Appreciate

I'm now officially 25.

As much as I agree that "age is just a number" in some occasions, there are certain things that we gain only once we get older. One of them is being able to see things more clearly in a wider perspective.

So, this year, instead of being celebratorial, I intend to honour the day I was born by being appreciative.
Before that, have you checked out my birthday message that I prepared out of the blue?
Here you go!


I'm grateful to many people and for many things in my life. However, these are the top things I'm grateful for in particular from the period of my 24th birthday to my 25th.

1) The chance to complete my tertiary education



A special shout-out to my former professors, lecturers, tutors, and faculty staff members for their guidance and support~ I won't forget you all.

2) Getting to kick start my career



I've been learning valuable and interesting things day by day. I hope to keep improving.

3) Having meals and drinks everyday



Most days, I eat moderately so that I'll benefit from it financially and health-wise. However, there are days when I indulge in more 'glorious' food than usual.

4) The ability to move about



I'm telling you, walking and making use of public transportation are advantageous. It may feel a little tiring when you're not used to it yet, but in time, you'll benefit from it in several different ways. Hot weather? Sunblock, cap, sunglasses.. Rain? Umbrella, raincoat.. Haze? Mask, plain water.. Muscle soreness? Warm up, comfy footwear.. Might be late? Get ready early, plan your journey.. Security? Prepare a potential defence 'weapon', stay alert.. What more excuses do you have?

5) Technological devices



In this millennium, a lot of us can't live without our devices. I'm not helplessly dependent on technology, but I appreciate the convenience and possibilities that it offers.

6) The things I gain



Money isn't everything, but it's still very important. It represents materialistic value of things. To balance that, why not add holistic value to it by, perhaps, paying it forward and helping out those in need every now and then?

7) Being me



Most of all, I appreciate every opportunity I get to do things my way and try to be amazing at it. I may stumble along the way, but that's no big deal.

Best wishes to me!
Best wishes to you!
Best wishes to all!
God bless..

posted from Bloggeroid

My Fangirl Journey (90's to Present)

You might have heard of the term "fangirl" before. As straight-forward as the term suggests, it refers to a female who is a devoted supporter of a particular singer, dancer, actor, or celebrity. The male equivalent to it is known as "fanboy", although the number of fangirls always overshadow the number of fanboys. Nevertheless, fanboys are as significant as fangirls (though I personally think that fanboys are a little more precious and admirable).

Being a 'truly true' fangirl or fanboy is no child's play, let me tell you that. It has to happen voluntarily and naturally without being forced by peer pressure or trend. You need to feel it first before you can show it through your words and actions. It's different than a mere celebrity crush. Trust me, I've been living as a fangirl since the 90's. Happily, of course. :)

Here, today, I'm going to briefly share with you my journey as a fangirl so far.
Before that, please take note that being a fangirl or fanboy doesn't define our professional life (involving our education, career, etc.). It also isn't exactly our personal life (revolving around our connection with our family, friends, ourselves, etc.). The way I see it, being a fangirl or fanboy should have a category of its own. Seriously. Until we can come up with a brilliant name for it, let's call it fandom life, shall we?

90's onwards: Westlife (British Pop)



Westlife was the first group that I became a fangirl of. The group officially disbanded not too long ago but I'm glad that I got to be part of their fandom. It was their blend of vocals that captured me when I first listened to one of their songs. In the group, a few of them have strong, powerful vocals, fitting for main vocals in any song. The others have gentle, unique vocals, suitably perfecting a whole song with their harmony and enhancements. Westlife did a lot of cover versions of popular songs, originally sung by other singers. Some appeared to disapprove this, claiming that they should do more original songs. However, it never really bothered me because Westlife did the cover songs justice by delivering them in their best abilities and bringing the songs back to life. Plus, it's not like they did those cover versions without consent and proper crediting.

The top 3 cover songs that I enjoy the most are 'Butterfly Kisses', 'I'll Be Loving You Forever', and 'What About Now'. As for Westlife's original songs, my top 3 favourites are 'I Lay My Love On You', 'Every Little Thing You Do', and 'I Promise You That'.
[Let me tell you this. I'm TERRIBLE at narrowing my favourite songs to just 3 songs, but I need to.]

