Life's like a box of chocolate...

Is it worth the wait?

2011-10-24T03:02:00.000-07:00

It has been a month since my return and the search for the right job requires patience and perseverance. The patience while waiting for company’s reply and the perseverance to not to give up waiting for that miracle call. Sometimes, I wondered if there was something wrong with my CV or simply I’m not competitive enough to fit myself into the working world.

An interview last week made me realized that perhaps I’m more suitable to work in research lab instead of a manufacturing factory. Even if it is a temporary job while I wait for yet another commencing academic year, I find it hard to imagine myself working in the industries. With the unpredicted outcome of my scholarship, I never stop to venture into the vast opportunities that lay ahead of me. After all, the world is an oyster. It has so much to offer and so many divergences of routes. For now, I shall be patient and continue to explore. :)

Unlike my overexcited course mates, I find convocation is yet another boring ceremony that everyone has to experience at least once in their lifetime. It’s an event that you wait and you sweat. The good thing is that you get to see friends once again after months of separation and you get to witness the big shot on the stage wearing all sorts of stylish robes. That’s all. I find the prize-giving ceremony in the afternoon more exciting, partly because of the money (yes, I’m money-faced) and at the same time, I get to present a public speech to thank the people I wanted to without the need to tell them personally which can be awkward if you’re not good at small talk. :)

Being guinea pig for the money is fun!

2011-09-08T04:17:00.000-07:00

Oh how I love being experimental subject and getting paid at the same time. There are so many ways to earn money here! Legally of course!

And the experiments are always interesting. The one I successfully did (erm, yes I failed one experiment for not having good eye sight!) today was about the level of human empathy. ECG is connected to your chest and fingers and the subject have to look at the screen and identify if the avatar appeared like you. After that, the subject answers questions related to how aware you are on human-to-human relationships. If you successfully identify yourself as the avatar, this means you have great empathy to others. At the same time, the questions answered would reveal if you have empathy towards people around you. It’s playing with the mind psychologically!

And yes, my test result would have contributed positively to their research because there’s a correlation and I have great empathy to others! hehe..

I'm loving it!

2011-08-31T13:32:00.000-07:00

Entering week 7 of my life in Lausanne and I already feel like I belonged here. I never know I would enjoy the poster presentation so much that I wish the time for presentation can be prolonged and more professional people can stop over to hear us out and some constructive criticisms are much appreciated. I guess overall it’s the repetitious “story-telling” part that I enjoyed most. As a scientist once said, journal and other form of media including poster represent all your hard work during the duration of your research. So, you have to explain it like a story where you begin with a prologue, conclude with a nice ending and adding a bit of suspense in the middle.

The poster presentation marked the end of the program where everyone but me will be leaving. Well, I’m sure everyone had a great experience with their own definition of “fun”. I personally had a lot of fun with Superbrain and Superbelly, going out after work for free city tour, dances and musicals which were all conducted in French! Yes, we shall reunite either at Malaria, Typhoon or Cholera! (OK, this started with the Peking guy who mistaken Malaysia as Malaria, so you can guess what the other 2 are!).

I have less than 3 weeks here and I’m moving out! This new place is so awesome that the program coordinator should place me here since Day 1! Ya, I wish! The nuns are so friendly and the people here are so much different from those in my program! They are simply friendly and here, I felt respected! Yes, there wasn’t much respect from the people in my program. It’s like returning a smile might cause the end of the world. Anyway, there’ll be dinner starting tomorrow and the menu list looks appetizing! Ratatouille is one of them!

Oh and I received a free apple at the morning market today! Seriously, I’m loving this place!

Science! or Science?

2011-08-05T12:18:00.000-07:00

Well, you never know until you try. This is so true especially in the world of science. You meet with a scientist-to-be who said: Oh, I’ve read that paper before and another science fanatic said: That paper is really famous. But for me, it’s: what paper? Oh, I don’t really care unless it’s related to my research.

There are just so many papers to read that I don’t even have the time dedicated to reading journals. And isn’t there so many other fun stuff to do besides reading someone else’s report on their super long experiment which might or might not even produce results?

Actually, I tried. I signed up for Science Daily for its free subscription online and nope, I didn’t read science daily. But then came the journal presentation for the program. It’s about our precious little brain. Boring! Ya, I know! At first glance, I didn’t want to even read the abstract, the title itself is enough to make you yawn a million times.

Anyway, as time approaches close to the presentation day, I started to take it more seriously. I read once (with the help of Google and Wikipedia of course) and ventured into the world of neuroscience. Actually the paper wasn’t that interesting but neuroscience is VERY interesting! Well, there are a lot of terms you need to remember as you read on but I guess if you read it for fun (as in not for exam!), it’s really fun!

Anyway, the presentation is over with a lot of positive feedback (and questions) from the professor, who’s a brain and PD expert. And I have to say that I’m proud of my Malaysian plain English cause no one could really guess where I’m from. And it’s plain English so everyone could understand; at least that’s what I think :)

We are not alone

2011-07-30T13:33:00.000-07:00

Humans learn and humans try. In every stage of life, you learn to try new things. Some people like to stay in the same stage or whenever they reach a new stage, they remained quiescent. This is because they feel comfortable being into where they are, which is good. However, this might shut many doors from other opportunities that come pouring in.

Through the learning process, we tend to meet with unfavorable situation and people who are not on par with you. These are the people who desperately needed the attention, indifferent people who thinks you are not cool enough to befriend with and etc. This does not make them crazy but it only means that the way of life is different. It also simply means that everyone uses a different path to be fitted in the society.

And yeah, I know small talk is an art but I must admit this is a gift I have yet to receive from GOD. But yes, I’m learning. However, at times, you don’t even need small talk when you are so comfortable chatting with someone you just knew. And I dislike it most when people are trying too hard to create conversation topics that at the end of her conquer in the entire conversation; there wasn’t any content at all! Please, give yourself a break!

Perhaps I’m too practical and I simply don’t talk rubbish. I just can’t.

I think I’m cool and I don’t have to act cool to mingle with others. To those are still trying, just be yourself and people will start to appreciate who you are and not what you’re trying to be.

To end this entry, it is now safe to say that I’ve found the right herd! Yes, I’ve always believed that someone does think like me. Because I was never alone. No one is! :)

Summer Research Program-The Beginning

2011-07-20T12:51:00.000-07:00

It has only been 4 days since I arrived in Lausanne, Switzerland and I'm already loving it. It is safe to walk to the metro station if you're alone and in this great weather, 10 minutes walk is just fine! Lausanne is the only town in the world that is equipped with metro! Yes, it is a small but lovely place.

EPFL, the research institute is truly amazing. The lab was beyond my expectations. I cannot help but to compare. It has everything and anything. Back where I worked on my final year project, cells get contaminated every few days. And in here, each cell type is incubated in one incubator. This has definitely lowered the chances of contamination!

It was indeed a lot of fun working here although my first day at lab was to dissect a mice, remove its mammary glands and chopping them. Yes, chopping them for 5 minutes! I was on my own on the 2nd day and I had to kill 3 of them! And one mice, I accidently made a cut next to the ribs, it bled. And the worst of all, its body is still warm when you hold it! Animal cruelty!

The anticipation.

