Sunway University Malaysia Fest 2017 (14/9/17)

  Sunway University Marketing Society (SUMS) and Sunway Rukun Negara (SRN)  joint forces to hold Malaysia Fest in conjunction with the upcoming Malaysia Day which is coming this Saturday, on 16 September. The event took place at the NUB (New University Building) foyer. I had half a day to myself before my lecture started at 12.00pm. Settling myself down, I decided to walk around to warm up my legs, after spending two hours in the library.

  The stalls were setting up and some of them had already started their business. They had a variety of Malaysian snacks from muruku to mua chi to the famous rojak and of course my favourite, cendol! Since I'm from Melaka, I gotta taste the dessert. It turned out the coconut extract was a little salty. Salt prevented the coconut extract from decaying. Overall, it tasted good! It made me felt that I'm back home all over again. 

  What's with a festival without any performances? Sunway Chinese Independent School Alumni's (CISA) students were bringing the 24 season drums over to the university foyer. A big fan of the drums, I tried a few beats with my bare hands before they shifted them to the stage. I had a chat with Ming Han, who taught me how to play the drums during last week's Clubs and Societies Carnival. The first performance was a traditional Malay dance. 

   I was having lunch with my primary school friend, Colleen, at the university cafeteria. The beat of the drums started to play, my attention shifted to the performance. "You really like the 24 season drums performance, do you?" Colleen asked. "Yup!" I said. Organisational Communication lecture ended an hour early, so my friends decided to look around the stalls, I just tagged along. I bought a small box of mua chi. 

   Caren and Stephi bought fish ball kebabs and Taiwanese noodles respectively. We headed to an empty lecture theater to watch The Internship. It's their group assignment for Organisational Communication. Some of our course mates also dropped by to watch the movie as well. Just left about 10 minutes to another lecture class, we headed back down to the ground floor. 

  

  

《爱。成长》粉丝见面会 + Nick龚建华生日聚餐（10/9/17）

  出席了《爱。成长》微电影的首映礼，今天有机会和演员们见面。而且我们提早庆祝Nick龚建华的第二十四岁生日！爸爸放下我和妈妈在Njoy Planet Cafe之后，建华他已进去里面了。我第一位见到在门口是Winson林胡昇。在首映礼他也是我见到的第一个演员。“嗨，Winson哥！” 我和他打招呼。

  一踏进咖啡厅的哪一刻，桌上摆放了小礼物和可爱的蛋糕，另一边则有小吃。咖啡的小厅有柜台让客人们为自己倒一杯饮料。迎接我和妈妈是今天的聚会主角—— Nick！“嗨，Katelyn！” 妈妈问他几时生日，Nick说：“阿姨，我的生日是在9月16日。是下个星期。” 我补充他是马来西亚日宝宝！

  于是我安顿在座席区把自己安顿好。我看了身后以粉丝会颜色为主的气球，就拿起智能手机拍照。妈妈把制作卡片给我，Nick经过我身边的时候，我说：“Nick, this is for you！” Nick一脸惊喜接过我手上的卡，“你亲手做的？” 我点了点头。他一脸认真看我写给他的祝福，还开玩笑：“你下次透露我的岁数，我觉得 ‘老’ 呢！”

  我还唱一小段的《青春的印记》给他听。Nick说：“你那么快会背歌词？如何在短时间内把它学好？当时我学的时候，花了一段时间才把歌词背好。” 我傻笑，说：“听了两、三次就学会了。” 他说：“下次见到你的时候，要听你唱《蔓延》哦！”

  我不禁哈哈笑。还在二十来年的，还年轻啊！“你今年几岁了？在哪里求学？” Nick问我。“11月的时候，我二十岁了。我就读在双威大学。” 他说大学的环境不错，这我也无可否认。我说：“图书馆是最佳的温书地方，尤其是喷水区。” 待会大家到齐，主办单位才点算人数。我们被邀请到舞台前就座，《爱。成长》的演员们和我们分享拍摄的过程及爆料谁是NG王。

  问答环节的时候，主持人问我要选谁？我不知道要选哪个演员，我还在犹豫的当儿主持人说：“哪你就问Newman蔡长葆吧！” 我直接点头。游戏时间开始啦！每位艺人找位粉丝为伙伴，可是Scarlotte一直找不到人选，我和她打个眼神。我们分为两组，各自组员要演出微电影里的情景，或是复制情景。游戏的尾声，参与者各自得了一个小礼物。

