today is my second day of work at Ernst and Young...still not used to waking up an extra half an hour early...i don't think i got my timing all planned out yet but i believe this will come with time...did i mention how much i dislike winter?? what with all the layers of extra clothing i have to put on...i mean seriously...who would have thought i love the sun so much???

so back to work...EY is a nice place to work at...from what i am seeing at this point of time...yesterday we had the usual induction session where we were briefed on the company history, values etc...a manager came to talk about his own career experiences...they repeated this today with a panel of senior employees as well...and all of them are from diverse backgrounds...some moved from the London office to here and most of them have had secondment opportunities...i think this is one of the main selling points for EY as well as the other big 3 companies...all mentioned how good EY was as an employer and why they never thought of leaving the firm...

had the usual security and independence briefing as well...liked the fact that they showed us some videos to keep us interested and awake...it was fun...we sat in out teams and also got to do some team exercises as well...today we had to build a bridge from straws and tape...and it was really fun to be engaging in activities like this...started with brainstorming the design, then finally getting to fix it up at the end of it...the goal of that newly built bridge was to see if it could withstand the weight of a 1kg bottle for 30 seconds...and all of our bridges did that...got to share a lot of our individual experiences as well...

and my buddy was so so helpful...i think i owe her a lot for helping me adjust to my new role smoothly...showed me the kitchen and how to make hot chocolate, guided me through the steps of checking my engagements...helped me to email my senior to ask for the client address and arrange a meeting for me with them, helped me to ask the IT guy when i would get my laptop replacement bag, helped me with the voice mail recording system, helped me ask the CA person about the program, helped me request for a Wifi card, helped me email the security guy to request to be put on the waiting list for parking spots...and lastly gave me a locker for myself at the end of the day...some people are just so kind...i really appreciated her help and im just so glad i got her as my buddy! =)

and one thing i notice about EY is that they are really efficient...they got all the photo security tag done on the first day, arranged for laptop to be handed to us on the first day, got the voice mail done on the second day..almost everything up and running by now...compared to KPMG last time where i remember it took quite some time before we got our laptops...it just makes the transition to our new role much smoother and i feel really comfortable with the pace of things right now...hopefully tomorrow would be as good as today! =)

well...today is a day packed with events...

first of all, Kevin Rudd was ousted by his Labor party and replaced by Julia Gillard as the new first ever female prime minister...really...i was kind of shock when i saw the news on CNN...well...the newspapers and opinion polls were reporting about his waning popularity but i didn't expect it to be so drastic...watched his farewell speech later and i thought it was very raw and emotional...the poor guy choked up a few times at some points and i felt really really bad for him...but he left with dignity...people will remember him because of his last speech...it was like what one news presenter said...a brutal assassination on the political stage...i think it can't get worst than that...the fall of a political leader...one who led the current party to form government and defeated the Howard government who had been in power for a decade...just 6 months ago he was considered the most popular prime minister in Australia and Obama even said he considered Rudd an equal match...it is just shocking to see how things started to decline after that...some said things started to turn bad when Rudd who once considered climate change as the most important moral issue of our lifetime turned back on his words and backed off after his emission trading scheme wasn't getting support in Parliament...but i think the ultimate bomb was his introduction of the super profits tax on the mining industry...

next on...Socceroos officially out of the world cup...and Germany into round 16...honestly...i don't know if Germany would be able to defeat England...not the England is too good...their matches haven't been very impressive as well...but Germany isn't convincing either...after their first match with Australia which they scored 4-0...

would probably be moving to the new house within the next week...and then starting work in the beginning of next month...looking forward to it...=)

Well...as usual it has been a while since i last updated...

i think the last time i blogged i mentioned how frustrated i was at searching for a job...well now i am glad to say that i am over that phase...on the 12th of April, i went for my first ever interview with Ernst & Young...being me, i was nervous all morning and was actually glad it took place at 8.50a.m...i would not want to be sick with worry till afternoon if it had started then...at one point, i was so nervous i wanted to just give up...haha...again...just that awful moment...

anyway, headed to the EY building early...had some tips from the others who went for the assessment centres and a lot of them recommended being there at least 20 mins earlier so that u actually get to talk to the other candidates...and i am so glad i heeded their advice...i really stepped out of my comfort zone and tried to meet as many people as possible...even a simple introduction was good enough...the whole recruitment process started at 9a.m...i will just list it briefly:

1) Introduction- basically getting to know EY, its history etc...the usual routine to start off the day...

2)Breakfast- love the food!!! they had like cute pastries and i would have love to eat more if i wasn't that nervous...i was in the red group and my first activity of the day was the interview...haha...so we had the opportunity to chat to some of the employees working at EY...