2011-05-06T21:24:00.000-07:00

It’s time to get back from the most productive hibernation ever over the year and break the dormancy of my blog! Pardon me, once a Science student always a Science student…

Tick tock, time please stop…

Tick tock, time stopped.

Tick tock.

…..

Blink again. Time stopped.

The smell of the damped atmosphere travels me back to the time when everything you do, you do it for the future. This is the time when life’s biggest decision has to be made, the time when people talk about their futures, ignoring the latest juicy gossips aside. Everyone wants to reserve an entrance ticket into the rat race. The queue was long. Some people cut queue, in their own special ways. For those who didn’t, the route was bumpy, only to see the destination ahead the size of your fingertip.

As I’m waiting to cross my final bump, I began to see the other sides of the forest…The blooming of flowers were so huge as though each has their own expressions awaiting my arrival. The sound of birds chirping making an announcement to other members of the forest that someone has arrived. The trees moved aside opening to a path and closed behind me as I stepped in. How does it look like? It’s for me to know and for you to find out.

I’ve come a long way (I think) and I’m a living proof that without failure, you will never be on your way to success. Yes, I consider myself to be climbing up the rocky mountains towards the very peak and am always doing it. Never once have I imagine the sensation of being at the top. Because mine is a never-ending climb.

I’m glad that my journey doesn’t stop here. In fact, it’s getting more and more exciting. Never once have I thought that I’ll be selected. Out of the hundreds. This is a place I could only dream of visiting all my life. The world, the respected ones “up there/down there” must have given me the blessings. Or I guess that the universe has conspired to bounce back that positive energy.

Tick tock, time please stop…

Tick tock.

…..

Blink again. And blink again.

Not this time.

P/S: Europe, here I come!!!!! YAHOO!!!!!!!!!!! Oh ya, this post is supposed to have something to do with the title...yes, I'm anticipating and excited!!!

Robin Sharma-Part 1: The Saint

2010-05-31T21:33:00.000-07:00

“The only devils in the world are those running in our own hearts. That is where the battle should be fought.”- Mahatma Gandhi-

That devil is fear. Fear is generated when we fear of losing, fear of not getting, fear of trivial things in life, fear of accepting something new and we feared most when we are pressured. And fear is manifested in the form of stress. But we must remember, fear is a natural human reaction that occurs to any human being. Fear is nothing more than a feeling, it isn’t real. The place where your greatest fears live is also the place where your greatest growth lies. And since the purpose of human being alive is all about learning and growth, then why not embrace this fear, face it, experience it and you will find fear actually offers you a great foundation of self-discovery.

Did I live wisely? This is the first of the final questions that will flash in your mind when you lie on your deathbed taking your last breaths, which is also the first part of the book. The first guru, Father Mike aka The Saint taught Cal (the son) about the secret of passion which is purpose. It is also called the pursuit of a cause. The moment you’ve found your calling, your main aim, your vital destiny, that is the moment you’ll step into the life you want. You’ll stop thinking that your life will only be guaranteed when you are making loads of money or getting the best grades. You will be fulfilled and that your life matters. Some of you may question what if my aim is money-making? Well, if your aim is to make more money, you first have to build a strong inner self. This is your true aim. When you have become a person who have gained access into yourself and discover your authentic self, money will find its way to you. “To be what we are and to become what we are capable of being is the only end in life”. –Dutch philosopher, Benedict de Spinoza-

From the Bestselling author of The Monk who sold his Ferrari, Robin Sharma’s The Saint,The Surfer and The CEO. This is a great read that I would not guarantee it’ll change your life in an instant but this is definitely the book you want to start with if you are looking for self-help.

All you have to do is be yourself, but I guess that’s your true self.

2010-03-23T08:15:00.000-07:00

We all have friends. And true friendship cannot be measured by time and money. You don’t have to spend hours with a friend for the sake of praising him/her. You don’t have to buy friendship by spending money on your friends. True friendship is when a group of people can linked together in whatever they do and whenever one did wrong, another is responsible to bring them back to the right route.

Throughout the course of my life, I was lucky enough to have met with great people who have helped me in every way. There was always someone out there to reach for me whenever I needed that helping hand. It was like a magnet, always pulling amazing people. I believed in positive thinking attracts positive things, including friends. The universe conspires to give you want you wanted most if that is what you wanted the most. I had a great group of friends throughout my entire schooling life, mixing with the right crowd (we were not nerdy, ok) and creating success.

But lately, I guess the universe has gotten the wrong message from me. Although my level of patience is greater than most people, some people have really low EQ, not sensitive enough to respond according to situations. How can one person have so many flaws? Worse of all, her actions disgusted me. I mean how a person can be so disrespectful, can come out of nowhere and started chatting with the person I was talking to. I hate it when I was having a great chat (at least a genuine one) with my friend and she could just add in, totaling ignoring my feelings. Again, low EQ.

I dislike the word “kiasu” because i’m not from Hokkien clan and it sounded rough. But lately, I have been using the word on her. I do not deny that everyone tends to want something badly until they neglect other things, in another word, cannot lose. But life is not about winning and being at the top because one day when you fail badly, the pain you feel is even greater. Life should be lived in moderation, stressing out is not the solution. Her “kiasuness” has reached maximum level as trivial thing like she couldn’t stand it when friends form a chatting group. She would do anything to join the topic being discussed, although she has no interest at all, just to know in case anyone was backstabbing her. That was such a waste of time because we weren’t. ( but that was when we don’t know her deep enough)

When she said she doesn’t mind at all is when she was actually bothered. Living in a life full of doubts is actually not a good life led. Once I used to pity her because she needs to do so much to gain respect from others, though most of the time she usually failed. Because the extras and unnecessary stuffs that she did disgusted me, enough for me to shut my ears every time she opens her mouth. Her understanding of friendship is totally negligible.

Praise and compliment are 2 beautiful words, until she came into my life, the words turned into something dark and ugly. Again, low EQ.

Sometimes, all you have to do is be yourself. No, not sometimes, most of the times. But some people cared too much about what others might think of her as; she tends to do the unnecessary stuffs. And that again, disgusted me. If you do not know, just admit it or keep your mouth shut because that will actually brings you good. As the saying goes,” empty boxes make more noise” and that is precisely, accurately illustrating her. If you are knowledgeable about a certain issue and want to voice out, that is sharing and caring but if you just want to show off that you actually know which you don’t, then I suggest you just keep your mouth shut because this is called 死都要拉反一渣沙上来！

Some may misjudged her as a confident person, but I agree with the opposite. She is insecure of herself and often compare with others. Only people who lack of self confidence compared with others because they are afraid of losing. If you feel certain about your capability, you will have the confidence to present yourself, too bad she was uncertain but yet she will try to project herself. One obvious example was insecurity in friendship. Because she cared too much of what people might say about her or talk behind her back, she would want to know what we were discussing in a group. This is because she has no confident with herself. I believed she must have experienced it before (of friends avoiding her) and now she’s afraid of losing another friendship. But this is not the way, really, 2 persons can become friends is because they feel comfortable with each other’s presence. And there is nothing you have to do to maintain a friendship but to be yourself.

