Kurtalism

Grim Valediction

2011-06-17T14:43:00.000+01:00

Rain beating down outside, coupled with the sheer emptiness of my room has brought me to the reality that it's officially the end of year one, seeing off my family members one by one until my turn comes.

I'm all packed and ready to go for a weekend of utter polo madness. good bye.

Home time? I ain't got no home!

2011-06-16T01:43:00.001+01:00

Got tid bit emotional while packing, tugging at the intricate fabric woven by reminiscences. Can't believe I arrived the first time with only 20kg (just the suitcase with the yellow tag). This year have been filled with tearing away packaging containing many "first-times". My first easter egg, first christmas and birthday celebrated in England, various stolen items, first taste of alcohol (and it's many nauseating aftereffects), first proper football game, first job, first dance competition, first horse ride and many many more. It has been an eye-opening year, made possible only with the help of the plethora of personas I've met along the way.

I've grown so much in personality, stacking up on the fundamental building blocks of what makes me who I am. Stepping out of my comfort zone and stabbing at boundaries have made me realised how much I've missed out in life or the things I've not had the balls to do before. Spiritually I'm a much stronger person as well. It has been an epic journey in discovering what I, myself believe in and although the results were nothing near what I expected (damn you helen lee! lol jk), I'll just go with the flow.

This is to all the people I know and love, that have rinsed their hands in the sink of my existence, no matter hot or cold, clean or dirty, thank you so much! For my ever so dyslexic and wonderful family of NTC02 (and all extended members!), it has been an honour to be in your presence and thanks for welcoming me into your niche with open arms. It was fun being the asian banana with the streamline face and not-so-small eyes.

I'm going to miss everything and everyone when you all go home. that is all.

Freddo feet?

2011-06-12T15:48:00.002+01:00

Freddo feet - one of the many names given to me when I go on my daily run. Say hello to my VFF Bikilas!

Am absolutely in love with these shoes (?) from Vibram. They're so comfy and it's great being able to feel the ground like if you were barefoot whilst causing minimal damage to the feet. A few people recommended that I get these to help with my overpronating tendencies. I have such flat feet that my arch is probably non-existent (as you can see below)! Probably all due to my childhood days where I didn't even know what shoes were.

So the adaptation to "barefoot" running should help me rely less on heel strikes during landing and instead, use the forward half of my foot more. At first I thought it was all bullcrap but now that I've gotten used to running in them, I'm experiencing little to no discomfort at all after my runs. My calf muscles do hurt like little b*tches though when i push too hard!

Longest I've used them was for the London BUPA 10k run and I coped quite well actually. Loads of people gave me "the look", fearing for my feet when we had to run on cobbled streets. I wasn't at all worried though cause I could feel every single stone beneath my feet, which was an amazing feeling! Planning to use these bad boys for PFT at annual camp so hopefully we won't be doing the 1.5 miler on shite terrains.

Summer times

2011-06-09T15:40:00.003+01:00

Let's play a game called "what is I doing in summer instead of going home to Malaysia".

This should be fun.

Actually it might bore you to death.

Well it's up to you to read on.

Kicking off my summer holidays will be the Norwich Polo Festival (18/6 - 19/6). Yes, I play polo now - the horse kind.

4th lesson in and I'm starting to get the hang of it. Controlling the horse seems so much easier, so it speed and actually hitting balls. So the festival should be good fun, watching real matches and helping out.

Next up, the long awaited CUOTC Annual Camp 2011! Two week long camp involving a lot of shooting, leadership and adventure training, battlefield tour to Ypres and a heliborne assault! I'm thinking best 2 weeks of my life, guaranteed. though i say that about everything..

Straight after annual camp comes a week training with the respected 29 Commandos Regiment Royal Artillery in Larkhill. Preparing myself for loads of beasting and mud crawls. Hopefully I'll come out a better soldier.....if i survive.

Two weeks of TOPL task (24/7 - 7/7) comes next on a house estate in Sussex. We'll be culverting (linked to wikipedia in case you don't know what that was, I didn't at first) and carrying out conservation work alongside English Nature, Sussex Wildlife Trust and Gatwick Greenpeace Partnership.

