Unforgettable: Bye NUS

AFTER 18 YEARS OF STUDYING UNDER THE MOE EDU SYSTEM, 

I'M FINALLY DONE!! ;D

Soooooo, I've just graduated from NUS unofficially at 11am on the 29th Nov 2012. 

I had 2 weeks to prepare for my Soci of sexuality module and seriously couldn't get any more bored of sex. And sexuality. Lol. The readings are interesting, i must say, but to be honest they are quite repetitive as well. The entire module is about cross-cultural comparisons, power inequality, gender inequality, homosexual, heterosexuals and human rights. The most interesting insight I learnt would probably be on prostitution and the historical of ancient China, Japan, Greece and New Guinea societies whereby there was a compulsory phase for all young guys to have an older same-sex lover. It was believed that young guys would become more masculine and manly only after they have swallowed their older male lover's semen. OMGWTFBBQ right? Guys, be glad that you're born in this era, where people don't think that an older man's semen is magical. I shall not continue elaborating and painting the explicit image here. Anyway, yes all the abovementioned are very intriguing to a certain extent, but my brain got really saturated after studying it for 14 days, 10am-10pm straight.. 

So after studying Psychology for 3.5 years, and having done an experiment on it, i realised Psychology is not what I had expected it to be during my pre-uni days. It's soooo much broader and diverse than what I had imagined. So basically, the basics of Psychology can be divided 6 different aspects -
A, B, C, D, S, P. 

Abnormal, Biological, Cognitive, Developmental, Social and Personality.

In my naive and confined mind 4 years ago, I thought that the only career path for Psych graduates would be to ultimately become a psychologist. I chose this particular major, thinking that it's the only course which is most appropriate for me to take in order to help my family since the gene susceptible to depression runs in my family. Being in the stiff competition for good grades among all the psych students had not been easy for me, yet i've never regretted taking this major up, tho at the expense of my grades. heh. I still remember how i partied my Year 1 sem 1 away and only studied 4 out of 12 chapters for my PL1101E (basic psych module) for the finals. I got back a C+ and spent 1 month of my precious holiday studying for the placement test (a re-test for people interested in majoring). Luckily it wasn't too late for me cos i managed to scrape through and major it. Through those uni days, i noticed that i never really enjoyed studying modules from other faculties, i.e. Math, E-commerce, Cybercrime, etc. But, i enjoyed reading almost all of my psych modules. I'd say my favourite Psych modules are bio of emotions, psychosocial of emotions, personality and social/abnormal psychology. Can't really handle the neuro brain parts, neither am i interested in how kids' brains develop. I wanna thank my psych/close girlfriends Qianhua, Meijun, Shenn and Val for always patiently giving me useful tips and endless motivation in my studies. Thank you baby Leonard for always accompanying me go early to school to chope tables and power sockets at the Central Lib and Utown these 1.5 years. Love you all! <3

Besides having learnt so much content knowledge in school, I think my biggest take-home from NUS would be my personal character growth. I've never been the most popular kid in school or among my friends. I used to take pride in how ferocious my personality was, just cos i thought nobody dared to voice out their stance and opinions and i dared. Never did I realise that this stubborn and selfish mentality of mind would bring upon me nothing good but so much interpersonal relations issues with some 'friends' and even got the bitchy friends wagging their tongues behind my back. It was only in the recent year in uni that I decided to tear down the mask and attempt to think in others' shoes. Fortunately, it was easier to smile than to frown. The friends who were really afraid of me before my gradual change found it easier to click with me ever since. I also learnt to cherish my family more and am always gladly looking forward to spending quality time with them. My siblings and bestie surprised me when they said that they like my refreshing change, hence i really enjoy being more genuinely sociable. :) On the other hand, I am nonetheless still certain about the types of people who would turn me off: Chauvinistic guys (worse if they're vain), girls who act dumb and think they are cute, attention-seeking bitches who complain about every aspect of their life when they're already considered blessed in others' eyes, girls who touch or flirt with Leonard, insensitive people who say stupid things that hurt others and people who squander off their parents' money without any practical goal to be productive/useful in life. I think such people are pure waste of space. If you're none of the above, you don't have to worry about me hating you. :p I'm a really sweet girl. (erhem)

