Deepavali 2016 (29/10/16)

  Deepavali or Diwali is a very special day for Hindus as they celebrate the special celebration good over evil. It is also known as the Festival of Lights. Most Hindu households will place lamp lights at their houses. To me, I'm not a stranger to the occasion as I grew up in a multicultural country so me and my fellow Malaysians observe the celebration every year. I used to observe the celebration back in my high school days and now in college- students use the coloured rice to create an art called the kolam. On this very day, the Hindus will use oil to bath as a symbol of washing away the bad luck and sins. They will have prayers for a blessed Deepavali, everyone celebrates with peace and harmony. 

  Every year, my family and I will visit to my uncle's place in Sungai Buloh, Selangor to celebrate Deepavali. Did you know that I have a multicultural family background? Okay, let's proceed to the scene at my uncle's place. As we arrived at the house, my Uncle Felix was talking to some guests at the garden. When my uncle saw us upon arrival, he welcomed us with open arms. I heard piano in the living room from the moment I stepped into the house. My cousin, Sandhya Tan, was dressed in a beautiful saree made in India. Patti (grandmother in Tamil and my cousin's maternal grandmother) was really happy to see us, especially my younger sister and I. Sometimes we visit our cousins when we are both in KL, sometimes Sandhya or known as Kim Hua in my family will visit us as well during the school holidays. 

    On the table, we have puri, dahl and of course my favourite food during Deepavali is muruku! My Aunt Sheela made them herself. My cousins Shyam and Suraj, Sandhya's older brothers served us drinks and snacks. After eating, I went upstairs to look for cousin Sandhya. She was in her room with her friends. Their mums and Aunt Sheela were schoolmates. They were watching a video on YouTube. Not long after, my sister also came in to join in the fun. We watched a few acapella videos. We loved to stay a bit longer but we had to leave early because we had some important stuff to do. 

  As we were about to leave, Aunt Sheela's school mate, Aunty Diana showed off her piano skills. Sandhya and her friends danced along to the music. What a fun family affair we had today! I wish everyone a very Happy Deepavali! May all the light shine away the evil. 

My Last Day in MUFY (28/10/16)

  Today is the last day for me in Monash University Foundation Year (MUFY). It felt like yesterday when I started to join the the Pre-U programme on 6 July 2015. At that time we had the whole second floor of the South Building to ourselves as if the place it's our "territory". We always bumped into fellow MUFY students when we moved from one classroom to another just like in high school but there was a slight difference. You see in high school, we only bumped into each other along the corridor when we have breaks, gym class or going to the science laboratories but in college when you're heading to the next class, you always bump into your fellow course mates. 

  By the time I returned for the second semester in January, things were changed by a little- the West wing of the South Building had undergone a renovation  for the Sunway Foundation Programme - Foundation in Science & Technology (FIST) and Foundation in Arts (FIA) while the in the middle of the corridor is the Australian Matriculation (AUSMAT) study room. Our classrooms started to scatter all over the place but at that time it was not so bad, most of them were still in the "territory". We just need to get to the North Building early for our next class, usually it takes about 10 minutes to get there. If you are quick, I think less than five minutes will do the trick. If you are second floor of the East Wing, you just need to go to one floor down then you see a door on your left with the words "Exit to North Building". You just go straight and turn to your right, you'll see the lift. 

  The third floor used to be A-Levels' "territory". Now it had transform into MUFY's new office! There even have a study room for the students to do their homework during their break time to wait for their next class. I immediately "fell in love" with the place from the moment I  first stepped into the room. Not only for students to discuss their homework, also students can consult with their lecturers if they had a problem in their studies. Also, there is another short cut to the North Building. If you stepped out of the new MUFY office, you your right and walk straight up to a door. Once you entered the short cut, you turn left , you see the A-Level's office. Then, you turn right you will see the General Studies Room, TES office and a classroom in between until you see a wall with an arrow stated the words "North Building". If you want go to North West classrooms turn to your left while North East is on your right. And again, the place it's no longer available as renovation is in the process. 

  Okay, that's enough about the short cuts to get to your classes the fastest way. MUFY also have some co-curricular activities like the MUFY Games 

, Sharity Carnival and MUFY Talent Quest just to name a few. The lecturers in MUFY are super amazing! Especially the English lectures. I remembered during my first and second semesters, my English lecturers- Ms. Felicia Lee and Ms. Lim Ying Ying, used interesting techniques to make the lesson lively. Sometimes we are divided into groups to work with our class mates instead of just sticking with your own friends. Everyone makes new friends right? 

