Showing posts with label London. Show all posts
Showing posts with label London. Show all posts
My apologies for not blogging much lately, does anyone even read this space? Lol. My writing's a little rusty as well due to the long "vacation".
I have so many things to blog about (aka my trip to Wrexham, Chester and Manchester, Food etc) But today, I'm going to blog about pathways and also because I haven't uploaded any of my pictures onto my computer (which usually takes forever because I am lazy not gonna lie haha)
It's been 2 and a half months since I've started my Masters program. Compared to most of my ex coursemates and friends, they have chosen the BPTC route which would lead them to become lawyers later on in the future or maybe not. As for me, I chose the Masters pathway in which I won't be able to practice as a lawyer in the future (if I do choose to practice, I would have to apply for the BPTC or go back home and do the CLP).
Most people would go for Masters in Law (LLM) but I know a few who did not and I'm one of them. I went for the MSc program which means Masters in Social Sciences.
Before deciding to apply for my masters, I was actually stuck in between applying for the BPTC and not applying for it. I eventually made my decision and not apply for the BPTC since I knew that my interest was not to pursue the law path anymore.
I weighed in my options and since it was Masters, I could apply for whatever I wanted (except for science HAHAH pls). I met up with lecturers from various fields - criminology, history etc and I also considered journalism. I eventually chose criminology since my interest in it was always there since A levels. I was sad to let history go but I had to do what I had to do, it was not easy trust me.
I applied to a few universities including London to which I did not have any high hopes for since my second year results weren't all that great. Anyhoo, all of the universities that I applied for replied me!
Now, I was in dilemma as to which university I should go to - I've always wanted to study in London (Altho i hated the idea of studying there at first but I got used to the London lifestyle after going down many times) and there was another thought of me staying in Cardiff once more because it's relatively cheaper. I've gotten opinions and thoughts from everywhere. Long story short, I chose to stay in Cardiff.
My parents were fine with whatever university I choose, but I wouldn't want to put the burden of expenses on my parents when the London expenses are too high.
Skipping all the miscellaneous part of the story such as visa-making, debating if I should redo my TB test (and FYI, you do not need to redo your TB test unless you've left the UK for more than 6 months).
Once I've settled down in Cardiff, I attended orientation day (omg, Sofea attending orientation day). It's been awhile since I've attended any orientation program, I even skipped my undergrad orientation program when I arrived in the UK.
It was obviously nerve-wrecking for me because I didn't know anyone there unlike my undergrad years. I was separated into my program group and realized that there were only 8 people in my course!! (As to which one left and one joined so it went up to 9 then went back down to 8 lol).
The subjects are really different compared to law as we all focus on the overall sociological/criminologist view on research and childhood. We get to participate more in class and I get to share more about my culture with the rest of the class. So far so good. Let's just say I've enjoyed my classes more than my law classes (unless it was HELP first year).
So anyway, back to the main topic of pathways.
What I'm trying to point out here is, if you don't know what you want to do in the future. It's perfectly fine. Take your time to think of what you want and if you already have something in mind and you're set to do it, go ahead. Don't follow the crowd because you feel the need to, but follow what you want. I'm not saying that you can't take the law route, it's perfectly fine if that's what you want. You can always pursue something else in the future after practising as a lawyer. I know a few people who aren't pursuing law after obtaining a law degree, one is even doing Masters in Music at the moment!
In my case, I already knew that the Bar life wasn't for me so I didn't bother applying for it. I was just stuck on what I wanted to do for my Masters and here I am! Pursuing a Masters in Criminology.
I won't deny that I was afraid when it came to pursuing a new course but the excitement itself was strong enough to cover my fear and go for it. Plus! I am pursuing other activities such as volunteer work (although the process of it is highly irritable with the DBS checks and so on).
If you need to do more research, feel free to do so. Weigh out the pros and cons, discuss with your parents, friends, lecturers and counselors. However, the most important thing is, listen to what you want.
Take your time. It's never too late for anything.
That being said, I end this post with a picture of the street of SOHO while I was waiting for... actually I don't remember. I think I was just walking and I thought that it was a nice place to take a picture so snap snap it is.
Signing Off.
I'm such a horrible blogger, I haven't been spending time updating this blog regularly. It's not that I've lost interest, I still read blogs and get inspired sometimes but I'm not inspired by myself so I couldn't find myself to blog about anything even when I've planned it in my head.
On a side note, this would be my final post about my London trip in September.
Our final day in London before going back to Cardiff for classes the next day (except for me, since all law students only start on the 28th of September which is long over now and we're about to enter 2016 LOL)
We all decided to wake up late on the last day since it was going to be a relaxing day for us. Obviously we headed out for brunch and made our way to Shoryu which is one of the famous Ramen places to go to in London (other than Kanada-Ya)
Later on, we were at Leceister Square walking around in M&M World, but then we decided to ditch the place and headed for Tombo in South Kensington which is another Japanese dessert place. (How Asian are we? LOL)
We ended our day by relaxing and walking around South Kensington Gardens before heading back to Cardiff.
