Manifest '09

Manifest or more formally known as Melbourne Anime Festival just came and went past last weekend. I was glad that I went. It was, after all my first anime convention in Melbourne, Australia.

It was pure luck that I found out about it. I did know about it before I came to Melbourne but it somehow slipped off my mind somewhere through my transition process here. So as I was click through websites after websites, I came across the Melbourne Tourism Website and they had a small mention about it. Then I recalled the event and checked on the website for the event.

The first click after I was in the site was to the dates and venue. To my own surprise, it was on the coming weekend. I wrote down the details and close the site. Then I was contemplating on whether to go or not. A few problems arise.

1. I have no friends to go with.
2. It's 20 minutes tram/train from where I stay.
3. I was just lazy. LOL

After much pondering, I realized something I left out. Deanna, my classmate was into anime and manga as well. So I rang her or did I? I forgot. It's either I rang her or I asked her when I was in class.

Anyhow, she said she would go and then we went. Obviously.

So we went there on the second day. With high hopes and plenty of excitement, we set off. As we were on the train, we weren't sure where to go after we arrived at the station. Lucky for us, we were with some cosplayers on the same train. So we just followed them from behind, though we did not know them.

As we reached the showgrounds, we saw an insane line. Shocked is not enough to define my state of mind. So we queued and queued and QUEUED. It lasted for almost an hour. The wind was blasting full force and temperature was surprisingly low. I thought spring was coming. What's the problem with Melbourne? Then again, locals here or international students that stayed here long enough told me before. "Melbourne can have four seasons in one day..."
Not cool at all.

So after the much torture of the wind, we went in. Got tickets and had fun. Nothing can describe better than pictures. As most said, A picture tells a thousand words. So I'm not gonna waste my energy explaining everything.

Here goes:

The QUEUE


Cloud from FF VII: Advent Children


L and Light from Death Note with wings


Takoyaki that I ate


Activities Hall where we were at most of our time


Goodie Bag from Manifest
Note: The tag on bottom right is the pass. Made with cards we use for atm and such.

At the end of the day, it was fun but I still love conventions from Malaysia. More friends.

That's all.

Cheers,
Calvin

Master chef in the making? (EDITED)

A profile written based on my group mate, Phik Munn through interviewed conducted in class. I edited it after a discussion with Clare, from International Student Language Support.


A foodie is a perfect way to describe Phik Munn Wong. Phik Munn, a 21 year old international student from Malaysia pursuing a Bachelor of Communications in RMIT University but behind the scenes she is cooking up a storm.

Cooking had been part of Phik Munn’s life since she was just a toddler.
“I love food because my grandmother was a really good cook and she had always provided me with delicacies since I was young. This was what inspired me to learn how to cook and it eventually became part of me,” Phik Munn said.

It's second nature for Phik Munn to cook. To her, a simple meal is made of three dishes and one soup and all made in a mere hour. So what made this young chef pursue a degree in communication, rather than a culinary arts profession?

During her Diploma in Mass Communication program, she discovered an interest in journalism and it dawned on her that being a food writer for a magazine was an exciting prospective career.

“I want to be a food critic for lifestyle magazines and if that goes wrong, I want to establish my own restaurant,” she said.

Her dream would be having a boutique restaurant for both human and pets alike. In the restaurant, she would want to have menus for both human and pets, dogs in particular as she is a huge dog lover.

She also said that if she gets a chance to obtain permanent residency in Australia, she would definitely try out for “Master Chef”, an Australian cooking reality show on Channel Ten.

“Poh, the second runner-up was my idol because she is both Malaysian and Chinese. She has succeeded in becoming one of the best possible newcomers in the culinary world,” Phik Munn said.

Ultimately Phik Munn wants to return to her home country where her friends and family resides. She said that she hope to start her career as either a food critic or a chef in Malaysia.

Whichever way her career unfolds, one thing is certain. Her passion for food will be the driving force for success.

So what do you think? Comments would be appreciated =)

Focus! Write! Cite!

Why am I here blogging? Do I not have an essay to finish?

I do have an essay to finish but am taking a break to clear my head off Cinema Studies and Ernst Lubitsch. Am currently editing my essay. Try to make it better as it cost me 35% out of my total grade for the subject. Can't help to worry that I would mess it up. Damnation. Especially the citation and referencing. I blame that on INTI because they never really enforce the rule of citation and referencing for our works. So now I am killing myself doing it.

