5 Years Before A Commitment

All this while in university, I realized that there is a common topic that seems to be the one of the main interests among my university mates.

MARRIAGE.

I'd be lying if I tell you that I've never dreamt of a perfect marriage with my future husband, go crazy with him before raising beautiful kids together. I'd be lying if I tell you that I have never dreamt of cooking delicious meals for him everytime he comes home from work.

Yes, I've dreamt of weddings, marriage and how it will be God-driven.

But truth to be told. I am clearly not ready for it. I'm 22, still young and have much to explore. And I'm still being financially supported by my parents.

On the other hand, I see a lot of my university mates are eager to get married. People younger than me are already planning to jump into the 'We Got Married' wagon after graduation. Wait, what about getting a job? Or are you not planning to get one?

I'm not against early marriages, really. No sarcasm intended. I mean, if you are prepared and you've found someone, well why not, right?

The thing is, whenever I tell my friends that the earliest I will get married is at the age of 27, their eyes would literally pop out of their sockets. Then they would ask, "What about children? You'll have less chance to get babies."

I am just going to make my stand. I am not prepared for marriage, and will never be in at least 5 years time.

1. Because I have more missions in life before committing myself to my future spouse, children and in-laws. I want to live life as a single lady. I have so much in mind, call me selfish, but i really don't want marriage to rob away the time I wish to use to do things I would love to do solo.

2. Because I am not ready to be committed. I'm going to quote this from Seth Adam Smith of the Huff Post Weddings:

My dad giving his response to my concerns was such a moment for me. With a knowing smile he said, "Seth, you're being totally selfish. So I'm going to make this really simple: marriage isn't for you. You don't marry to make yourself happy, you marry to make someone else happy. More than that, your marriage isn't for yourself, you're marrying for a family. Not just for the in-laws and all of that nonsense, but for your future children. Who do you want to help you raise them? Who do you want to influence them? Marriage isn't for you. It's not about you. Marriage is about the person you married."

No, a true marriage (and true love) is never about you. It's about the person you love--their wants, their needs, their hopes, and their dreams. Selfishness demands, "What's in it for me?" while Love asks, "What can I give?"

So, do excuse me for my selfishness because I am really not ready to give full commitment to the person that I am to marry.

3. Because I want to get a stable job first. I'm the independent type of woman. I'm not planning to rely fully on my future husband's money because I don't want to burden nor owe him financially. I'm fine with us sharing the financial burden involving the house, car, our children's education, health and necessities, because these are our responsibilities as husband and wife. A little splash of pampering would be nice if he spends me dinners and vacations occasionally. But no, I'm not going to suck all the money from my future husband. So, where do I get my source of income? A job definitely. And at my stage, when do I get a job? After graduation and tons of tough competitions from other potential graduates. Before I even say 'yes' to him, I need to secure a job and have a stable income to support our family together with my future husband; and as a backup income source just in case we may get a divorce or he kicks bucket. I am also the type who does not like to be dominated by the male ego, hence bringing food home places me on par with my husband and I have the right to have a say in our family.

And the time taken to ensure that I have my job, strike off stuff from the to-do list and be ready to marry to make him happy? At least 5 years.

p/s: My guardian angel said that he won't be surprised if I'd be single throughout my life. Like I have mentioned, I am an independent woman.

2013 - A Journey of Thoughts and All

It's New Year Eve and it's a norm for us to post our goodbye speech to 2013, whether on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Blogger and whatsoever.

Since I'm exhausted from studying for hours, allow me to jump into the bandwagon as I walk down my memory lane of 2013. Just for the sake of good ol' times and I'm in a mood to write a long post.

2013 started off with the forever-pain-in-the-butt Edexcel finals. While I was busy burning the midnight oil, I couldn't help but to accept the fact that I have ended my journey as an A-level student in Methodist College Kuala Lumpur. Being the sentimental person, my heart felt heavy because the end of my journey also means the end of 1107's journey. In this context, I mean our friendships. No, no...our friendships will never end if we put an effort to keep in touch with each other. But it is the moment when we get together to either pray, laugh, play, study, organize events or merely to have a simple chat, that I am missing so much till this day. Up till now, I hardly find MCKL-like souls at where I am now. The morale behind these 'breakups' - friendships centered on God are the best and it's a waste to let them off just like that. Most of us are around the world, well UK being the center of attraction for most A-level kids, hence you can see many MCKLians there. Even so, we still managed to contact and update each other despite our busy schedules that often clashes with each other. And how can I not forget this part? We still keep each other in prayers, that is the most meaningful and touching for me.

