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DECEMBER 2013 ISSUE #05
TWITTNI©K
magazine
WELCOME TO ISSUE #05 MOVEMBER MOMENT w/ TWITTNICK Over the last 30 days I completed and supported men’s health to combat prostate, testicular cancer and mental health awareness. It was a difficult and not to forget “itchy” challenge for a first timer. My main focus was to help broaden the awareness of staying mentally and physically healthy.
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Those who took part in this extravaganza world wide event, goes to show how much an everlasting impact there will be for the face of the men on this planet.
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I hope that the men who did not participate in this year’s movement, do so next year! You can learn more about the cause here: ca.movember.com
This is
Michael
Anthony
Charuk.!
Michael started playing drums when he was 8 years old. “I got the interest in music because of my dad, he was a musician and even recorded a couple records and toured a bit in Canada. I was interested in music and traveling. I got lessons for a year until I got to the point where I was teaching myself new things on the drums.” He began playing in Church by the age of 10 and few years down the road heI went on tour with 2 different groups around Ontario. At18 Michael started recording in studios. “Thats when I decided to teach myself piano because it was something I've always wanted to learn. I always wanted to record my own music. It took me 3 years to learn it but I never gave up and I got pretty good at it. During that time, Michael’s dad got sick and passed away. He played a piano solo at his funeral. “That was one of the hardest things I’ve been through in my life and it was really hard on my family emotionally and financially. That same year he died I started going hard, trying to make it as a musician. I put some of my work out there I started doing videos and more gigs and just getting my name out there.. I was doing this for my dad my family and myself, I love music its the one thing in my life that I always had a passion for and I'll never give up on my dreams, music makes me happy and I can express my happiness or pain through my instrument.”
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Michael’s story sounds like many other stories but the only difference is that he's done all this himself. “I had no help and hardly any motivation from anyone. I’ve even had people tell me I'll never make it and I'll never be that good. I can't even say that I’ve made it yet.” Yeah he may have over 250,000 followers on Twitter. “I got my name out there as a Musician, I’ve traveled, been on the radio about 3 or 4 times, played at Weddings, Churches, special events and Nightclubs.I record drums and piano for different artists worldwide and now im even producing beats, but my dream is to travel this world and play music, whether its with Band or Hip-Hop, R&B artists.”
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For Michael, it’s not about popularity, fame or getting rich, “I just want my talent to be heard and I want to make enough money to look after my family. Ive had many opportunities to give up. I haven't and never will no matter what happens. My goal is simple, I just want to open my own studio in Toronto and just keep making music until I die. I want my music to be heard all over the world. It might sound crazy but all I want to do is make music and start a family. I'm not about having any girl in the world and being famous having 5 cars a big house. Thats not success to me. Success to me is doing what you love and being able to look after the people you love. Hate me or love me, trust me
I'm not going anywhere I'm never going to stop. I'll always be motivated when it comes to music.
DON’T DRINK AND DRIVE.
magazine
TWITTNI©K
ChrisRex_22
HELPFUL TIPS TO REMEMBER WHEN HEADED INTO THE ENTERTAINMENT DISTRICT
The weekend is the time to get together with friends and families, to get out and have a great time. With no obligations to school or no work, the weekend means time to invest in our social calendars. But though this may mean having fun and perhaps even heading out to the Entertainment District, be mindful of how you can have a safe night out: • When heading into the Entertainment District on the weekends, buddy up with friends to ensure nobody gets
isolated and then into awkward situations. Be alert to the tone and atmosphere of your surroundings. • While a few drinks and a lot of adrenaline can make one’s surroundings a bit intense and exciting, be alert to
possible situations that can get out of control. Remember, you want to protect your friends as well as yourself at the same time. Avoid unnecessary confrontations and conflicts. Keep the mood light and friendly. • When buying drinks, you want to make sure that you always have it in your hand. Placing them on a counter
can be unsafe because once you leave it, you are leaving yourself in a vulnerable position. Keep your drinks close and if in doubt about its contents, abandon it. • When it comes to the end of a Friday, Saturday, Sunday night downtown, appoint a designated driver who is
going to stick to his/her role for the evening. Drinking and driving isn’t just poor judgment; impaired driving compromises everyone’s life on the road. • If you don't have any assurances of a safe and sober ride home, try taking an alternative: Taxi or Public
Transit. (Always take note of the company or markings of the cab that you take in case someone needs to contact the cab/transit company for lost items. • Words go around and I know sometimes it can be hard to report violence. Nobody wants to get involved in
anybody's situations. We all hand it off to them. One might think, "Let them deal with their own problems." Remember that at the end of the day, we should all learn to keep the peace, love and unity. • The world can be safe if we all take part in a non profit organization "Crime Stoppers." Where people make the
mistake is confusing Crime Stoppers as the 'Police', when it's clearly not. Crime Stoppers is communitydriven. Any TIP that you submit is 100% anonymous and the court grants the anonymity of your information. I encourage you to watch my CP24 interview about Crime Stoppers and its anonymity.