3)Interview- mine was with a senior manager from the property department...nice lady in her late 20s...it was a behavioral interview and so the questions were focused on describing particular situations where u have demonstrated relevant traits or qualities...they specifically recommended us to use the STAR approach: situation, action, result... it was not hard actually...plus she was really friendly...love the relax atmosphere overall...i knew i did well after the whole interview ended...

4)Test-had a 45 mins test on both verbal and numerical modules...i personally thought it wasn't that hard...the key was being calm and working through the questions carefully...it is more important to get the answers correct than to just answer all the questions on the paper...so i passed that stage as well...

5) Lunch- food was alright...maybe not that much to my liking...but it was a lot of food as well...so had the opportunity to once again talk to the people around me...its really all about socializing...

6) Group activity- this was the part i thought was hardest...for me at least...we were assigned to a group of 6 and i was so very glad because i knew 3 people in the team...great advice from the past applicants...it was about a case whether this particular company should divests its bar and pub business...so we were asked to present our strategy to the partner..there were 2 silent assessors in the room...i was very nervous and stumbled on my words a little in the beginning...then things got better...this was the part i really had to try to speak up and give relevant ideas...luckily no one in the group was foolish enough to dominate the discussion...we gave each other equal chances to contribute...so overall it went well..the worst part was the presentation after that...there were 5 questions and there were 6 people in the team...naturally people started grabbing questions and i was left out...it was a horrible feeling...sitting there thinking what i should do...again...i wanted to give up...but i reasoned myself out of it...i wasn't really listening to the presentation by that girl before me...i remember how she looked at me sorrily...i was like come on, don't fake it...when she finished, all the members looked at me...and i think at that moment i just struck out...i didn't need pity...and i came such a long way...i cannot and do not want to fail here...so i just said i will give a summary of the whole proposal...naturally i was very nervous and stumbled a little again as i had to cover all the points previously made by the other members...at one point i had to turn to my other member and ask the name of the company...but thank god i got through it at last...i was relieved..at least i did not let myself down...

7)Office tour- i was mentally tired at this stage...i was glad i had the office tour just to relax for a while...the view was just beautiful..the EY building was really new and i love the gym!! new equipments and everything looked wonderful...at some point, i was even taking notice of the restrooms...haha

8)Afternoon tea- had nice cakes as well...actually the food was pretty good...i was very impressed...and more opportunity to talk to the people...that day itself, i talked to applicants, cadets, graduates, HR, senior manager and partner...one thing common among all these people is how friendly they are...EY has a really good culture and I started considering the possibility of working there...

9) Interview- this time was with a partner...he was very friendly...talked about his own experience for 15 minutes before we got started with the questions...i was so glad...he made me feel really relax and i loved the atmosphere...it felt more like a chat and i appreciated the 2 way communication...i knew i did well for this interview too...we even exceeded the time limit...haha...it was a nice chat...

at the end of the whole process, i wanted to just collapsed on my bed...so exhausted...i was actually waiting nervously for the phone call because the manager had said earlier on in the interview that successful applications will be notified that day itself...2 hours later when i was walking back home, i got the call from the partner..haha...it was a wonderful wonderful feeling...i thanked him profusely and just couldn't contain my joy and excitement...it was just such great news after all i have been through that day...started from 9a.m. to 3.30p.m...more than 6 hours...and it was sweeter since this was my first success on my first interview...

think this entry is a bit too long...will continue tomorrow...just got back from the EY celebratory drinks for graduate offers just 2 hours ago...enjoyed it and looking forward to start work there soon...=)

Today or perhaps more correctly, yesterday 25th February 2010, will be the day I would never forget. Right until now, I am still reeling in the excitement.

I couldn't believe it when I picked up the phone ringing on the desk right in front of me. There I was, busy applying for jobs when it rang. Imagine my surprise when I heard my agent's voice sounding right from the other receiving end. My first reaction was, uh oh, what has happenned this time? Then, she told me my permanent resident application was granted. I was like:" Oh my gosh. Are you serious?" My agent was laughing when she congratulated me and assured me she would not joke on serious matters like this.

I couldn't believe it. It took merely 10 days to be exact for my application to be approved. It was such heavenly news to me, after listening to other people who said they waited at least 2 months before it was granted and where I personally went through the whole emotional turmoil when the newspaper headlines blasted right in front of my eyes, announcing the imminent changes in the immigration policy. Those few days after that announcement was horrible for me. I was nervous, anxious and frustrated at the sudden change of events. Imagine being so close yet so far from achieving it. Alas, my worries were quickly resolved when my agent confirmed that my application would not be affected if I put it in before April.

So I immediately rushed to my agent's office on the 2nd day of CNY after first making a trip to the translation office to get my translated birth certificate. It took me and my agent four hours plus to actually submit the whole application. I am indeed fortunate in a way I guess. My bridging visa which was immediately given to me after I applied had not come into effect yet as my student visa was still valid yesterday and I have now obtained my permanent residency. 