   If you are not "satisfied" with the score of your subjects in the finals, there is a chance for you an extra semester or which we called the "third semester". Some students think that the third semester is some sort of "remove class" in MUFY but I think it's a chance to prove ourselves that we could better than the first two. The best part is you choose the subject you would like to improve but be warned- not allowed to take more than five. I have no regrets of taking this Pre-University course. It's an experience of a lifetime! University life is waiting for me! 

Adidas Neo Campus Lauch (26/10/16)

  I arrived in college on the usual time, 8.20am. As I was getting my way out from the car, I saw a poster of my idol and friend, Danny Koo from Astro All Stars at the New University Building (NUB) which was near the library. I saw the words "Adidas Neo". Something tells me that I might be reuniting with my idol whom I admire for seven years is coming for a campus visit. I put it aside first as I continued made my move to the MUFY (Monash University Foundation Year) hub as first class was cancelled.

  After settled myself down, I started to do my revision as finals is coming next week. My Globalisation course mate- Wei Jay, as he entered the MUFY student room, he asked me whether there's a class today or not. "No, Wei Jay. There is no class today. Didn't you listen to Ms. Uma yesterday after class that today's class is cancelled?" Wei Jay said "Guessed I left early after the test but thanks anyway!" I said "No problem!" As Wei Jay packed up his bag and left the room. At 9.35am, I made my way to the next class which was Economics.

  We discussed the past year questions. To our surprise, the lecturer let us out early! As my friends and I were walking to the NUB, my mind was on Adidas Neo campaign again. I walked up the ramp and looked at the poster at the same time. After putting my bag at one of the tables, I walked around the university foyer as they were several booths set up by the students. The first stop I dropped by was Adidas Neo.

  Students were trying on the new product. I got my hands on the shoes and it's really comfortable but it was awkward when I went for the test walk because my left foot was wearing my trusted DC shoes and the right one was Adidas Neo. I found out the shoe is very light compared to other products. I asked casually to one of the organisers "Is Danny coming?" One of the organisers said: "Yes, Danny is coming! Around 12pm, you can drop by to say to him." Wow, reuniting with my idol after three months since I last met him.

  While waiting for Danny's arrival, I waited at SUSC's (Sunway University Student Council) booth. The students were kind enough to drop by for awhile. Around 12.05pm, Danny has arrived along with othe ambassadors of Adidas Neo. I was so excited! One of the SUSC students brought me over to the Adidas Neo booth to catch a glimpse of my idol and friend. He was taking a selfie with a student who first spotted him. I asked a lady organiser "Could I meet Danny please?" She said "Yes, you can! But he's changing, he'll come out in a short while," Less than five minutes, Danny was clad with the brand's products.

  "Danny gor gor (big brother in Cantonese)!" I called Danny. Danny was quite surprised to see me on campus. He said "Hey! It's been awhile since we last met! How have you been? Are you a student here?" I said:"Yeah I'm good! And yes, I'm a student here." Puting an arm around me, Danny and U I took a quick selfie as I was rushing to my next class, Biology. I gave Danny a big hug before I made my move.

  In Bio class, we were doing our revision as I realised I left my jacket at the SUSC's booth. Luckily, my bio lecturer let us out early as some of them were having a Chemistry test. Genieve and I took the lift back to Ground Floor.

  Once we reached, I quickly walked over to the SUSC booth to retrieve my misplaced purple jacket. As I was walking to the waiting area, I saw Danny was at the photo booth taking some pictures with the students along with some big props. That made me to stop in my tracks to say hi to him, again. I squeezed my away to the photo booth. I took the iPhone from Genieve as I handed it to Danny. We took another picture. I had the chance to ask him a question which has been in my mind for a long time. "Can I sing a duet with you one day?" I asked. Danny said "Yeah, sure! One day, you pick a song yet?" I said I haven't. I wanted to talk more but I realised I was "blocking"other students. Before I left, I said thanks to Danny.

  What a an amazing day I had! A mini reunion and day out with Danny just gave me the best earliest  19th birthday present! I respect Danny as an artist as he has the passion for music and created so many videos throughout his eight years in the music industry. He is so humble and has a child's heart when he is around with children when hosting kids' programmes. He is one my idols that I look up to in the music world.

Practising Buddhism (21/10/16)

  After Biology class Genieve and I walk to the Lecture Theatre at the New University Building (NUB). You might think that both of us are going together right? Well, I'm the one who was going not Genieve, she's  just dropping me off to the talk is held by the Sunway University Buddhist Society (SBS). We invited Datuk Seri Victor Wee (he's a Malaccan!)  from Taylor's University Lakeside Campus to give a talk on how we can apply Buddhism in our everyday life.


