Lost and found.

I've been wanting to pen down my long overdue thoughts for the longest time. Here I am, typing all of this on the new year's eve.

My last entry was dated on January 2021, expressing my hope for everyone to be mask free completely.

And now we are mask-less (which is already a dream come true), but only when you're in the public open space. You still need to don your mask when you're in a healthcare setting, taking public transport or encouraged to wear one when you're in indoor area.

Good news for the healthcare provider is that they have officially downgraded the cruel n95 mask to normal surgical mask as a must wear PPE in the hospital. *hoorah  

For that I'm thankful. ❤️

...

Well today's journal would be a confused, gloomy one (later on followed by happy jolly ones).
Bear with me, I need to let things out so I can think and rationalise better /well, hopefully/.

2022  has been.. I don't know how to describe but I think it's a transformative year for me. I've become someone fairly new through the smallest littlest way. The whole year swift by so fast to the point I felt like I have not done anything the entire year.

My introvert-extrovert meter has gone slightly haywired. 

Being an ambivert myself, idk why this year I tend to sway towards introversion too much to the point I became cuckoo for a while. 

It's like I rather being at home watching movies/indoor yoga rather than staying out to socialise til' late night unless you're my loved ones or close circle of friends, well then that's another story.

But truthfully speaking, I really enjoy being at home. A lot more in fact.
Resting and recuperating from life especially after a long exhausting day.

However being home too much sometimes feels like being caged. 

Hence on and off I do head out to take a breather, to see the world, to feel the extrovert self again. Yes, I need that balance. Ambivert is strange and ambivert is me. heh.

..

This long-covid normalising year makes me feel so lost at times. Lost because I used to (before 2020) have long term goals of what I want to do/achieve but those plans/goals seems to have crashed in million pieces since coronavirus took over. And now? any long term goals seems to be very scary and daunting. 

So nowadays I make short term goals and plans instead. It sounds more realistic and achievable. Also simply, life's short.

So aside from all the personal changes, I've moved to a new place at the beginning of the year! The process of looking for affordable rooms, strategic location, transport to work, accessibility to the nearest MRT, the freedom to cook, own personal space.. and with the extreme price hike due to inflation or whatever reason.. surely wasn't easy and no doubt stressful. 

But I'm so glad that I have a very kind person to look out with me hence it eased the process.

The completion of moving to a new place took roughly around 2 weeks. Mostly travelled and moved by foot and I must say it was adrenaline inducing. 

Thankfully, all is well now. I'm all good in my new comfort space! :)

Decluttering, recycling, donating, selling and giving away things I don't need have been my favourite routine now. It helps me to realise the big disadvantage of being a hoarder (although I'm not a horrible hoarder) but it does kick some sense into my brain after this experience. 

"Buy things ONLY if you need."

"Do NOT keep things just because it is nice and memorable. 

If you don't use it, give it away".

Yeap that's that.

Also I remember back in 2020-2021 I was feeling kind of gloomy on some days hence I kept myself very busy with many things so I don't feel sad. So that whole period I was really busy building myself up mostly via sports and I really didn't have time to dwell on those unnecessary sorrowful events.

Then towards the end of 2021 I felt that it's unhealthy to live like that because feelings are valid. Sadness and frustrations are all part of the feelings. Embrace them. Cry. Sob. Sigh. And that's okay.

And this year, I let myself feel all of those. 😂
Goddamnit I regret for feeling ALL of those because it sucks, haha. I let emotions took over a lot of times and I have became unwise and think a lot. Gosh, those moments were suffering. I swear it's so hard to live by sometimes. 😅 

don't worry, it's over and I'm okay!

Well to summarise, 2022 is just a whole period of me being confused and lost, finding myself through the missing bits and pieces and I can't believe I am actually experiencing this on my last year being in the 20s. /facepalm/

Too surreal.

Feels like I'm back to my teenage days lulz, maybe this is the adult version?

And with all these minor progressive changes that I'm experiencing, it trains my patience and adaptation skills even further. The outrageous adaptation towards life, work, hurdles, people's behavior and ever changing situations sometimes make me feel so hard to cope but I told myself, 

"one step at a time. Slowly but surely". 

Somehow it helps and I'm glad that I made it through. ❤️

...

Oh wellss. 2022 is a good experimental year for sure.

Time to find balance for the following:

-intro-extroversion.
-being occupied vs letting emotions taking over.
-giving vs reserving.

/finger crossed/

Alrighty folks, gloomy melancholy emotions aside, this year is definitely a year of touching reunion with my family and friends at home. FINALLY the border has opened. I still remember watching touching video of Malaysians walking over to Johor immigration at midnight via the bridge after the announcement. /wipe side tears/

And my dog! Did you know that I have a doggie at home now? Hehe. His name is Xiao Hei. I've grown so much love towards this little being although it was just a short couple of meet ups. He hasn't seen me and didn't know my presence at all. However his heartwarming pawshake and tail wagging always warm my heart whenever I make a trip home. ❤️

That's Xiao Hei right there, top right of the collage. 😊

Wait, did I mention that I was sick frequently but for short period this year? Sore throat x2, episodic diarrhea x2, bad menses cramps yada yada and I'm still a covid virgin? HAHA ✌️ idk how that works. It's just so strange yet I'm so thankful at the same time!