Ahh...Such a relief. After all these time planning with my parents, where they decided to send me to Australia to study for 2 years in order to qualify for the PR requirements, till I returned to Australia this year after my holidays in Malaysia to start my application process. All those worries,agitation, disappointment and sadness, all finally paid off. Now I can put that all behind me. Now, now I can finally look forward.

well...last 2 weeks have been pretty exciting for me...lol...i was busy watching Australian Open 2010...totally love tennis...it is such a pity I only started appreciating tennis since I arrived in Sydney...haha...i tend to think it's hardly my fault...reason??? well...badminton seemed to be the thing in Malaysia and not tennis...I do remember a time when I used to love watching badminton too...

The first tennis match I watched live was Sydney International...my cousin treated all of us to the event...and i remember thinking it was not that boring as i thought, in fact it was kind of interesting...after that i started to watch tennis on tv and i think my first was the match between Federer and Santoro (think that is his name)...lol...and what a match it was...Federer, the master of the court vs Santoro, a guy who played because of his love for the game...and i think that's the reason why i really caught on to it...
I love Federer's game...ever so graceful, with the beautiful strokes, powerful forehand winners and aces...he makes tennis look so simple...and i remember lifting a racket when i was young which made me instantly give up the idea of playing tennis because it was way too heavy!!! as compared to a badminton racket of course...i remember watching Federer dominating the court and laughing at all those weird shots thrown at him by Santoro...I couldn't help laughing too...it was fun...so fun and interesting...
and Santoro on the other hand who was running all over the court trying to retrieve the shots...everyone knew he would never win...i think he knew too...but his joy at just playing the game and never giving up shots made everyone's day...

after reading all those opinions on forums about Federer's game...i have to agree that his most powerful weapon does not lie in his killer forehand or big serves, but rather his steel determination and positive mindset to hang in there and continue playing even though he may not have the upper hand over his opponent...and this just might be his strength that sets him apart from other players..who often cannot overcome the pressure and give up too early in the match...or even worse...fake some injury in order to pull out of the game..

definitely agree that he is the best player of all time...even the greatest of all time...his records are astonishing...23rd consecutive semi finals...16 grand slam titles...etc...there are just too many for one to remember...and never missing a major throughout his career...is that even possible??? yet he showed us again and again...he is one of those top players that managed to have an injury-free career...as compared to the likes of Nadal, Del Potro, Roddick, Hewitt...i totally disagree with the fact that Nadal is a better player...yeah he may have a better head-to-head record against Federer...but so what??? looking at the grand scheme of things, he is nowhere near Federer's league...till now Nadal has missed 5 majors since the beginning of his career...and with a knee injury that seems to be recurring, his future does not look that bright...though he may have 6 grand slam titles, is it possible for him to win another 10?? I don't think so...some say that's the price his body has to pay for playing such a taxing game and I agree...it is sometimes scary to see how consistent Federer is in tennis...yeah he had some low points in 2008-2009...but even then he managed to reach the semifinals for the Grand Slams and win the French Open that has eluded him for years...

He is definitely one of those sportsmen that appear only once in every few decades...and I am happy to be able to see him play what he has claimed to be his finest tennis in the past 2 weeks...quoting Andy Murray: "I can cry like Roger, it's just a shame I can't play like him'...Federer is truly a legend in tennis...

actually...its great being here in Sydney...

went out yesterday to watch the "Symphony in the Domain" 2010...this year "conductor Paul Kildea celebrates the music of brilliant American composer Leonard Bernstein in a vivacious program showing his genius across a range of music styles"...haha...a simply cut and paste to narrate the whole event...

arrived at the botanical garden about 3 in the afternoon...it was sunny and hot before but the weather took a drastic turn...suddenly it was raining cats and dogs and everyone was hiding under umbrellas and rags...we went early to get a good spot...but we sure didn't expect the rain...the event only started at 8p.m...so while we were there...we just chatted around...and when night came...it was fun...it was definitely a first time experience for someone like me who dislike camping...so this is the first time i was among thousands of people, sitting under the stars and listening to a symphony...it was awesome and i enjoyed it thoroughly...though i'm not really into stuff like that before...love sydney for its vibrant events!!! =)

the event ended with a big 'bang' as promised by the conductor...allof a sudden, the cannons i thought which were just a display set started shooting out fireworks...lol...it reminded me of some harry potter spell gone awry...then the fireworks in the sky just made me realise how easy it is to see fireworks in australia...apparently they are going to have a chinese new year celebration at night and there would be fireworks again...i am definitely going to see it...

all in all...wonderful night out!!! =) i was wondering during that time whether malaysia could pull off something like that...i came to a conclusion that we couldn't...why???
ohh come on...we are not smart enough to do so, right???
i mean, we can't even promote simple tourism let alone organising events such as this...
its seriously a shame...we always take pride in our multiculturism...but come to think of it...do we actually showcase it to the world??? i don't think so...
just look at places like Bangkok...been there a couple of weeks ago and i see more tourist there compared to Malaysia...why???
obviously someone is not doing a good job promoting the country...why think so hard about FDI when u can't even earn foreign currency easily via tourism??

