CONTEST MORTAR BOARD: The Beauty In Ugly

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Muka semangat & tangan macam “the claw”. Klau tengok crita Jim Carrey msti paham.

Miss Bells tagged me.

Saya tag EVERYBODY.

Jungle City One Last Time

17.10.2010

Status: Graduated

Congratulations to all my graduating friends. May our memories together not be forgotten. If not in the head, then digital form will do <3

Universiti Teknologi Petronas in 100 Words

Serene. Green. Taman Maju. Bandar Seri Iskandar. Hot. Humid. Isolated. Competitive. DC++. TV series. Movies. Nasi Lemak kukus. Air cond. Pocket D. Dance Mat Competition. Ipoh.

Swimming pool. Tennis court. Morning swimming laps. Beach ball. Field. Lake. Fishes. Kayak. Basketball hoops. Sports carnival. Convofair. MAKK dinner. Midnight mamak. Birthdays. Midnight trips.

8 o’clock lectures. Academic buildings. Labs. Tutorials. 15 minute classes. 10 minute walk. Cool rainy days. Crazy dance mat competitions. UTP Open. UTP close. Dance classes. Camping classes.

Hot plate. Cooking instant food. Room makeovers.

Mahathir talks. Adjunct lectures. Late night movies. Late night chats. Shopping trips. Groceries shopping trips. Cannonball into the pool. Pool photo shoots. Pool scandals. Beach balls.

Wearing sweater as if it’s winter. Relieved that we’re shielded from rain at academic building. Green green grass. Flora and fauna. Big lizard. Colorful birds. Owl.

Monthly mega shopping trips. Bicycle rides. Rollerblading at the park and falling down. Touching fish. Jogging in the evening. Outdoor carnivals. Jetski on the lake. Mini bike. Go-karts.

Late night laughs. Late night snacks. Mini makeovers and salons.

Exams crikey. Study week. Presentations. Professors and Associate Professors. Drowsy and hungry in class. Backbenchers gossip. Sleeping mates.

It’s been five years, guys. Forgive but don’t forget.

Hamsters Are Too Cute!

Final paper of Final Exam tomorrow!

Thoughts on Graduating

I’m in the middle of finals. That means I’m graduating soon! I’m just relieved that it’s finally over. But I’m ganna miss my friends and the freedom I had here. It wouldn’t be the same. Going back to living and relying financially on parents is going to be tough.

Actually I wrote another post before this one but it was just depressing talking about being nostalgic and how I will always remember the view from the window yada yada. So I deleted it because graduating from college is something big. I made it, we made it. Well, almost.

And we’re officially adults.. Though I still feel like im 18. Must be the time warp in utp.

I’m going to write more about utp before I graduate. You know those Lord of The Rings movies which took about 6 years to film. When they wrapped up filming they said, “LOTR has been a big part of our lives for the past 6 years. We bonded with each other, had fun and created something great. It’s going to be sad to leave all that behind.

Exactly how I feel. But what the heck. 5 years is long enough. Next! :)

Change of Scenery

Yesterday, we went to the beach. The beach didn’t have white sands or crystal clear water. It didn’t even have strong waves. But we went together, we had sun shades and cameras and extra change of clothes. So everything’s good and dandy.

xoxo

Delectable

Hi there. We’re going into 3rd week of final semester. We’re doing good. We’re losing sleep, but not for work yet. We’re scared but we’re determined, like those crazy bungee jumpers at the edge of a steep hill. We’re trying to have all the fun, strengthen ties with all the people and beat the crowd to classes. Because this is our last semester in college, and suddenly we wanna do everything we didn’t before.

New Moon

I thought it’s coming out 20th November in Malaysia. Turns out it’s on the 26th. My friend was really excited about going to see the movie today, since she’s finished her final exams but was all “it’s not out yet…” I’m of course still cooped up in the room a.k.a. nest.

I found this Jimmy Kimmel interview with the trio from Twilight, or rather New Moon fame. Taylor Lautner is cute. The interview is really funny, it had me in stitches. You have to watch. Here. Oh and make sure you watch part 2, 3, 4 as well.

Btw, I plan to watch the movie on the day it comes out in the movies but I’ll be going back kampung because of aidiladha. Tough luck I guess. I’ve watched people’s review on Youtube. I don’t normally do that but this is a special case cause I’ve read the whole twilight series which is pretty much the biggest spoiler already.

Just a short post to break the monotony of RESERVOIR ENGINEERING. *cue scary ghost songs* Ok take care!

