Volume 3Issue 2

escapadeZ a y e d U n i v e r s i t y C o l l e g e o f C o m m u n i c a t i o n a n d M e d i a S c i e n c e s

CONT

ENT

ContributersAisha Bin TarrafHanan Al Fardan

Maryam AliMaryam Jaffar

Mohammed Al BannaSara Al Madani

Shoaq Al FardanCo-editor

Maryam Almusoori

SupervisorWilliam McCarthy

DesignersGhaya AlHabtoorFatima AlBanna

Nouf Farid AlBastaki

Suggestions, opin-ions, contributions

and letters ti the editor are always

welcome.

EmailEscapade.editor@gmail.com

Letter from the Editor

The first month back to university after a long summer holiday can always feel a little heavy. You’ve got professors talking about the new syl-labus, when you’re still thinking beach and sun-glasses. This is where we come in; we’re here to inspire, to help you plan your new year, to make sure you make the right choices. This issue is filled with pages of advice and inspiration coming di-rectly from your resident students. With that said, it is time to announce that Escapade is taking an-other step forward by inviting on a representa-tive from the male campus, Mohammed Al Banna, to the team. We promised growth, and here it is.

Noor Al FardanEditor in Chief

Escapade

Facts about ZU Abu Dhabi Campus

University of OpportunitiesChoosing your majorWing F has Zombies after 3 !?

iPads invading ZU If you're a pessimist and you know it, read along!

Maitha DemithanHow to make a good first impression

How to get Sunkissed, not sun burnt!

Would you ratherUseless FactsFun Page

1

CONT

ENT Facts about ZU Abu Dhabi Campus

University of OpportunitiesChoosing your majorWing F has Zombies after 3 !?

iPads invading ZU If you're a pessimist and you know it, read along!

Maitha DemithanHow to make a good first impression

How to get Sunkissed, not sun burnt!

Would you ratherUseless FactsFun Page

3 5 6 7 9 10 11 1315161718

2

3

Zayed University does not settle for anything but the best, and with the opening of the new Abu Dhabi campus, it was no exception. From the programs, to the architecture, to the indoor fountains, the Abu Dhabi campus will put Zayed University on the map.

- 18.8-hectare (188 thousand square meters) site in Khalifa city.

- Consists of three main campuses, covering 28 buildings.

- Buildings contain a convention centre that accommodates 1000 people, a sports complex, residential buildings and a children’s education centre.

- An aluminum feature roof, designed by German Architect Hadi Teherani, is con-structed to emphasize innovation and sustainability by merging traditional and modern architectural styles.

- The roof covers the central campus buildings and surrounds an open central space, which can be used to host outdoor events for over 1,500 people.

- The new site offers separate male and female campuses each with its own dining halls, classrooms, and other facilities.

- The ground holds an initial capacity of 6,000 students.

By Maryam Al Musoori

History in the Making

University Of OpportunitiesA sophomore’s advice to the freshmen By Mohammed Al Banna

By the end of the summer holiday, I was already very eager to get back to university. It might be a bit shocking to most of you, questioning why someone would be excited for university.

Get Involved:

This is one of the main

things that will help you

benefit and enjoy your

years at university. There

are many activities and

clubs you can get involved

with that are located on

campus. Plus it is great

to add it to your CV after

graduation!

Plan Events:

Got an event in mind but

need to find people who are

interested to help you? Well,

there are approximately 3000

students on campus and we’re

certain that you will find a

group with the same interests

as you. Zayed University is

also known for supporting

and motivating students with

their events and ideas as long

as it is appropriate and is for a

good cause.

Volunteer:

Each semester, a number of events

and activities are held that are open

to volunteers. This is a great chance

for you to gain knowledge and experi-

ence outside your comfort zone and

help you adapt yourself when work-

ing with others.

Trips:

Usually the university puts

together a few educational trips

that are organized locally and

abroad throughout the year. They

are open to almost anyone to par-

ticipate in. Make sure you read all

the emails so you don’t miss out!

We are in a university that shows great pride whenever its students work on achieving something. Don’t make a habit of just attending your class, sitting in the atrium waiting for your next class, and then leave.

There is much more that you can do to have a great time at university while keeping up with your studies. It all depends on how you manage your time and knowing what you want to do.

Use your time wisely and take advantage of the fact that you are part of a university that is known for its opportunities.

Well, I’ll let you in on my secret, and tell you how I make sure to enjoy my time at university.

5

Trips:

Usually the university puts

together a few educational trips

that are organized locally and

abroad throughout the year. They

are open to almost anyone to par-

ticipate in. Make sure you read all

the emails so you don’t miss out!

