Lady Margaret Hall, Web Administrator.
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2016 marks my 33rd anniversary on planet Earth.
While I was born, raised and spent most of my time in Malaysia, I recently married a British citizen and moved my entire life to the UK.
Packing over 30 years of existence into a suitcase was no easy feat. But I somehow managed it, having left a lot of junk behind for my sister to sort out!
It has now been 1 year 5 months since I moved to Oxford. I have since settled rather nicely in my new environment.
Some of my interests include, reading, binge watching television series and movies, trying to lose weight, cooking, participating in pub quizzes and meeting new people.
And to unwind, I sometimes spend time listening to soothing music:
A social butterfly by nature, my life has never been complete without constantly having people around me. When not at work, my days are spent having a laugh with friends and spending time with the other social creature in my life, my husband.
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Tweets by @GayathriWhite
My Career journey
As a journalism graduate, I only finally found my big break as a serious writer in May 2012, when I was offered an online content writer position for a leading English daily and was later transferred to print journalism, where I wrote articles for both *online and print media.
Prior to working with the newspaper, I held positions that were still related to my field of study; as a copywriter for a recruitment company called Manpower Staffing Services and before that, the deputy and research editor for a small (now large) Islamic Finance e-newsletter.
As for my exposure into to the Digital Media arena, my current position with Lady Margaret Hall has expended my skills and experiences.
Here I not only manage the *College's website, I also moderate the Principal's blog, which I created from scratch and the College's social media presence; LinkedIn and Twitter
* samples of my written stories and website designs can be found below.
Click the links to see a before and after re-design of Lady Margaret Hall's website:
Click the links to see a before and after re-design of Lady Margaret Hall's website:
COPIED FROM THE STAR ONLINE
Nation
Sunday, 31 August 2014
| MYT 8:47 AM
Every corner feels
like home
Lopez and Kumareshan observed the Chinese tea
ceremony as part of their multi-cultural wedding celebrations.
Belonging in a family of mixed
marriages means experiencing Malaysia’s many cultures.
DUE to their unique
looks, Maygala Navaneetham, 29, and her sister Thanuja, 21, are often asked
what their race is. “We’re Malaysians,” would be their simple response.
“We wouldn’t even give
it a second thought,” says Maygala whose father is Indian and mother Chinese.
Some people would call
them Chindians, but the sisters did not know that term growing up. Both were
happy to make friends with children of any race or religion.
“During my school
years, the Indian girls wanted to be my friend because I had an Indian name,
the Chinese girls got along with me because I spoke fluent Chinese and I was
always close to my Muslim friends because I looked Malay.
“I was just excited to
have lots of friends!” says Maygala, a senior marketing and communications
executive with a chuckle.
But as she grew older,
Maygala came to realise her family was indeed different.
“For one, we were
multilingual. We spoke Bahasa Malaysia, English, Tamil and Chinese. It was then
I began to realise there was something unique about our family,” says Maygala.
Even though the
sisters lived and grew up with their father’s side of the family, they were
still exposed to their mother’s culture, rituals, festivals and more.
“We were always
familiar with and happy to learn from both sides of our family. In many ways,
my sister and I are lucky to be part of such a diversity,” adds Maygala.
The girls were
especially excited during festivals. They celebrate Deepavali and Chinese New
Year in their family. Maygala’s mother would give them an oil bath on Deepavali
morning, and they all attended reunion dinner with their mother’s extended
family on Chinese New Year eve.
Through the years,
Maygala’s family became even more diverse as there were more interracial
marriages. Maygala’s family is now used to celebrating Chinese New Year, Hari
Raya, Deepavali and Christmas.
“One of my dad’s
younger brother married a Muslim woman and is now known as Mohd Rizal
Kanabathi.
“My sister and I used
to play with my uncle’s three children. There was one time that they visited us
during Ramadan and as a sign of respect, we broke fast with them in our home,”
shares Maygala who now also fasts during Ramadan.
“Since I was brought
up with Indian and Chinese influences, I thought to myself, why not add the
Muslim element to feel more patriotic? I’ve since joined my Muslim colleagues
in fasting for the past five years,” she adds.
Maygala’s parents have
never dictated which culture the girls should follow.
“My parents have left
it to us to choose who and what we want to be. If I were to marry into a
different race or religion, I would be happy for my children to share the
multicultural experiences I had and to be exposed to even more than I had.
“What’s unique about
being Malaysian is that every little part of me feels like it belongs to every
race. Home is at every corner of this country,” concludes Maygala.
A colourful mix
Growing up, Joan
Stephanie Lopez remembers going over to her friends’ house to help the family
cook for the Hari Raya festivities.
Born into a
multicultural family, with Indian, Dutch, Irish and Kadazan ancestry, Lopez was
always happy to mix with those from different races and religions, and she is
always interested in their beliefs and traditions too.