Nicholas Maharaj @TwittNick
Take Another Look: Look, I know you think she was the one, but I don’t. Now, I think you’re just remembering the good stuff. Next time you look back, I, uh, I really think you should look again” -500 days of Summer. Why do most of us do this? We know that somewhere along the line, it wasn’t going to work out, yet, we block out the signs and pretend everything is fine anyway. Then, when the relationship ends, we’re shocked, as if we never saw it coming. We are programmed to look back at the good memories that made us happy, which I believe is the reason why we’re usually stuck and can’t move on sometimes. However, if we were to take a much closer look back to the moments we cherish, the signs that led to the downfall of our relationships are visible. Once you see that and accept that, moving on becomes easier. We choose to see the little things that mattered to us. We see the look in their eyes, the way they do certain things that make us believe it’s real but we refuse to see the flaws in the relationship. The thing is, what we feel and what they feel is different. What you felt was so romantic and sweet was probably not such a big deal to them. We are only in control of the way we feel but we have no idea what’s going on in their head. The ones who always end up hurt are the ones who are so much more invested into the relationship than the other person is. That’s why it hurts; because your feelings towards the other person is much more heightened than the feelings they have for you. Think about it. If you really meant so much to them, why would they leave you? If they felt the same way about you, there is no reason for the relationship to end. Whatever problems you two come across CAN be worked out if both people are willing to fight for what you guys have. If the other person gives up, then their hearts are most likely not as involved in the relationship as your heart is, and that’s life. You just have to find a way to accept that and move on instead of replaying the good memories in your head which prevents you from doing so.
By: Nisha Khan
SPECIAL EDITION
magazine TWITTNIŠK
Page 19
Nicolette Ann Seecharan
CHOOSE YOUR RIDE CAREFULLY @TorontoPolice @BeckTaxi
JANKI
magazine TWITTNI©K
SITA DESAI
Christina Ramsamujh
Christina, 19, is a full time Media Communications student at Humber College. and currently enrolled working for Babies R Us and Kayana Beauty Trends.
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As of this year she became Spray Tan Certified and the Senior Tanning Technician at Kayana Beauty Trends. “I grew up in a loving home learning the roots of my culture through the art of khattak (a form of indian classical dancing) through the Panwar Music and Dance Academy.”
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Christina currently major in Digital Design. After her obtaining her diploma, her goal is to continue her education towards a marketing degree. College began easy as pie for her, and then she took a sharp turn for the worst during my second semester. Her writing ability and media skills were not up to par, resulting in her first failure during college. On top of being disappointed in myself, I also was not working - causing a financial struggle. It was unfortunate because she chose this program to originally major in Media Writing. But instead she discovered it was her weakness. After working very hard, she is improving in her Media Writing and in the process of working to improve.
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She then discovered her strength, Digital Designing. “It was an important lesson to me to never give up and to try and try again. As cheesy as it sounds, I made the people who love me very proud and now I am headed down a path that I believe is right for me. A lot of the times you find yourself doing something because your parents want you to do it, like going to post secondary. Then you realize you're taking something that is either not interesting or that you just can wrap your head around. Regardless the situation, try to be optimistic. Now that you've discovered your weaknesses or disinterest there is something else out there for you to be great at. It took me 14 months to embrace failure in order to succeed. I now work with amazing people and get to meet exclusive media artists in the fitness industry and publish a monthly online newsletter on behalf of Kayana Beauty Trends.” Christina looks forward to the challenges that await her in the near future because she knows with perseverance she’ll become something and so will you.
