This isn’t your average bar though, as it serves as a place of judgement in the afterlife. Groups of people have found themselves in this bar, without knowing that they’ve have died. As a form of judgement, none of them are allowed to leave the bar, until they’ve participated in a Death Game, which consists of an assortment of many games, such as billiards or darts. Through these games, their true nature are revealed. Decim’s job is to not only observe, but to judge these souls.

Tokyo Ghoul √A One of the most popular animes of 2014 is back! The story about how a book-loving boy, Kaneki Ken who barely survives a fatal encounter with a human-eating ghoul continues. Although he managed to survive this terrifying encounter, a part of the ghoul’s body has transferred into his body. He is no longer the same and just like the ghouls, he has to consume human flesh to survive. But what makes it worse is that he has to protect himself from both sides – there are ghouls who want to exploit his power, and humans who would kill any ghoul on sight. In the first season, Kaneki went through some life-changing events that truly changed his character. We can’t wait to see what will happen in this second season!

CAMPUS PLUS |

plug into the future of tech

wiredup

FEBRUARY 2015

Philips MCM2300 Great design meets superb functionality with the Philips MCM2300. The MCM2300 is an all-inone music system equipped with USB, Audio in and CD playback, allowing you to enjoy music from your preferred source. It features a Bass Reflex Speaker System that delivers deep bass from a compact loudspeaker box system. The result is an overall deeper bass with lower distortion. For a small yet powerful compact audio system, the MCM2300 is a great option!

Visit www.philips.com.my

JVC SU-AX7 When you want to listen to the best music, you will need the best equipment. The SU-AX7 portable headphone amplifier/DAC by JVC features the latest and greatest in portable audio technology. Built-in Advanced K2 Technology reproduces sounds as close to the original source as possible, which is something that should satisfy some of the pickiest audio enthusiasts out there. For digital audio aficionados, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be happy to learn that it supports high-resolution audio sources up to 192 kHz at 24 bits.

Visit www.jvc.net/my

| CAMPUS PLUS

New Nintendo 3DS XL Play more with the New Nintendo 3DS XL. With brand new technology and a host of additional features, this is one portable console you’ll want to get your hands on. It has 3D face-tracking capabilities that allow you to see 3D visuals from a variety of different angles and has new “C stick and ZL/ZR buttons for better control. Apart from that, it has integrated amiibo support, allowing you to enjoy amiibo features in compatible games. Lastly, an improved processor boosts gaming performance for a smoother gaming experience.

Visit www.nintendo.com

Xiaomi Mi Note The new Mi Note by Xiaomi is a force to be reckoned with. The device boasts a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor and features dual 4G nano and micro-SIM slots, making it a rather versatile smartphone indeed! What’s most interesting is that the Mi Note makes use of an audio decoder found in many high-end audio systems, as well as an integrated two-level amplifier. As for its display, it is equipped with a 5.7-inch Full HD display.

Visit www.mi.com/my

iMac with Retina 5K Display Apple has really started to roll out its big guns with the iMac with Retina 5K display being one of them. The defining feature of the new iMac is the 27-inch Retina 5K display, which offers a staggering 14.7 million pixels and a native resolution of 5120 x 2880. In terms of performance, it comes equipped with a 3.5GHz quadcore Intel Core i5 processor, with the option to upgrade to a 4.0 GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 processor. It can also be customised to use up to 32GB of RAM.

Visit store.apple.com/my/mac

CAMPUS PLUS |

wiredup

plug into the future of tech

FEBRUARY 2015

Samsung GALAXY Note Edge With the Samsung GALAXY Note Edge, you can get power, style and convenience, all in one package. Its unique curved Edge screen provides quick access to frequently used apps, alerts and device functionality all with one swipe, even when the cover is closed. The device features a Quad-core 2.7 GHz Krait 450 CPU, with 3GB of RAM. Storage is plentiful with up to 32GB of on-board storage and an additional slot for microSD cards. Display wise, it has a 5.6inch Quad HD+ Super AMOLED display, ensuring vivid colours and extremely sharp details.

Visit www.samsung.com/my/home

Casio EX–MR1 Selfie enthusiasts rejoice! With the EX–MR1 by Casio, self-portraits can be taken with ease. The EX–MR1 is equipped with a 21mm wide–angle lens, which is great for taking self–portraits. Featuring a sleek yet simple design, the EX–MR1 has a mirror at the front of the camera to make easier to adjust your poses and take the perfect shot with just a press of a button. The EX– MR1 also features a Make–up Mode, which allows you to choose from six levels of skin tones and twelve levels of skin smoothening effects.

Visit www.casio-intl.com/asia-mea/en

| CAMPUS PLUS

Razer Forge TV Connecting right into your living room TV, the Razer Forge TV brings hardcore gaming and entertainment to the big screen. With Full HD graphics combined with the Razer Serval controller, gamers are given the tools they need to excel in any given situation. This device boasts a Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 Quad-core Krait 450 CPU and an Adreno 420 GPU, with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of onboard storage.

Visit www.razerzone.com

MSI GT80 2QE TITAN SLI MSI brings gaming laptops to a whole new level with the GT80 2QE TITAN SLI. The first gaming laptop in the world to feature a mechanical keyboard with Cherry MX switches, the GT80 is truly a unique proposition for hardcore gamers. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s also high on performance, with a 4th generation Intel Core i7 Processor, GeForce GTX 980M SLI graphics and up to 32GB of RAM.

Visit wmy.msi.com

G-SHOCK LOV-14A-7A Show your love with the G-SHOCK loverâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s collection. The LOV14A-7A set consists of two watches (sold separately), the G-Shock GA110-7A and the Baby-G BA-100LB7A. The matching pair are both highly shock resistant, and contain LED backlights. The many functions synonymous with G-Shock watches are also present in these watches, including a countdown timer, a stopwatch and the ability to keep track of multiple time zones.

JVC HA-FX850 Great look, great build quality and great sound, the HA-FX850 by JVC delivers on all levels. With a housing made out of wood, the audio characteristics of this earphones are best described as warm and natural. Among the unique technology found in the HA-FX850 is the Wood Ring Absorber, which helps to reduce unnecessary vibration and audio distortion. Visit www.gshock.com

Visit www.jvc.net/my

CAMPUS PLUS |

wiredup

plug into the future of tech

FEBRUARY 2015

ASUS ZenFone 2 With its ultra-thin ergonomic arc design, it is one of the most eye-catching smartphones out there. The ASUS ZenFone 2 offers not just a great body, but powerful specs as well. It is powered by a quad-core Intel Atom processor and supports OpenGL 3.0. There’s also 4GB of RAM and 64GB of built-in memory and a microSD slot for extended storage. When it comes to screen size, it has a 5.5-inch Full HD display.