ok...definitely going a bit off track here...anyway...can't wait to watch Roger Federer play tomorrow...the greatest tennis player of all time!!! definitely my idol!!! Hewitt won't stand a chance...watched Nadal play today too...such skill...sigh....wish i had fallen in love with tennis earlier...

well well well...another new year, another year of surprises and uncertainty and another year of smile and tears...
as usual...back in Sydney means being away from my usual circle of family and friends...a little lonely at first but that will also fade away as i start to mix around more with my relatives and friends here...
currently a bit busy with the PR application...
the flight back to Sydney was a tiring one...first my MAS plane was delayed by an hour...they had to wait for some 30 other passengers who were late because of their other flight...then we made a stop in Jakarta...and there we waited for another hour for passengers to alight and board the plane...and finally we made our trip to Sydney...the pilot was really funny and i mean funny in a sense that he wasn't like the normal pilots who just reported on our whereabouts and the weather...
1) pilot: we are waiting for 30 passengers who are rushing to us as we speak...as you can see their plane is just on the right side of our plane...no, not the first one...the one after that...and we don't want them to rush too fast...if not...they might trip and our plane would be delayed again
(sue: swt.... other passengers: (laughing)  not surprise if some of them were amused by this pilot's cold jokes)
2) pilot: we are flying about 39,000 miles up in the air...its pitch black outside...on our right u can see singapore...on our left u can look out and see the other passengers' face staring at u from the window...
(at this point i thought he was a bit too immersed in his own little world)
3) pilot: due to the delay, we will be flying at high speed...don't tell the ground crew ya, if not i will be given a speeding ticket
(sue: lame pilot...)

so in the end, i arrived at Melbourne airport about 30 mins late...waited for another 2 hours for the Virgin Blue flight from Melbourne to Sydney...the turbulence was horrible...at some point, i thought the plane might not be able to land...it was swinging from left to right, up to down...but luckily, we made it...
thats my journey from KLIA to Sydney...travelled from malaysian time 10.30p.m. till australian time 2.40p.m...not surprisingly, i woke up at 12 noon today..too exhausted...

going to uni to get my academic transcript and post some stuff tomorrow...its gonna be another busy day for me..sigh...i need more holidays!!!

well...had a blast ever since i arrived at Malaysia...lol...one of the first things i did was to go to the china embassy to get my china visa...and i did it so that i could travel to Hong Kong and Shenzhen...
went there in the beginning month of December...

went to loads of places around HK and Shenzhen...but the ones i remember the most is Disneyland, Window of the World and Mini China...It was wonderful...Love HK and also Shenzhen...lol...shopping paradise...and the huge difference in price between both places is shocking...food in HK is extremely expensive...as compared to Malaysia of course...standard of living there is really high...one bowl of noodles cost HKD22, that is RM11...but in Shenzhen...i managed to get a plate of noodles for RM2.50...lol...how cheap is that...and loads of cheap good sold in Shenzhen..maybe because most of the large factories are all there...can't stop myself from buying stuff...but one thing about Shenzhen..the traffic there is beyond horrible...i once saw a massive jam at the 4 junction main road with a yellow box in the middle...all the buses, cars were stuck...even the poor buses had to reverse...but god knows how they managed to get out of the mess...

HK was good too...but a bit on the polluted side...there was always a layer of mist surrounding the city...the tour guide said it was pollution from China...but overall...i still love the city...the nightview was beautiful...Disneyland was ok...well...seriously speaking there is only one really trilling ride...lol...the others were just mild...but i still heart that place a lot...its like walking down your memory lane...recalling those childhood fantasies that u seemed to have forgotten amidst the busy lifestyle that we have now grown accustomed to...remembering we once were kids too...and our world were once filled only with simple fairytales...the best part was the fireworks...i almost missed it because i wanted to go around visiting...but im so glad i chose to stay back...the bus driver said it was normal...but the so called normal fireworks over there is multiple times better than our new year fireworks...what with the background music, lighting effects and colourful display of the fireworks...well...its like a dream come true for me anyway...i always wanted to go to Disneyland before i turned 21...and i think i manage to fulfilled my small little desire...