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TEL: 1-800-8477 (TIPS) TEL: Anonymously
TEL: Confidentially TEL: Crime Stoppers
WHAT IS CRIME STOPPERS ST. KITTS & NEVIS? Crime Stoppers St. Kitts & Nevis is a non-profit, tri-partied program between the community, media and law enforcement, whose goal is to provide a way for the public to CONFIDENTIALLY and ANONYMOUSLY share information on criminal activity and assist with the recovery of drugs, guns, and stolen property.
WHY USE CRIME STOPPERS ST. KITTS & NEVIS? Many crimes are left unsolved in the Federation due to the fear of repercussions from providing information to law enforcement. Crime Stoppers SKN is a CONFIDENTIAL and ANONYMOUS outlet where you can report crime without fear of identification. You can make a difference!
HOW DOES CRIME STOPPERS WORK? If you would like to pass information on ANONYMOUSLY, you can do so by: t $BMMJOH PVS OVERSEAS BASED hotline 1-800-8477 (TIPS) t 6TJOH PVS POMJOF XFC GPSN Our hotline and online web form are all encrypted and based OVERSEAS
5&- 5*14 t XXX DSJNFTUPQQFST LO Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
Jennifer Oliveira
17 year old Jennifer Oliveira well known as JenniferDeMusic has been achieving many of her goals. This 17 year old has achieved over 25k followers on twitter! She isn't just a normal teenager, born in France, raised in Portugal, she has gone through many hardships.
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Keeping music as her way out of things, she has kept a positive attitude. She hopes one day her music will inspire many people. Demi Lovato has been her inspiration for music and even her life style since day one. Demi Lovato has gone through many tough situations and Jennifer has looked up to her strength, motivation and lyrics she has written for her music! Jennifer plans on making music along the lines as Demi Lovato's music. She loves music and its most definite her PASSION!
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Now you might be wondering why she's known as 'JenniferDeMusic', she has named herself 'JenniferDeMusic' to make it easier for fans to say. She says "Many people don't know how to correctly say my last name, and its hard to always have to repeat my last name to everyone I see, so someone suggested it to me by making an easier name for my fans, I came up with JenniferDeMusic!"
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Jennifer also adds, "I feel like sometimes people feel intimidated to talk or msg me just because I have 25k followers on twitter, but honestly I'm a teenager just like you, I just want to help people out and promote my music to them in hopes they'll be able to relate and feel much better about themselves!". Jennifer writes music about her own struggles, as well as popular struggles going on such as bullying, depression, etc. She raises awareness to these issues. She also plans on covering Christian songs, she stated.
!JenniferDeMusic hopes one day she will not just succeed with her music, but she hopes that one day she will be able to help people through her music.
STAR.STATUS !
Exclusive page 23
Lorem Ipsum Dolor
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Nicolette
Seecharan
Nicolette Ann is a 20 year old woman who recently graduated from the Early Childhood Education program at Humber College. She takes pride in all that she has accomplished and will continue to strive towards achieving her goals. Nicollete’s childhood dream has always been becoming an Elementary school teacher. She plans on attending University and Teacher's College to receive a degree in teaching in the coming years. “I am inspired to become a teacher because I have the passion to make a difference, influence children and guide them as they grow up and most importantly touch hearts of those who I teach. I believe that a teacher is an important role because we are nurturers of a future generation.” In her spare time, she enjoy’s volunteering at child care centres, reading and dancing. Nicollete is currently attending the Rajkumarie Academy of Dance, in which she has been enrolled in for eight years. “I enjoy helping people and I hope to become a role model for others in the future.” Nicollete was recently crowned as the fifth runner-up in the Miss West Indian Canadian Pageant 2013. “The experience was phenomenal and a memory that I will always cherish. The experience has taught me a lot about working hard and getting to where you want to be which is exactly what I have done. The Miss West Indian Canadian Pageant has provided me with many opportunities to represent the West Indian Canadian community and I got to express my pride in my West Indian heritage which is Trinidadian. Being a part of a pageant takes more than just beauty, it takes education, integrity, passion, the ability to remain humble and most importantly, being yourself.”
December 2013
Kimberly Boodram
TWITTNIŠK 1 magazine
Happy Holidays! !