2007 onwards: The Click 5 (American Pop)



The Click 5 was the first band that I really like. The original 5 members learned music and practised together in Boston prior to their debut. I remember their sleek, clean-cut, tuxedo-wearing image from their debut album that caught my attention. Around the time of the band's debut, a local magazine at my place organised a contest with the band's debut CD as the prize. I joined the contest, which required participants to submit a participation form found inside the magazine's latest issue, and a few names would be randomly chosen as winners. I was one of the lucky winners! But before the contest winners were revealed, I bought The Click 5's CD from a music store since I fell in love with the band's songs. So, I have 2 copies of the same CD!
Quite briefly after the band debuted, the main vocalist had to leave the band, which broke my young heart into pieces. ㅠㅠ I even blogged about it as my first ever blog post on my old, no-longer-functional blog site, as pictured above. I managed to keep myself okay and welcomed the new main vocalist. Eric, the original frontman of the band, has a tender, melodious vocal, whereas Kyle, the new frontman, has a sharp, funky vocal. That made the band felt different when Eric left but they were still awesome as a band.

My top 3 favourite songs by The Click 5 are 'Just The Girl', 'Say Goodnight', and 'When I'm Gone'.

2008 onwards: Jonas Brothers (American Pop) & McFly (British Pop)



Yes, I was one of the young souls who adored the Jonas Brothers when they were at the beginning of their career as singers. The idea of brothers being together in a band, combined with the talents that the brothers all have, was simply irresistible. Enough said..

My top 3 Jonas Brother's songs are 'When You Look Me In The Eyes', 'Hold On', and 'Just Friends'.

Then, I also discovered an amazing British band known as McFly. Boy, they're incredible! Normally, a band has one frontman or main vocalist. It's different with this band - they have two! The two main vocalists have different vocal strengths, enabling them to complement each other in their songs. Now that I think of it, Tom (McFly) is kind of like Eric (The Click 5), while Danny (McFly) is kind of like Kyle (The Click 5), vocals-wise. But unlike the case of The Click 5, where one main vocalist had to replace the other, McFly can go on with both of their wonderful main vocalists.

Out of all McFly's songs, my top 3 favourites are 'All About You', 'I'll Be Okay', and 'Sorry's Not Good Enough'.

2009 onwards: Arashi (Japanese Pop)



I knew Arashi pretty late. I figured out about them almost ten years after the group's debut. It was probably because J-pop has always been a little more reserved when it comes to promoting overseas. Only a few years ago, J-pop has really started to explore more options to go global. Good for them! Before liking J-pop (the music), I grew fond of Japan through J-dramas and J-movies. All five members of Arashi have always been quite active as actors too, alongside their career as singers. It was through Arashi's youngest member, MatsuJun's drama, '花より 団子' (Hana Yori Dango; Boys Over Flowers) that I was introduced to Arashi, who sang the theme song of the drama. In fact, Arashi sang the theme songs for all two series of the drama and the movie finale. It didn't take me long to dig through Arashi's songs for the past years and I liked what I found. So, I became a fan quite instantly.

The top 3 Arashi's songs that I love the most are 'Hero', '瞳の 中の Galaxy' (Hitomi No Naka No Galaxy; The Galaxy Inside Your Eyes'), and '明日の 極端' (Ashita No Kyoku; Memories of Tomorrow).

2010 onwards: BEAST (Korean Pop)



At this point of time, BEAST members are the kings of my heart. They just are! To be very honest, I never wanted to become involved in anything K-pop-related because I felt intimidated and unsure of how 'healthy' it would be to be part of something that mainstream. I refused to give K-pop a chance, not even a tiny little glance. I would arrogantly say to myself "Walk away, Pris~ It's not worth it." How silly of me.. LOL So, how did I fall head over heels for BEAST? It seemed to me that it happened by accident, or how I like to call it, by destiny. It was my freshman year in university and I was having my lunch break by myself in a mall because I felt like driving out of campus for that two-hour break. After having my meal, I stopped by at a music store. In the promoted section right in front of the counter, something quite bulky caught my eyes. I picked it up and that was the start of my B2UTY-destiny fulfilment. I bought it, which turned out to be BEAST's second mini album with a T-shirt, and listened to the CD in the car as I drove back to campus. There are many great things that I can say about BEAST, but I would be exhausted by the time I finish talking (or typing) about them. To sum it up, I love how talented, loving, and humble the members are. Thank you for everything, BEAST!

If I had to choose my top 3 BEAST's songs, they would most likely be 'Oasis', 'You', and '니가 보고싶어지면' (Niga Bogoshipeojimyeon; When I Miss You).

2012 onwards: BTOB (Korean Pop)



BTOB is the latest (and hopefully the last) added group that I'm really a fangirl of. After BEAST, I vowed to myself that I might not be able to divide my support and attention any further. True enough, BEAST is irreplacable to me. But because of BEAST, I had the chance to get to know BTOB even before BTOB officially debuted. BTOB is BEAST's junior group, under the same entertainment agency. I freely checked out BTOB because at first glance, some of the members reminded me of BEAST, visually and as a first impression. Now, I love the group because they are not only multi-talented, but interesting when all seven personalities collide.

