Young Again

Recently, I have been stressed up with the immense workload targeting me from all directions. The main thing is my studies which I have failed to cope up with ever since I had been tested with completing 4 assignments in 5 days. It was quite long ago, but I didn’t get the chance to chase all the tutorial works that I missed out till now.

And then just a week ago, I have been appointed as the Vice President of  UniSA Division of Business Taylor’s Student Group (TSG) after an official procedures of submitting a resume and going for an interview by Kelvin and Vernon. The past week was full of meetings because the new committee was still under the probationary period and every department is required to organise meetings so that they can come up with their proposals. By attending those meetings, I admit that I have lost touch with plenty of my tutorials and readings.

Finally what I have been waiting for has come, the holidays! Thank God we UniSA students have 2 weeks of study break compared to the 1 week break when I was still in Taylor’s.

And most of all, I managed to release a whole load of stress by making a move in solving a personal matter which have troubled me all these while. I am really proud of myself for gathering up the courage to face this matter where an average person would find it extremely difficult to do so. Although my problem is not completely solved, I have at least let go some of my suicidal concerns.

Just a few days ago, I have been telling Su Ling and Michelle Chin Yoke Peng (my new friend who shares the same name with my 5th aunt and also the facial appearance) that I realised myself looking older by 10 years after having a stare at the mirror. It was all those stress that was causing this. But today, I see myself young again probably because of the optimism filled within me.

A big change has just happened to me, and I’m glad that it did. I promise myself to keep my spirits high and push myself beyond the current limit!

Stuck in the Toilet Cubicle

After more than a month of pause from updating my blog, I finally get to write something “interesting”. For the first time in my life, I got locked up in a toilet cubicle at the University of South Australia City West Campus Hawke Building.

It started with me entering into a cubicle and realising that the door lock was not working too well. I thought to myself that it doesn’t matter because after all, I never experienced climbing out of a cubicle before like in the action movies. So I just twitched the lock and locked the door. After finishing what I needed to do, I turned back and tried to unlock the door.

As expected, it didn’t work! Oh like a dream come true. I know I was insane to celebrate locking myself in the cubicle. (I am out of my mind these days because of personal matters haunting me day and night.) Then I called my friend, Victor Lam to help me out by passing my school bag and jacket to him. After that, I started climbing by pushing myself up and jumping into the next cubicle while other people started staring at me.

Okay, story ended after I finished imitating Evelyn Salt! So much for trying to direct a movie named Smoke in relation to Salt.

The End of My Birth-Month

Since the Japanese buffet till the last day I was in Malaysia, my life had never been so hectic before. And the worst thing is that it is not hectic because of work, but because of too busy enjoying fun.

From my Facebook photo album – The Inception of Wynn’s 19th Birth-Month, it is obvious that I have been maximising every single second I have in my hometown with most of my friends.

Birthday Eve Party (14/7)

The best of all was still the birthday eve party organised by Alex Loh and attended by most of my Business Foundation classmates and some of my UniSA friends. Special thanks to all who spent their precious time crazing with me at my house. I shall name out all your honourable names – Alex Loh, Shan Lung, Brian Chong, Teong Jin, Nicole Chua, Shu Wen, Wei Qi (who drove for 2 hours just to get to my party), Kar Mun, Tien Jiun, Billy Ooi, Ching Yee, Vandy Ho, Nai Loong, Jocelyn Teo, and Shao Xian.

Once again, thank you all 15 of you! You really gave me the best birthday in my life!! Sorry if I wasn’t a really good host on that day. And I wasn’t moody on that day, if that’s what some of you were thinking. I was just too busy answering phone calls and trying to help everyone as much as possible which made me over-occupied.