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“For as long as I can remember, I’ve
always loved to dance. I’ve loved to teach and to mimic others just in any way, and I’ve always loved it. I personally think music has played a huge roll in that for me. Whenever a certain song would come on and no matter where I was, it was almost as if I was entranced by the music, I would just break out into movement.
! When I was about 4 years old, I saw the movie You Got Served and I started to copy the choreography and soon enough I was adding my own dynamics to it and I just kept moving as the movie went on. Eventually I was auditioning at school, having battles with people, and just showing off for my friends. One of my biggest inspirations that got me into the KRUMP movement is the movie RIZE. I couldn’t stop watching it and I slowly started getting into the movement and I started adding my own little flavour. I also started getting into “Popping” and dance slowly started to take over my life. Not too long ago, I was asked to join a dance Studio called ‘Simply Swagg Dance Studio’ where I met my current dance teachers Paul “Kaze” Thurton of “Supernaturalz” crew and Amadeus “Primal” Marquez of “NorthBuck” KRUMP crew, now because of them I pop, KRUMP and participate in sessions and battles. I’ve been working on my craft for 13 years and in retrospect. I’ve dedicated so much time to it for a good cause and I’m proud of myself for it. My name is
Elijah ‘Ghost’
Smith
! BIANCA ! ! ! !
Star.Status
Bianca also known as “StarStatus” is a talent well beyond her years, only 19 years old, with a voice dripping honey and the dance moves to go with it; this local R&B singer and rap artist is more than just a triple threat.
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From an early age, Bianca has been involved in the performing arts, participating in local talent shows and competitions from the age of 3. It was during this period of her life that she gained not only skill and confidence, but realized her insatiable desire to entertain. Soon she was writing, rapping and belting out catchy tunes like a seasoned songstress. She has performed in numerous events around Toronto in venues like LuLa Lounge, Pacha Lounge, WOO Lounge and plenty more. Bianca has also performed multiple times on the Yonge and Dundas Square stage where plenty of celebrities perform.
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In 2013 she released her first music video, produced by Kilo Productions, for her original song “Summer Time” Featuring another Local artist, Superman. This video received a great amount of respect and was promoted on multiple sites, for example, Torontorappers.com, mixtapegods.com ect. In 2013 was also blessed with the opportunity to perform in Brooklyn NY and co-headline a showcase called Northern Nextposure. She gave an amazing performance and was rewarded a grand prize trophy.
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Like many artists, Bianca admires Michael Jackson as her greatest inspiration, in addition to Whitney Houston, Beyonce, Lauren Hill, Drake, Chris Brown and Kendrick Lamar. Bianca has developed quite a local fan base and she is described lovingly by them as a “kind-hearted, passionate, professional and dedicated artist”. Her goal is to create music people can relate to and feel the need to move their bodies. Her heart and soul is in her music and she just wants to share her passion with the rest of the world. She wants her fans to know she does not plan to disappoint. She is up and coming and when she reaches she won’t be leaving.
LEEAN LALL
magazine
TWITTNI©K
Doina Oncel is a mother of two daughters and the CEO/Founder of hEr VOLUTION, a nonprofit organization supporting women of all ages who are interested in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) through innovative education and employment services. “I like to call myself a Social Entrepreneur as I like my work to create social change and to leave a legacy behind.”
Exclusive Interview
Photo by: Diana Nazareth
“Ever since I can remember I felt that my calling was to support women. There are many people that say : "Somebody should do something about this situation!" and then there is me. Through personal experiences I have had this idea in my head for about three years. I have seen women in the industry lacking ability to ask questions about their profession that they have been in for over 20 years when they were in a room which was mainly occupied by men. I have heard a male teacher say that girls are not proficient at studying computer science hence why he is not supporting girls in his class. I meet women every day that are mentioning how they too wish they had more opportunities growing up to get into the field but they were discouraged mainly because the society said that it is not a woman's job to do so. And I am seeing my daughters' interest in engineering, science projects, and digital media all on her own. I want my daughters and their generation of women to have opportunities, to have choices.”
