Fresh off the 8 hour long flight from Negaraku, you probably would want to establish a communication link between you and your contacts (family, friends, banks, university, etc). If you require a contact number as quick as possible I would suggest purchasing a prepaid plan at the airport. Be sure to make it clear to the salesperson that you intend to buy a prepaid plan (SIM card) or they might sell you a reload instead. However, if you do make the mistake, do not worry as they will not hesitate to give you a refund on the spot. Yay to good business ethics!

Purchasing a prepaid plan
Purchasing a prepaid plan would not bind you to a contract. You use the amount of credit your have purchase in a certain period of time and reload at your pleasure. However, prepaid plans are generally more expensive than the postpaid plans (depending on your usage and how you look at it). There are a variety of prepaid plans in the market. Some even throw in a hand phone (possibly requiring you to dump in some extra cash) for your geeky desires though the phones are often not the latest models.

Where can I purchase a prepaid plan?
As mentioned above, you might only be interested to buy a prepaid plan for short term and immediately after your flight touches down. Look around the arrival hall. There would be shops with notable telco provider logos on signboards. However, do note that some shops might only sell reloads. I repeat, some shops might only sell reloads! But don’t worry if you made a wrong purchase, they will refund you on the spot (as mentioned previously).

What would I need?
To purchase a prepaid plan you would need your passport (for identification purposes) and cash or any other form of accepted payment. You will also be required to fill up a form which asks for your personal details such as passport number and address in Australia. Nothing to worry here. Standard procedure.

Which Telco should I subscribe to?
I would not be too picky with the telco providers when purchasing a prepaid plan. Reason being you can change allegiance at any time. Do some research on the extra features these companies toss in for you i.e. free calls to numbers of the same provider etc. Besides that, you might want to pick a telco provider with good coverage and service. The only prepaid plan I was ever on was from Vodafone. I had no complains with their service.

How much would it cost?
There are many prepaid plans available for purchase. If I am not mistaken, the cheapest I could locate at the airport was 50 AUD. That lasted me for about a month before I decided to sign a postpaid plan. If you think you would need more time before deciding on a postpaid plan, by all means go for another prepaid plan or simply just reload your credit!

What next?
Once you have purchased your prepaid plan, you will be given further instructions by the salesperson on how to activate the SIM Card. I cannot remember exactly what I was told other than to wait for an hour or so before being able to use my SIM card. Once your SIM Card is activated, congratulations! You are now connected in Australia!

Purchasing a postpaid plan
So you have settled in, opened a bank account and finally are ready to take the plunge. Oh yes, postpaid plans have the most attractive phones to lure you in too! Before you bind yourself to any plan, make sure to do a thorough research on available offers. Most importantly, it is probably a good time to examine your hand phone habits. How much do you message per day, how long to you spend on calls and how much 3G data you would require (if applicable). Or simply you want that particular plan because of the phone it offers. I have to admit I chose my current plan because it bundled the iPhone 3GS. No regrets though, it is serving me well.

Where can I purchase a postpaid plan?
You can purchase a plan at any reseller. They are commonly located in shopping malls such as the Toowong shopping village along Sherwood road or the Central Business District (CBD). Just be prepared to receive bad news that the phone you are vying for is out of stock at that particular branch! I would suggest purchasing your plan at the CBD as even if one shop is out of stock, there probably another reseller just down the road. I got my plan at the CBD too (because the reseller at Toowong did not have the phone I wanted for quite some time till I got fed up).

What would I need?
Purchasing a postpaid plan is a little bit tricky. That is because the giant corporations would like proof of your residency and financial capability before signing the contract. You would need a bank certified account statement, your passport and perhaps another document which I cannot recall. I don’t think it would the lease to your room/house/. However, bring it just in case.

