Monday 30 November 2015

After-SPM Plans

Finally there's time for me to spam the keys! (nah I was just lazy)

To most of the 98's in my country, the hurricane seems to have settled down for them. IT DOESN'T MEAN THAT YOU HAVE TO SCREAM AROUND THE HALL LIKE YOU WON THE LOTTERY! Oh why you ask? 'CAUSE I STILL HAVE AN EXTRA SUB, PRICKS.
Snape is awesome btw I still can't get over his death x.
Okay my bad, sorry for the rage.

Moving on, since my head couldn't resist the thought that SPM is over (soon), I've already began to plan my after-SPM schedule for the past weeks. And by plan, I mean real plans without the goofing & gaffing. In our imaginative, creative & wild minds, there're just so many things blurred onto our bucket list that sometimes if you storm a little deeper, some dreams aren't even realistic at all. Somehow I've always managed to keep my plans clear & real since I was a kid as I'm an individual who compares the real & unreal way too much. Like I fully disagree with fictitious ambitions without laying out a tough path of grueling obstacles to build experience & achievements. Don't get my words wrong though, I do have pretty far fetched ambitions like becoming a full time YouTuber & working in the film industry, but it IS possible for me to achieve them with the correct road & mindset, which is drafting & executing the plans needed to reach the finish line. Here's an example of people I loathe: People who wants to be a YouTuber but constantly give excuses for not being able to create a channel/upload content regularly. With such behaviorism, trust me but you're getting nowhere in years. It's not about making things perfect, but trying's the first step! I'm not trying to brag or whatsoever, but I at least try to keep my videos uploaded at a weekly basis & do constantly brainstorm for creative ideas. Thus, this also leads to another after-SPM plan you'll read below!

After I'm done with EST next Tuesday, one of the first things I'll do is pick up driving lessons. Does it sound terrifying to you? Because controlling a fast-moving object with only pedals & a driving wheel freaks the hell out of me. In the meantime, I'll get a part-time job for two months before the college life shoots in (excited!). Becoming a barista in Starbucks was always a tiny dream of mine, I had sent in my application, but I'm kinda underage (still below 18) so it's a 50/50 chance I might get the gig. Besides that, I'll still be involved in a few Scout activities during the holidays & might apply for a Scouter position if I can cope my college studies with its commitment, although I doubt I'll be able to apply as the course I'm going for is quite an all-around which tends to need more time & dedication in order to score in all subjects. Not just that, a second YouTube Channel is on its way soon! It's where I'll upload comedy, short films & vlogs weekly so it doesn't mix with the music/animation channel.

The most exhilarating part for me is planning & applying for college! The course I really really really want to go for is the American Degree Transfer Program (Communications Major) in Sunway College. In overall, it is a course that not only tackles the subject I'm about to major, but it contains a lot of minors that are selectable such as psychology, environmental studies, natural science & so much more. Basically, it's similar to high school where I'll have tons of subjects including the one I major to study for, therefore it's a course that needs full concentration & smart studying techniques to notch. If you question me, why major Communications rather than Film if my dream is to work in the film industry? I'll leave that interesting topic to another future blog post as there's quite an amount to explain. This programme is also high in cost which is a huge worry for my parents & I as there are so many subjects & I'll be spending a year or so in the states (2 yrs here, 1 year there). Hence, if I get the chance to pursue this dream course I'll need to secure my future platform, I'll definitely go all in & never loose a muscle.

Yup, that's about it on my REAL after-SPM plans I suppose! There are surely other things I have on the list, but these are the prioritised ones I'm either excited about (college!) or having to do so (driving, for example). What are your after-SPM/holiday plans? Feel free to let me know in the comments below!
#spmday10 #biology

Tiny piece of advice, focus on being productive than being busy!

See you soon, Alanis xx.

Monday 9 November 2015

Trip to America! #PartOne


Many people know that I went to the states during the 2014's year-end school holidays, and most of them questioned me about the trip, how was life there like & so on. Without a clue, I started to realised that I actually didn't take any time off to blog or share this rare experience to the curious ones, especially for someone who used to junk her blog 24/7! 

Well, without further ado, here's a collection of much rather random (and ugly) shots my uncle and I took during my one-month stay in the US.
Flight delayed. (3rd from top)
Flight ticket! 
In the cabin with a bunch of French monsieurs & madames.
See any Malaysians? I DON'T THINK SO. D:
I remember myself going insane when in the morning of 28 November, I realised my flight was departing on the night itself! (I thought it was on 29..) Asking me was it a scary experience? - It was terrifying. For someone who doesn't travel abroad often, it's like swimming in the middle of the ocean. But trust me, once you get over the wanna-pee-your-pants phase, it's all good after that. Just follow the signboards & ask for assistance (also learn a little French), and you'll be fine! The 13-hour flight from Malaysia to Paris was literally a pain in the ass though. Luckily I had the aisle seat or else I had to communicate with authentic French people so I could visit the restroom. Hey, a French girl actually sat on my left & I swear I couldn't understand a single word besides excusez-moi. 
Reached Paris! (Paris De Gaulle Airport)
Had to fill this scary form before heading onboard.