Visit: http://www.asus.com/my/

Casio EX–ZR1500 Great looking photos are easy to capture with the EX-ZR1500 by Casio. The distinctive feature of the EX-ZR1500 is the ability to rotate its LCD screen 180 degrees frontwards, so you can check your poses and angles to take that perfect selfie. It also has gesture recognition technology, which allows you to take photos remotely, by just waving at it. What’s more, it has the ability to record videos at 1,000 frames per second and has Art Shot, which gives you the chance to add a dash of creativity to your pictures, in-camera! Visit www.casio-intl.com/asia-mea/en/

Amazon Kindle Voyage Drop that bulky book and magazine and pick up the Kindle Voyage by Amazon instead. The Kindle Voyage is the latest generation of the venerable Kindle series of e-book readers. The latest model features a 6-inch display with adaptive LEDs that adjusts itself according to the environment. As for storage, there’s 4GB of onboard storage. At only 7.6mm thin, the Kindle Voyage is also the thinnest Kindle ever made by Amazon. Wi-Fi models are also available for downloading on the go.

Visit wmy.amazon.com

| CAMPUS PLUS

philips picopix 3614

FEBRUARY 2015

wiredup by andrew tan

Mini Beamer that’s Big on Performance Philips PicoPix PPX3614 Specifications • GOLD

FEBRUARY 2015

The average projector is bulky, heavy and not very portable. The Philips PicoPix PPX3614 though is nothing like your average projector. It’s light, very small and has an integrated battery that gives it up to two hours of functionality. We learn more about this tiny but mighty projector right here. Design / Features With dimensions measuring 105 x 105 x 31.5mm, the PPX 3614 is one of, if not, the smallest projectors you can find on the market. Weighing just under 300 grams, it’s also incredibly light, making it easy for you to store it in a bag, without being encumbered. Aesthetically, the PPX3614 is simply a square black box with perforated sides for heat dissipation. In terms of features though, there are plenty of impressive things about the PPX3614. For starters, it is equipped with Wi-Fi connectivity, which allows you to browse the web and connect to up to four DLNA-enabled devices. When connected, the PPX3614 will be able to play content from these devices.

Up to 140 Lumens (plugged in), up to 70 Lumens (on battery)

•

Wi-Fi capable

•

Connectivity: 1 x USB 2.0 port; 1 x Mini USB; 1 x SD card slot; 1 x Mini HDMI; 1 x 3.5mm Audio Out Jack

We liked: Highly portable Good Projection Quality Plethora of connection methods

We disliked: Navigation through the U.I. can be laggy Built-in speakers are too soft

Apart from that, there’s a touch panel on the top that allows you to navigate through the PPX3614 U.I., as well as do quick adjustments to settings like brightness, contrast and even volume. Yes, you read that right. This little fellow also has a built-in speaker, so you can share both visuals AND audio. In case you were wondering, there’s also a built-in media player that allows you to easily play media (including .mkv files), without having to hook it up to a notebook or desktop.

tested, I found that some tweaking is required for best image quality and once again, due to limitations in size, one needs to be in a rather dimly-lit environment to truly appreciate the images from this projector. Overall, the image quality of this projector is crisp and sharp.

Input / Connectivity Another great thing about the PPX 3614 is that it is capable of handling input from many different sources. There’s one Mini HDMI port; one SD card slot, one mini USB port; one USB 2.0 port; and a 3.5mm audio output jack. The USB port is quite useful as it also allows you to plug in a mouse or a keyboard, allowing for much easier operation of the projector. In a nutshell, the PPX 3614 is a nifty little projector, with a respectable amount of connection options. Its Wi-Fi capabilities sets it apart from other portable projectors, making this projector something that’s rather unique. It’s also highly portable, offers good image quality and can be used without an external power source. If you’re looking for a powerful portable projector, look no further.

Image Quality Due to size limitation, the PPX3614 has a maximum brightness of 140 lumens. However, this is more than sufficient to project visuals up to 120-inch in size. When

CAMPUS PLUS |

wiredup by andrew tan

PHILIPS a1-PRO

FEBRUARY 2015

DJ in the House Philips A1-PRO

GOLD

FEBRUARY 2015

The Philips A5-PRO is undoubtedly the top option in Philips’ DJ Pro range. However, it’s priced rather steeply, which is a factor that makes some reluctant to purchase it. Thankfully, Philips has now released an entrylevel option in their DJ Pro range – the Philips A1-PRO. We find out how this pair of headphones stack up to its bigger brother in this review. Design/Features The Philips A1-PRO features a robust, practical and minimalistic design. The headband is crafted from TR90 nylon, which increases its flexibility without sacrificing durability, while the inner side of the headband is lined with plenty of cushion for maximum comfort. Speaking of comfort, the cushion pads on the earpads are highly comfortable. Having said that, if you’re wearing spectacles, it can become slightly tight, especially after long hours of use. While still on the subject of the earpads, they are easily replaceable, which is a great thing.

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For a DJ, one of the most important things is to be able to monitor ambient audio. The A1-PRO allows for this, thanks to rotating arms found on both the left and right side. This feature allows a DJ to effectively perform oneear monitoring, without having to wear them awkwardly. Another element that’s important to DJs is sound isolation. The A1-PRO utilises a closed-back design, which in tandem with its supra-aural ear cushions, provide a respectable amount of sound isolation.

Audio Quality Similar to the A5-PRO, the A1-PRO was developed by Philips in collaboration with Armin van Buuren. Needless to say, the audio profile of the A1-PRO has been tuned with his input, which has resulted in a profile that’s focused on bass, though not obnoxiously so. Lovers of techno, club or anything with inherently strong bass will love the sound of the Philips A1-PRO. The bass is punchy and impressive considering its size, and I thoroughly enjoyed myself listening to bass heavy tracks such as Mystery Skull’s ‘Ghost’. To thoroughly test the A1-PRO, I brought it out of its comfort zone, by using it to listen to classical tracks like Vivaldi’s ‘Allegro’. Here, the bass was once again pronounced, but the other string instruments were equally as audible, though not as defined as I would have liked it to be.

Specifications • 40mm neodymium drivers • 13Hz – 23kHz frequency response • 1.4m detachable coiled cable (expandable up to 1.8m) • 16Ohm Impedance • 2,500mW maximum power input

We liked: Great audio quality Detachable cable Minimalistic design

We disliked: Headband can be too tight, especially for those using spectacles

Connectivity Packaged in the box is a detachable coiled cable with a 3.5mm jack that can be extended up to 1.8m, so you do have some freedom to move around. You can connect this cable to either earcup, making it rather versatile. It also comes with a 1/4-inch adapter, for maximum compatibility with your other audio equipment. Overall, the A1-PRO is a solid pair of headphones. While it may not be as eyecatching as other designs and brands out there, it delivers in terms of performance. Costing less than the A5-PRO, the A1-PRO is something that’d we have no problem recommending.