Actual Birthday Nightmare (15/7)

It started of with lunch at SS15 Uncle Seng together with Victor Lam. After that, I spent the afternoon with Teong Jin, Brian Chong, Shan Lung, Benjamin Michael and Alex Loh at the SS14 curry chicken rice shop and JS cyber cafe playing Left For Dead 2. Evening was well spent at Brian’s house. It was really a pleasure to go to his home, and I seriously hope he stops feeling inferior about it. At night was when nightmare began to approach me. It was still alright when I went out with Brian to SS2 night market along with Nai Loong, the non-stop talkative Vandy, and Jenn Shyang (not related to the JS cyber cafe). Brian had to leave after that, and we went on with Mong Kok for dinner and KTS for dessert nearby. It was not really all that fun as Jenn Shyang wasn’t really into himself that night and Vandy just practically made me real exhausted with all the arguing. And the worst finally came when I got back to my car parked at SS15. The bird shits all over the car was nothing new to me, but the tar that stuck on my shoe really gave me a hell as it is not removable. That really gave my beloved sport shoes a long-term scar. And I have to beg Nai Loong and Vandy to stop laughing about it.

Post-Birthday Celebration (16/7)

I went over to my high school, SMK Kota Kemuning during the morning. Surprisingly, it was the teachers who wished me happy birthday instead of my friends. I collected my 1119 certificate which was 3 years old by now. Unfortunately, I only got to see few friends there as their recess time was over when I finished my stuff. But I’m still glad to  meet my old pal, Yang Siong, and introduced myself to Wen Kiat who was so excited, as well as Shine Shawne.

Friday night was when I spent time with two of my besties, Boon Kuang and Chun Yeen. To be honest, I did sense some changes within both of them. And that’s what happens commonly among teenagers who just left high school and enter college. It’s a bit pity that we had so little time to chit chat compared to the old days where we can talk forever. I admit that it is my fault for being so busy and having so little time back home. But I promised I will spend more time with you all again. So we did at least went to watch Predator which is such a predictable movie. I shall skip the awkward side-clubbing part. And then, we went for foosball at Asia Cafe till 3am plus. This just made my parents even upset after all the parties and hang-outs.

Full Day Post-Birthday Celebration with Taylorians (17/7)

So this was my first karaoke session outside home after being back from Australia. The singing gang included Billy, Yee Von and Jenn Shyang. We all made full use of all the time we had before Inception. Singing with Yee Von did bring me back a lot of memories of those times we sang when we were still in Business Foundation. An example is my high-pitch voice of singing F.I.R’s 月牙湾 (Yue Ya Wan) and funky songs like DA Mouth’s 国王皇后 (King and Queen).

Inception is the best movie I’ve ever  watched so far this year! It extended my ideas of our creativity can go beyond reality. Besides them, Shao Xian, Vandy and Nai Loong also joined in for the movie.

After that, I met Sharon Tan at the toilet corridor. It really was nice seeing her again after so long. Then, we went to Bon Odori which I personally didn’t really enjoy it due to the excessively crowded place. Jocelyn joined us for that, and I did see some familiar faces around there. We then ended up in Asia Cafe for supper as most of us did not ate anything throughout the night. Billy and Yee Von were the popular ones as if the whole Asia Cafe customers are theirs friends. Since we didn’t really get to talk much throughout the day, I ended up with a long telephone conversation with Jenn Shyang which broke another record of the longest telephone conversation.

Birthday Celebration with Family/Relatives (18/7)

In the morning, I got a call from Mei San and she said that she would be staying in Subang for another day till the next morning. But sadly, I am still not able to meet up with her for this holiday due to my packed schedule of fun.

In the afternoon, I had another birthday celebration with my Kota Kemuning friends organised by Cassandra Leow. I have to thank those who came to the Pizza Hut lunch who included Cassandra, Samantha, Jonathan, Lai Yenn, Jing Yi, Pui Quan, Wen Ting, Wen Han, Amanda Leou, and my sister. The after party was even fun when we headed over to Herbaline for photo-shooting session at the dance studio in front of the big mirror and on the beautiful bed. After that, some of us managed to have some final fun by playing Elefun and Cluedo at Cassie’s house.

