Sunday, March 28, 2010

2010 IVAQ Malacca

March 26-27 (Fri-Sat): MMU Intervarsity Accounting Quiz @ Malacca
2nd outstation trip for the month. Just came back from Malacca last night...were there for 1.5 days for this event. Our college sent 2 teams & 2 individuals for the quiz this year. 13 of us traveled all the way to Malacca on Friday evening and spent a night there. As usual, I was the one with the camera so took lotsa pics throughout this trip...not many pics of myself though.

Arrived at about 9pm bcoz of the terrible traffic in KL. =.=

Headed to town immediately after dropping our bags. Jalan-jalan & makan at Jonker Street.

Nice old buildings.

Haha...my 'TANG' house!!

Had our dinner/supper at this 'old school' place...reminds me of greatgrandma's old house.

Nyonya Laksa, Asam Laksa, Durian Cendol & Cendol

First time visiting this place at night...the night view was pretty.

The energetic bunch...still sightseeing at 11pm.

Continued our sightseeing tour until midnight

Arrived MMU for the competition

Preliminary round for individual & team categories...50 questions in 30 minutes.

More group photos while waiting for the next round

Unexpectedly, I got into the finals for individual category!! =) 6 of us got onto the stage for the Q&A. Looks pretty scary huh! We were required to LISTEN to the questions read by the quizmaster, then press the buzzer to answer. Correct answer will be given 10 marks, wrong answer deduct 5 marks. Honestly, I wasn't even expecting to get into the finals...so I was actually quite blur the whole time when I was on stage. Not nervous...juz blur...haha!! And I'm not good in listening to questions & answering immediately at all...by the time I understood the question...others pressed their buzzer already. I managed to answer one question out of the 10...and I didn't even know what I was talking about! Juz simply crap something about accruals...ahh...so siasui...hehe! I was still blur even when I left the stage...by the time I managed to think clearly, I only realized that I actually stood a good chance of winning but I blew it bcoz I didn't pay attention to the points allocation. I could have tried answering the last question coz I had nothing to lose anyway even if I answered wrongly...all my own fault...haha! :p If based on points...I actually ranked 4th...but who cares..haha...most importantly...I had my share of fun up there! =)

Individual category finals...I was sooo blurrr!!

Our of our teams got into the 2nd round but too bad didn't manage to get through to the finals bcoz of an Accounting Information System question...this quiz depends a lot on luck also.

More funny pics after the competition...


Tsu Chong brought us to this Nyonya restaurant for dinner

Yummy-licious Nyonya food...knew some of these food from the series Little Nyonya. Ayam ponteh, chap chai, otak-otak, ikan lemak, omelette chincalok, petai, ladies finger.

Ended our short Malacca trip with a glimpse of Eye of Malaysia.

Saturday, March 27, 2010

Eventful March

I'm really racing against time lately...everything sort of came all at once in March. Apart from those that I've mentioned in my last 2 posts, this mth was filled with loads of activities. I'm now feeling the rush of hectic-ness & busy-ness once again after chilling for 9 months. Final exam is in 2 weeks' time...oh no...I'm in trouble!! =.=
March 15 (Mon): Meeting with Ms Nalinee Cain & other returnees at MACEE

Being stupid in class...haha!

March 23 (Tues): Financial Decision Making - Zubinos Presentation
Spent a whole lot of time working on this assignment but really learned a great deal from Mr Wong in this class. This assignment helped a lot for my case study challenge...but completing 2 powerpoint slides within a week wasn't fun. Luckily we didn't have to do all those unnecessary things like apron, biz card, "Z" cups, coffee, etc...which doesn't relate to our role as a consultant at all. Mr Wong would have scolded us if we did all these crap...haha!





Practicing

Presentation Day

This kinda explains the reason for our outfit...except J's grey shirt.

My 'super' group mates...was great working with 'em! =)

Class photo with Mr Wong...everyone looked GREATT!! =)

March 23 (Tues): Group 6 Class Gathering @ Chilis, KLCC
First & probably the last class gathering for us...we'll be graduating real soon! Some pics of our entourage 'crashing' Chilis.





Another class photo

March 23 (Tues): Jon jon's Belated B'day celebration @ Chilis, Midvalley
We did all these within a day...lecture, FDM presentation, class gathering, & this. Had Chilis for lunch & dinner...juz different locations. As usual, I was bloated with the amount of food they served.




'Babysitters' & the kiddos

March 26 (Fri): Meeting with Boston Uni Malaysia Alumni President @ Kelantan Delights
Mr Juhaidi arranged this meeting for us (UGRAD & YES alumni) to meet up with Mr TC Tan. We discussed about networking, future alumni activities, etc...and had yummy-licious food...hehe! =)

Thursday, March 25, 2010

飞轮海 Fahrenheit in Malaysia!!

20 March 2010: 飞轮海《想入飞飞》演唱会DVD签售会 + Canon Ixus Promo at Tropicana City Mall

Woohoo...Fahrenheit came to M'sia again!! Despite my busy schedule this month, this was something I wouldn't wanna miss..haha..how crazy can I be right? Drove all the way alone to PJ last Saturday morning to 'see' them for few hours. The event was supposed to start at 11am but I decided to go earlier to get a good spot. Left home at 9am...got lost on the way & wasted 15 minutes turning rounds in PJ...finally reached Tropicana at 9.45am. Found myself a good spot near the stage...stood there waiting while reading thru my Zubinos presentation. The guys were late coz WuChun was sick...finally after much anticipation...they arrived at 12pm. All 4 of them looked GREATTT...can't stop taking pics & vids...they promoted Canon Ixus for awhile then started the autograph session. I waited for 1 more hour till they finished the autograph session...took more pics till they left. Yup..crazy me..that's pretty much all I did...stood & took pictures. But it was all worth the effort, seeing these 4 leng zai made my week...especially WuChun...haha! =)



People mountain people sea...look at all those cameras!

