Tuesday, April 15, 2014

TU Taekwondo Club Update

Rave Naidu, Master of TU Taekwondo club
Taylor's University (TU) Taekwondo Club will be attending the 28th Malaysia Moo Duk Kwan Sport Taekwondo Association National Championship in this coming July or August and the eighth MAPCU Taekwondo competition between this August or September.

Master of the TU Taekwondo club, Rave Naidu, said the specifications on the dates are currently unconfirmed but the team will be there.

“Taylor’s University Taekwondo club is well-known to the World Taekwondo Federation and that is why we are invited to

He said that Moo Duk Kwan is a Korean term that represents the ‘martial virtues’, which upholds the philosophy and the discipline of practicing the technique(s), like Taekwondo for example. That is what the Universal Moo Duk Kwan Academy (UMDKA) Malaysia intend to promote during their events.

He added that the championship takes place annually at the Badminton Stadium, in Cheras, Kuala Lumpur. The event is to promote the traditional values of Taekwondo. The participants are Taekwondo practitioners from many local dojos and including TU Taekwondo club.

He added that MAPCU represents the Malaysian Association of Private Colleges and Universities. The MAPCU Taekwondo competition is under the MAPCU Sports Carnival which features other sports events and activities like badminton, bowling, swimming, table tennis and so on. The participants are the sports and club societies under the private universities and private colleges in Malaysia. The venue however, changes from one university to another.

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TU Tracuers share their experiences

Many may have realised that there is now a prominence and popularity on parkour, like wall-climbing, leaping from one spot to another, cat-walking on railings, vaulting over objects, jumping off from higher ground and many more.

Practitioners of parkour are now seen frequently in YouTube videos, films, video games, in neighbourhoods and even in various parks, if you take the time to notice.

Brandon Lee, 21, a graduate from Taylor’s Business School, Mohd Abil Ash, 19, a student under the School of Engineering and Louis Dorall, 22, a School of Communication student, shares their experience and their opinion on Parkour.

What does parkour mean to you?


Brandon:
It is like freerunning to me, to be able to choose one’s method and style to reach their destination.

Ash:
Parkour is a way for me to move from one point to another efficiently, as quickly as possible.

Louis:
To me, there are two parts to it. Firstly, it is about the physical aspect of it. It is all about the discipline, to hone your skills, to be physically fit, to move. The second part, which works hand-in-hand with the first, is the mental aspect. Where you are able to think on your feet, to hone your senses and think both critically and creatively in an instant.

What made you start parkour?


Brandon:
When I was young, I was exposed to the live-action films like Batman and shows where Jackie Chan was casted. I noticed that, rather than reaching their destination like how many usually do it in the norm, like getting in and out of the a building through the window instead of using the door.

I like how they creatively and alternatively choose to reach their destination. Especially Jackie Chan; I was inspired.

Ash:
When I was seven, my brother taught me some basics in martial arts. As I became a high-schooler, parkour was becoming a trend at that time.

As I got to know more about parkour, I realised the basics that I have learned from my brother like sliding and rolling can now be put to the test. So, I got into it.

Louis:
I loved to move; I loved to move around. When I was a kid (still am a kid), I was one hyper kid. Bring me to a playground, off I go. Bring me to a supermarket, off I go! I loved climbing and doing all sorts of monkeying around.

Until I was around my teens, when I first heard of ‘parkour’. It was from the French film called Yamakasi, that taught me that there was more to just ‘moving around’. It was a science. It was a discipline. And it got me hooked. I then started finding ways to run obstacles faster, climb higher, basically think on my feet, cause that is what it is all about!


How did you learn to practice this art?


Brandon:
I self-train from scratch, firstly, I start by choosing a particular destination to reach and my starting point. After that I jog and eventually I start to vault across, jump over and eventually increasing my speed while overcoming as many objects or obstacles that seems sturdy and safe to pursue.

Ash:
I looked up for resources online and then I do it on my own, I first see how others apply the techniques and then mimic them according to my abilities.
Louis:
For the most part, it was through self-learning. For example, I know how to jump over a fence but how do I do it faster? How do I climb faster? Is there another way? This is where the mental aspect of parkour comes into play. From there, you better yourself, where you think and you act upon it.

There are loads of tutorials on different techniques and styles from parkour practitioners all over the world. I get ideas and techniques from observing them in YouTube.
 
Has parkour benefitted you in any way?
Brandon:
It has benefitted me on my stamina, as I have noticed, it has gone down. I would choose to just run down on a straight path to improve it but when I do parkour, not only does it help with my stamina, I am also working out my whole body at the same time.

Ash:
Parkour has made me improve on my footing balance, which have helped with my stances during martial arts. Other than that, I have learned not to be too hesitant because when we become hesitant, we might end up screwing up.

I do have the fear of heights, which I had to face when I practiced parkour, now, it is not as bad as I first faced it.
Louis:
Yes, by practicing the art of parkour, I've had the benefits of staying very fit, to be able to run faster, jump higher and move critically when needed. It has broadened my view of looking at obstacles and has given me the mental enforcement to think bigger, think creatively and quickly, and all of this can be applied to many other things in life.