 

Night time was spent with my relatives as we had our dinner at home. I got to spent some good time with my uncle, aunts and cousins, as well as my family who I have been neglecting for quite some time.

Not Much of A Birthday at HSBC Puchong (19/7)

It’s such a nice feeling to see all my ex-colleagues again together with Teoh Jacson. Some people are not there anymore and new faces are seen. I really love that place as they all are really friendly and kind. I ended up not spending a single cent as they treated me for all the food even if it’s eating lunch twice with two gangs. I really missed all of you!

Birthday Karaoke Session (21/7)

After lunch, I took Elsa Lam and Meng Jiun over to Sunway Pyramid for karaoke! The last time with Yee Von was at Amp Square and it was good. This time was at Red Box. I met Elsa’s friend, Kelly Khoo who was so excited with singing her songs. We took well a lot of videos of each other singing. And I’m surprised that Meng Jiun has a professional DSLR camera. It’s one of the best singing sessions with all the latest Chinese songs and some English songs at the end of it. We went over to Kim Gary after that for light dinner. My friendship with these 2 would last long despite not much common topics, I’m pretty sure.

Birthday Work Around Subang Jaya (22/7)

After cutting my hair again, I went for pork noodles at SS15 with Alex, Siew Fen, Sher Li, Yang Shiuan, Billy, Jacson, Teong Jin and Lye Kuan. It felt so awesome to see all of them once again. They are well-known as the elite team in Taylor’s of my batch, and probably now among all the educational institutions around Malaysia. Who knows what they will be in the future? Well, they are fun to hang out with although I didn’t get to do it last time.

Work has to be done, and I bought my textbook at UBS Bookstore, completed the Clearance Form at Taylor’s Lakeside Campus, bought a speaker from my dad’s supplier at USJ 1, and went home before cooking started.

Final Day of Birthday Fun (23/7)

For lunch, I went over to HSBC at Damansara Heights with Jacson to meet up with our internship mentor, Norman Chuah who is now managing there. He treated us Pizza Hut and he is still as friendly as last time. I believe his potential would lead him far into the bright future.

After thanking Jacson for the ride all the way there and back to Subang, I headed over to Sunway Pyramid to meet up with Vandy and Jocelyn for one last time since they missed me so much, oops! We snapped many “SS” pictures as there wouldn’t be much chance after that anymore.

Back to Reality (24/7)

This is the day I went back to Adelaide. It is tough saying goodbye to all my friends and families once again. But not as tough as the first time I left them. Well, and this was how my birth-month ended.

Guess what, problems eventuate again after fun ended as expected. This is how I live in Adelaide. But this time, I will try to make things different!

Haunted by the Malaysian-ness

Throughout the week, I got so “fortunate” to experience those things that I have been missing for the past 5 months.

The first one was getting stuck in a traffic jam surrounded by big trucks and lorries on a road under construction. The second one was getting a chewing gum stuck under my shoe, and I only realised it after I got home when there were so many stones sticking onto it. The third one wasn’t that bad, but it’s getting my head stuck with the same few songs that were repeatedly playing in every radio stations. Surprisingly, all the Malaysian-ness just loved sticking so much.

These songs are slightly out of the mind:

1. Travie McCoy – Billionaire featuring Bruno Mars (if you’re so desperate to be a billionaire, why don’t you just fly over to Zimbabwe and automatically you will be a billionaire, no problem at all)
2. Justin Bieber – Somebody to Love featuring Usher (don’t you have your parents to love, unless you are so pathetic to not have any)

This weekend was great!

