Finally getting around to update the blog.
Week 10 was pretty uneventful in all honesty. I spent most of my time sleeping and procrastinating. I only properly started studying for my Finance test on Saturday. It was a welcome change after the previous week.
Week 11 was just full of studying for the test and wrapping stuff up for the end of term. Thursday was the most eventful day of the week. I had my test and the end of term social for Glee which was pretty nice. Also, finally revisited Kasbah on Friday to celebrate the end of term. Except for the extra coat room upstairs, it was plain ole Kasbah with its sticky floors and throngs of students.
The night before I left for Malaysia, I cooked dinner for my housemates. No particular reason, to be honest but I just felt like it. They liked the meal good enough, thankfully. Then, the next day, I left for home. I slept for a surprisingly decent amount of time on both flights considering how little sleep I usually manage to get on flights. But, I was still exhausted by the time I got home. The type of sleep I get on flights isn't really the rejuvenating kind.
Anyway, now I'm back home and rushing internship applications and preparing for my one interview. Hopefully it will all go well. Happy to be home, even if only for 3 weeks (also helps that the weather isn't out to freeze me to death).
Friday 12 December 2014
Monday 24 November 2014
Weeks 7 to 9: Phew
It's been a busy few weeks. Mostly because my new band had a major gig lined up and Glee had our yearly commitment.
Week 7 was relatively uneventful.
Week 8, things started to move into higher gear. Academically, I had a mock trial to prepare for, so there were a few meetings with my group mates to sort things out. Besides that, I performed with my band at another jam night as practice for the charity gig in Week 9.
I also attended 2 talks in Week 8. The first one was a talk about the economics of warfare given by one the Econs department's best lecturers in conjunction with Remembrance Day. It was a really good talk and I can see why all my friends keep raving about how good the lecturer is. The talk itself was pretty eye-opening in terms of how countries managed their resources in preparation for war and how that affected their plans for war. It also served as a pretty interesting history lesson considering how little I actually know about the World War I and World War II. I am seriously considering taking War and Economy as an unusual option in my third year.
The second talk I attended that week was a TEDxWarwick Salon on the evolution of arts. I had attended a similar event previously and found it really interesting, so I decided to go to this one. One of the main issues which regularly came up throughout the event was the issue of disabled people in the performing arts industry. To be honest, if they did not bring it up, I would never have thought about that at all. I guess that just shows how much people actually care about the issue. Again, another eye-opener.
Week 9 was pretty hectic. On Monday, I played with my new band, '66 Chevelle at a charity gig. It went amazingly well. Obviously it wasn't perfect. There were mistakes here and there but all in all, it wasn't bad. The crowd liked it quite a lot.
Then, I had RAG week duties with Glee. We collaborated with Warwick RAG to crash lectures with serenades and lap dances. It was fun but terribly tiring.
Also, on Friday, I had my mock trial. It went surprisingly well to be honest. I honestly thought that I was going to screw up during my part but thankfully I did not. Now I just have to wait for my marks to be released.
On Saturday, I went to watch Interstellar with Melissa. After seeing a ton of good reviews on Facebook and Twitter, I decided that it was a movie that I did not want to miss. So, I went to watch it. It was really good. It wasn't perfect really and my brain hurt a bit after the movie but I enjoyed it a lot. Although, I don't think I will watch it again in the near future. It takes a bit too much brain power. Haha.
Only two weeks left till term ends. And just slightly over two weeks till I fly back to Malaysia again. This time, to help my family move to our new house. Can't wait.
Signing off,
YiJiun
Week 7 was relatively uneventful.
Week 8, things started to move into higher gear. Academically, I had a mock trial to prepare for, so there were a few meetings with my group mates to sort things out. Besides that, I performed with my band at another jam night as practice for the charity gig in Week 9.
I also attended 2 talks in Week 8. The first one was a talk about the economics of warfare given by one the Econs department's best lecturers in conjunction with Remembrance Day. It was a really good talk and I can see why all my friends keep raving about how good the lecturer is. The talk itself was pretty eye-opening in terms of how countries managed their resources in preparation for war and how that affected their plans for war. It also served as a pretty interesting history lesson considering how little I actually know about the World War I and World War II. I am seriously considering taking War and Economy as an unusual option in my third year.
The second talk I attended that week was a TEDxWarwick Salon on the evolution of arts. I had attended a similar event previously and found it really interesting, so I decided to go to this one. One of the main issues which regularly came up throughout the event was the issue of disabled people in the performing arts industry. To be honest, if they did not bring it up, I would never have thought about that at all. I guess that just shows how much people actually care about the issue. Again, another eye-opener.
Week 9 was pretty hectic. On Monday, I played with my new band, '66 Chevelle at a charity gig. It went amazingly well. Obviously it wasn't perfect. There were mistakes here and there but all in all, it wasn't bad. The crowd liked it quite a lot.
Then, I had RAG week duties with Glee. We collaborated with Warwick RAG to crash lectures with serenades and lap dances. It was fun but terribly tiring.
Also, on Friday, I had my mock trial. It went surprisingly well to be honest. I honestly thought that I was going to screw up during my part but thankfully I did not. Now I just have to wait for my marks to be released.
On Saturday, I went to watch Interstellar with Melissa. After seeing a ton of good reviews on Facebook and Twitter, I decided that it was a movie that I did not want to miss. So, I went to watch it. It was really good. It wasn't perfect really and my brain hurt a bit after the movie but I enjoyed it a lot. Although, I don't think I will watch it again in the near future. It takes a bit too much brain power. Haha.
Only two weeks left till term ends. And just slightly over two weeks till I fly back to Malaysia again. This time, to help my family move to our new house. Can't wait.
Signing off,
YiJiun
Monday 3 November 2014
Week 6: Meh
Just overheard my housemate talking on the phone about having a support system. The friends with whom I can just text on a whim and they will entertain me. I don't really have them anymore. Obviously, friendships come and go. But those that I honestly thought would last seem to be fading away.
Lately, I have been so busy with exec duties, my new band and coursework that my social life has fallen wayside. Seems like I haven't been doing very well socially this week. On the bright side, I met someone who I thought I would never talk to again by pure chance. To be honest, I might never talk to him again. So, I've got that going for me. Also, met someone who I knew I would see again but did not expect the treatment I got (basically I got ignored the whole time).
There were a couple of times this week when I was alone in the house and my mind started wandering, eventually it ended up in the realms of my non-existent love life. As usual. I wonder whether I am starting to sound desperate. Just the other day, I was talking with another of my housemates and we talked about how one of our mutual friends finally got a girlfriend after wanting one for a long time. Don't get this wrong, we are happy for him but she did raise an interesting point: are we happy for him because he has a girlfriend or because he finally found a girlfriend?
Nothing ever just falls into our laps. Love life included. If I don't make an effort to talk to other people and show that I'm interested, how will I know whether they're interested (or not) as well? Sometimes, we just have to take things into our own hands and go after what we really want (obviously harder than it sounds).
In the mean time, while I've been immersing myself in self-pity and self-doubt, I have been surrounding myself with music. As usual, I have been going to Glee sessions every week (even skipping lectures, oh well). I have also started playing with a band consisting of a few people from The Victor's Jig last year and a vocalist from another band. My songs seem to have been received pretty well so far, so I hope stuff will get going as soon as possible this year. Also, I have started writing songs for the MNight production. Never specifically written songs for something before, so I hope that it turns out alright. Anyway, there are other people writing songs as well, so it's not all on me (thank god).
I shall go back to moping and procrastinating. Till next time.
Lately, I have been so busy with exec duties, my new band and coursework that my social life has fallen wayside. Seems like I haven't been doing very well socially this week. On the bright side, I met someone who I thought I would never talk to again by pure chance. To be honest, I might never talk to him again. So, I've got that going for me. Also, met someone who I knew I would see again but did not expect the treatment I got (basically I got ignored the whole time).
There were a couple of times this week when I was alone in the house and my mind started wandering, eventually it ended up in the realms of my non-existent love life. As usual. I wonder whether I am starting to sound desperate. Just the other day, I was talking with another of my housemates and we talked about how one of our mutual friends finally got a girlfriend after wanting one for a long time. Don't get this wrong, we are happy for him but she did raise an interesting point: are we happy for him because he has a girlfriend or because he finally found a girlfriend?
Nothing ever just falls into our laps. Love life included. If I don't make an effort to talk to other people and show that I'm interested, how will I know whether they're interested (or not) as well? Sometimes, we just have to take things into our own hands and go after what we really want (obviously harder than it sounds).