After TOPL task I'll be flying off to Germany for a parachuting course the very next day. Can't wait to skydive! Possibly in the running to win the title of "best 2 weeks of my life". Just the thought of skydiving excites me and the cost of it all (5 pounds) is enough to send me into a hysterical state of euphoria.

Coming back from Germany I would be doing a lot of shooting, training for the TA pistol championships. Guess who made it on the list! Love firing pistols, something about it makes me feel very much in control. Everything from the aiming and the following through and the sound of the bullet piercing through the target sends tingles of happiness down my spine. woop!

The month of September sees me setting off to the Baltics for some CUOTC sailing (15/9 - 23/9). Never been so far out in the sea before (nor so high up in the sky regarding parachuting) so it'll definitely be a different experience. Paid my deposits, waiting to pay the rest of the fees and then hasta la vista baby, I'll be on a ship mothaflippaz!

And i think this game should end here. Watch this space for the next one, "is I having the summer of my life?"

Blink of an eye

2011-03-26T11:20:00.000Z

How fast time flies, It's almost the end of term! modules for year 1 will cease in 2 weeks and then I'll be on easter break, kicking off with CUOTC shooting camp for a week. Then I'll be spending the easter weekend all the way in Southampton with Sam, who ever so nicely invited me over to spend Easter with his family.

Another thing I'm really looking forward to doing is moving into the new house (click HERE to see pictures)! Living with Josh, Cass, Sam & Ollie will be epic. We've decided to call our new crib the House of Lords, with Sam being Prime Minister. We've also got ideas to dot the house with Union Jack ornaments and table flags. Our MASSIVE garden would be THE place to be in Summer!

Currently shopping for inflatable pools......

Shall we dance?

2011-03-09T09:19:00.000Z

Spent a weekend away in Blackpool, the dance capital of England to compete in the 49th Inter Varsity Dance Competition. It's one of the most major latin/ballroom dance competition you can join as a university student. Representing UEA dancesport, it was such great fun! There were about 570 couples competing in various event throughout the day.

The competition was held in the Winter Gardens, where several world championships have taken place. The Empress ballroom was MASSIVE. It was such an honour to be waltzing, jiving, cha cha-ing and quickstepping around in there.

me & ruth waltzing around the room

The atmosphere in the ballrooms was so unreal. So many amazing dancers from all around England. It was my first competition with Ruth as well so we didn't know how the system worked. You had to qualify and pass 5 rounds before moving on to the semi finals and then the finals. In our category, we had 158 couples so the competition was tough..

doing the cha cha cha

However we managed to achieve 62nd for Waltz, 87th for Quickstep, 7th for Cha Cha & 17th for Jive. It's so apparent we enjoy the latin dances more than the ballroom ones!

the uea team

overlooking the Empress ballroom

hah. asian invasion?

2011-02-28T15:23:00.001Z

ASIAN INVASION is a joint party event organised by the South East Asian, Hong Kong, Malaysian, Vietnamese & Chinese society of UEA. What a way to meet all my fellow asians. It's fancy dress as well, themed Combat style. Time to whip out my katanas & jackie chan swagger!

I've realised though that as time goes by, I tend to hang out with home students more. I have more white friends than asian ones, funny enough. I absolutely love the British culture (you can never be too polite!). I find a large percentage of international students here stick together with their own kind and converse in their mother tongue wayyy too much. To me, coming to UK meant I could speak English more often and improve usability. It annoys me that some students don't even try to speak English?

At INTO UEA, there are so many opportunities for international students to improve their English and a lot of support given to aid them during their transition into university. There's English Corner, which is run by the Christian Union of UEA every Wednesday evening, to provide opportunities for international students to converse in English with the locals, chatting casually and sharing life stories. During my time at INTO last year, there were also movie nights and free English lessons. So I don't see the difficulty in getting comfortable with the language. When I first came I couldn't understand a word my lecturers said, due to the varying accents but I find it so much easier now.

It's all about the amount of effort you choose to put into mastering the language, hence the term - you reap what you sow.

CUOTC

2011-02-08T09:13:00.001Z

A little post about what I do during my weekends instead of lazing around the flat.

From the British Army website,

"The Cambridge University Officers' Training Corps (CUOTC) is a unit of the Territorial Army serving university students in East Anglia. Based in Cambridge and Norwich, we engage in military and adventurous training, and enjoy a healthy social life."