So there goes a waste of an entry, just to clear my head off and dive in to the assignment again. Wish me luck.

Focus is the key to success.

Masterchef in the Making?

This is an article I did for class:
(A profile written based on my groupmate, Phik Munn through interviewed conducted in class)


A foodie is a perfect way to describe Phik Munn Wong, age 21, an aspiring international student from Malaysia pursuing a Bachelor of Communications (Professional Communication) in RMIT University, Melbourne.

Cooking had been part of Phik Munn’s life since she was just a toddler.
“I love food because my grandmother was a really good cook and she had always provided me with delicacies since I was young. This was what that had inspired me to learn how to cook and it eventually became part of me,” Phik Munn said.

It was like a second nature for Phik Munn to cook. To her, a simple meal is made of three dishes and one soup and all made in a mere hour. So what made this young chef pursue a degree in communication, rather than a culinary arts profession?

During the progression of her Diploma in Mass Communication program, she found an interest in journalism and it had dawned to her that being a food critique for magazine was a prospective career.

“I want to be a food critique for lifestyle magazines and if that goes wrong, I want to establish my own restaurant,” she said.

That was another plan she had in mind besides being a food critique. Phik Munn expressed that her dream restaurant would be a boutique restaurant for both human and pets alike. In the restaurant, she would want to have menus for both human and pets, dogs in particular as she is a huge dog lover.

She also said that if she gets a chance of obtaining permanent residency in Australia, she would definitely try out for “Master Chef”, an Australian cooking reality show in Channel Ten.

“Poh, the second runner-up was my idol because she is both Malaysian and Chinese who succeed in being one of the best possible newcomers in the world of culinary,” Phik Munn said.

But, ultimately Phik Munn wants to return to her home country where her friends and family resides. She said that she would start off her career in Malaysia if possible in either being a food critique or a chef.

Personally I hope to see her soar sky high in her career whether as a critique for media or owner of a fabulous restaurant.

Living in a Foreign Country

As I sat down and wrote this, a month had already pass since I first arrive in Melbourne. Looking though the first month here, I find myself adapting rather well to the environment, in campus or in Swinnerton house.

Well, classes had been great till now. I'm currently taking for subjects or courses which is Authorship and Narrative, General News Reporting, Professional Writing and Strategic PR Planning. As I said, classes are great but not easy. I expected no less from the university quoted to be the best for communication degree. I find it rather okay. Not too tough and not easy at all. It's a balance... i guess. But it is sure to be ten times tougher from what I had for college.

Honestly, I'd be proud of myself with just an average of distinctions and credits, not even dreaming of High Distinction which is untouchable. Guess that pretty much all to say what I felt about my classes. By the way, I mentioned a subject that motivated me into blogging, it is Professional Writing. A writing class mandatory for all communication degree students here.

So about life here, all I can say is, "It is good!". Life here in Australia is rather slow from what I had before for the past 18 and two quarter of years at Malaysia. Slow in a sense that nobody is rushing down the street or panicking for everything. No one rushes into trams and buses. They wait till passengers come down from it before entering. Everyone waits for traffic lights to cross (well... almost everyone).
So I'd say I like it here.

The weather here is fabulous now in winter. Cool and breezy all the time with occasional sun warmth and breezy wind. A sweater or jacket would serve the purpose to keep you warm. No need for earmuffs and beanies, though scarves are encouraged and gloves for little occasions like extra strong wind and rainy days.

I guess that's all for this post. Can't think of anything else to write. Maybe next time. =)

Cheers.

A sunny day in Melbourne.

First Ink

As the title indicated, this is the first ink to my blog, Diarium Ejus.
The purpose of having this blog is for both academic and personal.

Academic because I need to practice writing more and doing it in a blog would be the best choice because others can see it and maybe comment on it if they find it necessary. As my lecturer had said, I need a lot of practice to make it fit for publication for either print or online media and also to leave my "Malaysian writing style" behind. So in this blog, I would try my best to come up with articles or simple columns that I wrote both in class or out of class and post it. Comments are most welcomed.

Another reason for having the blog is to keep my family and friends updated to my life here at Melbourne since I had only been here for one month. And it's easier for everyone to keep track.

So there you have it. My reasons of having the blog and also my first ink to officiate the blog.

Stay tune for more.

Cheers.