“One of the advantages
of being born in such a diverse upbringing was that I understood the many races
and religions in Malaysia better. My family was always tolerant of every faith
and they taught me to accept everyone no matter what their background is,”
shares the 29-year-old senior team leader at PayPal Malaysia.
When Lopez married
husband Kumareshan Paramaguru, 31, who is also of mixed parentage, they
performed three different wedding rituals to celebrate their union.
“Because of our mixed
heritage, Shan and I married in a church and a Hindu temple. We also went
through a Chinese tea ceremony,” shares Lopez, adding that such diversity is
uniquely Malaysian.
The couple are now
proud parents to newly-born son Noah Clark K. Paramaguru.
“As parents who come
from mixed backgrounds, we can’t wait for him to see what this multi-ethnic,
multicultural, and multilingual country has to offer.
“This is something
that is truly unique about Malaysia. Our different cultures, religions and
traditions only bring us closer together. It allows us to learn each other’s
languages, be exposed to different races, festivals and even food!” Lopez adds
proudly.
With Lopez’ mother
coming from an Irish-Dutch and Kadazan background, she is also in touch with her
East Malaysian heritage.
“Even though my mother
is half Dutch and Irish, her Kadazan side lives strongly in her.
“We have joined her
family there and celebrated festivals such as Kaamatan (Gawai) and have even
picked up some indigenous languages,” says Lopez, who also speaks Bahasa
Malaysia, English, Chinese and a bit of Tamil.
Proud to be Malaysian,
Lopez’s wish is for there to always be racial harmony in the country.
“Every Merdeka, I
remember how we used to sing national songs such asNegaraku and Wawasan
2020 in school. I still remember the lyrics to these patriotic songs!”
adds Lopez.
From East to West
Sarawakians Wilson
Yeoh and Tracy Romy thought carefully about their children’s names.
Yeoh is
Chinese-Bidayuh while his wife Romy is Bidayuh-Kayan. The couple ensured their
two children’s names have all the elements of their backgrounds, to represent
their diverse heritage.
“Our firstborn,
daughter Zia Claire Bulan Yeoh Yi Ching and our son five-month-old Ziv Clarence
Aran Yeoh Ming Sen, have names that are long but representative of our
religion, beliefs and cultures,” explains 27-year-old Yeoh.
The couple feel their
kids are truly 1Malaysia.
Yeoh and his family
are now living in Kuala Lumpur but they want to be sure the children will not
be strangers to their Sarawakian roots.
“We will ensure that
our kids are exposed to both our cultures, especially when it comes to the
different festivals and languages,” adds Yeoh, who still regrets not learning
Bidayuh.
Even though Yeoh was
born in Kuching, his family moved to Peninsular Malaysia before he turned
three.
“This is why I was not
exposed to much of the traditions there. However, marrying Tracy has offered me
another chance to learn about my roots,” says Yeoh.
Romy, 31, says moving
to Kuala Lumpur in 2007 took some adjusting. “Knowing about the culture and
practising it are two different things. For example, now I get to see how the
various festivals are celebrated here, especially Chinese New Year as we
celebrate it in full swing, ” shares Romy.
She looks forward to
giving ang pao and dressing her kids up in traditional Chinese
costumes. Romy has also exposed Yeoh’s family to different Sarawakian cuisine.
Despite the
differences in their cultures, Yeoh and Romy make it a point to celebrate
Merdeka.
“We are thankful for
the public holiday, to have time off from work to be with our families.
“Now, for us there’s a choice of whether to
watch the fireworks here in KL, or to visit Tracy’s family in Kuching and watch
the parades,” says Yeoh.
*copied from The Star Onlin
Features
Sunday, 27 July 2014
One teen stands
tall despite losing her leg to bone cancer
"My family has been a very strong support
system. They have been behind me since day one and are always there to cheer me
on," says Nooraishah Arshad.
Bone cancer hasn't stopped
teenager Nooraishah Arshad from living life.
“One of my crutches,
it missed a step,” says Nooraishah Arshad, who walks to school every day with
the help of crutches. “I lost my balance and before I knew it, I went tumbling
into a drain right outside our home (in Kuala Selangor). My father was walking
a few feet ahead of me. He heard my yelps and rushed to my aid. Before I knew
it, the two of us were huddled in the drain together. Father had his arms
around me sobbing uncontrollably. ‘I should never have taken my eyes off you!’
he kept saying. He held me so tight, almost squeezing the air out of me.”
Nooraishah, on the
other hand, still finds the accident a funny story and bursts into
laughter when remembering it.
“'Ayah, have
you noticed that we’re both in a dirty drain?' I told him. It took him a moment
to realise what I meant. Then he burst into laughter as well. He helped me up,
I brushed myself off, and off we went, heading to school like any other
morning.”
