Ink Newsletter | March 2017
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Pelikan Asia Sdn Bhd.
Ink Newsletter | March 2017
Editorial
Awesome April! How time flies by, it’s already the second quarter of the year! We concluded the first quarter with a bang, the Best Friends Colouring Contest Finale was a success! It was one of our biggest events in the recent times and a fitting end to our Back to School (BTS) campaign season 2016/17. Thank you to everyone that was involved especially to the contestants of the finale who made it such a memorable event. It was great seeing the young talents flaunting their amazing art skills, truly an eye opener. Looking forward, we are already planning our next BTS campaign towards the end of this year which promises to be even better than this Best Friends campaign. Watch this space. To continue the momentum of our marketing efforts targeting school children, we are now going directly to schools meeting students to introduce the brand and our products! We are really excited about this and for a start, we are targeting 10 schools in the Klang Valley area. Depending on how our visits to these 10 schools go, we would like to do the same with more schools in the future. Read all about it in the ‘In a Blink’ segment.
ts In a Bl ews/Even N g in t e k Mar
2 April is the World Autism Awareness Day. Increasingly common in today’s world including our country, it is estimated that one out of every 600 children in Malaysia is born with autism. The statistics also showed about 47,000 of the people in this country are autistic, with an estimation of four out of every 10,000 suffering from severe autism. It is more important now than ever for us to educate ourselves on autism and its treatments. Read more about this in our ‘Link to the World’ segment where we feature an article on art therapy as a treatment for autism. We will also be celebrating Pelikan’s birthday soon, on 28 April 2017 to be precise and Pelikan will turn 179 years old! Happy Birthday to this centurion company and we hope that it has a long, meaningful and wonderful life. As always, look forward to the exclusive Anniversary Sales for all our staff. Until the next issue, enjoy your read! Your’s sincerely,
ss @ Pelikan March Madlinnee Store & On
-Ing DrawAtria’s A-Maze ing Contest
Pelikan sponsored the prizes for the Atria’s A-Maze-ing drawing contest that was held on 19 March at its Centre Court. It was an acrylic poster drawing contest where family members took part together, drawing to the theme of A-Maze-ing school holiday. 30 winners received Pelikan products as their prizes.
The March Madness promotions were ran simultaneously at the Pelikan Store, The Gardens Mall and Pelikan Store Online starting from 18 to 26 March. The March Madness promotion at the Pelikan Store offered 25% discount for stationery and 10% discount for Fine Writing Instrument. Pelikan members were entitled to an additional 10% discount during the promotion. At Pelikan Store Online, customers enjoyed 15% discount storewide by entering the code ‘MARCHMADNESS15’ at checkout.
nale Best Friends fi
The Best Friends Colouring Contest concluded with the eagerly anticipated live colouring contest finale that was held at the Atria Shopping Gallery on 25 March 2017. 60 contestants took part in 3 age groups, having successfully qualified to the finale through the 1st stage of the contest.
over the level of talent, creativity and originality displayed by the next generation of artists, yet in dilemma over awarding the best prizes to the best artworks. Nonetheless, the judges unanimously agreed on the winners of each age group and we are very pleased over the judging results.
The contestants and parents arrived at the contest venue as early as 9am! Most of them browsed the 1st stage artworks which were on display to see who they were competing against. Some took the opportunity to visit the Pelikan booth and made last minute purchases for more colouring materials to be used during the contest in additional to the colouring tools provided for each contestant. Groups A & B contestants were given oil pastels sets while Group C contestants received a paintbox watercolour set each.
It was almost 4pm when the prize giving ceremony started. This was the highlight of the contest, one everyone excitedly waited for. The crowd had already flooded the stage area since 3pm waiting for the prize giving ceremony to begin! We immediately announced the winners according to the scores and age groups. All the consolation, third, second and first place winners from each group were called up to the stage to receive their prizes and the biggest cheers were of course reserved for the main prize winners. It was wonderful seeing them with their big grins being rewarded for their excellent artworks.
