MAHSURI LESSONS LEARNT:

5. There's a 2% diff between anxiety (21Hz) and your operating zone (19Hz), channel/control your adrenaline to get where you wanna be;

4. Confidence is key, even if it's faked;

3. You win some, you lose some;

2. Be comfortable being uncomfortable;

1. I absolutely loveeee my friends who supported me THROUGHOUT andddd UCL MSOC!

I cried like a baby.

And I think I wasn't the only one. Hearing people sniff in the crowd while you're up on stage is probably the best gift you will ever receive as a (new) actress. Guys telling you they wanted to cry will probably be the next best thing.

Walking through the crowd after the end of the show and having random people come up to you, telling you how good you were and expressing how much they've enjoyed the show (and also offering and actually buying you so many round of drinks).. was definitely worth putting in all that hours. I believe I speak on behalf of the whole cast. Anna opened a door for me and I'm so grateful for that opportunity.

There were a couple of improv moments on stage for me that I just went for, e.g. I cursed the audience for "laughing" because they, being the typical Malaysian crowd, laughed at their friends line when it was so inappropriate and uncalled for. Grrr. And the unrehearsed "peking" scene and that "omg I it made a sound" thing...? Lol. THANK GOD it worked. Or at least I thought/think it did. Sometimes it's good to just let yourself go, huh?

Gosh... it's been such a blessing working with such talented folk. The dancers were amazing... the actors. The music director. The stage crew. The script writer. The producer. The director. THE EVERYTHING. If I started naming names, I would data-overload the Internet. Gosh... green light from the crowd with a standing ovation (in some parts of the crowd at least), our VIP's smile, our former director, our director, our "rivals" from different colleges... oh it's just too good.

Not gonna be all Mahsuri and humble right now, because I think UCL MSoc just did an effin' good job and I love them so much. Whether it was actually good or not, I wouldn't know (cause I trust my friends were kind enough to hide whatever failness I uh... undertook e.g. holding the baby so unmotherly etc.) until I actually watch the recordings... but we had a blast and we grew closer and that's all that matters. Period.

PS. Some random guy thought I was a medic because of the way I spoke. WTF. CHEMENG ALL THE WAY YO.
PPS. Another random guy thought I was from Oxford because of the way I spoke. WTF. UCL ALL THE WAY YO.
PPPS. Dance dance dance! After party woohoooo! We need more of those! Anyway. 6:01 AM now. Gotta shower and sleep so BYEEEEEE. *adrenaline high, withdrawal symptoms rushing in* *but most probably still gonna sleep for 24 hours*

TIME TO SLEEP LIKE A BABY.

PPPPS. Photographs: HERE.
PPPPPS. Video: HERE. (Although the scene before the curse seems to be missing. I actually enjoyed that scene.)

CNYE.

Ok. Getting a tad bit lazy now. Was going to start on my lab report, that seems to take forever.. but then I started thinking. (Now that's a thought.) (Or something new.) (Couldn't decide which one to go for as you can see.)

Anyway, so my first CNY away from home. No biggie. Right...? I had a Skype conference with the family after their reunion dinner. And that was nice. Saw my grandma and everyone laughing awaaay. Happiness, pure bliss. Gotta love them technology. 

And the people we love back home.

Then 8 hours later, it was my turn to have dinner. I went over to a family friend's place to join their family for CNY Eve dinner. Firstly, their place was amaaaazing. Well, they've got an apartment right beside Thames on Embankment. What more need I say?

Secondly, the fooooood. People are always brought together with food, as my mum always said. Today, the traditional yu sheng (aka prosperity toss) although it was weird because no one was really saying all the "gong hei fat choi", and "nian nian you yu", and "xing xiang shi cheng" etc. (Which was what we did the night before I flew back to London, an advanced CNY celebration at Kai Ma's.) All ang-moh-fied haha. But it was good, cause it was home made. 

And it had salmon sashimi. Oh so heavenly. Also we had peking duck from Four Seasons, mushroom and abalone, roast chicken, char siew, and curry pork?! Ok, food may not be as amazing as ah ma's pong teh duck, but it was nice sitting down together and having a meal with such a welcoming family.