Which Telco should I subscribe to?
The telco you subscribe to is VERY important. Remember, you are subscribing for at least a year (depending on your plan). And if you discovered that you prefer another provider, you will have to pay a fee to break the current contract you are signed on. I am currently a Three user and I would have to say although they have one of the best postpaid plans out there, the coverage and reception is poor. You would get very low to no signal indoors. Yes, even on a single floor house, you might not get any service at all! Besides that, even outdoors, there are some spots with no coverage. In my opinion, Telstra and Optus has the best coverage but their plans may be slightly more expensive than Three. Also don’t forget to lookout for promotions such as incentives for referring friends and free calls to numbers on the same telco provider.

How much would it cost?
There are many plans to choose from. Analyze your habits and pick the plan which best suits you. You WILL be charged for any excess usage and they are usually astronomical! As for me, I am currently on a $49 + 5 + 6 plan. $49 is what I am paying for to use on calls and messaging, the $5 just because I choose to have the iPhone 3GS and the $6 for the extra 500 MB of data. My contract would span 24 months. Currently, I am only using 1/3 of my allocated spending credits. What a waste. All that waste just for the iPhone 3GS. (It has served me very well though). Alternatively, just buy the phone you want elsewhere and subscribe to a plan without a phone.

What next?
Go nuts, show your friends your new phone! Go call someone. Message your friends. Make use of your free call credits too!

We accept precedence at face value and think that it is the gospel truth.

I entered the banquet of tertiary education with a pre-packaged notion on what my life will be for the 4 years here in the States. And those notions that I formed were based on what I generically thought best about myself throughout these years. Hours of pondering led to conclusions drawn on what my strengths were and what fundamentals they were sustained on. After two years of mishap analysis, reality crept in and the writing on the wall became a little too apparent to ignore. The initial snapshot of my graduating moment would be me cladded in silky black robes with a flat mortar board on my head. I would have my family beside me and a fat smile would say it all. I would have aced this university with a triple major, president of a whole hosts of clubs and most probably I would already have had a leg into the top graduate schools of my time. My school years would buzz away, packed to the brim with commitments that would make my peers shudder and smack in awe. More is MORE they say…I would epitomize that saying.

Here comes the reality check:

This is my third year at the University of Michigan and save for leading one high profile event, I haven’t been participating in many clubs, what more leading them. I just decided to shelve one major into the dustbin in exchange for a minor instead, leaving me with just 2 majors in the end. I don’t like slaving for my classes and they are turning into a bore because I neither have the time for them, nor do I have the time to find time – a huge bulk can be attributed to the lack of efficiency as opposed to a gorilla-sized commitment. In the past two weeks, I’ve only slept on my own bed 4 times as I’ve spent my nights at my friend’s place because I needed someone to wake me up in the morning.

When your own bed feels colder than your friend’s couch, you know that shit just hit the fan.

So, what went wrong?

To search for the faults, I first had to connect the dots. Why did I dip myself into actuarial science anyway? Let’s be clear, I was neither a genius in math nor did I ooze out any math-sy demeanor [I freaking need a calculator when doing the most simple arithmetic, say...90/4]. The money isn’t a factor either – I actually went for accountancy before plunging into realm where numbers are monarchs. The answer I have been searching was there all along:

People.

It should always be about people – The Chicago Roosevelt Fellows, one of the best times of my life.

My flirtation with additional mathematics sparked in Form 4 because I had the best unconventional teachers who managed to inspire me to see beyond the numbers that I was learning. Ms Alicia carries a very unique personality and I would have to say that I was more drawn to her as a teacher than what she had to teach. Attending Mr. Chan’s tuition classes helped sealed the deal. I reveled in Additional Mathematics and subsequently emerged best in my class for that subject. It wasn’t math anymore – it was a craft. So I went into actuarial science, because I remembered the excitement when I could solve a question, amidst the hair pulling from my peers; or the inflation of satisfaction when I nailed a problem that was harder than what was required of my syllabus.