6

CH

OO

SIN

G Y

OU

R M

AJO

R

PRECAUTIONS

eciding what you want to base the rest of your life on is not an easy decision to make, especially for freshmen stu-

dents. Luckily, at Zayed University students are given two years to familiarize them-selves with the different colleges on campus and look into their majors. With some early planning and brainstorming you can map out your choices to lead you in the right direction.

TIPS TIPS TIPS

Check Zayed University’s Catalog to know more about the majors

Visit the Colleges

Attend majors’ day

Work with your adviser to help you set your goals and interests

Talk with students already enrolled in the major

Explore your options and discuss them with your family

Narrow your major choices

List the pros and cons for the remain-ing majors

Make your decision!

2

109876543

By M

aryam A

l Mu

soori

D

1 Start with what

- Don’t let you family or friends decide your

major.

- Don’t choose a major because it’s easy.

- Don’t choose your major because your friends choose it.

- Dont leaev your decisions until the last minute.

Enjoy what you choose.

Get more from your college experi-ence by doing what you love. It is fine to change your major; it helps you decide on what you like. Choose a minor if you don’t want to major in one subject.

Ask yourself: What subject area interests me?What skills do I have?What are my strengths and weaknesses?

Wing F has

zombies

after 3?!By Mohammed Al Banna

7

L ocked up behind the doors of wing F, we get com-mented by many. Just picture us as though we

were like zombies in horror mov-ies marching towards something, in our case marching towards class. Well, sorry to burst your Hollywood bubble but it’s not re-ally like that. There is much more to it than just meets the eye. The closed doors is somewhat a bet-ter tactic, forcing us to face reality and focus in class until 5pm. Cer-tainly, there is much more to what happens behind the doors of Wing F, which I’m sure many of you would love to hear about.

This time last year, we were the first group of male students to en-ter the doors of Zayed University, and like most people, we didn’t know what to expect. We were nothing more than 150 students when the doors to the atrium opened for us. The campus seemed empty and quiet by the time the female students had left, and to us we saw this as an opportunity to enjoy ourselves. One time we

actually decided to run the whole atrium, from wing to wing, pass-ing through the doors of the class-rooms that lead to the courtyard.

By time, we were given the oppor-tunity to form a student council for the male campus, and earn-ing my position as Treasurer was probably one of the highlights of the year for me. Also, a group of us were invited to help organize and volunteer for some events.

Although, being the first group of male students we had a disadvan-tage of not knowing how everything would work out, but now univer-sity has turned into a completely new experience for us. It has given us vision and drive to become ac-tive individuals on and off campus.

Like the girls, we have each found some kind of addiction on-cam-pus. One of the things on my list is the Oreo Ice Blended from Cof-fee Bean & Tea Leaf.

This year, I’m happy to see that there is an overflow, or more like a tsunami, of freshmen in Wing F (who I assure you aren’t zom-bies). We went from a semi-empty wing to one of the busiest wings on the Dubai campus. Now I can proudly say that it is an honor to be part of Zayed University.

By Mohammed Al Banna

By Maryam Jaffar

i Pads Invading Campus!

9

Fatma Al Mehairi, a Zayed University student, is always seen walking in the Atrium or rushing to attend classes clutching her new iPad. She describes this tablet com-puter as a “much lighter than a laptop” Al Mehairi is one of many students who has chosen to trade in her laptop for an iPad on campus. Apple’s most famous device has become increasingly popular among students be-cause of its lightweight and portability, thus making it easier to use than a laptop.

iPad technology provides its student users access to around 3000 applications, which can easily be used for the completion of school and university assignments.

Ms. Al Mehairi stated that her iPad combines the basics of various tools needed for a student in one weightless device. She said that Internet access, checking her email, Blackboard and playing online games has never been this interactive. “I don’t face any trouble carrying my things to and from the car.” Students can also enjoy exploring their iPads on campus during long break hours to keep themselves busy till the start of their next class.

Ms. Al Mehairi reported that in class she enjoys following the teachers Power-Point slides, if available online on Blackboard. She can easily access them and type her notes on the slides to go back and study them for the exams.

Although the iPad does have its advantages for students on the go, the lap-top still remains the most practical tool to use for work purposes. Fatma Al Mehairi mentions that she depends on her laptop more for heavy university work that requires using programs such as Microsoft Word, Microsoft Pow-erPoint and Microsoft Excel. While similar applications can be found for the iPad, working with a touch screen and no external keyboard makes it extremely sensitive and less durable than a laptop.

If You’re a Pessimist

& You Know it Read Along!

nce upon a time, in a far away ‘Happy Land’ lived people who have gotten away from the make-believe land called ‘Negative Land’, where all the evil thoughts and those who create them lived in. Somewhere in between, there were those who stayed in ‘Reality Land’, which were the wisest of them all. Those who still believed that they could be happy but experienced and wise enough to know that things could sometimes go wrong. I'm sure most of you think that posi-tivity is just another myth that those who seem a part of a cult believe in. Those are just people who are be-ing stupidly optimists. Real optimists are aware that sometimes things could go wrong, but try as much as they can to make the best out of it.

