Vivy Yusof - The First Decade book signing at Kinokuniya Bookstore, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

This has to be one of the most excited and precious content of my blog I'd say! The excitement was indescribable that I turn on my laptop and start typing, as soon as I had my shower. 

It's Friday and the day and date that I have been waiting for. Well, I started my Friday with a morning walk to Kompleks Perdana Siswa, University of Malaya to activate my student card which functions as a debit card and matric card. Done with that one, I walked around searching for non-meat food since its Friday after a failed attempt to visit the UM store to buy some UM merchandise. And then, I went home, took my cloths out to the sun for a second day drying and did something on my HRMIS for some data amendment. Then, the highlight of the day begins!

My room mate and I book a ride to KLCC for the Vivy Yusof book signing at Kinokuniya Bookstore, KL. It was a solo plan at first and I am really glad that Mark decided to tag along, the idea is to show me how to get there or go home from there by the LRT. Let's go straight to the highlight of the day!

We arrived at KLCC somewhere around 3.05 pm and I was quite nervous thinking that the signing might have started since on the poster it was stated 3.00 - 4.00 pm and I was afraid that if I came late, they won't let me in! Thankfully the event has not started yet and I walked as fast as I could to grab the book, pay and queue in line for the book signing event.

Well, that's me with the book in my hand! I decided to start reading while waiting. Mark went straight inside the store for his book hunting. I do feel bad if he has to wait longer for me to get my book signed, I hope he don't mind waiting. Well, he did told me he was drowned in the book hunt - so I take it as he hardly notice the time passed by in the waiting for me to chase for my dream! (and here I am being overdramatic!).

It does feel good to be a part of something great. What I mean is, it was expected that most who will be attending the event are ladies and yes, around 80% was ladies but I felt so proud of myself as I saw more and more gentleman joined the queue, either queueing for themselves like I did or accompanying their spouse and friends. As passerby viewed the scene of us queueing and are clueless of what was going on, it made me feel even greater since I may be like them when I missed the book launch and could not pre-register myself for the December 11th event of the book launch. But now, here I am! In the same line with those who obviously mark the date and counting to today!

Now, here's the thing about going solo. I kind of have no one to rely on for video recording or photo taking. Fortunately, Vivy's husband Fadza was being very supportive of his wife and of course a friendly one too. He volunteered to take the photo for all who attended single, like me! Hahaha. So, of course a wefie with Vivy and Fadza is the best to end the quick signing session!

See, this is another blessing in disguise! I am nervous about the thought of coming to KL and UM to pursue my masters but on the bright side, I am closer to events like this. This is exactly what I needed to keep viewing the world from a different perspectives. As Mark said, if I hadn't been here in KL, I would only be watching the videos of strangers updating their experience like this one. But its different now, I am part of it and I am sharing my experience for those who are like me, someone who used to be amazed by big names and can only feel the pride and excitement from afar, now I get to be closer to it and everyone should and will too!

PS: I had my first experience using LRT today from KLCC to LRT KL Gateway. Yeay!

I guess it would be enough for now. I did a short video on the whole book signing stuff and posted it on my TikTok. Feel free to follow me there on TikTok. Just search for @adamjodrie or click on the link below. You shall see all my social media and you may click on them in the link.

Thank you so much for stopping by. Keep dreaming and working towards making its real!

YOU MAY CONTACT ME HERE OR FIND MY OTHER SOCIAL MEDIA HERE

With love,

Adam Geordrey.

University of Malaya. Career shift.

Feels good that finally I get the time and chance to update this blog. I promised myself that now I am back to being a full time student, I am hoping to see more update for the upcoming months. So, here it goes.

It's mid December 2022 now and if I count it right, it has been three months since I left my teaching career (temporarily) and enrolled as a full time masters student in the University of Malaya back in October this year.

To be honest, I would say that it might be just a tough luck but at the same time I would also not brag about it was all easy and expected because obviously I have been aiming to pursue my masters since like forever. I tried applying for any scholarships to pursue my study abroad, to the UK to be exact. However, if luck is the thing we are talking about here then I guess I was not that lucky for the past few years of making the attempt applying for the scholarships to go abroad. And after all the 'We are regret to inform you..." email I have decided to try my 'luck' applying for a scholarship to pursue my masters locally instead. And I am really grateful I did. That decision has brought me here to University of Malaya in Kuala Lumpur. I am here finally, starting my first year first semester as a full time masters student.

That photo on the left was taken by my younger brother right after we arrived home after I attended my interview for the scholarship which was held in the University of Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS) on April 5th 2022, Tuesday. It was quite good and chaotic at the same time (I shall make one full entry on how the process was - applying for the HLP etc). That photo on the right is something I can call as an official welcoming event help by the Centre of Postgraduate, UM.

Now, if you look at the photo above. Those are the photos taken during my first arrival here in the Japan Apartment, University Malaya. To be honest, it was more of a scary and uncertain feeling rather than feeling excited or happy. Well, I know myself very well. If I have that kind of feeling even before I get there, it literally means something and it is.

