Melody's Kingdom

For many who know me, this will come off as a surprise. Adulthood brings a lot of changes in one’s life. Mine is no different. For some of you who grew up with me, particularly if you are a fellow family member, you will know how important this change is in my life. It was in a moment of despair that I chose to move on and make this change. We all know how difficult it is to move on. It means we are leaving things behind, in the past. However, it is not a forever goodbye. I’m certain I can revisit the past anytime I want. Nonetheless, I have no regrets over the change and am taking it on a stride into adulthood. This is the moment people can say the baby of the family has grown up. This change might even explain why I was the way I was. So, this is it, guys…. I have started taking CAFFEINE! I drink coffee now, more than I drink Milo or chocolate, if that’s any indication of the caffeine dosage I consume. To those who do not know me well yet have spent the last couple of minu

Let’s talk about that inner child that I keep hidden within. The only time she has come out is when she feels safe, when I let her out. She stays in this comfortable room, with the teddy her god sister gave her some years back and her precious pillow from 3 years old. I am not very good with words but heck, I am writing, right? I meant I am not very good with description of materialistic stuffs; my comfort level doesn’t lie with things. She’s special. She has this idealistic view on the world. She thinks the world is all sunshine and rainbows. She hopes the best for everyone. She trusts people easily and doesn’t think there is an evil soul in this world. She thinks that there is goodness in everyone she meets, she just has to know them more to be able to see the goodness. She expects the world to treat her the same way she treats the world. Too idealistic, I know. Someone even introduced the term ‘humanistic view’, it is probably a combination of both. The predicament in that is pe

This is not my story but my friend’s. I can’t start the timeline of our friendship. I have known her since my first year of high school. We rode the same school bus and used to goof around in the bus. However, I’d say I didn’t actually become her friend until 7 years later. After I left high school, before I became her friend, I realised that she was in a relationship with a guy, a guy who I am embarrassed to call my relative, even if it’s by my cousin’s marriage. It’s funny how we reconnected after years. Maybe it is my destiny to enter her life. She is this magnet of negativity while I am the total opposite of that. I missed the person she has become. She was so happy during school days and used to have the most beautiful smile on her face. She was in a toxic relationship with that guy. That guy cheated on her with multiple girls but she was blinded by love and loyalty. Her exact words were ‘every time he came back, I thought he’d be a changed man’. Some men can never change, che

I am writing this in hopes that the person I am writing about doesn’t realise it is him I’m referring to. Even though I am not mentioning names, I know it is easy to identify that person. Then, there are also a bunch of people who try to read between the lines and have a misconception of my feeling for my friend. He is my friend full stop. Anyway, back to the story… Someone wrote about social learning a few weeks back. I understand the full impact and extent of it since I have been influenced and influencing others for a long time. I didn’t know the name for that but I called it modelling. On one of our outings, I made a facial expression and then immediately changed it. I laughed at myself. He asked why was I laughing. I, being frank as usual, told him I thought I was imitating his smile or facial expression. His response made me wonder more. It’s called tethering and it’s not a good thing, he said. So, I know what is mobile tethering and stuff like that but not in context of frie

Let’s be real, as kids, we all would have loved to have birthday parties, RIGHT? Well, that’s subjective, some people might not have liked it for their own reasons and that’s alright. So, this is for rest that loved having birthday parties. I’m going to be honest, I didn’t exactly know the significance of born day and the whole cost of birthday parties until I had my 21st birthday celebration. Back then, I only knew that I get to dress up prettily and get PRESENTS! YES, that’s my favourite part of all 😃 My parents would go ‘ooh aah’ over birthday parties and no biasness, they did the same for all my siblings. Well, maybe until I came along :P Even then, something happened when I was 6 that my parents stopped having birthday parties after that. I used to call it the most embarrassing moment in my life until I realised it is actually a funny story to tell my future kids. There is nothing to be embarrassed about, coming to think of it, these are just moments in life. Not the hap

I consider myself too young to think about marriage, after all I am only 25 years old. I swear if I didn’t have unmarried older siblings, my parents would have pressured me into marriage when I finished my degree. However, thankfully, that is not the case. I am surrounded by many people who are of age for a marriage. ‘Of age for a marriage’? Heck, whoever decides there’s an age for marriage? Your age, old or young, shouldn’t determine your readiness for marriage. After all, marriage is not a game of Snap or jigsaw puzzle. Maybe it is a game in life. I am beginning to feel like there is a game for every stage in life. That would make it easier to contextualize. So, who decides it is time to tie the knot? In most cases, it is definitely not the individual’s decision. The right age to get married is determined by society and parents. I know quite a few of them who got married due to parents’ expectations and they regret that decision now. These people’s parents are not alive anymore

