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.
Monday 23 June 2014
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
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