Malam Gong Xi 2014 in Kolej Tun Perak - Trailer

Chinese New Year has just ended with Chap Goh Meh last week! So how was your Chinese and Western Valentine's Day? *wink* I am sure that most of us have started our second semester of the year with either 'still-hesitate-to-study' mood or 'looking-forward-to-challenge' mood (mine is the fusion of both of the moods, haha). Anyway, no matter what do you feel about this brand new semester, here is something that you should feel excited about!

The theme of this belated Chinese New Year celebration event known as Malam Gong Xi was translated as 'Fate Brings Us Together, We Celebrate This New Year with Joy' (I know it sounds weird in English, but it is perfect in Mandarin, haha). It is held on 4th of March 2014 in Dewan Sri Bendahara at 5.00pm for the Carnival while 7.30pm for the actual event. Wait, before that, there is also a pre-event Chinese Calligraphy competition which is open for Chinese as well as non-Chinese! The competition would be going on on 26th and 27th of March 2014 at. You don't have to bring anything, just present yourself any time from 1.00pm to 7.00pm and show time! Get your hands on the brush and red papers to create your own ink writings! (Opps... This post is late, so come tomorrow!!! No hesitation!!!)

Please come to our college at 5.00pm as there will be a Carnival selling a variety of food (unlike those in Putra Food Court!) including curry fish balls, herbal eggs, fried crab stick, 'ice box' and others! Grab your dinner here before entering the hall! For the performances during Malam Gong Xi, there will be LION DANCE! Never been close to a 'lion' before? This is your chance! We have invited a great variety of traditional and modern performers to entertain you guys. They are the lion dance team, festive 24 drums team, wushu club, UXD modern dance club, latin dancer, live band and the list goes on! It will be an unforgetable night and worthy for you to spend. Can you imagine the joyous atmosphere of that night? You will get a lot of first experiences on Chinese traditions. What you see on TV is not necessarily the same as what you feel and try on your own! Trust me!

Take a break from all the stresses that you face in study! Oh, your time is not yet packed with assignment? Then there is no reason for you to not to come! Hahaha. For your information, buses will be provided at K17, K10&K11 and Kolej Serumpun! No hustle and bustle. Get your ticket NOW! It is selling fast! Hurry!

COUNT DOWN 6 DAYS TO MALAM GONG XI! See you there (look for me at the Carnival, haha)!

Everything Is Awesome - Comfort Zone

Running track of Selangor Matriculation College.

Recently there is an animated movie showing in cinemas named 'The Lego Movie'. It is an awesomely inspiring movie with an interesting storyline which is beyond my expectation as I never watched animation in cinema before. For those who have watched the movie would understand better what I am going to say in this post. For those who have not watched it, go and get a ticket! It's totally worth!

The story begins with a normal guy worked as a construction worker named Emmet in the world which was under the authority of Lord Business who wanted to make the Lego world in order. Everyone toed the line and carried out their life according to the manual given. They were happy with their life as everything went smoothly as usual. Lord Business had a super weapon called 'Kragle' which a wizard named 'Vitruvius' wanted to prevent him from using it. And Emmet became the 'Special' in Vitruvius's prophecy who owned the 'Piece of Resistance' which could stop the 'Kragle' from functioning.  

For most of us, when we were children, we never thought about which direction should we go as we grew up. We were just like anyone else, being sent into a primary school for six years, then secondary school for five years, after that either one or two years of pre-university course before going into the university studying the course of our parents expectation. This happened to me, although not completely applicable. I went into SJK(C) Sin Hwa in Parit Buntar for one year, then spent my following primary education in SJK(C) Pai Teik (just like my father). After I got 7As in UPSR (a national examination for primary school students), I went into SMJK Jit Sin, one of the renowned secondary school in Bukit Mertajam for another five years. Throughout the eleven years, I barely made a tough decision. Everything went well as if it should go that way. I was always expected to get a flying-coloured results and be a good student who followed all the rules, and I did (but I did broke them sometimes, rarely).

With God's blessing I got into Selangor Matriculation College in Banting, Selangor (which made me get out of my hometown for the very first time). Many people in Malaysia prefer to go into matriculation (during my time it opens for 10% of non-bumiputera students) instead of form six as it is said that it would be easier to get into public university through matriculation. I successfully followed the trend and completed my matriculation and now I am in University Putra Malaysia, Serdang. The only twist in my student life was my choice of course for tertiary study. I had wanted to take Zoology since I was in high school but this decision was banned as it seemed unrealistic to survive with that degree in Malaysia. So I put veterinarian into consideration as I would be close to animals too. However, I was pulled back by the thought of cutting into the animals' body. I could not even dissect a mouse in the laboratory. Giving up the option, I found another one which interested me. Environmental Science. It sounds like a combination of Nature with all the animals and plants in it and human's influence on the surrounding. Bingo! That is what I want!

