World Mental Health Day 2014

World Mental Health Event 2014 Day by CPCS 

of 

Help University.

It is an honor and a privilege to be invited to participate in the World Mental Health Day Event by the Psychology and Counseling Department of Help University. The theme that Center for Psychological and Counseling Services (CPCS) is featuring this year is Breaking Stigma, Bridging Lives. The aim of this event is to raise awareness about Schizophrenia and other related mental health issues. It was held for 3 days from the 8th of October till the 10th of October 2014, from 10am to 4pm. There were audio and video simulations related to mental illness, communication activities, dance, expressive art, stress-relief crafts, and mindfulness activities from the experiential rooms across all three days. Sadly, I was unable to attend all 3 days of the event due to tight class schedule and time constraint, thus only attended the last two days and participated in a few activities and event highlights that were arranged for the participants. 

This year’s health concern is on the psychological disease called Schizophrenia. Schizophrenia refers to a long-term mental disorder of a type involving a breakdown in the relation between thought, emotion, and behaviour, leading to faulty perception, inappropriate actions and feelings, withdrawal from reality and personal relationships into fantasy and delusion, and a sense of mental fragmentation. The first experiential room that I was introduced to is called ‘Breaking Stigma’. I was informed on the seriousness of Schizophrenia as there have been several suicide cases reported due to this mental disorder. However, little did I know that Schizophrenia is common for men and women in their late 20s, Previously, I thought it was only common among children. The truth is that it's quite uncommon for children to be diagnosed with Schizophrenia and also rare for those older than 45.

Not just that, I was also told that Schizophrenia symptoms vary from person to person. Some of the symptoms of Schizophrenia that we ought to know include delusions, hallucinations, disorganized thinking and abnormal motor behaviour. However, it is quite difficult to recognize Schizophrenia symptoms in teenagers as this may also be just a part of typical teen development. I startled upon hearing that the symptoms among teenagers are withdrawal from friends and family, drop in performance at school, trouble sleeping, irritability or depressed mood and lack of motivation as I’m pretty much encountering some of these currently. I hope it is not what I think it is. As for treating this illness, the medical management of Schizophrenia often requires a combination of antipsychotic, antidepressant, and antianxiety medication. Unfortunately, most people will discontinue their use of medications, especially ones where the side effects are difficult to tolerate. This is devastating because lifelong treatment is needed for victims of Schizophrenia.

Secondly, we then moved on to the next phase called ‘Empathy Lab’. This was my most favourite part of the tour. I was asked to listen to some sound clips and do a crossword puzzle at the same time. Throughout the sound clips, I heard gory sound effects and voices that mentioned negative comments like “You’re worthless. You should die. You’re stupid.” These discouraging words were very disturbing and not pleasing to the ears. I was unable to concentrate on completing the crossword puzzle. It is undoubtedly true that people with Schizophrenia face delusions because they hear voices that other people don’t hear. Thus, these negative voices they hear lead them to suicidal thoughts and abnormal behaviour. Besides, I also watched a video clipping on how a Schizophrenic runs his daily routines. He sees, hears, smells, or feels things that no one else can. He believes things that are not true. For example, a person may believe that people on the radio and television are talking directly to him or her. Sometimes people believe that they are in danger, thinking that other people are trying to hurt them. How terrifying can life get?

The next experiential room is called the ‘Dance Expression’, where we were taught on how to do the Cha Cha Cha dance. Basically, this is a form of a dance therapy that is able to make people happy and joyful. Hence, dancing is used to treat Schizophrenia. However, otherwise, I think I should still practice dancing as I believe it is an uplifting activity and can also be taken up as a hobby during my leisure time. The last phase is called ‘Bridging Lives’. Here, we were notified on some of the ways to seek for professional help. Honestly, I refused to help anybody with mental illness because I don’t quite know the right approach or procedure to find them a solution. Not only that, I also fear for rejection. Therefore, I normally keep a distance from people with mental illness or depression. However, after being briefed on how we can reach out to help victims of mental disorder, I feel relieved and pledge to try my best to help them in anyway possible. 