Perhaps God or the Universe sends her to me as my friend to test my level of patience. And if it’s true, you have tested me and I’ve had enough. For now, I could only practice one thing that is ignorance is bliss. And life would be easier and happier. Life’s good!

Update.

2009-11-07T11:09:00.000-08:00

I'm not the kind of person who will report every single detail of my everyday life. And I'm not obliged to write for readers. Hence, I apologise for lack of entries to my friends who cared to read my blog. Thank you too.

For 2 months or so, my life has been a routine; lectures, exams, UPM and home. Nothing new/fresh. But next Saturday, this semester will come to an end. End of this semester marks the beginning of a 6-week holiday, which of course is the time to celebrate and execute my plans.

Firstly, I WILL drag myself out my house everyday for 2 weeks to go for GYM. Self-discipline is all I need to start. Yoga mat, CHECK. Towel, CHECK. Determination, CHECK. Goal,CHECK. Persuade sis to go along,CHECK. Register, erm...NOPE. The last one, which is "the" most important, not done yet.

Secondly, I WILL further revise French through online learning website. French books,CHECK. French learning website, CHECK. Determination and self-discipline, CHECK, CHECK. Interest, CHECK. Revision should be done at least 5 hours a week.
Je peux le faire et je le ferai!

So far, this is part of the plan. I will not allow any excuses, procrastinations and disturbance fail my plans. I plan to fail if i failed to plan. And now I have planned, I planned to succeed!!!

Occupied Raya break- Je suis contente ! J'adore!

2009-09-24T02:46:00.000-07:00

I love to spend my holidays occupied with plans. And yup, first 3 days were spent with college mates at Port Dickson, a camp to reunite and strenghten bonds between juniors and seniors. I was reluctant to go at first as language has always been my major barrier when there's a need to communicate in Mandarin. I could have plan some other more useful activities during the break, i thought.

I have never attended a fully Mandarin-conversed camp before and this was a great challenge. I thought i would be left out since i would be the only one over there using English medium. But i was wrong. Everyone was comfortable with me speaking English. Everyone was so universal! I never thought I would gain so much after this camp. Memory of the people, the actions and everything were still remained vivid in my mind! I must say that this camp is a great opportunity for people to enlarge their circle of friends, relax their mind and not to mention, expand their acting potential,hehe...
I shall consider attending it next year...

Last day at the beach...

And the fun did not stopped, my coursemates and i went to Sunway Lagoon the following day! It was not a spontaneous trip but a well planned one. It was truly enjoyable although the whole place was all packed with both locals and foreigners! We will come back again someday to conquer the EXTREME PARK!haha.....

Biochem students at Sunway Lagoon...

Course mates - pain in the neck

2009-09-03T04:17:00.000-07:00

Life will get even tougher if you are surrounded by negative energies. And every day when we are trying SO hard to get rid of these negative energies, there will always be new ones. I have learned that the only way to solve issue that cannot be resolved is ignorance, as the saying goes, “ Ignorance is bliss.” What I am trying to convey here is that we should run away from problems, but to learn to ignore things that will only bring even more trouble to you, or worse, affect your mood and health.

Thanks to my course mates, I have learned lessons out of them. I do not want to recall what happened as the series of events that occur will only place more scratches on my tiny lil’ heart. But all I know was they wanted us to change as we (girls in particular) are too independent and loved to decide things without discussing with them first, not to mention we solve problems so damn quickly, like immediately. Here’s the thing, we have tried our very best to discuss with them every time problem pops out, but what is the conclusion that we obtained? NOTHING! As time passed by, we have learned more about our course mates, and eventually we understand how they deal with problems (the result will always be unresolved, as usual), and from that moment onwards, we deal with our own problems. That was when they think we ignored them.

Secondly, they are egoistic and not gentlemen. Egoistic here is defined as not wanting to listen to others (as in us, the girls) and think they are so superior. Can you imagine our class's environment? We just cannot blend into a normal conversation as they think that if they speak to us, the world will end. I mean, what is wrong with them? To open your mouth to say something not only massages your muscle but strengthen the bond between human to human relationships. As for the non-gentlemen part, I don’t have to explain, I guess you already know. I have never seen guys as not gentlemen as these. Maybe they have not completely evolved from our fellow ancestors!

Thirdly, they expected us to change. Come on, if you are completely normal, you will know that it is almost impossible to change another person to the person that you wished they were. The only thing that can be changed is YOU, yourself. And if you are so damn stubborn that you think you can change another person, better look at yourself first, reflect your own attitude, and when you think you are absolutely normal, then there is no problem in changing others. To let you guys know, we(girls) have already changed ourselves. We have learned to accept the way you are, of how not gentlemen you guys are, how disrespectful you are to us and of course all your shortcomings. We have changed by accepting all your shortcomings because these are what you guys really are! Now you tell me, did you guys changed?

Lastly, I hoped you guys should know that human need to progress and not move backward. Human make mistakes but who cares? As long as we learned from our mistakes, realized what we did wrong and there you go, trust me, your life will be more successful. Ego as I said, will blind people from realizing their mistake.

And one more thing, please don’t hold grudges on others and if you need to clear things up, please be open and let us know. I feel that the worst mistake in this world that people always do is lack of communication or miscommunication among one another. We are so afraid to voice out that in the end the issue was kept in our heart. Imagine if you were frank enough to speak to the person what the problem was, the result will be different. We would not have so many misunderstanding in this world and people will not argue. But no, you were too afraid to “lose face” if you voice out. This is when immaturity issue is questioned here. Oh well, I guess they just need time to realize. And I WILL give them time, as time is the only thing that holds the future. The future lies in them, if they really want the world to view them in a different perspective.

There's one last thing i need to touch on. You guys think we are always comparing you guys with others. And fine, you dislike it, i do admit human tend to compare things that they see as greater, better, more appealing. But have you ever notice why we compare? it is not because we want to look down on someone, but we want to build constructive critism so that people can improve. I don't know about you, but to me, if there is someone who's better than me in one way or another,i will take them as role model. We are not asking anyone to change immediately as even Rome was not built in one day. But we need to realise, admit wrong and take action to resolve.

That's all i've got to rant and rave. Any comment, do share, don't be shy.

What a relief! I knew I needed to write this since like weeks ago! But never really have the “umph” yet. I guess today’s THE(read as “di”) day!