History repeated itself when I took my Math 425 – Introduction to Probability. My Professor was a charming lady from India who spoke with an Indian accent that was still very much pronounced. She was always seen with her specs dangling from her hunched neck and her fingers white from the remnants of the chalks. Wrinkles permeate her forehead, they told tales of her age. She would allow me to sit next to her table as I worked through every problem in the book – EVERY PROBLEM – for three hours. When she had to attend meetings, she would say, “It’s ok. Stay. I’ll be back in a few hours.” And came back she did, helping me through all my math problems till the night beckoned. At the end of it all, when I finally nailed the last question at the very last required chapter, she gazed at me with those grandmother eyes and said with a smile:

“You are a good student.”

I scored an A+ in her class.

It took sometime for me to swallow the pride and backtrack to the roots of my strengths. I don’t like busy schedules for it robs me of my time to concentrate on what I think is important: people and relationships. This may not apply to everyone, but studying to me is more of a relationship between a professor and a learner, than those indiscernible crap loaded in the textbooks. I am not a very bright student [academically speaking]; I merely work harder than most of my peers. There is a passion that ignites in me when I feel that a professor is really invested in what I have to offer and by default, sees the best in me. From then on, studying will no longer be a chore but an enjoyable process of enquiry. And that was what I felt when I was in Oxford with Dr Addison teasing an answer from the cohort as opposed to feeding it to us. “You’ve got this in you. Just connect the dots!” I keep telling myself every time I left Dr Addison’s office feeling a little un-intelligent than what I thought I was.

I’ve got this in me.

The Low-Fat Ketupat Lifestyle – Complete ZEN. =P

My life isn’t measured by metrics, thus efficiency isn’t my credo. I like to take my own sweet time, doing things that I think are meaningful but also in a process that extracts the best out of me. I like to day dream; to stare at clouds and to think of the “NEXT BIG THING.” That was why I ran for head prefect anyway or the Malaysian Cultural Night Director here in Michigan. I saw a vision and I wanted to be that bridge that turns it into reality. An intellectually-charged conversation over steaming coffee is as meaningful to me as those A-pluses that I amassed, possibly even more.

I’ve been sitting in the car of life for far too long, forgetting to ask the driver to stop for me to enjoy the sceneries that zipped through. Finally I have. I’ve stopped and I saw what I was missing. And just when I thought I was alone, I came across an article about President Obama during his Columbia University years. He remembered it as years of reclusiveness. “I needed it.” he said. It was a stage of life where he simmered in this thoughts and brewed the ideas that shaped him in his Presidency.

So, after a midterm review, I’m turning this ship around and bringing it back home. In doing so, I would have to convince myself that dropping my environmental classes despite doing very well in them is in-sync with my broader aim of lightening my course load. As I’ve said, learning has always been a people process for me, and there shouldn’t be a reason why it should be any different now that I’m in my tertiary years. So, I can be sure of making my last few years here more people-centric. Emails would be sent to catch up with professors who have taught me some time ago – I sure hope these relationships last. =)

Just for your information, I took sometime writing this post. I allowed the thoughts to simmer for awhile, wondering if this is just another knee-jerk reaction of mine, where a cursor click on the ‘delete post’ button would have solved everything. As I was writing this, one potent memory came to mind. It was when Pn Yek, brought her former students from SMK SJ to my secondary school to tell us about what they thought about leadership and life. Cynthia, one of those charges, said: “In the end of the day, your life here in secondary school will not be about the As that you get or the medals that you keep. Instead, it is like a book and you walking through the pages as it flips. In the end, it will be about the foot prints that you leave behind.”

