Busy weekend

CSS Ball
Thursday night marked the time i decided to abandon all notions of being an engineer to join the Commerce students (and my, are there MANY of them!) at their ball. Nothing too exciting happened, but it was fun. I'll post ball pictures sometime soon.

MoMU Elections
One year in the committee has just flown by. I remember last year just after the MoMU ball, the club was still in it's infancy and newly formed, and i was told that the post of Liasons Director was so far uncontested. At that time i simply thought what a good opportunity to join a club and participate in things non IH related. Turned out a Mr. Jerome ran for the post on that day, and suffice to say, he won, prob due to me never showing up for any event prior to that. In hindsight, I'm kinda glad for that - going around canvassing for sponsors just isn't my cup of tea. =P Nevertheless, I still ran for the post of General Rep. against 10 other ppl for just 3 positions if my memory serves me correct, and won. In the ensuing year, i had fun participating and helping organise the various activities that MoMU had to offer (which is a lot, compared to all the other national societies).

I'm glad for the opportunity to contribute to the club as part of it's founding committee, and to help in bringing it to where is currently is from a fledging startup just not too long ago. I've learned many things along the way. A certain family member of mine (who shall not be named =P) always sees me busy with all my extra-curricular activities (which includes AIESEC) and constantly questions my motivation and the reason i would waste my time doing such things without pay (he's too money minded! haha). I guess i could have invested the many hours i've spent doing other things. But if i could do it again i would. There's just so much one can learn in terms of taking responsibility, making decisions, liaising and communicating with people, and stepping up. I guess I've grown a lot from the shy, timid person i once was (hard to believe? i dunno. haha), but i believe there's still lots of potential for growth.

It is also through MoMU that i managed to catch up with Cempakans with whom I'd lost touch during my first few years here, Mel, Erwin, and Su Vyn. You guys are great as friends, and for being the visionaries who started the club. Thanx for everything and for pulling me into MoMU. =)=)

So, it is with great regret, remorse, sorrow, sadness, grief, reluctance, and compunction (okay, i Shift+F7'ed all of that in Word =P) that i bid adieu! Okay, maybe not - the upside it that I'll be a lot freer next week onwards.. =) And to my 2 housemates who's thinking of joining, why not give it a shot...

Commerce Students Graduation
Sacrificed my sleep in time on a Saturday morning just to take photos with the many Commerce students who were graduating. Steph, Lyn, Jason, Yvonne, Claire, amongst others. With just 3 hours of sleep the previous night it's a surprise i managed to pull myself out of bed. Anyway, the weather that morning decided to share in the joy of the ocassion to create the perfect day for the graduates. The morning sun was shining brightly, and the temperature actually wasn't too cold - kinda dispelling any notion that we're actually still in the midst of winter. Stood around for a while. Smiled. Took some photos. And that was that.

A foretaste of what I'll be facing in the not too distant future. Not that I'm dreading graduation or facing the working world, but I'm enjoying myself so much now that i don't want uni life to end...!! =(

AIESEC Elections
Left Uni once everyone had to go into the hall when the cermony was about to commence. Went straight to RMIT Business School to attend the AIESEC elections. Congrats to Heidi who's now State Manager of Victoria, and Jing who shall provide the vision, drive, and leadership to our LC for the coming year. All i can say after listening to hours of speeches and Q & A sessions is that any of the candidates could realistically have been LCP. It's really a difficult decision having to choose just one, but i guess it's a good dilemma to have and it reflects the quality and caliber of our leadership team, having to choose from such good talent. One could see that each candidate really wanted to win, each really had the passion and ambition to take the leadership. But there can only be one winner, and ultimately taking all things into consideration I'm sure the one chosen was done in the best interest of the LC. All i can hope for is that the ones who didn't win keep their spirits up and not be too devastated, as opportunities will always arise.

Btw, AIESEC has many "unique" traditions, and amongst them, is the way in which the candidates are informed of the winner. The outgoing Presidents stands over the candidates with a bucket of water; and the ones who gets drenched - goes home wet, but happy.

I was supposed to go plat soccer in the afternoon, but glad i decided to go home to sleep, otherwise i would have just collapsed in exhaustion and slept at the play. aha.

