Reading Weeks.

It's been a week now since I've landed on home soil.
(Well done if you've noticed my use of the word 'soil')
I am home. Back in the Land Below The Wind.
I don't know who gave Sabah that name, but I'm glad they did.
(Okay, I Googled. It was named by Agnes Newton Keith.)
Makes it sound hella cool, don't you think?
But let's be real, no matter how much "wind" we have here,
it's still not enough to stop me from hiding under a roof,
face glued to my Mac.
Only problem is, WiFi and Internet really aren't the best things we have.
Even more so for my house, we've been living off the cheapest package.
I wait minutes to watch a short Youtube clip at 144p.
Imagine the horror!

The Particle at the End of the Universe.
A book I borrowed from a Perth library,
and smuggled into Malaysia to read.
My interest in particle physics started with Year 12 Physics,
reignited after watching the film Interstellar late last year.

Fret not! I came prepared this time. With books!
Those who know me well (a.k.a been into my room) are aware of my (expensive) habits of buying books,
and never reading them.
Books are just such great things.
And I really do admire people who read.
Such admiration, yet the lack of any true desire to (actually) read, is what created this...dilemma.
Fortunately, I am now fully aware of this monster lurking deep within me.
I proudly resist the urge to buy just about any book I see.
(Yes, I judge a book by its cover. And then I buy it. Screw the summary on the back cover!)

So there's me. And my shelf of unread books.
Books that I'll probably never open.
I do occasionally pick them up though, just to show people that I'll never read them.
I've always wondered, how do people get into reading?
Why do they read, instead of watch TV?
I wish I could conclude this post with a miraculous answer I found, but I haven't.
I might have found the path to my destination, but I'm still nowhere near it yet.
A few years back, right after my WACE conundrum, I ordered a book online.
Just to feel something, y'know?
Months and months of studying for something can leave you a bit...dead.
And for the first time in (a long time) my life, I actually fell in love with a book.
It was such a page-turner.
The plot/theme definitely grabbed my attention.
It wasn't that predictable.
It was something not found on visual media.
And the best part?
It came in sequels! (Plural!)
I ordered the next one right away.
I fell in love with the characters.
It felt like watching the first season of How I Met Your Mother, then the second, and third, and fourth!
And just when things couldn't get better, the author announces an 'all-grown-up' series.

*Phew* Gotta calm down a little.
I guess, for me, reading only comes when I find the 'right' book.
The book that connects, and resonates with me.
The one that I can easily relate to.
That will only be my early hypothesis.
Time to find more of these books and see if my hypothesis can be proven true.
But does my hypothesis only apply to myself? Do other people have a viable explanation for their bookworm-ish-ness?
P.S. You'll never guess which book I fell in love with!


Listening to I Apologise (Dear Simon) - Moss

Chilling Below The Wind,

TK

purpose'd

I know it's a little late.
But it's that time of the year again.
The end of 2014 (beginning of 2015), which means I need to look back at my 2014 resolutions and make a new list for 2015.
One that I'll hopefully keep and achieve.

Let's have a look at the 2014 Resolutions (taken from my previous blogpost):

• Get Good Grades in my First Year of Uni 

Well, I think its safe to say that I'm happy with my current grades.

Extremely pleased, in fact. 

I did work hard for it, and I think the final grade I got reflected my efforts accurately.

*wink wink*

First contact with a Japanese, Miss Hazuki-san from Gifu, Japan.
We met at my first Kaiwa Session with the UWA Japanese Studies Society (Japssoc).

• GET A JOB

...I did NOT get a job this year *pout*.

But I did sign up for some volunteering.

And as far as I'm concerned, I'm content with the "work" I'm currently doing.

Especially in the social aspect of things, because I got to network a bit and know some great (and wise) people!

Enjoying a drink with my friend at the Varsity Bar at Broadway,
after a long long day trying to get my Fracking report finished during study break.

• Don't Get Drunk

Guilty is charged. 

I must admit, when I wrote this, I probably meant "Don't drink".

But unfortunately, I did drink a few times this year (for good reasons!),

and I did get a little tipsy from some of those drinks (again, for some very reasonable...reasons).

But I'm happy to announce that no foolish deeds were done while in my slightly light-headed state,

which is the ultimate purpose of staying away from alcohol!

Joining the protest in Perth, hosted by the Friends of Palestine.
The protest took place earlier this year, shortly after the attack on Gaza Strip began.

• Actually Finish Reading All The Novels I Have

It's not really a new year's resolution if you don't break a few of 'em, right?

Uni has been insanely hectic for me and I barely had any time to do leisurely reading.

(Haha, this coming from a first-year)

I have tried to do some reading during the semester breaks (including now!),

so we'll see how that goes.