CES SPECIAL

wiredup by andrew tan

FEBRUARY 2015

The Highlights from

CES 2015

Last January was a rather exciting month for the tech industry as the annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES) was held once again. As usual, there were plenty of amazing new technologies on display at the show and while we would have loved to list each and every one of them here, doing so would require us to dedicate an entire issue to CES. Instead of having to digest all this information, we decided to do the dirty work for you and list down some of the more interesting tech from this year’s show. Here are our top six list of most interesting tech from CES 2015: 6 3

1. Nokia 215

4. Autonomous Cars (various manufacturers)

The first thing you’ll want to know about the Nokia 215 is that it’s priced at US$29, which is about RM103. The second thing is that this phone is optimised for Internet browsing using 2G networks, which is why software like Facebook, Messenger, Twitter, and the Opera Mini Browser are preinstalled on this phone. However, the most impressive thing about the Nokia 215 is the fact that it has a whopping 29 days of standby time! Specifications of this phone include a 2.4-inch QVGA (320 x 240) LCD display, 8MB of RAM, Bluetooth, and a 0.3MP front-facing camera.

If you know KITT 2000, then you’ll like likely know what autonomous cars are all about. Sparked by Audi and its self-driving RS7, more and more cars makers are starting to feature autonomous driving. At this year’s CES, Mercedes-Benz unveiled a prototype car that the company described as a “living room on wheels”. Even BMW has an autonomous vehicle in the pipeline, the i3. The i3 uses a series of complex laser technology to “see” the world and automatically manoeuvre itself around obstacles. It can also self-park.

2. Seagate Sevenmm Drive

5. Dell XPS 13

With looks to die for, the Seagate Seven is an external hard drive that many will want on their to-buy list. Measuring only 7mm thick, the Sevenmm has 500GB worth of storage space and makes use of the USB 3.0 interface. It’s also encased in a steel enclosure, which gives it a very premium build. If you’re looking to buy something for your significant other this month, the Sevenmm is a practical and sexy option! Pricing for this external hard drive is expected to be less than RM400 when it reaches here.

The Dell XPS 13 is powered by Intel’s latest 5th Generation Intel Core processors. What’s interesting about this generation of processors is the fact that they use passive cooling technology (no need for internal fans!). Other specifications of the XPS13 include the use of SSDs and Full HD displays and a touch display option. This Ultrabook is now available via the Dell Malaysia website with pricing beginning at RM3,599.

3. LG G Flex2 In terms of design, LG’s G Flex2 doesn’t look entirely different from its predecessor, which is a great thing. It still has the same curved shape and its colour coating still self-heals whenever there’s a scratch. As for specifications, the G Flex2 now has a 5.5-inch, Full HD display, 2GB of RAM and a camera system that has laser autofocus, optical image stabilisation and the ability to recognise gestures, using the front-facing camera.

6. Intel Compute Stick One of the things that university students and businessmen have in common is the fact that they want computers that are highly portable. Well, at CES 2015, Intel has unveiled something called the Compute Stick, a device that turns an HDMI display into a full PC. It is powered by a quad-core Atom Z3735F CPU that powers many Android tablets today. It has 32GB of storage and 2GB of RAM. The best part is, Windows 8.1 is pre-installed in it.

CAMPUS PLUS |

gameslist by andrew tan

exciting new releases

FEBRUARY 2015

total war: attila Total War: Attila is the ninth stand-alone strategy game in the long standing Total War series from The Creative Assembly. The game will be set in 395 AD, at the beginning of the Dark Ages- a period of cultural and economic deterioration that wrecked Western Europe following the decline of the Roman Empire. Players will be able to command massive armies and empires, in lieu of previous Total War games, with new features such as apocalyptic destruction mechanics, with overhauled game mechanics. Improvements include better core gameplay and UI, as well as the inclusion of politics, the return of a family tree, civic management and technological progression. Fingers crossed for a smooth launch.

Expected release: 17 Feb 2015, on PC

the order: 1886 The Order: 1886 is a single-player action-adventure game developed by Ready at Dawn and SCE Santa Monica Studio. The game is set in an alternate London, where an ancient order of knights and guardians safeguard the world from half breed monsters, who are a combination of man and animal. The game features four main protagonists from a squad, who each has a given name, and the adopted name of one of the original knights. The game touts film-like presentation designed to replicate the look of film and uses real-world motion picture and cinematography techniques to emphasise dramatic character performance and realism.

Expected release: 20 Feb 2015, on PS4

Battlefield Hardline Battlefield Hardline is a first-person shooter game developed by Visceral Games in collaboration with EA Digital Illusions CE. Considered a spin-off to the venerable Battlefield series, Battlefield Hardline breaks away from the military setting that has been a constant of the series. The focus of the game has shifted to a police versus criminal storyline with the two factions being the police Special Response Units and Criminals. Though the game makes use of the conventional cops vs robbers setting, players will have access to military grade equipment and vehicles, such as machine guns and military helicopters as well as police equipment such as tasers and handcuffs. The break away from the seriesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; roots is surprising and is a breath of fresh air.

Expected release: 17 March 2015, on PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One

bloodborne Bloodborne is an action-roleplaying game developed by From Software. With the critically acclaimed Dark Souls I and II under their belt, From Software decided to take a slow methodical approach and change it to a faster and more offensive oriented action-rpg. The player character is much more agile and is able to perform many different athletic feats. The story is set in the ancient city of Yharnam, cursed with a strange endemic illness spreading through the streets. Players must face their fears and every kind of danger imaginable that lurks around every corner to survive and discover the secrets of the city in this dark necrotic world.

Expected release: 24 March 2015, on PlayStation 4.

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the thinking man’s game

gameon!

FEBRUARY 2015

by andrew tan

I Liked: Interesting gameplay mechanics Gradual and fair increase in difficulty and complexity Thought provoking themes and story i disliked: Presentation of storyline does not blend well with overall gameplay

Simple, yet Profound

“The key to growth is the introduction of higher dimensions of consciousness into our awareness.” - Lao Tzu

The story is told to you in an interesting way. The Talos Principle may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but for those who are looking to exercise their brains, I say pick it up. This game has plenty to offer in the gameplay department, and the storyline, while not as exciting as some AAA titles, is thought provoking.