I was still discouraged by my family and friends who wanted me to choose something more 'professional' such as medicine, pharmacy, engineering and so on. But I insisted. After so many years of 'following-what-life-gave-me', I made my first decision on my own. I really appreciate those who gave me advices and encouraged me in pursuing my dreams (I knew most of the people from Facebook). Studying in university is generally the ultimate target of a regular student. And I made it. When I look back, I found that completing the 'trend' is not equivalent to being successful! Somehow I feel lost. Many of my friends who did not live as others did (some of them did not get really good grades in high school) are currently in Singapore, Australia, UK, Germany, France and so on, furthering their study there. Of course, family background matters too, but it is about getting out of the COMFORT ZONE which could be really uncomfortable at the beginning.

'Everything is Awesome' was the most popular song in the Lego world where people found that their ordinary life was great and enjoyable. That's the danger of comfort zone. We do not want to make a change. We just stick to the so-called 'normal' way of life. We follow what we are asked to do without giving a doubt. For examples, we hand in the assignments requested by the lecturer although we do not know what we had done actually; we study to pass the exam, not for the knowledge; we do not care what happens around the world as long as it does not affect me etc. I admit that I still live in this comfort zone. What would happen next if I do so? It's really difficult to come out of it after so many years living the orderly-arranged life. I have been trying to get out, although I failed several times that I went back to the original lifestyle. 

This time, I will try again. 

This photo was taken during my first semester in UPM. (credit goes to Erika)

P/S: I was inspired by Professor Kannan, my Chemistry lecturer in UPM to write this post. Thanks for encouraging us. =)

Keep Happiness Going: Recycle

Being one of the most popular soft drink company in the world, Coca-Cola company has been showing concerns towards our environment by promoting greener lifestyle through campaigns and their policy worldwide. And yes, in Malaysia, Coca-Cola has been carrying out a campaign here, in University Putra Malaysia! This two-year project named 'Recycle to Cycle' was launched in 2013 by the Biology Department of Faculty of Science with the collaboration of Coca-Cola Malaysia. A total of RM 750,000 was provided from Coca-Cola Foundation to make this project a success, according to the news on official portal of UPM.

It's 2014 now and I am reintroducing this project again here to promote this meaningful event to support the our green campus campaign. Not all of us own a bicycle in the campus and maybe it is because we only have a few semesters left and it is not worth it to buy a brand new bicycle just for the usage within the campus especially for those who live far away from the university. I am quite sure that most of us enjoy cycling as the cool evening breeze brushes through our hair when we pedalling down the bicycle lane. Here's the chance! You can trade in four empty cans with one red Coca-Cola foldable bike for one day! You do not have to spend even a cent to borrow a bicycle here. What you have to do is save up the empty cans and take them to the Faculty of Science. That's it! Simple and nice.

Recycling is not a burden. Just remind yourself before throwing away anything as it might be useful to you. Keep happiness going, recycle.

The World Can Wait, It's Valentine's!

Hey guys, I came across this cute video on youtube by KitKat Malaysia and was feeling the urge to share it with you guys. It was so sweet to be a promotional video for chocolates! I was somehow being swept off the feet by the song and video so hope you guys enjoy it as well! Here's the lyrics that I copy down from the subtitle of the video. 

Wake in the morning, your girl says ''Happy Valentine's''
You want to cuddle the rest of the day
It's 8 o'clock, so you gotta get back into the grind
And go to work, like any other day

If you had the whole day for Valentine's
You'd have a break to let out your love
The world can wait, it's Valentine's
Let's have a break...a break for love

When you are single, ain't got a date for Valentine's
None of your colleagues are saying ''Be mine''
And Mr. Perfect, is probably taking a walk around
If you were free you might run into him now

If you had the whole day for Valentine's
You'd have a break to let out your love
The world can wait, it's Valentine's
Let's have a break...a break for love

You're in the classroom, dreaming 'bout your Valentine's
And you are worrying, feelin' blue
So many dresses on sale, only if you had time
To see how many ways you can look beautiful

If you had the whole day for Valentine's
You'd have a break to let out your love
The world can wait, it's Valentine's
Let's have a break...a break for love

Let's have a break...a break for love



P/S: I am pretty sure that many of us would have 'Friday blue' this week that we really couldn't have a whole day for our beloved one. Anyway, tell him or her, 'you are always in my mind'... <3

A Little Concerns, Much More Differences

University Putra Malaysia has always given people a picture of mesmerizing lush greenery as if the university is being embraced by the Nature. Indeed, our campus is just like a green city in Serdang with lots of trees and fields spreading all over the campus. There is even a famous site called 'one tree hill' where people love to take wedding photos there at the breath-taking scenery to create a beautiful memory in their life. Recently on 17th January 2014, the result of UI Greenmetric Ranking of World University 2013 was announced and UPM proudly obtained rank 16th on the list, standing high among other universities in our country. UPM has been on the ranking list since 2010 (at that time UPM was on rank 6th), taking part as a suburban university.