This story is one of
the many touching moments that the 15-year-old student of SMK Pengkalan
Permatang in Kuala Selangor has experienced since losing her right leg to bone
cancer. She was diagnosed in 2011 and underwent chemotherapy, but it was too
late. Now, even though she has to get around on crutches and sometimes a
prosthetic leg, her youthful teenage spunk remains intact.
“I’d rather use the
crutches, to be honest. The prosthetic leg can be very uncomfortable and takes
very long to put on,” she says.
Nooraishah and her
family discovered her cancer after an X-ray was done on her leg after a fall
while she was playing with her siblings. “Initially, the local clinic said it
was a blood clot, but my leg continued to swell. Father insisted we go to the
city for an X-ray. It was then we found out about the cancer,” she says.
Nooraishah refuses to
be sad over her plight and says she still feels lucky in so many ways. “My
family has been a very strong support system. They have been behind me since
day one and they're always there to cheer me on. I feel so lucky to grow up in
such a loving environment.”
Nooraishah’s dad has
always believed in her, she says, and he readily regales us of his daughter's
strength and bravery. “Even with one leg, my feisty girl can climb the trees
outside our house. She has no problem jumping out the window of our home and
chasing her siblings around as they play,” says Arshad Attan, a 50-year-old
fisherman.
One of Nooraishah's
biggest passions is singing. She taught herself how to play the guitar and
spends most of her time singing to her family. The family living room has seen
several spirited sing-along sessions with Nooraishah providing the music.
“I've joined singing
competitions in school. And at the local Tesco (competition), I placed 4th. It
was truly a shining moment for me. I also enjoy going for karaoke sessions with
my friends,” says the teen, a big fan of 1990s pop stars Ziana Zain and Shima.
Arshad says he was
reluctant to let her go out with friends before, but he gives her more freedom
now. “She's growing up. My wife and I can't always prevent her from socialising
with friends. We understand her need to get out of the house and lead a normal
life. She’s always been an active girl. Sometimes it pains me to see her stuck
in the house all day,” he says.
“I do my best to keep
her entertained. Since the cancer, my relationship with my daughter has
changed. I never used to sit and joke, let alone have a full conversation with
her. But now I am less stern and I tend to manja her
more.”
Before losing her leg,
Nooraishah was a sports enthusiast, a long jump athlete who represented her
sports house in school. Despite her condition now, her athletic passion has
stayed strong. She has joined her school’s paralympic archery team instead.
“I have yet to take
part in any competitions, but the experience is enough for me. My team members
are very supportive and have been very patient in teaching me the sport,” says
Nooraishah, who dreams of competing in the national archery paralympic team
someday. Arshad notes that he will support her dream as long as he can afford
it.
Even though
Nooraishah’s leg was amputated, she has to frequent the hospital for check-ups
to ensure that the cancer hasn't spread to other parts of her body. However,
her family has been struggling to pay her medical bills. “I work as a fisherman
and I bring home around RM1,000 each month,” says Arshad, who sometimes
postpones his daughter’s medical attention when there’s no money to spare.
Nooraishah is the
sixth out of 10 siblings, although two elder sisters have married and have into
their own homes. “Every month is a struggle for us, even with one of my sons
working and helping with our expenses,” says Arshad.
That said, Arshad's
family is looking forward to spending Hari Raya together like they always do.
“We're not doing anything fancy. All we want is for the family to be together
again,” he says.
As for Nooraishah, her only wish this
Aidilfitri is that her family can one day move into a bigger house. “Our
wooden kampung house, although lovely, is rather small. My
brothers and sisters are growing up and soon we will need more space. I would
like us to live in our own house one day,” she says.
Standing tall:
Turia Pitt redefines beauty
Courageous survivor: Turia Pitt is determined
to continue leading a meaningful life.
Australian Women’s Weekly July cover girl, burn survivor Turia
Pitt, is inspiring the world with her courage and determination.
Images of
picture-perfect pop stars and Hollywood starlets are what we are used to seeing
on the cover of women’s magazines. But in the July 2014 edition ofAustralian
Women’s Weekly, motivational speaker and burn survivor, Turia Pitt posed in
her most natural state; with her burn marks, sans enhancement or alterations.
Pitt’s bright smile lit up the cover, redefining beauty to the world.
“Beauty can be seen in
several ways. It’s in the things you do, the actions you take and the lives you
change.
“To me, beauty is also
having confidence, walking tall and looking people in the eye,” says the
26-year-old former mining engineer.
She was first
approached to be part of the judging panel of the Women of the Future segment
of the magazine and was amongst a group of similarly impressive Australian
women.
However, upon
appearing in front of the camera, Australian Women’s Weeklyeditor-in-chief,
Helen McCabe immediately decided that Pitt shouldn’t be choosing who was to
appear on the cover; she was clearly July’s cover girl.