"The CUOTC is dedicated to developing personal and leadership skills in university students in East Anglia. We engage in both military and adventurous training, as well as having a very healthy social life, and aim to teach students skills that are transferable to any chosen career."

"Our aim is not to recruit, but we do encourage and assist those with interest and aptitude in considering a Regular Army career or continuing to serve in the TA after graduation.

CUOTC spent the summer conducting an Annual Camp on Dartmoor and plans adventurous training and expeditions worldwide. Next year it is hoped that the summer training period will be spent in Malta."

The history of the Cambridge University Officers' Training Corps dates back to 1803 when students at the University formed the 'Rifle Volunteers' in apprehension of French invasion.
The Cambridge University Rifle Volunteers (CURV) grew to around 500 members around the time of the Boer War and a detachment was sent to South Africa to augment the Suffolk Regiment, the only university unit ever to see active service.

This action earned the CURV the Battle Honour 'South Africa 1900-01'. The CURV became the CUOTC in 1908.

Joining the CUOTC was one of the best decision of my life. Have met a plethora of amazing people from all walks of life, am exercising more regularly now, been given the chance to handle weapon systems and lastly, acquired skills such as night navigation, map reading, combat battle drills, radio signalling, field craft etc. Moreover, CUOTC organizes fantastic events/camps/trips during our easter and summer holidays (eg. sailing, shooting camp, expedition to another country etc..)!

So, yet another thing to consider joining when coming to UEA. Look out for the CUOTC during your freshers' fair!

OUT.

I'm on youtube?!

2011-01-09T01:52:00.000Z

Short video I did to share with prospective Malaysian students, telling them more about INTO UEA. May have bumbled on a bit too quickly so fire me with any questions or unclear bits that needs more sharing.

Hope everyone had a great Christmas and New Years. My holiday was amazing. Stayed over at a few of my flatmate's homes, did a little tour of the UK. From Braintree, Essex to Haverhill, Cambridge to Banburry, Oxfordshire and lastly, to St. Albans, London. Fun trip I must say, not too bad for my first Birthday, Christmas and New Years spent in England.

May 2011 bring lots of good fortune and prosperity x

University Life

2010-11-23T02:18:00.002Z

Poster on IO, Jupiter's moon, for astrophysics. One of my many modules...

The transition into university from INTO was somewhat pleasant. No big shocks, unbearable flatmates or mountain loads of work (well not yet anyway). I consider myself lucky, am extremely happy with uni life thus far.

Term 1 is about to come to an end and I seriously can't wait for christmas! and my birthday...

new additions

2010-08-25T10:09:00.001+01:00

every premium room is now fitted with a stereo system with a CD player and dock for ipods. lucky new students coming in september!

a very safe safe is also now available in the vicinity of your wardrobe.

i guess there're more reasons now to get the premium room eh?

the last one!

2010-08-19T09:21:00.001+01:00

after advanced maths, it'll be the end of my education here at INTO UEA (if i don't fail that is). 7 more hours till freedom!

i hope my blog has been of help to at least some people thinking of coming here. it has been a wonderful journey, one that you'll definitely experience if u decide on INTO UEA.

thanks for reading all this while!

Cheers xx

final English project

2010-08-12T01:06:00.000+01:00

I'm finished with my project essay and poster! It was such an intriguing and compelling research area. Nanotechnology is absolutely amazing. The wonders it can do is endless......but the potentials for misuse is also quite worrying.

All our (Jan science students) posters from respective research areas will be on public display in the Lecture Theater next Friday (20/8) from 2.30pm onwards. If you're at INTO UEA at that time, come along to find out more about nanotechnology, recycling, drugs, HIV, etc. Drilling us with hard questions is allowed. We do not guarantee answers but we'll try our best.

secrets of a £15 budget

2010-08-07T10:08:00.008+01:00

on average, i spend £15 per week on daily provisions i.e. food (the basic 4 meals per day + snacks). that adds up to £60 per month, plus the £10 on the non-essentials (eg. mobile top up, vending machines, toiletries etc).

basically the secret to a £15 budget is to hunt for the best deals around. some sites offer these services for free (HotUKDeals). I sometimes ask kitchen mates and get the juice on any hot offers or they just tell me coz i'm such a cheapskate.

