Week 9: Drunk

I got drunk for the first time in my life last night.

I was supposed to get some work done actually, but I just couldn't. I fell asleep halfway through watching a video. I also fell asleep while writing down notes. So I decided to give myself some time off considering I had a busy week. I had 2 auditions including one for Masters of Show Choir. I also had band practice.

So, I went to a party. Before that, I went to a pre-drinks session. Bad idea. Things started off rather slow. Everybody had some cider. Then subsequently, the vodka and whiskey came out. We were playing a drinking game and I had at least 5 shots of vodka. Since I never gotten drunk before, I didn't know my limits. So I downed a few shots. Finished off a can of cider. Before I even got to the party, I already puked once. Went to the party, danced a bit, then I had to sit down because I didn't feel well. I ended up sleeping for like half an hour. Then I went to the toilet and puked again. But after that I felt much much better. So, to the dance floor! Danced till the party ended. Some people wanted to go to an after party in Coventry but I didn't feel up to it. So I left and met up with some random people I met at the party. Had some noodles and chatted with them. Then I began my lonely trek back to my room. It was so ridiculously cold and I was nearly KO-ed. It was a wonder I managed to even get back to my room in one piece.

Well, everything is well, right? NO! Just a few minutes after I manage to fall asleep, the stupid fire alarm goes off at 4.30am. So it was another 20 minutes of standing in the cold with my flatmates. Anyway, I went back to sleep after that and I woke up at 1pm today. Even now, I feel like shit. Never again will I get drunk. Seriously.

Week 8: What?

This week has honestly been a blur. And it's even because I had a lot to do. I just have no idea what I did this week but I didn't find time to do my work at all. Then when I try to do my work during the weekend, I fail so badly. At this point of time, I'm sort of halfway through a piece of work that I need to finish by tomorrow. And tomorrow, I'll have to finish off 2 pieces of work that is due on Tuesday. Then I'll have Wednesday to do 2 weeks worth of reading because I have to present during a seminar on the following week.

Well, time really flies, doesn't it? My 8th week in the UK is coming to an end. And I can proudly say that in addition to doing what I should be doing, I am also doing what I like to do. Glee is quite fun. Auditions for Masters of Show Choir is next week and I hope I get in. My band is playing in a jam session in about 9 days time. I hope that it'd be as good as the last time. I have to admit though, I am a bit homesick. But that is inevitable.

In the coming week, I decided to prepare all my meals alone. Just to see how I fare. I started yesterday and so far it's been going good although I did manage to ruin my pot. Now I have a stainless steel one. I honestly will never buy any non-stick pot ever again.

Oh oh oh. I actually had a quite interesting night yesterday. I went out to the bar last night but I didn't drink because my throat was killing me. Anyway, 2 of my hallmates and I decided to leave "early" (around 1am) and we didn't take the usual path back and went on sort of an adventure. It was a really interesting walk which involved a lone white lamp among yellow lamps, killing a flower, carrying a random log and climbing over gates. Then we watched an episode of Neverwhere which is just plain weird but it makes me wanna continue watching it because it just so weird.

Bye for now. Life is always lovely. It's always the small things that make me happy.

Signing off with a smile :)
yijiun

Week 7: Early Post

Now that I have sort of fallen behind on my reading, it actually seems more like uni life. Haha. I always imagined uni life to be filled with lots of reading and researching and stuff. And it finally has become what I imagined. I do not necessarily like it but I guess this is the week to settle down and focus on my studies more. Last week was filled with a lot of fun stuff. A band jam session, performance with Glee at the local pub/restaurant, Halloween party. I have done a lot of stuff which I have never done before and I am pretty proud of it.

A lot of my flatmates have reading week and my block was quite empty over the weekend. Many of them went home or went on trips. My neighbor is only returning on Wednesday. I wish I had reading week to catch up on my reading. A couple of assignments also popped up which actually counts towards my first year marks, so I'm trying to get started.

I have to get myself more disciplined. At least for this week. Most of the Malaysians will be gone on Saturday to the Malaysian Games. I'm not going. So, I guess I'll use this opportunity to catch up on my work.

Till next time. :)
Yi Jiun

P.S. I may have a second post coming up this week.

Week 6: Winter is Coming

It's currently late autumn here in the UK. It has been raining a lot and the temperature is dropping. I can't just go out with just a hoodie on top of what I wear now. This year's winter is supposed to be even worse than last year's. I just hope that I am prepared enough.

There is a strike going on today. So all my lectures save one are cancelled. So I am pretty much free today. That is why I'm writing this. I'm trying to update this blog every week. Just as a record of my time here in the UK. I want to be able to relive my life through this blog. That would be cool.