Have you experienced any accidents while practicing parkour?



Brandon:
When I started doing it with a friend, I noticed how hazardous parkour can be. I was in unfamiliar ground as I was training in my friend’s territory, I slipped and had a huge cut below my left knee. Luckily, he helped me to attend to my wound and we then head to his home nearby.
I was lucky during the times I practiced alone, I never got to hurt myself like spraining my foot. It was a learning experience.

Ash:
When I was at my school gym, my friend and I decided play around the trampoline, I decided it would be a good time to learn the front flip. As it was my first time, I ended up doing a double front flip and landed on my neck and my knee hit my right eye.

Another time was during a school off-day, my friend and I had the school grounds for ourselves to practice parkour. I later noticed a construction pole and decided to swing from it. I did not manage to grab it properly and ended up landing on my upper back.

After these first two accidents, I learnt to be more careful.

Louis:
Luckily, not much. There were two incidents where I have fallen without rolling (rolling is a technique where the force of the jump is displaced, so that your legs will not take all of the impact when you land) and my ankles were affected for about two weeks each. But it was an experience and it was a good lesson.

What advice would you give to newbies?

Brandon:
Do not practice on unfamiliar terrain, alone.

Be aware of your health, if your body is not up to the task, like if you are tired, unwell. Do not practice parkour when your body does not feel up to it.

Do not think that, “Oh, that guy can do it, so can I.” Know you limits, pursue accordingly to your stamina and realise what your body is capable of achieving at the moment.

Ash:
Take things slow, do not try to copy what the professionals do, especially if you have not done it before.
Be confident with what you are doing; do not be hesitant.

Think before you jump, analyse the situation before you perform any technique.
Know you own limits before you perform any tougher techniques.
Practice the basics, like learning how to fall safely.

Louis:
Firstly, shoes. You need good shoes if you want to run and jump efficiently and safely. Secondly, the mindset. It does not matter if you are heavy or thin, or not strong enough. Will itself is what drives all parkour enthusiasts. For anything else too, really. Where there is a will, there is a way, and you will most definitely find it. Positive thinking is also encouraged. Praise yourself when you have done something, no matter how simple it is. Thirdly, discipline. Keep at it. Do it. Live it. Fourthly, believe.
END

New Servers at Temptations

(From right to left) Chen Yie Mun, 21, dressed in a maid attire and in the middle of placing the tableware for Toh Huey Jing, 22, While Lim Sze Lan, 21, watches on in Temptations.

Customers who ordered the Japanese main courses available at Temptations from March 10 to March 14 were serve by a students dressed as either a maid or a butler.
A team of seven interns from Ruemz, did a maid and butler café theme at Temptations with hopes to spread awareness of the Japanese culture to the Taylor’s University (TU) community whilst hoping to reach their weekly target market sale.
Sim Li Zin, 19, a TU student under the School of Hospitality and the marketing manager at Temptations during the five-day theme event, mentioned that a group of interns from Ruemz were expected to create a theme at Temptations, weekly. This maid and butler café theme was chosen because such an event rarely happens in TU, so Sim proposed the idea to her boss at Ruemz.

The signature dish was the Chicken Katsu-Don (deep fried meat [the chicken] served with savory broth sauce and eggs over rice) while on March 12 onwards had a special a la carte dish, the Sushi set served with tempura (seafood or vegetables that have been battered and deep fried, Japanese style).
The first eight customers who ordered the main courses, per day, were given an appreciation gift card whereby they have to collect it at Tiffin. The customer had to choose either the Hokkaido cream cake or the Mini Swiss Roll desserts.

Toh Huey Jing, 22, a School of Computing and IT student in TU, shares her understanding of what a Maid and Butler café is, “A Japanese-based café with servers dressed in butler or maid attire and act in a friendly and personal way.

“In a regular café, servers are expected to be ‘professional’ on the job. Take the order, get the food, serve the food and get the bill; that is it. But in a Maid and Butler café, they do the opposite; it is all about the interaction.

“When we order the Japanese dishes (at Temptations), as a part of the culture (of the theme), it is expected to have a butler or maid to serve us. But when that happened, the service felt like it was like a regular one,” she added.
Toh did expect to see the servers at Temptations dressed as a butler or a maid and can act like one too; especially with the Japanese greeting like Irasshai-mase, Goshujin-sama! (Welcome back, Master!) Irasshai-mase, Ojou-sama! (Welcome back, Mistress!). She also said that she did see the effort made on the decorations in regards to the event; although it is minimal but it was enough to tell customers that such an event was happening but that was it.

A 21-year-old student under the School of Health Sciences from International Medical University, Lim Sze Lan, came by to the event to hang out with her friend Toh whilst helping out to support the event as well.

Lim stated her understanding on what usually happens in a Maid café, “Customers can play games with the maid and the maids will attend to them very often, in a sense, trying to get the customers to feel happy”.

At the end of the customers’ meal, they may add comments or compliments onto a drawing sheet attached one corner in Temptations.


END