Vision College roadshow to TEHRAN – SHIRAZ – ESFAHAN

Iran, or more commonly known as Persia prior to 1935, does not typically come to mind when deciding on a destination for vacation. This is due to a number of reasons, namely the economic sanctions imposed upon this country and the international image of Iran as an unsafe place to be in. Sanctions on Iran were imposed by the US following the Islamic revolution of 1979, while the more recent sanctions in 2011 were motivated by Iran’s alleged nuclear weapons programme.

So what brought us to Iran … ? In terms of foreign students pursuing higher education in Malaysia, Iranians rank at the top of the list. As at January 2012, there is an estimated 18,000 Iranians pursuing education in both public and private institutions of higher learning in Malaysia. With this in mind, we participated in the ‘Education Malaysia’ roadshow in Iran in June 2012 with the hope of penetrating into this market.

As there is literally no promotional efforts on tourism to Iran, it is not surprising that there were only a handful of Malaysians – that is us – in the flight from Kuala Lumpur to Tehran, and back. The unusual scene for us, but totally normal for the Iranians, is that upon landing at Tehran International Airport, the ladies quickly whipped out the headscarves to cover up the hair.  For the unfamiliar, it is compulsory that women in Iran follow the Muslim attire that is to cover up the hair, arms and legs. Malaysians require a visa to enter Iran, and this can be quickly done at Tehran airport itself, without charge.

 

After the airport formalities, we were greeted by a charismatic and beautiful Iranian lady whose name totally befits her personality – Angel – who will show us around her country and act as a translator since English is not widely spoken. Since we arrived near midnight and the streets are not quite lit, looking out of the car windows, we could make out that Tehran is a huge metropolis - we were told Tehran’s population is around 8 million people - but the infrastructure and architecture lags behind in terms of modernity.

Iran, being an ancient Islamic civilization, is a nation rich in history and culture. With Angel as the guide, we visited the Carpet Museum which exhibits a variety of Persian carpets from all over Iran, the Golestan Palace and the Jewelry Museum which houses the Imperial crown jewels of Iran. Amongst the many things, we saw a replica of the first Persian carpet in the world (the original is in some museum in Russia), countless beautiful carpets from the various carpet-weaving regions around Iran namely Tabriz, Esfahan and Kashan; and in the Jewelry Museum, a priceless collection of precious gemstones – heavily jewel-encrusted thrones and swords, a diamond measuring 20 carats, rubies, sapphires, emeralds and jadestones the size of pebbles.

All of these were certainly sights to behold, and at the same time it aroused a feeling like we have travelled many centuries through time to envision the great Iranian empire during their glorious reign. It was all in all an eye opening, mind expanding and educational experience, to say the least.

Onward to shopping, where we visited the Tehran Grand Bazaar – one of the world’s biggest and oldest bazaars.  Walking along the alleys or, if you like, corridors, we quickly noticed that each corridor specializes in different types of goods  – for nuts and produce corner, it’s a row of shops selling almond nuts, hazelnuts, walnuts, pistachio, apricots, tea leaves, local sweets and delicacies to name a few; for clothes section, it’s kids stuff, adult wear, scarves, swimming wear, underwear, clothe and towel; then there is kitchenware of all kinds, to Persian carpets for the floor and wall, to toys, to precious metals, copperware, jewelry and spices - almost all things imaginable. For those who just want to a by-stander, the bazaar is definitely a place to observe and absorb the continuous soliciting and haggling between buyer and seller – all in Farsi, all so unintelligible, nonetheless interesting.

Having feast our eyes and ears with awe-inspiring sights and the rhythmic sounds of the city, to satisfy the hunger pangs and tantalise the taste buds, we were certainly pleased to have Angel introduce to us a typical Iranian cuisine comprising of saffron buttered rice and kebabs of lamb, beef and chicken. Siding the mains are lettuce salad, roasted tomatoes, olives marinated in traditional Iranian peanut sauce and yoghurt. Lemon, or some sour condiments always accompany such meat-heavy meals to ease the digestion of the lamb and beef, so we were advised.