I have been so busy this week. I'm a keyboardist for a band and we performed at a jam night on Monday. Then on the following day, I performed at the Dirty Duck (on-campus pub) with the Glee club. I did a group number and also a solo. I was quite happy with the solo one because I got to perform my own song. The response was quite good, considering it's the first time I performed an original song in public. Although, I should try not to write such dark songs. I don't think people noticed though. Haha.

Till now, I'm still not quite used to how the locals here greet people. They go "You alright?" or "You okay?" or "How are you?" The last one is quite normal. But I still get caught off guard with the first 2. Most of the time I just smile at them unless I remember to open my mouth. I'm actually guilty of adopting their way of saying thanks. It's actually quite fun to say it to the locals.

This post is just a bunch of random stuff thrown together. There isn't even a flow between paragraphs. But I don't freaking care. Byeeeeee.

Week 5: Of Bugs And Talking

You know, those who went to UK and came back all said that they didn't see bugs around. Me? A fly invades my room the first day I move into it. In the following weeks, at least 10 bugs have died in my room because they couldn't get out, including a wasp. Sometimes, I actually feel bad for the bugs. I should stop opening my window. But it gets so stuffy at times.

The weather has been very fickle lately. But today was great. Sunny but not hot. Feels so nice. I hope this sort of weather lasts.

On another unrelated topic, the way people talk around here is really fun to listen to. Haha. You get the locals speaking in British accents with variations (Irish anyone?). Then there are the HK people who speak English like the locals. All of them. It's so weird. Then you have the Malaysians, Singaporeans and Europeans who have their typical accents. It's fun playing around. Like the locals here say "Cheers" as an informal "thank you". And I like to use it sometimes. When I first arrived, I didn't even know why they were saying it until one day, I just woke up and realised that it was their way of thanking people.

I wonder how people back home will react if I just started talking in a British accent when I go home next year. It'd be fun.

Actually enjoying myself better than I thought I would.

Signing off,
YiJiun

Week 3: Me Time

My 3rd week at Warwick is nearly over and it has been so hard to find "me time".

If you didn't know, I'm the type of person who needs some "me time" at least once a week. I didn't have any on the first week. I had like an hour last week. And I'm having one now which I hope will last for at least 2 hours.

For me, "me time" is for me to escape from everything happening around me. A short time when I can just stop interacting with anybody both virtually and physically. Even back home where life was not as fast paced as it is here, I would spend hours just listening to music and staring at the ceiling (and also occasionally falling asleep in the process).

I have been busy with only 2 societies so far. Only 2. And the Malaysian Society hasn't even started doing society stuff yet. I already have a bunch of seminar work that I have to finish. So, yeah, quite busy. I don't think that things will ease up anytime soon. I'll probably have to wait till Christmas break to enjoy more "me time". Till then, I'll just have to be content with 1/2 hour sessions each week.

Cheers from the UK,
YiJIUN

Wash Wash Wash

Okay. I'm surprised at how little time I spend in my room. It's so hard to even find time to write this post.

Warwick has been nice so far. Except the cooking part. Okay, not exactly the cooking part. It's the washing part. I don't understand how a person needs to wash so many things just to cook a simple meal. It's ridiculous.

Today, I wanted to cook instant noodles and fry it together with bacon and egg. But then, I thought of the amount of things I had to wash. Pot, pan, plate, fork, spatula, knife, chopping board. Okay, not so fun. Even breakfast ain't fun. I ate cereal for 3 days in a row and I still had to wash the bowl and spoon.

I have managed to avoid cooking alone so far because I can do a smaller part instead of having to everything myself. The bolognese spaghetti with bacon and mushrooms was actually quite nice, in my opinion.

First real week of the term hasn't been much. No lectures this week. Only induction programs. Lectures will officially start next week. I hope that everything's uphill from here.

Short One From UK

About a week has passed. My first week in Warwick was actually quite nice. Met a lot of people from all over the world (especially Malaysians). It's been a bit crazy. But I'll update again later. I'm tired. Bye.

One Day More

I'm scared. I'm nervous. I'm excited. My flight tomorrow night will mark the start of a new chapter and a new story in my life. The past week was like the prologue to it.

I will be moving to live in a new environment halfway across the world for approximately 9 months. That is if I don't stay back during the summer to work or something.

I have been packing my stuff and I didn't realise there were so much stuff that I want to have with me. Of course, there is no way I will be able to bring everything I want with me. So a few things have to be left behind. The hardest thing to leave at home is actually my guitar. I'm not going to lie, I suck at playing the guitar. If I brought it with me, people will probably complain about my guitar playing. But that guitar has helped me write quite a few songs that I am pretty proud of. It has been a better guitar to me than I have been it's owner. Sigh.

