MNMUN Casual Series (25/9/2021-26/9/2021)

 It is back to where my passion for Model United Nations (MUN) began - Malaysia National Model United Nations (MNMUN), we are back again after being on hiatus for a year. For the first time ever, we are going into a different approach, let's just say casually. The casual series is for newcomers and veterans in the MUN scene to have fun and chill out. 

Usually, I would be one of the delegates but this time I decide to switch my role by becoming one of the secretariats. In every pre-MUN conference whether casual or not, preparation is everything! From drafting email templates to sending out emails to preparing the rules of procedure (ROP). The deadline was super tight for the whole team, yikes! 

Since this is a casual series, the delegates don't need to prepare a position paper (PP). All they need to do is research on the topics that are given and debate on the casual series day itself. On the day of the casual series, our opening ceremony is quite chill too! With speeches from the chairs - Hoh Shan and Winnie as well as from the MNMUN secretariats, let's kick off day one of the MNMUN casual series! 

As with any MUN conference, we have implant delegates coming in to spice up debate. I'm almost forced to be an implant delegate to spice up debate but I made my decision that my last MUN, I'm just going to chill. After some consulting with the team, it is best for me to chill and relax, and standby anytime if the delegates need help with some technical issues. 

The challenge in every online conference, we will face technical issues from microphone to internet connection. Always make sure we have all working devices and check before two to three days before the conference. 

On day two and the final day of the casual series, we decide to go on crisis mode in the last session. Crisis councils are big hits in MUN conferences, they are the first ones to be fully signed up. If you're a newcomer and want to try out crisis councils, you can! It will be overwhelming! 

I can't keep my composure at one point in the conference because some of the secretariats switch their roles because they have impressive names. Not sure about my other teammates but I'm laughing inside really hard, and luckily I'm muted. 

Alas, the resolution passes! While waiting for the "news reporters" to settle the story of the crisis. The veterans give some tips and advice to the newcomers in the scene. Always do some research before the conference.  We'll be lost during the debate, but for my first ever MUN conference, I didn't talk much. More of observing and listening. 

Here are some of my personal tips for the newcomers in the MUN scene: 

1. Have the passion and have fun 
2. Listen to rule no. 1 
3. An award or not, it's all about the experience 
4. Explore MUN councils, see which fits you the best 
5. Be kind, humble and diplomatic 

Well, there we have it! One bang on the gavel and the MNMUN casual series is officially done! This marks the end of my MUN journey! When I first joined MUN, the goal was to represent Malaysia at the ECOSOC Youth Forum at the real UN one day, shining a light on mental health, fighting the rights of special needs etc. These are the goals I was aiming for when I stepped in and hoping to be heard one day. 

What is my biggest achievement in MUN? It's definitely attending the virtual ECOSOC Youth Forum in April earlier this year. With MUN, we can be involved in some NGOs. For instance, I'm currently in the Southeast Asia Global Affairs Network (SEAGAN) as well as Malaysia Youth Association for Diplomacy and Policy (MYADP). Even though I'm not in the international relations field, I can use my communication skills to spread the message. 

This is Kar Marn, secretariat team member of the MNMUN casual series, officially signing off from MUN! 

马佛青甲州联委会：线上佛青之夜 2021（25/9/2021）

 过去的佛青之夜，我会从吉隆坡回马六甲家乡到家喻户晓的文化街出席此活动。在新常态下，我们只是要一台电脑或手机，还有稳定的网络线路就可以观赏任何的直播而今年的马佛青之夜也不例外。出席马六甲武吉波浪佛学会线上中秋晚会，我又打开手机收看正在直播的佛青之夜。

如果没有疫情的话，我和马六甲唱享6度的歌手伙伴们会在场所练歌，我们或许站在熟悉舞台展现我们的歌声给大家听。法师们为大家开示后，我们进入第一个表演由马六甲武吉波浪佛学会青年组为大家呈现的《让爱传出去》手语表演。我还记得那时在去年最后一堂的佛学班录制，我转身为老师来教学他们呢。在影片播出当中，出现我们在实体佛学班的点滴，心里想：到底我们再有机会回去佛学会上实体课呢？