In the mean time, while I've been immersing myself in self-pity and self-doubt, I have been surrounding myself with music. As usual, I have been going to Glee sessions every week (even skipping lectures, oh well). I have also started playing with a band consisting of a few people from The Victor's Jig last year and a vocalist from another band. My songs seem to have been received pretty well so far, so I hope stuff will get going as soon as possible this year. Also, I have started writing songs for the MNight production. Never specifically written songs for something before, so I hope that it turns out alright. Anyway, there are other people writing songs as well, so it's not all on me (thank god).
I shall go back to moping and procrastinating. Till next time.
Saturday 25 October 2014
Week 3 to 5: Alive and Well
So I've been very busy lately. I'm finally settling into the routine of going to lectures and my weekly activities. So that's good. The workload this year is no joke obviously. I've been forcing myself to keep up with the reading and work (2nd year, sigh) because I want to do well this year. Although, it has been a chore balancing my activities, exec duties and coursework.
Internships have been a recurring theme throughout the few weeks I have been back in the UK. The university has been bombarding students with career fairs and various talks. Of course, that's because applications have been open for a couple months already. I am sort of late to the game (again). So I've been stressing myself out on the typical Big 4 applications at the moment. Besides that, I am planning to apply for an internship in Warner Music which is probably the only summer internship opportunity I could find in the music industry here, so I've been putting quite some effort into that as well. Hopefully all goes well.
On a lighter note, one of my previous band mates has asked me to join him to play a charity gig in November. I will be playing a mixture of covers, his songs and my songs. So I have that to look forward to. In addition, I have been recruited to write songs for the MNight production. I haven't really written stuff for specific things like that, so that will be interesting.
Guess I have quite a lot on my plate at the moment. I was thinking of doing Jailbreak (a charity event where you hitchhike to as far away as possible) but now I'm glad I didn't choose to do it this year. Maybe next year. Hopefully things will slow down in a few weeks time.
Till next time.
Internships have been a recurring theme throughout the few weeks I have been back in the UK. The university has been bombarding students with career fairs and various talks. Of course, that's because applications have been open for a couple months already. I am sort of late to the game (again). So I've been stressing myself out on the typical Big 4 applications at the moment. Besides that, I am planning to apply for an internship in Warner Music which is probably the only summer internship opportunity I could find in the music industry here, so I've been putting quite some effort into that as well. Hopefully all goes well.
On a lighter note, one of my previous band mates has asked me to join him to play a charity gig in November. I will be playing a mixture of covers, his songs and my songs. So I have that to look forward to. In addition, I have been recruited to write songs for the MNight production. I haven't really written stuff for specific things like that, so that will be interesting.
Guess I have quite a lot on my plate at the moment. I was thinking of doing Jailbreak (a charity event where you hitchhike to as far away as possible) but now I'm glad I didn't choose to do it this year. Maybe next year. Hopefully things will slow down in a few weeks time.
Till next time.
Monday 6 October 2014
Week 1&2: Back in UK
So, it's been 2 weeks since I've been back in the UK. Already done with the first week of lectures and I have to say it's been pretty tiring.
I've had so much to do during the 2 weeks back. In addition to lectures, I've had to clean up the house, meet up with freshers to give them their SIM cards and, of course, Glee stuff. I'm pretty sure that I've been spending a lot of money and I haven't started keeping track of my expenditure yet. Hopefully it wasn't too much.
It's been nice to see all the familiar faces around even though now we all live in different places. I hope that I will be able to see those living in Leamington regularly. I already have my spot on a couch in Leam where I'll be able to crash, so that's a start. Can't wait for the Walking Dead viewing sessions.
The first 2 weeks back has already been much more tiring and hectic than the same time last year. I can imagine that my 2nd year here will be way more pressuring and hectic considering that my scores now count and my additional responsibilities this year. Hopefully I will be able to cope with it.
Peace out.
YiJiun
I've had so much to do during the 2 weeks back. In addition to lectures, I've had to clean up the house, meet up with freshers to give them their SIM cards and, of course, Glee stuff. I'm pretty sure that I've been spending a lot of money and I haven't started keeping track of my expenditure yet. Hopefully it wasn't too much.
It's been nice to see all the familiar faces around even though now we all live in different places. I hope that I will be able to see those living in Leamington regularly. I already have my spot on a couch in Leam where I'll be able to crash, so that's a start. Can't wait for the Walking Dead viewing sessions.
The first 2 weeks back has already been much more tiring and hectic than the same time last year. I can imagine that my 2nd year here will be way more pressuring and hectic considering that my scores now count and my additional responsibilities this year. Hopefully I will be able to cope with it.
Peace out.
YiJiun
Monday 15 September 2014
Malaysian Education: What I Think
Recently, a few exam papers were leaked. This is actually not an unusual thing in Malaysia. The significance of the occurrence this time though, was that the exam papers that were leaked were UPSR exam papers. A public exam for 12-year-olds. Due to the leak, these poor kids will have to take the exams at a later date instead of enjoying the freedom of having no exams for the next few months. I know that I, for one, would be furious at the people who were responsible for the leak had I been affected by it.
ALL ABOUT THE A'S
The focus on getting A's is apparently more important than actually learning and working hard to achieve results. I think that this is just sad. Getting an A does mean something and is important. I will never say that getting A's are pointless and useless but many teachers (yes, teachers) and students do not understand the significance of actually getting an A in an exam.
A student getting an A in an exam signifies that he or she understands and has taken to heart the knowledge taught to him/her for that particular subject. It also signifies that the teacher has done his/her job. That is the point of taking an exam, isn't it?
Unfortunately, the meaning of taking an exam has been twisted so many ways that it no longer serves its purpose. Then again, what is the purpose of UPSR? It's purpose, if any, is to differentiate those who happen to be able to perform better academically at that particular age from those who aren't as academically inclined. This only serves to show the less academically-gifted a nice middle finger at a point in their lives when they barely even know what is going on in the world.
It is normal for secondary schools, especially in urban areas, to group Form 1 students into classes according to their UPSR results. Again, it only serves to tell the one group that they are better than the other. This really shouldn't be happening. Everyone is good at something and, really, at that age, no one student is actually better than the other.
WHAT IS REALLY WRONG
I am a product of the public school system. I've been through UPSR, PMR and SPM. Now, I am pursuing a degree in the UK. A common sight among Malaysian students (at least where I study) is the reluctance to speak up voluntarily during a discussion in class. I have seen Malaysian students who refuse to even speak when asked a question that they do not know the answer to or when asked for their views on a particular topic. Lecturers get frustrated by this. When lecturers ask questions, they rarely expect a perfect answer, yet that is what the Malaysian public school system has trained Malaysian students to do - to give a perfect answer.
In the race to obtain the most A's possible, many students have lost the ability to fail. To fail in school is to fail at life. At least, that is what is ingrained into so many students' brains nowadays. That is why many of my peers in university do not dare to speak up. The fear of being wrong is what that is preventing them from fulfilling their potential to learn.
Schools, colleges and universities give us the chance to fail and pick ourselves back up. The effects of failure in these environments are rarely permanent. Failure is inevitable. Everyone fails at some point of their life. In fact, lessons learnt through failure often stay with us throughout our lives. Yet, failure is the one thing that the education system is failing to address.
I am not saying that it is desirable to fail but learning to deal with failure when it happens is important. Being able to pick yourself back up after you fail is important. How many times have we heard teachers tell a student who failed that he/she has no hope? Not all teachers are like this, but unfortunately I have heard that "no hope" phrase coming out of a teachers' mouth too many times.
Is this what the education system is? A tool to sieve through the many students and select the elite few who are able to give the perfect answer?
MOVING FORWARD
The move towards school-based assessments is a step in the right direction. In fact, many of the initiatives laid out in the Education Blueprint are a step in the right direction but whether these plans work out, we can only wait and see. These things look good on paper but the way it is implemented is key. Remember PPSMI? No matter how many times it is claimed that Malaysia's education system is one of the best in the world, it is clear that the system needs to be updated.
ALL ABOUT THE A'S
The focus on getting A's is apparently more important than actually learning and working hard to achieve results. I think that this is just sad. Getting an A does mean something and is important. I will never say that getting A's are pointless and useless but many teachers (yes, teachers) and students do not understand the significance of actually getting an A in an exam.