In the world we live in, people tend to believe that

happily ever-after arereal and prince

charming exists.

Instead of believing that and end-ing up crushed, you can be wise enough to know that there is nothing called ‘forever’ and prince charming at the end of the day is also human and is capable of making mistakes.

Pessimists could go on for hours say-ing how they feel and counting endless emotions that are the reason behind their anger; yet they are very greedy in showing one of the most meaning-ful emotions which is ‘being grateful’.

It is never too late to be an optimist and to introduce that aspect into your life. This of course doesn’t happen overnight, you should be able to believe in yourself and the people around you. You should be able to have the power to be courageous, challenge yourself, and to commit to what-ever outcome you get after the challenge.

Steps to a wiseoptimistic mind:1 Mentally, draw a bubble

2 Draw a small eye-peek hole for re-

ality to shine in every once in a while

3 Put you, and everyone you love in it

4 Make sure the bubble is anti-burst

5 Keep in mind that you have the

power, and you can always let some-

one out of there without popping

your bubble

6 Turn the curve on your face

straight and smile

*Warning: People from ‘Negative Land’ are on the loose and will find a thousand ways to burst your bubble. Too bad they’ll be left disappointed as you already have connections with ‘Reality Land’!

From the land of Happy& Bits Of Reality,Sara AlMadani

O

10

11

Having created various pieces, Mai-tha does not have one specific piece of her own that she considers her favorite. When looking at her inno-vations she usually likes a certain area of the piece and if she were to combine all these parts from her work then she would come up with her all time favorite. This is merely in her imagination she has not yet attempted to create it.

Maitha seescreating as an activity thataccurately

allows her to express theemotions she

wants to share with the world.

Hard work is one of the most im-portant attributions necessary to feed any talent. What is talent without hard work? -

Maitha Demithan, a Fine Arts stu-dent at Zayed University Dubai, is truly one of the most talented, emerging Emarati artists of our current times. She has found her passion at such a young age and is nourishing her talents by tak-ing hold of every opportunity to learn a new technique or to ex-hibit and share her visual forms of expression with the world. Having discovered her infatuation with the arts at such a young age, Maitha only found it fit to fuel her passion and aims to learn as much as possible ever since she began in High School and up to this pres-ent day at University. Art to Mai-tha is one of the most essential factors of her life for as she states,

“I cannotimagine

life withoutcreating art, for me it is something I

can't really live without - or my life would be

not as exciting”.The tools in which Maitha choos-es to create such expressive art pieces vary depending on the emo-tion she wishes to express at the time. At certain times she may de-cide to utilize either paint, pencil, a camera, or a scanner since she does not want to attach herself to a single element and be known solely for that. Whereas her scan works have been the turning point of her artistic career, since she has been using this tool in a way that is new to the Dubai art scene.

Maitha’s inspiration doesn’t come from one particular artist, but she really enjoys the creations of Vin-cent Van Gogh and the portraits of Gustav Klimt. Moreover, works that express emotions via the use of color and portray the hu-man condition in general is what really speaks to her as an artist.

MaithaDemithan

By Maryam Ali

Umy

Elno

omi 2

011-

Art

wor

k by

Mai

tha

Dem

ithan

13

When meeting someone for the first time, it takes about 3 seconds to evaluate him or her. They start evaluating things about your looks, body language and facial ex-pressions and thus create impressions about you. The first interaction is impor-tant to either keep or change the impres-sions made.

Whether it is in your university, job or social life it is important to have a good first impression. Make sure to give it your best because after having a first impres-sion it is difficult to change what some-one thinks of you!

By Nouf Farid AlBastaki

HOW TO: MAKE

A GOODFIRST

IMPRESSION

14

Introduce yourself

It is always good to introduce your-self; it’s what breaks the stranger stage. Always start with “hi, I’m (your name).” You do not have to talk about your life story, but basic things about yourself, like your age or nationality.

Smile without food in your

teeth!A smile introduces friendliness and warmth to the person. It helps breaking the tension when meet-ing someone for the first time, but having food stuck in your teeth or bad breath is unattractive. Make sure you have floss and/or gum around to deal with this!

Your looksYou don’t have to be “Kim Kar-dashian” and dress up with profes-sional makeup all the time, but pre-senting yourself in an appropriate manner sends good impressions when meeting someone new. We all say, “a picture tells a thousand words” and so does your looks. The way you show yourself to people, reflects on how they think about you as a person. Always dress ac-cording to the occasion.