I always had a wrong perception towards people with mental disorder until I attended this event. Just like everybody else, I thought Schizophrenia was a split personality or multiple personality. However, then I learned that the word "schizophrenia" doesn’t mean "split mind," but it refers to a disruption of the usual balance of emotions and thinking. I also learned that besides medical treatment, family therapy is the key factor in minimizing the detrimental effects on a patient’s life. If I happen to encounter any of my family members with any kind of mental illness, I must give them the encouragement and support needed to help them function normally in their everyday life. However, there is no need to be extra nice or be given extra care or concern. This is because Schizophrenic patients or anybody at all with mental disorder dislike special approach or treatment. Therefore, I’m allowed to interact with them normally but at the same time be sure to keep my communications simple and brief when speaking with the patient.

Other than that, I signed up for one of the event highlights called ‘Group Mandala Drawing’. Mandala drawing is a form of an art therapy and a guided meditation used as a tool for self-reflection and mindfulness. We were asked to draw a circle and decorate it. The shapes and colors we create supposedly reflect our inner self at the time of creation. So, whatever I was feeling at that time, whatever emotions were coming through, would be represented in my mandala art therapy. As far as I’m concerned, I was happy at that moment of time thus expressed my joy by drawing pretty flowers on my mandala. I somewhat did not gain much benefit from this activity besides discovering a hidden drawing talent in me.

Lastly, I participated in the ‘Mindfulness Exercise’ on the 3rd and final day of the event. We were introduced to 6 different breathing exercises. These brief breathing exercises are meant to help with cultivating physical and mental relaxation. I felt very lightened, relieved and calm after the breathing session. If I were to practice these breathing exercises regularly, I ought to find myself feeling very energetic and relaxed. In a nutshell, I find this event very interesting yet beneficial to me. I wouldn't have known so much about Schizophrenia or other mental health issues, be it the symptoms, the treatments available or even on how to reach out to help the victims if it wasn’t for this event. From now on, I pledge to have the courtesy and patience to listen to my friends’ problem, also help them seek doctor’s or counselor’s help and provide them with necessary encouragement and care to overcome their depression or mental illness. I am looking forward to be apart of any other events organized by the CPCS. Thank you for this opportunity.

The spoken word.

Title : Some Things Are Better Left Unsaid.

Some things are better left unsaid.
Some things are even better forgotten.
Never be thought;
Never be remembered;
Never be written down.

We could be masters of the unsaid words,
But slaves to those we let slip out.
This is probably something I've wanted to express because I care,
Something unsaid; that I needed to share.

Someone once told me,
That a girl didn't have anything to live for thus chose death.
She cried day and night,
Ask me why? There was nobody to hold her tight.

At nine, her mother died, she cried.
At eleven, she shed the bitterest tears seeing her father with another woman in bed.
When she was twelve, her father left her stranded.

Drugs, drinking, smoking were her source of comfort,
It wasn't as much a choice as it was life.
Neither did she stay in school,
Because she thought that'll be cool.

Then? Brothel took charge of her life.
Two cents she earned was on bread and pie.
It was life. Her life.

She ran, ran away when she couldn't stand.
At sixteen, she had a baby with a man.
Never was there anyone more pure and sincere,
Whom she despised.
Not for being born,
But for being alive.

It shouldn't have stopped then,
But what is life if not cruel?
Her father came by and took her gem.

She couldn't stand how cruel life was to her,
That she cried daily.
She thought there was nothing else to live for; as she beg God to take away her life.
Eventually time showed her mercy and gave her to death.

Her life was a story of suffering;
Tragedy;
Destruction;
that serves as a perfect example that :

Some things are should never be spoken;
Never be thought;
Never be written down.
However, this thing should never be left unsaid.

"Understanding Sedition Act and Freedom of Speech in Malaysia"

We were required to do a presentation on the topic below for Cultural, Arts and Politics subject under the HMC Department. This is our report.