IH Play
Every amongst the many plethora of events and activities that goes in IH, the yearly play is one of them. This year's play was a musical entitled 'The Goodbye Girl'. It follows the story of an ex-dancer who's sick of watching men walking out on her over the years. In between struggling to make a living and raising her young daughter, she encounters a stranger whom circumstances dictate they share the same roof. As with all good stories, there can onlybe one (happy) ending, and the musical follows the unraveling love story.

All i have to say is that this play surpassed all expectations. For a student production which was put together in under 4 weeks, they have really impressed. I say it was $12 well spent. The lead cast were amazing. Dhivia's voice and stage presence was something that struck me since Music Night last year and again she delivered. Also, a commendable mention to Jeannie and Veron for providing the comedy relief and causing all of us (especially AIESECers) to roar in laughter at your performance. hehe =P

Footie match
Who would believe that after 3 years in the land down under, i have NEVER watched a single game of footy. For a nation so obsessed by this national pastime it is only fair that i at least went to a single match. So, at the persuasion of CC, i made my maiden journey to Telstra Dome with Ken, Jeannie, 24, and Kee Hong to watch the game between Western Bulldogs and Hawthorns. Honestly, i know next to nothing about footy. I know all the basics such as the scoring and rules, but anything more complicated than that and I'm lost.

The Western Bulldogs were the quickest out of the blocks, amassing a huge lead over Hawthorns, but what's different about this game unlike in soccer is that even if you're leading by a huge margin, things can suddenly turn against you. Which was precisely what Hawthorn did, with a total demolishing of the opponents after halftime. It was a goal fest in the last quarter with the ball virtually moving from centre circle to goal in a continous cycle. Final score: 151-67 to Hawthorns. Good first experience, but 3 hours for a sporting match can sometimes seem a little too long.

I guess what struck me was the messiness of the game. At almost any instance in time there will be a couple of men in yellow or black running on and off the field to make substitutions or hand out water bottles respectively. Given that there are already 36 players on the field and 7 umpires in total (i think), one can sometimes lose track of what's happening. But overall, i think footy's a nice game, it can be enjoyable and fun to watch. Though for me, it's definitely not as fun as soccer. =)

Merdeka Celebrations

Okay, here's a bit of shameless promotion from me. As you all know, our beloved tanah air will be celebrating it's 50th birthday this month. In that respect, The Malaysians of Melbourne Uni (MoMU) society will be celebrating the golden anniversary of Malaysia's independence from British colonialism with a bang. First up, there would be a clubbing countdown on Thursday, 30th August, at Shamiana. There would be specialty blends of Merdaka cocktails, and awesome DJs for you to dance the night away. And don't get too wasted or over-exert yourself, because to commemorate the actual day itself (i.e. on 31st August), we offer you the chance to indulge in Malaysia's favourite pastime - i.e. eating. So come along to Arrows on Swanston for the opportunity to sample and gorge yourself silly on a wide range of Malaysian offerings. Beef rendang, curry ayam, nasi goreng, mee goreng, satay, bubur cha cha, just to name a few of the scrumptious ad delectable items slated for the menu. It might not live up to the $3 plate of mee goreng in your local mamak stall back home, but it comes close enough. And that's not all, as there'll be performances, and prizes to be won as well. So, hopefully that bit of marketing from me has piqued your interest, whetted your appetitive and gotten your saliva glands working overtime. Who ever's interested, let me know soon (click the posters below, or check out this Facebook event for more details). The saying "the early bird catches the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese" certainly doesn't apply here. Hope to see everyone there. !! =)

[Update: there's been more yummilicious additions to the menu - currypuffs, roti canai, sambal ikan bilis, and cendol, not to mention the grand prize of the lucky draw which would be a trip to Adelaide! so yeah, more reasons to come. And as an added attraction (or maybe not?), Kai, Chong Shen, and most of the committee will be dancing to 'Sexy Back' and Backstreet Boys (okay, i'll admit. I'm in it too). And I'll be emceeing on the night!]

In another bout of promotion, I've been asked by my friend to promote this website - Malaysia Book Exchange. It's basically an online market place to exchange all sorts of new and second-hand books without having to pay exorbitant retail prices. There's not too many listings as the website's still in it's infancy, but it's bound to grow in the near future, and i see lots of potential, so check it out.