Compliment the person

Admit it! We all like to be com-plimented, I mean who doesn’t? Slipping in a quick compliment to the person your meeting creates a good vibe between people.

AttitudeAlways remember to be confident and positive when meeting some-one new. No one likes to meet a negative person. If the person com-municates negatively, having good manners and being polite is better to maintain the attitudes between you and the person.

Equal chances of talking

Some people think it’s a good idea to keep talking when meeting someone, although this isn’t quite correct. It is important to give a chance for the other person to talk as well. When talking the whole time, it makes the person feels un-appreciated or uninteresting. It’s all about give and take!

Stuck in awkward silenceThe best way to break this is to carry a magazine. Flipping through it and commenting on what’s in it can start a conversation topic. An-other way is to find something you both like or enjoy, like watching horror movies or reading books.

Avoid short answers

When being asked questions and replying with one-word answers kill the conversation and sends bad impressions to the other per-son. Your answers shouldn’t be long speeches, but long enough to keep the conversation going.

How to get “Sun-kissed”

Not Sun Burnt!

With Dubai summer comes the time when most of us crave that sun-kissed glow. It definitely does boost up confidence and gets you compliments wherever you go! But before you transform yourself into a mesmerizing gold-en glowing goddess, here is a word of caution to guide you into safe sun tanning to get sun-kissed, instead of sun burnt!

Even if you try your best to forget that the summer sun in Dubai makes you feel like you’re in an oven, the fact still remains that the sun heat temperature in Dubai is already above 40 degrees. You should always take precautions before you suntan because a healthy tan is a misconception.

It is advisable to carry your shades, towel, sandals, hat, t-shirt, sun block, Aloe Vera and cocoa butter.

Before you go out in the sun make sure to clean your skin. Remove all traces of makeup, creams and perfume liquids. These products make skin more prone to sunburn.

Apply sunscreen with a low SPF before stepping outdoors.

If you have sensitive skin, use hy-poallergenic sun care products.

It is advisable to stay out of the sun between 12 in the afternoon to 3 o’clock, as the intensity of the sun is at its peak during this hour.

Keep at least a two-day gap between tanning sessions.

Use a good lip screen to protect your lips from getting burnt or chapped.

Here’s a list of protective

armory for you against

the sun:

Risks of overexposure to the sun:

Prolonged hours in the sun can lead to aging, as it breaks down the skin’s elastic tissues.

Deep wrinkles can set in, along with making the skin dry and rough.

Freckles have the tendency to develop on the face and any exposed areas.

Skin that gets sun burnt will cause pain, swelling and redness.

Don’t forget that too much of everything has its consequences. Tan safely, take pre-cautions, and drive the crowd with envy in your golden glowing sun kissed skin!

By Aisha Bin Tarraf

15

Would you rather

take morn

ing classe

s

OR

aftern

oon classe

s?

16

Would you rather

be project partners with a stranger you don’t know

OR someone you don’t like?

Would You

Rather?

Would you rather

take morn

ing classe

s

OR

aftern

oon classe

s?

Would you rather be stuck in an elevator

with a teacher

OR a classmate you don’t like?

Would

eat from Sandela’s

OR La Vita Café everyday and nothing else?

Would you rather

write a 2000-word essay

OR present for 30 minutes?

Would you rather

trip while collecting your diploma

OR burp while giving a speech during your

graduation?

Would you rather be the most popular person OR the smartest?

Would you rather

get in trouble with the on-campus security

OR get called off by your professor for

being late to class?

Would you rather

learn less and do well,

OR learn more and do badly?

Would you rather

find a parking and be marked absent for an important

class

OR

park, be on time to class and be fined by the police?

By Nouf Farid AlBastaki

you rather

Monkeys peel

bananas upside

down

Honeybees have

hair on their eyes

Bill Gates’ house was

designed using a Mac

Useless FactsThe Spanish word for

‘wife’ also means

‘handcuffs’

100 people die

choking on ballpoint

pens every year

The umbrella was

originally

invented to

protect people

from the sunThe percentage of people

dreaming in black and

white started

decreasing after the

spread of color TV

Greece has the

largest percentage

of smokers

You burn more calories

sleeping than you

do watching TV

By Shoaq Al Fardan

Only humans

shed

emotional

tears

A group of

ferrets is called

a ‘business’

The first smiley

ever was written

in 1982

There is 1 billion

seconds in 32 years

Apple has more

money than the

US Government

Otters sleep holding

hands so they do not

drift away from each

The message

receiving tone

on a Nokia is

‘SMS’ in Morse

Code

Ants can survive

falling from a sky-

scraper

Astronauts cannot cry

in space

17

Maze

18

Spot the 15 diffrences

By Ghaya Sultan

Hanan Al Fardan