And then we ate oranges (or tangerines if you want to get all technical). And then I received an ang pao.

What's there to miss? HAHA. I even changed my sheets, cleared the trash, brought new year cookies; just to hold on to every bit of CNY... as much as I could. I even planned not to shower tomorrow. The only thing different is that I will be calling my relatives and not visiting them. No biggie. All's good. :)

No, but in all honesty... being away from home has made me realise how CNY really brings family together. Sitting down in a round table, offering to serve the elders, talking; it really brings people together like nothing else can. It's not something money can buy (even though you think it does when your aunt buys you that brand new thing that you've been eyeing at for awhile now). It reminds me of the week back home when I slept over at my granny's at the spur of the moment with my cousins. Quality time sounds cheesy, but it does have an enormous impact, that can only be seen in time. But you probably already know that.

So moving on. Another thing I realise is that, coming to London, I'm actually beginning to understand myself and where I've come from better. And all this through the most commonplace conversations, especially with foreigners (or well, locals, now that I'm here).

I remember this piece of literature I read back in secondary school, about this Malay guy who went overseas and became open minded and stuff. That's pretty straight forward. But what didn't occur to me was how people went out in the world to search for themselves. I told my mum I wanted to do that, go travel alone, do some crap soul-searching. (She obviously said no cause I was a girl and that it was dangerous.) But truth be told, I didn't honestly think I would have been able to accomplish that. You see it in movies, how teenagers spend a month in idk Greece and come back being all grown up, knowing what they want. But really? Although yes, I do feel that I have grown a lot in the 4 months I've been here in London; mostly in terms of independence, communication, finance, and drama lol.

But not in the sense that struck me today. And it's stupefying simplicity.

When you talk to other international students, they tend to ask you questions that you take for granted. For instance, "What is the demographics of your country?", "Why are love letters called love letters?", or "Why do people give oranges during CNY?" Trivial, it is. But how it becomes amazing is when you're being asked these questions, you don't know the answer to it, doing research, and formulating sentences to explain it to people, and understanding what you're saying, and becoming aware of the underlying principles, ethics, standards, ideals, morality, societal values that comes from your own culture, customs, habits, traditions.

Anyway, it's 12 am now and 8 am there and I'm calling the mum and the aunts and the cousin now so you gotta figure what I wanna say lol. TTYL! 

And HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR FROM LONDON! Love lots. :D

J'habite á Londres.

Sorry I haven't had much to say lately! But JUST in case you're wondering, I've been great. I did this a weekend or 2 back when I thought I needed a break from everything. Some alone time.. t'was nice. I walked from Goodge Street to Tottenham Court to Covent Carden to Leicester Square to Charing Cross to Embankment to Sounthbank; basically my UK version of my favourite SG MRT Walk. Hehe. Took some pictures (I think I've improved. Or mebbe it's just my awesome baby 17-55 f/2.8. Haha.) and it was great. Being alone. Having space to breathe. Haha. I'd recommend it some time. 

Anywhos yep! Enough chatter. The Busybee will TTYS! ;)

D is 12 Hours of Awesome Company.

When:
A is 1 pyrex->pot of cheese fondue;
B is 8+6=3 uber-retarded people;
C is £55.95 worth of groceries from Sainsbury's Local;

D is:
8 Chemical Engineers solving the "how to fondue w/o a fondue pot" problem;
2 "credits to the chef" Thanksgiving turkey mayo sandwich;
a lip-smacking pan of sausage-fat mushrooms;
a chopping board of tender-licious rare steak (or bird);
a mini jam session;
many exciting rounds of minute mysteries and (SG) observational problems;
*DON'T OFF THE LIGHTS!* but we already did;
candles and proposals and fireballs
a 4 AM kaya bread/CM's finger supper/snack;
the Horribly Slow Murderer with an Extremely Inefficient Weapon;
with iPhone surround sound;
our dinner ending at 5.13 AM;
our 6 AM wittiness on FB;

and most importantly ♥ ♥ ♥

*refer to album title please and thank you*


♥
An Alton Knight aka MMOP Detective

Thanks-turkey-giving Dinner at AT127J!!!