This glaced waffle was delicious! Costed me £1.
Once my plane hit the ground of the chilly Paris, I rushed my way to another terminal to catch my next flight to Chicago. The shuttle bus I took gave me a brief view around the airport, including the foreign plants & scenery my eyes wasn't offered in my birth country. Cool vending machines were everywhere - the waffle above was bought from one of them! Before even able to relax my ass in such a country I adore, passengers of the next flight was called to board the plane.
Airplane snack during the transit flight to Chicago. (Savoury & Sweet)
Reached Chicago O'Hare Airport! My uncle's whole family including my cute cousins came to pick me up (not to mention, I gave my Aunt a pretty good scare). We had dinner at a restaurant opened by Malaysians, visited a grocery store then head to a nearby hotel for an overnight stay. Of course, jet lag kicked in as I spent my snoring times on Pac-Man & Tetris on the plane. Next morning, we head to Chinatown for brunch at Wong Kok's after stuffing myself with bacon & eggs. Before the 3 hour drive back to my Uncle's home in Michigan, we hung out at the long walk near Adler Planetarium where we took pictures of the Chicago View & the Zodiac Statues. To be frank, it was FREEZING cold even my fingers were shivering & 'smoke' breathed out from my mouth while I spoke, but the scenery was just too fascinating I could never afford to miss.
Circle of Animals / Zodiac Statues in Chicago.
Some statue outside the museum. (It's Copernicus I think)
Chicago View aka ignore my ugly face.
Chinatown in Chicago.
Snowy view from the hotel we stayed for a night.

To be continued!

Stay tuned for part two, Alanis xx.

Monday 2 November 2015

Reckless & Stupidity | #SpmDay1

Day 1 of SPM was such a bitch.

It was one of my best Malay essays I ever wrote in life, threw in nine idioms & a poem, great elaboration of points, and guess what - the worst that could happen actually happened.

My essay was off the topic. My first time going off topic, and it decided to occur on SPM.

As the matter of fact, the way I knocked in the realisation was hilarious. Thinking that a word from the question owns a meaning of such, I wrote the 4-page-long text obeying its requirements. Coming out of the hall with a slight grin, Nedd & I proceeded to the library to revise for our next test. There, I flipped open the Malay dictionary to triple-confirm the meaning of that word, shockingly discovering the exact definition of it.

Basically, the question wants us to write about the methods to promote World Peace. 

Well, I scribbled ways to promote our country's peace.
Fucked, am I?
Nedd stared at me hysterically while I began to laugh like a psychopath ready to map its next killing because seriously what else could I do? Start shedding tears, flooding the library? You guys probably know it's not my thing to tear up in public (especially in a library) but I admit, it's tough to hold it in. Malay was a subject I sank my heart into just to understand, furthermore it was a subject I actually 'study' for. Not the brag, deep inside I knew that if my essay was right on track, an A for Malay might not just stay as a dream anymore. And yup, I screwed it up because of my stupidity of blindly believing that I knew the meaning of such word, and confidently chose the risky path instead of a safe but boring one. Definitely learnt my lesson, eh.

In a blink of an eye, I felt my world collapsing. It's impossible to accept the fact that this subject might give me a grade below credit, or even failing it. If I fail, I would have to retake this heartbreaking subject a few months later. If I pass below credit, I would have to take up this subject in college. Worst, I might not even get into the course I aim for if I don't get at least a C for Malay. People around me would find this as not a huge deal that I should move on from, but it hurts because my essay was good. It wouldn't scar so much if I'm usually bad at Malay or I already screwed up the elaborations of the essay in the first place. Trust me, I tried so hard to forget about it so I could focus on the other subjects, but it just couldn't work. I'm not okay at all. It's really something that obstructs me to forgive myself, all because of plain stupidity & my reckless habit with a touch of overconfidence.
Sniffs.
With the objective to draw away my miserable thoughts, (lame) puns & jokes were naturally pulled out from my tongue to spark a laugh or two. Did not expect they would choo in a train of asthmatic guffawing till we barely revised a single thing during the 3 hour break. Deep down, my inner soul was tired of crying. Got a little (unhelpful) kick after Nedd told me that she could see the tearful me under my laughing coat. Somehow, watching my buddy laugh her lungs out cheered me up with a twisted thought of 'at least I'm making someone else happy, ain't I?'. Nope, not heading for some sacrificing-happiness-of-oneself-to-make-others-happy bullshit because that's just attention-craving crap, but I gotta say, seeing someone being joyful because of the jokes I pull out really glues a smile on top of my frown. Genuine smiles, of course - Don't frame it up just so I could sell myself a lie!

Hmm on the bright side, at least I get a short day's break as I'm having English for tomorrow. Hoping for the best for tomorrow, screwing up one favourable subject is already way more than enough for me! Better head off revising a little more idioms for tomorrow's essay, SPM's not something I could excel by the seat of one's pants!


All the best, SPM candidates! Cheers, Alanis xx.