What makes us human? Is it our consciousness, our ego, or our intense curiosity? The Talos Principle (TTP) explores themes of humanity, consciousness and curiosity while simultaneously delivering an excellent puzzle experience. Players play as an unnamed robot android who is commanded by a voice identifying itself as Elohim (Jewish for God) to solve the puzzles and collect sigils. Should all the sigils be successfully collected, the path to eternal life and enlightenment will be opened. The story is mainly delivered via computer terminals that are found throughout the game. Accessing a terminal allows you to ask pre-determined questions, and the answers help to paint a better picture of the game’s lore. TTP is played in the first person-perspective, with the main goal of collecting sigils hidden in various mazes and puzzles created by Elohim. Starting obstacles include roving orb shaped drones that will detonate if they get too close

Sigils come in tetromino shapes and are required to solve puzzles. Solving puzzles will open doors that allow you to progress further.

to the player, and wall-mounted guns that will destroy you if you get too close to them. As the player progresses, new elements and mechanics become available. Most interesting of them being the device that allows you to create a recording of your actions, so that you can then interact with this recording to complete tasks. You could get your “clone” stand on top of a switch to keep it activated for the duration you need it to, for example. I found the gradual introduction of tools and mechanics engaging and fair. I was never overwhelmed with a bombardment of new mechanics and a steady increase in difficulty allowed me to progress at a pace I was comfortable with. As for the puzzles, some of the really tricky ones had me thinking for quite some time, while a few really tough ones required me to take a break, before attempting another go from a different angle. One of the things that some may like while others will hate, is the fact that there are hardly any instructions or tutorials in TTP. You are expected to learn each and every aspect of the game, which is something that’s refreshing and a good departure from the norm. What really stood out for me was the atmosphere of the game. I felt utterly and completely alone in the world, with no one save Elohim to act as my guide (think ‘Portal’). This is something that I believe truly suits the game, as I could really concentrate on the task at hand, without being distracted by any annoying side objectives that were given by even more annoying NPCs.

JAN 2015 | CAMPUS PLUS |

campustalk

YOUR VIEWS ON CURRENT ISSUES

FEBRUARY 2015

Love is in the Air? Valentine’s day has always been a day for us to confess and profess our love. However, why must there only be one day in a year dedicated specifically for this purpose? Shouldn’t we say “I love you” to our significant other as often as we can? Thanks to the power of social networking, saying these three words is now easier than it ever was, so is Valentine’s day still relevant today? Here’s what you had to say:

“Yes, because Valentine’s Day is like a couples’ anniversary and is an opportunity for people to show their love for each other.”

“Yes, I think Valentine’s Day is still relevant because it’s a day that encourages love. It gives couples in long distance relationships an excuse to meet again.”

Lee Jun Da, 19 Erican College, Diploma in Accountancy

Chew Jue Xuan, 21 Erican College, Diploma in Tourism Management

“Yes, Valentine’s Day has a long history, and it is one of the most important days of the year for people in relationships.”

“Yes, because the day is a chance for a couple to spend the entire day together.”

Sum Du Jing, 19 Erican College, Diploma in Accountancy

Yap Sai Keong, 19 Erican College, Diploma in Interior Design

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FEB 2015 | CAMPUS PLUS |

dreamcars

the battles begin now!

FEBRUARY 2015

f you’ve been a gearhead for as long as you remember, then the Honda NSX would likely have earned a spot in your list of dream cars. Originally produced over 25 years ago, the first generation Honda NSX was the first production car to feature an all-aluminium monocoque body, which basically means it has a highly stiff chassis and is much lighter. Apart from that, the Honda NSX was designed after receiving inspiration from an F-16 cockpit. To this effect, the car’s cockpit is placed towards the front of the body, giving drivers plenty of visibility. Just last month, Honda showcased the latest version of the second generation Honda NSX at the 2015 Detroit Motor Show. The new car, which looks significantly different from its predecessor, still

has design cues taken from the first generation, such as the aforementioned placement of the cockpit to the front. Inside, the new NSX sports a TFT LCD display that acts as a digital instrument cluster. What’s great about this system is that it changes what it’s displaying, depending on the driving mode that’s selected via the Integrated Dynamics System. In terms of power, this car makes use of something called the Sport Hybrid Super-Handling All-Wheel Drive power unit (SH-AWD). This system is a combination of a mid-mounted twin-turbo V6 engine, along with three other electric motors. One electric motor sends power to the rear wheels and assists in acceleration, braking and

The Return of the

NSX

68 68

CAMPUS PLUS PLUS | DEC 2014 || CAMPUS

gear shifts. The other two provide torque control for the two front wheels. In total, you’re getting about 550 horsepower that’s tamed by a nine-speed dual-clutch transmission. As for its chassis, Honda has said that the new NSX makes use of a “multi-material” space frame that comprises of aluminium and ultra-high-strength steel. These are bolted to a rigid carbon fibre floor. Body panels that are made of aluminium and sheet moulding composite are then attached. To complement this lightweight chassis, there’s an all-around fully-independent suspension to help ensure superb handling. Speaking of handling, Honda has integrated its Agile Handling Assist (AHA) system, which helps to improve yaw response and overall stability.

CAMPUS PLUS |

wanderlust by rachel fong

se asia’s ‘hot’ spots

FEBRUARY 2015

n o i t a c a V y a V-D

Across L South East Asia

et’s be honest here: how much of a turn-on can Valentine’s be when you spend it in the city inundated by hordes of fellow couples and businesses looking to make a quick buck off your affections? If you have some savings stashed away and both you and your partner have been bitten by the wanderlust bug, we say a little vacation is just what the relationship needs. Best part is, you don’t even need to go that far, or spend that much. So get ready to pack your bags, because we’ve listed down FIVE great spots that will prove to be just what the love doctor ordered.

#1 Ninh Bình, Vietnam

What to See & Do: Karst scenery - a landscape formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks such as limestone, which can be found in Tam Cốc. Tam Cốc - Lying 6km away from the city, Tam Cốc is where you can go on a day tour with the highlight being a boat ride down the idyllic Ngô Đồng river flanked by majestic karst towers, before passing on to breathtaking scenes of sprawling rice fields. You’ll also get to float under three natural caves, some of which have ceilings so low you’ll need to lie down on the boat. The ride takes two to three hours, which may sound like a stretch, but it is a truly rewarding trip for those who genuinely want to kick back and do nothing but take in nature’s glory. Bích Động pagoda - For more spectacular views, you can scale the highest temple in the Bích Động pagoda. It consists of three temples, each one higher than the other. Where to Stay: Kim Lien Guest House - from US$13 (about RM47) a night, you can get free Wi-Fi and rooms with air-conditioning. Its strategic location makes it a winner too, as it is a short bicycle ride to the aforementioned rice fields and a 10-minute walk away from the city. Canh Dieu Hotel - costing US$8 (about RM29) a night, Canh Dieu is situated in the heart of the city, with a cafè on the top floor which affords guests a view of the mountains and the city at large. 70

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#2 Siem Reap, Cambodia

What to See & Do: Angkor Wat - No Siem Reap adventure is complete without a jaunt to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Angkor Wat, which dates all the way back to the 12th century. It has also gained popularity as a prime sunrise viewing spot, so be sure to check this off the bucket list with your better half. Hot Balloon Tour - For a more unconventional take on the Angkor Wat tour, book a ride in a hot air balloon, which gives you a bird’s eye view of the entire area as you float above it. Candlelight Dinner - By the evening, the two of you can settle in for a candlelit dinner at one of the many restaurants within the city. Don’t forget to try out delicious local cuisine! Where to Stay: The Siem Reap Hostel – A hostel that pops up often on ‘Best Of’ lists, and with its boutique hostel-like setup, it isn’t hard to see why. Every room has its own air conditioning and bathroom, and the hostel has a swimming pool with an adjacent bar and restaurant, and Wi-Fi. Prices are from RM60 per night. Angkor Spirit Palace - For a more secluded stay, there’s the Angkor Spirit Palace (from RM85 per night), which is only a twenty-minute drive to the airport and Angkor Wat.