I used to be scared of dogs when I was young and my dad had to return a pup he took in because I refused to walk on the floor, the pup kept wanting to lick my toes. Mind you, I was six back then and quite self-contained- thought the world revolved around me. So, fast forward to almost 20 years later, I have a pet dog and he is my favourite being in the world. I have always been the ‘awww it’s cute’ kinda person with animals and little kids. Not very much with little kids, since the teacher in me comes out more often than it should. Anyway, because I grew up with a dog, I am more dog-friendly than cat-friendly. I have no ill-feelings towards cats but my friend’s cat tried to attack me once. I've been edgy around cats ever since then. Also, the fact that my mum hates cats and has instilled in me that cats can sense that I am a dog person. Coming back to the main point: I have this friend, L, right? He is a lil’ crazy over kitties. I didn’t know how crazy until we embarked on this j

Back then, people didn’t know what stalking was and how powerful social media is. So, no judgements here as I tell my story of how social media helped my friend. When I was in the second year of middle school (known as Form 2 in Malaysia), this new girl came to my school. Her father got transferred to Penang Island and she joined my school. It is a convent school and one of the most prestigious schools on island. Although I had Chinese and Malay friends, I always hung out with my Indian friends during recess. And all my Indian friends are scattered across the 6 classes in the year. I think it was really good networking we had back then and we’d have each other’s back for homework, class projects and all other stuffs, that is inappropriate for a blog. The fact that we didn’t have to be ladylike to impress any guys made us more rebellious, I guess. Man! My high school days were awesome and I wouldn’t trade them for anything. So, we had this new girl in school, right? Let’s call her P

This is about one of the most important people in my life. He might not have been the kindest soul in the world but he has influenced so many aspects of my life. He is my motivator and has set a high standard for the kind of guy I want in my life. Not because ‘I want a guy who loves me like my dad’, but more because he has some qualities I never want my guy to have. My mother deserves an applause for putting up with him for the last 36 years and he might not have been the best husband but he is the best dad I could ask for. I choose to think my presence has made him a better person. Need I say more, I am the youngest in my family, even among my cousins. I had a way of using my brightest, innocent looking smile to get away from all the mistakes I made when I was young. My siblings hated me for that and often used me as a shield from my dad. Now, will you join me on a short trip down the memory lane? My dad loves sharing his food with me, even as a toddler. He used to feed me while I

I try. I try really hard. It’s a battle I have been fighting every single day of my life since the change. The battle is to not be a clingy friend. I dislike having friends who expect me to tell them my whereabouts all the time. To me, I dislike having my movements restricted. I love my freedom and when someone asks my whereabouts too many times, I feel suffocated. Yes, it is perfectly understandable. Pretty sure I am not alone in this world. However, I am beginning to despise myself for being that kind of friend. I have been yapping about my difficulty in making friends and forming bonds with people here. Thank God, I have found 2 friends I am comfortable with, people who I can be weird and crazy with. Well, sometimes it takes time for them to accept my weirdness. Gotta cut some slack for these buddies, I can be pretty random and weird. I said I try hard, right? Yea, so I try not to be that friend who messages every time to ask their whereabouts. I try not to invite myself on

So, lately, I have been pondering if “The One” actually exists. I kept falling for people who I thought could be “The One” but there never seem to be anyone. It’s a bit like Yin and Yang, black and white, there is supposed to be someone who complements you, right? Or have I got it all wrong? I can say that what I wanted a decade ago is not what I want now. My idea of “The One” keeps changing. It has evolved so much from what I used to want. I remember reading an article once about finding someone. It made me think, what if the person you think is “the One” isn’t “the One”, and “the One” has been standing right next to you all these time? What if you have just been too blind to see it? The possibility that anyone can be The One is mind-boggling. Then, Katy Perry tells us we also have ‘the one that got away’. What do we do about them? At the end of the day, this all feels like a game of ‘snap’ to me. To like someone and then for the person to reciprocate that feeling. There’s a