The roadshow began in Shiraz – a city two hour by flight south of Tehran. Angel certainly rose to the occasion during the exhibition as she did her best to explain to the participants about the programmes offered at Vision College. There was a steady flow of participants making enquiries at our booth throughout the day, and it is our hope that Iranians will see the benefits of pursuing a healthcare programme at Vision College. In particular, we believe that the course Iranian students and doctors would find most attractive is the Post Graduate Diploma in Ultrasonography (Pg DMU) which is fully accredited and certified by the Australasian Society for Ultrasound in Medicine (ASUM). The Pg DMU is a one-year programme that would provide the pathway for Iranians to work abroad in Australia, NZ or the UK as ultrasonographers. Professionals in the field of ultrasonography are highly sought after in these countries as there is a dire lack of such persons in these markets.

The second leg of the roadshow brought us to Esfahan – another city renowned for its great historical monuments and some of the best sights in Iran. Noteworthy of mention are the Shaking Minarets, the Hamman-e Ali Gholi Agha bathhouse, the Sofeh mountains lining the city and the cable car ride, the Armenian cathedral and the Khaju Bridge spanning across the Zayendeh-roud river. No trip to this great city would be complete without seeing one of the world’s largest and most beautiful squares – the Imam Square. By night, the view of Imam square and the garden within it was simply breathtaking. Being there in person, marveling at its matchless beauty and grandeur, a sense of indescribable amazement and inspiration flowed through the body. It is undoubtedly an engineering feat and architectural wonder, considering that this place was constructed nearly 500 years ago.  Lining the square in the century old buildings are the bazaar, restaurants and a great Shah Mosque. 

No wonder Esfahan is termed “half of the world” ! I am truly blessed to have visited this amazing city, and there are still plenty of sights left to be explored on another trip to Esfahan.

At our last stop for the roadshow in Tehran, Angel gave a captivating and informative presentation on Vision College and the courses offered. The video clip can be found at www.vision.edu.my. With this, we hope that Iranian students and doctors will see the vast benefits of enrolling in the Pg DMU as a stepping-stone to a career outside of their home country. Vision College is the only institution in Malaysia that offers this postgraduate diploma in ultrasonography.

To sum up, if at all possible – it was a whirlwind of a ten-day trip. Iran has boundless to offer in terms of culture, history, things to see, learn, taste and experience. Unfortunately for the sanctions, this beautiful country has been disadvantaged in too many senses but one cannot deny that there is plenty of potential in the Iranian people and country to relive the glories of its past in this modern world.

Cambodia: Exploring heritage of Khmer civilizations

Always being interested with ancient civilizations, and once get not so far from Cambodia, we decided to visit one of the world magnificent complex of temples – Angkor Wat in Cambodia.

Exploring Siem Reap (city next to Angkor Wat), we found this small town very international – looks like whole world travel here to see Khmer centuries quiz. Environment is very friendly for tourists – lots of cheap hostels, shops, restaurants, cafes and bars, shops, and people - lot of backpackers, telling you the stories of their travelling, smiley Cambodians, beautiful kids, selling you handcrafts and souvenirs.  Nightlife is much opened, also friendly and quite safe. Cambodian national cuisine and drinks are cheap and tasty as well.

After check in in the hostel and quick breakfast, we find tuk-tuk (moto-taxi) driver and start our discovering of Angkor Wat. Angkor Wat is the biggest Hindu temple complex in the world (70 km by perimeter). Build in 12 century and dedicated to Vishnu, then Buddhism, it remains the most valuable construction of Khmer architecture. Greatness of complex with its detalization (ornaments of battle-pictures, dancing apsaras Vishnu images – all around all the temples!), perspectives and forms – that makes it gorgeous and unbelievable, that can be build 9 centuries ago!  Special atmosphere and spirit is there, when you reach temples tops – stillness, relaxation and fresh wind – that is what you find there, surrounded by beauty and antiquity.