The top 3 songs by BTOB that I enjoy the most are 'Wow', '뛰뛰빵빵' (Dwi Dwi Bang Bang; Beep Beep), and '킅난 건 가요' (Keutnan Geon Gayo; Is It The End).


Alright!
That's my fangirl journey so far.

posted from Bloggeroid

Personal Financial Management, My Way

Whenever mom reminds me to manage my finance well now that I'm working professionally, I always jokingly answer "I know, I know. I'm a Finance graduate, remember?". ㅋㅋㅋ

As much as it's true that I'm indeed a Finance graduate from the dearly missed Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS), the truth is, it doesn't matter what major someone took in university, or whether or not someone has graduated from any tertiary institution. We ALL need a proper personal financial plan. By planning and managing our finance well, we can rest assure that our daily necessities will be attainable and accessible. Once we get what we need, we can touch on what we want or desire.

There's no denying that the cost of living is getting higher and our liabilities can easily overshadow our assets these days. Therefore, it's not a petty matter at all when we talk about personal financial management.

I'm aware that every individual has his or her own way or method. As long as your way works fine for your lifestyle, by all means, go for it.

Here's my way of managing my personal finance.
First, I set up my principle, which outlines my focus when it comes to managing my own finance. My principle is to make sure that I abide by these two 'rules' - (i) to keep my priorities straight, and (ii) to practise some discipline in my spending.
If I ever feel lost, unsure, or tempted, I take a moment to think about those two 'rules'.

So, every month when I receive my salary, I utilise it in a pre-determined flow.
The flow may slightly change in the future as my circumstances may evolve, but for now, here's the flow.
(1) Receive salary -- (2) Pay mandatory expenses -- (3) Save -- (4) Buy gifts for family and pets -- (5) Do charity -- (6) Reward myself

(1) Receive salary
- I won't specify exactly how much I get paid per month, but I'll just state that my starting basic salary as an employee of an international financial institution in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia is somewhere in between MYR 2,000 to 3,000 per month.
- Every month, a tiny percentage of my salary automatically goes to my Employee Pension Fund (EPF) and Social Security Organisation (SOCSO) fund.

(2) Pay mandatory expenses
- My mandatory monthly expenses include rental (RM450, combined with utilities and residential association), public transportation (RM50 reload of transportation card), daily meals (RM450, including occasional purchase of Gloria Jean's coffee, or Starbucks coffee, or Secret Recipe desserts), mobile phone reload (RM60 for normal calling, texting, and mobile internet subscription) grocery shopping (RM150, usually at ISETAN Food Market or 99 Speedmart), and healthcare/ beauty shopping (RM100, usually at Watson's).

(3) Save
- For now, I allocate at least RM100 for my bank's saving account.
- I allocate another RM150 for my Amanah Saham Bumiputra (ASB) account, a trust fund for Bumiputra Malaysians.

(4) Buy gifts for family and pets
- Mom always tells me to focus on myself, especially since I'm rather new at this whole working adult notion, but every now and then, I like to get a little something for those back home when I have the chance.
- Plus, it helps to feed my burning passion for shopping.

(5) Do charity
- I believe in "paying it forward", where we do something nice for others, not because we feel obliged to, but because we simply want to.
- As of now, I'm particularly supporting World Vision (www.worldvision.com.my) through their Sponsor A Child programme and Education fund.
- I also support Malaysian Dogs Deserve Better (www.facebook.com/MalaysianDogsDeserveBetter).

(6) Reward myself
- Needless to say, this is my favourite part. However, I always make sure that it's the LAST one in line. This way, I can truly enjoy every moment without feeling uncertain or guilty.
- My favourite ways of rewarding myself include shopping for outfits, watching movies at the cinema, café-hopping, getting my hair treated or done at the salon, or going for a karaoke session. (I have more care-free and fun activities to add on the list, to be frank. LOL)
- Aside from the above-listed activities, I also reward myself by going for a trip. This requires a mid-or-long term kind of planning, especially for overseas destination.

So, there you go!
I shall monitor and enhance my personal financial management as time goes by because I want to have a balance between being stable and flexible.

More than anything, I really really really hope that everyone realises the need to properly manage one's finance, regardless of how much we earn and how many dependents we have. Work something out and don't stress out. Let's not take this lightly, alright?

posted from Bloggeroid

Dear Potential Global Support Executive...

To job seekers (Fresh graduates, expected to graduate, experienced.... It doesn't matter.), here's a piece of good news.

HSBC Electronic Data Processing (Malaysia), or HDPM in short, is hiring! To be more exact, this particular position is under HSBC Global Service Centre Malaysia (HSBC GSC MY).



HDPM is a subsidiary company of HSBC Group, under the umbrella of HSBC Global Resourcing. The main office is in Cyberjaya, Selangor but there is a branch office in KL city, which is located inside Bursa Malaysia building at Jln. Raja Chulan, KL.

