CEKU Editorials

“I’m a creep / I’m a weirdo / what the hell am I doing here / I don’t belong here” are not only words from Radiohead’s 1993 hit song Creep but also very prevalent thoughts associated with imposter syndrome. Simply put, imposter syndrome involves feelings of self-doubt and incompetence, as well as feeling like a fraud for reasons related to low self-esteem or high expectations which may be set from childhood. In other words, it is the inability to internalise one’s own achievements, giving us a delusional, distorted lens of our accomplishments and work ethic.

The esports landscape is widely controversial since many question whether it is a legitimate sport. It seems intuitive that e“sports” should be a sport, yet many countries, such as Germany, are very vocal in opposing esports being a sport. So what influences the support of Esports? And what does the landscape look like now? Among the mist, let’s take a glimpse at the growing industry.

Artificial intelligence seems closer to fact than fiction as chatbots like ChatGPT have taken the world by storm. ChatGPT is a chatbot that does more than your average school work. From diagnosing a medical disease to writing songs and poems, providing cooking recipes, planning your dream European holiday, identifying bugs in code, and explaining the errors, ChatGPT has defied the norm and become a symbol of the endless possibilities that artificial intelligence can offer. But as we delve deeper into the mechanics of it, we begin to assess several factors of this revolutionary generative AI chatbot that induces excitement but also fear-mongering and serious concerns.

Dah makan?”. A question that connects us. A question of care and love. A question that might as well be a greeting. When I think of home or growing up, this question always comes to mind. The weight it holds, the care that is expressed through such a simple question—it is so much more than its translation, asking if I’ve eaten. It’s an extension of care, sometimes an offering and, most times, an invitation. What this phrase really means to me is an expression of love. It is what I think of when I think of love languages.

We often seek entertainment when we are bored, whether it be going through social media, online streaming platforms, or games. I’m sure many of us have listened to our parents or seen other parents lecture us not to play too many games and focus on our studies since games aren’t going to feed us or get us a job. This might be true a few years ago, but how true is it now?

It is ironic to admit that I am prouder to be Malaysian while studying in Manchester than back home in beautiful Pulau Pinang. Growing up in front of Astro Ceria, running along lorong’s carefreely, queueing up by the milo truck drenched in sweat, I took the Malaysian part of me for granted.

As an international student studying abroad, you often try to prepare as much as possible to get adjusted to the new environment. From classic university horror stories to advice from friends and relatives, preparation seems smooth until the actual experience kicks in. More often than not, you find yourself having to adapt to different situations on the fly that no amount of advice or preparation could save you from. This is the steep learning curve that everyone goes through when we become more independent. Having to rely on ourselves most of the time is especially true for international students studying abroad, as all forms of physical chains that confine us to our zone of comfort have been released. Once the dust has settled, the endless days of studying and preparing for exams begin. Between the hassle of improving our grades and balancing priorities in our life, we realise that we are alone most of the time with no one to rely on.

I have seen a loved one carrying a misdiagnosis for nearly a decade, an acquaintance prescribed medication for adenomyosis after countless doctors, and millions of women retelling the same stories differently. Women constitute half of the global population and yet, gender bias runs rampant in healthcare.

Ever since civilisations started establishing themselves on the planet, inequality, a phenomenon of unequal distributions of wealth, could be seen manifesting within these societies. In the early stages of civilisation, it is seen as who had more land, more livestock, and more of something, as it indicates that they had more “assets” than the other. However, these “assets” were not quantifiable as economic systems were not developed enough to quantify the value of these goods. As such, it was challenging to measure inequality.

As we browse through our favourite online shopping websites, a notification suddenly pops up, informing us our favourite brand has just released its latest collection. Suddenly, we feel a rush of endorphins and dopamine signalling through our brains as we imagine ourselves wearing these clothes, blindsided by the price tags. For a moment, we take a step back, telling ourselves not to give in. However, our desires soon take over as one item multiplies into two. Within 15 minutes of retail therapy, our shopping cart consists of four pairs of ZARA jeans, 7 H&M blouses, and three pairs of Shein shoes. Although we feel a sense of pleasure, the environment might think otherwise. Whether we are aware or not, we have contributed to one of the biggest polluters on Earth.