Btw, there was the "Pan" movie premiere at Leceister Square, I wanted to stay back so badly just to wait for Hugh Jackman and Cara Delevigne! But it was unfortunate that I couldn't stay back since our train leaves at 7pm sharp. :(
However, it was a fantastic trip! Just what we needed before the semester started back in September.
Information about the places we went on the third day;
Tombo - Japanese Cafe and Matcha Bar
http://tombocafe.com/#home
They sell their own brand of matcha powder as well!
Shoryu Ramen
http://www.shoryuramen.com/
They have a few restaurants around London, so it's really easy to find them.
p/s; I made a youtube video on this :) Feel free to watch it!
If you guys are going to be visiting London anytime soon, do feel free to leave a comment down below or email me if you guys have any questions!
Signing Off!
Yeap, here it is. We woke up at 9am in the morning to catch the early bus to get to our destination.
Cel and I have not been to Harry Potter Studios before whereas the guys have. So we decided to visit it and the guys tagged along as well! (Thanks guys!) I was extremely excited when I arrived here! It was amazing and I loved the surroundings.
Here are our tickets!!
Tried out the famous butterbeer and boy oh boy, it did not disappoint me one bit!
I tried their butterbeer ice cream as well but it could get a little sickening after a few bites so i had to share it with a friend of mine.
Woop! The entire Hogwarts before your eyes :p
Went over to Chinatown to have dinner and to grab my one and only beloved Chatime (Because you can only get it from London, Manchester and Nottingham and London's the closest to Cardiff). I really love the fact that the musical was just right opposite Chinatown which made things really easy and we didn't have to rush much.
Unfortunately my favourite Malaysian restaurant (Rasa Sayang) was closed for some party and we had to go to some other restaurant.
The musical was amazing, no doubt. I loved the cast, although in the musical itself - there were more songs compared to the movie.
It was a great second day, and I wouldn't mind visiting Harry Potter studios again! I even got myself some souveneirs for myself from there (It's a must!)
You could get their tickets from the link given above and also the theme is different every season. I went during Autumn so Winter may be slightly different ;). If you're a Potterhead, make sure you visit this place and if you're not a Potterhead and you do visit this place, I hope you fall in love with the Magical World of Harry Potter and JK Rowling.
Signing Off!
During the Summer, my A*Stars and I decided to have a short trip down to London when the four of us get back to the UK. :)
We went to London from 18th - 20th of September, but guess what? We missed our train LOLOL, so we had to board the next train.
We stayed in Camden town, unfortunately I didn't get pictures of our AirBnb but the place was cool and the price was reasonable as well. Just that we had to share one bathroom with a few others (but rest assured, we had our own rooms - somewhat like a dorm style)
Due to the unforeseen circumstances, we arrived at London Paddington late and had to settle in quickly to get to the famous 24 hour skyscraper restaurant (which is located on the 40th floor) -
Duck and Waffle.
Due to their immense popularity, I had to book us a table 2 months ahead as it wouldn't be easy to get a table.
Their food is ofcourse up to standard and I can see why people love it there. I mean, I loved it very much haha.
Their main dish is ofcourse the one and only Duck and Waffle but they have other dishes in their menu as well.
Doesn't this just look amazing to you?
Had their desserts as well, unfortunately it didn't impress me that much.
Was a little tired that day due to Jetlags and what not.
But Day 2 aka Harry Potter studios and Les Miserables will be updated soon!
Signing Off!
I'm pretty sure many people are wondering what GenCorporate is all about, and I am here to explain to you.
GenCorporate (which is the short form for Generation Corporate) is a student organization which aims to represent aspiring young Malaysian students who are currently pursuing their tertiary education in the United Kingdom (got it from their website)
So basically we link Malaysian students with CEOs and such to network and hopefully gain some experience from there.
I signed up to be part of their executive committee (under the Branding Team) and had to attend an interview at the Malaysian Hall, London back in December and I must say it was an amazing experience, going down to London for the first time (or else I would never go down because I'm just too lazy, LOL). The interview went smoothly? It wasn't that scary as I thought it would be and the directors were friendly as ever.
Note; this organization was set up by a group of students from various universities :)
I met a few amazing people during my interview since we were paired in groups and I got to know some of them from there. Personally, I thought that my interview was mediocre and went there with the mindset of 'experiencing something new' and also because my MSSCF's President urged me to try it out and so why not? I had nothing to lose.
It was really shocking that I got to be part of the Branding team when I received the email a month later. Then I thought, 'More responsibilities on the way, Sof.' I sighed at the thought of that but I chose this path and I was going to get through it and learn more stuff with new people.