The footprints that I leave behind…

]]> http://ourcoffeestops.com/2010/11/footprints-we-leave-behind/feed/ 1 http://ourcoffeestops.com/2010/06/dim-sum-themed-pot-luck/ http://ourcoffeestops.com/2010/06/dim-sum-themed-pot-luck/#comments Tue, 15 Jun 2010 22:17:52 +0000 Jian Wei http://ourcoffeestops.com/?p=5160 I wonder what it’s like when time bows to the will of men; when we never have to rush from one place to another racing against deadlines; when we have all the time in the world to do just what we needed to do – or maybe more. I can’t remember the time when I just lie on back staring into blank space without that little whisper behind my ears chanting the tunes of guilt – homework, assignments etc. One just feels that he or she is on borrowed time.

It’s the second last week now. Spring semester passes by really fast – a part of me is sad that my English class would have to come to an end but a part of me is freaking elated as I can finally get this math class over and done with. My final collection of 25 pages of essay is due no later than 5 p.m. EST next Monday and with one horrifying math final on Friday that will stretch till the fleeting edges of the evening. Now that it’s my second last week here, I couldn’t help but feel teased by nature – the trees are more verdant than they were a couple a weeks ago; the weather no longer in its unpredictable mood swings; flowers and trees pregnant with their fruits of labour, sending amazing complimentary scents across the greens, and also irritating berries on the grounds that people step on.

#1) The green pastures in front of the Angell Hall.

But I can’t wait to go. I can’t wait to leave Ann Arbor on the 27th of June after feeling rather empty despite the amazing company that I have and the rather lax schedule that I posses. I have a feeling it’s more of the bubbling excitement of Oxford than the dull lulls of Ann Arbor. What’s ironic is that I’m quenching the thirst of my solace by traveling alone along the tracks of Eastern Europe. I am trying to convince myself that it’s a process of renewal – a chance for me to take a break from my current possessions and look beyond the boundaries of my familiarities. Meeting new friends and indulging in foreign cultures for three whole weeks should just do the trick. [I just wish it doesn't have to come with a freaking huge price tag. >.<]

After all, doesn’t life start at the end of our comfort zone?

—

Let me first share with you some pictures from the pot luck that Ju Shua, my successor, organized for my batch. There was a theme to the pot luck: Dim Sum. The food was amazing! Simple home cooked food peppered with sprinkles of loving dedication will make up for all the lost Ajinomoto and fanciness that come with a restaurant’s servings. And it’s even more heart warming to know that some of them stayed till 3 a.m. in the morning, trying to get the concoction right for their “Lo Mai Kai.”

As for me…my cooking prowess doesn’t stretch to such fancy stuff. So, in the name of creativity [everyone cooked something] and brandishing the scepter of comparative advantage, I decided to do what I did best: I bought wedges. XD EH! I was rushing a paper k! =P

#3) Besides the Dim Sum themed food, we had a whole assortment of other homemade delicacies! Including the egg tarts! The black box of wedges on the far left of the counter is mine. It was  the only item that was bought. =P

#4) The legions of sui mai and ‘I don’t know what the other is called.’ The pot contained Adele’s lip smacking glass noodles!

—

#5) A human tug-of-war

The guy in the middle is called Lover. And the one on right of the picture is his girlfriend. She’s an unfortunate person because while most girlfriends are accorded exclusivity with their boyfriends, the lack of suitable women in our batch has prompted its members to adapt accordingly – going after guys being one of the measures. So she has no choice but to appropriate him accordingly among the various factions, earning her the reputable nickname “Rival.”

“EH! EH! Later my hand putus lah!” lamented Lover as he became the coveted object between a brief tug of war. Well, the picture doesn’t exactly elicit pain, does it?

#6) I won the prize and Rival merajuk at the corner. That’s life. Get use to it. =)

—

It’s the last two weeks now. Time to get back to work.