after a few shopping trips, you'll get the gist of what is cheap and where. of course quality plays a big part in the choices you make but being students living off our parents at the moment, price or quantity does dominate a tiny bit more (unless of course if you're too rich and can afford eating out all the time).

having done my research, the award for my favourtie stores go to sainsbury's and iceland. they cater for my need to save as much as i can without compromising my heavy OTT diet very well. a few shopping trips and you'll start to notice things like sainburry's sells the cheapest free range eggs, cornflakes, oatmeal biscuits and iceland have the cheapest good quality pizzas and milk.

however, they are other factors such as alcohol, cigarettes, night clubs and parties which will indefinitely raise weekly budgets. so even with the best deals around, your weekly budget will still range from £30-£100, depending on level of addiction.

so don't worry about the costs of food and other necessities before coming here, it is possible to keep them at a minimum with some good tips. of course, knowledge in basic cooking skills is very much needed. ordering kebabs everyday won't do your wallet any good either.

distant memoir

2010-07-31T09:37:00.003+01:00

time flies ever so quickly when you're having fun. 3 more weeks till the end of my foundation course. feelings? lukewarm - not happy nor sad. i guess the sadness of leaving INTO and the joy of starting a new life at UEA cancels out each other.

my life at INTO has been a memorable one. my xenophilia fervently introduced me to new cultures, different outlooks on life, mind-blastingly good food and inspiring personal stories. chatting with random people from random places has widen the horizons of my mind, enabling me to be more open-minded and non-judgmental. Note to self: Never trust the media, they blow everything out of proportion. It's utterly embarrassing to discuss about someone's country and getting all the facts muddled up like swampy water.

I've also discovered lots of strange new unknown things about myself. i'm definitely not your average 17 year old, that's for sure! and also am too nice for my own good. living in the UK has unleashed different sides of me, non that are unpleasant, thank god. working with the learning disabled has intrigued my love for philanthropy. launching my online retail store has unraveled a hidden talent in computer design and an incline towards the business-world. can't wait to finish my degree and go into a full-fledged career in business coz' that's where lucre is most prevalent and easily accessible.

i have yet to meet the 'want' and need to go back home to see my family and friends. i guess being too independent has a slight negative impact, you don't miss what you have back home as much. i have this thought of only going back after I graduate or maybe just meeting the family here if they come over. i blame me fitting into the lifestyle here too well.

sigh reaching my 8th month here already..where did all that time go? ~.^

i'm finally getting paid for doing work.

2010-07-23T19:57:00.004+01:00

Today, 23rd July 2010 marks the start of my pseudo adulthood.

Today is the day of my first job interview.

Today is also the day I got employed for a paid job.

From today onwards, I'll be joining a company with 11,000 employees, UK's largest retail sports store.....

As the title suggests, I can't wait for my 1st pay check & the massive 15% employee discount. wish me luck!

impromptu poster making!

2010-07-13T22:27:00.001+01:00

Made this in half an hour during English lesson today.

Topic of the day: "How to do an effective Poster Presentation.."

Not that bad of a poster considering the time constraint. This is for all you new students out there!

Lord Mayor's Celebration

2010-07-12T08:34:00.001+01:00

Said to be one of the hottest day in Britain, no one wanted to miss out on sun time! After being on hiatus for 6 months, the bright sun delightfully showered us with its radiance during the Lord Mayor's Celebration here in Norwich.

It was good to see practically everyone outdoors, enjoying musical performances, street acts and of course, the parade!

the scotts. can never miss them out!

Star wars!

Yan & William chillaxing in the overwhelming celebrations.

Yan (lucky guy) won himself a bear for 20 pence - on his first try.

Enjoying the festive mood..

The night ended with a bang! Awesome showcase of fireworks..

Hopefully the sun retain its sunny-ness this summer!

animal cruelty? no, it's science.

2010-07-09T13:11:00.000+01:00

Christmas came early this year!

Guess what I received?

It was fun opening this little lady up. no, i'm not squeamish. my thoughts? it was like prying open a treasure chest but instead of finding gold, you discover body organs.

at first the pungent smell was too much for me, but it gradually got better. kudos to surgeons. my hand was shaking from fear of cutting off the wrong things.

we named the rat brave heart because of her unusually big heart.

the 90cm long digestive system.

the heart of a sheep.

the right side.

the left side.

and the kidneys.

my favourite practical thus far at INTO. too bad it's the last one as well.

