The last battle...

I realised I'm getting lazier to blog these days. I used to have at least one post per month and now I only blog once a few months. This laziness is partly attributable to my examinations in college. Things just getting harder and harder as I enter the last part of my ACCA qualification. I started to fail my papers despite studying consistently, it's quite disheartening sometimes.

After all the hardships I had been through for the past few weeks, I only get a miserable two-weeks break!! Anyway, I joined my friends for few days holiday trip as usual. This time we went to ipoh and penang to try out the local food and visited some places as well.

I can conclude those places in one sentence:
Ipoh is full of mad people and Penang people are mostly ill-mannered.

On the other hand, time passes so quickly to the extend that I can't believe that I'm in the last semester after my holidays!! I feel old suddenly and I can't help to think of the kind of job I'll be doing after I graduated. Phew, I hope I can pass all my examinations smoothly and get a decent job. I shall strike hard and win this last battle and win the war with ACCA, may the forces be with me until the end~

Groom myself =)

Today, I attended the grooming class for OBU but somehow it turned into a presentation workshop instead. I was quite disappointed initially since I was looking forward to those external trainers in teaching us how to dress professionally. However, everything seemed fine as the class went on. The experienced Public Relations Practitioner, Puan Zarina Zainal, spoke fluent English and conducted the class in a relaxing manner.

The workshop started of by an introduction from everyone of us followed by a drawing of our favourite cartoon characters. Then, she stimulated us to think fast by showing us some pictures and wanting us to give our opinion on the picture by relating those pictures with our real life experiences (although I didn't participate in it). After a moment, there was a power failure in the college! I wonder why the tariffs kept increasing yet the service is still so lousy...

Despite the blackout, we continued to carry out our activities in the college's foyer. We were split into groups and played charade. I kinda enjoyed it although my group didn't emerge as the winner. The purpose of the game was to highlight the difficulty of someone to understand our message if we don't speak to them. There might be different interpretations from one's action if the message is not clear to the audience.

After lunch, Pn Zarina went on to talk about first impression. Do you know that it only took 0.5 seconds for someone to create their first impression? Hmm.. I didn't know about it. She instructed everyone to paste a piece of paper behind our back and let us write our impression about our friends. And below is my result:

I also learned the differences between business gaze, social gaze and intimate gaze. In addition, Pn Zarina also taught us different body languages that we can/cannot use during a presentation. She even shared a hilarious video which showed the meaning of different body languages.

I'm quite tired right now, so I'll just skip to the last part.:P Finally, we had a brief presentation to put everything we learnt into practice. I chose to talk about vampire diaries although I ended my presentation quickly as I felt nervous. Surprisingly, I received good feedback from Pn Zarina after my presentation. It certainly made me feel happy for few hours.^^

Double killed

Apparently, I'm currently belonging to the third category. Soon after getting my results for my last semester's exam, I faced the greatest failure in my life. I failed not only one but two papers of my progress test!:( This is the first time in my study life to get such rubbish marks. The worst thing is that I don't even know what the heck was happening. Despite writing as much as I could, I barely got more than half of the marks allocated to each question.

It is quite disheartening since I had started my preparation for the progress test two weeks in advance. In addition, I read my notes twice before the test! Really don't know what more that I can do to get higher marks... It reminded me of something my tax lecturer told us during our CAT class. She told us that being hardworking will not guarantee a pass in ACCA professional papers. During that time, I was not convinced by her words. Who can't pass if he/she put in sufficient efforts to study, I wondered.

Haiz, but I had to admit that my lecturer was right after all. It seems that pure regurgitation of book knowledge does not work at all at professional level papers. Then how am I going to do well in such exam? My lecturer actually mentioned that we only have to bullshit all the way to pass all professional level papers.=.= Worse still, my lecturers want us to think like a consultant. How to think like one when I don't even know what a consultant do?

Many questions running wild in my mind but I don't even know which should I ask my lecturers first... Hopefully everything will be back to normal as soon as possible.

