Posted inCreative Hall Lifestyle

Choices, do we actually make them?

We make decisions every single day. From small ones like deciding what to order from Foodpanda, to big ones like whether or not it’s worth breaking the Movement Control Order (MCO) and risk arrest in order to buy that llaollao you were craving. Regardless, decision-making isn’t always that straightforward.  These decisions are final working papers submitted by “lawmakers” that convene assemblies in our minds. Unsure of who these “lawmakers” are? Fret not. We’ll be exposing each and every one of their identities. So, are these “representatives of the mind” guilty of making terrible and uninformed decisions on our behalf?
Posted inCreative Hall Poems

National Poetry Month: Echo Edition (Part 2)

All I Can Do by Jaclyn Heng This is for the times I’ve had to keep a count of the number of days that went by without me getting whistled at or getting looked up-and-down while walking from my car to the BRT when travelling to college each day. A mere 7-minute walk and yet the Days I Did Not Get Catcalled count never reached a number where I needed more than my own two hands to count.  This is for the one time I sent a middle-finger to a man whistling at me from a lorry, on a day that I’d had enough. I told my parents about it and immediately got told off for being vulgar, then spent the next week using a different route to college in fear that that same man would come back for revenge.  But most of all, this is for all you girls out there who don’t even get to feel safe when walking alone on a street.  This should not be the way we have to live, yet it is. 
Posted inCreative Hall Lifestyle Movies & TV

Self-Growth & Reality TV

Reality TV is often referred to as ‘brain dead’ entertainment by society, ridiculed for it’s ridiculous premises, scripted drama and unnecessary close up shots followed by overplayed sound effects. However, certain shows, despite its superficial surface value, actually have deep underlying messages of self-growth. To keep it interesting, this article won’t delve into the obvious self-improvement based reality shows like “The Amazing Race” or “Survivor”, instead it will focus more on the odd reality TV shows that we might have just watched for laughs So, here are three unconventional reality TV shows with underlying themes of self-growth!
Posted inCreative Hall Educational Lifestyle

New year, same problems? If you’re looking for a sign, this is it. Balancing Standards and Expectations

Have you ever watched a Tamil movie? I'm talking about the ones in the romantic comedy genre, the ones you watch just for the sake of watching. If you haven't, let me, as someone who grew up watching them, paint a picture for you. Usually, there will be this gorgeous girl minding her own business, an educated beauty talking to her friends on her way to college. Then out of nowhere, the most average male that’s supposed to be the hero of this story starts stalking her on his cheap motorcycle. He continues to harass her even though she shows signs of disgust towards him until inevitably, just after a mere 3 hours of realising her existence, he confesses his love for her. She is naturally offended by this confession and is confused as to how she could have possibly attracted such bacteria. Soon, however, after a series of events which usually includes him winning in a fight against 300 men twice his size, she “falls in love” with him too. 
Posted inCreative Hall Monthly Musings

Monthly Musings: Self-expression

Prompt: What item do you own that you think best reflects you as a person?     Blushing shells from ocean caverns in Musandam.  Inky black pebbles from a remote village in the mountains of Khasab.  Sediments of sunsets from an ocean of pink rock in Sharjah. Curlicues of white stone from the shores off Brighton. Shards of earth to call my own,  when home is far,  I hold them close.  -Zafra Usman
Posted inCreative Hall Educational Poems

“Where are my human rights?”

Where are my human rights? When did I lose my status of humanity, become a race all too different. When did the sins of another become the sins of my father? How did tomorrow’s terrorist become synonymous with today’s entrepreneur, dreamer, son and brother? Why do the blood and tears of my kin dilute in the face of justice?  
Misconceptions About Fast Food
Posted inCreative Hall Echo Eats Educational

Misconceptions About Fast Food

From a young age, society has been exposed to the concept of fast food and the culture surrounding it. Often, the two main features of fast food that we hone in on is 1) convenience and, 2) cheapness. After all, who wants to cook after a long day of working? Or who wants to bring the family with energetic children into a restaurant and wait half an hour for food to arrive? Between a full meal of fries, burger and drink; or a single plate of one food at the same price - we’re bound to choose the option that offers variety in the meal.  Today, however, despite the reputation living on, fast food is far from cheap, and sometimes, not very 'fast' either. So in this edition of Echo Eats I present to you: "fast food, and alternatives that are faster". 
Posted inCreative Hall Lifestyle Style & Trends

YouTube Channels That Are Fighting Misconceptions

“Hey guys, welcome to my channel! Don’t forget to like, share and subscribe!” Isn’t that something we hear way too often these days? In a world where Youtube has climbed its way up to being one of the most frequently used social media sites, many have turned to the platform as a means of creating content according to one’s interests with the hope of gaining attention, expressing themselves, or as a means of income through the many (intensely detested) ads that pop up before videos. As Youtube becomes saturated with the ever-growing population of vlog, song cover, lifestyle, makeup, and beauty Youtubers, it gets a little dry with most of the popular content following a certain repetitive theme. But there’s so much more to Youtube! 
Posted inCreative Hall Educational Lifestyle

5 Common Misconceptions: Debunked

While most of us were growing up, some people would have told us things that were (questionably) beyond belief, probably earning them an “are you sure about that?” raised eyebrow. It could be the simplest of things such as the different taste zones of our tongue, the “fact” that egg yolks are fattening, that bats are really blind, and that the Great Wall of China is visible from space.