Timeout: for a family holiday!

I am shifting to my uncle's house in another hour or so.
My mum prefers if I stay with someone rather than continue staying on my own the next week. Well, it does get creepy at night ... when you think you hear knocks and scratches or imagine stuff as you lie on your bed trying to sleep ... :-)

Over the next 3 weeks ...
I will be passing up my thesis this coming Monday (YAY!!), going for my Great Eastern interview on Tuesday, do some sight-seeing around KL on Wednesday and Thursday, before meeting up with my family who're flying over on Friday.
We'll be going down to Johor 26 - 28 May, up to KL, then 30 - 31 May at A'Famosa Resort Malacca with my mom's extended family side. After that, it's up to Genting for my annual church Camp at Selesa Hillhomes on the 1 - 4 June, a family dinner on 5th June, and my dad and bro returns to Kuching 6th June. I'll stay with my mum for a few more days and fly back to Kuching sometime 11/12 June with my mum - if I don't get the Great Eastern underwriting post.

So, that means I will be out of touch with the Internet for 3 weeks plus except for brief interludes with my cousin's computer ... Never mind, till next time, eh?

Closing a chapter

Wednesday, 16 May.
It was an incredible day ... At last, I met my examiner at 10am and my supervisor at 4pm for the final corrections to my thesis, besides clearing out the last parts of my lab. "So what?" It wasn't the mundane activities that was so moving, but what the trip to my faculty symbolised.

One was the fact that it was probably the last time I'd be meeting both the Professors, especially since they're past 55 and working on a year-by-year contract.

Far larger, however, was that it was the end of it all - there is no more changes, no more corrections; my 96 page thesis is completed. All that remains is to bind it in hardcover and then to pass it up, along with a CD of it and a diskette of my raw data. And then ... it's my convocation in August! Waa ...

I am still in a state of disbelief that my undergrad degree is over. I still remember those blurry-eyed days when lecture after lecture poured down my academic throat till I was choking, staying up late finishing reports and assignment, or those long long hours counting my Aedes larvae, sometimes till 8pm. Seemed back then that it was taking forever to finish. But now that I am crossing the finish line ... "Huh? It's over?".

I've been walking through my campus and hostel to remember ... reminiscence ... and just fixate it all in my memory. True, I didn't manage to form lasting friendships with any of my Uni mates, but the times we had together were still worth remembering.

I still find it hard to grasp ... not a child, nor an adolescent ... but an adult.
And now.
I'm no longer a student, yet am not a working person either.
Just a wanderer, a pilgrim ... with a simple "blank whiteboard".

Viva OVER! Continuing job search

Well, since BK actually started a petition to get Wai Nyan blogging again, then I'd better blog before he starts another petition!
It's been a busy 2 weeks ... and a tiring one too!

1) Thesis Viva

My viva was on the 7th May, at 9am - the 1st day on the 1st session! Argh ... so I had no idea what to expect from the examiners as there wasn't anyone before me. Was rather uncertain too ... my examiner was a Professor of Entomology! No hope trying to bluff my way out if I encounter a killer Q. I wouldn't want to either - he's someone I respected and knew personally.
Entered the room at 9.10am with my bag of stuff ... which remain untouched throughout the session. I was first asked to give any corrections and additions 1st before proceeding, then told to talk about my thesis for about 5 minutes. 5 minutes where they all looked everywhere but at me! Bad ...?

Then the questions came - basic entomology questions that had a very loooong connection with my thesis (thus, unexpected AND unprepared for them)! For example, "Where do female mosquito's lay their eggs?" I tried to answer as best as I could, hoping I remembered the facts correctly ... Last was the corrections part ... ouch; I didn't realise I made so many errors and had to clarify a few parts where my sentences were mixed up.

At the end of it, I left the room at 9.50am with shaky legs ... 40 minutes of horror was now OVER! My viva was DONE!! And with that, so is my THESIS! SETTLED!!

All that remains is to finish the corrections and get them certified by my examiner, supervisor and my head of department, then sending it down to Bangi for binding and hardcover processing ... once I pass up those 4 copies, IT IS FINISHED!!
And that ends my entire 3 years of University life ... 4 green-coloured books ...
What a time indeed.


2) Job hunting

I went for an interview with Prudential for the post of an insurance underwriter on May the 3rd. It was my very 1st interview ever, and I was surprised to find that it actually went quite alright, thank God for that. The questions posed were your run-of-the-mill questions like "What's your weaknesses and strengths?" and "What is your single biggest achievement in your life?". Managed to remain calm enough to answer as best as I could.

However, my problem with them is their excessive overtime - sometimes till 8/9pm, if not 10/11pm in extreme circumstances. And working during weekends; up till 2/3 weekends a month! What more about working during certain public holidays as well ... One has to work, but to work till you have next-to-no-free-time?!?! No matter how high the pay, it just ain't worth it. So ... am not surprised I didn't get any news from them after that.

No other replies from the other companies either. UNIMAS hasn't replied on my application for tutorship, and if there's nothing by the end of this month, it's considered as a rejection. Neither has Hospital Pantai Bangsar. I plan to apply for the laboratories and Normah Hospital back in Kuching as well.

However, I did get a reply from Great Eastern for the position of underwriting just a few days back. Thank God for that too. They've asked me to attend an interview on the 22nd of May, in the morning. A coursemate of mine told me they have 2 interviews - 1 by the HR department, and the other by the underwriting department should you be shortlisted. See how it all turns out then. Will keep everyone informed of new developments.

But ... to work in KL?!?! Boleh tahan tak?
And is it His will to work here? . . .