Goa - Recalling 23rd- 28th of June 2009

2009-07-29T23:00:00.000-07:00

Dabolim Airport was like a super budgeted airport, the only airport in Goa. Once I stepped out of the gate which looks more like a shopping mall entrance, many people approached if I wanted transport to the centre of Goa, Panjim/Panaji, approximately 30km from the airport. Legalized taxi will cost about Rs400 where as just a few meters outside the airport, illegal drivers will cost slightly cheaper. At first they wanted Rs300 per car to Panjim, after bargaining, he agreed for Rs 160 but in a shared vehicle. And of course I asked who I am sharing with, he said just follow me. He brought me to a van where a middle-aged man was already waiting. At first, fear did come across my mind, and then I was telling myself: Ok… just relax and nothing’s going to happen, this journey will take half an hour only.” Then I thought it will be better if I start a conversation with him instead of keeping quiet, at least I know what is his intentions(if there is!). He told me that he’s going to Calangute (another town which is in my to-visit-list) after his stop at Panjim for a business trip, and said he comes regularly. And then, he asked for my number and that I should give him a call when I’m in Calangute. Hmm…I was thinking no harm right giving him my number since I will only be using my number in India and that I will be leaving India in a week. And so, I gave my number which turned out to be a mistake! He called 2 days later, drunk I presumed, asking where am I, and that when will I be in Calangute, and then he started telling me that he likes me, and in my mind, I was like “Sh*t, sh*t,sh*t!” . He even asked which hotel I’m staying in, then I just simply answered that it was a budgeted hotel even I don’t remember it’s name. He started nagging that it is very unsafe to stay in such kind of hotel and that I should change it,bla,bla,bla…After bla bla bla for about 8 minutes, I finally ended the call which something I should be doing since minute no.1. Ok, India has this stupid roaming system whereby if you are in a different state in India, there’s still roaming charges, and each minute Rs1 !
Anyway, there was another unfortunate event that occurred on Day 1 in Goa. As I was happily staring at the beauty of the Church Square, the first monument I’ve discovered in Goa, ready to get this view captured, I couldn’t find my camera! Fear runs through my blood, I started to unpacked everything in my bag and followed the trail to where I came from but it was all in vain, my camera of 4 years was nowhere to be seen. I even tried calling Jet airways but it was no use. I guess I was too excited about the trip that I must have left it somewhere. It took me a clear 2 hours to accept the fact that my camera has lost. Everything happens for a reason. No point crying or being sad. However, this is a great lesson for me. And a very expensive one. I told myself I will buy a new camera over here in India because this might be my first and last trip to Goa, I must capture all my memories here no matter what. And thank God and to my family which was very supportive, well they had to, because I was all alone over there, that I was able to do so… To be honest, my new camera was far better quality than my previous one, I wonder if God wanted me to use a better camera to capture sceneries in Goa? Haha…I know I know, trying to console myself…

At random: The famous Church Square, most beautiful at night...there were loads
of churches around Goa, once conquered by the Portugese.
At Panjim, on river cruise, there was no sunset due to rainy season...

it has been long...

2009-07-22T17:20:00.000-07:00

It has been exactly a month since i last wrote. It's just that so many things happened that i don't know where to start. Since i left the internship(as in from Baroda), I flew to Bangalore and met up with Ezzah. And a day after that, I flew from Bangalore to Goa. That's when i stopped updating my blog. Now that uni has started for 3 weeks, I will try my best to recall every single details, even the unfortunate events that took place throughout my journey of backpacking alone down South of India...details in the next post... hehe..

Before I forgot, ( as demanded by Maha) in the picture below are the interns:
from from left clockwise: Michelle(me),Lee(Sg),MAHALETCHUMI PARAMJOTHY(M'sia),Felicia(Indo-Sg),Jane(china),Ira(Ukraine),Eunice(M'sia-Sg),Alexia(Cyprus),Serene(M''sia),Spencer(Hong Kong),Xavier(Sg),Anand(Sg)...

End of my internship mark the beginning of my travel

2009-06-22T09:24:00.000-07:00

Some of us departed for home and some are like me, took up the challenge to travel. I decided to travel down south of India to meet up with my friends and at the same time, do some travelling as well. I landed at about 3.30pm today at Bangalore International Airport and took an airport taxi to Ezzah’s house. It was a 4-storey apartment and her house was very comfortable. The food was definitely Malaysian style, which reminded me of home, again. Thanks for making me feel comfortable, Ezzah! Tomorrow I will be exploring Bangalore before flying off to Goa on Wednesday noon. The temperature here is superb! 26 degree Celsius and it’s as cold as in highlands!
To all the interns, I hoped you have a great time travelling and a safe journey back home! See you all soon!

Last 2 weeks in Baroda city

2009-06-19T02:43:00.000-07:00

Recalling my first few days here, I still remembered how much I wanted to go home, waiting for the end of this internship. Now that I have only 5 days left in this city, which was looking cloudy and windy these few days, marking the arrival of monsoon season, I know I will miss this place.

My team put loads of effort for our last 2 weeks here, getting appointments and sessions, trying to keep ourselves occupied. We did a session at Don Bosco about teambuilding, many boys have left and many new faces were seen, Father Roger was shifted to Mumbai, replaced by Father Steve. The session was more of having fun with the boys rather than instilling teamwork among them as we had problem with translation. Nevertheless, leadership qualities were traceable among them.

HIV/AIDS session at MSU was my favourite session, which was also a session that I’ve expected all these while. Our audiences, which consist of about 30 postgraduate student of faculty of social work were very responsive, outgoing and opened. Unsurprisingly, they were very well equipped and knowledgeable about HIV/AIDS. Group discussions and presentation were a lot more fun as there was no language barrier.

We were having sessions on teambuilding and budget (financial planning) with Gujarat Public School(GPS) students this entire week during the last 2 periods. Random classes were chosen with about 30 kids in one class. The students were quite well behaved and participated actively in class. It’s exciting to meet with these kids everyday as their happiness is contagious; having sessions with them simply amused me and sometimes, make my day!

At random: 31 Baskin Robbins for 80 rupees,half-price,cheap!

Diu Island

2009-06-08T02:36:00.000-07:00

An island with loads of stray dogs around, Diu Island was not a bad destination for relaxation, but at this time of the year, perhaps this is not a good place to visit. Hotels and restaurants were all closed at the dawn in the morning, for a tourist attraction, they should be opened 24/7! With 100% punctuality of the bus, we reached Diu island as early as 3.30 in the morning, in fact we have reached 3 hours early. That is why we were lingering around the place for the next 4-5 hours while waiting for shops to open. Diu Fort was a great place to begin with as there’s loads to explore although part of the fort was closed. But the view from another side of the fort was even better. The canyon and the splash of sea waves were truly amazing. I allowed my eyes to rest and reminisced ( not sure if this word exist in past tense) my previous Redang trip, it was the same feeling here…relaxing…
Nevertheless, the journey by bus was very tiring although there were stops in between. With the bumpy roads and “super-experienced” driver, it was more like a roller-coaster ride. Some of us were swearing that it will be their last bus ride. If given an option, I would have preferred train ride. It was my longest bus ride ever, going to Diu took us 8 hours and when coming back, strangely, it was a 12-hour journey, and when almost reaching Diu, where the entire bus left only the few of us, the driver suddenly pulled over(with its engine off) in the middle of nowhere for a pee break, leaving us behind with the conductor, who counted money(thousands of rupees) right in front of us. Ok, the thing is both sides of the road on our way to the island was lined with trees and more trees, which was even more creepy, like we were heading toward the lost city of Jurassic Park! Haha…
At random: Diu Church-St. Paul's
near Diu Fort...