Our sub-topics are as below :-


a) Definition of freedom of speech and sedition act.
b) Chronology : Sedition Act 1948
c) Rules of Sedition Act
d) Seditious Tendency and Punishments
e) Pros and Cons
f) Relation between Freedom of Speech and Sedition Act

Understanding Sedition Act and Freedom of Speech in Malaysia

Every citizen has the right to freedom of speech and expression, so do Malaysians. However, it is becoming more difficult to freely express ideas in Malaysia when compared to the rest of the world. The rights to express one’s ideas or opinions is not constricted through only speech but can also be expressed through writing and other forms of communication. But it is a devastating truth that freedom of speech has been abused to the extent that critics believe they have the license to say whatever they want about the government whereas the reverse never applies. If it happens and the government takes action, these critics will claim that they are being robbed of their right to express themselves. What we fail to understand is that, while democracy allows freedom of speech, citizens must exercise this right responsibly because they cannot say anything, anywhere they like at any time. This applies to all citizens regardless of rank, status, class, race, gender. Not just that, another common medium is the Internet by which the netizens hurl all kinds of criticisms and rumours at victims, including the Ruler or the Prime Minister. Therefore, Sedition Act that was previously enacted by the British was amended to place limitations on freedom of speech and making it illegal to raise sensitive issues by questioning the sovereignty of the Rulers.

Much of modern-day Malaysia was born out of British colonialism. Britain’s interest in Malaya throughout the 18th and 19th centuries was primarily economic, revolving around rich natural resources and agriculture. However, in 1941, the British lost Malaya to the Japanese and eventually shifted away from colonialism. British then returned to Malaya and created the Malayan Union, which was opposed by the Malays and triggered the formation of UMNO. Due to this strong opposition, in 1948, the British abandoned the Malayan Union and created the Federation of Malaya. Nevertheless, while the nationalist Malays accepted this, the more radical Malays plus the Socialists and Communists opposed it. To stifle this dissent, the British introduced the Sedition Act (1948) and those opposed to the British and to the formation of the Federation of Malaya took to the jungles to continue their opposition as an armed struggle. In 1957, the Malaysian achieved their goal of de jure independence from British rule, although they were ill-prepared to exist as a completely sovereign nation. After that, the majority of the British military stationed in the area had left, a lack of internal control and racial tensions propagated by the overall constitutional bias decisively in the favour of the Malays led to communal racial rioting on the 13th May 1969 that led to at least 200 deaths, thus the government amended the Sedition Act and imposed restrictions to freedom of speech.

Constitution have been criticized by human rights advocates, who charge that "under the Malaysian Constitution, the test is not whether or not the restriction is necessarily but the much lower standard of whether or not Parliament deems the restrictions necessary or even expedient. There is no objective requirement that the restriction is actually necessary or expedient and the latter standard is much lower than that of necessity (sedition act, 2006).

Section 4 of the Sedition Act specifies that anyone who "does or attempts to do, or makes any preparation to do, or conspires with any person to do" an act with seditious tendency, such as uttering seditious words, or printing, publishing or importing seditious literature, is guilty of sedition. It is also a crime to possess a seditious publication without a "lawful excuse". The act defines sedition itself as anything which "when applied or used in respect of any act, speech, words, publication or other thing qualifies the act, speech, words, publication or other thing as having a seditious tendency"(sedition act, 2006).

Those acts defined as having a seditious tendency are acts with a tendency. Examples are to bring into hatred or contempt or to excite disaffection against any Ruler or against any Government. Next, to bring into hatred or contempt or to excite disaffection against the administration of justice in Malaysia or in any State. Other than that, to promote feelings of ill will and hostility between different races or classes of the population of Malaysia (sedition act, 2006).

Section 3(3) goes on to state that "the intention of the person charged at the time he did or attempted (a seditious act) shall be deemed to be irrelevant if in fact the act had, or would, if done, have had, or the words, publication or thing had a seditious tendency". This latter provision has been criticized for overruling means, a legal principle stating that a person cannot be guilty of a crime if he did not have the intent to commit a crime. A person found guilty of sedition may be sentenced to three years in jail, a RM5,000 fine, or both (sedition act, 2006).

