By Ooi Li Hsien

KUALA LUMPUR: The recently released Times Higher Education -QS World University Rankings 2008 saw University Malaya rising to rank at 230 from the previous 246.

Acting University Malaya (UM) Vice-Chancellor Prof Datuk Muhamad Rasat Muhamad was quoted by The Star saying that UM's improvement proved that the university's strategic plan, implemented two years ago, was showing results.

"UM fully supports the ministry in realising the national aspiration of having one or more of Malaysia's universities in the top 200 of the 'THE-QS Ranking' by 2010," he said.

The country's oldest university remains as the highest ranked local university while other local universities saw an increase in their standing as well.

Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) rose from 309 to 250 while Universitu Putra Malaysia (UPM) stood at 320 compared to last year's 364. Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) also was found to have risen to 356 compares to 415 last year.

Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), however, saw a decline despite being awarded the APEX university status by the Ministry of Higher Education not long ago. They dropped 6 spots to stand at 313 from their previous 307 standing.

Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin is proud of the achievement by the local institutions.

It is something to be proud of that a number of Malaysian insitutions have attained such high positions in the rankings. I believe that our local universities will improve even further in the years to come," he told The Star.

The top ranked universities remains to be from the United States with the University of Harvard and the University of Yale taking the first and second positions. The University of Cambridge and the University of Oxford from the United Kingdom took third and fourth place respectively.

Zuma Nesta Who?
By Ooi Li Hsien

Ever wondered about the meaning behind your name?

Newborn Zuma Nesta Rock Rossdale was born on Thursday August 21st 2008 to proud parents singer cum actress Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale, and how he got his name is still an interesting guessing game!

By naming their newborn son Zuma Nesta Rock, Gwen Stefani, 39, and Gavin Rossdale, 41, ‘have proven decisively that they're masters in choosing names that are both highly unusual and carry a lot of personal meaning’ says baby name expert Pamela Redmond Satran to Usmagazine.com.

Rumour has it that the name Zuma derives from Zuma Beach in Malibu, where, according to a profile of the guitarist and solo singer, Gavin Rossdale came to realisation that began his career.

"He was standing on Zuma Beach in the early morning after working all night as a production assistant on a music video and was quoted as saying he realized he was wasting his time. He drove up the coast, slept in his car, and started making the moves that would launch his career."

Gavin and Gwen with son, Kingston

Nesta, meanwhile, was Jamaican musician Bob Marley's first name before an immigration official switched it with his middle name, Robert.

"This name obviously links to big brother Kingston's and is another nod to Jamaica and reggae," cited Satran.

And then there's Rock. When in her band ‘No Doubt’, Gwen Stefani and her crew's third album was called "Rock Steady, which may be a possible source of inspiration.

Zuma joins the couple's two year old son, Kingston James McGregor Rossdale. The family now resides in London. The couple have been married since September 2002.
Gavin Rossdale also has a 19 year old daughter, Daisy Lowe from a previous relationship.

Students By Day, Bakers By Night

By Yeongru Wong

Petaling Jaya: A rumbling tummy has made four students from University Malaya come up with the idea of selling cupcakes to raise funds for their study trip to Perth scheduled for the end of the year.

This group of students call themselves The Midnight Oven due to their tight schedules during the day, forcing them to bake the cupcakes in the middle of the night. Since the cakes are baked at that time, the cakes are still fresh by the time they are sold.

“We’re basically a bunch of students from the Education Faculty of University Malaya trying to raise funds for a study trip to Perth, Australia. While cracking our heads on just how best to achieve our goal, our tummies grumbled and our sweet tooth tingled and voila! We thought: Cupcakes!” said Shobana, when asked how they came up with this idea.

The team consists of Sean Ooi, Shobana Seelan, Stephen Hoh, and Wong Yeong Ru. The cupcakes are carefully baked, monitored and sold by these third year TESL students.

The Midnight Oven has been in business for more than a month, and their customers include airlines and expatriates.

“The cakes are delicious. There will definitely be more orders to come”, said Josh, a happy consumer who was present during the interview.