#3 Alona Beach, Philippines

What to See & Do: Diving and snorkelling - For diving and snorkelling enthusiasts, you’ll be happy to know that you only have to go 100 metres out to see the house reef, which is home to a wealth of marine life. Chocolate Hills - As Alona Beach is located within Bohol, you should also seize the chance to see Chocolate Hills, which are said to be Bohol’s most famous attraction. Take a tour to climb up the hills and enjoy a view of sprawling hills, which wouldn’t look out of place in a fairy tale. Dining options - You’ll be spoilt for choice as a stretch of restaurants peddling Italian, Thai, local cuisine and more dot the coastline. Take your partner to one of the candlelit tables outside the restaurants and settle in with good food and live acoustic music. Where to Stay: Oops Cottage - Priced between RM71-RM79 for a night, it has a restaurant and a bar at which you can go online while enjoying the sumptuous food. Its rooms are cosy and well kept. Hope Homes - Yet another option worth considering, as a night here starts from RM100, with facilities like air-conditioning and Wi-Fi. You may also rent a motorcycle here to take you to Alona, which is 10 minutes away, or hire a driver to take you there.

#4 Bali, Indonesia

What to See: Ubud - If you watched and loved ‘Eat, Pray, Love’, the first place you’d want to hit up is Ubud. Here, you can get your fill of traditional music and dance, as well as indulge in spas and spiritual retreats. By foot or bicycle, you can feast your eyes on the stunning green paddy fields that blanket most of Ubud. Monkey Forest - Ubud also has a peculiar attraction in the monkey forest, where you can interact with the primates (do watch out for your belongings!). Elephant Cave - Nearby, there’s a network of historic temples such as the Elephant Cave in Kintamani.

Kuta - If you’re hankering for a good partying ground, head to Kuta, where you’ll meet lots of fellow party-goers on the beach to join you for a night of raving fun. Where to Stay: Nick’s Hidden Cottages - This place comes highly recommended, as a night’s stay starts from RM128. It is located within central Ubud, so exploration by foot or bike is easy peasy. It also provides breakfast and is said to have beautiful gardens and superior views of sunset. Kubu Hotel - In Kuta, Kubu Hotel is a good place to start off with, as it is only a five-minute walk away from the Beach. Facilities are great as well – guest rooms come with Wi-Fi, breakfast and 24-hour room service. Prices are almost absurdly low, with rates starting from RM41 per night.

#5 Langkawi, Kedah

What to See: Andaman Sea - For nature lovers, the Andaman sea should be a big draw on its own, due to the 104 tiny islands that surround it, and abundance of water sports that come with them. On Land - Langkawi is just as known for its Underwater World, which is a mega aquarium featuring more than 5,000 types of marine life, the Crocodile Farm (self explanatory), and Lagenda Park, which comprises of looming sculptures depicting local folklore. Where to Stay: Sandpipers Guesthouse - 15 minutes away from the famous Pantai Cenang, it more than makes up for its barebones interior with hospitable hosts and cosy rooms. Prices start from just RM55 a night. Tubotel - For something with a little more pizzazz, the Tubotel is your go-to. Its most interesting feature comes from its seaview rooms, where you can open the tube-shaped door and come out to your private balcony to look out to the waters. It is also said to have a peaceful and relaxing ambience, making it ideal for those of you who just want to spend quality time with your significant other.

FEB 2015 | CAMPUS PLUS |

www weirdwackyworld

our eccentric world

FEBRUARY 2015

Sales of Unauthorised Selfie Sticks Could Lead to Jail Time in South Korea

The South Korean government recently decided to crackdown on retailers of selfie sticks (also known as monopods). Sadly, they are not arresting them for the crime of making people look uncool. Instead, the focus of the crackdown is only on models that come with integrated Bluetooth technology. The reason for this crackdown of Bluetooth-enabled selfie sticks is because there have been reports of uncertified selfie sticks casuing damage to other electronics.

fact: Retailers who are found to be selling uncertified monopods could face a fine of 30 million won (RM95,313) along with a prison sentence of up to three years.

Mosquitoes Prefer Beer Drinkers Beer drinkers beware. You aren’t the only one who loves the taste of beer. A study has discovered that just a single 350ml bottle of beer can make you more attractive to mosquitoes. Several possibilities are attributed as the reason for this. First of all, drinking beer increases the amount of ethanol excreted in sweat. On top of that, it also raises the body temperature. It turns out that mosquitoes have the ability to smell lactic acid and other substances in sweat and will therefore aim for those with higher temperature bodies.

Fact: Mosquitoes favor Type O blood twice as much as Type A. And they are also attracted to high levels of carbon dioxide, which means for those with larger frames and bigger bodies, there is a higher risk for bites. Pregnant women beware! 72

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World’s Oldest Two-Faced Cats Dies

Remember the famous two-faced cat with two mouths, two noses and three eyes? Frank and Louie, the world’s oldest Janus cat, recently died at the age of 15. He suffered from a severe case of cancer and was put to sleep by doctors. At the age of 12, Frankenlouie (his given nickname) became the oldest surviving Janus cat, which subsequently earned him a spot in the Guinness World Record.

fact: The term Janus cat came about from the Roman god Janus, who had two faces. Janus cats almost never survive as most of them have congenital defects.

OUT & ABOUT TOWN

FEBRUARY 2015

event-full

TECHNOLOGUE 002 SAT-SUN / FEB 28 MARCH 1 BAND GOES POP: SPECIAL SHOWCASE FEATURING NEW FOUND GLORY FRI / FEB 6

Florida’s own pop punk pioneers New Found Glory will be coming down to Malaysia to shake up your February! They are widely considered to be the leaders of the pop punk movement in the early 2000s alongside Blink-182, and their latest album Resurrection was just released last year in October. Apart from your favourite NFG hits like ‘It’s Not Your Fault’, ‘All Downhill from Here’ and ‘Radiosurgery’, fans will definitely get to hear their latest material live as well. As the date draws nearer to the concert, more supporting acts will also be announced so keep an eye on the event’s Facebook page! For more information, visit www.newfoundglory.com. TIME: 6PM-10PM VENUE: Bentley Music Auditorium, PJ TICKETING: RM118 (exclusively available online) / RM128 (available online and all Rock Corner outlets) / RM140 (door sale) Book online at: www. mcmticket.com.my