The work here involves back office tasks and functions, where we receive, process, verify, and settle transactions. Structure-wise, we are categorised into Global Banking & Markets (GBM) and HSBC Securities Services (HSS). For HSS, our core functions are Global Custody (equities, bonds, corporate actions), Sub-Custody, Fund Services, and CTLA (corporate trust & loan agency).

Even though we are connected to HSBC Bank, or HBMY in short, we do not do the exact same things. HBMY handles commercial banking, while HDPM handles global services involving institutional clients (corporations, other banks, asset managers, fund managers).

I'm under HSBC *Group* -- HDPM *Company* -- HSBC GSC *Centre* -- HSS *Process* -- Global Custody (GC) *Service* -- GC UK: Overseas Settlements *Department* -- UK-Far East *Team*.

Even though I'm still new at the company, I can confidently say that I've made a good decision to work here, considering the values that the company practises, the work environment, the benefits, and the opportunities that we get, work-wise and non-work-wise. Of course, it has to start with you and your initial mindset.

If you're interested to apply or to know more, drop me a message or comment and I'll reply the soonest possible. Sorry if I don't respond right away, but I'll try.

If you would like to get the assistance of a professional job consultant, I can recommend one too.

"Sharing is caring"~

Cheers~ ★

posted from Bloggeroid

[FAN ACCOUNT] 140808 HAHA Fanmeet @ K-Festival Malaysia 2014

You just never know when luck is on your side. Of course, it's not advisable to rely on good luck all the time because effort still matters more, but when you're lucky, you're lucky.

So, I was very lucky to be chosen as one of the special pass winners for K-Festival Malaysia 2014, held at Pavilion mall, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The pass that I won allowed me to participate in an autograph session by HAHA (Real name Ha Dong Hun; Korean reggae singer; SBS 'Running Man' variety show cast member) as one of the activities during K-Festival.

How did I sign up for the special pass' lucky draw, you may ask? Simple. Korea Plaza KL, governed by Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) Malaysia, promoted about the lucky draw on its social media sites (website, Facebook, Twitter, etc.). I saw the promotional post on Facebook and decided to sign up since the steps were very simple. First, applicants should be Kaki Korea Club members (*Member registration can easily be done at visitkorea.com.my for free.*). Second, we needed to submit our basic information (contact details) and answer a trivia question about HAHA. Third, applicants needed to submit the online form and wishfully wait for the result announcement. I went through my days as normal and frankly, I wasn't expecting much from the lucky draw that I almost forgot about it. One evening, as I was having my dinner break at work place's cafeteria, I checked my e-mail inbox like I always do. When I opened the e-mail message sent by KTO KL (which I initially thought was a promotional message about any of its events), my next expression was literally O.O ... I then had my dinner gleefully and went back to my work area. I hesitantly asked my Line Manager if I could get a day off on the particular fanmeet day. Thankfully, I could! From that moment onward, I was looking forward to the day I would meet HAHA.

August 8th came around and I was more than ready to meet HAHA at K-Festival. The day before, a Korean lady from KTO KL called me to inform about special passes' collection. So, I made my way to Pavilion mall, KL via public transportation and a little bit of walking. Along the way, I couldn't help but to smirk or giggle on my own whenever I thought about meeting HAHA 오빠 and getting his autograph in person (!!!). Once I reached Pavilion, I went straight to Centre Court area of the mall, where K-Festival was held. I got my special pass (in the form of a red tag, placed on my wrist by the crew member) and a goodie bag from KTO KL, containing KLiK magazines, "Imagine your Korea" t-shirt, Dove shampoo samples, Sunsilk shampoo samples, and "Imagine your Korea" hand fan. I was then led to the special zone area, where I sat with other K-culture fans. I briefly talked to a few of the girls at the special zone and we ended up getting each others' contact numbers to enable us to stay in touch and discuss everything K-culture-related. ^^



All audience members were entertained by a Kayarang (traditional Korean musical instrument) performance, played by 예쁜 Korean twin sisters. They even performed 'Negaraku', Malaysia's national anthem, and the whole audience stood up during the anthem's performance and sang along. It created such a heartwarming atmosphere. After the Kayarang performance, MC Cody Lim took the stage to chat and interact with the audience. The newly appointed ambassador of Kaki Korea Club was announced - Baki Zainal, TV host and Korean culture fan. Baki went on stage and joined Cody in chatting with the audience. After that, we were entertained by Painters Hero, a 4-member group of male artistes (painters) who impressively created pieces of arts while dancing on stage.