In other news, the Commerce Ball is tmrw night, and i'm not hyped / excited, maybe coz i haven't had time to think about it at all. Whereas ppl like Damien has gone shirt shopping numerous times in preparation for the Ball, and the girls have been deliberating over which dress to wear, i think i'm just gonna throw on a suit and turn up. I guess i should be more excited about it, considering it is probably gonna be my last Ball (at least as a student), and i should take the opportunity to relish in the company of all my friends. sigh. It still hasn't hit me that I'll be graduating in a few months. Not looking forward to growing up so soon and facing the working world. I'll see everyone there tmrw..!!

Paintballing

Some photos from MoMU Paintballing last Sunday.

Overalls to protect against paint splatter.

Cam-whoring

More cam-whoring

Learning how to use the marker (i.e. the gun) and adhering to all the safety rules.

Combatants in action

And learning how to hide

In full battle gear - only the first field and i already received many (painful) direct hits

Who's shoe is a dirty shoe....

Justin, David, and Roger (apart from Jo) being sissies and getting chest protection - Gives them the Ninja Turtle look.

Battle scars (one of many) - which in time, it becomes a big bruise

Even head shots *ouch*

Su Ann looks like she ended worse off - though she still can afford a smile

Final group photo

Paintballing was a fun experience. Not exactly what i envisioned - which was playing paintball out in the open fields, hiding behind natural barriers, and rolling in the mud. But, had to make do with what was offered in this man-made terrain of the converted warehouse. Apparently, the one in Echuca offers an outdoor field, but alas that's way too far away.

In hindsight, perhaps it's a good thing that it wasn't conducted out on a open field, as paintballing can be a very tiring activity. Having to constantly run, hide, duck, and sprint from one hiding place to another to minimise your exposure time. Add to that having to carry the markers (i.e. the guns), which are heavy due to the attached compressed gas canister. And it doesn't help when ones vision is constantly being obscured by the heavy fogging up of the helmet. At the end when i was sacrificing myself, running into the middle of the field to pick up the stuffed animals (becoz that's the aim of the game), ppl who still had tons of paintballs left were unreservedly peppering anything in sight that moved, as that was the last field of play. Not a pleasant experience at all.

Needless to say, paintballing is a very painful sport. I got shot numerous times, and i can attest to the fact that the human body's most sensitive areas are the arms, head, and inner thighs, though direct chest shots also hurt! Fortunately, i didn't get shot in the most sensitive place, as i didn't buy the protective cup, though there were a few close calls. Overall, it was an awesome and fun experience (albeit a painful one). =)


On another note, happy birthday to Steph (who's finally 21!) and Ying Yi. Hope you all had an awesome birthday.

I got a job!

In Malaysia, that is. I knew Graduan Careers Fair was on last weekend, but i was too tired to actually attend the event on Saturday. Luckily, MoMU who has all the connections sent out another email detailing that they were still gonna be holding walk in interviews yesterday and today. So i simply rocked up after class today, totally unprepared and under-dressed (other ppl were wearing suits), and submitted my resume to a few companies.

Was interviewed first by Public Bank, and after some 15 minutes of conversation, the lady who was interviewing me said that she's prepared to give me a conditional job offer. Not too bad an outcome, considering i had no preconceptions of what to expect (i had hardly any knowledge about the banking industry), i wasn't exactly prepared for an interview, and i had 3+ hours sleep the night before (as i was working on my final year project presentation this morning). Anyway, the letter starts off:

Dear Mr. Chew,

CONFIRMATION OF OFFER OF EMPLOYMENT
Further to the interview you attended, we are pleased to confirm our offer of employment for the position of Trainee Credit Analyst to be based in the Klang Valley region. We will advise you of your branch in due course.

You shall receive an initial basic salary of RM2,200-00 per months. Your employment with the Bank will however be subject to the following:

etc

etc...

Haha, a credit analyst - after studying 4 years of engineering. Well, at least I get to approve your loans. haha. And RM2200? Not that fantastic, but i guess that's standard fare; and she did mention that since it's a graduate program, there will be an increase of between RM100-400 in renumeration every 6 months, for the duration of the 18 month program.