Pitt’s appearance on
the popular lifestyle magazine quickly took the world by storm as followers
came flooding in via Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to applaud both the
magazine and Pitt for their bold move.
“I was asked to be the
cover girl for July’s Women’s Weekly. When Helen (editor) told me
of her choice, I was stoked – and also very proud to be an Aussie. I had no
idea what an impact it would make – spreading to countries like Germany, Spain
and Mexico and even Malaysia,” said Pitt in an e-mail interview.
Almost two years ago,
Pitt was caught in a bush fire while running a 100km ultramarathon in Kimberly,
Western Australia. Trapped in an isolated area near El Questro Wilderness Park,
100km from Kununurra, in northwest Western Australia, Pitt and five other
runners were cornered in a fire that had been burning for several days.
A sudden wind change
sent the flames in the runners’ direction, leaving them with nowhere to go.
Pitt who tried covering her head with her jacket said the heat level became
unbearable, leaving her no choice but to jump up in search of an escape route.
And that was when she was engulfed in flames.
She suffered burns on
65% of her body and was given very little chance of survival by doctors.
Defying their
expectations, today Pitt stands tall with visible scars, but with a smile that
continues to shine.
Pitt spent 864 days in the hospital and underwent over 100 surgeries. She also went through rigorous rehabilitation to learn to walk again.
Pitt spent 864 days in the hospital and underwent over 100 surgeries. She also went through rigorous rehabilitation to learn to walk again.
“When I am asked to
describe the pain of the fire, I can’t find the words. But I do know that the
pain of everything that came after was far worse,” she recalls, stating that
her days recovering in the hospital are her ‘dark days’.
Turia Pitt visiting a patient with partner
Michael Hoskin.
“My recovery was like
a roller coaster, one day I would have a lot of energy and I would push myself
really hard. The next day, I would lose that drive and cry.
“I really was at my
lowest of lows. Fortunately, I’ve been out of hospital for close to two years.
I go back now and then for operations but thankfully I usually only need to
stay overnight,” she continues.
Born in Haiti but
brought up in Australia, Pitt’s childhood was an idyllic one.
“I had an ideal
childhood and grew up with three brothers, Genji, Heimanu and Toriki. We grew
up in a sleepy coastal town called Ulladulla in New South Wales and lived in a
house by the ocean,” she says, adding that surfing was part of her after-school
activity.
She was an A-student
and later went on to work as a mining engineer with Rio Tinto. “Engineering was
a good fit for me, not just because of my good grades in both Mathematics and
Science but also because I simply loved everything the job had to offer.
“I liked working in
the outback especially in remote locations,” she says, adding she misses the
camaraderie of working with her team.
Pitt’s outlook in life
has not changed much since her accident, as she has always been a positive
person. But she has certainly come to cherish life more dearly.
One of Pitts’ biggest
support systems is her boyfriend Michael Hoskin, who has stood by her
throughout her journey.
“I met Michael in
Ulladulla itself. We’ve been together since I was 20. He’s an absolutely
wonderful partner who has stood by me throughout my entire ordeal. I honestly
could not have come this far without him,” she shares.
The dynamics of their
relationship has certainly changed since Pitt’s unfortunate incident.
“We have gone from
being boyfriend and girlfriend to something so much deeper and look forward to
a future together. I have so much respect and gratitude for Michael,” says Pitt
who first met Hoskin when she was 14 and he was 17. They finally got together
in 2008 after admiring each other from afar.
“When I was caught in
the fire, the first thing that went through my mind was Michael and how we were
supposed to have a life together. I felt robbed at that moment.
“But I’ve come to
realise how precious life is and how important friends and family really are.
I’ve also learned that when we put our minds to it and are faced with
unforeseen circumstances, we become so much stronger than we have ever known
ourselves to be,” she adds.
Today, Pitt is
inspiring women around the world, by doing things that are physically and
emotionally beautiful.
“While I don’t really
see myself as inspiring, I’m grateful to receive such an accolade.
“Honestly, all I’m
doing is living life to the best of my ability,” says Pitt who has continued to
lead an active and meaningful life. She has since walked the Great Wall of
China to raise money for ReSurge International (formerly known as Interplast),
an organisation that provides free reconstructive surgeries for the poor.
She has also taken
part in a number of events to raise money for non-profit organisations,
including riding a bicycle from Sydney to Uluru (Ayer’s Rock) and swimming a
20km race in Australia’s largest lake, Lake Argyle.
“How am I after two
years since the incident? I’m doing extremely well,” says a determined Pitt,
who aims to continue living her life one day at a time.
“I feel blessed today and am simply looking
forward to achieving as many goals in life as I can before I run out of time. I
remind myself every day to never give up on my hopes, dreams and aspirations,”
says Pitt.