 

Oh...i so need to rant!!!

guess what i saw when i open my mailbox this morning??? 2 of my group members trying to offload their work to others in the group...i was so mad...u can't blame me...we had 4 people in our group...of which one was constantly busy with his assignments...i think he contributed the least to the group assignment...he was such a slacker...skipped meetings, push things around to the others...sometimes i think he knows i am not happy with his attitude because i tend to show it on my face...i don't think i need to hide stuff like that u know...it's not that we are going to work together in the future...plus, it's not only him that has assignments...i have 4 major assignments due in the next 2 weeks as well...i was tempted to tell him that he has poor time management skills and it is his own fault that he is always rushing his assignments...seriously, i feel ashamed to admit that he is a Malaysian...the others are just ok...at least they do their part...but...sigh...why do i feel i'm doing most of the work???

enough of complaining...i think i have to focus on finishing the assignment...sigh...why am i always so unfortunate to have group members like this??? the downside of university life...

anyway, on a lighter note...im proud to be a student of University of Sydney...think it ranked 56th in the top 200 university ranking! =)

Today was a wonderful day for me...although it did rain a lot...and i mean it rained from morning till night...a bit frustrating if u ask me but well, rain is something that is hard to come by in Sydney...

so i went for a group meeting in the morning...wasn't very productive...in fact...i don't think we even got much out of it...sigh...that is what happens when u have to do things in a group...accommodating to everyone's needs will result in no work done...consider this a lesson learnt...after that, i went out with my friend Lisa for lunch...lol...a Japanese lunch...had a kimchi udon and pork katsu...was quite good...but wasn't impressed...

and then we proceeded to the movies...haha...my beloved cinemas...we went to watch Mao's Last Dancer...the tickets were expensive...it wasn't showing on the normal screens so we had to buy the VMAX ones...it was $16 per person...and that was the student price...my my...convert this to RM and that would be RM 48...I would have been able to go for Gold Class seats...sigh...but the cinema was good...love the seats...it was really comfortable and each one had their own arm rest and a small gap between each seat...and we were sitting right at the back centre...excellent view...

anyway back to the movie...I thought it was one of the best autobiography films I have seen so far...Mao's Last Dancer relates the story of a young boy from a small province in China who was selected to be a dancer in the Beijing Arts Academy...from there he underwent training for a couple of years before being selected as an exchange student to the US...instead of being a monotonous film, a part of the success of this film lies with its small humour hidden within the lines...other than fairly good acting on the actors' part, the interweaving of LiCunXin's childhood, adolescent and present state and the transition from one to another was almost flawless...the movie touched on a couple of small things that made it good...first, we were introduced to a small crush of the dancer's, then his first US wife and the failed marriage and then the 2nd wife...the part where he was held captive because he refused to leave for China was interesting...

This movie highlights several themes other than the life of the dancer...it portrays China from the view of an insider...it shows how from young the children were sort of 'brainwashed' to follow the teachings of Mao...it tells of how the communists think of the capitalist economies...yes, how 'unimaginable' it was to survive in one of them...and the most heartbreaking part, it tells of how one child was kept apart from his family for 8 years and was told never to return to China...and also most importantly, it inspires one to believe in oneself...it emphasizes values such as persistence and hardworking...all in all...it is a movie that tells multiple tales and one that is supplemented with beautiful dance moves...out of a scale 1 for worst and 10 for best...i would give this movie a 8.5...very well done indeed...

ahh...today started off as a bad day i guess...just reviewed my marks for both the audit mid semester and the ethics essay...i performed better than i expected in audit...which is good i think...but being me...i sort of then hope i would have done better than that...u know the feeling that since u are able to achieve something, u thought u would be able to achieve something even higher than that? lol...in a more concise context, i think its what people call greed...on the other hand, been a bit disappointed with my ethics essay...it was bad...argh...i really dislike the assessments of this unit...yes...the lectures and documentary and tutorials are alright...but the essay and poster are just crappy...sigh...expecially the poster...why should it be worth 25%...its a bit too much isn't it? hate it loads...getting a bit of a conflict with this unit of study...i don't even know why i am doing this anyway...

have to go and 'manage' my emotions for now...its a bit all over the place...sigh...uni...what a phase of life...

today started off as a horrible day for me...when i woke up, i saw the sky was orangey in colour...it was so similar to a sunset but being me, i did not think much about it...thought it would eventually go away...i even thought it was haze because i saw something similar to this in malaysia before...but there was no burning smell...and then i realise it was a dust storm...and now...

Reasons why i hate dust storms:
1) it makes the sky so orangey and the visibility is so low that it feels like the end of the world is approaching
2) the layers of dust that could be found EVERYWHERE...on cars, benches, windows, staircase...u name it...
3) it makes u want to sneeze and cough...the air particles flying through the air makes it hard to breathe at times...
4) i had to wear a mask...something i have not done for years...and be careful and pray that no dust will irritate my eyes coz it makes matters worse since i am wearing contact lenses...
5) i have to sweep my room again to make sure i dun keep breathing in dust...

lol...think that's more than enough to substantiate my dislike for this natural phenomenon...

other than that, i had a great time last weekend...enjoyed the company of mabel and her friends during their short stay in Sydney...was so much fun...now i realise what i have been missing out on since i came here alone...its nothing like having friends with you in a foreign place...but i will not regret...i love Sydney and this will still be my ultimate choice to stay and study...i love my uni too much...lol...we had so much fun just hunting around for good food...we never stopped eating and had almost 5 meals and 3 dessert times on the last day...the other days weren't much better either...i have never eaten so much since i arrived here in Sydney...lol...sigh...wonderful experience...will definitely miss those times...

