12 More To Go!

So I've got some peeps asking me to list down the other stuff I discovered in university. It's quite bitter and sarcastic, so you may not like it but were we go...

12 More Things I've Found and Learnt In University

There's still more...

1. Carnivores rule!!!
Since my hostel's cafeteria is located at the central of the campus, many students, lecturers and staff stop by there to have their lunch. I don't know about other cafeterias, but this cafeteria prepares at least 2 kinds of vegetables and a lot of protein/fat sources (5 types of chicken dishes, 5 type of fish dishes, 2 types of egg dishes, 2 types of tofu dishes etc). Judging from the ratio of vegetable : protein/fat dishes, logically, the vegetables would be gone faster than the other dishes. Errr...the opposite happens frequently actually.

Whenever I pay for my meals, I always find myself the only one with vegetables on my plate. Out of 15 people queuing up to pay at the counter, I am the only one with greens while they don't have any greens at all!! Sometimes, I feel like saying, "Yo, don't you eat your veges? How can you eat such a meal, just meat only??" I see a lot of screwed up food pyramids going on here.

2. A-level versus STPM.
I don't mean to be offensive, nor discriminating but I do find a vast difference between A-level student and STPM student in terms on how we study. A-level is more to application of knowledge, whereas STPM is more to memorizing. I sometimes pity my STPM friends who aren't still used to reach the lecturers' expectation to apply knowledge. I remember once, my lecturer told us that university level of study requires us to apply our knowledge compared to memorizing. That's when I saw the pale faces of my STPM friends.

Then, there's another time when my lecturer asked if we'd prefer tests or assignments. I guess I was the only one shouting "ASSIGNMENTS", only to be drowned by the united pro-exam supporters' voices. And in my mind I went, "Don't you know that it's easier to score through assignments, rather than doing exams? Free marks yo!"

However, I do understand them because I was exactly like them before entering A-levels. I'm not blaming them because obviously, we all know that the Malaysian education system is all about MEMORIZING. Nevertheless, I admire how they set their priorities right and how capable they are to study smart. They're not nerds. In fact, quite a number of them are active in campus activities. And mind you, STPM is one of the most difficult exams in the world, so kudos to those who did well!

3. You're from a Christian college?
Oh, everybody gave me that one particular shocked look whenever I told them that I'm from METHODIST College Kuala Lumpur. Some even asked, "How can a Muslim study in a Christian college?" Well, why not? We're there to study, that has nothing to do with religions.

First of all, despite being a Christian college, MCKL's focuses on pre-university education: A-levels and AUSMAT; and tertiary education: Diploma in Early Childhood Education. Nope, these programmes have nothing to do with Christianity.

Secondly, although they practise Christianity, they have never tried to convert me into a Christian, nor do they condemn other religions.

Thirdly, we have a number of pious Muslim students there, not mentioning the Buddhists and the Hindu believers. Hence, we sometimes have inter-religious forum to deepen our understandings in each other religions. MCKL is a Christian college that has believers of all religions living together in harmony.

Last of all, nothing can change my faith in Islam.

So please, don't give me that look. I am a proud Muslim MCKLian.

4. We are our own alarm clocks.
My hostel mates have a unique way to wake each other up, especially the peeps on my floor. Most of us are the loud and noisy ones, hence we end up shouting at each other's rooms, across the balconies and coridors just for a chat. My Chindian friend, Shan, would sometimes just open my door and walk straight in, shouting, "Babe! Wake up!! Class in 30 minutes!"

I have a senior staying opposite my room and my, she has the most shrilled voice among all of us. When she wakes up, the rest of us would find ourselves crawling out of bed dreamily, waking up to her kiddy-like voice. BEST ALARM CLOCK EVER!!! =D

Nevertheless, I'm a heavy sleeper, it's still hard to wake me up. Shan can verify this statement.

5. Running Man fans everywhere!!
Enough said. #TeamMondayCouple

6. That one international genetic pool.
I noticed that the international students are quite isolated from the local students. No doubt that there are those who mingle with us, but I still see international students hanging out among themselves. It's such a waste, you know. Everyone's missing out on cultural sharing. Being an international student once, thrown into studying in a Japanese high school with another Belgium guy, I truly understand how awkward it is to be in somewhere new and different. It's pretty natural to feel homesick and happy whenever you see another international student being in the same boat as you, hence you all just stick to yourselves. But honestly speaking, mix with the locals because it's not often that you get to live with us and witness our lifestyles, something that may be different than yours. And dear local students, take the first step to be friends with them. Welcome them, let them feel warm and at home. You too, get to learn some cultural knowledge from them.

7. Cross the road and we'll drive even faster.
Something's wrong with this mentality. Not all, but I've seen many drivers who pressed the accelerator pedal even harder whenever they see students crossing at the ZEBRA CROSSING (really?)!! Jeez...did they not read the Undang Book? How did they even pass their Undang test, what more the driving test?