BEST THANKSGIVING EVER! ♥♥♥
And it's not just because it was my first. :P

PS. I love my flatmates hehe.

I'm telling you this not because you do not know; it's simply because we need to be reminded sometimes.

I hate how people get all smug/full-of-air when they're telling people something as if the person receiving this "god-given" advice is d.u.m.b.

No, I'm not a victim, yet, but I do see it happening a lot and I just don't like it much. People need to realise that sometimes their advice works, not because they know more; sometimes, it helps just because people forget. There should be no reason to patronise for the same amount of knowledge you guys share. 

Of course, recollection is a powerful tool, tempered by speed. How much we bring to our conscious mind is essentially the "useful" information that we have, which we use as linkers. I'm one to believe that it is the said "linkers"or ability to remember (fast) that gives an intellect intellect. 

How? Well, I'd draw you a diagram but.... uh on request. But okay, if you think about it:

Exams. You look at the question paper, you say, "die". At the end of the exam, you get a big fat F. You look at some smart ass' solutions and you go, "OMG WHY DIDN'T I THINK OF THAT!?!?!?! @#*!$%!??!"

Why didn't I think of that? Why didn't YOU think of that? You KNOW that already, but why didn't YOU think of that? 

Why didn't you remember? With the information that was given, why didn't you link it to the ones you already had in your brain to produce that easy peasy solution?

Well yeah, that's just something to think about. Whether or not memory is an intellectual property, god-given (talent) or something we can and should work on, I still think people should be more humble.

*********************************************************

ANYWHOS STORY OF MY LIFE:

I've been so so so busy! Just today -- French, Transport Processes test, Tennis match (which I won heheehheheheheh sorry I'm so happy it's just cause I'm not in the team and I haven't been training but I played better than people on the team), Drama practice (thank God no Dance today), Intro to Chem Eng coursework, Management presentation, Engineers without Borders meeting prep, AIESEC.

It feels great tho -- mega holistic learning. I've got my acads (I scored 85 on ICE LOL but I'mma fail TP), I've got my sports, I've got my music, I've got my performance arts, I've got my financey shiz (I went for this Trader's Convention £60 but I got in for free hehe), I've got my engineers/social work shiz, I'm being independent and shiz.. and I think I sorta have a social life HAHA. My flatmates have been great and I'm going for Espionage (clubbing event) and Valmont (another clubbing event) the following weeks to come!!!

Ahhh... my life seems so perfect right now.  Juggling so many things have helped my self-esteem. It's a good busy.  I had a good break at Alton Towers with Shum, Cheryl, Darren, and Khai Chien. 90 degree Oblivion roller coasterrr! But yeahhh... not that it's a huge impact on my life but mum's getting me the 4S heheheh! 

Gosh... it's as if my stars are aligning. 

Not that I'm complaining. ;)

So yeaaah #busybeebusyme hence cutting things short and signing off now. 

TAKE CARE EVERYBODEH!

PS. I never thought I'd see this day, but I just realised how much I love running. in the cold. from my flat to campus. cause 1. you get out of the cold fast, 2. it warms you up, 3. it's sorta healthy even though it's only for 30 seconds. XD

PPS. Things I need to look at: fear, pressure, and performance. It was mentioned by Robert Hall at the Trader's convention. It was a really good talk, key takeaway you gotta "be comfortable feeling uncomfortable" and that "success is an alignment of skills/knowledge and mindset". Hopefully I'll be able to give myself a break to think about how it affects my tennis games soon cause my problem of 5-1 up to 5-7 defeated was/is really affecting me.

PPS. Okay, bye.

PPPS. Oh I went to see Priscilla Ahn again!! :DDD She remembers the photo we took (not us, unfortunately).

PPPPS. Okay seriously bye now.

Oh god I've got so much on my plate right now and I want to do it ALLLLLLLLLLLLL!

Well, I wish I could.

But I don't think I can.