A press conference session was carried out right before the opening ceremony of K-Festival Malaysia 2014. Representatives who delivered their brief speeches were all amazed at the big crowd that K-Festival managed to attract even from the first day of the 3-day event. A ribbon-cutting ceremony was carried out and K-Festival was then officiated.

After that, it was the moment that all K-culture and 'Running Man' fans anticipatively waited for from the beginning of the day - the appearance of HAHA! HAHA went on stage and the crowd went insane (*I did too.*). HAHA, along with his interpreter and crew members, was surprised to see so many fans at the venue. I can recall how HAHA exclaimed "Waaah~" when he first appeared from back stage. He even took out his handphone to capture the moment in a video. A talk session with HAHA was carried out with Baki as the MC. HAHA even gave away some gifts to the audience by throwing out the (non-dangerous) items towards the audience's direction. The audience was so excited and bold that HAHA had to momentarily go back stage to cool down and wipe off his sweats from all the excitement. ㅋㅋㅋ



Soon after that, the autograph session took place. As one of the lucky winners of the special passes, I excitedly and nervously waited for my turn to get HAHA's autograph on the stage. When it was my turn, I handed out my "Imagine your Korea" hand fan for HAHA to sign on. As he took my fan, I greeted him with "오빠, 안녕!" (Oppa, hello!). He looked up, smiled (so freakin' cutely!!), and cheerfully replied "안녕~!" (Hello~!). He then wrote down my name and signed the fan. When he was done, he initiated a high-5 while exclaiming "Okay~". I happily responded to his high-5. I wanted a little more interaction, so I said out "하그.." (Hug..). He immediately said "Okay!" and stood up for a while to give me a hug. I was smiling ear-to-ear the whole time. God, thank you for allowing such a special occurrence in my life! The official photographer, who had been snapping photos of the session from the end of the table on stage, signalled me to look at the camera, so I did (with my I-am-on-Cloud-9 expression that probably looked silly). I went down the stage, still smiling (*My poor facial muscles~*) and briefly met the new friends I made before making my way to the station to go back. When I reached home, I still smiled like a fool, thinking of how wonderful the whole experience was.



Thank you very much, KTO KL and other co-organisers and sponsors!
Looking forward to more events like this one in the future..
잘하다.. 감사드리다.. 사랑하다..

posted from Bloggeroid

I'm From Borneo, Malaysia

It's no longer a surprising occurrence for me if someone pops out a question like "Erm...may I know where you are from?" even when it is not an ice-breaking or self-introduction session. I get that kind of question a lot and I don't mind it at all. In fact, I feel that it's a great opportunity for me to introduce or promote my birth place to more people. So, to strangers or passers-by who are wondering where I might come from, feel free to ask when you bump into me. LOL..

One of the occurrences took place when I had my meal break at the cafeteria of my work place. Normally, my friends and I would have our meals outside of our office building but lately, we choose to be less 'adventurous' and have our break nearby. It obviously saves more time and energy. So, when I was about to select my meal, the auntie who was catering us, the customers, abruptly asked me "Are you a Filipino?". I smiled and replied "No. I'm from Sarawak (part of Borneo, Malaysia).". The auntie acknowledged my answer and responded "You look special." (- She said it, OK, not me! LOL) I just smiled again and continued to pick my food, which was so good, turning me into a regular customer.

Another instance that really happened was during a Malaysian public holiday. I was on my way to work and the station was particularly packed with people. As I made my way out of the station, I noticed a family of tourists wandering around, as if looking for assistance. I was walking towards their direction. The mother came near me and asked if I could tell them the directions to Independence Square (Dataran Merdeka, KL). I tried my best to explain the directions to them since their intended destination was indeed nearby. Before parting ways, the mother asked me "Are you from Japan? Or Korea?". (- She really asked this, OK. I'm not making this up. Hahaha..) I was startled at the question but tried not to show it. I simply replied "No. I'm from Borneo, Malaysia.".

From these couple of examples, we can see that outward appearance can be quite deceiving but it's not necessarily a bad thing. I see it as a good thing because it shows that diversity exists. In a country as diverse and colourful as Malaysia, it is common to see a variety of Malaysians who look different from each other. This is one of Malaysia's uniqueness. Differences should not break us apart. Instead, let's make use of our differences to complement each other so that we make up a great, diverse team. Despite whatever challenges that we may face as a country or as individuals, I still refuse to give up on our 1Malaysia ideal. It may not be easy, but guess what? It's the challenges that keep the journey alive.

We can make it happen. It's all up to us.

posted from Bloggeroid

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My Own Experiment

I am my own experiment.

No, I'm not a scientist, nor am I a participant of a particular research project. Nevertheless, I would like to once again state that I am my own experiment.