8. Young entrepreneurs.
I guess it's just me but I'm amazed by how well the students can run their own small business. I've a lot of friends selling scarfs, perfumes, clothes, fruits, nasi lemak, printing service, just to name a few. It's my first time seeing young people selling things in university! I know I'm being a jakun, but allow me to applaud my friends' and seniors' entrepreneurship. By the way, I did a personality test, and my entrepreneurship level is the lowest. That explains my awe.

9. The basement of my hostel became a lake.
We've been having heavy thunderstorms in the evenings and nights. I once reached my hostel just to find a flood at the basement. Thankfully the water level did not reach the rooms there or else things would have gotten worse. Someone opened the basement's entrance door, so the flood water flowed out. Seriously, I could swim a few laps in that 'lake'.

10. We don't really care if you attend lectures or not.
I'm sure this is very common in universities. Most lecturers don't take the students' attendance. Even if one does not attend lectures, they don't care because they aren't the one who are missing out on the important stuff. Students are ones. So if you're lazy to go for lectures, feel free to oversleep. Just make sure you score well in tests and assignments.

11. Send my regards.
If you want to get to know somebody, you'll introduce yourself (though it may be awkward) to that person right? I have no idea but some peeps approached me, asked about person A's, B's and C's details and then say, "Can you send my regards to him/her please?" I'm really sorry, but I find this weird even though I see this happening everywhere many times. Is this a win-one's-heart method? I did them the favor though. The result: Just shrugs from the people they are interested with.

12. Freshman got lost!
I got lost a few times actually. And asking other students did not help much because they too, have no idea where the lecture rooms I was heading to, are. Once, I practically ran from north to south, only to find out later that my destination is on the west. Right, after sweating gallons of sweat. Inspired to not be the blur peeps, I actually brisk-walked and rode the shuttle buses around campus. I even studied the campus map. So I now roughly know where is where. Anyone's who free and have the urge to test me on the locations, be my guest. :)

Ciao, for I have assignments to attend to.

Twenty!

20 things I found and learnt in university. 

There's more than these actually...

1. Staying away from parents, with a stranger.
So I'm staying in a hostel, sharing a room with someone from Terengganu. The first few weeks were probably a bit awkward for me (maybe for her too) because I'm not used to staying with someone I didn't know. I was in my defensive bubble, taking good care of every step and action I did. Just in case, it might offend my roommate. I even tried my best hiding behind the bed to change clothes, who knows it might blind her? Anyway, it's been 2 months and we're already comfortable with each other till we behave normally, like how we behave at home.

2. No MCKL vibe.
You just can't find any MCKL-like people here. Not even one. I'm still adjusting to this non-MCKL environment. Enough said.

3. Sharing can be a pain in the @$$ with irresponsible and selfish peeps.
Here in dorms, we share bathrooms, toilets, pantries and washing machines. I don't mind sharing, but surprisingly, girls are as messy as guys. Here's one: Someone stuck her soiled pantyliner onto the bathroom wall. (ewwww, GROSS!) Like seriously, you're a university student and you expect our cleaners to clean that after you? Grow up with some responsibilities! Here's another: Some people are just too lazy and selfish to flush the toilets after their poopy business. What more can I say?

4. My Malay speaking skills improved!
Raised in an English-speaking family with Chinese background but still scored well in Malay-writing tests, I speak in Malay language with a Chinese accent. Mind you, I'm a mix with a Muslim name, but due to my name, we have some peeps who expect me to speak like a typical Malay. Not sure if I'm complaining but I get to improve a language. Being in university forces me to speak in Malay wherever I go, because most of my friends now are Malay. Good thing is I get to learn different dialects from Penang and Kelantan. And I started tweeting in these dialects!

5. University elections
So I've experienced my first campus election. Interesting but more to an annoying thing. Since I joined many of my university-related Facebook groups, my news feed was filled with so much campaigns. It was so annoying to the point that I nearly deactivated my account. But I couldn't because a lot of important things are announced through Facebook. There was also a candidate who went all the way to sticking stickers in bathrooms and toilets to gain votes. Now that is also annoying unfortunately. It's still interesting to see some of my seniors working hard to earn the students' trust. They gave away notebooks, bookmarks and even lollipops while campaigning!! Lollipop's too sweet by the way.

Let me share on how this election works.
Basically there are 2 categories. The first being the general constitution and the second, faculty-based constitution. 12 candidates (mostly 3rd year students) run for the general constitution whereas each faculty will have 2 to 5 candidates (mostly 2nd year students) running for the election. Each student can vote for 6 general candidates and 1 to 2 candidates for his own faculty, for example: I vote for 6 general candidates and only 1 candidate for my faculty. I can't vote for other faculties. Candidates who won will form the Student Council. Of course the general ones will be the Top 6.