The types of cupcakes currently available are Choco Loco, which are Mississippi Mud cupcakes with chocolate Ganache; Sunflower Cups, which are orange poppy seed cupcakes with cream cheese icing; and Apple Caramel, which are apple cinnamon cupcakes topped with caramel.




(Fresh from the Midnight Oven: (from left: Choco Loco, Sunflower Cups, and Apple Caramel)

Interested in getting some cupcakes? For more details surf http://midnightoven.wordpress.com/ or visit Mont Kiara's Fiesta Night Market every Thursday.


Pictures courtesy of www.ashacarlos.com

Water Crisis Strikes UM Again
By: Yeong Ru Wong

Kuala Lumpur: The entire UM campus is facing a water shortage since this morning due to the slow water delivery rate from SYABAS’s pipes.

The water level reduced drastically since the 8th of October. Various colleges do not get enough water supply and this is taking a toll on their residents. Students have had to walk blocks from their rooms to get water from the supply at the carpark.

Some colleges that provide food only prepare bread, butter and jam for students as there is insufficient water. Students are forced to carry water from SYABAS trucks or static tanks given by SYABAS.

This is not the first time UM is facing water crisis. Last year, water shortage and rusty pipes made many students opt to move out of campus.

“Assuming the rate of inflow stays consistent; hopefully water supplies will be restored by after that. Please however expect the supply to be erratic even after because of air locks,” said Deputy Vice Chancellor in his email.

SYABAS will continue distributing water until the problem is resolved.

New Breed of Young UM Entrepreneurs

by Ezuan Yaacob

Kuala Lumpur: Freshmen prove they could successfully become young entrepreneurs on the two-day event .

The two-day Entrepreneurship Day, which began on Wednesday (Oct 8), was held in the University of Malaya (UM) at the Kompleks Perdana Siswa (KPS) where freshmen sold a variety of items ranging from food and drinks to women’s accessories, was a success.

This event was part of their project assignments for the university’s compulsory Asas Pembudayan Keusahawanan (APK) or Basic Entrepreneurship Culture course.

The event was a success as big turnouts of visitors came to the event. According to the Vice Project Manager, Mohd Fuad Afifi bin Zahkar, who is a freshman himself, said “it is wonderful to see many people come to visit and spend on the booths. It is also a surprise for us”.

The young entrepreneurs, who are freshmen from the Academy of Malay Studies, the Science Faculty, and the Arts and Social Sciences Faculty, opened more than 20 booths selling many different varieties of food, drinks, women’s accessories, t-shirts and even digital dictionaries (e-kamus). They also had booths for henna art and medical checkup services.

Surprisingly, the freshman collected their own money which they used as funds for the event.

A premier doughnut company, ‘J & Co.’, also participated in the Entrepreneurship Day, selling doughnuts at a ‘student’ price and providing delivery to residential colleges in UM for free during the event.

Another freshman who is involved in the event said this event is a good way to gain experience in entrepreneurship. “I have never been involved in anything like this. These two days taught me many things that involve interaction with people,’ said Mohammad Faizal bin Abidin. ‘This (event) helps to build my soft skills, especially the ones needed in business management.”

A surprise was also in store for visitors when a traditional Chinese lion dance group showed up and entertained the visitors with their performance on the last day of the event.

Maintaining Balance between Sports and Education

By Michelle Ramaiah

Many students would be involved in sports while studying and though it is much fun, often there could be an imbalance when the scale tips towards sports and not school. Students who are active in sports sometimes have to study hard at the last minute to catch up or even give up sports to spend more time for studies. So before one gets into that situation, balancing between studies and sports is the key for success. High school students especially find juggling sports and studies as their biggest challenge but a great sportsperson, one who loves hockey, made his way into this prestigious University of Malaya.

Kevin: “You know you can achieve anything in life if you really, really want it,”

Kevinder Singh s/o Makbul Singh, 23, is a National Hockey Player (Midfielder) doing his bachelor in Sports Science at University Malaya. Although he spends most of his time playing hockey, he still manages his studies well. Kevinder's father is his idol who had introduced him to hockey when he was young. Unfortunately, his father had passed away but the passion for the game still lives on. Moreover, “my siblings and I share the same passion that is hockey, said Kevin.” This sportsman from Kuala Lumpur who is the second of three siblings said that he finds it easy to comprehend the theory that is being taught in this course and to apply it in his life.