So here I am blogging about it. :/

And trying to cross stuff off. :(((

1. M'Night - Drama - Lead
2. M'Night - Dance - Hip Hop - 1 of 8 selected ???
3. Engineers without Borders - Committee (Events)
4. Engineers without Borders - (Long-term) Overseas Project (Brazil) ???
5. Economics and Finance Society - Ambassador
6. Musical Theatre Society - Glee
7. Musical Theatre Society - Dance
8. Musical Theatre Society - Drama
9. Tennis
10. Lacrosse
11. COURSEWORK + TONNES OF E-MAILS + PRESENTATIONS + FRENCH
12. Awesome Flatmate Activities :D
13. Reading Week Getaway + Partyin' Partyin' YEAH! XD

In many ways, I consider myself really blessed; the opportunities here are amazing! It's like I had a problem with saying "yes" in Junior College so I'm now trying to overcompensate. HAHA. Feels like secondary school all over. When I had a problem with saying "no". XD

But you should really see my calendar right now. It's the first time I actually need to calendar my life. And every time someone asks me out, I'll have to say, "Oh let me check my calendar and get back to you." Like some pompous ass. Or mebbe it's my bad memory gone worse. :S

I planned for EWB to be my core co-curricular activity... but it seems M'Night is taking over lol. But yeah... I was keen on EFS because I think I can make/find a career out of it. But I suppose that will have to wait till next year. 

Jeez. I'm probably worrying too much about my future right now. But then again, if I don't plan (at least for this coming year's schedule), I'd be soooo screwed. Zzz.

Okay coursework first/now bye!
Oh wait. I need to book the weekend getaway first. Zzz.



PS. How I got here? "Shut your brain off and just do it" -- it works awesome. :D
PPS. I must say, it would be awesome to have it more evenly allocated though. Timeline-wise. RAWR!
PPPS. Omg. No more personal life lol. 

Ok. Follow up. Cause it's just amazing how I'm playing a character I grew up with.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahsuri



PS. Note how she's supposed to be "the most beautiful woman in Langkawi". Rawr. People are gonna start bitching about me. Zzz.

I didn't have to scroll very far down... ._.

Ok, I lied about the emoticon. It's more like XDDDDDDDDDDDD! Hahaha my roommate can/will tell you I haven't been able to stop "oh my god"-ing away. And she will also speak of my inability to form proper sentences. HAHAHA. Omg. I know it's just Malaysian Night, not the productions of Chicago or something... but I'm so glad. Mainly cause I've always wanted to try acting (not just our Form 3 sketches for fun or play-pretends way back when).

It's just such a strange feeling... I don't even know how to begin comprehending this sensation.. Is this adrenaline rush? Cause I sure am quivering like how James McAvoy lost his control of motor co-ordination in Wanted. Anyway I love this feeling. Heh.

BUT SERIOUSLY! I didn't even plan to audition for this role! I tried out for a less important part. A lot less challenging too cause it takes place in the modern world. Just your typical "I like my best friend but he likes someone else" girl-next-door. I guess easily related to that. Then the "directors" asked me to just try some scenes for Mahsuri (Langkawi legend, look it up!). I thought it was a bit too drama-mama for me, given I've never done any sort of serious acting in my life before.

But wow.

Although this means I won't be able to join the dance. The routine was pretty cool. :(

But WOW. 8D

NOSTALGIAAAAAA!

Description's on ze YouTube video page. ;)

The most inspiring thing happened today!

Well, for starters, I couldn't move out today because HAHA THE FUNNIEST THING HAPPENED A COUPLE OF HOURS AGO! My cousin and I got locked out of the flat. (For 2 1/2 hours.) So we started talking about why asians are smart academically but they don't create* awesome things like Apple. So we started talking about Steve Jobs. Then started dancing. Then started acting. Then started talking in weird accents. Then started singing self-written songs. (Y) ttm. XD

BUT that's not the awesome part. Oh, btw, I went to my cousin's Qualifying Session Dinner (which is a main meal we asians usually call "lunch") today. It was awesome. It was held at Lincoln's Inn Church(?) and it was pretty grand. Harry Potter-ish. We met 2 sisters who were absolutely hilarious! They kept poking at each other. The older sister taught French and she said I actually nailed the "r" when I tried speaking to her. She was really nice, she said I've got a good accent, which is rare for non-native speakers. SO YAY!