Now let's scroll down to the Sarawak trip I went with the 38 gang. I have to admit that I was more nervous than excited mainly because I was the only Muslim in our group. And Sarawak is mostly populated by non-Muslims, especially Christians. I was actually worried that I may trouble my friends when it comes to food. Thankfully, my Sarawakian friends did their research and we all ate without much trouble. I guess this was their first time having a Muslim joining them and it must have been an experience for them. As for me, I learnt about respect and tolerance between different religions.
We stayed at a friend's house in Sibu. Her father, a very good Christian teacher whom i respect, welcomed me like as if I were a part of their family. He took note of my religion but treated me like one of his students without religion being the barrier. Her mother, God bless her, is one of the sweetest ladies I have ever met. She actually took out unused bowls and cutlery for me to eat with. To me, I felt like I have troubled her but I was touched by the respect and consideration she has towards Islam.
*Muslims are not allowed to eat and use utensils that have been used with non-halal food.
Of course one of the best moments I had in Sarawak is our stay in Akik's longhouse. There we lived moderately and our cooking skills were tested. Chee Meng, the twins and I, on the other hand, had a great time sweating it all out by helping the Iban villagers to harvest the paddy fields under the scorching Sun. In the evening, we retired to the jetty to swim by the river which was rumoured to have crocodiles lurking beneath the waters. I'd probably say that the dive with the twins is the most awesome 'YOLO' thing I did. Night came, dinner was devoured by us, the hungry children and we ended up listening to stories told by the villagers. They were told in Iban and Angela, one of our two Iban friends, translated for us.

The moderate and simple lives led by the Iban villagers, reminded me of the once-hard life my family faced. It reminded me of the struggles my parents have been and are going through just to make my life easier. It reminded me of the huge hole at the atap of my old house that pushed me to study harder to change our lives. I was pulled back to the moderate yet humble and comfortable life I lived. I was reminded to be humble and thankful forever no matter what the circumstances are.
The paddy harvest provided me a breakaway from the typical urban life in the city. I may be a city girl, but at one corner of my heart, I belong to the countryside. Running around bare-footed at the wet paddy fields, encountering spider-looking paddy insects and even cutting my finger, I just can't find these in Kuala Lumpur. Diving into the deep 'teh tarik' river brought me closer to nature besides giving me an opportunity to let everything go for a moment. That was my first time diving into a river. I've dived into swimming pools many times, but it felt so natural to do so in a river.
The conversations with the Iban villagers made me wonder how much damage has technology done to our society, in terms of really having face-to-face daily conversations. If you walk into a restaurant or a cafe, you will see the customers, even families, staring at the screens of their smart phones or whatever modern gadgets they own. Rarely will you see people having conversations without their phones on the table. As I listened to the villagers talking, I felt a familiar warmth. It is the personal warmth that envelopes a family or friends to bring them closer and give them the sense of belonging. Talking to each other in person is far more enjoyable compared to chatting or skyping online (unless you are miles away from them).

Just when I thought I would leave MCKL, I got a job to be a marketing staff/video editor/sponsorship member in MCKL. Well, marketing staff because my work place is right in front of my boss in the marketing office; video editor and sponsorship staff due to MCKL's 30th Anniversary. I spent 5 months in the marketing office. 5 months is short but I learnt and gained all kinds of experience:

1. Giving advice to lost high-school kids about their pre-university education and future.
2. Professionalism and patience when dealing with typical Asian parents who want no more but their children to be either doctor, engineer or accountant.
3. Using the right words and a whole amount of patience when dealing with angry parents who didn't seem to understand what the college is facing during the Cambridge crisis.
4. Building wide networks among potential sponsors and alumni.
5. New video editing skills (limited to iMovie only, sadly).
6. Tolerance in races and religions.
7. Efficiency and productivity in work.