AP+ Association for People Living with HIV/AIDS

2009-06-08T02:21:00.000-07:00

This is the NGO we will be working till the end of our internship, well that also depends on AIESEC if they are getting sessions for us when schools reopen, but I doubt it. Anyway, this AIESEC member who brought us there, he just introduced us to the organization and dumped us there with the volunteer. And they leave us to plan out everything for AP+ and one of their main objectives is fund raising. This is the problem, Catlin (Philipino), a long term volunteer for VSO over there told us that the management team at AP+ wanted funds but will never worked for it. They would only wait for resources. Hence, we laid out plans to help the management team to build a strong foundation for this NGO instead of focusing on fund raising, as the saying goes, teach a man to fish instead of providing him fish.
To start off, we did a session on confidence, whereby staffs were given topics and they would have to elaborate accordingly. This is to test their confidence in public speaking and how well they are able to express themselves. The session was of great help to them and at the same time, they were psychoanalyzed to see their level of confidence. Their feedbacks were positive and agreed for more sessions in the future. We received great co-operation from the team and wished our future sessions will give them some guidance to run the NGO.
Change for better future!

Old Baroda City and Ahmedabad

2009-05-26T05:27:00.000-07:00

Went to Old city of Baroda, this place is like a flea market where you can get all sorts of bangles and necklaces, clothing and it is a place to put your bargaining skill to test. Streets lined up with shops and stalls and the largest landmark observable is the Sur Sagar lake where an enormous statue of an Indian God is located facing the entire place. I went from shop to shop in search of a Punjabi dress and finally bought one, this is it…

Ahmedabad is another city in Gujarat about a 100km from north of Baroda, 2 hours by bus. It has a larger population, by my guessing, cause more people were seen on the streets and beggars are more often found whenever we go. And they are more active as they can follow you, touch you and keep mumbling until either side gives up. The city was also dirtier and when we stopped to read the map or discuss something, there's always be other unknown people gather around us to check out what were these bunch of foreigners were up to. Funny but some of them were really helpful, as in really wanted to help instead of just stand and stare. There weren’t many places to explore and we travelled the city mostly by foot. There were a zoo which nobody’s interested in except me, a garden, mosque where women are not allowed in but eventually I don’t know how but I was there taking picture of the mosque, and nothing much but some old buildings.
We decided to travel by train when going back to Baroda. It was experience of a lifetime. No, I did not hang on to the side of the train and neither did I sit on top of the train, but throughout the 4-hour journey, I was standing most of the time. The first station we boarded was not so crowded so there were spaces to move in between but when we reached the following station, people just flocked into the train and in split second, I was surrounded by men and women all sitting on the floor, before I know it, there wasn’t any space to move around. The train was moving so slowly, that it tested my patience but fortunately I was standing right in front of the window. When reaching Baroda, I was sitting on the stairs by the door and it was so fun to enjoy the breeze as the train moves, and you can only do this in India!
It was a tiring day but I enjoyed every second of it!
The train ride, super cheap but super slow and looking at the people flocking in was funny...

The uninvited wedding

2009-05-18T03:03:00.000-07:00

There was this place right opposite Gujarat Public School (Residential) where weddings are usually held almost every night since the beginning of the month. It’s the wedding month here and curious people like us went and check it out last night. Our presence caught so much attention especially Ira(she’s the ah mo lang from Ukraine and she’s super tall) and we were actually invited! It took so long for the brides groom to get into the place from the entrance. First, his family (just close-family) members had to dance around the horse carriage for like 10 minutes. One of them was like in his late 50s and he danced too! Then, people just gather around the couple and the brides maid had to hang a circle of flowers around the brides groom’s neck which he tried to resist, not sure what that means. But eventually, it was done. Fireworks were displayed and confetti (which consist of fake 5- rupee notes) were arranged to be dispersed from above. The confetti in the form of money reminded me of Chinese funeral! We went into the place after the couple and their families did. There were food served and a studio where photography session of the newly-wed was taken place.
Overall, it was a great experience but the process of waiting was a bit too long, I guess it’s all about the culture that everything has to be done in the right way although it’s time consuming. But oh well, congratulations to the newly-wed and wish them happiness all the way through although I have no idea who they were.
I hate the malls over here. I went to one nearby the AIESEC office in Fahtegunj this afternoon called Seven seas. They have security guards everywhere! Checking your stuffs and opening your bags…Physically from the outside, the mall really looked like a mall, so attractive that you will think they have everything inside, but nope, to my disappointment, they have very few shops! And then I went to this souvenir shop, like the one we have in Malaysia, eg: Lovely lace, this irritating salesgirl followed me everywhere I go, rearranged everything I’ve placed back on the shelf! How am I supposed to give you business, it’s so annoying! Although I really wanna buy something (it’s so cheap). I walked out in less than 5 minutes.
Then I went to the big bazaar supermarket, they wanna lock my bag using the string like the one they used in Mydin. For God’s sake, I’m customer,ok, don’t treat me like a thief! I totally dislike it cause is as though everyone that comes in is a potential thief instead of a customer. I talked so loudly telling off the guard that “This is my bag, and I’m taking it with me, and I’m not going to take anything from your place without paying,ok?” People just stared. And she starts mumbling in Hindi, and I just said “no” in Hindi. In the end, she surrendered. Haha…
The bride and the groom-she's trying to put the circle of flowers around him...
Inside the wedding place...

2 days at Don Bosco Snehalaya

2009-05-15T00:50:00.000-07:00

When we arrived at about 8.45 this morning, the boys were already sitting in groups. We had an hour session with the boys and it started at about 9.10am with a game called The Tangled Game. The boys were enjoying themselves and interactively participated in the game. They were amazing, when they see you, there’s always a smile on their faces accompanied by a firm handshake. Group discussion was when everyone got to say anything they know about HIV/AIDS. Surprisingly, these boys are so open to talk about this and they already know so much about this topic. I love their spontaneities, although language was still a barrier, their greetings were enough to put a smile on my face. Recently, I realized I tend to shake my head when I talk! Like an Indian! Like when a boy asked me if I can take a picture with him, I shook my head indicating yes, sure!
It was so difficult for me to wake up on the second day. We had greater fun today! Boys were actively participated in games, quizzes, and video recap of day 1. We left the place 2 hours later knowing that we have left the boys equipped with not all but at least some important messages about HIV/AIDS. Yay! I’m very delighted…

United Way of Baroda and Women’s’ Remand Home

2009-05-12T03:35:00.000-07:00

United Way of Baroda is like an umbrella NGO with approximately 150 other NGOs are under its control in Baroda. We had a meeting with them this morning to get ourselves prepared for the Women’s’ Remand Home in the afternoon. Women here are of those with criminal records, babies dumped by parents and orphans. We were celebrating birthdays and will be going there for this entire week as they need volunteers to teach handcrafts starting tomorrow in the afternoon. These women again remind me of the value of cherish. Some were widow and one was pregnant, the rest are girls. I can already sense that it won’t be easy for us to talk or even mention HIV/AIDS to them, because they were too shy. Moreover, we are teaching about prevention of it, I’ve searched through yahoo!india and there’s no result search for condom!
Anyway, so far, if there’s one thing I’m going to miss here in Baroda would be the Chai (not the Chaiwalla) here. Chai means tea, and I love their tea because they use milk and add a little bit of ginger in it. Love it! Oh ya, there’s another, the sugar cane, it is so damn cheap, 5 rupees only (aboutRM0.50 per cup and the portion is as much as in Malaysia), with added lime, ginger and sour plum in it, my favourite!
And this is the month where people plan for their weddings and for a few nights already, there were celebrations opposite from my room. Different kinds of music were played, so loudly that even when you’re in the bathroom taking shower, you can hear them. And it will be very obvious that there’s a celebration is going on as thousands of tiny lights of various glows were hanged on tall trees to ensure that the whole area of Katali knows what was going on. And even if you’re trying to ignore the sight of it, there’ll be firework display, loud enough to make you stay awake, but that’s before 12 midnight, after that everything and everyone will settled down and doors will be closed and the street, needless to say, empty.
At the Women's Remand Home...