Once, run away from mass of tourists we were founded by tropical rain in the middle of temple – so we stay there as it's the only place with a roof as we didn’t want to get wet. By the time rain stops, we found that we are the only ones in that temple: Sounds of jungle, fresh air, beauty, and colors of dark brick after the rain – that was simply unbelievable!

All temples of Angkor are different, most exiting ones is Angkor Wat main temple, Angkor Tom – temple with giant Buddha faces and Ta Phrom temple, mixed with century giant trees, which became part of temple themselves, by the way, Tomb Rider Movie was shot there. 

Exploring all the temples took for us 2 days, on the 3^rd day we just see the Angkor at sunrise – that is really something magical that everyone should experience.

Another attraction in Cambodia that we visited was Tonle Sap Lake – floating village on the river to the lake with about 3000 habitants. For tourist attraction beside the village itself, located crocodiles, fish-farm and mangrove forests (forests in half-water height) here. During the boat trip you will get through different type of emotions: you face with extreme poverty of habitants, orphanage children, living in the floating schools, but still with their happy faces that you can see along the way. Cambodian children are ones of the most beautiful children I’ve seen in my life. Tourists and organizations help this village with charity – to build water-cleaning constructions, to support schools and minimal infrastructure. This balance of poverty, smiles, charity and touristic attraction push you to the deep thoughts.

So that was our trip in Cambodia – different, antique, touristic…  To be true, I expect from Cambodia something more rural, maybe because of the increase of tourist interest to those places, it became more civilized and transparent and I haven’t been prepared for this. But the opportunity to feel majesty and beauty of Khmer civilizations is unique in there, so… as I always like to say… “Buy a ticket – take the ride!” ;)

Travel hitch and Ecopalooza in Malaysia….

Now that I came to do my internship from Argentina to Malaysia, I want to tell stories about my adventures on this blog, I'm Lidi and I ve been here for  two weeks to work for a year as marketing assistant at Vision College. I was working as a commercial producer in a TV channel  and study international relations at the same time ,it was hard but…. then the opportunity came to me … and this is how all begins…..

When  you are new in a big city with a completely different culture, first thing you have to do is new friends, to make plans and share this new experience, that why I contact people through couch surging website, It’s a internet page is for travelers from around the world. I put an advertisement, said that I want to make some friends, just like this!! Ha-ha and many people answer,  they invited me to go to a reggae bar in china town .. It was great!!, I met people from different countries  such as Saudi Arabia, Norway, England, Ecuador, Republic Slovak, and of course Malaysia, we get along really well!!!  That in two seconds we were organizing to go to the jungle!!!!! Sisisisisis to a festival of music and art called Ecopalooza, it was really funny to get to that place. First I went with a Ecuadorian guy that I met the night before, we took a bus, LRT at Wangsamaju station, then board a cab to  Zoo Negara. As we saw a small sign that said a small sign painted on a blanket with spray with the name of Ecopalooza,  we decided to get off the taxi and walk.. How far can it be??? Well, we passed the first kilometer … nothing… second kilometer just saw another sign that said just follow the arrow…. I couldn’t walk anymore…. I was tired!!!  So if I was like hey Andres if we do hitch hike???  Mmm yeah!!! Let’s do it!!!! I do not care about anything right now!!!! Good…. Hahaha Could not believe that we stop a car just in two seconds… we boarded the car and felt a strange smell… then smoke came out of the car…. Sisisisi were some farmers who smoked marihuana in the car... clearly!... those farmers do not know whether they were on earth or in heaven, they wanted to join us to the festival until they said : noooo we preferred not to drive and drink .. just smoke and fly…. Ok it ‘was time to go out to the car …. Well I never seen the more stoners men in the jungle hahahaha in about 5 kilometers we reached safely… Luckily!!!

Ecopalooza festival  was in a place that had many huts and hot springs pool, the most beautiful scenery to enjoy and leave town with live music, DJs, workshops, talks, film screenings, art  installations, environmentalists,  voice-over& digital artists, activist, campaigners, Capoeira, fire show… did I mention the hot springs pools???? Yes all that….! for the prices of 0 ringgits!!!!