I hope that the next 3 years will be good to me. I hope that Warwick will be good home for me. I hope that the people I will meet there will be good to me. I hope that my flight will take off and land safely. And most of all, I hope that I will be good to me and everybody else.

Cherishing the moment,

YiJiun

Why I Write

I like writing. There are 3 things in my life that I love to do most: play music, write music and write stuff (like this post). 2 of those are writing.

Back in secondary school, I loved writing Chinese essays, no matter for homework or for an exam. I loved it because there was always a question that gave me the freedom to use my creativity and not be restrained by a rigid topic like "How to encourage recycling?" like in the BM ones. English essays also had some flexibility in that aspect but a lot of times, I wasn't inspired to write anything awesome.

I remember writing an essay about my grandfather who passed away, writing unusual ways of interpreting an idiom, stuff like that. Coming up with the unexpected and getting rewarded for it was fun. But I never did it to be rewarded, I just liked writing.

I write because it gives me the chance to put my feelings out in the open like this blog post or in my songs. I can write about anything I want to and not be afraid of people zoning out on me like when I'm talking to them. And also, I write better than I talk. So, go figure. Haha.

I write when I feel inspired. I write when I feel down. I write when I feel happy. I write when I feel like I want to. Writing is my hobby and one of my first loves in life. Even before music. It feels good to write. No need to think of a common topic to talk about with someone. Just me. Writing to myself.

I don't know who actually reads this blog. But who cares? I don't. This blog chronicles my life. From that person I was to who I am today. It's all in here. No matter how embarrassing it is, it's out here for the world to see. It's their choice whether or not they want to read it. I like writing.

Signing off with a flourish,
YiJIUN

mixed feelings.

My penultimate working week of my internship has passed with mixed feelings. I hated the first 2 days, didn't mind the next 2 and would have preferred to have done without the last. The first 2 days I hated because I had to do my most dreaded thing, contacting another 70 branches. The next 2 were filled with spontaneous meetings and also some people finally took over my job of contacting the branches. Today was just.....nothing. I basically had nothing to do today but I had fun chatting with the Malay ladies sitting around me.

The weekend will be full of me packing and buying stuff for when I go to the UK. It will also be full of me trying to do everything I want to do before I go to the UK. I'm sure I will miss home when I get there. Sigh.

Next week will be the last week of my internship and also a week of farewells. The trio of farewells will start on Monday when my colleagues will do a small farewell lunch for me and also a welcome lunch for a new colleague. Then skip to Friday and it will be the farewell with all my friends from Seafield. The final one will be with my college classmates.

Mixed feelings this week. Mixed feelings for next week. I don't know how to feel already. I'm excited but scared. Anticipating but fearing. Wanting but not wanting at the same time. It doesn't make sense.

Signing off,
YiJiun

Calling

I have been more unhappy than usual on Thursday and Friday at work. Just because I had to call up a number of people to remind them about something. And it continues on Monday because I couldn't reach quite a few of them.

I have no idea when my fear of calling strangers started but yes, I have an irrational fear of doing so. Wait, now that I think of it, it isn't fear but really a dislike towards calling strangers on the phone. It is totally irrational. Even after I called about 20 people, I still didn't like doing it, nor was I used to it. I kept trying to put it off even though I had no choice but to do it. I'm weird. Or maybe I'm just antisocial.

On Tuesday, my department had a potluck buffet lunch at the pantry. There was a new guy who came in just a few days before and we only met once before. He sat down next to me and (tried to) talked to me. Now, I'm not the most talkative person on normal days. On that day, I was worse. I gave really short answers, didn't even try to keep the conversation going. I basically gave him the cold shoulder. Although, I did try to smile as much as I could. But honestly, I don't think he's going to try to talk to me again.

Sometimes, I wish could be more outgoing and talkative. That would make meeting people and making friends less hard. I'm just a total failure at socializing. Seriously.

Don't Look Back In Anger

Ever since I started my internship, I have been going to work with my brother. He will drive to the LRT station and we will take the LRT. Every morning, we go through the same thing. Jam. Bad drivers. The normal stuff you see in Malaysia. My brother drives every time because he cannot imagine me handling his precious car although I have driven his car many times.

Now, you would think that having to drive the same route for a couple of years, he would be used to the weirdo/crazy/reckless drivers on the road. But clearly, he isn't. Every single morning on a working day, if something happens, like a car just zipping into our lane, out comes a barrage of curses on how lousy and inconsiderate that driver is. Please understand that my brother isn't the most careful of drivers and he can be a hypocrite sometimes. So I don't really understand why he gets so worked up when he does the same thing too. That isn't my point though. I don't get why he would get so angry over such things. He can't change things. It's not like he can just flag down that driver and give a lesson on "Driving 101" (not that he's the perfect person to be giving that talk).