Of course, I have to mention the CCA that blessed me with so many awesome girlfriends and buddies, as well as provided me with the valuable and priceless experiences that brought me a step closer to realising my passion and dream. Voices had been the most integral aspect of my uni life especially after going through countless training and rehearsals in preparation of the 5 major performances (3 Emerges and 2 Mini Concerts) and a few internal and external gigs. Even though I did get labelled as a wild party girl (when I'm clearly not!??!) and was disliked by one of the members, I'm confident to say that probably 99% of my CCA-mates are actually ok with or neutral towards me. The membership in NUS CAC Voices was the most enriching once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that was presented to me in NUS. I'm thankful for my closer friends like Qian, Val, Kelly, Marcus and Kendrick. During the times when I doubted myself and felt the all-time-low in NUS, you are like the angels who never let go of me to crumble by myself  during my weakest point. Thankful that my bestest and most clickable bunch of friends came from NUS Voices. :')

I remember telling myself that I'm definitely gonna cherish my final semester in NUS in August this year. What exactly is the best method of cherishing time and moments? I'm not too sure. What I'm sure about is that when I start working proper (in about 2-3 months or so), I'm gonna be reminded of NUS (esp with so many juniors on twitter) and reminisce about the deck's legendary Yong Tau Fu laksa and people-watching bazaar, about the fully-packed NUS Central Library level 6, about the crazy queue outside YIH study room, about the empty space outside NUSSU office where my girls and I practised for Emerge, about the loooong sweaty walk into Utown, about giving in to a cup of Starbucks to keep ourselves going on long mugging days, about going for Macs breakfast at Engine at 1059 for cheap brunch, about the NUS Central Forum fleamarket fair where I'd spend on impulse purchases of makeup and blog shop apparels, and last but not least not forgetting the full days and late nights we spent in school just to finish 1-2 pathetic chapters of 1 (just ONE) module. -.- Well, definitely I wouldn't want to return to this kind of life anymore, but i'll miss it anyway. It occurs as quite surprising to me that just a few months back in April, I recall telling Leonard and my friends: Omg I don't wanna graduate! and in October, I couldn't wait for November to come so that I can officially not return to NUS for lessons anymore. To a certain extent, I enjoy school because it makes me feel young and productive as I'll always have things to keep myself busy and of course to learn new knowledge. After a few months of experimenting with stuff and going through serious thoughts, extending an extra semester in NUS was in fact just an excuse for me to search for my true identity as an individual (and also to pull up my CAP). I can't model for nuts but I can pen down a hell lot of opinions (in other words, a long monologue) of interesting people/shops/restaurants/places which I've came across. I can't (even) get into D'hoppers dance crew, but I have a much deeper and stronger passion in singing, hence the youtube channel. 

Many seniors of my (seemingly) designated 'line' told me that as long as you work hard, results and opportunities will follow suit. To be honest, I'm quite skeptical about it probably because I haven't really REALLY worked hard enough for any dream (which is still not entirely concrete even now). Here's my plan: to give myself 3 months' break from doing anything beyond my wish and dedicate it to my slowly-forming ambition and so-called dreams. I just need a tad (a lot maybe) more maturity to miraculously develop in my system so as to bring my aspirations into reality. I have plans. At the same time, i'd need your support and feedback to keep improving. So do be generous with your comments (or even likes) as usual. More information will be up about my plans in time to come. The only thing I'm confident to reveal now is, I'll never stop expanding my knowledge universe, so watch out for new things coming up! :)

I shall end off with a few tips for those who are still searching for your personal identity:

If it's within your financial means, go try out new hobbies and activities which interest you. If you've always been interested in certain activities or skills for quite some time, be it singing, drawing, baking, photography, dancing, modeling, setting up a business or doing up a sports, beat that inertia and the procrastination devil in you by planning out a practical timetable of goals you wish to achieve for that month. Remember to do sufficient research on your interest this December holidays. You are one of a kind with an entirely unique personality, surprise people with the capabilities you have secretly hidden away from public gaze. If you happen to not be so well off (like me), do it one step at a time. What's important is taking the initiating step, because in an eye blink, you'd see yourself working halfway towards your goal already. Good luck all! 

Lol. I never knew i would say the above.
I suspect, once in a while i'll have magic fingers that can generate inspirational stories and sentences. Hehe.  

Alright. Will be singing for the next few days.

Thanks for enduring through the looonng lor soh post, i feel so loved. 

:)

Do help to like my fb consolidation page if you haven't! 

Thanks in advance!

Other channels to stalk me:

Twitter: @ZiweiSandy

Instagram: ZiweiSandy

Youtube: Ziweisandy 

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I don't want to graduate!

Have been blogging so much about events after events, finally I've got some free time to update this little corner with my nonsense. Genting posts will be up next, I promise.