Here's why.
I have recently started my professional career about a month ago. I'm a staff member of a multinational financial institution. Before completing my Finance degree and shortly after completing it, I casually went for part-time jobs but those jobs were merely to occupy my free time and for pocket money. Now, it's serious (but no pressure, 'kay? LOL..).

A few months back, I applied for a job (*this current one*) via an online recruitment agency. I intentionally did not apply for many jobs at once to avoid complicating my decision-making process. Weeks later, I received a phone call from my designated consultant from the particular recruitment agency that I signed up at (for free). She informed me that I was invited to a job interview based on my submitted résumé and application. The thing was...the interview was scheduled to take place only 2 days into the future, and it required me to travel to another city by air plane. I was given the option to reschedule my interview, considering my location at that time. I told the consultant that I needed a few hours to think it over. When I told my mom and dad about my interview invitation, they 'excitedly' urged me to go for it. At first, I was like (O.O)?! ... because they seemed to jump into the decision. However, the timing was interestingly perfect. My family members were about to travel to the particular city where my interview was going to be held. Originally, I was supposed to go along but I changed my plan because I wanted to attend a dear friend's wedding dinner on the same weekend. So, my flight tickets were deemed to 'burn', unused. As if cleverly planned by God (which I believe really was planned by Him), I could then make use of my flight ticket to get to my interview place and only needed to buy a new flight ticket back home. So, that was what I did.

On my interview day, I remained calm and collected because I figured that stressing over it would exhaust me. So, I did my brief preparation by drafting some answers to possible interview questions in my head. Here's a tip - you should always be ready to present yourself as a potential asset to the employer. So, it helps if you know the company's name, core business or function, motto, shared values, and main goals. Do your little research. Apart from that, be prepared to emphasise on your strengths and specialties, not only as a potential employee but also as a person. Companies these days like employees with personalities and good attitudes. There is no need to rush into answering the interviewer's questions. Intelligently pause for a second in between your sentences, and use appropriate tones. Remember to make occasional eye contact with the interviewer. Politely smile whenever you have the chance.

Prior to my one-to-one interview session, I, along with other candidates, went for a BURPLAS test. I don't remember what it stands for but it was a written (multiple choice questions) English language assessment. It was quite simple and straight forward. I noticed that for some questions, there were more than one acceptable answers (because the employer would like to find out if we were more prone to use British English or American English). I just went with answers that I found to be most natural and seemingly correct to me.

I passed my language assessment and proceeded to my face-to-face interview session. My first interviewer was a guy (who is now my senior colleague ^^) whom I found to be friendly and engaging. I can't recall all of the questions that he asked as well as their order, but these are among the questions that I can still remember - "Tell me a little bit about where you are from (*Borneo part of Malaysia*)." "Why did you apply for this job?" "Are you willing to work during non-Asian working hours (*My particular job deals with the UK financial market.*) and Malaysian public holidays?" "What do you like to do during your free time?" .....
He then informed me that he would assign another interviewer to interview me again right after that. In my mind, I was thinking "Is that a good thing or a bad thing for me?" but I tried to remain calm.

My second interviewer was a lady who seemed fairly serious yet pleasant. Some of the questions that she asked me were - "Tell me about yourself." "What made you apply for this job?" "What makes a company a great company?" "Which one is more important to you - speed or accuracy?" "Which one would you choose - high salary or job satisfaction?" "What would you do if your senior or trainer does not seem to be cooperative in guiding you?".....

After my interview session, I went out of the building and quickly caught a taxi to go straight to the airport and go back home. I felt like I had done my best but I kept an open mind without having any expectations.

Less than a week after my interview, I was awakened from my sleep by a phone call from a representative of the company that interviewed me. I was delighted to find out that I was accepted as a potential employee (*At that time, I wasn't officially employed yet as the company needed to carry out a background check to ensure that I was/ am free from any criminal or financial charges.*). About 2 weeks later, the background check was completed and I was called to get ready to go to work. Yay~

I'm now renting a room in a double-storey house in a city next to the city where my work place is located. From the very beginning, I keep telling myself to be optimistic and alert of everything that's happening around me. I honesty didn't realise how big of a move it is for me to be away from home, working in a professional field. Remarks like "That's quite a big move.", "Wow~", "You're brave.", or simply startled expressions from my seniors and new friends were what made me see how significant my move is. ^o^ To be frank, I didn't think it was such a big deal at all. Sure, it's a new environment for me and working life is different than studying life. But everything's manageable so far. I hope everything stays alright for a very long time.

The reason why I consider this whole experience as "my own experiment" is because I'm practically doing new things out of my own guts and intuitions since I'm the eldest among my siblings and most of my cousins. I don't have many people to refer to but it's all good. I have good superiors, colleagues, and friends around me. Above all, I have the Almighty and my guardian angels by my side. :) I'll be fine. We'll all be fine. Just believe so.