6. Walking and running is part of my daily life.
I don't own a car, a motorbike or a bicycle in campus. Which means that I have to go for lectures and events by foot. Not a problem for me, because my hostel is 5 to 10 minutes away from lecture halls and the main hall. However, I somehow, as usual, managed to land myself in all kinds of emergencies, hence finding myself running up hills under the scorching Sun and sometimes, showers of rain. I didn't lose much weight though. Mum, I do need a bicycle.

7. Swim all I want.
My campus has a swimming pool. I am a happy child. FULLSTOP.

8. Bless my Organic Chemistry.
I love Organic Chemistry but I don't enjoy the lectures and tutorials mainly because my lecturer and tutor are not passionate in teaching. No, don't have to spoon feed me, A-levels has taught me to be independent enough but for God's sake, teach us with a slight passion. That would make Organic Chemistry more interesting. Gosh, I miss Ms Ng.

9. Nightlife in campus is not always quiet.
True, many students shut themselves in their rooms to study but I sometimes tend to explore outside and find interesting stuff. Every Tuesday and Wednesday nights, I'll be having meetings and dance classes. Other than that, I've got a good friend who so far, had miraculously brought me out for dinners, night market and a long walk in campus, only to stumble upon a group of jovial guys practising Dikir Barat. I also attended a few theaters and cultural events. I mean, life shouldn't be so boring right?

Theater - Chainarong.

10. I get to dance almost every week.
Thanks to ADIKARMA who organizes traditional dance classes, I get to break away from modern dance and learn something that I've always wanted to learn. And hey, who wouldn't feel happy to see such a long and huge mirror in the dance class?

11. Green is my thing.
My campus is just green. Look to your left, right, front, back, up and down, it's all GREEN!!! Nature is what I always see before going for morning lectures and labs. How relaxing...

12. No cooking in hostels!
Say what?! Yes, my university does not allow cooking in our hostels. The best that we can 'cook' is cup noodles. Oh dear me...don't ask me why we have pantries. I don't have the slightest idea at all. Thankfully, the cafeteria in my hostel sells food at a cheap price. My meal that usually consists of rice and 2 to 3 types of vegetables, only costs at a range of RM1.80 to RM2.50. Cheap, no?

Late-night supper with hostel mates.

My hostel mate knew I didn't have dinner, so she dropped by to share these!!! How sweet of her.

13. Doing my own laundry.
This time, I do my own laundry. I have 2 types of clothes: the hand-washed and machine-washed ones. To save up on the expensive detergent, I hand-wash my clothes twice a week because I wash in bulks. Same goes for the machine-washed ones. I pile the clothes up until weekends, then I pay RM3 to have the washing machine operate and do the laundry. Drying the clothes is another headache. I've got the bad luck following me everywhere. When I see the Sun shining so brightly, I quickly wash my clothes and tadaa!!! It starts to rain. Then my room would turn into a place to dry my clothes. It's like I decorate my room with hanging clothes.

14. Same race, same group.
Sadly, I see many students mixing with those of the same race. Generally, Chinese with Chinese, Malay with Malay and Indian with Indian. I'm lucky enough that my hostel community is the smallest, hence most of us mix with each other regardless of race and religion. But still, it feels sad that there are not many multiracial groups of students. They only mix with each other when it comes to projects that require them to be in groups of 2 or 3 races. How disappointing.

15. I can speak Tamil....0.1% only.
I mix with these Indian and Chindian friends who taught me Tamil. Basically, I just shout "Kaaadi" whenever a car approaches us.

16. Free from cigarette smoke!
My campus is a tobacco-free campus, meaning that you're not allowed to smoke in the campus. Nevertheless, there are a bunch of stupid, selfish and ignorant people who still smoke. Yet, I have never inhaled this much tobacco-free air!! My dad is a smoking dragon and imagine me breathing in air filled with cigarette smoke for 21 years.

17. No plastic items!!!
My campus is going green, so the administration is encouraging us to use eco-friendly bags and containers. All students were given a free eco-friendly bag each, kudos to my university for a good start! And trust me, when you ask for a plastic bag or plastic container from the counter in the cafeterias or shops, you can just dream on. They'll never give you one.

18. Why you no read properly?
A lot of students have been making me laugh at them, not in a mean way, but I'm really amused by their lack of reading. For example, an announcement complete with the date, time and venue was posted in Facebook, yet many students asked, "What time is the event? Where is it?" Like excuse me, wasn't it clearly written in the post? Did you all just not read it properly or did you all not understand? This is why I love MCKL for forcing us to read notices properly. It naturally trains us to be more alert.

19. Too many attention seekers.
I don't know if it's me but I find way too many attention seekers on Facebook. Basically, they post weird and useless stuff to gain attention. Another annoying problem flooding my news feed.

20. I begin to appreciate things in life by being far away from home and being independent. :)

Choreographed a simple Chinese fan dance using shadow effect.

While practising for Malam Variasiswa, before Genetic class.

My hostel cultural team won 3rd place and best technical skills during Malam Variasiswa. It is through this event that brought all races and religions close to each other.

Till then, ciao!!!