And the acute minor low back pain I suffered due to improper muscle engagement during backbend yoga was an eye opening experience for me. I didn't realise I strain it until the next day. The ache and pain at the lower spine whenever I stand was.. horrendous!

Which is why it's so so important to listen to your body and recognising your capability. Activate your core and squeeze your glutes. They help. Your lower spine will thank you!

But that experience itself did not hinder me or traumatise me to continue yoga. I was speaking to a kind friend, who's also my yoga teacher. Attended his virtual lesson, also a backbend class but this time round I was listening to his cues very attentively and flowed at my limit. My lower back instantly felt better the next day! thank the good Lord.

I injured and healed through yoga. How ironic that sounds!
Every healing and recovery process is wonderful and I appreciate all of it. 🙏

Speaking of yoga, I've been practising rather consistently. Besides attending physical lessons, I also made time for virtual classes because I'm used to it and it's quite affordable compared to all the physical lessons.

I had goals, for sure. Hence I keep practising even after class. Recorded myself, reviewed myself and laughed at myself. Most importantly I look at my own body alignment and question my teachers if I have any doubt. That's how I learn and improve I guess. 

My proudest achievement is definitely getting to headstand within 6 months after a series of continual discovering and practising. Hip hip hooray! 🥳

Now moving forward I can actually do headstands' variations! I am seriouslyyyy not sure how I did it but the exhilarating and happy moment was unreal!! :')

Even my core strength and back bend (especially forearm wheel) has improved so much!
Hehe I think the best part of all these achievements is that I don't feel pain/ache in any parts of my body and I am free from injury. That's a good indicator that I'm on the right track and I can continue to practise safely. 😊

Now my next target is on hamstring and hip flexor flexibility, albeit it's gonna take a really long time but I really can't wait for my transformation the following year. Front and side splits are my ultimate goals. Not to forget unassisted handstand and pincha too. I'm gonna get those done and right. One step at a time. Double fingers crossed!

..
On another note, I'm so glad to be away from work for a while. Finally stepping into education again, a plan I've wanted to achieve 2 years ago. 

Feel a little strange to be a student again at this age. My last active studying was 5 years ago. 😮

Nevertheless it's good to make the neurons active again. Learning has been great and fun so far! But chasing after the endless assignments is not. No lie, it consumes so much of my time that the only time I think I'm breathing well (and totally stress free) is during eating, showering and sleeping. 😂

Welcome back to student life eh pk?

Oh before I forgot, I'd love to mention that I finally travel after 2 long covid yearsssss!
It was at somewhere near, at Semporna, Sabah. I had amazing time enjoying the breathtaking blue-est sea and interacting with mother nature. Semporna islands are pretty similar to the majestic popular Maldives and I'm so glad I get a small taste of it at my homeland, Malaysia. :)

I had my first snorkeling experience in a big blue sea , my first solo kayak and my first luxurious resort stay at a beautiful place far far away from the city.

I don't think I'm gonna blog about it because I have no time, haha. But I did briefly talk about it at my ig! Feel free to browse whenever you feel like it and at your own leisure time!

And to end the year, I had another luxurious, relaxing staycation (sponsored by coughs-my workplace-coughs), it was absolutely chilling, unforgettable and amazing with a great companion and I wouldn't want to have it any other way. It's something so precious and I will cherish deeply.

All in all, I'm contented. Although I felt sucky a lot of times. It's still a learning curve year, finding pieces of myself again.

I've learnt to distance myself from extremely toxic individuals who took me and my kindness for granted. I've learnt to treasure my close circle even more, shower them with strength and love, expressing my care and concern towards them whenever I can. Because I feel, every fleeting moment is so precious. I didn't want to miss out any opportunity to say I miss them/I care for them. Oh dear that sounds so cringey! but yeah.

I've also learnt to be someone who is less dramatic, more problem focused, less dilly dally, more straight to the point when it comes to facing a crisis.

Being someone who is somewhat similar to life "workaholic" I've really learnt to stop once in a while to rest. Or just spend really quiet quality time with my closed ones. 🥰

I guess that's all, mates! I feel so much better, typing all out. 😊
I don't know what's ahead, let's take things as it comes. Doing my best in everything, finding balance, stay healthy, not taking too hard on myself when things doesn't happen as wished/hoped/dreamed/planned, staying persevere, level headed, positive, strong and kind. 

Whoop, that's a lot there. 😂

Let's roll into 2023 with fireballs of strength and positivity, honey. Have a blessed 2023!!