One of the interesting jobs I have done is counselling future SPM-leavers. It is really sad to see the perception we have drilled into the minds of the youth about the undergraduate course they are meant to take in future. I'm talking about the mainstream courses that won't even guarantee that they will be in that particular lines of careers. Medicine, engineering, accountancy, business to name a few. I'm not being prejudice towards these fields. They promise good futures only if: 

1. The child is genuinely passionate about it; 

2. Even if they are not passionate, they'd still make it if they are kiasu and smart. 

#AsianThinking

The kids are so into these mainstream courses that at one point, I asked them the main reason behind choosing these. Their answers:

1. We'll get a good future, more money. (30%) 

2. I have an interest in it *without confidence* (5%)

3. My parents want me to study it. (50%)

4. I'm good in Sciences/Arts, so why not? (10%)

5. I want to save lives/Seeing the world's economy fluctuating is interesting/I want to create something new. (5%)

My next question - "What if you find out that you're not meant for it or you're not up to their challenges? What would you do?" A shrug is usually what I received. Sometimes there would be students who are confident enough to tell me that they won't fail. I admire their confidence and determination, but let's be honest. Do the students truly know what they really want in life, what exactly their desired courses and careers are all about? Many of the students in my course are still uncertain of which major they want to go for. Some don't even have a clue on why they are in Applied Biology. I have seen friends who were once very determined to do medicine, ended up doing business, dentistry, biotechnology, psychology and many non-medical fields. I have friends who dropped out of their courses and were back to square one because they found that they don't like what they were studying or doing. I have a senior who has a Bachelor in Engineering, now he's a banker. Where did things go wrong? How did the paths change? My question to you: What do you really want to do in life?

The great disappointment in my life is not getting the 3A's that I aimed for Edexcel. The greater disappointment is that I did not push myself harder to score all A's. And that is when the fear of being looked down for not being able to study in UK, began to stir in my mind. Despite the fact that I secured a place in Scotland, I still feel extremely angry with myself for not being able to get a scholarship due to my unsatisfactory results. If I had studied harder, I could have stood a better chance to secure a scholarship and study in the university of my dreams. So UK plans got cancelled, I had no choice but to face something that I did not look forward to. Studying in a local governmental university. And only one university accepts non-matriculation students, non-STPM leavers and non-diploma holders. University of Science Malaysia, the university I am studying in now.

It's common for students to think that studying in local governmental universities is not as good as studying in universities abroad. I was one of those stereotypical kids. I looked down on local governmental universities. True, it's not as glamorous compared to studying overseas. True, the level of our education system has gone so much lower compared to my mother's time. But it doesn't matter where you study as long as you make the effort to succeed. University is just a place for us to study even though the name of the university provides a plus point in our resumes. But what's the point if one studies in a well-known university yet sucks in promoting himself in job interviews? Many graduates are jobless now.

My mum has been trying to convince me that it is alright to study in USM - its an APEX university and is one of the top universities in Malaysia. Yet I was not convinced, as usual, until my best friend, Jayden, gave me a 'slap' on my face. Jayden, a future doctor (he is 10 times smarter than me by the way), told me to be grateful that I still have a chance to pursue my tertiary study. He too said the same thing -  It doesn't matter where you study as long as you make the effort to succeed. You can be in a very good university, but if you don't work hard, you'll just fail and all you have to blame is yourself. 

So it hit me. The reason I am so hard up for a scholarship is because my parents can't afford to pay for an extremely expensive education. Now that I am empty-handed, I must accept the fact that our financial status can only afford me education in a local governmental university. And I am thankful for that because hey, I'm still studying!! I must make it clear here that I am not blaming my parents for our financial situation and I have never blamed them for that because they have been sacrificing so much just to provide me a complete life. 

Speaking about money, I have argued with my mum many times about the value of money. To me, money is not everything. To her, without money, you can't go anywhere. I'd say both are true. My thought on money has something to do with what I am pursuing now. The sole reason I chose environmental science is because it is my calling to help the environment. Not as lucrative as my previous desired career, that is a petroleum engineer, right? But without passion, if I'd ever to give up in despair, I would be back to square one. It's worse than earning a moderate job as an environmental researcher.

My mom on the other hand, has gone through the thicks and thins of life and she knows how money can just turn our lives upside down. Money doesn't grow on trees, you got to work for it. And my mum, she has worked extremely hard to earn money. She even saved her earnings and did not spend on herself but me. So her point is, if I were to get a moderate job in such a highly-cost living world, will I even survive? 