Now, don't get me wrong. Of course I am over the moon about the idea of pursuing my study as a scholarship holder. However, I would also admit that I have that great fear in me. The kind of fear caused by my overthinking mind whether or not I could do this, am I making the right decision, am I going for the right course, am I choosing the right university? These are all the questions which leads to that unnecessary overthinking thought. Now, let me be clear on this one. UM has always been a dream university for me but I did not make it as my first choice during my undergraduate year in which I chose UMS instead. At that time, I don't think I have what it takes to be out of my Borneo Island and don't get me wrong, if most peninsular view the Borneo Island as rivers, boat, house on a tree kind of stuff then do not blame us for most of us view the peninsular through the lens of 999 or Gerak Khas. Its how the media play with our mind isn't it? Well, that's that. I am more of a mature adult now (maybe) and yes, how would I survive UK if I can't even survive my own country right? Well, with that in mind I am giving myself and this place a try.

PHOTO 3 (SURVIVING UM SEM 1)

Well, how that two weeks went by? It was not an exciting one I can assure you! Hahaha but hey I am trying to give it a chance okay? In the first two weeks (for more than a month actually) I have been questioning myself whether I am making the right decision of choosing this university and even this course that I am enrolling myself into. Well, I'll be frank here, the place I am currently staying at is considered okay and I am totally grateful. However, the part where I am not comfortable with one of the housemate really kills the energy. It does feel exhausting to walk down and up the hills to go to class or faculty or even anywhere in the campus because yes this place I am staying at is under the university residential college but it is an off-campus facility which means that there is no bus around an worst, it is located with quite a distance from the campus gate which make it feels a little unsafe especially when I had to walk back home from class at almost 10pm. The road was dark and creepy but yea, still, I am grateful to have place to stay. 

So, during the first two weeks here in KL and in the uni, I went out by Grab and spent quite a lot for necessities and of course for the grab fee. I don't know how to use the public transport and of course, I have been hunting for the touch n go card which obviously is nowhere to be found. So, the photo above concluded that week. But hey, of course I can always benefit from the situation. For instance, I get to attend Sunday mass at different churches like every week until I found one that I am comfortable with. And to be honest, I do feel at home with the second church I went to and even had that thought of joining the church choir team. Well, whatever it is lets see how things goes.

Now, let's talk about the photo above. Well, if you realised in the previous paragraphs I did mentioned several times 'the first two weeks' why? Well, it is simply because I could not stand staying here and it lasts for only two weeks that the moment I have got the class schedule for the online and face to face class, I instantly book my flight ticket home. Well, to be fair it was not only decided because I could not stand the whole idea of staying here but truthfully, I had to be where I should due to some business that I must settle with. I booked a ticket to Bintulu because I wanted to attend a farewell dinner for my school principal and chief clerk. My flight from KL to Bintulu was an early flight at 6.05 am so I had to make my move from the residential college to the airport at 10 pm because I don't want to take the risk to book a grab that may never appear at 3 am. As soon as I reached Bintulu, I worked on the footage for our Language Month closing ceremony. It was assigned to me before I actually get the offer for my masters study. So, I had to do what I had to do. You can see that happy face as I enter the school hall once again after leaving for two weeks. And the photo on the right, is me reminiscing my life driving my kancil around sebauh. Oh, I miss the old days!

The photo above is me and my two younger brother. We went to my biological father's village for the 1 year memorial prayer which was actually the day after the farewell dinner. So, can you see it was like, my flight from KL to Bintulu was on Wednesday morning, the farewell dinner was on Friday evening, and the memorial prayer event was on Saturday evening. Quite hectic right? But yeah, as long as I am home, I am home.

So, now its the story of me going back to campus for the face to face lecture. I started to convince myself, if I am not feeling better it maybe means that I was not trying hard enough to make it feel better. So, I decided to have that change of mindset and try to be as positive as I could despite of the other challenges coming from the unnecessary side of my life. The photo on the left shows my steps count walking around the campus area. I decided to walk around the campus as soon as I finished my class at around 4.30pm. The idea was to walk around with no clear destination in my head but one thing for sure is I want to take my first photo at the UM 2022 area which is actually quite famous and a must to take photo at. I must because I want a photo of me in my first year enrolled into UM, I am going to take another one once they changed it into UM 2023 and hopefully the last one to take is with my graduation robe in 2024 (if I can make it in 2023 why not right?!) The photo on the right is when all of the scholarship holders were invited for a meet and greet session with the Ministry of Education. It was a great session and yeah, I know I do felt a little left behind since I am not a student under the Faculty of Education but hey, we are all teachers right? So yeah, once a teacher always a teacher.

And here it is, my photo of the month and most probably the photo of the year! Finally, that zombie walking around the campus pays off! It was an interesting experience because I seriously walked around like a zombie and asked around to where should I go to if I want to take photo at that UM 2022 landmark. I even took a screenshot of that place from TikTok just to ask strangers where is the direction to get there since I don't know what is it called as. During my walk, I met some strangers I considered friends. When I was lost at the park area where most people were there jogging, I asked a lady for direction and she told me she is not a UM student. Then a kind guy asked me if I need help and of course I did. He then explained the direction to me. I could not visualise the direction but I kept walking till I found the hall where the graduation ceremony was held. Then, the moment I saw that landmark, I smiled ear to ear!

Well, I guess this is long enough to be made an entry for a welcome back! I shall share more soon, Hopefully!

Till then, bye and wish me all the best!

Adam Geordrey

UM Sem 1, 2022.