2016 Timeline ;

January.
I still remember vividly that I was so overwhelmed and exhausted by the mountains of assignments being thrown to me and my batchmates during semester 5. I remember being so task oriented that I almost neglected the human values during my clinical assessments. Of course, I was ultra thankful to my assessors who pin pointed my little mistakes here and there. Human values and the true essence of communication cannot be forgotten whether we are having exam or not. Patients' safety can never be compromised, patients' comfort must always be our top priority. #lifelessonlearnt

I guess the best feeling of the month was to hand in all the twenty-one (yeap you did not hear that wrong) assignments at one go. The relief, the happiness, the off burden, the jumping in circles moment. Imagine me in that situation.  #feelingblissful

Anyway, I kinda ended that month with a blast presentation and karaoke after that. You guys can never ever imagine (my friends and) me swearing I mean singing out loud with 'vulgar' lyrics on the screen using a microphone to the point the passersbys were staring at us, lulz. I mean... it was tension release purposes, no serious harm was intended. /cry-laugh emoji/


February.
If Chinese New Year did not fall on January, it must be somewhere on February. So yeah, this year the CNY was on my birthday month, and coincidentally again, my birthday was on the third day of CNY this year, woohoo. Double angpows (woohoo!) 
And GSC was kind enough to give me free movie tickets but wasn't kind enough to add more interesting movies for me to watch. FYI, birthday person can only watch a certain movies in that 'arterisk' list. Obviously not impressed because at that time, there were a lot of horror movies in the list and also local-CNY-I have already watched movies. But THANKFULLY, THANKFULLY Deadpool was in the list. Watched with dearest Ying. And THANKFULLY, the movie was quite hilarious. Thanks Ryan Reynolds for the good job done! Still cannot beat my favourite 'Ant Man', nonetheless! :P
...

Received my result, it was SURPRISINGLY okay, hahaha I have always thought I scored worse but oh wells :)
As usual, my university wouldn't give anything more than 3 weeks of semester break. 
SO classes resumed on the 29th of Feb. YEP.


March.
First class was on stress threshold and mental illnesses for Mental Health module. It was purrrrrretty fun. Everybody started to suspect each other whether any of us have some kind of mental disorders. lulz
Oh yeah, not to mention, beginning of semester 6 means the BEGINNING OF RESEARCH, face that SELF! /exhale slowly/ I think I probably will have a blogpost specially dedicated to 'research' SOON to commemorate my journey with my supervisor. Such a tough asdfghjklqwertyuiop.. okay I'll leave it for future blogpost. Wait for it.

And oh, I've been to the Putrajaya Hot Air Balloon Fiesta again! This time with a bunch of good friends until late night. It was a pretty fun night, I remember. Also, I received a lovely photo album from my buddy that month. <3


April, May, June.
After some mini battles with le exam papers, we headed to Tanjung Rambutan for our first posting at Hospital Bahagia Ulu Kinta (HBUK). Very exciting! Our first mental health posting was definitely an eye-opening experience one.  And then healthy ageing posting at Alzheimer's Disease Foundation Malaysia, management posting at T-ung S-hin (TS) Hospital and community posting at KK Pedas. These three months had been quite impactful. For more stories on my posting experience, it has been blogged here.

P/S : Oh yah, in the midst of posting, we also travelled to Ipoh and around Seremban for the food and some sightseeing! I will miss the morning stroll around Rasah neighbourhood. :')


July.
It was the month of gathering. Gathering who? Gathering with my best friend (Alia), with my dear high school friends during Raya and of course, with my piggie gang! One of my college buddies had graduated from UCSI, hence another gathering!
Congrats over your convocation, buddy. Now that you're entering workforce pretty soon, I'm wishing you the best of luck and rock the working world under your toes!
...

It was also a month of saying goodbye to my dear friend, Ray (all the best in UK, pal!) and my dear lecturers - Prof L and Ms. Pat. They are one of the few who are very good at what they're teaching. Knowing that they have retired and left to another place of teaching, I will miss them both very much.

FAST FORWARD to... end of the month.
I landed at Myanmar.


August.
There are too many words to describe Myanmar. I was there for 11 days with a group of volunteers for a community project called 'MICCP' aka Myanmar-IMU Collaborative Community Project.

First of all, knowing that I was approved to FLY after some 4 donkey years staying at Malaysia, I was obviously overjoyed. Secretly speaking, I was very thrilled and excited throughout my journey (without my family for the first time), hahaha. Truth be told, I enjoyed every seconds whenever I was at Myanmar. :) 

All the 'tuk-tuk' moment, the honking days and nights, the interaction with the people at Myanmar, the taste of the culture and food, the beautiful kids, places like Mandalay, POL and Bagan... I can't wait to write about this experience soon. Wait for it k. (after my exam on the first week of January, pinky promise).

So after 11 good ol' days being at Myanmar, I was having post-I-miss-Myanmar-syndrome. BUT  I was really glad that I took a handful of photos and videos.  Viewing and replaying those shots played back those great memories. :') It was my first time editing a couple of videos within the same month. It was up at my vimeo account. Gocheckitout! Link.

29 Aug 2016: Semester 7 started.


September.
Semester 7 was jam packed. Can you believe it when I say I have only two weeks of theory block (meaning attending lectures and classes)?? CAN YOU?

I kenot, myself.
Even though I only need to study for two subjects, but it was packed with deadlines of assignments and studies within that two weeks. BLARDYHELL.
It was clearly stressful lah, but then it's over so it's okayyyyy.

Anyhoo, IMU Cup began again. I went with a bold face covered the dance event using a super limited equipment under the limited light situation. No flash, no DSLR, high ISO, moving dance, crazy lighting. BOOM.