*Studying hard and learning how to bullshit well~*

First mentor meeting

This is a blog post written specifically to facilitate my OBU Degree Skills and Learning Statement (SLS). Hence, kindly ignore this post.=]

Prior to my first mentor meeting, I had done some information gathering on a few companies which I planned to use as the focus of my research during my two weeks semester break. Apart from that, I also spent some time browsing through the Information Pack published by Oxford Brookes University to have a better understanding on the requirements of the research project and the structure of the report. However, I don't really know where to start from despite reading the Information Pack.

Later on, I tried to seek for advice from my senior to assist me in analyzing each topic area and initiating my Research and Analysis project. As that was my first attempt on such research work, I practically stared in front of my laptop for several hours figuring out the contents that I should include in my report. After completing the reasons for choosing my topic area and organisation, I stopped doing my research project for few days as I had no idea what is my overall research approach. Regardless of the efforts I spent on the Internet, I couldn't find an appropriate guideline on drafting an overall research approach. At last, I decided to move on to the next section and left that part of the project blank.

The first meeting with my mentor, Miss Geetha, really helped me a lot. She explained to me the overall structure of my research project and some important points to take note of. Besides that, she also briefed on some presentation skills needed during my fifteen minutes presentation later on. Through the meeting, I get to learn some new things, especially the Harvard referencing system.

I learned that referencing bares an important role in doing a research project. In particular, proper referencing is vital to avoid the risk of plagiarism which might lead to failure of a research work. Referencing does not only limit to the words cited from original researchers' text, but it also intends to acknowledge a researcher's idea. I learned that I have to make reference to a person by merely using his or her idea in my project! In addition, there are many minute details that I have to pay attention to when making a reference such as the punctuation marks.

I also learned how to present my report in a professional manner through the meeting. For instance, I get to know the flow of information needed to be presented in a research report, the font size, alignment as well as the type of line spacing needed. Apart from that, I was being exposed to some business models which I never heard of until then. This allowed me to carry out some research on those business models so that I could apply those models correctly in my research project. I realized that in order to fair well in the research project, I have to apply the business models in the specific business context rather than merely stating the theory of such models.

Furthermore, I learned that any comments made by the company must be verified by relevant sources such as newspaper articles and analysts' reports. The reports of the company may be biased and lack objectivity if viewed in isolation. Hence, more than one source of information is essential so that the results I obtained are neutral and objective.

Last but not least, I finally had a grasp on what to write about for my overall research approach after the meeting. I learned that the overall approach should not be written in past tense and it involves literature review and empirical research. All the insights gained from the first mentor meeting enabled me to continue with my research project confidently with less hiccups occurred during my research work.

Time and tide waits for no man

Time passed by so quickly and I can't believe that I'll be taking my ACCA Professional Level papers soon(Before that, I have to pray hard that I pass all my June papers). Somehow, I feel like I'm getting older and older. Even my friends said I looked thinner and haggard when we met each other yesterday. Well, at least I'm not going to start work on July unlike some of my ICAEW friends.:P
Therefore, I shall live to the fullest during my two weeks holiday break.=)

As a start, I joined my friends to Malacca for a 3 days-2 nights trip. We enjoyed all the food there and had a wonderful experience staying in a ghostly apartment.



Secondly, I started watching a drama introduced by my brother. It's about an ex-general who decided to go against corrupted officials of the country. Although I only watched 4 episodes, I kinda love it.^^

Thirdly, I started playing Chinese Paladin online game. Nah, I think I'll stop playing immediately after my holidays anyway. It's quite a boring game. I hope to have more plans ahead--sing k, BBQ, shopping etc...^^

Nevertheless, I still a bit worried about my OBU project. Other students had started phase 1 yet my mentor didn't do anything so far.>.<"

Back to school...

As the title implied, I went back to high school today for the speech which I mentioned in the previous post. I practically blabbed through as fast as possible and I managed to finish it before I have stage fright!! Phew,haha... However, I think I messed up that event anyway. Both parties, my secondary school and SunwayTES representatives, looked quite upset.