BUT AGAIN, that's not the awesomest part. Okay, the awesomest part was sort of the first paragraph(?). 

ie. I got locked in a room. And I found myself setting myself free.

Like in doing accents, 

I stopped saying "I couldn't do the American accent" 

and started playing around with it 

and now, according to my cousin, I'm heading on the right track! :D

Like in dancing, 

my cousin stopped saying "I can't dance for nuts" 

and started actually dancing 

(to our own "Apple Bottom jeans, boots with the fur" 

and Footloose and Grease and Hairspray lmao)!

Like in singing self-written songs, 

I stopped saying "I wish I could write songs" 

and started singing pretty decent lyrics!

So I guess what I'm trying to say is that sometimes the most unimaginable things may actually help you with something you've been trying at or have given up on. 

Perhaps it's cause we've been giving ourselves excuses/things-to-do that we've been putting it off?
Perhaps it's cause we've been taking the traditional approach and it just didn't work out for us?

I don't know, but so yes, TRY SOMETHING NEW! Every month! Or every week! Or EVERYDAY! (Like lock yourself out for instance!) You might just find something new* worth pursuing seriously.  ;)

Moving out of your comfort zone has always been tough.

At least for me.

But I'm gonna embrace this.
This coming Sunday.
When I shift into my hall.
Arthur Tattersall.
Quite a lot smaller.
And I'll be sharing the room.
But it's now 25 seconds to school.
Instead of 25 minutes. (From Langton Close.)
Or 40 minutes. (From Bayswater.)

So.

YAY! :D

Plus I went for some audition for some play today.
And I think I did pretty well.

FINGERS CROSSSSSED! ;)
With more to come!

Today is Slack Day! ;)

Or WAS Slack Day. Hehe, all I did was.. well, slack. Sat in the same spot most of the time, just surfing the web, playing the guitar, watching Friends. Yeah, it was mostly pointless. But just doing stuff without thinking felt really good. We all need that sometimes, don't we? :D

But yeah.. speaking of relaxing, I do need to learn how to loosen up (in appropriate situations/times ie.) during intensed moments. Cause I usually don't realize it until it's game over. Which becomes too late. Anyone with tips out there? It's pretty much my usual "up 5-1, lose 5-7" fail (tennis) battles. I suppose I should have spent Slack Day figuring that out. But bleh, it's Slack Day! :DDD

Okay, this post is getting pointless. But before I go, I just wanna say I did do 2 (sort of) awesome things today! ie. I cooked salmon with teriyaki marinate and some vegetables with prawns for dinner FOR MYSELF. (I usually am too lazy to cook if I'm eating alone.) AND. I watched my first French film! Not that I understood much in French, but like my tutor said, it's good to immerse yourself in French accents! Hehe. In fact, I now know that Adele is a French name, and hence, you DEFINITELY pronounce it as uh-dell (because of the e accent aigu), instead of my dear friend Aly's interpretation of add-del-leh (like Adelaide). XD

Anywhos, yes -- The Extraordinary Adventures of Adéle Blanc-Sec! 

Too funneh. They do leave extremely cute/smart touches. I WANT MORE FRENCH TITLES PLEASE! :D

PS. To those who got back to me regarding how-to-meet-new-friends, I'm glad it helped! Means a lot to me too. Heeee~ Will try to do more productive things as we go along. But of course, Slack Days will be an exception. ;)
PPS.  On the end note of Slack Day, I have 4 coursework due this weeeeeek!  Ahhhh! (Okay, it's not as much as SG, but STILL!)

The good days just keep coming in. ;)

Okay. Awesome update(s). For me, at least. ie.  It pays to fight/try for what you want, becauseeee............. I JUST CHECKED OUT OF LANGTON CLOSE!  Hehehe. Going to be moving to somewhere A LOT nearer in a couple of days. So yeaaaaaaaash! Hehehehehhehe.