After a long day of fun in the jungle, we were already tired and we had no such return. Soooo we go as we came… yeah! Hitch hike AGAIN! We stop the second car in which were a boy and two girls from here ,they  gave  us a ride to Kuala Lumpur to get back to our homes. The guy who drove us said that he took us to KL but first he had to take home to one of the girls… it was ok with us? Of course no problem where this girl lived??? In Batu caves!!!! Don’t worried we didn’t need to sleep anyway….we went to Batu caves then they wanted to eat too… after all the road trip through the suburbs lead everyone to their homes. I could not believe the kindness and hospitality that people have in here.. This kind of things only happen in the wonderful MALAYSIA!

Vision College Alumni: Success Story, Izuan Halik

Vision College Alumni: Success Story, Izuan Halik

Izuan Halik
Sonographer in Maternity Department
West London, England

Choosing a career when you are still in High school is a difficult task. My interests for my future career kept changing over and over again, but I was always drawn to a medical health related profession.

After I finished my degree in Biomedical Science at the University of Malaya (UM) I was still rather unsure about which career path to pursue until I was introduced to Vision College 7 years ago by my friend Ashley, who was a First Year Student and one of the first to attend the Post Graduate Diploma Studies in
Postgraduate Diploma of Medical Ultrasonography, PgDMU (Asia).

Ashley invited me to come to an Open Day event and I was captured with interest right away. I was accepted to participate the course in November 2005 and it properly was the most important decision in my life and I will never regret this decision which has changed my life in so many positive aspects.

Vision College back then was still very small which was ideal for a small number of students; I am aware that Vision College has extended into a renowned facility since, still providing excellent teaching and education. Back in my days it already had a very well equipped in-house diagnostic centre with up to date ultrasonic devices and systems. The lecturers were always very friendly and helpful and to this day I fondly remember the Ultrasound Supervisors, Mr Alan and Ms Yip, and also guest lecturers like Mr Roger Gent.

The college had a small library with adequate reference books. The educational approach consisted of problem/evidence based learning, one-to-one approach, and practical teaching which has helped me very much to gain the necessary skills, knowledge and understanding for my chosen professional career and the hands-on practice with actual patients has taught me to understand the relationship between a member of the public and a health professional.

My career in Ultrasonography has provided me with a profession that I enjoy with great passion. The challenges that I am facing on a daily basis keep me interested to broaden my knowledge by attending ultrasonographic courses and study days as well as reading medical and profession related journals.

As a Sonographer I am not only responsible for producing a diagnostic image but also interpreting and reporting it, making my findings part of the further treatment for a patient.

Up close patient contact, history taking, equipment optimisation and problem solving skills are required for every examination. It is a task of detective work with each patient presenting with a unique clinical question that requires a solution from the scanned image.

Afters pending some years in General Ultrasound and working as an Application Specialist I focused on Obstetric Sonography as my chosen field of speciality and expertise. Today, I am working as a Maternity Sonographer in one of the busiest Maternity Departments in West London, England. I work with colleagues who have many years of experience and together we make a great team. My Senior Sonographer helps and supports me when needed and gives me courage and support to expand my career steps.

London is a great city. Being one of the most multicultural and diverse among the European cities I encounter patients of many different cultural beliefs and backgrounds on a daily basis which has helped improving my interpersonal skills in treating every patient equal and with the same respect and dignity. It has helped me on my personal path in life to rise above criticism, despite this being positive or negative, but to see this as feedback and to learn from this, making me a better person as a professional and in private life.

Vision College has played a big part in the developing of the person I am today and helped me along with a sound and thorough education for which I am very grateful. It has opened many opportunities for me and I am still exploring.

Nurses's Day

Nurses all over the world celebrate Nurses' Day from May 6-12 each year. Although a National Nurses’ Day was first proposed in America in 1953, it wasn’t until 1974 that the ball got rolling, when the International Council of Nurses proclaimed May 12th International Nurses’ Day. May 12th is the birthday of Florence Nightingale, who is an English Nurse and is the founder of modern nursing. As of 1998 (updated), 8th May was designated as annual National Student Nurses' Day.