It was an eye-straining editing that's fo sho' but I took it as my learning experience. I was utterly dissapointed that I did not deliver some good shots for the dancers dass all. :[ 

Moving on, I participated Chariofare Run for my 3rd year with dear Prissy. Timed self, had improvement but just slightly. Sobssss but it was more smooth and fun running this time compared to the previous year's probably because I knew the route therefore I can roughly estimate how long did I still have to reach the finishing line. And then I was the photog again after the run. Special thanks to Ms. S for having the faith in me again. :))

In the meantime, as soon as my theory block ended, my Non-Nursing elective began!
What's that, you wonder?
It's a module which I can participate in any community projects/work/attempt something new OUT of nursing. Meaning I can learn how to cook, drive, swim, work with a photographer, etc. 
BUT the funny thing is, when you are writing your report, you have to relate how joining (whatever that you're participating) will benefit you in nursing.



:/

So much hmmmphs.
I wanted to join community projects super badly, which include Epic Homes, Litre of Lights, SPCA and many more but I took quite some time to consider it because IMU JC presentation fell on the same month. In the end, I kinda gave up my plan and go for something more relaxing and near to uni. That is....

...
...
..
..
.
drum
roll
please
.
..
..
...
...
.....
......
..................yoga.

*cheers*
I have always wanted to learn yoga since young, since this was a good opportunity, I went for 12 classes and 3 workshops! Needless to say, I was superrrrr grateful for such a patient and dedicated yoga instructor who gave lotsa encouragement to her students. I have learnt quite a number of yoga poses which I never expect that I can do - such as crow pose, hand stand, etc but all thanks to her, I can. I really can, with the help of a friend of course. :)

But hearing her telling me,

"You improved so much in just 12 classes!" 

made me smile from ear to another.

Learning yoga has been a smart choice, I'd say. I saved a lot of time and get to relax MORE after a series of stressful days. It increased my physical flexibility and improved my muscle strength too. I can FEEL IT y'know. Sho' amazing. :]

... And then, and then there was this IMU JC Presentation at the end of the month. Both Ms. TT and I were nervous but well prepared. THANKFULLY, nobody shoot us any questions, woohoo. I can see that my supervisor was more happy than I was. lol! Haha but ah well, I can never reach to this point without her so...major credits to her. (Y)

Shortly after the horrific presentation, classmates and I headed to Meeples Board Game Cafe to play some indoor board games. It was pretty fun and exciting day, spending hours playing and just chillaxing. I love it!

September was so happening I see. So it ended with a farewell dinner with dear Ying and Chee Ling.


October.
Yoga was still ongoing, although non-nursing elective was finished in mid-Oct. Research was still ongoing because it is never-ending until you printed that book with gold prints. 

In the middle of all this, my clinical posting at HP (Hospital Pantai) KL officially began. This time round, we went to (Paeds, O&G, Respi and Diabetic) clinics and out patient department such as Dialysis centre to deliver health teaching to the clients there. Some of us were tagged with a wound care/colostomy staff nurse who goes to all wards to do wound inspection, dressing and colostomy related procedures.

Well to be honest, I'd say that the experience at a private healthcare setting sure was different than the experience I had in government health care setting. Lunch was always expensive and the access/permission to give health teaching wasn't as free and easy as I thought. 
Another thing is, 4 weeks of posting was too long. On my 3rd and 4th week, I felt draggy. So yah. But on a positive note, I did meet a couple of nice people who were so willing to say yes and really showed sincere appreciation whenever we had done the health education. :)

P/S: I miss the loving K & K (siblings) at Paeds clinic. 


November.
DING DING DING!
I am officially an aunt to my sister's son, everyone! 
This Baby Bryan Lee arrived in the morning of 3rd November, looking like a little caterpillar. /heart shaped eyes/
Grandma and Chris came over from Aussie to visit families here. We had a couple of family gatherings here and there. Time spent with them was always so joyful. :)) 

Besides reuniting with fam bam, research data collection also commenced! I was grateful for Ms. H's assistance during my data collection period. The process was tedious and tiring but I will take it as my learning process. Afterall, it's part of a research journey. 

Andddddddd IMU Cup closing ceremony wrapped up the IMU Cup this year. Photographed and uploaded those photos at Facebook. I left a video to edit but I haven't touched ittttt. Yikes. Soon, soon! Besides, I have also covered IMU Convo for my seniors and friends who graduated this year. Congrats, guys! My turn will come soon.

December.
This month was nothing but full of typing. Research data analysis, Chapter 5, thesis writing, blogging, instagram thought posting, etc. 

Besides academic related, I have also started my happiness project (again) since November. Pinned down some creative ideas at Pinterest and made some DIY hearty cards for random people. :) 
Occasionally when I was over-stressed with research, I took a day off to window shop/real shop. It's another self discovery process on traveling, renewing things I like, choosing to spend wisely rather than buy recklessly, enjoying the freedom and quality 'me' time.. I gotta say, I love it! 
...

December is another lovable month because it is the rainy season! Woot woot. My room have never been cooling since ages and now when it rains everyday, my room feels like heaven. 

... On another note, I have (recently) joined another local community project at the heart of KL. It's called the TMC. It's basically a project led by Dr. M which a group of volunteers (doctors, pharmacist, students, any random volunteers) gather to give free medical aids to the homeless and urban poor people. I have joined the team twice so far and I would love to join more whenever I can. :))

__

So to sum up my life in the year of 2016, giving back to community is my main highlight of the year. No matter to people who are unwell physically and mentally, people who are disabled, people who have organic disorder, people who are poor/homeless/transgender, and people of different race/ethnicity.
Interacting with people of different family, social, and cultural background makes me feel grateful and learn a lot as a person. Most importantly, it keeps me inspired.