Wash, Rinse, Repeat

I don’t like everything that I write. So I deleted. Period. Emo.

Here’s a link to something yummilicious:

Amr Diab! I’ve been obsessed with all this music genres for the longest time. Arabic, Indian, Pakistan, Japanese, you name it. I’ve only gotten a few of them but I like them. They’re like jewels in my playlist! One more paper to go then I won’t be so out of my head anymore and I’ll get to go back to my wonderland. Yippie!

Oh gosh. I’m bein so inconsistent with my writing. I meant to write a lot of stuff but when I just psych myself up to write, I always end up staring at a blank page for 10 minutes. Either that or furiously deleting every sentence I write. What a fruitless effort.

I’m better off rambling this way. I’m actually really good at rambling useless random stuff. Anything that comes to mind just ramble on. In fact in school I was often told off by teachers in class cause I’m always talking to my friends when the teachers were teaching. But my friends didn’t mind you know? Yeah I remember now. It used to be so fun and free.

I also used to talk alot in class during foundation years because I had this one friend who could totally relate and we’d talk on and on and on, like non-stop during classes and other times. Then you know, I tried talking to others also in class but usually the response will be shush. Or wait 5 minutes, I gotta listen to this. I used to think I had ADHD because my attention span would be 15 minutes tops before I got bored and wanting to bounce off the lecture chairs. But over the years, I guess that changed. I grew up into being the person that listens to lectures. Like, whatever.

The funny thing is, I swear I could listen to what the teacher is teaching while I talk to my friends. That happens alot of times. If I’m reading my "petroleum exploration” notes, great ideas come into my head and swimming and teasing me to take a hold of it. I’d start seeing my future pathway, what I’m ganna do after graduation, topics I could write on my blog, new clothes I’d love to buy, my to-do list. I’d also suddenly remember the plates that haven’t been washed, the hamsters that haven’t been fed, the word I was searching for last night, lady gaga’s new song. It’s freaking distracting I tell you. It’s like oh great, when I need my brain capacity the most, all this mumbo jumbos come knocking on the brain door. You know what I mean.

So yeah. I’m heading off now. I’m going to write more hopefully during the holidays cause I’ve got no more excuses then! Take care. xoxo

Rockstar Batch Dinner

So work-loaded lately, I wanna write LOTS but just don’t have the drive.

I’ve always had this aversion to public displays of my personal photos on the blog, hence the lack of photos so far. But I’ve been talking about the dinner here for the past two posts so why not?

This was the look I was goin for, fierce face and everything.

Changed the look a little, and this is what I’ve got:

A Shout out: HELLO YOU TWO!!!!

The shoes.

So yeah. Just thought I’d share. And yeah, it was a great night. An escape from the place of no water, no internet, no file sharing, and gtalk is main communication line because mobile phone’s one is for emergency only.

ok I’ll stop whining now. But SERIOUSLY. SIGHS. I wish they could live up to their name!!

Somebody Asked Me To Post This, So I Did

Killer heels, rockstar night. Enuf said.

Call Me A Rock Star

In a few more weeks, we’re having a batch dinner. I was excited until they told us the theme is “Rockstar”. So basically I really didn’t feel like going because I don’t FEEL the theme. What the heck am I ganna wear to a rockstar themed batch dinner anyway?

gah.. I honestly think the theme is a bit retarded, especially for a dinner. When I hear ROCK STAR, I picture denim, leather jackets, chains, and black eyeliner. You know, pretty standard stuff. Basically, you have to look badass with an I-don’t-care attitude and like you just rolled out of bed and get dressed under 5 minutes with yesterday’s make-up still on. Yeap pretty much like that.

So I went on Polyvore, check out what I found.

Born to rock! by Fleur C. (catching up) featuring GAP

:) by ♥ a l e x a n d r a ♥ featuring Charlotte Olympia shoes

Taylor Momsen of the Gossip Girls fame. Lately she’s been struck by the rock star, or rather rock chick style.

Then we have Kate Moss. Being a fashion model, it doesn’t come as a surprise that her definition of a rock chick is a mix between glamour and sophistication.

Rihanna. Her outfit is very pulled together and it’s my favorite out of the bunch.

… And in any doubt, just refer back to the ultimate rock star.

P/s: I’m talking more about girls here because face it, in real life, rock stars are MEN. Go Google yourself =P Choice number one: Steven Tyler.

The Magical Pull

So let's put it this way.