Life has been quite fulfilling these 2+ months. :D:D It's either singing, teaching, working (once per week), outings, dating, playing mahjong or sleeping. ;D Recently, I started exercising and dieting too + even shed some weight within 3 days, believe it ornot. Actually, I'm slightly guilty that I haven't been fully maximizing all my time during the holidays, but chill man, i need to cut myself some slack from being productive all the time right? Sleeping in late until 3pm and skipping work are cheap thrills of life. :p

Learnt a great deal about socializing with new people/friends (esp in Arts Camp) this holidays. Damn, it is tiring, especially for someone like me with limited topics, cos I don't play LAN, cook, bake, play soccer and neither am i single. Somemore, I'm not those super wild kind + old woman in NUS already. Need to pretend to be young among the fresh meat. Being with them does make me feel younger though. I'm just wishing that my freshies this year work hard and not waste their first few years in NUS like how i did - played my CAP away. boohoo. 

But i guess it's never too late to start working hard. I know of a friend whose CAP was about as bad as mine, but he chose to focus his energy and efforts on other aspects of his life. It's a pity, we could still be besties by now mugging hard for psych tgt, that idiot. Anw, the story here is that he told me 3 years ago that he doesn't believe that either of our CAP would improve tremendously no matter how hard we work. I didn't believe, cos i have an incremental mindset yo (thankgod). And tadam~ (semestral) CAP 3.9 from a low 3. Haha, ok it's not exactly awesome, but I was super close to hitting 4! COME ON NEXT SEM ONLY 2 MODS LAI!

Anw, I miss meeting up with my secondary school friends and just talk about life the way we did back in RV.  I miss how my primary school friends and I like to play "best friends" and "don't friend you" silly games back in Greenridge. I miss my childhood friends jioing me out to play block-catching and candles during mid-autumn festival when I was still staying at Bt Panjang. I miss hanging out with Lianne, my bff and going overseas together. I miss doing nothing but having dates with Leonard every now and then, as and when we like, just like 2 years ago. 

I'm so against taking up internships during the holidays. You can say that I'm being short-sighted and laid back, but I'm still not gonna take this youth and freedom for granted. Pursuing my passion, socializing without THAT much politics, taking 12-hour slumbers, teaching primary school kiddos and playing overnight mahjong are the best things this holidays.

These are only temporary though. I don't know what to do exactly to cherish these moments, but I'm definitely aware about my enjoyment for them and then tell myself how lucky I am. Oh, chit-chatting with my bestie Lianne and best buds Marcus and CK are better than best! Close friends are rare these days and you can't even get enough of them seriously, cos you have not enough time! Rawr~ x 

Ok sorry for wasting your precious time to read this ranting and thanksgiving post. :p 

Here's another pic of Leo and I at Genting at First World Hotel! (psst, it's damn cui) 

Wah see got watermark somemore. :p

I'm hoping that this blog gets interesting soon with my newly-promoted membership with Nuffnang. :B

Be back with more pics! Just finished editting all the peekchas! :3 

Thanks Junyong for sharing the secret weapon. ;D

Hearts,

Ziwei

P/s: I'm halfway through my new cover! Still learning and practising! Please be patient. xo

P/p/s: I updated a new Portfolio page under my tabs! :) You can check out other tabs also, especially my covers. :p

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Movie review in Psych perspective: Chronicle

Hope i don't become a spoiler reviewing this movie.

As a Psychology student, it's inevitable that i link up things i'm exposed to in my daily life to stuff i learnt in school. So instead of doing a cliché review of narrating and promoting the movie, i'll see what i can come up with. :3

It was the first time i watched a movie purely through the lens of video cameras. The effects were much better and cooler than expected as it didn't make me feel dizzy any bit throughout the movie.

The movie started with the depiction of an abused teenager Andrew. The avoidant attachment style he had adopted towards his father since young made him develop inferiority, low agreeableness and high neuroticism. Despite those trauma he faced at home, he discovered his possession of a hidden talent in superpower manipulation after coming across a crystalline meteor with 2 other playful mates.

I'd highly suspect that Andrew had developed schizoid personality disorder as patients with schizoid PD lack interest in social relationships and prefer to engage in solitary activities. Andrew simply turned away the concern and care from his fellow buddies after mastering the use of his superpowers and subsequently indulged in philosophical readings on Darwin's theories. The problem with SPD demonstrated in the movie would be Andrew immersing himself in his internal fantasy world when he realised fiction had come to life in his attainment of the superpower. Obsession in his belief of Darwin's natural selection theory pushed him to explore his newly-attained abilities to the extent of exploiting them. On the other hand, i didn't think Andrew's one hardcore hopeless SPD case as he still sought for love and recognition from his cousin of which he got an ambiguous reply in return. The misinterpretation that he didn't mean anything to his best buddy/cousin resulted in all the tragedies that followed. Lesson here: Please say "I love you too" to your important ones, be it brother, sister, cousin, buddy, boyfriend, girlfriend when they pop "do you love me?" k! <3