I can't believe everything is about to end in a month or so. it feels like i just got here yesterday. time really flies when you're having fun!

you can never be too nice..

2010-07-01T12:37:00.004+01:00

With the urgent need to balance my time stuck at INTO & seeing the outside world, introducing Bridges Unlimited for People with Learning Disabilities (BUILD).

"BUILD is a Norfolk based registered charity that supports adults, and young people with learning difficulties, and other disabilities. It is led by a peer elected trustee board formed mostly of adults with learning difficulties, and other disabilities.

Through funding drawn from a range of public, private and charitable trust investors, BUILD manages a range of services that include weekly social, leisure and learning activities and community based befriending for adults, integrated community based activities for young people (13-18) and specialist research, training and consultancy services.

BUILD began life in 1967 as the Wednesday Club, and in the last 10 years has expanded to offer a wider range of services that promote equality, confidence and opportunity for its members to help them make informed choices about an active community life.

BUILD today is the facilitator of four core services.

BUILD Wednesday Club Services
BUILD BeFriends Service
BUILD Research Training and Consultancy Services
BUILD Youth Services"

Volunteering for BUILD will be a whole new experience. Went for the Wednesday Club yesterday & absolutely loved it. Seeing the genuine smiles and their uncontrollable urge to enjoy themselves was inspiring. I'm particularly interested in the BeFriends service, where you get matched up with one BUILD member with similar interests and meet up once a month for a mutually agreed activity.

Another voluntary gig I've signed up for is the Norwich Environmental Weekenders (NEWS).

"NEWS meets on Sundays to carry out valuable conservation work on some of the most important and attractive nature reserves in Norfolk. Throughout the year we are involved in various practical tasks ranging from scrub cutting and pond clearance to fence construction. Our leaders provide guidance on the safe use of tools so you don’t have to be experienced to join in and enjoy the work. A walk around each site allows you to see some of its wildlife and enables the leader to explain the work we are doing."

I'm glad to be doing something outdoors and in sync with nature. Getting my hands dirty and all.

Task of the week:

"Sunday 4 July: Thompson Common.

Thompson Common is famous for its Pingos, distinctive pools formed during the last ice age. The reserve itself is an attractive mosaic of woodland, grazing meadows and open water. We will be cutting back vegetation along footpaths across the reserve."

Can't wait to see the pingos!

can you feel the heat tonight?

2010-06-28T20:14:00.002+01:00

Finally, the summer heat is here. temperatures have been soaring since last weekend and i'm enjoyin' every single moment of it! i much prefer the sun over the rain anytime. it's now starting to feel like Malaysia lol. after 6 months of cold weather, it's about time!

Get your sunblocks ready people! do avoid sunburns at all cost)))))

world cup fever..

2010-06-26T22:08:00.001+01:00

Spring break is here! what better way to celebrate the first day than to play some football?

Venue: UEA Sportspark

Players: Science foundation class FR (6 vs 6)

Final Score: 13 - 13 (draw!)

Choosing teams..

It was an exhilarating game! no rules, no fouls, no outs, no mercy.

the fifa world cup isn't the only place where players of different nationalities play football. we had chinese, nigerian, ugandian, saudi arabian, vietnamese, russian & malaysian all in one pitch. in addition, we had women on the teams as well!

D playerzz

cheese!

of course, the day wouldn't be complete without some form of stupidity.

Happy spring break everyone! =)

Live everyday like it's your last!

2010-06-17T09:24:00.002+01:00

Here we have a superbly inspiring speech from Steve Jobs, co-founder of Mac & founder of PIXAR!

A must watch!

Think Different!

2010-06-07T13:55:00.000+01:00

"Here’s to the crazy ones.

The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes.

The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo.

You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them.

About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward.

And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius.

Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do."

- Rob Siltanen

Embracing the inner child!

2010-06-06T15:19:00.000+01:00

Shintaro magnanimously brought some childhood fun before he left for Japan yesterday!

"the super elastic bubble plastic"

kid at heart..

Few of you younger generations might ask....what is SEBP? find out here!