:)

Now, enough about me. Apart from my life, news around the world this year involved war, terrorism, world election, and the world olympics.
Full of joy yet so much despair.
Great icons passed away, celebrities couple splitted, the increasing of keyboard warriors and judgmental society and the misuse of social medias for the wrong purpose.. 2016 has certainly teared our heart apart in some ways, donchu think?

But fret not, I am certain that this is a test that we all will overcome. Let's start reminding each other to be kind to one another, stay true to yourself, embrace your flaws just as they are, and remember to spread love to people around you and to people all over the world.

---
Overall, I wouldn't say 2016 is my best-est year of all, but I'd say it is rather an unforgettable year.
I did not achieve as much as I did the previous year but I'd say there are many highlights and money cannot buy experiences that will always serve as a reminder to me to be forever grateful in life. Definitely make a lot of people smile, this year. 

Super glad that I fulfilled my own promise (personal resolutions) that I made last year. :D

In 2017,

Plans and hopes :
-Unfollow negative people
-Launch a new profile to spread positive words around
-Face own fears.
-Create more self acheivements.
-READ MORE BOOKS AIYO. I did not reach much in 2016. :(
-Healthy and safe, always.
-Happy, happy all the time.
-Make more people smile.
-Contribute more, spread more love, expand the expanded #happinessproject!
-More adventures, more new attempts.

But in all seriousness, 2017 is gonna be an epic, challenging yet exciting year. Rooster is coming in when Monkey is exiting according to Chinese calendar. So it's gonna be MY YEAR. :P

Whatever it is, 

BRING IT ON, NEW YEAR!

*clinks glasses* *fireworks*

Happy blessed 2017 to all of you out there and to YOU who are reading this.
Here's to a greater, safer and healthy year ahead. :)

Always remember to be kind everyday, peepo!

xx

NYR!

HI! I hope this is not too awkward because it has been like.. 1245764582645846 days okay no, just one month and ten days (hehe) I have not updated anything here.
SO

As promised, I'm gonna blog about NYR!
WHAT'S NYR??

New Year Resolutions.

THAT'S WHAT!
Trolol.

I know I know, it's March now but why this post? Well you see.. I always hold on to the "better late than never" policy.. :P SO DON'T JUDGE! Hahaha
Looking back at last year's post about resolutions.. (read again), gosh I sounded so wise! Hmmmm.. I gotta say.. I accomplished and master most of the skills that I wished EXCEPT driving and baking. Mehmehmeh
This year, I'm just going to continue doing what I wished last year :]

Perhaps more in volunteering, less in reading. But I'll never stop reading, that's for sure :)
I wanna/I'm gonna

1. Do-give-volunteer more!
2. Attain greater achievements in photography :]
3. Take every single thing in life VERY positively.
4. Get good results!
5. Be less sentimental but MORE determined in doing things.
6. Make myself happy, make people happy.
7. Spread #oomph and be stay awesome!
8. And oh! Have a collection of shoes. :D

That's all.
And I've realized that my 'resolution' list is getting shorter year by year.. Haha I'm not sure whether this is a good thing or it's just that I've accomplished most of the things I wanted to accomplish.

Anyhoo, I quote Jan,

"2014 is going to be great"

although it isn't a good year for Malaysia but don't stop #prayingforMH370 !

Since I'm back to the world of blogging, will you, my readers give me some applause?

(raise, clap clap clap)

Haha, damn this is so dramatic!

Ok I'm just being syioksendiri as usual... bye :P

Image credit : Google

Counting stars ;

Picture from ;

Weather has been shifting from breezy to sunny (with the increasing temperature) lately.

The sky, is nonetheless beautiful, especially at night. Up til' now, last night was the second time I spotted many stars twinkling, winking at its best at human beings on Earth :P I was excited to see such unusual sight after such a long time of cloudy-moody sky (I seriously couldn't recall when was the last time I saw this amount of stars), it's time for the sky to be completely clear from clouds and filled with moon and stars! :>

Wipe your laptop/desktop screen, they are not dust.

They are real stars! Le phone could only capture the brightest stars (of course this wasn't snapped in one shot, it's a collage of a few shots, merged into one ) Through my naked eyes, the stars on the bottom left (the one in a rectangle box) were the most sparkling, big, and best twinkling stars among all! However from your view, they look the same like the rest don't they?

Recorded (through observation) : 36 stars at home, 25 stars in front of the KTM. I found the Crux constellations!! :D /that excited face/

Reality : There are more stars, unseen, but still twinkling of course :)

The view of the night was even awesomer with planes passing by through the stars, making it looks like a bunch of meteors.

Too bad that my camera couldn't snap a photo of the stars at all unless I have a tripod -even resting it on a bench isn't good enough :(

But meh meh, that (the photo)'s the best my phone could snap.
Here's another achievement unlock - challenge phone camera's limitations in snapping starry sky :D

.....

If you noticed the blog title, I put "Counting Stars". Ever thought of asking why?