2015 TAEYANG WORLD TOUR RISE IN MALAYSIA SAT / FEB 7

It’s been hard to miss this member of K-pop sensation Big Bang in 2014, what with his chiseled abs, smooth dance moves, and most of all his chart topping hit ‘Eyes, Nose, Lips’. If all of that has converted you into a Taeyang fangirl, or you were already worshipping at the altar of Taeyang ages before everyone else, you don’t want to miss this chance to watch the man himself tear up the stage! The World Tour is in conjunction with the release of his second solo album RISE, so expect many hits - old and new - from the multi-talented performer. For more information, visit www.facebook.com/TAEYANG. TIME: 6.30PM VENUE: Stadium Negara, KL TICKETING: RM199 (free seating) / RM299 (free seating) / RM399 (free seating) / RM499 (rock zone) / RM599 (VIP zone/numbered seats) Book online at : www.ticketcharge.com.my

TALES FROM THE BEDROOM 2 WED-SUN / FEB 11-15

For a twist on Valentine’s Day activities, why not get cultured and head on down to KL’s Performing Arts Centre? Get front row seats to the secret lives of ten different couples, all of whom have intriguing stories to tell – some of them humorous, some heart-warming and some just downright tragic. Last year’s first ever TFTB sold out within a week of its first show date, so this year’s show will definitely be a sold-out event as well, considering this show revolves around the theme of Love, Sex and Humour. Get ready to cry, laugh, and most of all, gasp, because these ten short plays will examine relationships with a dose of brutal honesty. For more information, visit www.klpac.org. TIME: 8.30PM VENUE: klpac, KL TICKETING: RM33 Book online at: www.klpac.org

SLASH WORLD ON FIRE FEATURING MYLES KENNEDY AND THE CONSPIRATORS LIVE IN MALAYSIA 2015 SAT / FEB 14

The rocker with the signature top hat is charging up your February with a slew of hard rocking guitar solos come this February. Better still, he will be doing so alongside singer Myles Kennedy from Alter Bridge, and Brent Fitz and Todd Kerns who make up The Conspirators. He has gained abundant acclaim as a world-class electric guitarist, picking up top rankings on Best Of lists from Rolling Stone and Esquire along the way. With the release of his new album World on Fire, Slash is set to do just that on the stage of Sunway Lagoon Surf Beach. For more information, visit www.slashonline.com. TIME: 8.30PM VENUE: Surf Beach @ Sunway Lagoon, PJ TICKETING: RM168 (silver zone) / RM278 (platinum zone) / RM348 (rock zone) Book online at: www.buytickets.com.my

Under9, an underground venue in KL where music, arts and people come together, is hosting a new club night featuring DJ Dilee D. Spinning alongside Notion A and Jason Voon, the event aims to bring back the city’s underground techno scene of the 90s. Non-conforming and dedicated to the radical side of techno, this one goes back to the basics with vinyl records on the decks. There will be a range of genres to cater to techno fans of every cloth too, with funky, deep, tribal, and acid being just a handful of them. For more information, visit www. facebook.com/under9kl.

TIME: 10PM-3AM VENUE: Under9, KL TICKETING: RM15

CHRISTINA PERRI THE HEAD OR HEART TOUR TUE / MARCH 3

Best known as the voice and soul behind the smash hit ‘A Thousand Years’, American singer-songwriter is now making her second foray into Malaysian waters in support of her new album Head or Heart. The name of her latest tour comes from the question that the album poses, which is: In matters of love, should you rely on your heart or your head? You’ve probably already sampled the heartbreaking yet oh so resonating material via radio staples like ‘Human’ and ‘Burning Gold’, so get ready to sing along with their writer when the tour rolls into town. For more information, visit www.christinaperri.com.

TIME: 8.45PM VENUE: KL Live @ Life Centre, KL TICKETING: RM131 / RM211 / RM301 Book online at: www.ticketpro.com.my

CAMPUS PLUS |

arts&culture by rachel fong

strange traditions of the chinese

FEBRUARY 2015

riental

ddities 1

1. Tearful Weddings

landing a date, there While some of us would cry tears of joy from e and during the wedding are parts of China that view crying befor has endured most among ceremony as an obligation. The tradition devote an hour every day Tujia people, whose brides are required to to the wedding. Ten days to shedding tears for a whole month prior her mother. In another ten after, she will be joined in the procedure by salty bandwagon, as will days, the grandmother will also hop on the if she has any. Named any other sisters and aunts of the betrothed, has its roots in the Warring ‘Zuo Tang’ (Sitting in the Hall), the tradition ss of Zhao State cried at States Period, when the mother of the prince soon as possible, because her feet to implore her to return home as state to be queen. her daughter was to be married to another e psychology going On the day of the wedding, there’s a lot of revers singing songs with hugely around too: brides cry while exaggeratedly phere for the ceremony. depressing lyrics to create a happy atmos ages, brides certainly had However, back in the days of arranged marri isfactory matches and more inspiration for genuine tears due to unsat unhappy lives.

2. New Year, New You

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no matter which country Coming of age rituals are always fascinating in Southwest China is they’re from, and the Yi ethnic minority living the ages of 15 to 17, no exception. When teenage girls there reach is held to symbolize them a ‘Shalaluo’, or Dress Changing Ceremony by an elderly, respected becoming adults. The date will be chosen A rather comprehensive figure, with even numbered years favoured. clothes swapped out for makeover is given, with their children’s , and actual earrings adults’, their ponytails tied into two braids s. They will also wear an hung from their earlobes instead of thread . embroidered handkerchief over their heads as the ceremony also h, thoug there stop don’t es The chang From this point on, they heralds a new era of freedom for the girls. , and develop romantic are allowed to go shopping, watch horse racing ony, doing so is highly relationships on their own. Before the cerem will be severely punished. forbidden and anyone who breaks the rule ended, men may join in on Once the symbolic part of the ceremony has delicious food alongside the party too and take in the festivities and the new women.

3. Party with a Bang

part their lives on the line to be a In Yanshui, Taiwan, revellers put era chol Held to commemorate a of the yearly fireworks festival. have to ago, the fireworks are believed epidemic more than a century orks ght the plague. Masses of firew warded off the demons that brou like in none of them draw thrill seekers are let off during this time, but ches , rows and rows of multiple laun the Beehive Firework. Basically ted, the in a fort, and once they are igni of bottle rockets are arranged known ng everywhere. Revellers are rockets will shoot out, ricocheti visor y clothing, a helmet with a full to stand close by, dressed in heav all up ess the explosives blowing and protective gloves, and witn s dles them will be shot into them. Nee around them - even if some of loss ry of grievous injuries and tempora to say, there have been reports of hearing. ethe intimidating and adrenalin As clearly dangerous as it is, is ival its share of fans. Since the fest inducing experience still has tism ‘bap New Year, some believe the held 15 days after the Lunar toxic m, and capable of eliminating of fireworks’ is a good luck char new year. influences and troubles in the

4. The Corpse Bride

dings. ese culture, we have ghost wed On the more macabre side of Chin If the . s, depending on the deceased There are a few different type se to wedding, the bride can still choo fiancé passes away before the ly dead erel will take the place of the get married, and a white cock the for that, it doesn’t get much better beloved at the ceremony. After m’s immediately move in with the groo blushing bride: she will have to acy celib oms, and practice a vow of family, take part in mourning cust who s dard in patriarchal China, male for the rest of her life. As is stan face es’ after they have died do not do the same and marry their ‘wiv

the same disadvantages. out sinister turn if a man dies with Things take on an even more the in e from being forever alon an engagement. To prevent them up dug s where female corpses were afterlife, there have been case et targ n s. These grave robberies ofte to be buried alongside the male up h fetc and since their carcasses can young girls who died recently, able 0), it’s safe to say there is a size to 20,000 yuan (approx. RM15,00 ased dece superstitious family with a market for it. Where there’s a g ihood of a poor girl’s body goin likel bachelor son, there’s a higher missing somewhere.