  我们在吃的当儿，他们播放《爱。成长》微电影。演员们也通过社交网站做了现场直播。不久，我们到回舞台区为Nick提早庆祝他的二十四岁生日。《青春的印记》播放时，我熟练把歌词唱出，Scarlotte对Winson他们说：“她会唱呢！” 我也再次傻笑。

  快乐的时间总是过得快，转眼间聚会来到尾声。我也和演员们一一拍照留念。我很开心参与首场的粉丝聚会。

《爱。成长》首映礼（9/9/17)

   昨天我在正在整理电邮的时候，我看到辣手网寄过来的信箱。打开一看，我赢得了《爱。成长》首映礼的门票！下午三时三十八分就寄过来了，过于忙大学功课的我差点忘了自己有参加有奖答游戏的比赛。

  我们送妹妹去舞蹈课后，就前往去Pavilion KL。一路上，我哼唱《青春的印记》—— 《爱。成长》的插曲。爸爸放下我和妈妈后，我们到询问处如何要去Golden Screen Cinema。服务员说：“走向你的左手边就是最附近的的电梯了。” 我们乘坐到五楼，拐一个弯就看到《爱。成长》的宣传海报。

  到柜台处，工作人员问：“你是属于谁的歌迷？” 我说：“Nick龚建华。” 他们在名单找了几遍，似乎我的名字不再里面。幸好我有印出了比赛的证件，他们看了就说：“这是辣手网的。请您稍等。” 不久后，工作人员在证件上再三确认才让我和妈妈进场。我正在等妈妈的时候，不时往楼上看，Winson林胡昇在阳台。他向我挥挥手。

  我从洗手间出来，只见Winson和慧瑜和几个人聊天。我走上前向他们正式的自我介绍：“你们好！我是陈袈文来自马六甲。” 我和他们合照，还跟Winson自拍。之后Winson说：“待会里面见吧！” 我说：“好啊！” 再到回戏院就座。

  由于一些技术问题，微电影无法按照时间播放。但为了“安抚” 在场的观众，他们播放《爱。成长》的原声带。演员们和观众见面，他们也解释在微电影里饰演的角色。微电影播出之前，来个大合照吧！我转过身子的时候，竟然遇到四年没见到的洁莹姐和界辉哥也有出席！Jordan哥也不例外！

   令我伤心的一幕是华仔（Nick龚建华 饰演）因病情严重得在医院的加护病房观察，状况不是很乐观。在一旁李家的龙凤胎—— 李筱明和李筱宁（何若瑄 饰演），在病床旁告诉华仔他一定会康复的。我差点流下了眼泪！电影的最后一幕是华仔的手动，似乎从昏迷从清醒过来。电影播完还有幕后花絮。我离开之前，Newman蔡长葆和几位粉丝在说话但我却被妈妈拉走，她说：“你在外面可以和他们拍照啦！” 

   我踏出戏院的时候，第一位见到的是Newman，“你好！” 我说。他说：“谢谢你来捧场哦！” 我只是傻笑说：“不客气！” 不远处看到Nick, “Nick哥！” 他看到我，说：“Katelyn，谢谢你过来！” Nick、Newman和我拍了一张照，我 “调皮” 接过Nick手中接过了花束。也有和Nick自拍。我走之前，给他一个温馨的拥抱。“我们明天见哦！” 他说。我说：“好啊！” 

  我在中学是一个怎样的学生呢？不是学霸，也不是校花。我只不过是你的 average high school girl，但我是留下深刻印象的学生—— 这是我留下中学的青春印记。无法出席首映礼的朋可以到YouTube收看哦！让我们重温中学青春的印记吧！

The premiere of Love.Life 

Promotional poster of the Love.Life 

Winson Lim, plays the "bad boy" in the film

Meeting the cast. Left: Newman Chai , Right: Nick Kung 

By MY Side the Movie Campus Tour at Sunway University (7/9/17)

  We were having Organisational Communication lecture, Ms. Serena asked the class whether any one of us in the lecture theater knew the people from JinnyBoy. The class nodded and some of them were whispering among themselves. They were on a campus tour to promote their first ever movie called By MY Side.

  I got to know about the event while I was browsing the News Feed on my personal Facebook page a few days ago, but when I looked at the time, it stated from 3pm to 5pm, that made me hesitated a little because it collided with Communication Theory and Practice lecture. Luckily, only one tutorial group had to attend the lecture while the other group was excused because we had ours during the Tuesday tutorial.