What has been one of your most memorable experiences so far? There are numerous memorable and exciting experiences that I could talk about and the one that stands out the most is the way people from the industry and otherwise are reaching out to me because they are interested in supporting the cause. Also, I cannot skip the fact that the experiences during our past workshops have been memorable because of the knowledge that girls got out of it. Tell us a little bit about an experience throughout your career that challenged you yet inevitably became a learning experience? The inception of hEr VOLUTION has been a challenge that is still teaching me lessons every day. When this was only an idea in my head, I felt that it would be impossible for me to start it but once I made the decision that this is what I am meant to do, I went for it. The lessons that I get from being involved in the groundwork of hEr VOLUTION is that nothing is impossible. Challenges are there to teach us lessons that we wouldn't otherwise learn. The learning experience that I am getting from this is that when I want to do something that is important to me I find a way to make it happen no matter what.
What excites you about your career? The fact that I get to create change and a better future for the next generation excites me.
How have you seen people/communities be affected by what you have to offer? One great example that I have is when I decided to ask a nine year old girl from my neighbourhood to join us at one of our workshops. She is a great example of whom hEr VOLUTION was created for. Raised by a single mother, she is not exposed to extra curriculum activities, mainly because she is not aware of what is out there and she cannot afford most of the services designed for her daughter. That day the girls were learning about robots and how they are engineered. Once we got home, my daughter decided to invite the girl over to spend more time. They were both writing on their journal and the next day when I was tidying up my kid's room I found a note from the girl that described how much fun she had during the workshop and throughout the day. This is one great example how we are positively affecting our community. There is nothing more satisfying than knowing that our programs will bring confidence to girls and young women. The way I see it, I much rather give girls and young women a variety of options to benefit their future rather than them having one option and that is to be left to others to decide for them.
Who influences you? The women that have had the courage to create paths in order for me to be able to do what I do today and my children.
What advice would you give to a young woman? You are capable of doing anything and never be afraid to speak up.
How can others get involved with hEr VOLUTION? The best way to get involved is spread the word. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook to learn more about what we do and our future workshops. For the women in the industry, I would love to have you join me as a mentor. Volunteer your skills with us. Attend our fundraising events and support with a donation. Most importantly, help us raise awareness about our cause.
What are some future plans for hEr VOLUTION? Currently we are working on planning a few town hall meetings in various GTA areas. The scope is to raise awareness and get local government and the community involved. Stay tuned for that. We are also working on our online presence with developing our website. Furthermore we want to become sustainable in terms of workshops and awareness projects as well as being able to expand across Canada and help all girls and young women who deserve the opportunity to study STEM and work in this field.
Elderly Abuse & Neglect
in CANADA.
By: Ravi Rampersaud
As an egalitarian society, I think we proportionately assign personal/familial authority, socio-economic value and thoughtfulness/consideration/respect according to a person’s chronological age. In other words, as a society we designate importance, influence and responsibility towards those who are numerically overexpressed because it is understood that they have achieved substantial knowledge, gained pertinent experiences, and/or made tangible contributions. However elder abuse, defined as, “single or repeated acts, or lack of appropriate action, occurring within a relationship where there is an expectation of trust, which causes harm or distress to an older person” (World Health Organization, 2002), has unfortunately increased 20% from 1998 to 2005, and these are only the cases reported by the police (Statistics Canada, 2007). Sadly, there are an unfathomably significant number of unreported, undocumented and under-represented cases. Elder abuse has no cultural or racial disposition and can manifest into many forms, which includes but not limited to, financial, emotional, technological, physical, verbal, sexual, neglect and/or isolation (OCASI, 2013). Unfortunately, current ageism trends perpetuated by the media have and still continue to infantilize, stigmatize and subsequently marginalize our senior population. We, as a society, have desensitized ourselves to associate certain psychological, behavioural and intellectual traits, as presumable indicators of old age and some believe this is even a substantiation to violate the financial prosperity, sense of autonomy, social integration and connectedness of our seniors. Institutionally and personally, we should alter the way we perceive our aging population. Beyond personal education, community awareness and social advocacy, we should disregard the assumptive internalizations of age and corresponding abilities. In addition, the language used to describe “older adults” as opposed to “the elderly” is depreciative and dehumanizing. Once we begin to refer to the individuals as humanitarians equal within society, only then can we change the conditions and strengthen our relationship
Support Our Troops!
with older adults to prevent elder abuse.
MERRY CHRISTMAS
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