Argh...haven't been updating my blog for weeks now...so what's new in life?? erm...nothing much I guess...gosh...I am such a boring person...nevertheless, there are a couple of things to share now...

today as usual...i attended my ethics lecture...one thing i really liked about this lecture is the clips shown and also the discussion at the start of the lecture about some current events in the news..and first up today was the difference in pay gap due to gender...well...it was a normal discussion at first...students were giving their opinions and stuff...and we moved on to the 2nd topic about sex ads on the radio...just then, this guy raise his hand...he said he wanted to respond to the first issue and the lecturer was all for it, asking him to go ahead...and he came up with this shocking solution that stunned the class before the class erupted into discussion...guess what he said...to reduce the pay gap, ALL women should stay at home and not work...OH MY GOD...i was so shocked I only realised that I had not misheard anything when the other girls in the lecture hall were shouting shame on you etc...i mean...i had to look at him for the 2nd time to check if he was from some Arab nation that still treated women as second class humans...we are supposed to be in a democratic society and pushing for more human rights...yet here in class, one student from this society of ours delivers such an opinion...how can this be a solution??? i would never figure out...it looks to me like an avoidance of this problem...just because you can't run as fast as others does not mean you should quit walking altogether and rely on the wheelchair...SERIOUSLY...even in tutorial later most students were discussing about it...the lecturer at that time was at a loss for words...poor guy...he just said he would respect the right to speech and opinion and said that the student's opinion was extreme..no one dared to second his opinion...the other guys did not dare to do so...my tutor was equally surprised at that statement after some students in my class briefed him about what happened in the lecture...well...that was the crazy thing for today...

hopefully, future ethics lecture will be as interesting as today...that guy better not say anything like that again...or the girls won't be as forgiving as today...

I think i have a serious problem...I seemed to be withdrawing from the world around me...i mean i hardly go out and socialize, hardly talk to my cousins and relatives, not keeping that much in touch with my family back in Malaysia, hardly talking to my other friends as well...sigh, it definitely sounds bad when I list out all these stuff...what is wrong with me??? i'm sure i am not feeling homesick...i don't really feel lonely...i'm comfortable with the idea of staying in my room the whole day...argh...seems like my whole life is centred around me! i hope im not sinking into a depression or something...i mean people won't know when they are sinking into one right? and since i am aware of stuff like this, so I'm not really that depressed right??? crap...not making sense now...

I need to do something more meaningful with my life...i just feel like doing something that will make an impact on my life...something that I will remember maybe 10 years from now...i see some of my cousins that are really into ambitions...with the amount of qualifications they get and the amount of hardwork they put in...thats the career path that I am not that interested in...i have no desire to be the richest or the person with the most power in the corporation...and i don't think I can achieve stuff like that either...so thats out...maybe this is the part where i should say something about finding the purpose in life...yeah...come to think of it i probably should...well...its a random thought for now...have to recollect myself and get my degree 1st before i start thinking about deep stuff like that...

sigh...been in a 'mourning' stage lately...my Godric decided to move on... i just love this character so so much...Allan is such a talented actor...portrayed Godric perfectly...although he only appeared for three episodes, he managed to capture a lot of attention...i swear it's not just me...and this is THE impact u want if u appear only temporarily on a series...can't wait to see more of him in other movies...i will even venture into some Danish movies if he acts in it...lol...crazy crazy...

anyway, I finally did something interesting today..i attended the forum organised by the Student Representative Council in relation to the fight for international students' right to travel concession...on a side note, the lecture room in the New Law Building was awesome...i triple love it...i even took a picture...there are mics in front of every student...how cool is that? lol..ok i may seem a bit outdated but I can't help getting excited over nice new things like that...the current situation in NSW is that international students are not allowed travel concession despite being a student...and travel concession allows an individual to pay only half of the price of a full fare ticket...and this means a lot...a return to the city cost 9.60 during peak hours and 6.60 during non-peak hours...do the maths and u now know how much one can really save...