No person shall be prosecuted for an offence under section 4 without the written consent of the Public Prosecutor. In such written consent the Public Prosecutor may designate any court within Malaysia to be the court of trial (sedition act, 2006).

There are various pros and cons to the Sedition Act of 1948. One of the importance of this law is to preserve the sovereignty of our country. This law helps to protect the status of our Yang di-Pertuan Agong and our Prime Minister that they are the rightful rulers of the country. As such, no one in any way is allowed to hypocrite that they are not the rightful rulers of our country. Besides, this act helps to protect the rights of the many races in our country. Islam as the religion of the nation or the status of Malay as the sole official and national language is also protected by this Act. Any kind of seditious comments will result as a breach of this law. In all means, the Sedition Act 1948 is enforced to avoid disrespect to various parties with seditious comments or remarks.

Some of the problems of the Sedition Act 1948 are how it contradicts with our constitution that envisages a democratic polity that respects the freedom of expression. “A democratic way of life” is also one of the five cherished goals of our national charter, the Rukun Negara. Our national vision, Wawasan 2020, also speaks of fostering a mature democracy as one of our nine strategic challenges. In other words, freedom of speech cannot be practiced at its fullest extent. Moreover, critics of the colonial-era law have said that the Act defines sedition too broadly and requires little proof for seditious “tendencies”.

According to Dictionary.com (2014) the meaning of freedom of speech is the right to speak without censorship or restraint by the government. Freedom of speech in a way relates to sedition act. If sedition act has been implemented in the law then the art of freedom of speech is demolished. If sedition act is implemented, the citizens now have to analyze what they have to say first than say it. This means that sedition act looks at how we speak, what we speak and to whom we speak to; even the slightest mishap of criticism might lead to anyone to be jailed from up to 10 weeks to three years. Many have been arrested, to be questioned or even jailed because of the sedition act, for example, Adam Ali, Dalbinder Singh and the famous Alvin Tan whom had fled to the America for asylum. All of them have been charged for sedition act and it is either for speaking publicly through social media and speeches. All of this people who have been charged are said to have criticized the government for their job or specifically the prime minister. This law affects citizens because sometimes certain criticism from the nation cannot be accepted and if someone says the wrong thing at the wrong time, that person can be caught because of the sedition act. Freedom of speech might cease to exist in Malaysia because of this law. In other words, Malaysian’s today have to watch what they say and instead of giving harsh criticism that might hurt the government’s feelings, Malaysians now have to give constructive criticism based on facts and evidence. Sedition act affects the freedom of speech in Malaysia and Malaysians are not free to talk so lowly of the higher ups anymore.

In conclusion, sedition act has long been in the law books but is now being revised. There are pros and cons towards this law as stated. The law itself is quite strict. If the sedition act of 1948 is implemented in the Malaysian law, freedom of speech amongst the nation is restricted to by a huge extend. Hopefully this Sedition Act can be revised to another more constructive, precise and concise law for a better chance for Malaysians to voice out their opinions in this democratic country.




References:

Sedition Act (Malaysia). (2006, January 1). Retrieved October 6, 2014

The Sedition Act 1948. (n.d.). Retrieved October 6, 2014.

Sedition Act runs counter to the spirit of the Malaysian Constitution. (n.d.). Retrieved October 6, 2014.

Malaysia. (n.d.). Retrieved October 6, 2014.

Freedom of speech. (n.d.). Retrieved October 6, 2014.

Good teacher vs Bad teacher

“Good Teacher and Bad Teacher.”