]]> http://ourcoffeestops.com/2010/06/dim-sum-themed-pot-luck/feed/ 4 http://ourcoffeestops.com/2010/06/im-not-going-anywhere/ http://ourcoffeestops.com/2010/06/im-not-going-anywhere/#comments Sun, 13 Jun 2010 05:11:03 +0000 Jian Wei http://ourcoffeestops.com/?p=5124 It’s pretty clear that I have been avoiding blogging for a while. I’ve reached a stage where my life seemed lacking of inconsequential stuffs to blog about. My fingers can’t weave through the keyboard as they used too for the either the things I had to say were too heavy to be accorded such light hearted treatment or I’ve also become somewhat become uncomfortable in sharing private thoughts. A sign of growing up?

My sophomore year just ended. It took some time to accept that I’ve been here for two years and I have two more to go. And just like any other year, here are the snippets of my soporific life:

1) I turned 21

I’ve heard that being 21 is a really big deal! It’s that invisible line that we draw across the sand to mark the partition between teenage angst-filled years and somber-serious-no-more-wtf-attitudes way of life. I spent it using the only way I know: simple, non-pompous affair with close friends. I like how the way we were ushered to the most prestigious table in the restaurant just because we had right number of people with no additional charge on the tab; the small chandelier and electric neon lights casted a warm embrace around that small cozy dinner setting table; the 22-0z New York strip that could easily add more kilos to the excess tires that I have – but heck, birthday boy can do as he pleases; two birthday presents: an urban-styled black coat that hugged my body figure just perfectly and an unconventional economics book titled ‘More Sex is Safer Sex.’ x___x; how Lixian exclaimed that she needed more boobs and asked Deone whether she can have some of hers. =P

From left: Yingying, Yun Yuan, Fat Ketupat, Deone, Lixian

Small cozy details ushered in my 21st year – but it was enough for me. I just needed to know that I was loved.

2) Lost an election

Ran for the Presidency of my Malaysian Association. Won the popularity vote but lost in the weightage system; it’s the latter that counts. Was rather disappointed I have to say. So much arm twisting that it got me delusional with certain aspects of my experience in the Malaysian board – but that’s politics. I get how it’s played. Was also particularly touched by all the sms-es and emails that I received after the election. A few asked me to contemplate running again next year, but it’s time for me to move on and find other turfs to conquer.

I must have the last laugh.

3) Graduation

Just realized that most of my closes friends in UMich are a few classes ahead of me, meaning that when the time came for them to leave the cocoon of education, I’ll be left stranded alone. The full effect of their partings are yet to be known – they’ll come in full force when the next academic year starts. It is the small details that hurt: no more reason to walk up the East University Street cause Deone is no longer there; no more Christina’s buzzing in my ears pestering me to attend Tango classes; no more shirking laughter from my former-President who I suck at dancing with.

Graduation Night 2010: I think the picture speaks for itself. LOL.

Deone left for good. =(

Well, at least President Obama came for the Commencement speech. I can boast that I’ve seen the President. Well…more like his ass. Cause I was sitting facing diagonally at his ass. He’s the President of the United States…the sight of his ass is good enough. =)

4) Midwest Games 2010

Participated in my first Midwest Games 2010 here in the USA, and I think it’ll be my last. Got gold for chess – the only gold for the UMich contingent. @_@ But the best part was meeting up with all the Bank Negara staffs and scholars – they are the reason why I am seriously considering staying in for the long haul. 11 years to take over? Fine! Bring it on!

Bank Negara Staff and Scholars.

5) Oxford University

When I was a little younger, prior to all the gushing about the USA, I have always wanted to enter 3 universities: Harvard, Cambridge or Oxford. In fact, I blogged about it way back in 2006. 4 years later – it materialized. Albeit for just a short moment, I have the chance to linger around the halls of Magdalen College that had faithfully served the likes of C.S.Lewis and Andrew Lloyd Webber. Leaving on the 27th of June, I can’t wait to burry my head in readings as long as I can venture into the ancient halls of Oxfordome.

***

I’ve also talked to a few of the co-authors on the possibility of me leaving Coffeestops – in the blogging sense at least. At one stage I just grew so tired of the way things were going that I just wanted to break free from all sorts of social connections and hide away. Maybe that’s why blogging was so hard. But I’ve realized that writing is something that I like to do and this site plus what it stands for is too meaningful for me to leave behind.