  We were given the green light to leave the lecture theater early so we had enough time to grab lunch before heading to the event. I practiced the 24 season drums until 2.50pm, I packed my stuff and headed to JC 1. I bumped into Sean, who was my junior since primary school. I had to say it was a St. Davidian day out, well sort of! The room was pitched black as they were playing past YouTube videos of JinnyBoy. Sure enough, the hall was packed with students! We had a hard time to find a seat but luckily the usher reserved a seat for me which was right in front. Phew! What a relief!

  Once the VIPs came in to take their seats, the event started at 3.04pm. Nadia, who was the host of the event came on stage to greet us. A thunderous roar was earned from the students. "Okay, if you scream loud enough, we'll bring the guys from JinnyBoy!" Sure enough, with our loud scream the guys from JinnyBoy- Jin Lim and Rueben Kang came on stage. They introduced their production team and shared their experiences from producing a good video to what it's like to be working on the team.

  The moment we had all been waiting for- the appearance of the cast of By MY Side! Including our very own Sunway student- Arwind Kumar, was one of the casts in the movie! Ah, most of you want some movie spoiler right? Well, it's based on a Malaysian high school love story and showcasing the life of Malaysian high school students. It was time for the Q&A session! I took on the first question to the two main characters- Ben and Faye, played by Brandon Ho and Marianne Tan respectively, what can they learn from their characters in the movie, which earned  "ooh's" and ahh's" in the hall. Every student who asked questions to the cast received a goodie bag.

  "Wow, that's a very good question!" Jin said. Marianne said what she learned from her character, Faye, was how to be a strong and independent young lady after graduating from high school. Despite she and Ben (Brandon Ho) being away from each other, she still believes love- believing that Ben and her will have a happy ending. She has to stay strong for their relationship. Ben, on the other hand, he learned that being in a long distance relationship has its challenges. You have to trust one another, also making your own decisions.

  The event ended at 5.05pm, a group photo is always the best way to end the last movie tour. What's with a movie tour without the meet and greet session? I was one of the last to meet the cast of the movie. Marianne was so down-to-earth and Brandon was handsome and I had a mini reunion with Arwind! I took selfies with Brandon and Marianne. I kissed Marianne and Josephine on the cheek! The best day of my life! A warm hug from Brandon too!

Thank you for making my dream come true! This Malaysia Day, let us take a step back in time to reminisce the good old days of high school. I may not have a first love now but somehow time will tell.

C & S Carnival Cycle 2 2017 (5/9/17-7/9/17)

  The final cycle of C&S Carnival 2017 at Sunway University College has come to an end. Let's take a look at the highlights during the three-day event.

  On the first day, everyone was getting ready to get their booths set up at the NUB foyer (New University Building) and some of them were at the college's boulevard. On the eve of the event, we had to attend a briefing to draw lots for our location to set up our respective booths. Unfortunately for Sunway University Buddhist Society (SBS), we didn't get a good spot as most of us were at a youth camp and studying for exams especially ACCA students. As a result it was last-minute planning.

  After my lecture ended at 10.00am, I waited at the Sunway Chinese Culture Society's booth. Around 10.30am, Chia Tee and I headed to the boulevard. Our booth location was right at the end of the boulevard, near to the Graduate Centre (GC). I took care of the booth until 12.00pm because I had a PR lecture to attend. Luckily, the lecture ended an hour early so I went back to the booth to check on the progress but sadly no one came by. But at the end of day 1 of the carnival, I got my hands on the 24 seasons drums (In Mandarin: 二十四节铃鼓).

   The second day I dropped by the booth for awhile after I took the mini quiz for Organisational Communication. As every Wednesday, I had a full day of tutorials from morning till afternoon. Luckily I got the quiz done early, so I did have a little time to spare. I was planning to practice the drums when the tutorial ended, sadly they were already kept for tomorrow. I even auditioned for SunVoice Season 2 held by the Chinese Culture Society, I didn't make the cut to the top 30 but it's okay! At least I had the chance to be on stage.

   The third and final day of the C&S carnival, SBS decided to take a day off because during the last two days, our response from the students were not active and due to our location of booth, it was not the strategic place, so I helped out at Chinese Culture Society. Since it's located at the NUB foyer, it's an opportunity for me to practice the drums and learned some of the new beats from the students of Sunway CISA (Chinese Independent School Alumni).

  Well, that's all for now! We'll see you at the next C&S Carnival in 2018!