A student getting an A in an exam signifies that he or she understands and has taken to heart the knowledge taught to him/her for that particular subject. It also signifies that the teacher has done his/her job. That is the point of taking an exam, isn't it?
Unfortunately, the meaning of taking an exam has been twisted so many ways that it no longer serves its purpose. Then again, what is the purpose of UPSR? It's purpose, if any, is to differentiate those who happen to be able to perform better academically at that particular age from those who aren't as academically inclined. This only serves to show the less academically-gifted a nice middle finger at a point in their lives when they barely even know what is going on in the world.
It is normal for secondary schools, especially in urban areas, to group Form 1 students into classes according to their UPSR results. Again, it only serves to tell the one group that they are better than the other. This really shouldn't be happening. Everyone is good at something and, really, at that age, no one student is actually better than the other.
WHAT IS REALLY WRONG
I am a product of the public school system. I've been through UPSR, PMR and SPM. Now, I am pursuing a degree in the UK. A common sight among Malaysian students (at least where I study) is the reluctance to speak up voluntarily during a discussion in class. I have seen Malaysian students who refuse to even speak when asked a question that they do not know the answer to or when asked for their views on a particular topic. Lecturers get frustrated by this. When lecturers ask questions, they rarely expect a perfect answer, yet that is what the Malaysian public school system has trained Malaysian students to do - to give a perfect answer.
In the race to obtain the most A's possible, many students have lost the ability to fail. To fail in school is to fail at life. At least, that is what is ingrained into so many students' brains nowadays. That is why many of my peers in university do not dare to speak up. The fear of being wrong is what that is preventing them from fulfilling their potential to learn.
Schools, colleges and universities give us the chance to fail and pick ourselves back up. The effects of failure in these environments are rarely permanent. Failure is inevitable. Everyone fails at some point of their life. In fact, lessons learnt through failure often stay with us throughout our lives. Yet, failure is the one thing that the education system is failing to address.
I am not saying that it is desirable to fail but learning to deal with failure when it happens is important. Being able to pick yourself back up after you fail is important. How many times have we heard teachers tell a student who failed that he/she has no hope? Not all teachers are like this, but unfortunately I have heard that "no hope" phrase coming out of a teachers' mouth too many times.
Is this what the education system is? A tool to sieve through the many students and select the elite few who are able to give the perfect answer?
MOVING FORWARD
The move towards school-based assessments is a step in the right direction. In fact, many of the initiatives laid out in the Education Blueprint are a step in the right direction but whether these plans work out, we can only wait and see. These things look good on paper but the way it is implemented is key. Remember PPSMI? No matter how many times it is claimed that Malaysia's education system is one of the best in the world, it is clear that the system needs to be updated.
Friday 18 July 2014
MH17: Tragedy Again
Today I (and many others) woke up to terrible news. A Malaysian Airlines flight (MH17) went down in Ukraine. News reports claim that it was likely to have been shot down by surface-to-air missiles but it is currently unknown who fired them.
This is the second time in 6 months a Malaysian Airlines flight has been involved in an aviation catastrophe, the first being the MH370 incident (which still remains a mystery). I cannot help but feel sad for those who were affected by this tragic event. I read a post on Facebook about someone's sister being on the ill-fated MH17. I cannot imagine what he is going through and I really do feel bad for him even though I do not know him personally. To lose a loved one like this is just heartbreaking.
I have been scouring the Internet for the latest news on MH17 even though I have probably read all that there is about it so far. To be honest, I still cannot wrap my head around this tragedy. To shoot down a commercial airliner in this day and age? It is unthinkable. Yes, the aircraft was flying through troubled airspace but it was flying at 33000 feet in the air. Serious weaponry would be needed to take down an aircraft at that altitude. Previous incidents only involved low-flying aircraft and helicopters. That was why the airspace MH17 was flying through was declared safe by the International Civil Aviation Organisation. In fact, there are reports claiming that there were other commercial airliners in nearby areas when MH17 was allegedly shot down.
While nothing has been confirmed yet, fingers are being pointed and people are placing blame on others. This is perfectly understandable considering the sudden nature of the event. A knee-jerk reaction. Many are pointing their finger at pro-Russian militants due to several deleted posts on social media and an intercepted message. If it was truly a missile attack which caused this incident (many news websites seem to believe it and report it as fact), then it was an act of ill intent whether or not MH17 was the target.
Human acts of terrorism isn't new. One only needs to look as far as the Gaza strip. The fact thatpeople humans are voluntarily choosing to commit these acts of terrorism is terrifying. I constantly question whether they have a conscience. They willingly choose to commit an act which results in the death of many innocent people. How can somebody sleep peacefully at night knowing that they are responsible for the death of a person? Is there a justification to them that dehumanises their victims? I may never know.
It is a truly tragic day. My condolences go out to all those who are affected by this incident. No one should have to go through this. No one.
This is the second time in 6 months a Malaysian Airlines flight has been involved in an aviation catastrophe, the first being the MH370 incident (which still remains a mystery). I cannot help but feel sad for those who were affected by this tragic event. I read a post on Facebook about someone's sister being on the ill-fated MH17. I cannot imagine what he is going through and I really do feel bad for him even though I do not know him personally. To lose a loved one like this is just heartbreaking.
I have been scouring the Internet for the latest news on MH17 even though I have probably read all that there is about it so far. To be honest, I still cannot wrap my head around this tragedy. To shoot down a commercial airliner in this day and age? It is unthinkable. Yes, the aircraft was flying through troubled airspace but it was flying at 33000 feet in the air. Serious weaponry would be needed to take down an aircraft at that altitude. Previous incidents only involved low-flying aircraft and helicopters. That was why the airspace MH17 was flying through was declared safe by the International Civil Aviation Organisation. In fact, there are reports claiming that there were other commercial airliners in nearby areas when MH17 was allegedly shot down.
While nothing has been confirmed yet, fingers are being pointed and people are placing blame on others. This is perfectly understandable considering the sudden nature of the event. A knee-jerk reaction. Many are pointing their finger at pro-Russian militants due to several deleted posts on social media and an intercepted message. If it was truly a missile attack which caused this incident (many news websites seem to believe it and report it as fact), then it was an act of ill intent whether or not MH17 was the target.
Human acts of terrorism isn't new. One only needs to look as far as the Gaza strip. The fact that
It is a truly tragic day. My condolences go out to all those who are affected by this incident. No one should have to go through this. No one.
Monday 7 July 2014
Deliberation
I have been home for about 3 weeks now and I'm still waiting for replies to my internship application, so I've been doing nothing important so far. My day usually consists of reading books, eating, sleeping and watching TV shows or movies on my laptop.
Of course, with all this free time, comes the inevitable thinking-about-the-bleak-future sessions. A couple days ago, I had a conversation with my friends about possibly switching courses. They were pretty supportive of it but I'm actually not too sure myself.
Currently, I'm doing a degree in Accounting and Finance. While that may not sound like a terribly interesting thing to study, what I've studied so far has actually been pretty interesting although I would welcome a bit more maths in the course. Even so, the course has opened my eyes in some aspects, though not always in terms of academics.
If I actually do switch courses, I would very likely do PPE (Politics, Philosophy and Economics). It's a course which I probably would have enrolled for had I known of it's existence before I applied for university. Anyway, the course has a nice amount of practical knowledge to impress future employers with combined with interesting brain-exercising stuff. It would certainly satisfy my desire to actually get to study philosophy and the need for me to have a practical degree which wouldn't look out of place in Malaysia.
After lots of thinking (courtesy of loads of free time), I decided that sticking with my current choice seems to be the best and most viable option. Why did I choose this course in the first place? Let's be honest, I'm not exactly doing this course for myself. I'm doing it mainly to appease my parents and assure them that I will graduate with a degree that will help me get a job after I graduate. Also, to a lesser extent is, I'm doing this as a backup plan in case what I really want to do can't support me in the long term. Taking that into consideration, I don't think that it is fair for me to waste more money on me getting a degree that I may not do very well in and one that will only serve the same purpose as the one that I am studying for now.
Signing off,
YiJiun
Of course, with all this free time, comes the inevitable thinking-about-the-bleak-future sessions. A couple days ago, I had a conversation with my friends about possibly switching courses. They were pretty supportive of it but I'm actually not too sure myself.
Currently, I'm doing a degree in Accounting and Finance. While that may not sound like a terribly interesting thing to study, what I've studied so far has actually been pretty interesting although I would welcome a bit more maths in the course. Even so, the course has opened my eyes in some aspects, though not always in terms of academics.