Oh, the other update. I just came back from EWB (Engineers Without Borders) Social Dinner. And it was good. Had a buffet (which was overpriced to me cause I didn't even go for second helpings) at the Indian YMCA and I found out the  pretty cute looking guy  (I would just die if anyone I know in my class sees this) that was sitting beside me in class today was from Bermuda! And he speaks French too. Haha. Okay random. But anyway, after buying booze (which seems to really be the normal thing to do here in London) and going to that dinner, we went to The Court (We being Shum (Yes like Harry Shum Jr.! :D), Seth (BERMUDA! Always liked that name. Heh. :D), and I.) where we had even more drinks. Well, some of you might have known  I recently decided that I hated beer,  soooo it was cider for me! Although doesn't really help in cutting down alcohol intake. But gosh, they do smoke a lot. D:

Anyway, I think one of the things that really got me feeling greattt... is . that .. hahaha. I helped a blind man across the street. I think it impacted me a lot because.. you don't really see/do that in real life. At least not in Malaysia.  So as strange as it sounds, it felt amazing being able to ask "do you need help crossing the street", even if it's really the littlest thing. 

But yeah. I'm happy. :')


PS. Oh yeah, definitely more names again today. It was like a bunch of ang mohs at the pub except us 2 asian girls. They were all smoking. Tsk tsk. But still, ;)

iHeart UCL('s Timetable). :3

How to meet new friends. :)

DISCLAIMER: It's not 100% guaranteed to work for everyone cause lotsa factors usually come into play when meeting new people. Eg. diff scenarios, events, etc. But it DID make me learn 20 new names and faces today! And I think that's pretty amazing because although I don't show it, I'm a reaaally shy person. So yeap. It's a bit wordy. Wanted to draw a mind map. But got lazy. Anyway, stick around at your own risk! ;)

Okay. Meeting new mortals. Firstly, if you're not around a quirky/geeky group, please don't call them "mortals". 

HAHA. Okay sorry. On to the real deal. Heh. Oh, of course, they're not hard and fast rules, just what I did for today.

======================================================================

Preamble:  Where will you be going? 

A social event - well, it IS supposed to be social, and it helps if everyone doesn't know everyone yet heh

A park - dogs work well as starters

A queue - talk about how long they're taking

I guess what I'm trying to say is that you can meet people anywhere. I know it's really obvious but I just have to emphasise the fact that it's really up to you. But I wouldn't recommend clubs (unless you want a hook-up) because it's so dark and loud, no one really remembers who is who, unless you're damn hot and outgoing, in which case you prolly don't even need to be reading this.

Anyway, you'll realize that Step 1 applies in cases where there's a planned meeting. Steps 2 and 3 apply to both planned and random meetings. So... uh, onwards we go! :)

Step 1:  Be early. 

I suppose it helps when you're one of the first ones there because when people start coming in, they would automatically talk to you. Or rather, it would be easier to talk to them. It's simple probability. Also, I find it harder to jump into other people's conversations once they get so engrossed. Just think about how you're like when you're with your own comfortable group of friends, laughing and talking away, enjoying the moments. You wouldn't want anything/anyone to change that, would you?

Step 2(i):  Make eye contact. 

Stop playing with your phone, pretending to be busy! (It's useful, but after awhile, you're just stuck friendless.) Eye contact is really important, because without it (even if it's cause you're shy), it does come across as "I'm too cool to talk to you" or "I'm a loser I have no friends". 

Step 2(ii):  Smile. 

I used to always tell my mum, "a smile costs nothing but creates much". Lord knows where I learnt that. But it's true! If you're going to put your ego first, then please, do stay as a loner. If you're expecting someone to do that first, you might be waiting your whole life.

Step 2(iii):  Say "Hi".   NOW. 

Now's your chance! If you've already done (i) and (ii) and you've seen an insy winsy reciprocity, SAY "HI" NOW! Talk to them! Don't put the first move in someone else's hand. Because only you know what you want. Shut your brain off. (Asha's bright idea in doing stupid things.) Stop thinking about the "what if"s. Can you tell the future? NO, YOU CAN'T! (If you can, please give me the winning lotto tickets kthnxbye.) NOW, is really important. Because the longer you wait, the harder it's gonna be. The awkwardness is not going to help.