Haha nevermind, lemme tell you ;

Because it was what I did the moment I saw a clear sky with lots of  tiny lights winking at me /self laughs/

I'm sure the people at Kajang KTM bus stop were curious looking at me tilting and rotating my head while pointing and counting, then repeat again, lol. And once I got back home, after my dinner, I went to my garden, looked up and started counting again. XD

Sounds so childish right?

Idk why, it's just my favourite thing to do. Admiring the sky -no matter day or night, getting hyped up all about it and eventually I'll bring out my camera/phone to capture the moment I enjoy.
Well that's just me :)

And I just had my Human Bio exam yesterday afternoon, bro said
"You've tried your best. Take a break!"

That's the most rewarding advice I've ever heard from him! #woohoo

So that's what I did. Relaxed myself by doing silly things that I love, hehe.

Oh anyway, after some short hiatus from the hectic-ness of my life (everybody knows that), this is my official first blogpost of the year!

HAPPY 2014, peeeeeople!

(Hope I'm not too late to wish you all this, although the calendar is already at the second month of the year, heh)

As usual, NYR and MORE updates are gonna be in the next post.

Wonder what NYR is?

Stay

tuned!

O-rie-o-n-ta-ti-on (Part One) ;

First day :
Reached uni at about 7.30am, was supposed to reach 15 minutes earlier but there was a mini jam at Sg.Besi toll highway. Waited for the ladies to walk from their vista B since I was way earlier than themmm :P While doing that, I saw my own reflection. Looking straight at the reflection, I'm kinda proud to see myself  *adjusted collar*  in that formal attire with that pretty, comfy flats and my lovely backpack, not to mention my well-behaved curly hair *coughs self praising coughs* It's okay to be vain sometimes :P Hahaahahaha anyway, collection of labcoats started at 8 sharp, which then followed by briefings from the Head of Schools, etc. Made friends with new friends from different programmes that I'm studying ; mostly students from B.Pharmacy (BPharm), mind you.

Had my second breakfast at about 10 something, just a very light breakfast tho. (I didn't expect to skip lunch later on so I kind of regretted of not eating more that time :/)
And then there's this break, which means ROTTING SESSION began! Went to explore the library abit, and then sat down with my classmates at the student discussion area. Oh! Speaking about my classmates, there are eight of us in September intake, adding uo nine of them from July intake so total up will be seventeen of us :D

Just when the rotting session was over, we had this 'Lighting Ceremony' with our senior from NU1/12 :)) and all lecturers, including the head of school and head of division at a small room. We had out pledges said after that, and off we blew the candle, representing that the ceremony was over. :) It was a very meaningful event to all of us, for those who are going to start, and those who already have started. Not long after that, we sort of like had this mini ice-breaking session between the lecturers, seniors and us- the juniors :D Oh well, we were asked whether was this course (that we're going to study) was our first choice, if no -why not and so ; I wanted to share my reasons but too bad that I didn't get the chance. But well, I guess I'll share it with my junior next year, hopefully will liking this journey after I started it :))

Meanwhile, I and Pauline (my new friend who has really good knowledge in Nursing) have a mentor (senior from NU1/12), named Monica, who is actually an Indonesian! Seriously speaking, she doesn't look like she's from Indonesia, but more like a Malaysian Chinese to me! Hahaha, I'm just very grateful :)


Another few briefings were held at the auditorium hall, bla bla bla. At about 4.30pm, seniors took over the activity by introducing themselves to us, welcoming us by lots of cheers, dance and nice videos. :) I must say, the creativity and video editing skills are pretty good! Hahaha friends were all distributed to different groups from me, I'm in the 13th group named BEE, just fyi. lmao
Bzzzzbzzzzzbzzzzzz

Joke of the day : Are you a Korean??? , asked by a friend from my group of orientation.
I lol-ed at that once again.

Things are getting tougher and life is getting more competitive!

...
Day two until day five in.. general ;

Second day was filled with briefing and MORE briefing, pfffts. The only 'interesting' briefing on that day was Personal Safety briefing where it was divided into two sessions, the first session was a talk based on videos and slideshow regarding on the crime rates, prevention, etc. Here comes the interesting part, where Mr. Wong, master in Tae Kwan Do, was invited to teach us some punch-kick lesson if we happened to meet any intruders/attackers in the near future. It was fun and really wake me up from my sleepy world. Haha now I know how to kick/punch -using muhh elbow, palm and leg. HA! *wong fei hung style

And just to be honest, idk what was wrong with me that I couldn't resist to yawn in almost every briefing. *soft sigh* How I wish someone could have just slapped me or something but I think they thought that I was just.. y'know.. stretching myself whenever my head swung forward suddenly. LOL
Funny.
In between the general briefings about library and ICT, I had a few classes with my own lecturer, Ms. Siew about the course content, the rules, the stressful-no-joke future life that is coming soon.. *inhale, exhale
ANYWAY, let's just study smart-ly and hardworking-ly and at the same time, play hard. (Hahaha, such English). On Thursday, I had my lab briefing, was being introduced again to those very familiar lab apparatus, as well as very strange machines/apparatus which I've not seen before back in high school/college. Other than explaining their functions and what they are, we also went for a short tour to all the labs around the campuses. Pretty cool, I must say :]

On a negative note, I just got to know that the IELTS that I took months ago are no longer valid as the English requirement at uni and I am required to register for MUET. =_=
Yes. M.U.E.T. =__=   whatthehellahundredtimes. Gahhhhgrrrrrrrr, I'll just put that aside, troublesome or not, I have to register no matter what. Sigh.