 
When I arrive at Lecture Theatre 2 (LT2), I knock on the door. Hon Pong, the president of the society notices me through the small transparent glass on the door as he signals Yee Tang to open the door for me. I quickly make my way to the front seat. The chair is really tricky to pull out as the bottom of the seat has some kind of spring which makes the chair to reposition to its original place. That really concerns some of the seniors as they are worried whether I will fall of the chair or not. Everything turns out fine.




  Datuk Seri Victor Wee talks about relationship between us and the people we interact in our everyday life. First relationship between couples (husband and wife & BF and GF). "Why there are young couples ended up in a divorce nowadays?" Datuk questions us. "Because during the dating time, they were so blinded by love. By the time, they got married, they found out their true colours and it will end up in a big fight and arguments. That's when divorce steps in," Now I know why my folks didn't want me to be involved in a relationship. That's one part of my question has been answered. For husband and wife there are four kinds which are:
A male ghost with a goddess (Husband is bad but the wife is good)
A female ghost with a god (Wife is bad but the husband is good)
A male ghost and a female ghost (Both husband and wife are bad)
A god with a goddess (Both husband and wife are good)


I bet everyone will pick the last one. Everyone wants a happy marriage or relationship.


  Moving on to friends, teachers and students as well as family. On family, parents must set good examples to the children, giving them unconditional love and spending time with them to make the bond closer. Also doing good too! If a parent drink a lot or smoke, the child might follow the footsteps when he or she grows older. In school or college, teachers and lecturers are the source of knowledge for students as they educate the future generations as they will run the country (it doesn't matter which profession) in years to come. Not just educating them through books but also protect them from danger.


  Friends on the other hand, we have to choose the ones who care for us, concern about, giving advice when times in need, providing the biggest support. Guiding us away from evil. Not the ones who downgrades us or even left you when you're in trouble and not accepting for who you are as a person. The reality is nobody is perfect! We have our flaws and strength, we need to accept and learn from it. If a friend who is not worth it, just walk away. You don't need give him or her a snap when you two pass by, give them a big smile with warmth. I'm sure they will regret one day.


  To promote peace, it's like planting a seed on the ground and water it with love. When the trees grows, we can spread the love not the hate unless some people want to do the other way round. The talk ends with Q&A session and a small prayer. It's lunch time! You guess it! Free vegetarian lunch at the new cafeteria. My lunch can't go without tong sui. Datuk Seri Victor told us about his education journey. He did his degree at University Malaya (UM), proceeding his Masters in the UK and finally his PhD in the US. He reveals that he is a Professor in Hospitality and Tourism which brings much delight to Jia Jin as he is doing the course.


  After lunch, we visit to the Pure Land exhibition at the Art Gallery, Level 1. We go into a special room where the walls are filled with sketches of lines. The fun part is when we use the iPad (borrowed from the exhibition), we can see the statues of Buddha and other work of art from the Middle East. It's really amazing! The exhibition is until 25 October 2016. Grab your chance and get ready to be transported into a magical world of wonders! Don't forget to sign the book too! What a fun day!





 

Interfaith Talk at Sunway University (13/10/16)

  Just left a few minutes before my first class ends, my phone vibrates while I'm watching a Youtube video in  Globalisation class. While my lecturer is not looking, I take a peak at the SBS Member Group chat through WhatsApp. Our president, Hon Pong sends a picture of the scene of the talk at JC 3 hall. The talk ends at 10.30am so that hits me want to go as well. At 9.42am, Ju Lynn and use the short cut which is the bridge that leads to the New University Building (NUB). Luckily, we didn't use the lift at the university building of the campus. The dialogue is organized by Sunway Student Council.

  It's an awkward moment when I enter the hall but nonetheless the students are kind enough to offer me a front seat of the hall. I got a great view of the stage although my neck hurts when look up at the screen. Anyway, I settle myself down before turning my full attention to the speakers.

On the big screen, there are four speakers who represents each religion. Mr. Wong Chong Tat is the consultant of Young Buddhist Association of Malaysia (YBAM), Mr. Jason Leong is under the Christians for Peace and Harmony,  Master Dr. A.S. Varadrajan is under the Malaysia Hindu Hendu and Dr. Wan Adli Wan Ramli from University Malaya. Not forgetting the moderator of the dialogue is Mr. Terrance Lim.