If I actually do switch courses, I would very likely do PPE (Politics, Philosophy and Economics). It's a course which I probably would have enrolled for had I known of it's existence before I applied for university. Anyway, the course has a nice amount of practical knowledge to impress future employers with combined with interesting brain-exercising stuff. It would certainly satisfy my desire to actually get to study philosophy and the need for me to have a practical degree which wouldn't look out of place in Malaysia.
After lots of thinking (courtesy of loads of free time), I decided that sticking with my current choice seems to be the best and most viable option. Why did I choose this course in the first place? Let's be honest, I'm not exactly doing this course for myself. I'm doing it mainly to appease my parents and assure them that I will graduate with a degree that will help me get a job after I graduate. Also, to a lesser extent is, I'm doing this as a backup plan in case what I really want to do can't support me in the long term. Taking that into consideration, I don't think that it is fair for me to waste more money on me getting a degree that I may not do very well in and one that will only serve the same purpose as the one that I am studying for now.
Signing off,
YiJiun
Monday 23 June 2014
Home At Last
I am finally back home. Currently still jetlagged but I've been enjoying my time back home so far. I finally get to eat food that I've missed when I was in the UK.
Managed to meet up with my high school friends last Saturday and we had tons of fun hanging out and also playing Mission Q. It was nice to talk in Mandarin for a change. I was scared that I'd forgotten how to.
I'm actually pretty surprised at how much I'm missing my life in the UK. The hot weather in Malaysia sure isn't helping. Not including the weather though, I really miss the freedom I had in the UK and how easy it was to get around. I could just walk or take a bus but here I have to get around in a car. Also, the people I've met in university. I was so touched when my flatmates phoned me while I was waiting for my flight. I had wanted to say goodbye to them but I didn't see them around when I was leaving so I just left. Then, they saw my Instagram post and called me. They were so sweet. Really hope that our plans for next year work out (The Walking Dead viewing parties!!).
At this point, I really can't wait to go back to the UK. It's become some sort of second home to me. If possible, I would really like to have a home in UK and one in Malaysia so I can enjoy my 2 favourite places in the world. Then again, I may change my mind in the future but I really loved my time in the UK so far.
Managed to meet up with my high school friends last Saturday and we had tons of fun hanging out and also playing Mission Q. It was nice to talk in Mandarin for a change. I was scared that I'd forgotten how to.
I'm actually pretty surprised at how much I'm missing my life in the UK. The hot weather in Malaysia sure isn't helping. Not including the weather though, I really miss the freedom I had in the UK and how easy it was to get around. I could just walk or take a bus but here I have to get around in a car. Also, the people I've met in university. I was so touched when my flatmates phoned me while I was waiting for my flight. I had wanted to say goodbye to them but I didn't see them around when I was leaving so I just left. Then, they saw my Instagram post and called me. They were so sweet. Really hope that our plans for next year work out (The Walking Dead viewing parties!!).
At this point, I really can't wait to go back to the UK. It's become some sort of second home to me. If possible, I would really like to have a home in UK and one in Malaysia so I can enjoy my 2 favourite places in the world. Then again, I may change my mind in the future but I really loved my time in the UK so far.
Monday 16 June 2014
Week 38: Leaps of Faith
Time really flies. I'm currently spending the last few days of my first year of uni in UK. I have to say that my time here has exceeded expectations. I do still regret not sticking to my resolve to study in University of Bath instead of Warwick but I have really enjoyed my time at Warwick. I have met so many amazing people and done so many things that I would never have been able to do anywhere else.
The highlight of the year has to be my time playing in The Victor's Jig. This was the first time I've done this sort of thing and it was an amazing experience. Coming in second in Battle of the Bands was a huge plus. I did not think we had a chance after seeing the other bands perform but we pulled through. The semi final performance was lackluster and riddled with technical issues. Such a shame. Then in Term 3 we played 2 gigs including a big one at Kasbah. The gig at Kasbah just came together on so many levels and it's safe to say that we went out with a bang. Lead singer and current lead guitarist will be graduating this year, so we're disbanding and going our separate ways. It's such a shame. I feel that, as a band, we still have more to offer. I guess nothing lasts forever. Met great people and made good friends. This band has been good to me.
Glee was pretty unexpected. I honestly did not know what I was getting into when I signed up for it. I read about it online before I came to Warwick but I had no idea how much I would enjoy it. I'm happy that I took that leap of faith and joined. Highlight had to be the performance at the Dirty Duck during Unplucked. Again, I took a risk and sang a song which I literally wrote the day before the performance. The reception was pretty amazing. Now, I'm Head of Publicity for Glee. A job which, I have to be honest, is not exactly suited for me. I could have run for another post but I chose this one because I wanted to step out of my comfort zone and learn to do new things.
I have to say, Malaysian Night was nice but I'm not sure that I'd do it again. So much time was invested into practicing dikir nearly every night of Term 2. Thank god that all the hard work paid off. I remember my throat just giving out on the day of MNight. I was so scared that I wouldn't be able to sing during the performance that I talked as little as possible during the day. While I thought that some parts of MNight could be improved, I guess that the team still proved that Warwick still has the best dikir team in UK.
Early this term, I decided that I wanted to get a part time job, so I decided to become a performance steward in the Arts Center. I have not done as many shifts as I would like to due to multiple commitments and exams but I have enjoyed the 2 shifts that I have done so far. Again, it is my first time doing a job like this but it has paid off.
I have found that I enjoy doing my course more that I thought I would before I came here. I like the challenge with the essay writing especially. Also, it helped that I got a ridiculously high mark for one of the 2 essays I had to write this year. I did not enjoy the exams. So stressful. I have to say, I worked quite hard compared to before and also because I wasn't exactly paying attention in lectures throughout the year. But to be honest, I worked hard more out of responsibility than actually wanting to do well. In A Levels, I actually worked hard because I wanted to excel and I enjoyed most of the subjects I did. While I did find some of the modules I studied in uni interesting, I didn't experience the same motivation to excel as I did in A Levels. Hopefully I did well enough to take home a first or at least a 2:1.
Socially, I think I've improved a lot, in terms of talking to complete strangers (alcohol always helps) and making new friends. I'm glad to say that I actually have made at least one best-friend-level friend here in university. This was something that caught me completely by surprise, mainly because so many people have told me how hard it is to actually make real friends in university. In addition to that, I've made really good friends with some of the locals and people from other countries. I guess that's the benefit of studying abroad. I was literally thrown into a group of complete strangers when I first came here and that forced me to come out of my shell more. Also, I actually promised myself that I will be more outgoing. I still suck at carrying conversations but that's just me. I'm glad that some people have managed to look past that and made the effort to actually get to know me. I hope that these friendships last because I actually have made some of the "real-est" friends here.
Overall, it's been a good 8 months. So many new experiences. I guess Warwick wasn't a bad decision after all. These 8 months have contained some of the best moments of my life, even though there has been some really low lows as well (CNY incident). Anyway, as much as I enjoy being here, I miss home as well. I miss the food and the people back home so much. I usually do not look forward to long flights but this time, I'm looking forward to the flight home. Deciding to come her was a big step for me. I could have taken the easy road, study in Malaysia, take on the deal with my parents but in the end, that would only have ended up in me making money. Coming here, I've gained so much more. I'm looking forward to 2nd year. I really am.
Signing off,
Jiun
The highlight of the year has to be my time playing in The Victor's Jig. This was the first time I've done this sort of thing and it was an amazing experience. Coming in second in Battle of the Bands was a huge plus. I did not think we had a chance after seeing the other bands perform but we pulled through. The semi final performance was lackluster and riddled with technical issues. Such a shame. Then in Term 3 we played 2 gigs including a big one at Kasbah. The gig at Kasbah just came together on so many levels and it's safe to say that we went out with a bang. Lead singer and current lead guitarist will be graduating this year, so we're disbanding and going our separate ways. It's such a shame. I feel that, as a band, we still have more to offer. I guess nothing lasts forever. Met great people and made good friends. This band has been good to me.
Glee was pretty unexpected. I honestly did not know what I was getting into when I signed up for it. I read about it online before I came to Warwick but I had no idea how much I would enjoy it. I'm happy that I took that leap of faith and joined. Highlight had to be the performance at the Dirty Duck during Unplucked. Again, I took a risk and sang a song which I literally wrote the day before the performance. The reception was pretty amazing. Now, I'm Head of Publicity for Glee. A job which, I have to be honest, is not exactly suited for me. I could have run for another post but I chose this one because I wanted to step out of my comfort zone and learn to do new things.