Fever

2009-05-12T02:40:00.000-07:00

Ok, this was supposed to be blogged 3 days ago…but…
I suspected it was food poisoning. Was having high fever last night and dreamed that I was sent back to Malaysia cause was suspected victim of swine flu…choy…touch wood…Anyway, drank excel tea my mom gave me, went to the toilet and am feeling better now but today I’m supposed to go to a temple up the hill about an hour drive from this city, but ended up alone here in the room writing this while the rest of them went and enjoy. They said it’s cold there and the scenery is breathtaking, well, unlucky me…
Anyway, another guy from NTU, Singapore came for the same project and one girl from Ukraine.
Went to an exhibition about fine arts yesterday done by the faculty of fine arts of Maharaja Sayajirao University(MSU) students. For a person who doesn’t understand art like me, I wasn’t very impressed by their work. But some were really special or at least, understandable.
At night, fever attacked me again, I thought my antibodies would have win this time, I kept telling myself that ok, my immune system is strong, my white blood cells will win this time..But by midnight, they have failed me.
* * *
There is always first time to everything, first time going uni, first time staying in hostel although home was just 20 minutes away, first time drinking, smoking….and so on… For me, I had my first time and it happened here in India. This is my first time in my life taking these “white pills” and now my right ear is blocked once a while, guess must be the side effect of taking it. There wasn’t any other alternative as my body temperature did not drop. PANADOL/PARACETAMOL took control in less than an hour after consumption and I felt my body starts sweating, my actual body temperature regained. That’s my first time taking PANADOL and it didn’t feel good. At all. And I didn’t like the name either.

At the faculty of fine arts exhibition,MSU
Some sort of primate sculpture...
This four-legged animal was made up of small pieces of woods, what a waste, i don't think they use recyclable items...

Of water, mosquitoes and the heat

2009-05-04T07:16:00.000-07:00

Yeah, these 3 elements had got to do with the hostel. The first day we came, there was no water supply. It is stated that water only comes at certain hours, so yeah, you gotta be alert with the times. And these people(Indians) here obviously won’t follow the time stated, so yeah water comes at anytime, it could be very late at night or as early as 7am in the morning, so no point staying alert, just open the tap and when water comes, you’ll be automatically awake.
Next, the mosquitoes. Yeah, they only pay my room a visit at a certain period of time, that is around 1am till 6am. So, immediately after being its prey the first night, I got myself a mosquitoes mat the next day. I bought it from the street. Once I got down from the auto rickshaw, the kid of this family selling the mat was touching my arm showing her fingers indicating money. I mean I’m already bringing business to your family, why would you still want to beg from me? At first they wanted 200 rupees for each of the mat, in the end we bargained and offered 100 rupees and quickly left the place. It was also dangerous as 2 other kids approached Maria for money too. So yeah, thanks to the mosquitoes, we had that experience.
And lastly, the heat. We couldn’t stand the heat especially at night in the room, it feels like we are trapped in a prison’s cell with no ventilation. So, we opened all our doors and windows the entire day unless we are going out. Even if it’s at night, we just leave the main door open while sleeping. So yeah, there isn’t any other choice. And when I’m outside, I used the umbrella most of the time, people around looked at me like a weirdo, mainly because I use an umbrella(everyone uses it back in Malaysia!) and another reason is because I’m Chinese…haih… Oh ya, this guy Hamed next door from Tunisia asked if I’m a Japanese, haha…..Konichiwa…watashiwa Michelle des….hehe…我是Michelle, 从马来西亚来的，哈哈！(wo shi Michelle chong ma lai xi y alai de)
We went to another shelter home today to raise a project to teach these kids about HIV / AIDS. This place is called Don Bosco Snehalaya, a project for street children. So, we have to plan a lesson to educate these children ( target age of 13 to 18 ) on next Tuesday. So yeah, after a long wait finally we had a project to work on, and we raised it on our own, thanks to a friend, Sidhar who brought us there. AIESEC Baroda India was working very slowly and we weren’t here to wait for them to find a project for us to work on. They should have raised all the projects even before we are here. So yeah, efficiency and professionalism are 2 very important elements when you’re working with people, and these people here don’t seem to show much. So, actually, I was trying to get a job here, maybe on Saturdays and Sundays I can work and other days I just focus on the project. You all will be laughing about it but I’m searching for a job to teach Mandarin, Chinese. Haha…
At random: the yellow and green vehicle is called auto rickshawIn front of my hostel, super HOT!

Mosquitoes mat-night life saviour!

Writing from Baroda-44.5 degree celcius

2009-05-02T03:34:00.000-07:00

This is our residential area for the next 2 months. It’s summer holiday all over India now, so the entire school was quite empty except some kids were here attending summer camp. It is located at the other end of Baroda city. There’s malls, Subway, McD here, so you can imagine this is like a more modernized area although you still see people sleeping on the streets. My room was not bad, in fact I think it is better than in KTDI,UPM. However, there’s no internet access in my hostel and mosquitoes ruled at night. In India, only boys live in hostels, girls usually stay home, I don’t know why but most probably it’s because of their safety. People here are not allowed to hold hands, kiss, smoke, drink, they’re against the law. I’m currently staying with Maha(from Malaysia) and Maria(from Chile). Maria has to obtain a pass to drink and she has to be cautioned everytime she smokes. She complained mostly about the temperature and the staring. She once went to up north of India, once she got down the bus, there were 20-30 guys surrounding her staring like they have not seen an ah mo lang in their entire lives. Anyway, this is my room…
At random: First meal since my arrival at Bangalore International Airport.
With its slogan "a lot can happen over coffee", first thing that pops up in my mind
was getting a diarrhea...haha...fortunately, nothing occured...

Bangalore International Airport, waited 8 hours for transit here...it was as quiet as grave here...

It's Labour Day in the whole wide world today but not here in India. Business goes as usual.

Went to a mall nearby today, called INOX , ate Subway, almost the same price as in Malaysia, in fact maybe more expensive, 160 rupees(RM12.00), bought a book by John Grisham at Monalisa Building, it’s super cheap. It's a 2 in 1 book that costs 199 rupees(RM14.96). Haha…So ahem…actually I’ve spent quite a lot now….I usually travel by auto rickshaw(you can see it anywhere in India,or in amazing race) which will cost me approximately 30-40 rupees 2 ways. So ya, gotta go money changer very soon…

Shelter home

2009-05-02T03:18:00.000-07:00

Kids at the shelter home-Monthly Birthdays celebration...