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Japan 2013 - 「マレーシアから 来ました。」

(A formal version of the reporting account, without accompanying pictures, can be found here.)

On December 1st, 2013, we departed from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to Tokyo, Japan.

I remember how excited we were when the plane landed and we could see "Tokyo International Airport" neon signage through the plane's window.  Really.  You can ask Pey Ning who sat beside me in the plane.  ^^  Upon our arrival at Haneda airport in Tokyo, we were greeted by Maru san, Yanagihara san, and Miss Irma.

Yup, J-pop sensational group, Arashi, greeted us at the airport!  ^^

A bus was ready to bring us from Tokyo to Chiba.  It was about 7°C in Tokyo.  I must say, I kind of like cold winter weather.  No...  I love it!  By the time we arrived at Reitaku University in Minami-Kashiwa, Chiba, it was already around 1:00AM.  We stayed overnight at an in-campus hotel at Reitaku University.

Thank you to the bus driver and Reitaku University staff members for being willing to pick us up from the airport in the middle of the night. 

 Because of our anticipation and the hours of traveling, we were pretty much tired by the time we reached Reitaku University.

My rommate for the overnight hotel stay was Swee Kheng.  Ah Ching~! 

I wanted to watch a Japanese game show which was on TV but ended up sleeping instead.  疲れちゃった!

After waking up and cleaning up, we had a wholesome Japanese breakfast at the hotel's cafe.  

すてきだ ね..?  Just outside of the cafe, the autumn-winter colours of the leaves captivated our eyes.

Once we finished our breakfast, students were required to check out of the hotel and moved in to our dormitory nearby.  A briefing was made to familiarise us with Reitaku University and our dormitory.  We were also introduced to four Reitaku University students who were there to guide us.  They were Aki chan, Yoshimi chan, Shizuka chan, and Kosuke kun.  Each of us was given a Suica card, which is a rechargable card used to pay for public transportation fares in Japan.  We were then led to our respective dormitory rooms.  

 From the beginning, we could feel the おもてなし (the spirit of hospitality) from staff members and students.

Each of the doors of our dormitory rooms was beautified with a welcoming sign and a paper flower.

After lunch, Yanagihara san and Imai san brought us to Tokyo Stock Exchange for our financial visit.  An English tour was conducted by a staff of Tokyo Stock Exchange.  We were introduced to what Tokyo Stock Exchange is about and how the stock exchange is operated and managed.  

Visiting Tokyo Stock Exchange was quite nice, considering that my major in university was Finance.

In the evening, there was a welcoming party held by the dormitory residents of Reitaku University.  After the party, a number of Reitaku University students walked with us to a supermarket near the train station.  From that evening onward, I found it quite enjoyable to walk through the chilly Winter breeze with friends (with proper warm clothing, of course).  And so, Kasumi supermarket became our regular spot throughout our stay in Minami-Kashiwa. 

We had a good time at the welcoming party with Reitaku University students.

On the next day, we kicked off our technology visit by going to Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) in Tsukuba with Professor Akune and Maru san.  At JAXA, a tour guide briefed us on the functions of JAXA.  We were also brought to the space dome of JAXA, where we could see models of rockets, satellites, and the space.  

I even took a photo with a life-size standee of a Japanese astronaut.

After JAXA, our next destination was Japan's National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), not far from JAXA.  We roamed around an exhibition area.  Then, the tour at AIST began with a video presentation on advanced science and technology in Japan.  A tour guide  brought us to the exhibition area to show and explain about some of the technological and robotic items on display.

Our technology visit resumed on the following day as we made our way to Kashiwa to visit Chiba University's plant factory.  Professor Emeritus Kozai Toyoki, the Chief Director of Japan Plant Factory Association (JPFA), presented to us the mission, roles, concepts, and challenges of the Center for Environment, Health, and Field Sciences of Chiba University.  We were also brought to tour around the in-campus plant factory.  

The cooling winter breeze was definitely one of the things I particularly enjoyed during the whole trip.

Our next destination was Smart City Museum of Kashiwa-no-ha.  The concept of Kashiwa-no-ha Smart City merges the ideas of city of health and longevity, city of new industry creation, and environmental symbiotic city.  It was refreshing to see such innovative ideas that could be integrated into a whole city that caters not only its residents but also the environment.  

In the evening, we gathered at a conference room for a courtesy visit by the President of Reitaku University, Prof. Dr. Nakayama.  Then, we made our way to a reception party with the faculty members.  Reitaku University students who previously visited UNIMAS were given the opportunity to deliver short speeches.  After that, it was our turn to say a few words as UNIMAS students who were visiting Reitaku University.