There was a clear contrast between my secondary school and the school in Simpang Renggam which we had visited prior to my school visit. The latter welcomed us with joy and feel proud for their students whereas my school gave me an impression like "what the hell are you doing here?" =.=|| I felt bad especially when the senior assistant was being sarcastic, stating that if you have a lot of money then you can study at Sunway. Feel like slapping him a few times!! Didn't he realise that NOT EVERYONE especially chinese can get a government scholarship? (Before they started the scholarship for all 8A+ students) Nah, I don't think they will really give everyone even after such announcement is made.

On the other hand, my form teacher actually forgotten who I am. Thank goodness anyway.:P She came in late and asking around for free goodies like a typical auntie in the market. Failing to get those free gifts, she actually called the senior assistant who was sitting beside me and ask me to pass some free bags and highlighter to her.>.<"

Before heading to Malacca, I guided Mr.Teo to Muar's Greedy Street to buy some otak-otak. That was the worse situation. I was telling them that the stalls were around the corner and....eh?! Both otak-otak stalls were not open yet and I didn't know how to respond to them.@@ Mr.Teo got out from his car and walked down the street and I was so lucky that there's one van selling otak-otak at the other end of the road. Otherwise, I don't know what will happen next. I don't think that van's otak-otak is nice anyway but at least they didn't leave empty-handed. What a day...

My speech

Below is the speech that I might present it in my high school as part of the Sunway promotion:

Good morning I bid to the principal of HSM Puan….. GPK, guest of honor Mr Teo Ee Sing, Executive Director of Sunway TES, Ms Ong, Business Development Manager of Sunway TES, teachers and fellow students. I would like to express my gratitude to HSM for giving me the opportunity to share a few words with everyone this morning.

Before I get started, allow me to introduce myself first. I am Ong Wei Zun and I graduated from HSM on 2008. Currently, I am pursuing ACCA at Sunway University. I remembered vividly the day which I received my SPM results and how happy I was for getting straight A1 for my SPM. I eagerly applied as many scholarships as possible hoping that I can could be lucky enough to get one. However, at that point of time, I didn’t really know what I want and I randomly chose a different course for every single application that I came across. To my dismay, my applications were rejected and I was forced to enter matriculation in Penang. I been through hell for almost 3 weeks’ time in matriculation before I finally convinced my parents and settled down in Sunway University.

My fellow juniors,

The point of sharing my past experience with you is to encourage you guys to set an ambition before you complete your studies in high school. Please don’t repeat the silly mistake that some my friends and I had made. Having good results in your PMR, SPM or STPM is merely a pass into the tertiary education. It doesn’t mean that you will excel in any field provided that you have the interest and passion to learn. There is no such thing as private tuition classes at university level, thus self-motivation and self-discipline play a very important role. If you don’t have interest in the subject you are studying, no one is there to force you, especially where you are staying in hostel.

Therefore, take your time to meditate and think what you really like to pursue in your tertiary education. Different professions have different route and you have to find out on your own. For example, if you wish to study ACCA, the fastest route would be taking CAT/FIA after SPM. But if you wish to pursue engineering, it will be faster to undertake their respective foundations immediately after SPM. Of course, if you haven’t decided what to do or you are immature enough, you can choose to stay in high school for another 2 years by taking STPM. Once you have decided, please hold on to it and don’t be easily influenced by your friends or relatives. It’s your future, not theirs.

Anyway, just try to enjoy your high school life to the fullest. Play any computer games you like to play such as DOTA or CS, watch any drama series you love to watch such as Glee, Gossip Girls, Vampire Diaries and Supernatural etc. But stop doing so when you enter university as you don’t have the time and pleasure to do such thing anymore. Believe me.

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank all the teachers of HSM who had taught me well and had built a strong foundation for me. I would not be able to stand here today if I was not taught the essential values in life that changed me to a better person. Today, I would like to dedicate the CAT World Top Scorer and World Prize Winner award to you all.