So far, everything (I mean briefing) was alright, some was quite boring, but yeah some was pretty important and informative. I think you guys must be wondering why didn't I mention anything about my "Bee" group that I was assigned in right? Hahaha, be patient yaw, all the details are gonna be revealed in the next blogpost. :)
And time really speeds like a rocket. It's Sunday already and classes OFFICIALLY start tomorrow! D:
Yeh, it's time to warm up the little brain of mine again.
Hee, let's rock the rest of the university life stress-joy-wonder-fully!!


And and andddddddddddddddddddd,

just to make myself clear once again,
to those who kept on asking me,

"HEY! *shaking my shoulder* Are you from Korea??"

"Are you a Korean? (with that look)"

"Hey, are you local?"

ETC,

Thank you for the you-look-like-a-Korean comments, I'm very flattered, thank you. But no, I'm 100% 500% Malaysian! :D Hehe, I still don't get why people kept telling me that I either look like a Taiwanese, pure Chinese from China or.. Koreans. Hahaha, it was hilarious tho to receive at least 6 similar questions within 4 days.


:))

SO ARE YOU READY?

That question always pop out whenever I meet people who have known where I'm gonna study after this.

Attire? Checked.
Documents? Checked.

Backpack? Checked.
Physical? *flips hair* Checked.
Mental? Double mentally checked.

So.... what's left?
Nothing.
andddd why am I still awake?
Because.I.always.cannot.sleep.early.for.any.important.event.that.is.happening.on.the.next.day.that's.why.hahaha.
And speaking of tomorrow, the long awaited day has finally arrived. I had the longest holiday EVER in my whole entire life and I guess I won't be going to have that anymore unless I'm retired, which is 40 years later. Goodness me. How even longer is that?

Haha, I guess my longest holiday thus far was greatly spent with laziness, procrastination, daily housechores, part time working, IELTS classes, outings and MORE outings, travelling and last but not least spending quality time with my dear Aussie family :) [I actually wish I have more freedom so I can do what I want, create more memories, gain more life experiences, dare myself to do the impossible.. but under certain circumstances, I was forbidden to do so.] Now that's sad to hear.

Anyway, university life is here. I'll as usual, live my life to the maximum! Life's gonna be more fun and challenging this time, hopefully it's going to be fantabulousawesomazing one for me :D
Cheers to a greater life ahead, everybody! *cling glasses

Anyway to answer that question,

Yes, I'm ready. :)

Feeling Empty..

out of a sudden, out of no where. And I don't know why.
Whatsapp is being silent. Starting to ignore 'expect nothing in return' again. Disapproval, discouragement. 'Cuci tahi' imagination. Future hectic life. Opportunities. Go against the rules. Always ask. Be initiative and brave.
Maybe too much things being stucked in my head.

This morning, I met up with a super senior of mine, who was an ex-Convent, who had just graduated from IMU, studied the same course as I'm gonna study. Basically she passed me seven useful text/reference books to me, two sold-whereas five for free. All of 'em are pretty thick, which kind of made me swallow my saliva for a few times like.... holy, how am I gonna consume all these??


"These two (thickest) books are great for reference and assignments. You don't swallow them all."


Oh, phew!
Many many years ago, I believed that reading everything in the reference book could help me to pass the exam with flying colours, because not only I get to study things that normal textbook already had but I also get to study extra facts that can help me to answer better in exam okay what kind of mentality was that, sound so kiasu, LOL anyway that was last time...


"Don't pressure yourself. Personally, I'm not those kind of people who memorised everything, reading those facts like a mantra.. oh no"


True. Even if you have all the theories and knowledge in your finger tips yet you couldn't practise it in real life, it's still a waste of time memorising every single shit. I'll try my very best to not be a pressure cooker but to enjoy every single thing I am gonna learn. Time management plays an important role here.

"C.I (Clinical instructor) is very very important. You must get a good one in order to learn better. Ms. C and Ms. T are good. Whereas Ms M.J. is..... (yawns) hahaha 

People have typical mindset that having this job means 'cuci tahi' and everything like that. Well it's true when they say that but being a n isn't just about doing that. Nope, not at all. There are a lot of other stuff that you will find yourself enjoy doing. 

Be polite and humble. Whenever you meet the staff, GREET them, introduce yourself. You won't know that they might be helping you in the future but never expect anything. Some of 'em may be a lil' bit arrogant seeing you as a degree student, asking you to back off and learn yourself..... back to the point.. -be polite and humble. :) Always ask (staff n, doctors, dieticians, pharmacist, whoever), no matter what don't wait. If your C.I (Clinical Instructor) is not gonna be there anytime soon, how long are you going to wait? I always (sneaky laughs) offer to lend a hand and at the same time, (sneakily try) learning the procedures from other staff.n (grabbing the opportunity) in order to get to know more. That's how you actually learn. So volunteer to help, to assist, to get extra knowledge, to LEARN for yourself. Grab as much opportunity as you can, especially during the days of clinical posting.. because once those precious time are gone they will never come back. Try to learn as much as possible! :)


Another thing to note is that don't take things too personally. You'll get lots of rants, scoldings, and negative feedbacks. Take the rants positively, LISTEN - never reply back, as in let the rants flow from your left ear to your right. After that, release yourself from whatever they say and don't let that affect you emotionally. How did you actually cope with that?, I asked. Well, I did not mix them together. Work and my life are two different things so I usually enjoy myself after each clinical posting/work!