  Each of the speaker takes turn to talk about their respective religion. This is very interesting! I thought. Mr. Wong speaks about greed and hatred, how should we avoid them. For example, someone takes up the parking lot when you are about to park the car in that very spot, just because of that you get down from the car and start a massive argument with the person who takes up the parking lot. It's because of the words "You" and "I" in that argument which divide us apart and we don't want that to happen. Another example is the experience of Mr. Wong going back to his hometown.

  Mr. Wong took a midnight coach back to his hometown. Suddenly, the bus met an accident with a car. He said "I was also one of the kei po ci (busy bodies) to have a look. I saw a Malay man who was seriously injured so I asked the two Malay men beside me to say some grace to the victim to not think about the pain," That was very touching move made by Mr. Wong. Besides that, Dr. Varadrajan speaks about his family history. He mentions about cancer patients have a vegetarian diet. "If we eat roti canai but inside of the flour there is no nutrient at all! Same goes to us, please take care of your health," He also adds "When you step out of the hall later on, I bet some of you will forget immediately," The hall fills with laughter.

  Mr. Jason Leong mentions about is better than justice. Through his experience as a lawyer, he says that in a court there will be a winner and a loser. If a sensitive issue has brought up in the court, it would be a big case to handle and there's no win-win situation. Mr. Jason also mentions about the false news that see on the Internet. Now, the Internet is so widespread there are a lot of false news every now and then. Finally, the floor is handed Dr. Wan Adli. In Islamic teaching, he mentions that we have to accept each other for who we are. 

  Token of appreciation are presented to speakers when the dialogue comes to a close. Lucky for me, I got to stay back for awhile to ask Mr. Wong a few of my personal experiences in college. Like the "friendship breakup" back in April. "Some of the students don't accept us for who we are. Like you for example, you have physical disabilities. Some of them think you are a burden to them so they said a mouth of hurtful words to you," He also adds "What you can do is just walk away with pride and find the friends who accept you just the way you are because in Buddhism, we always give them words of blessings," My question is finally answered!

  Four religions during the dialogue but makes up one huge success! It doesn't matter which belief we are in, as long as we live together in harmony and unite together as one!

Melaka's Got Talent 2016 (1/10/16)

  After trying out every talent show hosted by colleges, universities and TV shows, I wasn't chosen in any of these talent show this year, the star in my hand almost slipped off, but Melaka's Got Talent Show lighted up my star again. That made me went back to the stage and spotlight. Prior days to the competition, I got a call from the orgarniser to get the confirmation of my performance.

  At around 12.45pm, we hit the road to Cofeology Cafe & Restaurant. We reached at the destination. There were tables arranged outside of the cafe for the contestants to sign up. My name was in the list so I just signed my signiture on the paper.

  I stepped into the cafe, my grandma noticed a familiar girl from high school. "Really?" I asked as I proceeded to the performance seats. There were a lot of contestants getting their music to be sound checked. I just looked around my surrounding. The place was my first girls' night out with my best friend, Yu Xuan.

   As I turned my head, I saw Jacklyn, who was my schoolmate for 10 years! "Hi Jacklyn!" I said. We both embraced into a big warm hug. "It's been a long time! How are you?" I said:"I'm doing good!" We caught up a lot on what we were doing these days.

  Not long after, contestants were being called to the "backstage" for a briefing. The organiser said "Most importantly, you guys have fun and enjoy the spotlight! Break a leg!" We wished each other good luck.

  As planned, we started the performance. The first one was singing followed by the rest such as dancing and ball dribbling. There was a performance which warmed my heart because they lost a friend and they dedicated a song to him.

When it was my turn to perform, I stepped up with confidence because I'm at my favourite place where it's the stage. Let me take a quote from High School Musical 3: Senior Year "The stage is a wonderful place," I performed the theme song A Step of  Distance (一步距离) by Astro Star Quest 2011 champion, Geraldine Gan. It was from Astro's 2014 hit movie- The Journey .

I was "honoured" to perform in front of the VIPs. Jacklyn performed Rolling in the Deep by British singer- Adele. Unfortunately the last contestant didn't turn up which led to the end of our show. Time was left for the judges to calculate the scores. 

  While waiting Jacklyn and I did have a little fun by entertaining a few songs. She sang Missing You by Hailey Stainfield while I performed Let's Get Out of This Town by country singer- Carrie Underwood. We were asked to come back to our seats as the judges announced the winners. Third and second places went to both singers respectively. The winner of the talent show was Drummer Boy.

  Everyone got their certificate of participation for being a good sport. I had lots of fun! I met a lot contestants who shared the same singing passion as me. I'm looking forward to more performances in the future.