• Friday – spent the whole day with Vandy Ho, Jocelyn Teo and Nai Loong, and occasionally with Nicholas Yong, Brian Chong, Shin Yi, Teong Jin, Lye Kuan, Sim Ee and her new boyfriend, Ian. We continuously travelled all around our areas from Fish Head Noodles at Kuchai Lama, to Bah Kut Teh (Teluk Pulai) at Klang, Aeon Bukit Tinggi, Botanic Garden, Amanda Leou’s house, Red Bread Basket at Kota Kemuning, and Kota Permai Golf Country Club. I have never been to so many places in one day in my life before.
• Saturday – spent the afternoon with Jamie Tang and Ming Soon playing Soul Caliber 3 in my house, and the night celebrating Wen Han’s surprise birthday party at his house. I’m so glad to see the gang again although it wasn’t complete with only Cassandra Leou, Samantha Leou, Jonathan Leou, Lai Yenn, Jing Yi, Kok Ming and Pui Quan. I’m also real glad to see Peik Shyuan after some time, and meet the Joshua’s in town. We really had some great fun playing iPhone games that night.
• Sunday – spent the whole afternoon with my family and relatives (Wei Yan and Wei Li, and their parents) at Midori, Marriott Hotel, Putrajaya having a non-stop Japanese lunch for about 3 hours. Oh how I love the sashimi!! And I immediately put on 3 kg after that (Okay, I have been continuously putting on plenty of weight since I came back :). Finally, I get to visit Sunway Pyramid for the first time ever since I got back and managed to do a great deal of shopping to stock up my empty closet in Malaysia.

Let’s just hope I get to settle some serious stuff while enjoying my stay at Malaysia. It would be a busy week, I can say.

Home Sweet Home

I can’t stress how much I loved my home, although there are many things which are different now. I finally get to sleep in my bedroom I longed for, the one where I will immediately feel sleepy once I enter it.

I also get to finally touch my beloved PS2 which I didn’t even have a chance to see it for almost half a year. I got to finish some games for the sake of accomplishment before I leave it again.

And my cute white Myvi too. I thought I would have forgotten how to drive after walking for so long in Adelaide. I only got the chance to sit in a car twice in Adelaide so far, and I wasn’t even the one driving. It’s really good to be carrying myself wherever I like to go again. I can’t believe how fast my memories just sip into my brain again, and in a few seconds, all my good and bad habits of driving came back again.

Lastly but the best of all, I get to eat some real Malaysian food. I am sure that is the thing I missed the most when I was away. Things can’t get any better with such nice food whether it’s at home or outside! I’m just glad to be back. I even put on 2kg in one day after I got back!!

On the other hand, I have to stop myself from being so greedy. I shouldn’t miss my life in Adelaide. It is obvious that I cannot be in two places at once, I got to remind myself of the meaning of opportunity cost. I have to forgo the moments I can spend with my dearest friends in Adelaide so that I can enjoy my part here. I hope it would really be worthwhile coming back over for such a short period.

Return

Now I have finally returned home safe and sound. It is indeed good to be back, even if it’s just 3 weeks.

I was really looking forward to this initially, but not anymore when it comes to farewells. Sometimes, I even thought of not coming back so that I don’t need to encounter so many farewells. The feeling of missing people is so hard and painful. I wouldn’t need to experience so much of that if I don’t travel back and fro.

A world without family would make friends so much more important and valuable. And when I leave that world, my heart felt like being pierced by a thousand swords as I think about those friends every once in a while. I dare say Shu Yi, Jeffrey and Eric, I wouldn’t have been alive right now if it wasn’t for you all. Spending my memories with you all did helped to distract me from some of my problems. But now that we’re separated, I just realised I need to be more independent in facing my problems.

I have to admit that what I missed most in Adelaide is those magical moments that I spent with you three, and Su Ling. I just hope that our friendship can remain strong despite the absence of each other.

I guess I just need to force myself to keep looking at the bright side. I am back home to enjoy with my family, relatives and all my beloved friends. I will leave those emotions of missing you all till I get back to Adelaide. After all, it’s not like “you’re gonna miss me when I’m gone”.