I have to say, Malaysian Night was nice but I'm not sure that I'd do it again. So much time was invested into practicing dikir nearly every night of Term 2. Thank god that all the hard work paid off. I remember my throat just giving out on the day of MNight. I was so scared that I wouldn't be able to sing during the performance that I talked as little as possible during the day. While I thought that some parts of MNight could be improved, I guess that the team still proved that Warwick still has the best dikir team in UK.
Early this term, I decided that I wanted to get a part time job, so I decided to become a performance steward in the Arts Center. I have not done as many shifts as I would like to due to multiple commitments and exams but I have enjoyed the 2 shifts that I have done so far. Again, it is my first time doing a job like this but it has paid off.
I have found that I enjoy doing my course more that I thought I would before I came here. I like the challenge with the essay writing especially. Also, it helped that I got a ridiculously high mark for one of the 2 essays I had to write this year. I did not enjoy the exams. So stressful. I have to say, I worked quite hard compared to before and also because I wasn't exactly paying attention in lectures throughout the year. But to be honest, I worked hard more out of responsibility than actually wanting to do well. In A Levels, I actually worked hard because I wanted to excel and I enjoyed most of the subjects I did. While I did find some of the modules I studied in uni interesting, I didn't experience the same motivation to excel as I did in A Levels. Hopefully I did well enough to take home a first or at least a 2:1.
Socially, I think I've improved a lot, in terms of talking to complete strangers (alcohol always helps) and making new friends. I'm glad to say that I actually have made at least one best-friend-level friend here in university. This was something that caught me completely by surprise, mainly because so many people have told me how hard it is to actually make real friends in university. In addition to that, I've made really good friends with some of the locals and people from other countries. I guess that's the benefit of studying abroad. I was literally thrown into a group of complete strangers when I first came here and that forced me to come out of my shell more. Also, I actually promised myself that I will be more outgoing. I still suck at carrying conversations but that's just me. I'm glad that some people have managed to look past that and made the effort to actually get to know me. I hope that these friendships last because I actually have made some of the "real-est" friends here.
Overall, it's been a good 8 months. So many new experiences. I guess Warwick wasn't a bad decision after all. These 8 months have contained some of the best moments of my life, even though there has been some really low lows as well (CNY incident). Anyway, as much as I enjoy being here, I miss home as well. I miss the food and the people back home so much. I usually do not look forward to long flights but this time, I'm looking forward to the flight home. Deciding to come her was a big step for me. I could have taken the easy road, study in Malaysia, take on the deal with my parents but in the end, that would only have ended up in me making money. Coming here, I've gained so much more. I'm looking forward to 2nd year. I really am.
Signing off,
Jiun
Sunday 8 June 2014
Week 35 to 37: End of First Year (Almost)
I have been so busy and stressed with exams that I haven't been updating my blog as often as I'd have liked to. Well, if I had, it would have been short ones about how stressed I was anyway. So I guess that's a good thing. Haha.
Anyway, exams are finally over. Some exams were pretty hard, some were okay but overall, it was fine. Hopefully. Results will be out around my birthday. Hope that it'll be good.
Big event. I played a gig at Kasbah with my band on Friday. It was pretty amazing. I enjoyed myself so much (thanks in part to free beer). The crowd was pretty receptive. Of course, it was also thanks to my awesome flatmates who were dancing around and cheering which was really nice of them. Also, a guy came up to me after the gig and said that I was awesome on stage. Really made my day.
This is the reason why I'm still pursuing music even though I know my family is against it. I do it because I love to see people react to the performance. It really motivates me when people like the performance and actually tell me they like it. There's something about a total stranger telling you that they liked what you did (it helps that they are good looking too - self-esteem boost haha). Of course, I've had my share of below par performances but it just drives me to become better at what I do.
It really is such a shame that my current band is disbanding after this. I feel like we have a really good thing going on here. The chemistry between us really has been amazing. I guess nothing lasts forever. It really has been an amazing experience in university. Meeting these amazing people and playing music. I've learn't so much.
Aim for next academic year is to form a new band with me fronting it, hopefully. I've played keys for the past year and I think I can front a band. I think.
Next week's post is going to be a proper reflection on my first year in university and my first time living away from home. The past 8 months have been good to me. It really has.
Signing off,
YiJiun
Anyway, exams are finally over. Some exams were pretty hard, some were okay but overall, it was fine. Hopefully. Results will be out around my birthday. Hope that it'll be good.
Big event. I played a gig at Kasbah with my band on Friday. It was pretty amazing. I enjoyed myself so much (thanks in part to free beer). The crowd was pretty receptive. Of course, it was also thanks to my awesome flatmates who were dancing around and cheering which was really nice of them. Also, a guy came up to me after the gig and said that I was awesome on stage. Really made my day.
This is the reason why I'm still pursuing music even though I know my family is against it. I do it because I love to see people react to the performance. It really motivates me when people like the performance and actually tell me they like it. There's something about a total stranger telling you that they liked what you did (it helps that they are good looking too - self-esteem boost haha). Of course, I've had my share of below par performances but it just drives me to become better at what I do.
It really is such a shame that my current band is disbanding after this. I feel like we have a really good thing going on here. The chemistry between us really has been amazing. I guess nothing lasts forever. It really has been an amazing experience in university. Meeting these amazing people and playing music. I've learn't so much.
Aim for next academic year is to form a new band with me fronting it, hopefully. I've played keys for the past year and I think I can front a band. I think.
Next week's post is going to be a proper reflection on my first year in university and my first time living away from home. The past 8 months have been good to me. It really has.
Signing off,
YiJiun
Sunday 18 May 2014
Week 34: Wave 1
Just finished my first week of exams. 2 of them were bad, the other 2 were okay. So I guess it sort of balances out. Anyway, I'm now on a 10 day break from exams but I have to study quite a lot of stuff since I didn't prepare for any of the upcoming exams before this. Sigh.
Went for a picnic yesterday with MSA. The weather was pretty nice but it got too hot after a while. But I could just lie down on the cool grass and chill which was nice.
Signing off for now. Bye!
Went for a picnic yesterday with MSA. The weather was pretty nice but it got too hot after a while. But I could just lie down on the cool grass and chill which was nice.
Signing off for now. Bye!
Sunday 11 May 2014
Week 33: Panic
This week has been a crazy one. I practically lived in the library. So much to do but so little time. Hopefully by Monday, I'd have done enough to take the exam *fingers crossed*.
Besides studying, it also has been a pretty eventful week. Glee elections were held and I was elected as the new Head of Publicity (whoop whoop!). Also, I did my first shift at the Arts Center. I didn't realise that I'd signed up to steward for an Indian movie until after I signed up but it was a pleasant surprise. The movie was pretty good and I got paid to watch it, so it was all good.
Just a short post because I really need to get back to studying.
Till next time!
Besides studying, it also has been a pretty eventful week. Glee elections were held and I was elected as the new Head of Publicity (whoop whoop!). Also, I did my first shift at the Arts Center. I didn't realise that I'd signed up to steward for an Indian movie until after I signed up but it was a pleasant surprise. The movie was pretty good and I got paid to watch it, so it was all good.
Just a short post because I really need to get back to studying.
Till next time!
Monday 5 May 2014
Week 32: Ah well....
Made progress with my studies but still not as much as I would have liked. Didn't help that I was busy for 3 nights in a row. I'm really going to turn it up a notch this week. Panicking for exams now.
Last week was quite interesting. Played my last gig with my band and we earned 10 quid out of it. Not too bad in my opinion. I wasn't expecting any money out of it to be honest. Ended up at Neon after that which may or may not have been a bad decision. It was a bit confusing to me but at least I had fun.
Back to studying now. Sigh.
Last week was quite interesting. Played my last gig with my band and we earned 10 quid out of it. Not too bad in my opinion. I wasn't expecting any money out of it to be honest. Ended up at Neon after that which may or may not have been a bad decision. It was a bit confusing to me but at least I had fun.
Back to studying now. Sigh.