It’s like when you go on a really wonderful holiday--experiencing the best food, comfortable bedding and pillows, clean bathrooms, 5 star entertainment and in the bestest, funnest company of people.

And suddenly the holiday ends and you have to go back to that drab lifestyle of long hours of work, people pulling stay-outa-my-way faces and horrors of all horrors, stranded in the middle of nowhere. I mean, you know, metaphorically speaking, IF.

You’d think that I’m fairly accustomed to the jungle ways and I am, just that I refuse to CONFORM. By this I mean conforming to ways of certain groups, certain opinions, certain rules. I refuse. The best advice I ever heard is to NOT LOSE YOURSELF.

I SHALL NOT BE UNHAPPY DAMN IT.

That said, I still miss home and that concrete jungle.

I Like to Move it Move it

After finishing one exam paper last 2 days, I was looking forward to have my well-deserved nap and to watch Ugly Betty. As I was ready to hit the bed, suddenly came a knock on the door. I opened it to find my friend standing there, looking very eager and not a hint of fatigue showing on her face; unlike beat-up me.

"Let's go to Ipoh."
"Really? Aren't you guys tired?"
"No.."

Long story short, we end up in Ipoh, lining up to buy tickets to Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa. I loved the first movie, but I had no idea the second one was 3 times more hilarious that I almost had a heart attack. In fact, the cinema was bombarded with laughter every few minutes. Anyways, if you wanna see a cool review of Madagascar, you can check >>this<< out.

We had dinner, then played 2 rounds of bowling which is pretty much the highlight of the day. I think my fingers were dislocated in the end.


Then we went to Tesco(yea we did) to pack up those exam week supplies(biskut marie, tuna mayonnaise). Our last stop was McDonald's because it was the only 24/7 hangout with air conditioner, mamak doesn't count.

I ordered hot milo because they didn't have hot chocolate. (I thought all American franchises are supposed to have hot chocolate???) And for that, I dub McDonald's lame in my dictionary. We had a good time despite buying overpriced fast food.(Hot milo for Rm 3.50 people? Really?)

We reached UTP at almost 1am, satisfied and full. The guards didn't try to ruin our fun by demanding that I stop the car to write the registration number for not having the latest college pass. Thank god.

It was a nice break from the otherwise monotonous week. Now back to real life. One more paper to go and I'll be free as a bird in the wild.

Pictures

Exam starts tomorrow.
I probably won't update for a few days.
Short Hiatus.
Good Luck Mates.
Also good luck to those who are having their finals!

If I Let the Cat Out of the Bag, Will I Get Caught?

Engineering...is the art of doing that well with one dollar

Hellew.
I'm taking a break from studying. (100th time)

How's everyone by the way?

I felt refreshed after getting off the phone with my mom. She told me to stay strong. I dunno about staying strong, but I'm definitely hanging in there.

Obama said yesterday in his victory speech, "Yes, we can!" I was really psyched about it. I was dreaming of going through hundreds of pages of process plant design. (I only got to about 20, or maybe it was 10?) But it's fine. As long as we get something from studying. Rite? Rite?

By the way, I found these quotes online about engineering. Thought I'd share =)

An engineer is someone who is good with figures, but doesn't have the personality of an accountant.- An Arts graduate's view of engineers

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An engineer is someone who washes his hands before going to the toilet.- Anon

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A good scientist is a person with original ideas. A good engineer is a person who makes a design that works with as few original ideas as possible- Freeman Dyson


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Engineering is the art of modelling materials we do not wholly understand, into shapes we cannot precisely analyse so as to withstand forces we cannot properly assess, in such a way that the public has no reason to suspect the extent of our ignorance.
- Dr AR Dykes
British Institution of Structural Engineers, 1976.


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Engineering problems are under-defined, there are many solutions, good, bad and indifferent. The art is to arrive at a good solution. This is a creative activity, involving imagination, intuition and deliberate choice.
- Ove Arup


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Engineering ... to define rudely but not inaptly, is the art of doing that well with one dollar, which any bungler can do with two after a fashion.
- Arthur Mellen Wellington
The Economic Theory of Railway Location (1911)

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Engineers ... are not mere technicians and should not approve or lend their name to any project that does not promise to be beneficent to man and the advancement of civilization
- John Fowler

Thanks Bristol University!

The Difference between staying in college and coming back Home

I'm home!! *Kisses the floor*
I unloaded my stuff from the car trunk and dumped it on the marble floor. Immediately I could feel that my life was changing the instant I walked into my home. The burdened, heavy aura around me was lifted and I felt so light, I could've levitated. College and home is like the earth and water. (I'm not sure which is home, earth or water.) And it's really nice to come home after being holed up in that 5-star lock up.