If you don't have luck the first time, move on, and keep your chin up high, because you wouldn't want to be friends with uptight bitches anyway. If you're trying hard to make it to the in-crowd, gosh I dunno, stop trying so hard, it scares people away.

I guess this bit can be quite tricky. Because although you have to give in a little, you do want to make sure that you maintain your dignity. Don't go bending over back just yet, you're not signing up to be a slave or a groupie. You're here to get to know these people. You're equal, and you don't owe them anything. So it's very important to know where the lines are.

Step 3:  Be interested. 

I think sometimes we get so caught up in not wanting to be alone and wanting to magically make friends in "1, 2, 3, poof", we forget our primary goals. We make friends when we're comfortable with each other's company; and I think most times, we get comfortable when we start knowing them. So get to know them! Ask questions! "Where are you from","what are you doing", "what is that like", "what is it like from where you're from", "how are you coping"; it's pretty much endless. Be polite. Not dumb. Not pretentious. And I think it helps when you relate their answers to your life, so you make them feel like you're not that much an alien.

======================================================================

So yes. I think that's all you should be needing. But I do have a few more tips I've picked up along the way!

3. In  having confidence  to even go through those steps:

"It's daunting if you think too much. Just do it. Let go of control and you will ace it."

- Adrian

It was more for the acting thing I did last Friday. But the same concept applies. Confidence is a funny thing... it helps so much in all that we do. If we're outright confident-less, we can't get anything done. So just fake it! For one moment, right before you say hi, act/pretend just like you used to play pretend when you were a kid or when you faked sick. Stop being a control freak. Let go of all false fear. Forget all that I've just said, just do it. All you need is to get started, after that everything comes rolling, you wouldn't even notice 3 hours has gone by.

2. In  meeting different races  (like ang mohs):

"Don't go all, 'omg, I want to be your best friend' on them. It says, 'omg, I'm a creep'."

- Kelly

Treat them like how you would treat people of your own skin. Have some self-respect. Why treat yourself as the inferior species? (Please try not to fake accents.)

1. In  overcoming excuses  to skip things like these due to nervousness:

"Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart." 

- Steve Jobs

Like he said, "almost everything - all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure – these things just fall away in the face of death". Just remember that the thought of it is usually always the scarriest bit. Ok, mebbe the beginning too. The rest is okay. :)

======================================================================

So yeap. If you happen to be needing this right now, I wish you all the best! Go in with a positive and hopeful mind and break a leg! Let me know how it works out for you. :D


*** UPDATE ***


Can't believe I left the most important thing out. ie. Forget everything I just said. JUST TRUST YOURSELF! ;)

WATCHING THIS EPIC MALAYSIAN SHIZ IN LONDON IS AMAZEBALLS!

It touches so close to home. From the outright inequality in our system, to racial harmony in everyday life, to the inept public utility sector, to our wannabe Proton cars, to chasing dreams, and to finding yourself. Obviously, much is covered in this mere one and a half hour film. (Laughter included.) In fact, I think what makes it so impressive is that the people working on this piece of art managed to capture it all. (Almost all, at least.)

Sure, at moments I feel embarrassed because some parts can be quite lame. But y'know, I'm okay with it being typically Malaysianly lame. Because we Malaysians are cool like that. HAHA. (Ok. I know that makes no sense. And on an unrelated note, I have faith in our film industry. Sincerely. :D)

Anywhoooos! Take it with a pinch of salt (or sambal) and you'd love* it for sure! (* applies to Malaysians with an open mind and a sense of humour; does not apply to bimbos or himbos who will only look at it, well, superficially, and hence think it's dumb, even though they don't realize that they're pretty dumb themselves)

 Signing off,
A proud Malaysian.

 :) 

First week of UNIVERSITY.

Has been awesome.

I've been sooooooo busy, and I'm not talking about classes. Classes are only 18-20 hours a week, so yeah, I spend more time having fun! :D


Eg.

Monday:-

• French Time-tabling
• Oxford Street with NFF (New Found Friend), Song Hee (from South Korea)
• Lunch at Misato with Jasmine
• Shopping at Soho / Covent Garden / Seven Dial Street with Jasmine
• Dinner at Home.