5. A Source of Protein

But it’s e Internet hoaxes, we really do. We wish this were one of thos eggs boil g boys’ urine and use it to not. Chefs really do harvest youn to ve nati year in China. The delicacy is for public consumption every al ition China, and just last year trad the city of Dongyang in eastern of were ses of it, saying that the eggs Chinese chefs were singing prai k? a sour taste. So how does it wor with an exceptionally high standard in ided local schools. Buckets are prov First, the urine is collected from h whic ty their bladder into, following the toilets for the boys to emp ed boil be the chefs. The eggs will then they will be collected fresh by without, for a day and a night. The once twice: once with the shell and n. eggs are then ready to be eate ural how the eggs have attained cult Perhaps even more startling is SCO UNE a even talk of applying for significance in the city. There was t dish. To the chefs there, it mus sual unu World Heritage status for the and thy eggs as being delicious, heal be a no-brainer, as they laud the roving focus. imp capable of halting fevers and

5 6

6. Extreme Pigging Out

ple inclusions on this list, Hakka peo In one of the more controversial sity, obe bid mor of t years to the poin in Taiwan force-feed pigs for God parading them in the Pigs of and them before slaughtering up ned fatte are They ntal trimmings. festival with flowers and Orie and ests cont y man s of winning the also to increase the owners’ odd ing pigs’ masses often reach alarm The ival. fest the ut awards througho have ers own e som , at 900kg. However heights, with some weighing in re ing the pigs metal or sand befo feed e forc by t been known to chea the weighing. city red, they are offered to the Once they have been slaughte has tice prac the say, . Needless to god or a local deity as a sacrifice day ern mod the see ts groups, who drawn ire from many animal righ display of the owners’ wealth. ssive exce an of e incarnation as mor live pigs the festival, or substitute the There have been calls to ban ever, the How ers. flow dough, rice or for artificial editions made from Taipei New in ict distr ugh the Sanxia parade still makes its way thro City every year. FEB 2015 | CAMPUS PLUS |

lifehacks/diy by gavriella tjandra

turning to nature

FEBRUARY 2015

Naturally Clean with

t n e g r e t e D e d Homema Y

ou may have been using store-bought laundry detergent for as long as you can remember. After all, you just need to head down to the nearest supermarket, and pick your preferred detergent from the shelf. Do you know that Americans use more than 8.3 billion litres of laundry detergent each year! Similarly, we Malaysians are just as guilty.

Contrary to popular belief, research shows that conventional laundry detergent contains non-biodegradable chemical compounds that are harmful to the environment. The artificial fragrances, for instance, contain petroleum that is capable of causing extensive pollution. In fact, a U.S. Geological Survey study has found persistent detergent metabolites in water sources. This makes it dangerous for marine life, as it intoxicates marine life and halts algae growth. Not to mention, conventional detergent has a very high level of alkaline, which irritates your skin. Well, at least now you know where those mysterious rashes come from! 76

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Why Homemade Detergent?

One of the best ways to combat detergent pollution poisoning is to make your own detergent. We at Campus Plus managed to find a recipe online, on how to create homemade detergent. We attempted to create the solution ourselves, but must admit that it does take some amount of effort. Most of the ingredients can be found in Ace Hardware and once you’ve got them, you’ll need to spend at least 30 minutes to mix the concoction. Before we tell you exactly how it’s done though, let’s take a look at the benefits of using DIY detergent:

1. Save a bunch!

Your average detergent costs about RM15 for three litres, and it lasts for approximately a month. The cost of all the ingredients needed for the DIY detergent totals up in RM77-RM80, and the amount of detergent you can make from this amount lasts for approximately a year. In summary: Your standard off-the-shelf detergent: RM15 x 12 months = RM180 DIY detergent: RM80 x 1 = RM80 This translates into savings of about RM100 per year!

2. Cleans just as good

We’ve found that the DIY detergent removes the strongest of perfume, and cleans dirt as well as grime rather effectively. There’s no reason to go for something that’s more expensive if something that’s more affordable is just as effective.

3. Friendlier on Your Skin

For some, the use of regular detergent causes skin irritation. As mentioned above, research has found that conventional detergent has very high levels of alkaline that is consequently able to irritate skin. The ingredients used in this DIY detergent has very little alkaline, so it should better for those with sensitive skin.

4. You get to be the environment superhero!

List down the ingredients found on the label of your off-the-shelf detergent and Google them. You’ll learn that on average there are five out of 10 ingredients that are harmful. These harmful chemical compounds are not only dangerous for your skin, but to the environment as well. The optical brightener, for instance, a component that “brightens” your clothes, are harmful to aquatic life. Seriously, you’re killing fish just to clean your clothes!

em Getting Tnhts Ingredwillieneed to head to the

IYFirstly, you or any D Hardware ce A t : es up near pick these e, and then or st p y lt cu ia spec – take 1 um borate Borax/sodi

1 2 3

– out carbonate da/sodium Washing so out bly take 1 cup ap (prefera scented so un A bar of tha or Dr. ap Fels-Nap laundry so stile soap be Bronner’s ca soap can unscented of r ur ba yo *the soap of any other by ed ac repl choice.

Here Comes the (Not So) Hard Work!

1. Grate the soap

Grating the soap will help it mix better with the other ingredients. However, if you happened to have a food processor or even a blender at home, you could use it to mix all the ingredients in it. When using a food processor or blender, we highly recommend using a separate container than the one used for food. Ingesting detergent is not a pleasant experience.

3 2. Mix, mix, mix!

If you don’t have a blender or food processor, get a mixing bowl and thoroughly mix all the ingredients together using whisk.

3. Store it properly

Once you have your DIY detergent, you’ll want to store is somewhere cool and dry. If you have younger siblings around the household, it’s best to keep it somewhere out of their reach. Yes, it is that simple to help protecting the environment, save on bills, and keep your skin healthy! FEB 2015 | CAMPUS PLUS |

fooddirectory by andrew tan

FRISKINESS WELCOMED

FEBRUARY 2015

Frisky?