The faces that greeted me were all smiley and happy, and I could literally feel giddiness seeping into my veins. You won't understand why the heck am I so happy about being home, you probably think I'm hyping it up but I swear, while I'm jumping up and down, my poor poor friends in college are wilting in their chairs.

It is that bad. If I happily announce my arrival at home to my peeps in college, they'll probably plan to murder me. Then again, they might be too busy with calculators and spreadsheets.

For one, in college, there's always a dark cloud of gloom hanging over our heads. You can feel it following you wherever you go. The tension is incredible and hampers all productivity(mine). Coming home, on the other hand, is like a breath of fresh air. Imagine breathing in haze, then in a second, breathing in forest air. Which temporarily causes a personality change.

In college, everyone walks around with a permanent frown on their faces. Especially within one month before semester break. Wait. Scratch that. Make it all 6 months before semester break. What's worse is that, it's really contagious. I call it the UTP syndrome, as in universiti tensyenkan pelajar syndrome. At home, it's a mixture of everything. Happy, mad as a cow, impatient, which actually shows some diversity of the human emotion.

In college, I have to fork out my savings for everything. It's really not healthy to be seeing too much money flowing out of bank accounts, especially when at the end of the day, you couldn't figure out where all the money went. Big sigh. On the other hand, going back home=all expenses paid. Thank god for being a child to parents.

Yes, I said this countless times, but in college, internet is almost non-existent. I complained about it here and here. We paid for it, yeah. But if the time to load one page takes 10 minutes, and you call that internet, fine by me. Whatever rocks your boat. At home, I open up 10 tabs in 1 minute using Firefox. Hah. (I can't live without internet to be honest. I can live with looking at the computer until my eyes go red and watery but without the internet, I'm a lost soul. Exaggerate much :P)

In college, I know nothing about the world. We can do mass and energy balance calculations, but ask us about the current breaking news happening in the world, we'll give an empty stare. Either because it didn't dawn on us that it's half as important; or we simply don't have much space in our heads for unimportant stuffs like that. tsk. Back at home, I found that I've really been living under a rock. The world is just too important to be ignored. The world economy is going into recession, for goodness sake.

I could give another 10 differences, but that would totally kill this post. I try to maintain an inquisitive mind in college, but I can't help going into recession there myself. I'm just hoping to survive another one month. Pray for me and everyone in UTP lock-up.

In utp...


Home...!

Dr Mahathir is Coming to Town

So. Dr Mahathir is coming to my university. This news somehow got me really excited. I've been reading his blog for some time and I bought the book of his blog entries compilation. I found myself to be inspired by his insights and revolutionary mind. I know, boring stuff.

Honestly, I've only started keeping tabs on him ever since I entered university. Before that I was as ignorant as a tool. I was more into Hayden Christensen back then. Still am, mind you. But it's about time to wake up and stop smelling ONLY roses.

He's having that talk on Thursday in grand Chancellor Hall. If I manage to pester him into taking pictures and signing my book, I'd probably die in happiness. I'm talking like a mindless fan but can't help it. I'll see you when I see you!

Universiti Teknologi Petronas, Here I Come!

So. Tomorrow I'm going back to UTP, to where my assignments and projects await me. When did my holiday started? Yesterday? No? Are you kidding me? It really felt like yesterday that I was grinning from ear to ear thinking about my one week holiday. Now it's coming to an end and I'll be back to reality in less than 24 hours. Whether I like it or not, I'm going to have to drag my a** across 100km++ to Tronoh.

I bet you don't know where Tronoh is. One day, I was telling a lady in Ipoh (one of the nearest towns to Tronoh) that I'm studying in UTP which is in Tronoh, and she actually asked me where Tronoh is. Now who's more pathetic? Is it her, or is it Tronoh? I'm happier to think that Tronoh is, because the suckier the place, the easier it is to hate the place. I know, I know, I'm such a ray of sunshine, don't mention it.

Some UTP pictures to remind myself:











Actually, come to think of it, if you've been to Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA), you would've seen a big part of UTP, down to the jungle in the middle of the airport because that's how UTP is. Right smack in the middle of UTP, there's a jungle. And monkeys too.

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Side note: I stumbled across this blog: Hanis Zalikha which I found really interesting. I didn't know who she was until I went through her blog posts and pictures. She's one of the Dreamgirls top 12 contestants. Go on check her out!