morceaux.

Are WE having FUN yet?!

joshuabrownvstheblog:

Why yes, Adam, yes I am.

This time next week, definitely.
I love this show.

Adam Scott is brilliant.

beginning & end

It’s been 2 days since MIT accepted me into their Chem Eng Ph.D. program and the realisation that I will be heading to the other side of the world to the US of A for 5 years has finally sunken in.  This realisation includes the fact that I will soon be able to stop dreaming about walking down the streets of Las Vegas with Brandon Flowers’ ‘Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas’ blaring from my earphones - and actually do it; and the fact that I can do the same with Vampire Weekend’s ‘Boston (Ladies of Cambridge)’ or Augustana’s ‘Boston’ whilst strolling through…  Boston, unsurprisingly.  It ALSO includes the fact that very soon I’m going to have to stop spelling realisation ‘realisation’ and start spelling it ‘realization’. Luls.

But this means that I’m going to have to leave home for the second time - and this time home doesn’t only mean Kuching, but Perth.  I’ve been in Perth for 5 years, and as much as everyone calls it a hole and calls it shit, I love it for its laid-back lifestyle and its people.  In particular, I am going to sorely miss:

1. Yuhan and his extremely homosexual antics (and obsession with Big Bowl).
2. Teasing Vinci about him being buff, good at singing (both of which are true) and the fact that he dresses so nicely and wears shiny jeans (…  also both of which are true).
3. Hanging out with Peanut & Desmond and their attachments, Mel & Cheryl.
4. Grocery shopping every Saturday afternoon at Woolworths Carousel.
5. Going to UWA every morning for Mission Impossible: Parking - but really, UWA on the whole.
6. All the shit I get from Gene, Adam, Kevin Koo and recently, Buzz.
7. Liong-z, the most awesome Dentistry student & housemate I know.
8. Emerging from lectures and saying “Nandos?!” with everyone responding in the affirmative.
9. My room and getting an automatic alarm clock in the form of morning sun in my face every morning.
10. My B3L & B4L, Victor the Burmese Drangoon & Simmy the Asian Koala.
11. All my students over my past 3 years as a tutor/lab demonstrator at UWA - like me or hate me, you all have managed to teach me so much more than I did you; and for that you have my thanks.

Perth has been good to me and I’ve experienced so many things over the past 5 years, and managed to meet so many people: ESG, M1R, TTMFH(ATA), SEG (yes I remember all those stupid acronyms!), the Hohai crew, people from the CSNFit, etc.  I’ll be heading back 27 March till 17 April to attend my Graduation Ceremony on 7 April, after which I will not be likely to return to Perth for the next 5 years at least.  It’s going to be sad - but without goodbyes, hellos can’t begin.

So yes, to a new beginning - one that will start mid-August when I fly to Boston; and to the anticipation of the close of one of the most memorable chapters of my life - on 17 April.

rostam batmanglij

What else can I say? Vampire Weekend, as per my expectations, were friggin’ awesome - they tore the roof of Metros down…  This is the first concert I’ve been in the mosh pit; this is the first concert I’ve known the lyrics to EVERY SINGLE song (and sang along); this is the first concert I’ve gotten an autograph at - hell, this is my FIRST autograph :s; this is the first concert I’ve managed to take a photograph with ONE OF THE BAND MEMBERS :D.

Yup, that’s Rostam Batmanglij to my right, the keyboardist, backup vocalist, composer, producer, backup guitarist, random instrumentalist of Vampire Weekend.  Hell nice guy - he actually came out of the car to give us autographs and take a picture when I waved to him (can’t say the same for Ezra (lead singer) and Christopher Tomson (drummer) but that’s another story).

EPIC EPIC NIGHT.  Entirely worth the $74 concert ticket, the $40 shirt that I’ll probably never wear again after today to conserve the integrity of Rostam’s autograph, the $62 parking fine for getting my car locked in the carpark after 12 midnight; and the accompanying $20 parking fee.

Once again, EPIC.

make it happen

Today I have made history by being the first undergraduate at UWA to win a UWA Engineering Faculty Teaching and Learning Award, specifically for Excellence in Teaching (Early Career).  It was extremely unprecedented, especially considering the fact that I was going up against a slew of lecturers, some of whom I have had the pleasure of studying under.

Read More