Quite unfortunately, I just can't stop spending when it comes to "intriguing" books,

so I got even more books to add to my collection of "Books I Need To Read".

When, oh when, will this tall stack of paper finally dissipate?

Outing with my church's youth group at BOUNCE.inc.
The indoor recreation zone involves a lot of....bouncing.

• Make New Friends in Uni

Firstly, I'd like to thank (a trillion times) UniSkills, because that's where I met some of my best uni friends.

In fact, I met all (98%) of my uni friends from UniSkills, one way or another.

I'm not insanely popular (and will never be), but I know enough people know, and I'm satisfied with the ones I have. This one's definitely a 'tick'!

A rare outing with my friends, to Fremantle.
The photo was taken while we were lost.
P.S. I want that beanie (without the whiskers, please).

• Retain Friendships

This has and will forever be the hardest challenge for me. 

But I believe that just because we don't talk or see each other everyday anymore, doesn't mean friendships end. There will always be those catch-up sessions where we meet again after a year or so and start unloading tons of things that's been going on in our lives.

Those will be exciting times that I'll be looking forward to!

My first soil processing workshop with MicroBlitz, before the semester started.
We were preparing soil samples sent back from citizen scientists for DNA Extraction a.k.a
Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR; quite a mouthful) and soil moisture analysis.
The diversity of soil colour is fascinating!

• be happy =3

My life isn't perfect. No one's is. But I wouldn't do anything to change the things that's happened.

2014 has been a good year. Full of fun and surprises (and a whole lot of stress and anxiety!).

Hmmm...maybe just less embarrassing moments from now on...

Taken at the very top of Winthrop Tower, UWA.
The tour was organised by UniSkills (Love them to death!).
On the same day, there was a "choir"-ish contest happening inside Winthrop Hall.

• Get At Least 100 Blog Posts Out Before 1/1/2015

I failed this one.

I failed very, very hard.

What was I even thinking!? Was I foolish enough to think I'd have the time to blog once every few days. 

I barely even reached 50 this year... Now that is depressing.

Maybe I should set a more realistic goal for 2015.

A trip with fellow MicroBlitz volunteers to the Avondale Discovery Farm at Beverley, WA.
We met up and had lunch with the Malleefowl Preservation Group.
It was also the last time I saw one of the volunteers, who completed her Honours degree in soil science.
ALSO the day I found out my lecturer was a fashion magazine editor before becoming a lecturer.

• Try More New Things

I'm not too sure about this one... Hmmm *flashback*

I tried staying at a college overnight, rock climbing, drinking with friends, going to a gay bar, conversing with Japanese people, volunteering, Bounce!, digging holes, writing a journal article, pulling an all-nighter (for an assignment), UniClub food (several times!), reaching the top of Winthrop Tower, extracting strawberry DNA, tin-rattling,  bringing underprivileged kids out on picnics (#Nightmare), travelling inland, citizen science, movie marathons, SciTech (#MindBlown), bibimbap, protesting, using an actual pipette, Jamie's Italian, economics, plant photography (with my phone, nothing fancy!), being hospitalised, going on a field trip, adopting an English name, attending a Ramadhan dinner, living alone, drinking coffee from a KeepCup, the  ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, and living alone.

My second time meeting the ex-chief scientist of WA, Lyn Beazley (right).
I first met her at one of my science communication lecturers (she gives great "lectures").
This photo was taken after the MicroBlitz presentation at the UWA Research Week 2014.
Lyn is also known as the "mother of MicroBlitz", while W/Prof. Andy Whiteley (left) is the "father".

I reckon that's everything. 

Maybe it pales in comparison with other people's achievements.

But I'm quite happy with this.

Now time for my 2015 Resolutions (which probably doesn't deviate much from its 2014 counterpart):

• Get good grades (enough for Honours, I suppose)
• Stay healthy (No more than two fevers!)
• Volunteer more! (Because getting a job is still too scary)
• Stay friendly and make new friends (Just because I already have friends doesn't mean I can't have more)
• Be more active in academic (Talking to postgrads? Student mentoring? Anything!)
• Have a better work-life balance (I spent a lot of my time locked up in the library. Although it did pay off in the end, I wonder if it's possible to juggle things a little better?)
• Stay open to new things (Because it's nice to look back and tell yourself "I lived")
• be happy =3 (There's no point in doing stuff if I'm just going to hate it later! Besides, this resolution is almost customary to me now.)

Taken at the bush area nearby IKEA.
It's mindblowing how you stumble on things like this just by walking a bit and keeping your eyes peeled.

Listening to Make You Feel My Love (Cover) - ortoPilot

Happy 2015,

TK