Sunday 27 April 2014
Week 31: Up and Running
Finally got my shit together after going through a panicking phase for a couple of days. I've been in the library for at least 2 hours everyday studying this week. It seems like I may be able to go through everything at least once before the exams start. Hopefully it works out like that. The coming week will be a bit busy. I have band practice and my last gig on Friday. I also have an interview for a job at the Arts Center on Wednesday which hopefully goes well considering my track record of bad interviews.
I went to POP on Wednesday. It's the last clubbing night for me until the exams are over. Safe to say, I got pretty drunk. Accidentally spilled my drink on Nicole's friend (oops). Thank god he wasn't too hung up over it. Someone literally dumped beer over my head. Not that I minded that much. I was having too much fun. The music was brilliant. The DJ was playing a lot of super cheesy stuff which I never thought I would hear in a club (I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)!!!). Sort of met a guy who bumped into me at least 5 times. I think he's called Yuri or something. He introduced me to his girlfriend and awkward standing around occurred. Then the partying continued. Overall, pretty good night.
Study mode is on now. Hopefully I can scrape a first class out of this mess I call my first year in uni. Not that it matters a lot. It doesn't even factor into my final degree.
YiJiun
I went to POP on Wednesday. It's the last clubbing night for me until the exams are over. Safe to say, I got pretty drunk. Accidentally spilled my drink on Nicole's friend (oops). Thank god he wasn't too hung up over it. Someone literally dumped beer over my head. Not that I minded that much. I was having too much fun. The music was brilliant. The DJ was playing a lot of super cheesy stuff which I never thought I would hear in a club (I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)!!!). Sort of met a guy who bumped into me at least 5 times. I think he's called Yuri or something. He introduced me to his girlfriend and awkward standing around occurred. Then the partying continued. Overall, pretty good night.
Study mode is on now. Hopefully I can scrape a first class out of this mess I call my first year in uni. Not that it matters a lot. It doesn't even factor into my final degree.
YiJiun
Monday 21 April 2014
Week 30: Easter Break......OVER
It's the final week of Easter break and I really haven't done much. I thought that I'd be able to put in some substantial revision over the break but I clearly haven't.
This week has been pretty boring. I studied but only on certain days. Not productive at all. There was the nice picnic on Friday. Played Frisbee too. I think Frisbee is probably the only other sport from badminton in which I do not suck as badly. I quite like Frisbee.
I still have a bunch of things to sort out before the following Friday. Glee elections are coming up and I still haven't set my mind on exactly which positions I want to run for. Manifestos are due on Friday and I have yet to start writing mine. I planned to apply for the Arts Center performance steward position and I still haven't gotten round to doing it. To do that, I need 2 referees which I still haven't gotten. So, I have that to sort out too. I have a gig coming up with my band and we still have to practice at least once and also I have to ask about the availability of a keyboard for me.
Seems like a busy week ahead. I hope I don't procrastinate and leave everything for Thursday.
Sigh.
YiJiun
This week has been pretty boring. I studied but only on certain days. Not productive at all. There was the nice picnic on Friday. Played Frisbee too. I think Frisbee is probably the only other sport from badminton in which I do not suck as badly. I quite like Frisbee.
I still have a bunch of things to sort out before the following Friday. Glee elections are coming up and I still haven't set my mind on exactly which positions I want to run for. Manifestos are due on Friday and I have yet to start writing mine. I planned to apply for the Arts Center performance steward position and I still haven't gotten round to doing it. To do that, I need 2 referees which I still haven't gotten. So, I have that to sort out too. I have a gig coming up with my band and we still have to practice at least once and also I have to ask about the availability of a keyboard for me.
Seems like a busy week ahead. I hope I don't procrastinate and leave everything for Thursday.
Sigh.
YiJiun
Monday 14 April 2014
Week 29: #studyfail
So I was supposed to start studying this week. It's not that I didn't. I did. But I didn't do as much as I would have liked. I managed to do QAM for 3 days. After that, it all went down the drain.
I did manage to catch the second Captain America movie. It wasn't groundbreaking but it was all that I've come to expect from a Marvel superhero movie. I actually like the Marvel universe more than the DC one (Batman still rocks). For some reason, it just appeals to me more.
Anyway, I'm going to try to get some studying done today. Easter break is nearly done and after that comes all the exams. On a side note, my band has managed to book our last gig for the year *excited*.
YiJiun
I did manage to catch the second Captain America movie. It wasn't groundbreaking but it was all that I've come to expect from a Marvel superhero movie. I actually like the Marvel universe more than the DC one (Batman still rocks). For some reason, it just appeals to me more.
Anyway, I'm going to try to get some studying done today. Easter break is nearly done and after that comes all the exams. On a side note, my band has managed to book our last gig for the year *excited*.
YiJiun
Wednesday 9 April 2014
Monday 31 March 2014
Week 27: Boring
Nothing special happened in the past week. I just spent most of my time watching TV shows and films online. Occasionally I would go for a walk. I also finished reading To Kill A Mockingbird. I wanted to read either Fountainhead or The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy but the library didn't have them.
Anyway, back to my slacking ways. Bye.
Monday 24 March 2014
Week 26: ONEREPUBLIC!!!!!
This week has been a pretty good start to the Easter holidays.
I played badminton on Monday with a few Malaysians who are still sticking around on campus. After that, I had lunch with Joseph and Nicole (future housemates!!) and hung out with them for a while. We were supposed to go to Stratford-upon-Avon but we postponed it.
Tuesday was OneRepublic day!! I pretty much wasted the morning in anticipation of the concert. Left for Birmingham around 3pm and reached there around 4pm. Walked around Bullring drinking a smoothie and eating pretzels. Went straight to the O2 Academy at 6pm and waited in line. the concert was really good. I loved it so much. Mikky Ekko opened for OneRepublic and he was amazing. That voice! Then OneRepublic came on. I really have no words to describe how awesome it was to be at that concert. It was a dream come true. Yes, there were a few moments which felt a bit underwhelming, like when they opted to do the remixed version of "If I Lose Myself" and omitted the bridge but all in all, a brilliant night. And I got a OneRepublic T-Shirt!
Went to Stratford-upon-Avon on Wednesday. Shakespeare's birthplace. We reached the place quite late so we only had time to visit Shakespeare's house but it was pretty fun. It was a really nice place. Something like Leamington Spa but more oldie timey. I'm coming to like all these English rural places.
Brought Jane to the hospital on Thursday. She fractured her hand when she fell down before the OneRepublic concert. Totally sucks. She was supposed to go to Germany but couldn't. I cooked lunch for her and she liked it. Hope she gets well soon.
Friday, Saturday and today were pretty dull since a lot of my friends are gone for a week or two. It was still rather enjoyable considering that I haven't had the chance to just chill on my own for quite a while. The last few weeks of term were so hectic. It's nice to have some down time.
YiJiun
Tuesday 18 March 2014
Week 25: Last Week of Term 2
The final week of the Spring Term has finally passed. It's been a busy week.
I had a Management Accounting class test on Monday which I think went okay (hopefully it will reflect in the results).
I spent the whole of Tuesday studying for the Financial Management test on Wednesday which went surprisingly well even if I didn't get a first. Considering how little I actually studied for it, my results were actually well above expectations.
Spent the rest of Wednesday rushing to finish the Business Planning assignment with my group mates. I only managed to finish my part at 3am in the morning while my other group mate who was compiling the whole business plan stayed up till 5am. I'm so glad that is finally out of the way.
I went to the Glee social at Cosmo on Thursday. Had a huge dinner. I was so full after that.
Got my Business Law results back on Friday. Wasn't too bad. I do wish it was higher but it's still a first, which is pretty good. Spent some time with my flatmates watching weird videos and pulling pranks on each other.
Saturday was Warwick Malaysian Games. I spent the day as a volunteer. I was ushering for like an hour. Then I was dragged over to help with football. After that, I helped out with swimming as a timekeeper. Someone who has been actively avoiding me actually sort of talked to me but he clearly still doesn't want anything to do with me.
Sunday was a pretty good day in terms of socializing. I talked to my family through Skype in the morning. I went out for lunch with some of my band mates (and got some juicy gossip!). Went for a picnic with my flatmates and some people from another block. Spent the night at the MNight social eating and playing Mafia.
Can't wait for the OneRepublic concert on Tuesday!!
Signing off,
YiJiun
P.S. I won 2 tickets to go see OneRepublic!!! But I already bought my ticket, so now I'm trying to sell them off to recoup what I spent on my own ticket. Still no takers though. D:
I had a Management Accounting class test on Monday which I think went okay (hopefully it will reflect in the results).