Day 1 at the hottest city I've ever been to- Baroda

2009-04-29T06:59:00.000-07:00

Transit is not that bad after all, I thought. It was the longest moment of my life waiting for the time to depart. From LCCT to Singapore wasn’t that bad cause there was no waiting for check-in and all but the moment we arrived at Bangalore, we waited for 8 hours before our next domestic flight to Baroda with a stop a Mumbai. Worst of all, jetlag of 2 and a half hours! Wow, landing and depart, landing and depart, there was one moment I just felt like vomiting. But the pilot was a true professional (support IndiGo flights!), just that the seat wasn’t that good, no stretching just sit up straight, like a robot throughout the journey. So, it’s kind of weird to have everything brought backward, especially the sleeping time. We arrived at Baroda airport and AIESEC Baroda had some people standby to fetch us to our temporary stay at Amurtha’s(AIESEC Baroda) house about 20-30minutes from the airport. Most importantly, we don’t have to worry about diarrhea and food at her home. She’s nice and just finished her uni life, in Bachelor of Arts in Clinical Psychology and she’s only 20!
The ride from the airport was definitely an experience of a lifetime. No helmet, 60-70km/hour, but the sights and sounds along the street was an eye-opener. We ride on a motorcycle for your information. People here change their honk more frequent than they change their tyre. They wanna change lane, they honk, wanna say hi to friends, they honk, wanna go straight ,turn right left, whichever direction you name it, they honk. Throughout the ride, you can really see people sleeping or apparently living on the streets. Cows were seen freely walking everywhere, so cow dungs are not rare here on the streets.
The heat! OMG! I felt like living on a desert. The sunlight + pollution +foreign substances(yet to find out) landed on my skin were painful.
However, people(as in AIESEC India) here are really friendly. I must admit I’m not sociable. I can learn to be one here though. You have to…
Our first not to say job la, first outreach that we’ve done was we went to a house located 10 minutes from the HQ where childrens who are homeless, used to steal and beg money for survival are kept to ensure they are properly brought back to their right routes. Every month, this AIESEC people will celebrate their birthdays, so we went and join the fun. Pictures are worth a thousand words. See below,haha… ( next time la, can't upload, cause line here's bad)

India-Here I come 2 !

2009-04-01T08:43:00.001-07:00

All is set! I'll be leaving on the 27th of April...so soon...Will be flying to singapore then to Bangalore before taking a domestic flight to Baroda, Gujerat...Finals end on the 24th, and will have a few days preparation before flying...Hmm..I've not check if I'll be facing jetlag, most probably not a problem cause it's still an Asian country. Watched slumdog millionaire, I'll be expecting the worst from India, as in the cleanliness and the people, but should be a great place to explore. I've checked on the net, it's a very historical place with museums and mosques around the place.
I just realized that the jab that I took back in Form 6 is Hepatitis B, 3 boosts/doses which will last for 4-5 years. Happy for that, save time and save $...

Where is THE professionalism?

2009-03-20T20:14:00.000-07:00

It was the worst interview I've ever attended. No, not because I did badly or being nervous or did anything out of my mind during the interview...It was the not so professional questions posed by the interviewer! Even the moment I stepped into the room,she was already looking at me with full hatred like an enemy,like I have murdered her entire family. I knew I would get her(there are 7 interviewers) as I've mentioned to my friends that when I wished not to get her, I know I'll get her. And yes, I did. The moment she opened my merit book, her eyes enlarged a little, I can judged she was a little surprised with the merit marks. Then she asked a normal question "why do you wanna stay college?" I thought it was a standard question,so I answered because it's safe, clean, convenient and the the activities joined give much advantages. And then, here she comes "attacking" me."Meaning to say those activities that disadvantage you, you will never join la?". For God's sake, I just feel like "shooting" her back. Come on, woman, are you trying to say those college activities have disadvantage?then why you and college decided to run the activities since they bring disadvantages to students? But of course la I didn't said that, I still wanna stay college, for your information. Then I replied,"I'm saying that when I have the time I will come down and support as they all bring advantages". Then she said," Do you think when I was in 1st year I can choose? when I have the time then I'll join and if I don't, I just stay in the room do my assignments?" In my mind: Ei, please la, you are the one being stupid ok, if you don't care about your assignments and your academic then forever no need to do la, if they have 10 activities in a week, you go and join all la...come on, use your brain la...
But of course I lied, haih...replying: Of course time is important, maybe I still cannot adapt with the activities especially in sem 1 but now I'm still learning to adapt so I could join more in the future...bla bla bla...lied here and there a bit, praise here and there a bit...

THEN CAME THE STUPIDIEST AND LOUSIEST QUESTION: Tell me, do you think you like the college, :
a) a little
b)ok ok
c)like because you wanna stay
d)really like it like your home(It's impossible I'll say "Aku Cintakan Kolej")
Then I replied already wanna roll my eyes...like la....duh...dong....

I would expect a more professional questions like “What do you think this college is lack of and how can you change it for the better?” Come on, we are adults and leaders of tomorrow, but they showed no signs of being one…how disappointing…

What has gone wrong in this world? This world has bring much unhappiness to so many people, things going on around us, much never bring us benefit.And these people in college still wanna make things worst! If there were no interviews, we would not need to waste our valuable time, the interviewers time(but I don't think they care about time). Everyone gets to stay, you’re happy, I’m happy…The entropy(disorder) is increasing day after day, why would such a simple thing, some people just have to twist and turn and make people's life difficult?

Microbology = Mistake!

2009-03-12T02:23:00.001-07:00

Just had my Microbiology exam...Who in the world would know that I FORGOT to read 2 pieces of slides about microbial growth...Yupe,just me!...It was all my fault! YES, I FORGOT...that shouldn't be happening. 5-6 objective questions are totally foreign to me....well, at least I know I have to use the shooting game(tembak)...which most of the time always inaccurate and inpersistent...From now onwards, I'm going to check every single slide/page/paragraph/words with everyone before even start reading. arghh...
Usually, before every exam, I will feel delighted as I'm fully prepared and I know it's going to end soon after the"vommiting" process , but it was different this afternoon.No wonder I don't feel right before the exam, like something's missing. Who on Earth knows it was the slides that I forgot to read!?

Managing blog

2009-03-07T22:47:00.000-08:00

I need some help here to upgrade my blog...As you can see, it's simple(or too simple)...what can I add to "spice" it up a little? Advice from professional blogger needed here...Thanks in advance...

India --- Here I come!

2009-03-01T19:23:00.000-08:00

After the AIESEC induction camp, I went for the interview yesterday. My interest is more towards developmental internship regarding the Project HIV/AIDS in India but preferably, Africa, as it has the highest rate of AIDS patients in the world. The interviewer will review again about the place as no one has ever been to Africa for internship and the air ticket is rather expensive. Oh ya, for those who still do not know (including my family,unless my sister visit my blog,which I don't think she will), I will be spending my 8 weeks semester break in India starting the end of April. Unlike my previous exchange, this time I will be going solo. My mission is to approach different groups of poeple, mainly in rural area, patients or not patients of HIV/AIDS , poeple who knows everthing or nothing about HIV/AIDS, educate these people and at the same time, learn about things I never knew. Why India? I never wanna go China again(as in not for the rest of my life la) and India sounds different. I wanna experience being a foreigner in a completely different environment.
Anyway, only accomodation and food will be provided, the rest we have to settle on our own. According to one of the AIESECer, all expenses including air ticket throughout my journey in India will cost more or less than RM1500. Hmm...should be manageable...Gotta go find sponsorship...
Kausalyaa, Kar Man, Ezzah and whoever who is or was in India,I need advice...!