His friends call him Kevin. He said that, “You know you can achieve anything in life if you really, really want it,” Many of us want to find that balance between work and play so do we really want to achieve that? Well, it is said, “No pain, no gain.” It till definitely take some hard work, ingenuity and a serious commitment to achieve that balance. “I personally know some who have successfully integrated their studies and sports who took this whole balance thing very seriously.” They are Jiwa and Jivan Mohan, the both brothers are successful now in their own fields. Time management was the secret to their success.

Kevin played hockey since nine years old. His idol is Dhanraj Pillai, former captain of the Indian hockey team. He is the recipient of India’s highest sporting honour, the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award. Dhanraj is one of the most gifted forward of his era with a small frame and flowing locks.” He is my inspiration and I want to be like him one day and earn my place.” said Kevin

In Standard Five, he was called to represent his state for the under 12 tournament which was his first tournament and his stepping stone. Later in Form 1, he played for under 18.
I have represented my School, the District and the State several times and 2005 was the best year ever because I played for the Junior World Cup Holland and received the most promising player title,” said Kevin.

He was really excited because getting that title was his sweetest memory and became the inspiration to focus on hockey. It led him to the National Team. “In the National Team we are like a family and we have a strong bond among us. Among the tournaments he have played are the World Cup Qualifier in 2006, Olympic Qualifier, Asia Cup, Azlan Shah Tournament and Few Invitations Tournament.”

` Since Form Four, his dream was to get into University and he set his goals and priorities. When he applied, he was offered the course and the University which he aimed for and it was like a dream come true. In the beginning, university was quite difficult but eventually he got used to it.
“I usually study 4 hours a day,” Kevin added. If he skipped any lessons because of sports commitments, he would see his lecturers to catch up. Kevinder is also a KPT Scholar and maintaining studies is a priority. Sometimes he would turn down some of the tournaments. “I have great bunch of friends who are always there for me. Usually I study and do assignments together with my friends. Apart from all these I still enjoy my youth life and do whatever I feel like doing. So the most important thing I would emphasize that we should have good time management so that we will be well balanced in life. “

Many would say those manage between sports and studies wouldn’t have much time for the family. However, for Kevin, it’s family first. He spends his free tm with his loving mother who always supports and encourages him even when he isn’t around much. He says, “I am who I am because of her. My mum is my angel in my life. Besides that, my other siblings also give me a lot of support and I am so glad I have a family who is there for me always. We should believe in God and ourselves so that we can achieve our goals. My motto of my life is 'Serve to Lead’ which I believe that now I am serving you and one day I will lead you.”

Therefore the key to maintaining that balance is good time management. The support of family and friends also plays a key role in Kevin’s life.


UM-Post thanks Kevin for his time and wishes him all the best in his future undertakings as well as more wins in championships to come.

Shakespeare with a twist
By Rachael Wong.

Love & Beauty

On the 18th till the 21st of September, the Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre (KLPAC) staged a play about love and romance. It isn't just any love drama but it has got a twist of Shakespeare in it.

While many of us have forgotten Sonnet 18 we had learnt in school for SPM, the director of the play, Christopher Ling, and his team that put this together, the Theatre for Young People (T4YP) Ensemble have not. In fact, they included 21 of Shakespeare's sonnets in this contemporary play, proving to us that Shakespeare is timeless and is still relevant.

The story is about a young man who was mesmerised by this girl. He was in love with her but he was just one of the guys in her life. The story is told through acting, singing and various multimedia presentations. It's truly something new, at least for me. There were also a couple of comic relief scenes, speaking of love while including recital of the sonnets. Many these ideas came from the creativity of the ensemble who wrote different parts and pieced them together in the play.

There are many more plays staged at KLPAC and students like used should grab this opportunity to make full use of our student cards to entitle us to cheap student rates and discounts. For more information, go to http://www.klpac.com/.