I spent the whole of Tuesday studying for the Financial Management test on Wednesday which went surprisingly well even if I didn't get a first. Considering how little I actually studied for it, my results were actually well above expectations.
Spent the rest of Wednesday rushing to finish the Business Planning assignment with my group mates. I only managed to finish my part at 3am in the morning while my other group mate who was compiling the whole business plan stayed up till 5am. I'm so glad that is finally out of the way.
I went to the Glee social at Cosmo on Thursday. Had a huge dinner. I was so full after that.
Got my Business Law results back on Friday. Wasn't too bad. I do wish it was higher but it's still a first, which is pretty good. Spent some time with my flatmates watching weird videos and pulling pranks on each other.
Saturday was Warwick Malaysian Games. I spent the day as a volunteer. I was ushering for like an hour. Then I was dragged over to help with football. After that, I helped out with swimming as a timekeeper. Someone who has been actively avoiding me actually sort of talked to me but he clearly still doesn't want anything to do with me.
Sunday was a pretty good day in terms of socializing. I talked to my family through Skype in the morning. I went out for lunch with some of my band mates (and got some juicy gossip!). Went for a picnic with my flatmates and some people from another block. Spent the night at the MNight social eating and playing Mafia.
Can't wait for the OneRepublic concert on Tuesday!!
Signing off,
YiJiun
P.S. I won 2 tickets to go see OneRepublic!!! But I already bought my ticket, so now I'm trying to sell them off to recoup what I spent on my own ticket. Still no takers though. D:
Monday 10 March 2014
Week 24: BOTB Semis and MNight
The 2 main events of the week.
BOTB Semi-Finals: There were aspects of it which were certainly disappointing. First, a guitar pedal went MIA. I was trying to find it halfway through the intro of a song but to no avail. Then, I turned to the keyboard and realised that it had no power. We had to stop the song and solve the problems which were thankfully solvable. We went on to kill the 8 minute song. Ah, that reminds me. We didn't realise that the song was 8 minutes long till a few hours before the event. So, we were trying to come up with various solutions. In the end, we decided to forego our opening song for a killer ending. Unfortunately, we clearly didn't impress one of the judges because he gave us only 11 out of 25 marks. It didn't help that apparently the levels were wrong and we clearly couldn't hear it on stage because the monitors were really loud. But, all in all, it was a great experience playing BOTB. We already exceeded expectations by reaching the semi-finals.
MNight: Weeks of sacrificing my social life for dikir barat finally came to an end yesterday. I woke up with a fever and a sore throat. Bad news considering that I had to perform and also sing. But I manage to pull through and gave the performance my all. I made a few mistakes which, thank god, weren't that noticeable. I watched the video and it was a really good performance. The whole dikir team really came a long way. The musical was also amazing. Really good acting with amazing singing by the lead actress.
Now, it's back to work. I have a test tomorrow and another one 2 days later. I am far from being prepared for them. It doesn't help that the group project is due on Thursday. Got to be super productive now that I have no more distractions.
Signing off,
YiJiun
Monday 3 March 2014
Week 23: Laziness Strikes Again!
So, this is another one of those weeks where I prepare for another busy week. 2 big events coming up next: BOTB Semi-Finals and Malaysian Night. In addition to that, I'm busy finishing the group project which is due the week after and also preparing for 2 tests in the same week. Busy busy busy.......but did that keep me from slacking off this week? NOPE.
That is a bad thing, by the way. It started off pretty well on Monday. I was doing the EQL modules for Management Accounting and reading up for Financial Management. Then everything just started going downhill after that. I constantly napped which didn't help. I became a zombie. I was constantly tired and didn't manage to do much work. It didn't help that there was dikir practice nearly every night.
Anyway, I need to catch up on my work tonight. Sunday night. As usual. Procrastination is not good, people. It really isn't. Back to work now. Bye.
YiJiun
That is a bad thing, by the way. It started off pretty well on Monday. I was doing the EQL modules for Management Accounting and reading up for Financial Management. Then everything just started going downhill after that. I constantly napped which didn't help. I became a zombie. I was constantly tired and didn't manage to do much work. It didn't help that there was dikir practice nearly every night.
Anyway, I need to catch up on my work tonight. Sunday night. As usual. Procrastination is not good, people. It really isn't. Back to work now. Bye.
YiJiun
Saturday 22 February 2014
Week 22: BOTB
Thursday was the most amazing day of the year so far for me. The band I'm in - The Victor's Jig managed to place second in our heat in Battle of the Bands! I didn't expect it at all, especially after seeing the other bands play. The band which went on right after us was pretty good. I was expecting them to place ahead of us. When I heard my band's name announced, I was so shocked. We were all so happy and excited. No one saw it coming. It was amazing.
So, more about the night itself. The first band to go on was playing ambient music which sounded pretty nice. I don't really know much about it but apparently they lost control at the end. I didn't notice it until the guy said sorry. We were the second band to play on the night. Everything went amazingly smooth. No mess ups on anybody's part and the crowd response was pretty good. Bad News Everyone went on after us and they pretty awesome. They had great songs and at that point, I was thinking that they would at least place second. After their performance, basically both our bands started raving about each other and a person from BNE came up with the idea of playing a joint gig in Leam. I hope it happens because it would be so fun.
4th band to go on was an indie/alt-rock band which should have been pretty good if the vocals weren't drowned out by everything else. A solo act went on next. He had pretty cool songs. I liked the meaning of the songs he played but apparently he played the same songs last year. The last band was a metal band. They were very good. I can't say much about the songs but technically they were really, really good. It wasn't a big surprise that they won this heat.
I like my band. Toby (lead singer and guitarist) is a really good songwriter. He wrote all the songs we played. Becky (2nd lead singer) is a really fun person to be with. Victor (lead guitar and inspiration for band name) is really quirky and amazing on guitar. Brian (bass), Eli (mandolin) and Eric (drums) are all fun people. To be honest, I don't really know much about them personally but the time we've spent together so far has been great. We should really hangout properly one day. I really think that we could be good friends - not that we aren't now, but we could be even closer than we are now.
Signing off,
YiJiun :)
Monday 17 February 2014
Week 21: Meh
This whole week was basically the filled with preparations for next week. The upper level pitch is tomorrow. Business Law Class Test on Wednesday. Battle of the Bands on Thursday. Add in band practice and dikir practice and I have a ridiculously busy week ahead.
Dikir practice has been quite intense this past week. I definitely don't want to be a choreographer next year. Speaking of next year, I am thinking of trying to get an exec post in Glee next year. No idea whether I'll be able to get it but I do want to try. I really like Glee and I want to be a slightly bigger part of it. And also, I have never been a proper part of the exec of any club or society, so it'll be a nice experience. Should start asking around and decide which post I want to run for when elections come around.
Got 2 essays back this week. I did ridiculously well in the non-assessed one but only did okay in the assessed one. I always do this. Excelling when it doesn't count. Hopefully though, this would translate into better marks in the exams during the summer term.
I really want to get a guitar here. My mum still hasn't said yes or no. Hopefully she says yes. Then I would have so much fun with it. Haha. And it would be easier to write songs.
Signing off for now,
YiJiun
Dikir practice has been quite intense this past week. I definitely don't want to be a choreographer next year. Speaking of next year, I am thinking of trying to get an exec post in Glee next year. No idea whether I'll be able to get it but I do want to try. I really like Glee and I want to be a slightly bigger part of it. And also, I have never been a proper part of the exec of any club or society, so it'll be a nice experience. Should start asking around and decide which post I want to run for when elections come around.
Got 2 essays back this week. I did ridiculously well in the non-assessed one but only did okay in the assessed one. I always do this. Excelling when it doesn't count. Hopefully though, this would translate into better marks in the exams during the summer term.
I really want to get a guitar here. My mum still hasn't said yes or no. Hopefully she says yes. Then I would have so much fun with it. Haha. And it would be easier to write songs.
Signing off for now,
YiJiun
Monday 10 February 2014
Week 20: Okayyyy
Relatively uneventful week save for the time I got drunk and went to 2 clubs for a friend's birthday. I have no idea how I got so drunk. I didn't even drink that much. Vodka. BAD. I spent so much money this week. I swear I'm gonna stop my alcohol consumption for at least 2 weeks.