All students have had hundreds of teachers in their lifetimes. We as students may have at least one inspirational teacher who opened our minds to learning and is remembered as being exceptionally good. On the other hand, there are other teachers who made our learning experience an ordeal, one forever associated with memories we’d rather forget. These teachers are known for their dull and uninspiring teachings and lessons. Their lecture would drone on and on, and before long, it’s a struggle just to stay awake in their classes. In respect to this, what makes a teacher good or bad ? What are the qualities that combine to create an excellent, memorable teacher or the vice versa? Why do some teachers inspire students to work three times harder than they normally would, while others inspire students to skip class? Also, why do students learn more from some teachers than others? Nevertheless, it is every student’s hope that all their teachers strive to be excellent, effective teachers. However, education is just like any other profession. There are those who work extremely hard at their craft getting better on a daily basis while there are those that are just simply there never striving to improve. Although this type of teacher is in the minority, these bad teachers contribute significantly to making all teachers look ineffective. It is a disappointing yet frustrating reality in education that bad teachers exist. 

I have an inspirational teacher too. He is the best History teacher ever. As far as I’m concerned, many of the people who don't like history and think it is boring have been subjected to horrible teachers and boring books. I remember hating history in school, until I had one great teacher. He made history fun and interesting. Suddenly, I realized how much I loved history, because a good teacher turned it from a boring, dusty book subject to a living story of the past that resonates today. His best feature was his sense of humor. He always did silly things in class that helped us store important information in perspective. I enjoyed his teaching style by which he normally picks a concept then nicely shapes a lesson that will be unique and engaging. Even though he was always funny, silly and fooling around, he never failed to deliver his lessons and complete the objective of the day accurately as he was able to recognize the appropriate times to have a good laugh and help shift the atmosphere of the classroom to a more cheerful one when he finds us losing concentration or feeling drained out. Making an “A” in his class was easy.

Besides, I also had an English lecturer once who so inspired me that I spent time in the library expanding my knowledge of the literature we were discussing. Unlike the school teachers, my lecturer rarely spoon fed us with answers and expected us to look out for the solutions ourselves. But, this did not mean she lacked content of knowledge, in fact she is a certified holder of a Master’s degree in English Literature and is also compassionate about teaching Literature to her students. However, she provided us with limited yet efficient notes and only taught us the necessary techniques needed to understand the matter of subject. There is a saying, "Give me a fish and I eat for a day, teach me how to fish and I eat for a lifetime." Consequently, I realize that I became more independent and soon discovered a new learning style self-directed learning. Honestly, it was indeed challenging to cope in her class as she set high expectations for her students greatly which eventually affected our achievement. However, she knew that students generally give to teachers as much or as little as is expected of them. Nevertheless, my lecturer constantly motivated us by saying “We’ll all do this together,”to help us build confidence and interest to master difficult materials. Thus, she spends maximum amount of time necessary to do her job arriving early or staying late to clarify our mistakes and doubts. She was indeed an expert in her field.

Well, on the other hand, we can’t just simply get rid of bad teachers though. It is a norm to blame the teachers if we had poor grades. So is in my case. My Physic lessons during my senior year back at high school was a tragic.I was a poor in calculation and I needed a great teacher to reach me, to go that extra mile and say to me “You are great. Everything you do is wonderful.” But he did not do that. He merely taught. The question is, how did he teach me? He definitely lacked professionalism. Everything was just improper - from personal appearance to organizational skills and preparedness for each day. Little did he put an effort to dress well, to deliver lessons to the students in an appropriate manner or to even come on time. Undeniably, teaching is a gift and should be conducted professionally. But sadly, he did not respect his profession nor the students in the class. Half the time, I saw no point in learning because he seldom worked hard to make his materials relevant. In my opinion, knowledge is worthless unless it is delivered to the students in a form they can understand. Now tell me, if he was such a great teacher, how come I failed?

Not only that, I encountered another practical teacher who taught me Mathematics for short period of time during my primary school days. Her lessons were dreadful. Not just my classmates and I feared for her but the entire school did. Her fearful and arrogant look scared us to death thus, ‘Monster’ was what we called her. I suppose she was a newbie that realized she did not want to be a teacher until it was too late. In any case, this type of teacher is not doing herself, her students, or the profession any favors by hanging on just to draw a pay check. I realized, she had poor people skills. She seldom dealt with people including the parents, students and even the staff members in an inappropriate manner. I believe good communication skill is essential to maintain a good teacher-student or teacher-parent relationship. Unfortunately, she lacked this skill and would constantly be rude and impolite to everyone. Besides, another reason why we feared her was because she had no self -control. Screaming away and behaving like the macaque in class sure did keep her students stay within the boundaries but this definitely was not the right way to attain golden silence. Even till the end, my teacher failed to recognize the reality. She probably goes home thinking that she had managed well by her screams and act of terrorism that at times made one or two of my classmates cry while the other students were quietly listening away, but the truth is while she screams all her energies away, we hide in our little dream world and space out in class. 