The contest started promptly at 11am. Right from the get-go, we saw the determination in all contestants to give their best and win the title. Little by little, the ideas that they poured into the colouring sheet became clearer and it was plain for all to see just how talented the contestants were. It was great seeing them concentrating hard on their artwork, filling up the spaces on the colouring sheet expertly. The 2 hours given to finish their work seemed to fly by and soon we reached the end of the contest. The judging process started right after the contest ended. Our judges of the finale were Mr Sim Pojinn (Director of Art Expo Malaysia), Ms Jaja Yusoff (Artist from Gajah-Gajah Gallery), Ms Shia Lynn of The Artsy Craftsy (Malaysia’s first creative lifestyle blogazine) and En Mohd Ali Seberong Marlisis Bin Abdul Rahman (an experienced art teacher with degree in fine art) and a representative from Pelikan. They went through all the submitted artworks carefully and judged the artworks for its creativity, technical mastery, originality and overall impact. The judging process to select 3 main prize winners and 12 consolations for each group took over 2 hours due to the immensely high quality of the colouring artworks presented by the contestants. The judges were in awe and in admiration
The winners – Group A. 1st Prize - TOH SIN YEARN (Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan) 2nd Prize - CINDY TEH XIN YI (Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan) 3rd Prize - LIEW RUI YEE (Lukut, Negeri Sembilan)
The winners – Group B. 1st Prize - MIA CHONG (Kota Kinabalu, Sabah) 2nd Prize - TAM HUI QUIN (Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan) 3rd Prize - KAM ZHI HAN (Ayer Keroh, Melaka)
The winners – Group C. 1st Prize - LOKE HAN FENG (Johor Bharu, Johor) 2nd Prize - SAMANTHA LEONG KA HEI (Petaling Jaya, Selangor) 3rd Prize - LEE SIN YIN (Sg Bakap, Pulau Pinang) Congratulations to all winners! Thank you to those who have submitted their creative artworks during the 1st stage and thank you to the finale contestants who travelled and made time to participate in the live finale ‘Best Friends’ Colouring Contest and made it memorable for all. We are so inspired by your achievements and we wish to see you in our next contest!
Group A
Group B
1st Prize - TOH SIN YEARN
1st Prize - MIA CHONG
2nd Prize - CINDY TEH XIN YI
2nd Prize - TAM HUI QUIN
(Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan)
(Kota Kinabalu, Sabah)
(Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan)
Group C
(Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan)
1st Prize LOKE HAN FENG
(Johor Bharu, Johor)
3rd Prize - LIEW RUI YEE
3rd Prize - KAM ZHI HAN
(Lukut, Negeri Sembilan)
(Ayer Keroh, Melaka)
2nd Prize SAMANTHA LEONG KA HEI
3rd Prize - LEE SIN YIN (Sg Bakap, Pulau Pinang)
(Petaling Jaya, Selangor)
Pelikan Goes to
School!
For one week starting from 28 March until 4 April, Pelikan visited 10 schools in the Klang Valley area to meet the students there. The purpose of the visits is to raise brand awareness among the students by giving them the opportunity to engage with the brand and Pelikan products firsthand. The main product promoted during the visits is the brush marker set. During the visits, students were introduced to the brush marker set and were taught the right techniques to use the brush marker. Free samples and prizes were gave away and the Pelikan mascot also was also present, much to the delight of the students. Here are the 10 schools that were involved. • SK Seafield • SK USJ 2 • SK USJ 12 • SK Kelana Jaya • SK Bukit Bandaraya
• SK Sg Penchala • SK Assunta Satu • SJK(C) Puay CHai • SJK(C) TunTan Cheng Lock • SK Damanasara Jaya
s Carnival
Kid Pavilion Elite
Pelikan participated in Pavilion KL’s Elite Kids Carnival through its partner, Times bookstores. The carnival was held as part of Pavilion KL’s school holiday promotion and it featured many interesting activities for the malls visitors like the Go! Junior Explorers featuring The Smurfs and Lego. At the carnival, Pelikan school products were sold at special prices.