The Branding Team basically designs the posters and works along with the PR team to promote on GC since we're a new organization.
The whole GC team met up at Canary Wharf in January for our very first meet up with the rest of the executive committee and directors. (I was really nervous, btw)
GC has been active with our Speaker Series every Wednesday where influential people would come down to London and give a talk to students.
However, our main and biggest event of the year would be our one and only
which was held on the 28th of March 2015 (which was one day before my Malaysian Society's Cardiff European Games, talk about exhaustion.)
It was great setting up the Corporate Luncheon with the team though, with the booklet designs and presenting our very team to the students and also enabling everyone to network with one another. At the same time, I finally created a linkedin account, LOL.
Apart from the Malaysian Society back in Cardiff, being part of GenCorporate was a wonderful experience. Enabling myself to connect and meet new people from various universities and parts of the UK. Making new friends and getting to know them better.
Shout out to my wonderful Branding Teammates and Boss who worked really hard day and night and for being my bros throughout the experience. Further expanding my knowledge in certain areas regarding branding and being able to see other people's style of designs definitely did teach me a thing or two. And for attending my FOD performance heehee.
If you're interested in joining the GC Family or have more questions for us regarding our events, do not hesitate to contact us via social media!
GenCorporate Website
GenCorporate Facebook
GenCorporate Twitter
GenCorporate Instagram
You could even drop me an e-mail at sofeanass@gencorporate.com (ONLY for GC purposes, other questions or inquiries should be directed to my other email which is available on the contact page)
So, here it is! My update on GenCorporate!
Signing off, X.
GenCorporate (which is the short form for Generation Corporate) is a student organization which aims to represent aspiring young Malaysian students who are currently pursuing their tertiary education in the United Kingdom (got it from their website)
So basically we link Malaysian students with CEOs and such to network and hopefully gain some experience from there.
I signed up to be part of their executive committee (under the Branding Team) and had to attend an interview at the Malaysian Hall, London back in December and I must say it was an amazing experience, going down to London for the first time (or else I would never go down because I'm just too lazy, LOL). The interview went smoothly? It wasn't that scary as I thought it would be and the directors were friendly as ever.
Note; this organization was set up by a group of students from various universities :)
I met a few amazing people during my interview since we were paired in groups and I got to know some of them from there. Personally, I thought that my interview was mediocre and went there with the mindset of 'experiencing something new' and also because my MSSCF's President urged me to try it out and so why not? I had nothing to lose.
It was really shocking that I got to be part of the Branding team when I received the email a month later. Then I thought, 'More responsibilities on the way, Sof.' I sighed at the thought of that but I chose this path and I was going to get through it and learn more stuff with new people.
May I present to you GC's Branding Team!
Our very first ooVoo meeting! And the boss of my team would be Harrizal the guy on the bottom left.
The whole GC team met up at Canary Wharf in January for our very first meet up with the rest of the executive committee and directors. (I was really nervous, btw)
Missing our 'Boss' and also the team which co-ordinated the photoshoot of the day!
From left to right
Kai Hong, Sui Yang, Harrizal, Sofea (me) and Ben!
We had late lunch at one of the restaurant nearby and had a splendid time. But I had to leave as soon as possible since I had to rush home to Cardiff for a friend's birthday surprise (which was held successfully!)
GC has been active with our Speaker Series every Wednesday where influential people would come down to London and give a talk to students.
However, our main and biggest event of the year would be our one and only
CORPORATE LUNCHEON
which was held on the 28th of March 2015 (which was one day before my Malaysian Society's Cardiff European Games, talk about exhaustion.)
It was great setting up the Corporate Luncheon with the team though, with the booklet designs and presenting our very team to the students and also enabling everyone to network with one another. At the same time, I finally created a linkedin account, LOL.
Met my ex high school mate there aka James Chong whose currently in UCL :)
'Networking'
Needless to say I am proud to be part of this amazing team.
Apart from the Malaysian Society back in Cardiff, being part of GenCorporate was a wonderful experience. Enabling myself to connect and meet new people from various universities and parts of the UK. Making new friends and getting to know them better.
I'd like to thank the Directors for their hard work, dedication and passion for GenCorporate and the other teams who worked just as hard.
Shout out to my wonderful Branding Teammates and Boss who worked really hard day and night and for being my bros throughout the experience. Further expanding my knowledge in certain areas regarding branding and being able to see other people's style of designs definitely did teach me a thing or two. And for attending my FOD performance heehee.
If you're interested in joining the GC Family or have more questions for us regarding our events, do not hesitate to contact us via social media!
GenCorporate Website
GenCorporate Facebook
GenCorporate Twitter
GenCorporate Instagram
You could even drop me an e-mail at sofeanass@gencorporate.com (ONLY for GC purposes, other questions or inquiries should be directed to my other email which is available on the contact page)
So, here it is! My update on GenCorporate!
Signing off, X.
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