The more mistakes you make, the more things you learn. Always remember that. So never ever afraid of making mistakes. Just go ahead and make as much mistakes as possible! *laughs jokingly*

Communicate. Initiative. Brave. These three things if you can grasp in hand, you'll be good. Communication is very important especially with the patients. Did you know that it's an enjoyment to be able to listen to the patients' stories and get to know more about something that you can't read elsewhere? Even if they rant to you, be a good listener. I think it shouldn't be a problem for you as you come from a Convent background *grins - if you have a good language that is. Haha that's one of the benefits- to create a good interaction with the patients will make you feel so much better while you're at work. While being initiative will help you a lot. Do bear in mind that no one will be there to OFFER you any free knowledge or help unless you ask (politely) for it. Anddddddddddd you must be brave. Be brave to volunteer, be brave to face any situations."


We actually sat at Starbucks and talked for 5 god damn HOURS (non-stop). She did the most talking (good to the hell god) I actually didn't realise it was already 3.47pm by the time we stopped our conversation. Oh shit, she muttered. Hahaha we kind of skipped our lunch without realisation :B Meh, guess we blended quite well as we came from the same high school, so we can chatter about a lot of common topics :D

Seriously, with all my honesty, THANK YOU, Christine. Thank you very very much for sharing your stories and experiences to me. From each and every word you have spoken, I understand you better and know what to expect in my future journey and get to know what kind of person you are. Outgoing person who doesn't believe in study blindly hard but smart and someone whom I should a lot from. :) I appreciate all your offer and help since the beginning I started to approach you. It is a form of empowerment, as you said.
We should encourage people to do better, not demotivate them - which something that I am very agree with. I'll take advices that you have given all in my mind and heart. Thank you, for the books and the guidance. I'll make my parents, my peers, my teachers, and you, my super senior - proud. :)

You said the journey has changed your life and I hope it will change mine too - soon enough!


These written messages are meant to be your reminder, self. Read back whenever you feel something below than zero.

Soaring High ;

Seeing my friends leaving one by one mostly to UK, some to India, a few to Australia for studies makes me feel a type of feeling which I couldn't find a term for it. The kind of feeling where you feel envious, excited, sad, happy -ALL at the same time.

ENVIOUS
because I was supposed to fly (like them, but) to Aussie for my future studies but all plans have been cancelled due to some issues but it's alright. I'll earn loooooots of money and use it for my master studies next time.

EXCITED
because my friends are spreading into different parts of the world now. Feel excited for them because they get to taste different culture and also (going to) have wide range of experiences. I actually can't wait for them to tell me their stories XD

SAD
because we won't meet that frequent anymore. It'll be once in a year meet up from next year onwards.. :(

HAPPY
because finally, my friends are going to the university they desire, the country that they're dreaming of going (for their education) and they're going to graduate from top universities! (proud, proud moment)

....

Speaking of leaving to yeendia, this buddy of mine is going to Bapuji.

I'll miss her definitely. But we're living in this high-tech-modern world with whatsapp and other social network already existed since years ago, worry not we'll definitely keep in touch and update ourselves with lots of lots of lots of stories via these applications :D According to some of the posted photos online, at yeendia... the sight of animals on the road is unavoidable.. people riding elephants shouldn't be a surprised too. Oh well,


"Jan, you'll get used to it sooner or later. Enjoy yourself and study well when you're at India, kay? Do share with us -about your life over there/hot,juicy gossips/complains/'flies' stories/the impact of stressful studies! And oh, don't forget to tell us about the yeendian guys over there :P Who knows you have a soft spot for them or even have reserved a place for them in your heart..... Hahahaahahahahhahaha. Anyway, I'll remember the 'plan' that you have told me about (shhhhh :P ). Although you're departing in less than two days, I wish I could be there at KLIA, but too bad, I cannot :(.."


You said , It's okay. Don't want the KLIA get flooded nia.. XP


"Haha well, we won't flood the KLIA with our tears la babi. Sounded so dramatic ishhhhh :P Tbh, I'm happy for you that after waiting for two months...finally you're gonna head to yeendia for your studies!! Blame that shitass agent for such 'efficient management' huh.. No matter what, I'm sure you have a lot of catch up to do when you are there, just stay cool and be steady!! :P And and and, don't forget to rant to us whenever you feel like it, lol... We'll be there!! :D"

"Last but not least, please take good care of yourself. Karate KICK, pepper spray all those ham sap lou(s) if they dare to touch any of your hair. (My turn to sound dramatic now hahahaha but that's how those chinese people said it, isn't it?) Keep safety the utmost important yo! I know I sound a lot like a grandmother than a friend, but who cares.. heehee~~ Okay. That's all I wanna say, see you in a year BABIIIIII! Love you lots!"

♥