It's quite saddening to witness the uncontrollable deterioration of the mental health in an untreated student with PD. A supposed superhero with anti-social personality disorder. How scary is it if this fictional character actually exists around us?! Anti-social personality disorder is defined by the US National Library of Medicine as "a mental health condition in which a person has a long-term pattern of manipulating, exploiting, or violating the rights of others." Criminals act ruthlessly because they feel no empathy, sympathy, compassion and remorse towards any others affected by their actions. This deficiency in these functional emotions in someone who possesses superpowers will unquestionably bring about chaos all around.

I couldn't help but to come up with some of these associations between the movie content and what i study in school everyday.

I won't say it's as good as Black Swan as a psych thriller but its combination with the dramatic actions makes it worth watching with your date this weekend. <3

Hearts.

P/s: Please support my first try on movie review by commenting. Thanks in advance.

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22nd! (Part 1)

[slideshow]

So. I'm 22. Getting used to this age. Somehow I'm looking forward more to adulthood, adult working life.

Pictures in the above slideshow only consists of 3 outings/celebrations:

• First out-of-school dinner with my PowerPsych Girls M and Q at Ramen Champion at Bugis Iluma, then Ice cream man for dessert. I'm really thankful to have known these girls in my uni life. They helped me in my Psych modules and shared so much joy and woes mugging tgt. Jiayou girls!!

• Dinner at Ma Maison Restaurant at Central with Bee, BBFL (Best Bros for life) Jon and Seb + CK, chillax drinking session at Beer Market with BBFL CK, Ervin, Nadya and Seb and mild clubbing at Attica with Chao and the rest. We definitely need more of this kinda just-chill gatherings every now and then but probably not back to Attica again? The crowd was quite pathetic that night. Or maybe i'm too old for clubs alr. 22 alrd!! :(

• Heartwarming dinner date at Medzs at Orchard Central with Bee, best girlfriend Lianne and her bf, Jo. Really happy to see my favourite girlfriend for the longest time again after 4 months of her enjoying shopping and beautiful scenery in Canada for SEP. Thanks sooooo much for the Too-faced Smokey Eye makeup palette! Love it mega lots!

I'm gonna blog about the 3 surprise bday celebs for the next entry cos i realised i don't have the pics in my lappy-for-school now. They're definitely blog-worthy! <3<3

Short review on some places i visited:

Ramen Champion - the seasoned eggs are supposed to be the highlight of the trip since i hadn't tried it before. But i have no idea why I didn't like the taste! So disappointed with myself. About 5-6 ramen stalls within Ramen Champion, like the concept of Marché and Medzs, you order with a card and pay before you leave the place. My recommendation would be the 2nd last stall from inside, named Bario. If you're on diet/have a small appetite, take the half-ramen which is about half the price of the normal sized bowl which gives a damn huge serving. Thanks ah Qian for the recommendation! :D Spent less than 10$! (Y)

Ma Maison Restaurant - loved the Escargot!!!! Served in pretty shells unlike those at Saizeriya which are served on hot plates. There shouldn't be a huge difference in taste though. Had steak for dinner. Not bad. Spent about 30$, price a lil steep but my birthday celebration ok, birthday girl is allowed to enjoy good food! :3

Beer Market - thank you nadya for the recommendation. The place is damn cool even though it may not be economical. The prices of different beer fluctuate like the stock market figures depending on the drinkers' demand for different beers. If you're looking at finger food, order the honey fried chicken wings! Damn damn tasty!!

Medzs - I won't especially promote this place to my friends due to its limited variety of food, stingy portions and expensive prices. The payment system works like that of Marché. The ambiance would be slightly better than Marché ito having lower noise level and a more classy setting.

Apologies on the no-substance entry. I have so much deep deep thoughts that i want to pen down here! But it'll be totally irrelevant to the birthday entry. Shall save it till I actually take some actions so they don't become "empty thoughts.

Look out for the next few entries. Really.

Hearts.

P/s: Bee, i'll support you in your goals and plans. Keep your promises! <3

P/p/s: Friends, would greatly appreciate it if you guys help to click on the title of the post and like/rate the post to let me have an idea whether my effort in doing some reviews of food places for you guys' reference is useful. :) I'd be slowly but steadily updating this corner. Will be doing an advert/product review soon! Maybe you can spend a little bit of time to leave a comment to suggest what i can include too. Thanks! <3

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