anyway...they invited a lawyer to brief us about the issue...and here goes...before 1989, international students were allowed travel concessions...but after that, the government changed the law and prohibited such privileges for international students...during that period of time, this lawyer and other international students brought up this case against the government...they went all the way to court and they won..it was ruled that this constituted racial discrimination and cannot be allowed to continue...and i didn't really get the part after that..but it was something like the government paid the students a lump sum of money and ask them to quieten things down...anyway...this unlawful discrimination went on for more than 10 years...until in 2006 when the government changed the law again and made it LAWFUL discrimination...now that does not really come as a surprise, right??? so after 3 years, the universities and private colleges have decided that enough is enough...they have formed the Cross-Campus Concessions Coalition (CCCC) to gather in the support of both domestic and international students in protesting against this issue...and now the most exciting part, there is going to be a rally on the 2nd of September...a march from University of Technology Sydney all the way to the State Parliament to hand in the petition...lol...im so going to join in...this is the kind of student activity that would never happen in Malaysia...even if it happens, be sure to bring a mask...never know if they would use tear gas on u...but anyways, its nice to always see students on campus fighting for different rights etc..it just brings ur attention to small trivial things that u take for granted in life and question ur beliefs...question ur ethical framework...and i think this is the exposure that i always wanted to experience...now i know why some students always return for more degrees...uni life is just too fun to say goodbye to, right?

ahh...thought of commenting on my current favourite TV series True Blood...

well...I am so very fascinated by the character Godric on the HBO series True Blood...just a bit of background information, Godric was only a minor character in the books...he was a teen vampire who was so very old according to vampire age (the appearance of vampires reflects that of their mortal life before they eventually become immortal) and was guilty of child molesting...In the end of Book 2 of the Southern Vampire Series, he decided to do the greater good and chose to meet the sun...which spells death for a vampire...

now in the series, the character Godric has taken a major twist...he being the maker of Eric and the oldest and most powerful vampire currently existing...despite his power, he is only a sheriff under the rule of the Queen...though he could have easily become king of any state if he wished to...however, Godric adds a spectacular flavour to this storyline...with his calm demeanor and smooth but authoritative voice, Godric simply commands attention from the moment he appears on the screen...not withstanding the stark contrast between his youthful appearance and the soul of a wise and experience vampire who has walked the earth for more than 2000 years...his complex character from trying to convince his kind to treat humans as equal yet snapping the neck of a human as if it was a mere animal that offended him is truly intriguing...him claiming to be older than Jesus...him taking up the role similar to Jesus in trying to enlighten the others by reminding them of their once present humanity and convincing them of the possibility of coexisting alongside the human race further accentuates his difference from the other vampires...

but looking at the direction this character is taking, I am almost positive he would be written off soon...similar to the end that he faced in the books, I think he would eventually choose to sacrifice himself for the greater good..in the process evoking the humanity deeply buried within Eric..I dare say I would not be the only one who watches with a pang of sadness when this takes place but I think this is the only way for this season to conclude beautifully...I truly enjoy the scenes that showed the strong bond between Godric and Eric..Eric shows deep concern for Godric's wellbeing...the exchanges between both of them showed that Eric indeed treats Godric as a fatherly figure, so very different from the antagonistic connection between Bill and his maker, Lorena...Eric's loyalty to Godric also touches the heart ...his devotion and utter willingness to heel to Godric shows that there is more than that of the bond between maker and child...it shows Eric's true respect to Godric from deep down his cold and silent heart..

ahh...how I wished they won't kill Godric off...his character is just so beautiful to watch...the actor did an extremely good job in portraying this ancient vampire...love love love the newly transformed Godric...way better than the book itself...i shall miss him dearly..

favourite lines from this episode:

Sookie: "He is your maker, isn't he?"
Eric    : "Don't use words you don't understand"
Sookie: "You have a lot of love for him"
Eric    : "Don't use words I don't understand"

Godric: "I am actually older than your Jesus. I wish I could have known him but I missed it"

 

well...first week of uni is not always pleasant...and why is that so??? practically because i am lazy and still can't recover from the holiday mode...sigh...the good thing is i managed to squeeze all my classes into 3 days...it's a bit of a relief i guess...

the three subjects i am doing this semester are Auditing and Assurance, Business Information System and Management and Organizational Ethics (i know! what kind of subject is this? well...its basically teaching us how to do the right things..lol...more of a moral type of study...i chose this subject only because i wanted to complete a management major and it fit well in my timetable)...

of the 3...i think the subject i liked the least is Business Information Systems...i dread the drawing of diagrams and models...the lecturer for Ethics is funny Swedish guy...with his accent etc...the only thing i dislike is that he always picks on people to answer questions...and i don't think i am the type that can answer promptly when someone shoots a question at me suddenly...i don't think my answers make sense half the time! gosh...but i like the way he ended the lecture yesterday...lol...was really funny...we were talking about Corporate Social Responsibility...so things about who should bear the responsibility for the company's actions etc...and he suddenly said something about quoting Uncle Ben from the movie Spiderman...there were question marks above my head instantaneously...i thought i heard wrong...but he continued and said" and i quote Uncle Ben from Spiderman: "With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility" "...lol....was so funny...i nearly burst out laughing...don't think the scriptwriters would have thought of lecturers using this statement when teaching about ethics...