Classical Chinese Orchestra UPM

2009-02-27T04:47:00.000-08:00

These pictures were taken at the Classical Chinese Orchestra last week held at K17. K17 is the furthest college from the academic area and it's location is very secluded. Because it is the residence of medicine, biomedicine students and bla bla bla... every single lamp post over there and every corner of their rooms were fixed with pendaflour or flourescent light or whatever you call it... Inequality and Unfairness! Aren't we students of UPM too? What makes us different from them? Anyway, I consoled myself by telling my friends that I never liked to study with such wavelength, it makes my eyes sore and I was telling them it's really INconvenient for those students in k17 to reach for banks and post office as they are all located in the academic area (which is a walking distance from my college,hehe...). Mana tau, suddenly popped out a HUGE ATM machine right before our eyes. cheh...

By the way, I'll be starting my ERHU(chinese instrument shown in the photo above) class next tuesday, can't wait! Full of anticipation now!

Wish me luck!

What a day!

2009-02-23T21:07:00.000-08:00

Basic Entrepreneurship course might sound easy to many people, but for me running the business is a true challenge. There are so many issues that need to be taken into consideration before and during the running of business.

It started off with our plan to sell bubble ice since there is market here in UPM. I’ve got a dealer’s contact from a friend who convinced me that their profit was good when they sold it in UM. But little did we know that he was a “cunning old fox” until we met up with him, my first impression was he looked a lot like ah long rather than an ice-cream seller. Gosh! Wait till he talks! He wants our profit of 50%! My mouth was already half-dropped the moment he announced it, I mean is that fair? That’s impossible! If we analyse it rationally, this means that the more we sell under the hot sunny day, sweating and all, the more he’ll earn from us. I can even imagine him sitting in his shop shaking legs counting money that drops into his big fat pocket. All our hard work! He even cheated about the price! And so days after, we called him to check out with his boss if we can get cheaper price, with reasons like we are students, bla,bla,bla...And soon after, he never contact us again, idiot! Then, of course we were desperate enough to call him as our days to sell the bubble ice get nearer. What to do....And dengan sombongnya, he said the bubble ice fridge was not available as we never give him an exact reply earlier. STUP*D...

As the idiotic man aka ah long walks with his nose high up in the air(hidung tinggi), we actually should thank him cause he triggered our brain cells to think of a new idea, that is to manufacture our own bubble ice, cause it is really easy to make and guarantee us profit. We’ve decided to buy cordial(fruit concentrate), ice and blender to make our own bubble ice. The plan started off fine but problems came when our testing of bubble ice took place. The cordial was not concentrated enough(mainly the sweetness) and we have to put in more. Meaning to say if 1 litre of cordial can actually make 50 cups with water, it can only make 15 cups of bubble ice.

Anyway, our first day of sale went on quite smoothly as we have sold 50 cups in an exhibition at K13, but our 2nd day saw a drop in sales. The exhibition was not crowd pulling and our location was blocked by another booth, and automatically our “feng shui” also has changed. In the afternoon, we were trying luck at KC bus stop(beside our college). Our coursemate helped us fetched our stuffs nearby but we have to carry it quite a distance to KC (from K2 to KC). Our ice box, cordials and blenders etc. etc. etc. were soooooo heavy and i told them(the other 2 girls) that I would ask any guy, regardless of his age, race, whoever will do to help us. Then came this Malay guy, and so I ask for his help, without much hesitation, he told us he’ll get his van here. I told him the distance is really short and if he drives, he’ll have to turn a huge and an unnecessary round around the college area. He said it’s ok, he even helped us carry our stuffs up and down to and from his van. What a good Samaritan! A gentlemen I should say.

We’ve decided to promote our product at the field as no customers noticed us at KC. With free delivery services, we’ve got many orders from the customers near the field. But luck was not on our side, as the rain suddenly poured heavily without mercy. The nicely made bubble ice? Haha...we drank them ourselves. I’m now quite bloated with bubble ice. Today was full of frustrations and exhaustions. However, I’ve got many help from nice people especially those who support our bubble ice ,a million thanks! Hopefully, tomorrow will be better!

Quote : Don't be too concerned with what was and what will be, because yesterday is history, tomorrow is mystery and today is a gift, that's why it is called the present. By Grand Master Oogway, KungFu Panda.

CHANGE-Are you ready to accept it?! REJECTION-How we deal with it?

2009-02-23T21:03:00.001-08:00

To start off with my first post, I want to share an article written by Nury Vittachi. It’s an interesting article about “Saying No to Rejection”. There was this man who sent out 20 job applications, only to find that in reply, he got 7 rejections and 13 did not reply. His mother recommended him a method about positive visualisation techniques from the bestseller “The Secret”. It says when you want something badly enough, “the universe” will give it to you. “When you visualise a parking space at exactly where you wanted, 95% of the time it would be there for you and you would just pull straight in. Or another way is “Fake It Till You Make It System”, simply act like you already are what you want to become.

Well, back to this rejected man story, he got the idea of reject the rejections, by replying :
“Dear Sir/Madam, this is to acknowledge that I have received the rejection letter that was posted to me on Thursday last week. I gave a long and careful consideration. Unfortunately, I regret to inform you I am unable to accept it at this moment. You will understand, I am sure, that there are always a very large number of rejection letters in circulation at the turn of the year when bonuses are paid. Furthermore, the current economic climate has increased the number of “no vacancy” slips sent out. I myself appear to be particularly popular in this regard, having this year alone received many rejections from extremely impressive companies. Clearly, I am unable to accept all of them. So while I thank you for sending it to me, I regretfully inform you that I have rejected it. Please do not take this personally. There is nothing wrong with your letter. But it does not coincide with my particular needs at this time. In this regard, I will be starting work at your office on Monday morning of the next week at precisely 9am. I wish you in every success in rejecting other candidates. Best of luck. See you on Monday.”

If you were one of those bosses of the companies, what would you think? Would you hire him for his determination? Or ignored him for not being able to accept the truth that he’s not being hired? Rejection is one thing that not many can accept because nobody wants to feel bad. We will have experiences in being rejected and rejecting people very often in our life, but before you reject someone else, do place yourself in his/her shoes. How would s/he react or feels when being rejected? Apparently, those scholarship applications that I used to send out after Form 5 and 6 were all being turned down and they gave me nothing but false hope. Honestly, I now had and am having phobia everytime there is a chance of a scholarship application because the fear of being rejected. But as told by the story above, when you wanted something badly enough, visualise that you’ve already achieved it and “the universe” will give it to you. Sometimes what we need is only one secret ingredient, that is BELIEVE.

One thing for sure, we can be different to make a difference. After all these years, I’ve been following the “flow” from study to exams, to joining useless activities in college, and will soon graduate, find a job, everything seems well-prepared, which is what I dislike. I want to make a change in this world. I want to explore people, culture and new things that I might never discover if I were to stay in my comfort zone.

Believe it or not, I am now visualising so many things ahead and what I need to do now is wait for “the universe” to “approve” them. Hehe...

Quote of the Day: The best and most beautiful thing in the world cannot be seen or touched, it must be felt within the heart.