Tag fun

University E-orientation!

Rachel Tan HX 1 Comment

Hey guys! Recently, I went for my university orientation. It’s my first day at university!…. I clapped, looking at a corporate video of my new campus.

Dad jokingly said that from today onward, I was already a university student, but I said no. I think I would much prefer remembering the date where my lectures commenced, not when I started orientation…. especially because this e-orientation certainly paled in comparison to a conventional face-to-face orientation, where we could hear the unfamiliar voices, see the new faces, and wiggle about as we sat cross-legged on the floor, or on plastic chairs (I don’t know, can’t imagine it.) There would have been laughs and fun. Now, I am forced to ingest all this information, including university rules, online e-learning platforms, co-curricular activities, settling of admission and academic documents, student bill, student ID card and way more within a short period of time. The numerous departments in a university is also unbelievable, to me at least.

The E-orientation did not contain the live video chats or live forums as I had hoped for, but it is still really interesting. After watching the videos of welcome speeches from the university president and students, I logged into the e-orientation portal with my email ID.

How terribly clever! At the end of the page, there was a quiz that asked you questions regarding certain content from the whole e-orientation homepage and portal. Now I will have to go back and read it thoroughly…. while taking note of what the university wants us new students to take note of. I clicked on the e-handbook for freshmen link, and made sure I paid more attention as I read the information in the handbook. With specific information to look out for, it made reading the content just a little bit more fun. I actually started enjoying myself a bit, as I scoured and dug around for the information I needed! :b

The university has listed on its website the pages/accounts that new students should be checking every once in a while, since there will either be announcements or coursework issued through these portals. I have saved all four of them in a folder in the favourites bar on my computer.

Today, I’d just realized that some of our lecture presentation notes are already up (for now, I don’t know if that is all the notes we have or if they are just for casual reading, since all of them are in powerpoint form), and there’s still a lot more to check out on the e-orientation page: videos to watch, pages to read, talks to sign up for etc. Really, when you’re in the middle of it all, it can be a bit tiring; but I learn to have fun along the way. In all, it truly is quite exciting.

And… the floor plan of the university building. It’s not a big university, quite small in fact compared to University Malaya who has a large campus spanning many kilometers; but still. Dear me.

I may just get lost! :b

At this point of lockdown, though, I would rather be lost in a campus then be stuck at home.

Interesting Facts About COVID-19

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Tired of all the coronavirus articles that start every day off with big numbers and zigzagging lines? Let me change that around for you. Here’s some fun facts about the coronavirus that has become the global topic recently:

Naming of the coronavirus

The official name for the virus is SARS-CoV-2, as announced on WHO (World Health Organisation)’s website. The coronavirus may be referred by most mainstream platforms as “the Covid-19 virus” or “the virus that causes Covid-19” to prevent unnecessary consequences such as widespread panic, especially amongst people in the Asian regions who were most affected by the disease in 2003. However, WHO has clearly stated that these designations do not replace the official name of the virus: SARS-CoV-2. The virus is named this way because it is genetically related to SARS-CoV, though both are different viruses.

Disease: Covid-19, named by WHO

Virus: SARS-CoV-2, named by ICTV

>>>Why do the virus and disease have different names?

Who suffers from the Covid-19 outbreak?

1. The sick patients. Previously, the new cases ranged between 2000-3000 every day, with about 100-200 deaths. I am glad to hear that the numbers have dropped to below a thousand yesterday (22 Feb)! Let us pray for those still battling the disease, and mourn those who have passed.

2. F&B (food and beverage) industries. Physical outlets such as restaurants have been affected, but more significantly in China, especially during the 14-day quarantine. No one wants to go out in such hazardous conditions.

*Of course, when KFC had their 20.02.2020 RM20 snack box promotion, all was forgotten. 😛

3. Retail outlets and shopping malls. Naturally, there will be a general avoidance of crowded areas. People still need to eat, so F&B can still survive… but shopping for clothes isn’t exactly a necessity around this time! Shopping malls are air conditioned, which means “used” air is being circulated… it’s an absolute no-no for many.

4. The stock market. Finally, HERE’S when it starts to get a little more interesting. As an 18-year-old who doesn’t know much about trading, the only way I know the stock market has been severely affected is by my father’s horrified yells. “IT’S DOWN ANOTHER (insert complicated statistic with decimal places)!!! SELL NOW!!” Followed by pounding footsteps toward the telephone.