Photo of 'one tree hill' in UPM. (credit goes to naza.carraro on Flickr for this amazing scene)

As a student studying Environmental Science in UPM, I am satisfied to be here in a green-concerning university. We have rebates on buying a bicycle to encourage cycling, strategically-designed cycling route, a ban on the use of polystyrene containers and the list goes on. Everything was awesomely-looking when I first settled down in this campus. After some weeks, or months, it turned out to be different from my imagination. Yes the university has put in a lot of efforts to encourage the green campus campaign as we can see, but going green is mainly not about the authority, but the people, everyone in the university especially us, students who make up most of the population here.

Nothing is perfect. I agree with this point. There might be some flaws here and there which we could fix by just contributing a little bit more effort. We don't have to be a green activist to be supportive in those green campaigns. What we need to have is a caring heart, a heart that concerns about our environment. According to my observation, people tend to turn a blind eye towards something that shouldn't be happening such as a leaking pipe. It is a disturbing sight to see crystal clear water flowing down the road and into the drain. Water is life. And it is being wasted. We are educated people. We supposedly know more about the importance of the environment towards our life and how much we are depending on it. And yet, we assume that we see nothing. It's not about us, it's the authority's job to take care of the business. The scene in my memory still irritates me. Hundreds of students passing by a leaking tap (which was said has been leaking for three days) showed no concern about it until someone picked up the phone and told the authority to fix the problem. This leaking tap was located in the public. How about uncountable taps and pipes which are hidden in washrooms? Would there be anyone who is concerned enough to report the case?

This post is not about blaming. The message I want to brought out is the vitality of bottom-up effort in sustaining a green life in campus. We do not need a save water campaign to save water. We are the one who can make a change. No matter it's water or fresh air that we breathe, it is our irreplaceable public property. We owns the right to have it free of charge yet we have the responsible to take good care of it. People who say 'well, it's not my business' are totally wrong. When you see an open burning where smoke is bellowing up into the sky, and the smell of burning leaves and plastics diffuses throughout the air that you breathe, is it fair to you to live in such condition? Launch a complaint to the authority. It is not the authority's fault for not making sure everyone toes the line as they might not see what is happening. We live in this community and we knows better about the situation than anybody else. We will be the one who suffer first if any bad things occur. So far there is no case reported about respiratory problem due to open burning (this is not a hyperbole), but the toxic particles might accumulate in our lungs and who knows what would turn out in the future? Does it worth to risk your health?

Bottom-up effort represents the will of people to have a better life for their own good. It is done willingly, showing people's concern towards certain issues which might greatly affect them. Everyone knows that polystyrene has been banned in UPM as part of the green campaign. But still, I got mad every time I saw people carrying polystyrene containers around the campus (it has become an usual sight in campus, so somehow I manage to control my temper), even in the Faculty of Environmental Studies. I feel ashamed for those who claim to be environmental studies students but happily having their lunch out of a polystyrene container. People once told me that 'that's not a big deal!' for using polystyrene container as there is no punishment at all. This reflects that, even if there is a campaign, but people has no will to support it, the campaign is nothing. It starts from us! We decide whether the campaign is being a success or a failure.

Last but not least, ask yourself. Do we deserve the rank in UI Greenmetric Ranking of World University if these phenomenons continue? Our days in the university has not yet ended. There is still a long way to go. We are young. We are energetic. There is nothing impossible that we cannot do to make a change. Show the world, yes we deserve it.

New Chapter of Life Began (LotsOfLove)

Hey guys, guess what? Haha. It's obvious that this blog has been made over and the title was even changed. Chill, I am not going to change the genre of my blog from my daily life to boy-girl relationship *shy*, but I chose 'love' as the theme of my blog. I love my life, that's why I write about it to share the happenings around me. However, life in university is not as good as in my imagination, causing me to slightly loss interest in it and getting pessimistic, Blogging does helps me to focus on the good side of my life easier, no one wants to read about dull posts complaining bad things, right? I admit that I was less happy since I went into university (loneliness was really killing me), I am sure it would get better for the following semesters.

Love is the most wonderful thing in the world. It is the reason that we live. We were born because our parents fell in love with each other. As we grow up we are nurtured by the love of family and friends and we learn to love, too. We love people around us, we love what we are doing, we love this planet that we enjoy our life in it. Then, it's our turn to fall in love with a person that means so much to us who would be the one that be with us until the end. There is nothing which is more awesome and powerful than love in this world. Love makes things easier. Because of love we forgive and accept the imperfection of others, there will be no fight and quarrel. Because of love we show kindness without condition, giving without asking in return. Because of love we are strong when facing obstacles, as we know people we love are always supporting us.

To end this short 'introduction' post, I share my favourite quotes from the Bible:

4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.             (1 Corinthians 13:4-7)

Love you guys. May God bless you.