Being an international student in Australia has taught me plenty of life lessons and I am still learning; however, people happen to always touch a sore spot when they talk about how I am leading an easy life overseas and they are all struggling back home. I hate to burst the bubble; everyone faces struggles every day of their life. So, I am here today writing this article to spell out the possible struggles of an international student. The struggles co-relate to one another and might differ from one person to another. Nonetheless, it is important to acknowledge the hardships in order to see your growth over time and I am not embarrassed to say that some days I still feel like I’m fighting a battle. 1. Losing social circle First and foremost, not having my social circle was extremely distressing to me. I did not have my family and friends around me. My support system crumbled down when I came to Australia. I had contact with my family and friends but nothing came close to having them

When I first joined QUT, we had an orientation week and I saw the banners for QUT Big Lift. Being new and all, I took the literal meaning to the club’s name and walked away from that place, assuming it meant some weight lifting sports club. It did not click to me that it is actually the kind of club I would have fun with, until I spoke to Michael during Global Café event. It appears that QUT Big Lift is a non-profit organization that develops relationship with the Indigenous community through various volunteering and service learning activities. Prior to any association with the club, I joined the Harmony Day events and knew about the history of Australia and the significance of Harmony Day. I still might not have gotten all my facts right, mind you, history has never been my favourite subject. However, I was interested to know more about the Indigenous community. Through the Harmony Day forum, I found out a lot of facts and books to read about the history of the Indigenous community

Why is the end of the fourth month, 17th of June, significant enough to write a post? Most people would pick the third, sixth or even a year. The story begins like this… When I came here, I met an education agent from Philippines who told me research proves that it takes four months for an international student to settle in completely, for the homesickness to run its full course. So, this is me praying hard that I have settled in and handled the struggles of an international student somewhat competently. The first month, I was living with my Filipino homestay host and I still felt like I had a shoulder to lean on when I get tired of being an adult. I never had to worry about meals and she’d make sure I had food to eat and she gave me complete freedom, though I was ridden by homesickness to actually enjoy it completely and became withdrawn from her and her partner. There were dinner nights I was forced to socialize when all I ever wanted to do then was to shut myself in the room and c

When I came to Australia, my mum packed pictures of Hindu God and Shirdi baba. I chose to bring a copy of my prayer book, with hopes that I never have to use it in the event of someone’s passing. Today I prayed in the name of Nhaveen and I really needed my release of emotions with regards to this matter. I don’t remember the exact face of the boy, I remember his mother’s face clearly. They’d come over to my neighbour’s house and I used to think the boy’s mother is really pretty. Over time we shifted house and lost contact with some neighbours. Since I came to Brisbane, I haven’t been keeping track of events in Malaysia unless my mother updates me. I did save an article from Facebook about the boy in the hospital; however, I never got to read it. Then, the next day, my mother called me and told me about the boy. Neither could I recall the boy’s face nor his mother’s face. I didn’t know who they were but I felt the boy’s pain. I felt so much anger on the culprits. Nhaveen could have

So, I have started my journey in QUT for the past 3 weeks, I was here through the orientation week, survived the last couple of weeks with classes and I’m heading into week 3 now (Phew!). I’d never forget my first day in QUT and how lost I looked. Thanks to QUT Connect members who found the lost puppy (ME!) and set it up on a good track. There are several aspects of how QUT operates that has left me amazed because I have seen how educational institutions operate back at home. QUT International Student Services has amazing support system. It was also one of the reason I chose QUT compared to another university in Brisbane. Most of the staffs are ever friendly and approachable. Though I felt a lil silly in the beginning, mind you, it is my first campus experience, QUT has shaped my start of campus life just as how I would have wanted it to be. The other aspect that I really enjoy and glad to be given opportunity is the fact that they have A LOT of volunteer programmes for domestic and

So here, I return to blogging after almost half a decade and it's truly because I strongly believe I will be some sort of an inspiration to people around me. Coming from a tiny but awesome island called Penang in Malaysia, I have constantly been told I am aiming too high when I tell people I want to go to Australia. No one believed me and of course, some amazing people truly wished me luck and gave me blessings, however I would really like to take the time to thank people who discouraged me for coming this far. I am someone who likes proving people wrong, so for all the times you've told me I can't do it, I'd come back and do it again. It took my parents a while to realise, I guess, that I am never gonna listen to them and I do have a mind of my own. Yes, thanks to our Uncle Jib, we all know how expensive it is to go to an overseas country even for holiday but I am indeed grateful to have had the opportunity in the midst of all these economic situation to land on th