I really need to get my shit together. The upper level pitch for my Business Planning Module is due in a week or so. Business Law class test a couple days later. Battle of the Bands right after. And, of course, dikir. Busy, busy, busy. I really cannot wait for dikir to be over. It's taking up so much time. It doesn't help that my time management is shit, regardless of what I say in interviews. Let's be honest, interviews are not the time to be honest. Although, I may have made that mistake one too many times.
I may have started to swear quite a bit since that drunken night. No idea why but it just happens. I've been trying to cut it down a bit though. I really try not to swear but sometimes, swearing can get the message over quite effectively.
I haven't been especially sociable this past week. Probably thanks to that drunken night out. I've become a bit of a hermit. I should try to step up my game a bit this week.
Chinese New Year celebrations will end this Friday. Chap Goh Mei actually coincides with Valentine's Day this year. Interesting. But nothing special. For me anyway.
Till next time.
YiJiun
I really need to get my shit together. The upper level pitch for my Business Planning Module is due in a week or so. Business Law class test a couple days later. Battle of the Bands right after. And, of course, dikir. Busy, busy, busy. I really cannot wait for dikir to be over. It's taking up so much time. It doesn't help that my time management is shit, regardless of what I say in interviews. Let's be honest, interviews are not the time to be honest. Although, I may have made that mistake one too many times.
I may have started to swear quite a bit since that drunken night. No idea why but it just happens. I've been trying to cut it down a bit though. I really try not to swear but sometimes, swearing can get the message over quite effectively.
I haven't been especially sociable this past week. Probably thanks to that drunken night out. I've become a bit of a hermit. I should try to step up my game a bit this week.
Chinese New Year celebrations will end this Friday. Chap Goh Mei actually coincides with Valentine's Day this year. Interesting. But nothing special. For me anyway.
Till next time.
YiJiun
Friday 31 January 2014
Week 19: CNY!!!
After a series of late posts, I guess it's time for an early post and also to avoid something spoiling the good mood I am in now.
I just came back from Chinese New Year's Eve dinner with 2 really awesome people. Everything was basically organised yesterday and it turned out really good. What I learnt today is that the most important thing during special days is the people.
Just a few days ago, I thought that I would be spending Chinese New Year's Eve alone and trust me, I wasn't too happy about it. But then, if people don't want to spend time with me, who am I to impose myself on them? So I managed to get together with a couple of friends who I haven't seen and talked to in a while. The end result was a great night with good food and better company (also special thanks to lychee juice which replaced the longan dessert).
Every day is what you make it to be. Today was great. Better than I ever thought it would be. A night without alcohol and partying. Just food and people. Mainly the people.
Happy Chinese New Year everybody! No matter how great or badly you've treated me, I wish you a good year ahead of you. Chinese New Year just isn't the same here as back home but with the right company, you can make it feel just like home.
Cheers,
YiJiun
I just came back from Chinese New Year's Eve dinner with 2 really awesome people. Everything was basically organised yesterday and it turned out really good. What I learnt today is that the most important thing during special days is the people.
Just a few days ago, I thought that I would be spending Chinese New Year's Eve alone and trust me, I wasn't too happy about it. But then, if people don't want to spend time with me, who am I to impose myself on them? So I managed to get together with a couple of friends who I haven't seen and talked to in a while. The end result was a great night with good food and better company (also special thanks to lychee juice which replaced the longan dessert).
Every day is what you make it to be. Today was great. Better than I ever thought it would be. A night without alcohol and partying. Just food and people. Mainly the people.
Happy Chinese New Year everybody! No matter how great or badly you've treated me, I wish you a good year ahead of you. Chinese New Year just isn't the same here as back home but with the right company, you can make it feel just like home.
Cheers,
YiJiun
Wednesday 29 January 2014
Week 18: Meh...
I keep forgetting to update my blog on time. I really should put it on my calendar.
Anyway, last week was an uneventful week. I passed up my 2 essays and went to a club on Friday. Went to a gig at Kasbah on Saturday. Watched The Blackout who were quite good. The opening acts were decent too.
Very uninteresting week in my opinion. Still no idea what to do for Chu Xi. Hmmm....
Tuesday 21 January 2014
Week 17: OH DAMN
So......
Things didn't go exactly as planned for the past week. You know how I was supposed to finish my essays by Friday? Yeah. That didn't happen. I only ended up starting the essay on Friday and finishing + finalising both essays on Sunday. I didn't go to Skool Dayz and ended up wasting my ticket because I was too indecisive, so I didn't have time to sell off my ticket. Oh well, there's still the next one.
Anyway, very uneventful week full of procrastination. Although, I did manage to squeeze in time to watch Monsters University with my flatmates (procrastination!!!). But I am now very free with the next deadline coming in February. So, it's slowing down a bit.
Two performances on the same day coming up for One World Week. One with Dikir and one with Glee. Hope both go well. Battle of the Bands start next week and still haven't attended band practice due to essays. The draw for the preliminaries is on the coming Wednesday and I really hope that we're drawn to perform in the later weeks, preferably the last one so we have time to sort out the originals.
Hopefully my next post will be on time. I only forgot to update because I was so preoccupied by my essays. Here's to less busy days.
Cheers,
YiJiun
Things didn't go exactly as planned for the past week. You know how I was supposed to finish my essays by Friday? Yeah. That didn't happen. I only ended up starting the essay on Friday and finishing + finalising both essays on Sunday. I didn't go to Skool Dayz and ended up wasting my ticket because I was too indecisive, so I didn't have time to sell off my ticket. Oh well, there's still the next one.
Anyway, very uneventful week full of procrastination. Although, I did manage to squeeze in time to watch Monsters University with my flatmates (procrastination!!!). But I am now very free with the next deadline coming in February. So, it's slowing down a bit.
Two performances on the same day coming up for One World Week. One with Dikir and one with Glee. Hope both go well. Battle of the Bands start next week and still haven't attended band practice due to essays. The draw for the preliminaries is on the coming Wednesday and I really hope that we're drawn to perform in the later weeks, preferably the last one so we have time to sort out the originals.
Hopefully my next post will be on time. I only forgot to update because I was so preoccupied by my essays. Here's to less busy days.
Cheers,
YiJiun
Sunday 12 January 2014
Week 16: Hello
So, lectures have started again. Seminars start tomorrow and I still haven't done any work. I did manage to finish one essay which is good. Now, I just have one more to go.
This week was pretty uneventful other than my first visit to Kasbah. I was busy trying to finish off the UOB essay which I basically finished. Need to work on the intro and conclusion though. But Kasbah was nice. Crazy stuff went down in there. Haha. I danced with at least 6 strangers and I think 2 of them had me in a headlock. I like the alternative bar better than the main dance floor but there were so few people there that I went back to the main dance floor. Quite a few of my flatmates got drunk and they acted real funny when we got back. I was pretty much sober (only had a cider and a Jaegerbomb), although I act a bit drunk when I don't have enough sleep.
I'm going to work hard the following week so I can enjoy myself during Skool Dayz. Yay!
This week was pretty uneventful other than my first visit to Kasbah. I was busy trying to finish off the UOB essay which I basically finished. Need to work on the intro and conclusion though. But Kasbah was nice. Crazy stuff went down in there. Haha. I danced with at least 6 strangers and I think 2 of them had me in a headlock. I like the alternative bar better than the main dance floor but there were so few people there that I went back to the main dance floor. Quite a few of my flatmates got drunk and they acted real funny when we got back. I was pretty much sober (only had a cider and a Jaegerbomb), although I act a bit drunk when I don't have enough sleep.
I'm going to work hard the following week so I can enjoy myself during Skool Dayz. Yay!
Monday 6 January 2014
Week 15: Oops
Totally forgot to update my blog. I'm so busy trying to finish up 2 essays (currently only partway through one :s).
Anyway, it's a new year and it's been good so far. All my flatmates have come back, I think. Haha. But anyway, it's not so dead here now and I have people to talk to. Classes start today. Will be getting busy again with all the clubs and the 2 essays and lectures and seminars and work.
Basically last week was quite uneventful. I didn't do anything for New Year's Eve but I did make my own Char Siew which turned out better than expected.
A really short post. Till next time. :)
Anyway, it's a new year and it's been good so far. All my flatmates have come back, I think. Haha. But anyway, it's not so dead here now and I have people to talk to. Classes start today. Will be getting busy again with all the clubs and the 2 essays and lectures and seminars and work.
Basically last week was quite uneventful. I didn't do anything for New Year's Eve but I did make my own Char Siew which turned out better than expected.
A really short post. Till next time. :)
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