For many students especially the young learners assume that a great teacher was someone who provided classroom entertainment and gave very little homework. However, that’s not it. There’s more to becoming a great teacher. Firstly, a good teacher should obtain certification within a specific subject area that they’re teaching. The materials, methods and techniques used to conduct lessons should be appropriate and fit each child as everyone has a different style of learning. Secondly, good teaching also requires the teacher to have the necessary skills to convey the knowledge. It is about doing your best to keep on top of your field, reading sources, inside and outside of your areas of expertise, bridging the gap between theory and practice and being at the leading edge as often as possible to help your students understand the matter of subject. Next on the list, is to have the ability to make the material you are teaching interesting and relevant. Therefore, sense of humor and creativity play an important role to bring joy and understanding into the class. Lastly, good teachers should have a deep-seated respect for the students in the classroom. Teachers who have good time management, well organized schedule, portray a healthy self image, monitor students’progress and recognize their weakness show that they are concern for the children’s education. With all these four qualities, good teachers and good teaching will exist.

"Tonight I Can Write" by Pablo Neruda !

I selected the poem "Tonight I can write" by Pablo Neruda because I have interest for love poems and that I can relate to the poet's lost of love and loneliness. Therefore, I chose to present this poem for Introduction to Literature class. We shall now take a look at the poem and analyse the meaning of each line.

"TONIGHT I CAN WRITE" 

Tonight I can write the saddest lines.

Write, for example, 'The night is starry
and the stars are blue and shiver in the distance.'

The night wind revolves in the sky and sings.

Tonight I can write the saddest lines.
I loved her, and sometimes she loved me too.

Through nights like this one I held her in my arms.
I kissed her again and again under the endless sky.

She loved me, sometimes I loved her too.
How could one not have loved her great still eyes.

Tonight I can write the saddest lines.
To think that I do not have her. To feel that I have lost her.

To hear the immense night, still more immense without her.
And the verse falls to the soul like dew to the pasture.

What does it matter that my love could not keep her.
The night is starry and she is not with me.

This is all. In the distance someone is singing. In the distance.
My soul is not satisfied that it has lost her.

My sight tries to find her as though to bring her closer.
My heart looks for her, and she is not with me.

The same night whitening the same trees.
We, of that time, are no longer the same.

I no longer love her, that's certain, but how I loved her.
My voice tried to find the wind to touch her hearing.

Another's. She will be another's. As she was before my kisses.
Her voice, her bright body. Her infinite eyes.

I no longer love her, that's certain, but maybe I love her.
Love is so short, forgetting is so long.

Because through nights like this one I held her in my arms
my soul is not satisfied that it has lost her.

Though this be the last pain that she makes me suffer
and these the last verses that I write for her.

Pablo Neruda.

SHA SQUARED.FM

New Media in TESL is a new subject that was introduced to the English Department Foundation students in this semester.

It is quite an interesting subject because it requires us to utilize technology as a medium of education.

We also learnt an audio recording editing tool called Audacity.

Assignment - PODCAST.

It is a pair work. Shannan & Teesha.

Aim - To produce a radio show that is made up of 3 segments.

1) Game show.

2) Emergency news report.

3) Advertisement.

Instruction:

1. Audacity and LAME Mp3 encoder

2. Main functions and feature

3. Setting up your microphone

4. Basic editing feature

       5.  In the project she wants us to include fade in and fade out, amplify and noise removal

6. Export your file

References :

1. youtube.com

2. sounddogs.com

3.Mp3skull.com

Do enjoy listening to our podcast :)