Only with Ideas.

In spite of its rather risquĂŠ choice of name, you will find no funny business at the Frisky Goat when it comes to food.

Tucked in a corner with various other shops, the Frisky Goat stands unassuming. The food served here though, is anything but demure. This establishment was started late in February 2014 by co-founders Angeline, Lisa and Kenix, all of whom decided to start their own business when their daily working lives grew too tiresome. The Frisky Goat is unique in the sense that there are always up to five or six items on the menu that rotates every month, so you should always be ready to ask about the monthly special.

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My experience there started with the serving of a dish named ‘The Awesomeball’. Don’t let the quirky name fool you though, as it really is one of the more awesome things I have tried. The centrepiece of the dish is a large meatball slathered with a light pesto sauce that was swimming in a larger pool of tomato sauce and ringed with lightly fried eggplants. The meatball however, isn’t your average meatball. When I cut it open, freshly cooked spaghetti spilled out of it! The sauce and the meatball complement each other spectacularly and the spaghetti wasn’t mushy or soggy. This highly unique dish is priced at RM24 and was one of the specials of the month.

The Awesomeball

After ‘The Mantastic’, I tried out ‘The Works’. A classic combination of bacon, sausage, mushroom and fried eggs, with a side of salad, this dish will surely satiate any appetite. Simple yet delicious, ‘The Works’ is available to order everyday till 3:30PM and goes for RM24.

eggs cocotte

I was then served a generous portion of eggs cocotte. Baked with various meats with a dash of tomatoes and a topping of eggs with a secret mixture of cheeses, this is a must-try for cheese lovers; the extra side of homemade bread just seals the deal. The price is fair at RM21.50. Another oddly named dish was ‘The Mantastic’. It’s a waffle dish with fried chicken and a topping of a fried egg and lightly tossed vegetables, with a small pitcher of sweet syrup at its side. I found myself loving this eccentric dish though. The sweetness of the syrup contrasted very well with the heady flavours of the fried chicken and vegetables, which is accompanied by the mellowness of the homemade waffles. This was also a special of the month and was priced at RM22.

the works

To round the whole experience up, I was given the ‘Waffles A L’Americaine’, which is a sinful serving of delicious home-made waffles that’s covered liberally in chocolate syrup, thinly sliced bananas, a dash of ice cream, almond sprinkles and a generous dollop of whipped cream. If you order this, hold on to your taste buds and get ready for a sweetness overload!

the mantastic

waffles a l’americaine

The Frisky Goat is open all days of the week, with peak hours being dinner during weekdays and brunch on weekends. Make sure to get there early, as seats and parking space are in limited supply! JAN 2015 | CAMPUS PLUS | 79

cafes

NEW CAFES TO VISIT IN KL/PJ

FEBRUARY 2015

Cafe-nated!

rious pictures from Now that we have your appetite whetted with those glo game with FOUR The Frisky Goat, how about upping your café-hopping more that have just opened around the Klang Valley? Warning: cafés may induce Instagram frenzy. Thirty Seconds, Bandar Sri Damansara

DR.Inc, Bangsar

The whimsical storefront of DR.Inc (Via: eatdrinkkl.blogspot.com)

DR.Inc’s signature cuppa, the Presso Bomb (Via: eatdrinkkl.blogspot.com)

Here’s a little cheat to help you pass off as a regular instead of a newcomer here: it’s pronounced DRINK, not Doctor Inc. Tucked away on Jalan Kemuja, a quiet street off Jalan Bangsar, DR.Inc rewards you with a photogenic storefront made of glass once you locate it. Billed as an ‘inspiration space’, it shares a space with L.Inc Design and architecture firm Studio Bikin. For drinks that you won’t get anywhere else, head straight for the Fat Americano and Presso Bomb. The former is a sizzling, adrenaline rush of a beverage, what with its DNA of espresso and Coke. As for the Presso Bomb, it features a shot of espresso in Malacca-sourced ice cream soda. For more information, visit www.facebook.com/drincbangsar

The retro storefront of Thirty Seconds (Via: summerying1109.blogspot.com)

Ice cream lovers would want to experiment with Thirty Seconds’ ice cream burger (Via: eatdrinkkl.blogspot.com)

Caffeinated Cabin, Jalan Gasing

Caffeinated Cabin welcomes you into its midst with a pretty chalkboard sign. (Via: www.bangsarbabe.com)

The Smoked Duck Sandwich, one of Caffeinated Cabin’s signature dishes (Via: | CAMPUS www.eatdrink.my) PLUS

A small space packed with a lot of charm, this former open parking lot is a blink-and-youmiss-it establishment. Once you spot it though, there’s a lot by way of brunches, pastries and cakes to keep your tummy filled. Your camera will also have a field day with the beautifully adorned murals and the natural sunlight that pours in through all corners of the café. If ingredients like salmon, poached eggs and smoked ducks are what you fancy, you will be spoilt for choice. Coming highly recommended are the smoked duck open-face sandwich, which is served with generous slices of (duh!) duck meat and potato wedges, as well as their charcoal beef burger. Like quirky coffee art? Caffeinated Cabin has that too. For more information, visit www.facebook.com/caffeinatedcabin

Already gaining steam among café-hoppers for its no-frills approach to the café trend, Thirty Seconds offers comfort food in a warm, comfortable setting. It helps that the business is a family affair, as diners are greeted by the patriarch of the family, while his wife and son run the kitchen and coffee bar respectively. Among the big draws are the Gula Melaka Banana Cake and the ice cream burger. The former derives its sweetness from the natural ingredients that make up its title, which makes it the perfect treat for those who are less inclined towards artificial sugar. The ice cream burgers get their delicious scoops from Shamaziin by Shaun Liew, an independent ice cream maker who infuses his desserts with unusual flavours like Horlicks & Maltesers. For more information, visit www.facebook.com/30secondsmalaysia

the augmented, ss2

The tree sculpture in The Augmented that symbolizes strength and hope. (Via: www.eatdrink.my)

The Augmented gives sugar junkies what they need in the Belgian Chocolate Ganache Tart. (Via: www.eatdrink.my)

Featuring a majestic sculpture of a tree that greets customers and serves as the visual focal point of the café, The Augmented made a quiet splash in the SS2 café scene when it opened late last year. The all-white interior lets the artwork stand out, which is in line with The Augmented owners’ desire to double the space as a showcase for local artists. For now, its biggest attraction is the cakes from home baker Anne of 126 Kitchen, who specializes in a creamy soft Belgian Chocolate Ganache Tart with dulce de leche (milk jelly in Spanish). Your caffeine fix here comes courtesy of beans from Beans Depot & Papa Palheta, and you can also find cold-pressed orange juice and hot chocolate here. For more information, visit www.facebook.com/theaugmentedcafe