*Click* on the photos for larger & clearer pics.
4 of 'em were busy taking pictures too!

WuChun!!!!! Entao entao!!!! =)

Autograph Session

Video clips that I took during the event

I've been a fan of WuChun since 2007...ohh...didn't realize that I've been 'crazy' for 3 years already...haha! I've been to almost all his events in M'sia apart from Fahrenheit's concert last year & when he came over recently for '14 Blades' premier. Well...I know it may sound stupid doing all these but these little things can really make me happy. Everyone has their own way of being happy...and for me, this is also one of the things that I enjoy doing. And I'm not just attracted by his appearance...I've also learned a great deal through his blog. A quick recap of my 'crazy' deeds...



My poster with their autographs

(ii) 24 Sept 2007: 完美中秋之夜演唱会 @ Bukit Jalil National Stadium


(iii) 7 March 2008: Romantic Princess Promo

I won the contest but was working so 'forced' bro to go on my behalf...haha! He was the only guy!

The DVD I won with 4 of their autographs

Kampung Getaway

March 12-14: UM Intervarsity Case Study Challenge 2010 Site Visit @ Kuala Gula, Perak


I mentioned about going on this 'interesting' trip in my last post...so now it's time to share more about this weekend getaway. Our team proceeded into the 2nd round of the case study challenge together with 9 other teams so we were all required to go on this 3D2N site visit. This year, the case study that we're required to work on relates to a real case, real scenario, real company...an NGO...Global Environment Centre (GEC).


I believe most people haven't heard of this place before. Kuala Gula is actually a fishing village & GEC has been carrying on mangrove rehabilitation project here for the past few years. When I saw the checklist of things-to-bring given by the organizer...sleeping bag, big hat, sport shoes, sunblock, etc...the first thing that came to my mind was...camping?!?! Not really excited bout it coz kinda busy lately, but well, it was a free weekend getaway so wasn't that bad after all.

March 12 (Fri): Went to UM Business School for the welcoming ceremony & dinner. Thought I was late but the event started late also. A lot of waiting time throughout the 3 days' event...typical Malaysians. =.=

Team WLC (TAR College)...Heng Fai, Tsu Chong, Sze Sze, & Me!

Stayed at UM 12th college hostel for few hours before departing the next morning. Nothing like UAH dorms...haha...and I can't even rmb when was the last time I used common bathrooms!!

March 13 (Sat): Woke up at 5.15am to get ready coz we were asked to gather at 6.15am...so freakin' early! Everyone looked half awake. Journey took bout 5 hours...tried to study some but ended up falling asleep...fail.


Finally arrived Kampung Kuala Gula & had lunch at their dewan orang ramai...followed by the 'homestay' allocation. Oh yeah...this is the beginning of our kampung excursion!

1st stop ~ Visited the bird sanctuary...see that migratory bird welcoming us on the roof?

2nd stop ~ Visited the Mangrove Nursery where they planted new pokok bakau. It was great to see the locals' effort in conserving the environment.

If you haven't know, the mangroves trees in this area saved the villagers from the 2006 Tsunami. Imagine what would have happened to this coastal area without these trees...everything could have been swept away...that's the main reason why they are actively conserving this area now.

3rd stop ~ Mangrove trees!! The roots look amazing...and they are really strong...can stand on it and it won't break!


Our homestay family...stayed with them for a night. They were so nice & welcoming...made crab & laksa for us...yummy!! =)

Community Consultation. Most of 'em were more interested with 'uncle belachan' story...and he was very enthusiastic explaining about his belachan business...haha! Some participants were really eager to win this challenge...can't stop asking questions...poor Ms Niki. :p

March 13 (Sun): Last day of our short weekend getaway. Went on a boat ride to the Mangrove Forest. Feels so good to be close to the nature...haven't done this for a long time.

All geared up for the boat ride...so orangy.

Our team & Team Versatile (UM)

Took some pics at the jetty while waiting to board the boat


Some nice pics of the mangrove forest & fishing village

Beautiful scenery...never knew this place existed til now.

Platform to rear fish

Uncle Belachan's 'factory'...the belachan that your mom use to cook may be produced from here. =)

Another local industry...housewives de-shelling cockles ('si ham') every morning. You have no idea how much si ham they have over here...mountains of shells everywhere...they even spread the shells on the ground!

4 of us with our homestay family

Local kids playing with chicken...not Xbox...

Some 'artistic' pictures of the kampung houses

I'm really glad we got this opportunity to come for this site visit. Nothing fancy or luxurious but it was a good escapade away from the hectic city life. This trip was much more than just learning more about the mangroves rehabilitation programme. Growing up in the city...this 'kampung' experience was really an eye-opener.

This homestay experience allowed us to step into the villagers' life and see their 'world'. Some new experience that I had...having meals on the floor, taking 'candlelight' shower, eating with hands, and rode a motorcycle without helmet. Some people may complain about all these...but it all depends on how you view things. For me, I saw this as a good learning experience and I actually had fun doing all these. This is a good reminder for city people like us not to take things for granted...we're actually very lucky to be living in abundance. Their life are much more simpler and laid back...they don't have a lot of entertainment..perhaps only a TV, but you can see that they are happy. They may not have 5-star facilities...but their hospitality & friendliness was definitely 5-star.

~Take a break from the rat race & embrace mother nature...the best things in life have always been around us!~