The last component of our Japan tour was management visit.  For this particular visit, the aim was to expose us to how the urban management of Tokyo city is properly carried out.  First, we visited Ariake Incineration Plant to learn about the management of sewage disposal.  The concept of 3R (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) is heavily applied and promoted in Japan.  

We also visited Shibaura Water Reclamation Center.  Through video presentation and staff's demonstrations, we could see that a functional sewerage system plays a vital role in ensuring a healthy water circulation system, which supports day-to-day routines of residents.

This marked the end of our management visit, thus the end of our off-campus Japan tour.

On Friday, we had a campus tour around Reitaku University.  A video of the tour is available here.  We were brought to the library, mini museum, Rose garden, classrooms, and International Lounge (i-Lounge).  Our campus tour ended as we joined in the もちつき (rice cake making) that was carried out in the campus.

The pieces of rice cake with different toppings were so delicious that we shamelessly went for second rounds.

Since we had some spare time before our next agenda, Pei Gee and Mun Yin, fellow Malaysians studying in Japan, brought us to Kashiwa.  We stopped by at a sushi shop to eat.  Then, we walked around the area and bought some stuff to be brought home.

By far, my favourite sushi is ebi nigiri sushi.  おいしい~ 

This is Kashiwa.

Later in the evening, we attended a farewell party. 

Farewell party already?

Our weekend was free from any pre-scheduled visits.  Therefore, we decided that it was time to really become like tourists in Japan~  On Saturday morning, Maru san brought us to Tsukiji Market in Chuo, Tokyo.  We got to experience the atmosphere of a Japanese fresh market and tasted some delicious food.  Somehow, occasionally squeezing through the crowd at the market made the experience feel a little more real, you know?  LOL  

After Tsukiji Market  

In the afternoon, we headed to Asakusa in Taito, Tokyo.  FYI, I had always wanted to go to Asakusa, out of the tourist attractions in Japan.  So, to be able to finally step my foot there was great.  We took a good look at the temple there before checking out some of the shops.  We even had the chance to try out dango, green tea ice cream (Yes, we indulged in cold, tasty ice cream outdoor in winter~), and melon bread.  I also bought a red kimono, just because I wanted to.

I finally breathed the air of Asakusa~~

Before calling it a day, Maru san brought us to an eatery place in Minami-Kashiwa.  It was a zashiki-style restaurant.  Guess what?  I even got to eat a little bit of horse meat.

Having a meal together in a group was nice.

On Sunday, a few Reitaku University students brought us to Harajuku, Tokyo.  Once we arrived, we walked through Yoyogi ko-en and visited Meiji jin-gu.  We also walked along the fashionably congested Takeshita Street and had our lunch at one of the shops there.

A torii at the entrance  

 Lucky us!  We managed to witness part of a traditional Japanese wedding ceremony at Meiji jin-gu.

Are you up for Takeshita Street?

Our next destination was Shibuya, Tokyo.  There happened to be a group of individuals offering "Free Christmas Hugs" not far from the train station.  So, I (along with some others in our group) ran straight to them to get some warm Christmas hugs!  We spent a few hours checking out some of the shops and bought some things too.

As soon as we went out of the train station, we snapped photos with the statue of Hachiko, the loyal and loving dog.

 Being part of the crowd crossing Shibuya's massive streets was kind of fun.  ^^

After we were done with Shibuya, we headed to Shinjuku, Tokyo.  Upon our arrival, we spent some time listening to a street performance of a duo and cheering along.  Then, we made our way to Global Unit, a place to shop for clothes with tempting discounts and promotions.  The sky was already dark when we completed our shopping.  We had our dinner before spending a little time to admirably look at the tall and mighty Tokyo Sky Tree.

Tokyo Sky Tree  

We ended our Tokyo tour for the day and went back to Minami-Kashiwa.  The coming day would be our last day in Japan, but I was too tired to be too sad.  I just dozed off after cleaning up once we reached the dormitory.

The next day, it was bittersweet for me.  I'm sure the others felt the same too.  However, the past week had been fun.  So, it was all good.  At noon, we had a promotional event to let more people know about our university and country.  After the event, we had our lunch before continuing to pack our belongings.

I was wearing my traditional costume as part of the promotional event.

Frankly, we could feel the warmth and thoughtfulness of the host throughout the whole week.  Us, UNIMAS students, wanted to do a little more than just saying thank you.  So, we gathered food and drink items that we brought from Malaysia inside a box for the students of Reitaku University who had been helping and guiding us.  We also included messages for them.

It wasn't much but we wanted to leave some food and drinks items that are popular among Malaysian students. 

Some students of Reitaku University gave us gifts.

In the evening, we said goodbye to each other as the bus took us to the airport.

I told myself that I must visit Japan again in the future.