sigh...2 days ago there was a fatality on the train lines...affected the ones i use to travel on...because it happened during the morning rush...things were quite bad..loads of people were late, trains were delayed etc..its sad that things like that do happen...

its been a gloomy morning today...that applies to my mood as well...i can't believe i used to think winter is the best season of all...after coming to Australia, i realised how wrong i was...and now i am proud to say that my favorite season is summer...give me back my sun! haha...

and the recent switch of science and maths from English to BM policy...honestly, i am really disappointed that they even thought of this...I used to think how lucky my sister and her batch were because they got to do theirs in English while we had to do ours in Malay...i practically can't see a single benefit by switching it back to Malay...lol...what will all the 'distorted' spelling of science terms etc...seriously, the access to the greater bulk of knowledge in science and maths are in English...this applies to books, internet etc...i side with those that think this is a move backwards...blaming teachers who can't teach well in English is the lamest excuse ever..if students can study in English, why can't teachers be trained in English?

After being in Australia, I realised how lucky i was to be able in speak 3 different languages...compares to the native Australians and China students, we definitely have a upper hand here..not mentioning the other dialects that we are fluent in as well...a tutor of mine once asked the class whether anyone could speak more than 2 languages...out of 20 people..only me,another malaysian and the tutor herself were able to...it definitely helps when ur trying to meet people from other countries..lol...

sigh...this past week has been pretty bad for me...what with the being conned incident, test results, weekly quiz etc...gosh...as usual...feeling a bit lost lately...losing focus and been thinking too much about other unimportant stuff...often comes back to one question: what's wrong with me?...i mean seriously..i need to take a break before i collapse completely...is it too stressful? apparently not...i still have loads of time to space out...but there is just something missing to complete the puzzle that i have yet to figure out...confusing thoughts here...please forgive my horrible narration of it...

have I mentioned the fact that Aussies seem to have a very 'family' life? haha...their baby bonus is working from the way i see it...everywhere i go i see young mothers and prams...and being the sentimental me, i started thinking about my own childhood...not that i have a fantastic memory...i can't seem to remember even half of it...i must have hit my head real hard when i was young...but i have some memories of me spending time with my grandparents..ahh..sweet memories..they cared for me so much when i was young...walking me to my kindergarden, taking to the parks when i was small...haha...i even remember an incident when i played with some knifes in the kitchen and got cut accidentally...remember them hovering around me, trying to find medicine, bandages etc...i think i was crying anyway...and grandma accusing grandpa for not looking after me...sigh...i wish i really knew how to appreciate their care and love towards me when i was young then...but i guess i just took it for granted...

gosh...too many random thoughts for today...thats it for now...to be continued when im feeling better..lol...

First of all...RIP Michael Jackson...even though I never really paid much attention to him as an artist..I still reckon he deserves respect and recognition for his great contribution to the music world...sigh...he died too young, so sudden and unexpected...only knew about his death when i got hold of the evening papers at the train station...guess this is a constant reminder to us that life is so fragile...like a candle in the wind...anything can happen the next minute...i maybe complaining about the tough coursework i am facing but who knows what could happen tomorrow? i might not even have the chance to lament..how ironic yet true...but i think he did live life to the fullest..a great life although tainted at some points in time...sigh...no one escapes death...it's just a matter of time...but why are people afraid to die then?

anyway...back to my small and private life...lol...had a great time today...went out with a friend to do some shopping...and we went to watch Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen...It was fantastic...love love the action, the jokes along the lines and the funny scenes...the cinema wasn't packed because we went there quite early...overall A rated movie...hope i can watch it again sometime...lol...shopping was ok too...things here are not that expensive if u don't convert to RM...and then we went to Market City in Chinatown for dinner...didn't really plan to go there for dinner...but I couldn't resist the temptation...as it was Friday, there was the usual night market selling all types of stuff...like a smaller version of pasar malam...the difference is that there are loads of different food...like japanese, chinese (n i mean from china...like the dragon beard thingy??? i have no idea how it taste like)...we tried some prawn and crab balls...it was done in a Japanese style...no idea what its called...but it looked really interesting and loads of people were trying it...i thought it was ok...not that great...the insides of the crab and prawn balls were soft...its like mashed..had 4 and i couldn't eat anymore...the taste didn't really appeal to me after that...then we had some fried pork chops...that was alright i guess...n i bought some egg tarts back...ohh ya...had a custard pancake on the way back too...lol...i just love to try new stuff...ohh ya...went to a Taiwanese restaurant in the city too...can't really remember the name but my friend said that was one of the best around...it was famous for its xiao long pao...lol...n really...it was good...as good as the ones i had in Dragon-I...though i can't really compare which one is better...and had some noodles...really good too...sigh...it's always nice to spend money...but hard to earn it...guess i will have to save more and spend less for the next couple of weeks...