For those students who are sitting for PMR and SPM soon, all the best in your exams. Believe in yourself and eventually, you will succeed. Prove to others, especially the KL students that Muarians are capable to compete with them. Thank you~

No longer a kid, marching into the 20's

Last Thursday, I'm officially 20 years old. 10th of March 2011-- a day I'll remember as it ended with a surprise birthday party for me. Thanks to my university's friends, I'm not alone on my birthday.=)

A birthday cake made up of breads...I have admit that this is so unexpected. First time seeing such "cake" for a birthday boy.


After taking pictures in medan, my friends and I went back to college to unwrap my presents. Okay, this was the part that I had a mixed feelings. The first present I unwrap was a dog-shaped pillow and I kinda love it. Now, I have an additional member in my hostel room.^^ I was thinking that the next present could be something awesome too. However, it turned out to be a boxer. Err...=.=" I certainly not expecting such present at that time, felt a bit awkward as I opened it in front of my friends. Worse still, it was followed by a box of underwear and finally a G-string!! I was like OMG!! Why am I receiving such thing from them?>.<

I felt that all my presents somehow very 18SX if they are combined together. Many undies to wear, a T-shirt that asking girls to get laid down and a pillow to sleep. Hmm...I am wondering whether my friends conspired to produce such combination or is it a mere coincidence. Anyhow, that was my first birthday with so many presents since I was born. Appreciate them very much. I'm wondering whether a text message is sufficient to express my gratitude to my friends. You guys are AWESOME!! Love you very much!!

The funniest part was when I brought back my presents home. My parents were not surprised by those presents. In fact, my father laugh and said:"Your girls friends very naughty har, give you these kind of present." LOL...He continued by saying that the G-string looks so sexy.@.@ Hahaha, that's my father.=)

Reaching the age of 20 reminds me of Britney Spears' song--I'm not a girl,not yet a women. Haiz, no longer young anymore compared to those kids running around in the playing ground. Perhaps I should control my temper and watch my behaviour in the future. Feeling a little hot tempered lately,second phase puberty? Haha...

Bandar Tasik Selatan

Today I shall introduce everyone to our one-and-only integrated bus station--TBS BTS. This is the second time I officially stepped into this bus station, I had sufficient time to explore the new bus station today as I can't get an early bus ticket to go home. Here are some of the pictures:

A touch screen monitor to select our desired bus.




Feel a little impressed?
Yup, but that's only my first impression. When I was waiting in the departure zone, two foreign tourists looked very fed up and confronted one of the staff."How can we go up? This place sucks!!". Oops!! That's when I realised that there were no escalators to go up to the main lobby. Apparently, there are only escalators that go down to the departure zone but none of them goes upwards. The only way back to main lobby is through a lift hidden around the corner.

In addition, the departure zone is not really a departure zone. It is more like a secondary waiting area for passengers to wait for another half and hour!! I am puzzled that they actually requiring passengers to "check-in" half and hour earlier to wait for the arrival of the buses. Come on! This is not an airport for goodness sake!
Malaysia memang boleh. Boleh turun, tak boleh naik. Tunggu lama lama baru boleh.=.=

Happy CNY

Okay, before I start to write any crap on this blog post, I have to admit that I'm such a lousy blogger. I don't even know that some of the links in my blog have either deleted or privatised. I had a shock when I clicked those links one by one...=.= Anyway, I have cleaned up the mess and deleted a few expired links on my blog.

One year after another, I feel like I'm getting older now. Another one month and I'm officially 20 years old. Haiz... I should prepare to be a young adult now but where should I start? Maybe I should drink beer, play golf, enter the stock market or watching bloomberg etc. Nah, I think I'll pass all those nonsense for the time being. We should think young and live young right? :P

As usual, my exam result is coming out soon on 21 feb. Frankly speaking, it's kind of freaking me out. I know how I performed during the exam, so it is not so optimistic. Just hoping that this rabbit year will bring me luck so that my results will not be that terrible.>.<