In the United Kingdom, each year a service is held in Westminster Abbey in London.
During the Service, a symbolic lamp is taken from the Nurses' Chapel in the Abbey and handed from one nurse to another, then to the Dean, who places it on the High Altar.

This signifies the passing of knowledge from one nurse to another. At St Margaret's Church at East Wellow in Hampshire, where Florence Nightingale is buried, a service is also held on the Sunday after her birthday.

The week-long celebration is designed to accommodate the variety of schedules nurses are required to work. Activities during National Nurses Week typically include banquets and recognition dinners, state and city proclamations, continuing education seminars, and other community events.  Nurses are typically honored with gifts, dinners, and flowers by friends and family members, coworkers such as doctors and administrators, and patients who want to show their appreciation.

Every year, the International council of Nurses will select a theme. For International Nurses’ Day 2012, the theme is “Closing the Gap: From Evidence to Action”. This is to highlight the importance of evidence based practice in Nursing.

All public and private hospitals in Malaysia are holding events to honor their nurses.
Malaysian Nurses’ Association will conduct a seminar annually where Malaysian nurses all over Malaysia will congregate to celebrate this symbolic event.

By Ms. Tang
Head of Nursing Programme

Buy the Ticket – Take a ride! Travel stories from Russian intern in Malaysia.

Thean Hou Teple:  Ascention

Surfing through the internet, I was trying to find something new and interesting to see in KL on weekends, I found the Thean Hou Chinese Temple. The next day at work, I asked my working collegues about this temple and they mentioned “Why do you want to go there? There’s nothing much to see!”, this encouraged me to go!
So before the weekend came, I did a search on how to get there, it was quite difficult to get there through LRT and the nearest one was at KL Sentral.  The only way to get there is by walking, which was quite alright with me.

It takes about 20 minutes by feet.  Thank god, it wasn’t too sunny that day but it was still difficult to walk for 20 minutes under 32 Celcius. When I was almost at Thean Hou Temple, I realized that I had to walk up a steep road which has a gradient of about 20 degree. At that point in time I was quite sweaty and tired. I collect back my composure and marched on.

When I first saw the temple, I was a bit disappointed. But I was wrong, when I got in, it proved that it was worth it.  First of all, as this temple is located on a highland, I could smell the clean fresh air. Secondly, when I was there, I experienced a calm and quiet atmosphere, which I find it unusual in the middle of a big city. The smell of aromatic fragrance, yellow light lamps over indoor space, symbols of buddhas. It really looked like a small China in the middle of the city.
While I was there, I spent some time inside the garden, sitting on a bench and relaxing. I also went into the temple, then walk around the Chinese Zodiac symbols and then finally went back home.

My perception of Malaysia now is more and more like “ The Whole Asia Inside One County”. This is because there is cross culture and religion, mix of nations and different native food. While my stay in Malaysia, I will definitely look for new places to see. I believe that “NEVER STOP EXPLORING!” and in Malaysia, I am sure I will be pleasantly surprised.

Vision into ISO standards

Vision College recognises the need for delivering quality education services to their students. In search for delivering quality services, Vision College has approached ISO which is the world largest standards developing organisation.

ISO has published more than 19,000 international standards from 1947 to the present day. These standards range from activities such as agriculture and construction, through mechanical engineering, to medical devices, to the newest information technology developments.

ISO was founded from 2 organisations which is the ISA (International Federation of the National Standardizing Associations), established in New York in 1926, and the UNSCC (United Nations Standards Coordinating Committee), established in 1944.

In October 1946, delegates from 25 countries, meeting at the Institute of Civil Engineers in London, decided to create a new international organization, of which the object would be "to facilitate the international coordination and unification of industrial standards". The new organization, ISO, officially began operations on 23 February 1947.

ISO launches the development of new standards in response to sectors and stakeholders that express a clearly established need for them.

Vision College has always believed in delivering quality services to their students. We wanted to streamline our processes so that the response time to the students is addressed promptly.