Ink Newsletter | March 2017 mpaign
Live2Drive ca
Pelikan is one of the sponsors for the ‘Live2Drive’, where 5 Volkswagen (VW) enthusiasts embark on a 3 months drive to Hessisch Oldendorf, Germany for the 7th International Vintage Volkswagen Show to be held from 23-25 June 2017. They started in March, driving four classic VW Kombi and a Beetle from Johor at the beginning of March, going through Thailand, China, Mongolia, Russia, Iran, and eventually expected to reach Europe in June. In their drive from Malaysia to Mongolia, they will be visiting and rendering assistance to the local communities especially to the underprivileged children in each country. Pelikan sponsored the Live2Drive team oil pastel sets for the children they visited. You can follow their 27,000km drive across 20 countries at their Facebook page, www. facebook.com/Live2DriveMY.
rche
ss – Paper Ma
Pelikan Art Cla
Pelikan Store holds art classes every Saturday for children under the ages of 12. Each month the art class features different themes and for March, the selected theme was ‘Paper Marche’ with 4 activities, 3D Hot Air Balloon, Confetti Bowl, Mini Bug and Mini Volcano. Paper mache is an art piece made up of pieces of paper or pulp that are often reinforced with cloth or other materials and bound together with an adhesive paste. Paper mache paste can be made of watereddown glue, starch or wallpaper paste. Check out the photos from the art class and see for yourself the beautiful paper mache pieces the children did! For April, the theme of the art class is Awesome April. 5 activities have been scheduled; Paper Chameleon, Kingdom Castle, Easter Egg, Diamond Gems and Paper Characters. To join, call 0322020801 to book your place.
atures:
t Fe Produc
Special Edition M101N Bright Red
With the special edition M101N Bright Red, Pelikan presents a small new masterpiece of elegance. It is the sensual continuance of the successful models M101N Tortoiseshell Brown, M101N Lizard and M101N Tortoiseshell Red, which hold a special place in the historical model range. Bright Red is a real collector’s item, and not only for those already familiar with Pelikan. The vibrant red barrel and cap sleeve are made from high quality acrylic with a distinctive marbled pattern. The quality synthetic resin of the cap head and the filling handle polishes itself as it is used – meaning that Bright Red always continues to shine. The elegant marbling is in perfect harmony with the 24 carat gold plated fittings. Price (including GST): RM2012.95
Article
Art presents an Alternative to Verbal Communication New treatments, such as art therapy, are emerging to meet the pervasive challenges autism presents. Many parents look to art to help their child with sensory processing disorder (SPD) issues. Here’s an article on art therapy for autism written by Kate Lacour for The Art of Autism website. Art Therapy For Those On The Autism Spectrum In recent years, autism has been featured frequently in the news, and it seems that everyone knows someone whose life has been touched by the condition. What is autism and how is it treated? Autism is a neurological condition present at birth, whose precise cause is as yet unknown. The symptoms of autism include repetitive or compulsive behaviors, social impairment, problems with communication and trouble processing sensory information (such as hypersensitivity to sounds). The most popular treatment is behavior modification therapy, which aims at shaping behaviors through a system of rewards and consequences. In recent years, caregivers seeking alternative or complimentary treatments have a broader range of options available. One such treatment is art therapy. Broadly speaking, art therapy promotes mental and emotional growth through art making. Unlike art instruction, art therapy is conducted with the aim of building life skills, addressing deficits and problem behaviors, and promoting healthy self-expression. Clients are encouraged to explore and express themselves using art materials; crafting attractive artwork is not the goal (though it may be a happy by-product).