接下来就是一群可爱的小朋友为大家呈现《青春幼苗》的舞蹈表演，在线上卫塞节前夕倒数活动他们哦！而在每个表演后，屏幕会出现一系列的猜灯谜让在看着直播的观众有赢奖品的机会哦！另外，我们有话剧表演—— 《疫情下的无名英雄》提醒大家在这非常时期，时时刻刻要遵守防疫标准作业程序，以免病毒扩散。马六甲佛教联谊会青年组，为大家呈现《听我说谢谢你》手与表演。

在最后一场表演出场时，又有一题的灯谜让大家猜测，主持人—— 亿濠和学莉宣布下一组的表演者—— 马六甲唱享6度为大家呈现的翻唱作品—— 《我们的月亮一定圆》。当我看到自己出现在屏幕时，心理开心不已！以前我是在观众席位看他们唱歌，现在成了唱享6度的一份子，到我和歌手伙伴们一起唱歌！劭建和维肯都把画面拍下来。续了表演，现在进行国庆日拍摄比赛线上颁奖典礼。

在播放马佛青的主题曲，线上之夜正式来到尾声！虽然中秋在9月21日已经过了，还是要祝大家中秋节快乐！愿合家团圆！疫情把我们分开，心中的团圆一定有在！

希望明年的佛青之夜，可以到熟悉的舞台见大家一面！大家好，我是马六甲唱享6度歌手的Katelyn陈袈文！错过直播的朋友，可以到马佛青甲州联委会的面子书专页或YouTube 频道观看哦！

EOSMUN 2021 (17/9/2021-19/9/2021)

 A day after Malaysia Day, EOSMUN is back on the road, online that is. This time I'm delegating as the United States of America under the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), the last EOSMUN was held two years ago on the ground. I was delegated to the same council too! I  was delegating as Bahrain. 

As with any MUN online conference, the opening ceremony was held on zoom and the secretariat team made it into a newsroom, I totally loved it! After that, we were "moved" to our respective councils on discord - a go-to platform for MUN conferences in Malaysia. To break the ice, we went through a round of introduction, I'm the oldest in the council while everyone is still in their teens. I felt old! I thought: Should I back off to let the newcomers take over? Well, that is not for me to decide because I have some plans up in my sleeves. We'll know at the very end. 

The first day was really chilled, we did lobbying. For your information, lobbying is like discussing with our fellow delegates and forming blocs to discuss the topics. The action will come in on the second day which we will see in physical conferences whereas in virtual conferences like these, just by listening to the delegates, we could feel the energy coming from the other side of the computer. 

On the second day, unfortunately, I had to miss the second half because I had another event that was previously scheduled. I managed to get all the juicy news from my fellow delegates on the latest progress. The delegate of the UK was getting stronger than ever! The delegates of Canada, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands all came together to plan our next move. 

The delegate UK decided to leave us behind and join the other bloc, which was fine by me. This is my go-to rule when it comes to MUN conferences - always follow the policy of the country we are delegated as unless we are in a crisis council, we can go beyond that, always remember to keep the diplomacy in hand. 

In conferences, I helped the chairs indirectly with the ROPs which eased their roles a little, maybe? In MUN, we always address ourselves in a third person form, for example, "this delegate... or "the delegate of the USA thinks..." unless you're in a youth council representing ourselves, we can use first-person pronouns like "I" or "me" - that would be acceptable. Back to the conference, we managed to end a council session early because we passed the draft resolution! 

During the closing ceremony, the UNHRC was up first. I didn't expect to get my third major award - Honourable Mention. If I were to get an award, I was expecting to maintain as Most Diplomatic, that award went to the delegate of Germany. Anyway, an award or not, the most importantly in MUN is all about the fun and the message that we want to bring to the world. Speaking of fun, I did a couple of Tik Tok videos to document the three-day conference, the EOSMUN team loved it! 

Thank you EOSMUN team, well done and keep it up! A huge thank you to all the delegates in the UNHRC, especially the chair and co-chair Joshua and Muneer for making the council comfortable and smooth. This is Kar Marn, the delegate of the USA from UNHRC, signing off!

My final MUN will be at MNMUN casual series. What are the roles I'm handling next time? Stick around to find out. 

For more EOSMUN details, head over to their IG: @eosmunkl