Not Football Fever, But Exam Fever

My first ever final examination in Adelaide is just 1 week away. I am trying my best to race with time and hopefully, I can win it by finish revising everything before the exams.

Long-hours studying really causes some side-effects on me. I get so emotional after that, and pessimism just sips into my fragile heart. This hasn’t been the first time, and the main cause of it is always me being “last minute”. If I hadn’t always leave a subject till the end to prepare for, I wouldn’t be so suicidal.

• 1st semester – Introduction to Management
• 2nd semester – Introduction to Law
• 3rd semester – Communication and Information Systems in Business

These are the subjects that made me forgo all others and I always spend the whole study break going all-out for it. Now, things just get worse when this 3rd semester subject is a combination of two textbooks – Communications & Information Systems. Usually, people study both of them separately, and now I am studying it in less than 2 weeks.

What’s more is that every time I am preparing for examinations, there would be some distractions which makes me sidetrack from revision. The first semester was the Astro Star Quest 2009 which I was so enthusiastic with, and I spent the whole revision period managing Alvin Chong Fan Club – www.alvinchong.forumotion.com. The second semester wasn’t too bad with some events by Taylor’s Accounting Club. Now the third semester just gives another blast with Kelvin Yeoh’s Taylor’s Students Support Group. I am part of the committee and here I am again creating a forum– www.tssg.infodiscussion.net.

Let’s just hope that the end result would be the same as the previous semesters. Good luck to everyone preparing for exams!

Tea Tree Plaza - Adelaide’s Shopping Heaven

Yesterday, I spent the whole day at Tea Tree Plaza, a shopping mall in Adelaide, with Vernon, Shu Yi and Eric. It’s been three to four months since I’ve stepped into a shopping complex. Memories of Sunway Pyramid and Mid Valley swept by every step I took into the multi-storey indoor complex.

Another AU$15 was spent on a movie ticket. This time, it’s Prince of Persia. Luckily, it did not disappoint me. I’m satisfied with the story overall although everything seems so predictable to me.

As winter drops by officially now, I am being pressured into a treasure hunt for winter wear. What’s more is that sales are everywhere! But sales only meant that prices are reasonable in Ringgit sense. This makes shopping hard as I always find myself stuck in the centre between nice but expensive clothes and cheap but awful clothes. I have not much time left before I turn into an ice-stick. This will prove to be a difficult challenge when I now have 13 more days to exams.

Su Ling’s Birthday Celebration

For the past 2 days, I have been busy preparing and celebrating my best friend’s, Su Ling’s, birthday. Her friends and I gave her a surprise party at her apartment during midnight of her actual birthday. This is not the first time we give surprise birthdays to our friends. But it certainly is fun. The feeling is certainly satisfying when I see her so happy and touched with what her friends and I prepared for her, such as inviting friends and planning for the celebration. It is indeed really rare that I have this satisfaction derived from other people’s happiness, and this is one of them.

I just went to Glenelg, a town beside the beach, to have a buffet dinner in conjunction with the celebration. Time really passed so fast during happy moments. But I don’t know why my emotions just changed to the opposite once it ended. I guess my time is up; it is a better decision to concentrate on preparing for my exams which is in 2 weeks time.

Assignment Danger

I have finally finished all my assignment for this semester, with the finishing touch on Quantitative Methods in Business.

Bad things have been happening recently. The worst one is about my friends in Taylor’s who got accused for conducting plagiarism. This happened in Introduction to Law, as well as Financial Accounting 2 where we were required to prepare a full company’s annual report all on our own hands. I just wish them the best of luck so that they do not fail and repeat the same course.

Now that made me really worried about my own assignment. I have a bad feeling about my CISB assignment which I have mentioned in the last two post. I noticed that a part of my assignment which was done by my group mate is sort of a copy-and-paste version of information on a website. I obviously got no time to change everything, but only able to include a bit of in-text referencing into it to reduce my chances of being caught plagiarism. I just hope everything bodes well in the end.