Having the ISO certification also makes the organisations more efficient and more standardised therefore, any cost drivers will be reduced. Due to the standardisation of the processes, issues arising will be promptly addressed as there is a process for each action from the academic side, administration side and the marketing and sales side of the organisation.

Vision College's Director, Mr. Lee receiving the certificate.

In 2011, we have received the ISO 9001:2008 certification. In 2012, we have fully implemented the ISO standards in Vision College. We look forward to delivering the best we can to our students and our stakeholders.

Visiting RSNA, Chicago, USA

Recently, at the end of November, I was given a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity by our partner company - Gideons - to visit Chicago, USA where I would attend the world-renowned Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) Congress. It is the largest medical imaging congress in the world, a high-tech mecca of medical technology where leading hardware and software companies congregate and showcase their latest ideas and technologies in medical imaging.

As Chicago was 14 hours behind Malaysian time, we were totally out-of-sync the moment we arrived at O'Hare International Airport. For the first few days, we literally became creatures of the night, sleeping in the day and becoming wide awake at night. This was a crazy experience, but thankfully, the windy nights gave us plenty of time to reflect upon life's experiences, so it was not a total waste staying up till the late hours of the morning - not that we had a choice.

The weather at Chicago was capricious. On the first day, the weather was cool. On the second and third day, it was warm. I was actually walking around with a sweater and bermuda. After that, the weather became really cold, reminding us that winter is near. You never get this change in weather as drastic as what we have in Malaysia. No wonder Chicago is also called the Windy City.

 

One of the most interesting sights of Chicago is its architecture. Since Chicago's fame dates back to the 19th century, and has attracted many architectural talents. There are many majestic and grand buildings which define the cityscape of Chicago. I took pictures of the Wrigley Building, the Chicago Tribune Building (where they filmed the recent blockbuster - Transformers: Dark of the Moon) and also Willis Tower (formerly Sears Tower). I was fortunate enough to be able to visit the Skydeck Chicago on top of Willis Tower. The Skydeck has the unique observation deck where you can step on it and it felt like you are floating in the air. It was a wowing experience and I was very nervous about the height when I first stepped on the observation deck. Still, after a while, I got used to it. This is one attraction that is definitely not suitable for the acrophobics.

The RSNA was a bustling exhibition attracting people from the entire spectrum of the radiology field. I managed to take a picture with the Neusoft 64-slice CT Scan which will be launched in 2012. 

It is an exciting environment where I had the opportunity to meet a few old friends and also to make new friendships. As with all trips, just when you got used to the place, it was sadly time to head back. See you another time, Chicago!

First Exhibition in Dhaka

Being in Dhaka, Bangladesh, is quite a sobering experience and a good exposure. The population in Dhaka itself is 11.875 million people and in Selangor is 5.5 million people. The size of Dhaka is 1,463km square and Selangor is 8,104km square. Therefore, the feeling that you get there is a bit more congested as compare to Selangor.

Rickshaw and CnG

I experienced riding on a rickshaw and also a C n G which are some of the public transport facility. It was quite enjoyable. The weather there was quite nice and the people there are very friendly.

 

Dhaka was famous for making garments, making ropes and planting grains. Their agriculture sector contributes 19.1% of their GDP. They plant products like rice, jute, tea, sugar, wheat. Their manufacturing sector contributes about 28.6% of their GDP. They manufacture items such as garments and knitwear, jute goods, frozen fish and seafood, textiles, fertilizer, sugar, tea, leather, ship-breaking for scrap, pharmaceuticals, ceramic tableware, newsprint.

The exhibition that I participated was in relation to the Malaysia My Second Home Programme. It is a programme whereby foreigners are able to get a 10 years visa in Malaysia if they place a sum of money in a fix deposit in Malaysia. There is always confusion that a foreigner is required to purchase a property in Malaysia to obtain the visa, which is not true.

Me with my friends in MM2H exhibition

 There were quite a number of people from Malaysia My Second Home and from the education and healthcare industry. Going for exhibitions is quite enjoyable because I get to meet new friends from different industry and cultures. 

By Lee Wee Giap

Human Resource Director

Vision College