So let me say this once and for all: I’m not going anywhere.

It’s good to be back.

In The Taste of An Apple, our first non-graded essay, I described the impersonal complexities that exist within the New York subway station; how we as a civilization have moved forward with our eyes closed on the price of our modernization. [Grade: B+ (not factored)]

In Tears, I wrote of Malaysia’s story and the layers of social dynamism that we have to undergo. It is a story of hope shimmered in fictions of betrayal. I’ve truly enjoyed my time writing this essay and I would dare say that it’s the best fictional essay I have ever produced. It was made even more meaningful when I was called to read my essay to the class of many writers who are way more talented than I am. I am humbled by the people I’ve met and the stories that this class has inspired me to write. [Grade: A (factored)] 

The Curse of the Faceless Man is my take on how diversity is a very dangerous thing. And how society has always been too fixated on having the best of diversity, at the expanse of forgetting that diversity, like many others, comes with a baggage of hindrances that might be detrimental to a person. On a personal level, I am all for diversity! But writing a convincing essay that forces me to adopt a stance that I don’t really believe is just the best way I could re-live those debating days. Memories….. [Grade: A (factored)]

Writing has turned into my refuge…

From the toxic of humanity. 

—

Just to let you get a glimpse on my next assignment: 

I am suppose to write a 4 pages long analysis on this picture. So what do you guys think? =p

The Perfect Woman Is A Lie

(Picture taken from: http://www.susannejunker.net/pages/images/woman.html)

For those of you who want to see the full set of pictures, go to the website that I obtained this photo from. And tell me what you think….

Welcome to Michigan people! ^^

P.S. – Good bye Chong’s Cafe!

To help with “digestion”, we played a game of bowling over four lanes. All thirteen of us formed 4 groups with one group having an extra player as the person was deemed “handicapped”. I myself am not good in bowling. At the start, I was doing quite well. Hitting nine pins on the first throw but missing on the second throw. Towards the end of the game, I was missing my throws. My total score? Just over 50. Ha ha. Something was definitely wrong with me that day. I could have obtained at least one strike. Sigh. Nevertheless, my team emerged last!

End with the alleys, we moved on to the archery range. This time however, only a few played. I became the bench warmer as I had nobody with me in order to purchase the “special package” which was more economical. We enjoyed ourselves the abilities and antiques of our skilled marksmen. We all parted ways soon after. That will be the last time we will see each other in college till the A-Level exam commences! Cheers!

UNSW International Square

Now a little about my university. UNSW is actually one of the top universities in Australia and people here rate it as in the top 3. I don’t know how true it is but from my personal experience I know that it is. The university is actually very big and it takes almost half an hour to walk from one end to the other or simply a 12 minutes bus ride.

Clock Tower

Located in the heart of Sydney, UNSW has the highest number of International students enrolled compared to any other Australian universities. I am in the main campus which is called Kensington campus. The buildings in UNSW have a modern and post second world war design but the interesting part is not just about the exterior but also the interior where it is computerized. There are no switches and everything is controlled by a sensor. When you walk inside the class, everything just switches on by itself. Cool isn’t it?

The Science Lawn

It has all facilities on campus such as a 14 floor library, a pub, 6 cafeterias of local and international food, sports and lifestyle centre with all types of courts, fields, swimming pools and a gym.

My Faculty

Lecture theaters are usually big and can accommodate up to 200 students at a time but the classrooms for tutorials are smaller as they are designed to accommodate about 25 students. Lectures are about 2 hours and an hour for tutorials so usually you might have around twelve hours a week. The people are the main highlight. They are generally very nice and polite and they give you a good feeling when you go somewhere.

Library Lawn

Thats all from Sydney for now. I will write more about the education system here soon. Till then, cheers!!!!!!!!