Getting angry is not something I'm used to being nowadays. I have no idea how or when this change happened to me but it's now hard to get me angry about things. It's like one day I woke up and decided, "Hey, it ain't worth shit getting angry over everything." Believe it or not, I was once very short tempered. I blew up at the smallest things. But I'm different now. I actually find it hard to get angry and even when I do, it lasts like 2 minutes and then I'm perfectly okay.

It seems like my level of tolerance has went up like a million percent. In any case, I feel better. There's no more of that bitterness that comes out of being angry. I can live my life with less unnecessary stress. Where I got this optimistic outlook, I have no idea but if it makes life easier for me, why not? Cheers.

My favourite Oasis song of all time.

High Like Shit In The Sky

I am bored and have nothing to do now. That's why I'm writing this post. Because I'm bored.

I don't like working but it seems like it's taking up a lot of my time which would usually be used to aimlessly surf the Internet or just keep refreshing the Facebook homepage (like now). It is also keeping me from watching The Walking Dead too fast. Otherwise, I'll be left with nothing to watch again. I guess that's good.

Oh. Right. My A Levels results came out on Tuesday. Had to ask my friend to check it for me because I did not have internet connection at the office. I have to say, I got what I wanted. My Econs didn't end up as a B. Which is good considering how much I thought was crap ended up on my exam script. Guess it wasn't all crap after all. Maths and Accounts were basically in the bag from the start. Further Maths was a genuine surprise. I didn't think that I'd score as good as I did. I was honestly happy with it. Then I had to spoil it by finding out that 28% of the candidates got an A* for it. But still, it's good enough for me.

Now that my place at the University of Warwick is confirmed, I'm so psyched to go. I wish I could skip straight to September and fly off to the UK. But they say, be careful what you wish for. When I get there, I could probably get homesick. As it is, whenever I go off for a trip overseas to countries in Europe, I tend to start missing Malaysia after a couple of days. Mainly because of the food(lol). So I have no idea how long I'll last in Warwick till I start to be homesick.

I'm hating and loving tomorrow at the same time. Hate because it's the start of another 5 day work week. Love because I get to see Linkin Park live for the first time in my life. By the way, this is the first concert I actually bought tickets to see in my whole life. And my first rock one. I cannot wait. After how much I enjoyed World Stage back in 2010, I hope that tomorrow's concert will be just as good, if not better. Maybe someday I'll be the one on the stage. Haha. But until then, I'll content myself with watching other people do it.

So much to look forward to. A new chapter's going to begin in a month's time. I cannot wait but I will wait patiently and try my best to treasure my moments here at home. So excited. Haha.

Psyched,

YiJiun

On The Road Called Life

The 1st of August marked a new beginning. I started my internship. I was actually quite excited to start. Then the first day was a bit of a letdown because I had practically nothing to do. The following days were slightly better because at least I had stuff to finish. I had a sense of purpose. At least while I was doing the work. When I finish up and think back, I wonder, "Why am I doing this?"

I could be doing nothing at home. No pressure. No deadlines. No responsibility. Now I sound like a spoilt kid. Haha. I had wanted to make use of my so-called "abundance" of free time. Now I regret it. But this is good experience. At least now I know that I'm not really cut out for this type of work. Yeah, I get stuff done on time, usually before it's needed (my supervisor is complaining that I do things too fast and she's running of assignments for me) but I don't get any satisfaction out of it. I'm working like a robot. Doing whatever I'm told to do. Maybe things will get better when I get into managing my big project. I don't know. Let's just see.

Going for this internship ain't cheap though. Everyday I have to either take the LRT or the KTM and it costs about RM3 per trip. Add my lunch and it comes up to about 12 bucks per day. But I have the luxury of working in a month with quite a few public holidays. Like the 4 day Raya break. So it's not that bad. It feels like I'm still underpaid though. My job description actually calls for a university graduate but here I am, a fresh-faced A-Levels student doing it. In any case, I never did this for the money. I don't think about money when I'm working. Benefits of birth?

Sometimes it feels like I'm taking advantage of my parents. I use so much of their money to live my life. The next 3 years will the real kicker. And I'm not even sure I'm going to use that piece of paper I'll get at the end. The small taste of working in a box has me doubting whether I really want to live my life out in a cubicle for the rest of my life.

I won't resign. Not when I haven't even gotten to the main part of the job. I'm not a quitter by nature. I may complain. I may whine. But I don't quit just because the going gets tough. Guess I'm saying all this just to toughen myself up. It's not going to be an easy month. But, hell, I asked for this. I'll do whatever it takes. All in the name of living. God gave me this life, I ain't going down.

Signing off,
YiJiun

Need someone like the Leona in this song right now.