New dimension

"If you can, do what you love."

This quote has since been imprinted on my mind after reading an article of the same title by Emily Ding (Read it here). At this juncture of my life, I can't help but to wonder whether did I make the right choice when I decided to go for an Accounting and Finance degree. Honestly, if I have the chance, I wish I could turn back time - or better still, take a gap year - and learn more about the world to really discover my true passion.

 I did regret my decision, but I won't say it's a completely wrong move, it's a rather "inappropriate" one. Whilst graduating with an A & F degree will equally guarantee me with bright career prospects, it's not what I really want to do. (But considering the fact that I'll be bonded to my sponsor for 10 years, my argument about career prospects might be invalid. :P) It took almost 1 year for me to realise what could be my true vocation in life - doing economics.

To me, the thing that's so fascinating about economics is perhaps the fact that it unites two of my greatest interests - Mathematics and Writing. While some of my friends dreaded the subject, I find it amusing, in a sense that I get to study everything - ranging from psychology, sociology to law - although it's just one subject. Economics is like a complete package of all the things that I want to learn. I might sound a bit obsessed with it, but think of everything happening around you, where you're studying/working, the money you earn, the amount of clothes you have bought because of an attractive advertisement etc. All these can be explained in the realm of economics!

 Okay I probably should stop advocating my love for this subject. I've made a couple of wrong inappropriate decisions previously. But this time round, I'm pretty determined not to repeat the same mistake. Words can't content the excitement when you just wake up in the morning on a random day, telling yourself "Yes! I'm gonna do what I love!" It really was one of those enlightening moments in my life, and I assure you that it's the best feeling one can ever have!

 Of course, plainly boasting about my goals without practical actions will eventually come to naught. Yet the only thing I can do now, is to STUDY.

 If you can, do what you love. But if you can't, love what you do. :)

Rise and shine

0730: Sunrise at Broga Hills
Sometimes, these little wonders of life are just within our reach. Woke up at 4.45am and went for a mini hiking at Broga Hills in Semenyih. It did feel like OBS all over again, except there were no monkeys, thorny trees and leeches. Broga Hills isn't exactly a jungle, it's an oil palm estate so the man-made path kind of made it easier for climbers to reach the top.

Call me ulu/kampung/sakai or whatever, but this is actually my first time watching sunrise from the top of a hill. It felt amazing being able to witness such beauty of nature. And of course, to us photographers, this is the perfect opportunity to strut our stuff!

Ask me to climb Broga Hills again? YES i will.

The unexpected

I have a friend called Zul, dubbed 'The Almighty Zul'. (I always call him "hipster") He's a pretty low-key person. He appears to be unflappable, and oblivious about what's happening around him most of the time. He doesn't even have a facebook account (apparently he's too cool to have one!). Nothing in his appearance of manner suggests that he's a flamethrower. In other words, he's the least expected person that you think will lend an impetus to your life.

Yet, he made the unexpected happened - Yesterday morning i received a news that he has been offered a place (an unconditional offer by the way) to read economics in MIT. Every year, more than 3000 international students apply for admission, and the acceptance rate can go below 5%. Zul falls into the 5% bracket. I literally went "WOW!"

It is often the case that we tend to judge a book by its cover. Our vision is blurred by fame. We try too hard to impress those in authorities. As a result, way too many little, insignificant figures were sidelined. When one of my teachers knew about Zul's achievement, her response was: "It's really unexpected. I mean, he's not a prefect, he's low-profile and he seldom goes on stage." The problem is most of us are being primed with the idea that if someone's capability is not acknowledged publicly (by a prefect badge/special tie or whatever award you can think of), then he or she is deemed to be just a mediocre person.

Why is branding so important in our society these days? Why do two people with similar abilities but degree certificates from different universities have completely different fate when it comes to job interviews? Why is a prefect always thought to be more successful than a non-prefect? We need to stop thinking in a conventional state of mind. Making your CV all flamboyant and glitzy doesn't mean you're equally capable in real life. All we need to do is to be true to ourselves.

"There is zero correlation between being the best talker and having the best ideas." - Susan Cain

Do not underestimate the power of introverts. Never.

P.S. Watch Susan Cain's talk on The Power of Introverts here.

Weeee

This made my day :')

I'm so excited about the prospects of going to the UK, yet nervous at the same time. I've been constructing plans for all the things i wanna do over there. If i list them down here i don't think your laptop screen can even fit the amount of ideas i've come up with.

I WANNA WATCH COLDPLAY LIVE IN LONDON. I WANNA TOUR THE WHOLE EUROPE. I WANNA WORK OVER THERE. I WANNA EXPERIENCE THE OLYMPICS FEVER. I WANNA ATTEND SUMMER SCHOOL IN THE USA (opps, this one's not in the UK). I WANNA EARN LOTS OF MONEY OVER THERE AND COME BACK TO MALAYSIA FOR A CRAZY SHOPPING SPREE.

Okay, cut those crap. I'm just that close to achieving my dream. Mustn't get too hyped-up. Must study. Must get those grades.

Woof

So true :')

Decision made: If I can't find a man, I'll just live the rest of my life with dogs.