Next, went for an interview with OCBC Bank, and the guy was very straigforward, saying that "we are definitely interested in taking you, but considering that you already are a PR, I have doubts about whether you really are interested in working for us." Valid point i guess, but I'm just exploring my options, and anyways, they'll be giving me a 2nd interview.

Last interview was with Perodua. 5 mins in, and i already losing interest and felt like leaving. 3 Malay dudes (no offence for racial stereotyping), trying to interview me, not really sure of what to ask, asking each other if they had any questions for me. And there was this one guy who asked me about 5 times to go and play the piano nearby just coz he saw that i had Grade 7 certification. And he was excited about me joining their Perodua band, more than anything else. Quite a joke. Typical Malaysian company, flying 3 ppl all the way to Melbourne just to play around.

It was an interesting process, sitting for my first interview. But that's what i like about Malaysian interviews. The interviews are very conversational and easy going, as opposed to Australian interviews where they bombard you non-stop with difficult questions. Anyway, now's the time for me to start looking for jobs in Australia - someone keep reminding me to do so. I'm too slack! =P

Swamped

With LOTS of work. Juggling between creating the AIESEC newsletter (and having to chase ppl up for articles), MoMU's Merdeka night celebration, replying numerous emails every day (mostly AIESEC related), designing our final year project, with a presentation on it this Tuesday, not to mention preparing for my Strategic Marketing presentation the following week as well thinking of what to present during LCM, and organising parties - and they are all pressing matters which require constant attention! It's kinda stressful coz there's always something at that back of your mind that you know needs to be done, but it's always fulfilling to do something well. =)

And somehow, i still find the time to watch football and go Paintballing. Sigh.

The blue marble by night

Something interesting i chanced upon whilst surfing online. This is what the Earth looks like at night (click on the photo to view a larger photo). Man-made lights highlight the populated areas of the Earth's surface.

What's interesting is if you have a look at Korea, you can see the sprawling lights of neighbouring China, Japan, and South Korea. But have a close look at North Korea, and all that's there is a vast space of empty darkness. That's what years of sanctions imposed on North Korea have done. Here's a clearer picture.

CSS Ball Tickets Line Up

So, apparently the Commerce Students Society Ball is so in demand that it requires a 24 hour wait in line just to ensure that tickets will be available when the doors open at 9am tmrw. Kee hong and Daniel, being ever so efficient got there at 8am this morning, hence obtaining the second (okay, maybe first) spot in the line. It's crazy i tell you. 800 ball tickets available [edit: i think its actually 1140 tix], and ppl who arrived at 11am had to be turned away / put on the waiting list. It better be good, considering one has to cough up $100!

Anyway, i popped by just now for a few hours to join in the (fun?) of waiting in line. It's amazing seeing the line of people snaking right around the Commerce building. But people were resourceful. Many brought mini tables and chairs and sleeping bags. There was even someone who pitched a tent! It was kinda a festive atmosphere with music blaring (quite loudly!) in the background, and ppl reading, chatting, or playing poker and drinking. At least the organisers thought of our welfare and sent a Dominos Pizza delivery guy every few hours to hand out free pizzas. Though why they didn't make toilets available is beyond me.

And what do we do to while away the time?? Tried to go through some of my readings, to no avail, so we played cards

and posed for photos

Oh, and did Damien give an indication as to which way he swings? You be the judge. =P


To Daniel and Damien who's camping out there tonight, hope it's not too cold you're enjoying yourself. haha. I would have joined too if only you had told me earlier so that i could bring my sleeping bag and books. Seems like a fun thing to do. Could have just woken up the next morning and trotted off 20 feet to class. =)

But anyway, i abandoned and left those 2 to their own devices, and came back to watch the Community Shield between Man Utd and Chelsea. Final score 1-1, with Man Utd winning on penalties - van der Sar proving to be the hero, saving all 3 of Chelsea's spot kicks. One more trophy to add to the trophy cabinet, nicely flanking the Premiership trophy won last season. As the Community Shield always heralds the start of a new footballing season, this means there'll be a football match to look forward to every weekend. Exciting times.

Learn Chinese in 5 Minutes

I found this funny.