5. Global economy. China supplied a large portion of global demand. Retailers haven’t been able to restock on many of their products on sale, and this due to many suppliers having difficulty obtaining raw materials from manufacturers in China! This is the best example of the chaotic chain reaction caused by the coronavirus outbreak.

Who benefits from the Covid-19 outbreak?

1. Pharmaceutical companies. Demand for masks, hand sanistisers etc have soared. However, this has caused a shortage in these items and a struggle to meet the demands, since China supplies two-thirds of global demand.

2. Healthcare centres, especially in China. It may not be a nice way to think about it, but there have been a massive number of patients coming in for treatment everyday – too many, even, until only recently when the numbers were reversed.

3. Medical R&D (research and development). It is a cold fact that when there is a loss, we push ourselves harder, and therefore advancement moves faster. China’s astonishing pace at both identifying the genetic sequence of the new coronavirus and the building of the thousand-bed hospital has set new records for research.

4. Online food delivery apps. You might not have thought of this one! 😛 More and more people are staying at home and avoiding the crowds, so apps like Foodpanda and Grabfood are thriving. This has compelled some people who were previously illiterate in online apps to learn how to use them, leading to an increasingly digital era – of course, with its own pros and cons.

Little Joys

Rachel Tan HX 2 Comments

“Zui zhong yao hai yan mou si.”

Enter The Fat Dragon movie

Translation: 最重要是人没事。/ The most important thing is that we are safe.

“There’s a spider on the – one, two, three, four, five…. twenty third step,” my brother reported, sitting on the staircase next to me.

“Kill it lah.” I reply, squeezing grey water out of my cloth.

“It’s Chinese New Year,” he replies. “I’ll just let it walk away–“

“Aiyarh. That is just a superstition– DUST ON THE TWENTY-FIRST STEP!! Wipe this one. We are both born on the twenty-first!”

“Now who’s being superstitious?”

Image result for spider free stock image
Picture credit: Pexels

Chinese New Year spring cleaning is a tedious task for most people, but it’s different for our family. We manage to make it fun and exciting every year. Here’s how:

We notice the little things.

“Ew! I didn’t know there was SO MUCH dust behind the beds! Accumulated throughout the whole year?”

“I vacuum behind the beds every week.” Mom replies. 

“That’s even worse!”

We get to position ourselves anywhere we like.

“Tired.” One word from dad, and he lies face up on the newly mopped dining room floor.

We can blast festive music throughout the house.

It’s our tradition to play Astro’s 12 year Zodiac animal theme songs (Here’s the link! https://youtu.be/GhuvmCyt33c) on our father’s computer at ultimate volume, so that it can be heard throughout the house. It makes spring cleaning less dry and more fun.

However, one piece of advice – enter our father’s room at your own risk!

Finding angpow money.

“Gasp! Old angpao from aunty. Whoa! Last year’s angpao from mom! Eih… this one is from three years ago!… I must say, I have awesome money hiding skills.”

We can snack on Chinese New Year cookies while spring cleaning.

Chinese New Year cookies!
25 January 2020

“Rachel, do you like cheese?”

“Urgh!” I frown at my brother. “You know I don’t. Why do you ask?”

“Nah, just wondering. We have a can of cheese biscuits over there,” he pointed at nowhere in particular, but I was carrying the vacuum cleaner in one hand and a bucket of dirty water in the other, so I didn’t bother to ask further. “But try these.” He opens a can of cookies in front of me, and places one in my mouth, since my hands are dirty. “You’ll like this better. Isn’t it lovely?”

I pause to savour the taste as the first chinese new year cookie I’ve had this year hits my tongue. “Yes,” I say. It is such a treat, when I’ve worked so hard. “What cookie is it?”

“Cheese cookies,” laughs my brother.

Our family has weird customs.

Every year on Chinese New Year eve, during the cleaning of the front porch, you will be doused with a bucket full of water when you’re not looking.

I am scrubbing the porch floor with a broom. My mind is focused on the floor, dotted with soap powder. Scrub scrub scrub scrub scrub. Scrub scrub scr– SPLASH!!!

“Oi!” I yell, soaking wet from head to toe. while my brother’s laughter rings behind the wall, just out of sight. “That was too strong a wave!….. Wait. Where did my glasses go?”