Art therapy is a natural fit for autism for several reasons. One of the hallmarks of autism is impaired communication. Verbal self-expression and language is often especially difficult. One person with autism writes “I just couldn’t get my words out. It was like a big stutter… Screaming was the only way I could communicate.” Art offers a way for people who have trouble “speaking their mind” with words to express themselves directly, without words. People with autism are often highly visual thinkers, and many report that they “think in pictures”. Expressing feelings and ideas through images is very natural for such people and can be a welcome relief from the daily struggle to use words effectively. Art therapy can help with social skills Autistic people also tend to struggle with social issues, such as interpreting tone of voice and facial expression, and may feel uncomfortable relating to others. One-on-one interactions, such as conversations, are often extremely intimidating and stressful. For such people, working alongside a therapist can be much more comfortable. As the two share focus on the client’s art-making, a powerful bond can be forged without the initial need for direct, face-to-face interaction. Art can also be a wonderful facilitator in forming connections with peers. Cooperation, turn-taking, respecting differences and other social skills can all be practiced in an enjoyable, natural setting. People with autism may also struggle to comprehend other people’s perspectives; looking at a peer’s art work offers a concrete way to “see” another person’s point of view. Working together on group projects fosters cooperation, teamwork and a sense of acceptance.ic
Art therapy can address Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) Art therapy is ideally suited for addressing sensory processing disorder (SPD), a pervasive problem in autism which contributes to a great deal of difficult emotions and behaviors, yet is too often overlooked. Seemingly innocuous sensations, such as the texture of carpet, fluorescent lighting, crunchy foods, the hum of a refrigerator, may be irritating, or even excruciating, to people with autism (“like nails on a chalkboard,” as a client once put it). When thus overstimulated, people with autism may become agitated, avoidant or simply “shut down” and become impassive in order to escape the unpleasant stimulus.
Sensory fixations are another common feature of autism. Some people may stare in rapt attention at their fingers as they flick them back and forth or endlessly twisting tiny strips of paper. Repetitively engaging in such self-stimulating behaviors (or “stimming”) can make people with autism stand out, prevent them from interacting with others, and can distract them from other activities, such as school work or play. On the other hand, these sensations may provide some calming, soothing feelings when the person is agitated. In art therapy, the goal is to channel non-functional or inappropriate stimming into socially acceptable, creative outlets. Compulsive shredding of paper turned into beautiful collages One autistic child was disciplined at school for his compulsive habit of shredding paper. When taught to use his love of shredding to make collage, the child embraced this new outlet. Today, Grant Manier wins awards for his striking, realistic collages, made with thousands of torn strips of paper and other shredded media. Another successful artist, obsessed with twisting bits of paper, now makes art using twist ties. This type of art making can help turn a behavior that once caused social problems into a form of self expression and enjoyment.
One of the most common goals in art therapy is to increase tolerance for unpleasant stimuli, while channeling self-stimulating behavior into more creative activity. Because art is naturally enjoyable for almost all children, autistic or not, they are more likely to tolerate textures and smells they might otherwise avoid when they are part of a fun art process. A child might find that he or she can actually cope with handling slimy, paste-covered strips of newspaper, for instance, when it’s part of a fun paper mache craft project. Repeatedly confronting the stimuli they prefer to avoid helps to desensitize kids to them, making it more bearable when they encounter these sensations in daily life. A child who learned to deal with paper mache, for instance, might then find that handling slimy hand soap was no longer so unpleasant.
In addition to its efficacy in improving sensory, social and emotional functioning, art therapy is an excellent treatment for autism because it is inherently reinforcing. Kids get enjoyment, stress relief and a boost to their self confidence from tackling art projects or simply exploring art materials. That they are practicing life skills while doing so may not enter their minds. Art therapy is a unique form of treatment for autism, as it helps mitigate symptom, while also channeling autistic behaviors into an expressive, creative outlet. It promotes communication, emotional growth and sensory integration while also fostering social interaction in a fun setting. You can read this article in full at this link https:// goo.gl/4tBP1d To learn more about autism in Malaysia, visit http://www.nasom.org.my/ and http://autism. ideas.org.my/
Ink Newsletter | March 2017
p! t’s u a h W
01 | March Madness Staff Sale March Madness promotion was also offered to Pelikan staff, taking advantage of the school holiday. Running from 1-31 March, the promotion offered Pelikan school sets and colouring tools at discounted prices. The Stola range was also included in the promotion with discounts of more than 50%.
02 | Desiree’s Farewell PASB held a farewell lunch for Desiree, Jr. Graphic Designer, on 30 March. The lunch took place at the Utropolis Marketplace at a Korean Traditional Cuisine & Café Oiso was attended by most of her colleagues. Desiree joined PASB in April 2016. We wish her all the best in the future.
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If you have any suggestion or any stories you feel should be published in the next issue of Ink!, please contact Hazri Nasaruddin at hazri@pelikan.com.my. Any suggestion is welcome. Thank you.