Tuesday:-

• First day of Classes (Math was nice and slow, allowed our rusty brains to process; Lecturer for Intro to ChemEng was charismatic, looking forward to more; Lecturer for Management Principles was a bit quirky, but oh wells!)
• Lunch with NFFs from Singapore
• Frisbee at Regent's Park with more NFFs from Malaysia
• Dinner with Kelly & Scott & Jasmine & Jan at Manchurian|Chinatown.

Wednesday:-

• 2-hour Class on Transport Processes
• Lunch with ChemEng friends
• Slack at Sarah Shum's College Hotel Room
• Dinner at Macs (for the first time) with Shum
• Pub-crawling from ULU to Roxy with Tennis peeps.

Thursday:-

• 2-hour Class
• Lunch at The Refectory
• Engineering Without Borders Introduction Talk
• Dinner Party at Home.

Friday:-

• Classes for 4 hours
• Slack at Shum's (while trying to learn the American accent through YouTube vids)
• Glee (where we did Viva la Vida, choir-style, which is something new to me; not really my thing, but I'll stick to it for a bit and hopefully learn how to harmonize), Dance (where we learnt a routine to Footloose), and Drama (which was super fun, I felt reborn and free) under the Musical Theatre Society
• Dinner with Shum at Khan's for INDIAN FOOD
• Received my first purchase from AMAZON! :D Okay, it was my French textbook. XD

Saturday:-

• Supposed to be in Chinatown now and then dinner with Jo / BKT at Shum's but I'm so tired I just wanna slack at home. I did cook my own lunch (my vege was awesome) and then do laundry and clean the toilets tho. HAHA so fun! But yeah will be going out to get some stuff in awhile.

Sunday:-

• Spitalfield's Market + Brick Lane
• Frisbee at Regent's Park
• Girls' Night Out with the Tennis Team.

RAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWR! :D

PS. NEED TO START SHOOTING SOONNNNN! >:(

PPS. Moment of silence for the brilliant Steve Jobs. I may not have known him, but he has given us Mac-ers so much. I hope he's having fun reinventing everything in Nirvana right now. :)

I feel fail. D:

I know this is basic stuff. I vaguely remember this being nothing, compared to what we did in JC. But like I mentioned earlier, I haven't quite used my brain (I think there's a grammatical error here somewhere but *referring to previous statement* I can't tell) in 11 months. 

I wish I had my old notes so badly right now, because I feel doubtful. It all looks so foreign. :(((




PS. Yes, I got this online from the UCL portal in preparation for class tomorrow. Yes, Wei Yi's getting her geek on! XD
PPS. But she's still feeling uncertain. :/

***UPDATED***

PPPS. Okay. Looking at it again, it doesn't look THAT bad. Haha. #joke  
(But I still want my notes!) 

***UPDATED***

#help #lol

2nd October 2011.

0930

morning call & cereal for breakfast

- slack -

1200

heat up mum's rendang for lunch

- slack -

1430

make my way to Westway Sports Centre for tennis try-outs

- play tennis w/o mini tennis or proper warming-up so I'm muscle-aching now  -

1630

make my way to Kelly & Scott's with Jasmine for another BBQ cause the SUN is out!

- eat and get fat -

1945

watch X Factor UK while eating brownies and milk

- eat more and get fatter -

2100

make our way back home

2130

receive a text saying:

"If you're receiving this text, it's because we're interested in having you play for the UCL tennis team!"

2131

spring around like I just stroke the lotto

2132

think:

"Drats! Should I still do lacrosse? :/"

- yada yada yada -

1130

read my transport processes notes and getting my geek on

0045

sleep :)

I could get used to this. Heh. Went for my French timetabling today, I still have Monday free yay! But I'm meeting my tutor for 10 minutes next Monday. Zzz.

Anyway, tomorrow's gonna be the first day of classes in 11 months. So what's up first? Mathematics for Engineers. At 0900. After not using my brain for so long, I think you need to #prayforme.

Kthanksgoodnightbye. <3