First Day of Year 1 Semester 2 (21/8/17)

  After a month's break, it's time to hit the books and head back to university for a whole new semester. Along the way to Sunway University, I'm super excited to head back to campus because I can't wait to see my course mates. Every new semester, only lectures are conducted in the first week. While waiting for the rest of the class to arrive for the first lecture of the second semester, I take out my iPad to watch yesterday's Evening Edition on their official Facebook page.

 At 7.53am, our Graphic Communication lecturer, Mr. Lyon Laxman has arrived. I put all the gadgets away except the iPad and iPod because I use it for lecture slides and self-attendance respectively. The lecture ends at 9.45am, the first lecture of the day has concluded. Kaz drops me off at the university foyer and he heads off with his friends for lunch.

 I have nothing to do so I just sit there and observe the students' behavior, just pick up the good traits. It's also a good thing to evaluate yourself as a person. So the next time when you are alone, slow down in your steps and take time to observe the things around you because observation is the best communication.

  My first day of university also coincides with the Pre-U August intake orientation. I see a couple of students leading a new batch of college freshmen on a campus tour. I have a lunch with my ex-college mate and best friend, Joni at 11am.

Since it's half an hour, I guess singing a song or two will do the trick. With my earphones plugged on, I log on to a karaoke app. While I'm singing, I glance up every minute or two so that no one is giving me weird looks. At 11am, Joni and I walk over to After Black for lunch and catch up what are we doing these days. After lunch we head over to Family Mart.

 I thought Family Mart is a big stall, turns out to be a mini market but have a wide variety of snacks such as dim sum, sandwiches and sushi just to name a few. As this is my first time to Family Mart, I don't know which snack to choose. Joni recommends me to try the ice cream as it is the most popular among the students. I have cheesecake ice cream. It's delicious! Matcha flavored ice cream is the most favoured by the customers. One last bite, it's time for me to head back to campus and Joni back to Monash University Malaysia for her class.

  Wow, what an adventure on the first day of the new semester! There's still more to come

Nalanda Family Fun Fair 2017 (20/8/17)

  The last time I helped out at a carnival was at my high school- St. David High School, Melaka, last two years ago. This time around, I had the opportunity to be involved in Nalanda Buddhist Society's yearly Family Fun Fair. The fun fair was aimed to raised fund for a new Buddhist school called- the K. Sri Dhammananda Centre in Seri Serdang. With this new learning facility, the future leaders in the Dharma will have a comfortable place to learn.

    As I arrived at Nalanda Buddhist Society, Nalandians were doing some last-minute preparations to make sure everything at the fun fair was in top form and not a single time to loose. Under the guidance of the Nalanda volunteers, Sunway Buddhist Society's stall was located in between Y9 (UPM Buddhist Society) and Y11  (Serdang Buddhist Society). Along the way, other participated Buddhist societies were Bodhi Heartz, Monash University, IMU (International Medical University), Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR, Sungai Long campus) and of course the host, Nalanda Youth. Some Buddhist societies hailed from Kedah, Kelantan, Johor as well as Singapore!

   Before the fun fair was kicked off, the national anthem- Negaraku was played and a small prayer was conducted. With the hit of the gong three times, the fun fair has officially begun! Some stalls even started to sell their food as early as 8.50am. Herbal jelly, muffins and butter cookies were on our side. We promoted our products by selling to the participating Buddhist youth societies, later on we shifted our targets to the customers. Since it was the weekend, the fun fair was packed with people from all walks of life.

  Even though the sun was scorching hot, it didn't burn our spirits down as we were doing our best to attract the customers to buy our food and drinks. We took turns to take care of the stall, while some of us walked around the big field to look at other stalls and possibly get our tummies to be fed along the way? As noon approached, we decided to take our products outside of the stall so more customers will buy, especially the Sprite and Ribena combination drink- the perfect way to cool yourself off from the intense heat.

  When Chia Tee, Qiong Fang and Sil Leong came back, it was time for Cynthia and I to get legs stretched out by taking a break as in walking around the stalls and had lunch to boost up our energy. We came back from our break, Bro. Ajit was conducting interviews at the Youth stalls and I was the lucky one to play the "spokesperson"  for Sunway University Buddhist Society. Hopefully through this mini interview, the society's reputation will boost up and attract more students to join the big family.

  The fun fair ended at 4pm, a small prayer was conducted to conclude today's fun fair. It was also an opportunity for participated Buddhist youth societies to know each other, we even exchanged phone numbers and social media accounts for future collaborations. Thank you Nalanda Buddhist Society for the invitation!