And that brings us to my purpose in this university. Studying for passion, aiming for passion and money. God gave me another chance to pursue my dreams, change my life and make my parents proud. From this moment, I'm not going to complain about the fact that I am studying locally. Heck, the kids overseas can look down on me, I don't care. Instead, I'm going to make it a point where I kickstart my journey to be an environmental researcher. I think I have already started my journey and it's escalating fast, you'll understand if you read my previous post. I'm going to make it my goal to graduate with flying colours, get involved in environmental projects and come up with creations and theories that can save the environment!! Maybe I won't earn as much as a petroleum engineer, but I'd make sure that my parents will get to enjoy a better life, a life that they deserve after all they have done for me. And I'm pretty sure that they will be proud of what I am about to achieve.

Being in USM taught me to be independent. Here, my mum is not here to do the laundry, make meals and remind me in everything (she still reminds me a bit through Whatsapp). My dad is not here to just send me anywhere on the spot. During my 4 months here, I've gone through a lot of ups and downs that at one point, I just broke down because I was (still am) homesick. I was a lone ranger because I isolated myself from social life. I have never been homesick, not even in Japan. The irony of it, my goodness. And this is where I learnt the most valuable lesson. Appreciating my parents. They may not be the richest old people, but they have given me love, happiness and a comfortable life that I can never ask for more. My dad rarely nags at me, but my mum...almost all the time because I'm a bloody rascal that worries her to the max. I used to hate my mum for nagging and scolding me, especially during high school when I would rebel. Even now she still nags me, but less since I'm away from her. Deep in my heart, I miss her nagging and often wonder, when will I get a chance to give her high blood pressure just to be nagged by her? Maybe you might find it hard to believe, you might dislike your parents for their long lectures and scoldings. But trust me, they're doing it for our own good and one day when they're gone, you'd do anything just to hear their voices. Well for me, they can nag as much as they want because they care about me, even when I do nothing wrong. Because this is ONE of the things I will truly miss when they leave forever. If you're reading this, I love you Ma, Abah.

2013 has been a great journey - painful but taught me good lessons; joyful as I create as much memories as I can with my loved ones. Thank you to those who are by my side although not physically, and have been keeping me in your prayers. You know who you are.

And my last minute in 2013 is dedicated solely to my Creator, the Exalted who loves me endlessly although I'm such a rebellious believer. Still learning, still making mistakes, but I thank You for what you blessed upon me, rain and shine. Alhamdulillah.

Resolutions? To live life to the fullest. Insya-Allah.

Happy New Year and let's usher in 2014 with another round of Genetic studies. #WhatASpoil

The Tables Have Turned

2 years ago, people laughed at me for choosing to study environmental science. 

I still remember, about 2 years ago, when I was busy applying to UK universities through UCAS, I was still doubting my decision to choose environmental science as my undergraduate course mainly because I am not sure if it's my passion. Secondly, I was put down by many, one even scornfully laughed at my choice, saying, "What can you even do with environmental science in Malaysia?" My reply: "I will be the one to kickstart the development of this field in Malaysia." although deep in my heart, I wasn't sure if Malaysia would ever go green like other green technology countries.

I got into University of Glasgow, secured a place in Environmental Stewardship. Long story short, I didn't have the money to go there.

So I got into the University of Science Malaysia (USM), currently studying Applied Biology and will get into my major in my Second Year. And this is where I was rest assured that I didn't make the wrong choice to study environmental science.

If you say there is no more hope for Malaysia's nature, I'd say as long as you have me and my team of environmentalist friends, she still has hope to stay alive.

After 4 months in university, I somehow became the project director of an upcoming environmental volunteering project. Through this project, I met Quek, my senior, friend and assistant director. Through Quek, I was exposed to all kinds of environment-related projects and got inspired to pursue my passion. It is also through this project that I became closer to seniors from entomology and zoology, who share their respective knowledge even though I would sometimes frown at scientific terms which I have never heard before. I also landed myself in 2 more environmental projects, both to be carried out next semester.

Just when I thought I already had enough encouragement, today's final Genetic practical session gave me another push to move forward. I told my Genetic lab demonstrators about my ideas for Shell360Ideas competition, which had to be halted due to unavoidable problems. This is what they told me:

"Just chase after your passion, continue developing your ideas until they become true. Hang peduli apa orang lain nak cakap apa? (Don't even care about what others have to say about your passion)."

All this happened in one month, 4 months after being questioning myself in university.

2 years ago, I wasn't even sure if environmental science were to be my cup of tea. 2 years later, I am back on the right track - environmental science.

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!!!