Student blogs

Phew! Relax, that’s the end of the first term.

What a rollercoaster ride it has been. Never again will I complain at the start of term when things seem to going quite slowly for the first couple of weeks; we finished the term with two major pieces of coursework to be submitted, an intensive week-long module on entrepreneurship (very interesting, by the way – I may come back to that in a future blog…), an exam and a presentation. All in the final seven days. Wow.

There was a palpable sense of relief at the end of term party. This was in two stages: firstly the more formal part, in the student room, where several recent alumni had been invited to join us for a networking event, and where the other main pass-time was changing the selection of the Christmas music playlist and the video of Christmas trees or yuletide logs ablaze on winter fires. Thereafter we retired to a student flat for the real party, where hair was let down and the tension flowed away faster than the Thames on a spring ebb tide. Who knows what happens in student parties these days? Not me – I confess that anything could have happened and I’d be none-the-wiser, as I was the first grandfather to quit this more important event, the after-party, leaving it to the youngsters as I headed home to my bed and a long lie-in the next morning.

So, how was it for me? The first term after 35 years? Fun. Interesting. Largely enjoyable, and rather busy. I’ve certainly learned quite a bit, and I found it very interesting how much stuff I had studied decades ago came flooding back (OK – dribbling back in fits and starts). My early fears that my brain would have atrophied irretrievably or that I’d be left well-behind by the youngsters do not seem to have materialised, at least not yet. I’ve got my research topic and supervisors selected and a reasonable idea of how to start with the framing of the research question. The next step is a literature review next term. Now it’s time for a short break skiing in the alps, a family Christmas, New Year on the Thames, and some rest before next term.

And London has not disappointed. It’s as loud and busy and dirty and vibrant and exciting as I expected. The streets may not be paved with gold, as Dick Whittington himself found, but there are galleries and museums wherever you look. So far I’ve had trips to the Natural History and V&A museums, Tate Britain and the National Gallery. Not to forget an evening reception at the Palace of Westminster to keep abreast of the energy storage world. Plus the old City Hall, whose debating chamber is now converted into a theatre. So much history and culture in one place – and I still have a long London bucket list of things to do and see.

For now though I think I’m all set. But wait. Isn’t there something else? Oh yes, there’s also a little revision required before the exams in the first week of next term. Ah well, you can’t have everything. Back to the books, I suppose.

Read …and breathe. in full

Christmas is always a special time of year, everything becomes festive – whether it be the constant Christmas music and decorations that seem to be getting earlier every year or the impending Christmas shopping extravaganza – it is difficult not to be in the festive mood! London is no exception – there is huge range of Christmas events to have a go at in the capital. Every year I try and go to a few here is a selection!

Winter Wonderland

Every year Hyde Park is home to Winter Wonderland, a vast expanse of fairground games and rides, food and of course an ice rink! This year, like always, it was packed with people eating food, falling over whilst skating or going on some less than appealing fairground rides (in my opinion!). One piece of advice; bring your pocket money – there are plenty of things to try; fresh churros with chocolate sauce, carnival games promising winnings of the latest iPad and plenty of fairground rides – anything that spins or goes upside down is a no from me! Sadly all are London prices so, as if by magic, your money disappears very rapidly! If you haven’t managed to do any Christmas shopping, Winter Wonderland is a nice place to find some unique Christmas presents – a favourite of mine was alpaca wool winter clothing.

Be sure to wrap up warm though, I went in the evening and it was freezing!

Christmas at Kew

Kew is London’s largest botanical gardens – home to a huge range of plants from all corners of the planet. During the day, the botanical gardens is a wonderful place to stroll, forget the hustle and bustle of the big city and reconnect with nature. At Christmas time, Kew is open at night for their Christmas at Kew event – a truly enchanting light show. A Christmas trail takes you through parts of Kew at night, each section lit up using different lighting set to music. Along the way there are of course the traditional winter treats of mulled wine, mince pies and roasted chestnuts! Each section is crafted with an exquisite eye for detail, making for a truly immersive experience with a breathtaking finale. Some wise words however; going later in the evening is best to avoid the crowds of families with small children – although adorable, they do make the trail very congested!

Christmas comes at the end of term, itself a time of stress; especially in final year. Impending coursework deadlines, job application deadlines and revision can make a potent mix. So in many ways, it is really important to take some time out and enjoy the festive period – it allows you to recharge and also get some joy and balance back in your life. There are of course many more other festive treats that London has to offer like mulled cider at Borough Market and ice-skating at the Natural History Museum and Somerset House.

All in all, the festive season this year has been one to remember for me, so much so I decided to document it in a blog.  

Read Christmas Rewind 2017 in full

Salut tout le monde 🙂 Since I stayed in London for this winter hols, my two friends (Azmi from UCL and my bestie who’s studying in Loughborough) and I decided to go sightseeing around London. We went to a couple tourist sights, hung out a bit, ate at a some shops and generally had a good time (+ spent a lot of money).

Lina, my bestie, arrived at St Pancras and travelled together with Azmi to South Kensington tube station on Monday where I met both of them and we went for lunch at Chopstix. After leaving the luggage behind in my room, we rushed to go to Kensington Palace ’cause we were late (the tickets said last admission was at 3:30 pm). Sadly, we didn’t made it but at least we still got a refund so that’s good enough, I guess.

That night, we went to Winter Wonderland (yayy) where we ice skated and watched the Cinderella on Ice show + eat churros while walking around. Other than the fact that I fell on my bum twice, it was quite a fun, if not slightly terrifying, activity. I don’t have any videos/ pictures of Cinderella on Ice, but Lina and I were astounded that they could even danced like that on the ice when we could barely step forward without falling over (I’m exaggerating obv, but still…). Ice skating was £15.50 for 50 minutes and the show was £19.95

                                           BTW Azmi was the only one out of us who actually knew how to ice skate

On our second day, we visited the Sherlock Holmes Museum which is a must for Holmes fan. It was interesting to see wax figures, recreations of scenes of the 84 TV series and rooms with Victorian decoration. Adult tickets were £15 and children’s was £10. Personally, it was quite expensive and wasn’t really worth it for me (it was probably the first and last time I’m going there). After a pretty long discussion on whether we should buy some Baskin-Robbins ice-cream (we ended up not buying any), we made our way to UCL (affectionately called feet) where I unexpectedly met an old friend who turns out to be studying there as well (how the the world can be so small sometimes).

We also went to the British Library, the national library of the UK, where the Harry Potter A History of Magic exhibition was taking place. A lot of Harry Potter merchandise were on sale too at their gift shop. The library was very big and housed 150 million items. Bonus: they have awesome facilities there too.

The next day, we went to the Coca-Cola London Eye. Lina and I were excited as it was our first time on it (or on any Ferris Wheel tbh). Sadly, it was a rather cloudy and foggy day so we couldn’t see the sights quite as well as we should. Nonetheless, it was an amazing view high up in the sky; I felt as if we were seeing things through a bird’s eyes. For lunch, we ate at Rasa Sayang, a Malaysian cuisine restaurant in Chinatown. Despite almost getting lost and having to wait 10 minutes before we got a table, it was nice to taste Malaysian food again after months in London. We spent several hours there, hiding from the rain and cold wind before finally leaving to venture to Tate Britain. The art gallery displays collections  of both contemporary and historic British art. We were there for about 2 hours during which time I fell asleep for awhile after admiring the art (hey, it was warm there and I was tired after all that walking). I must admit that while I like examining the usage of colour and brushstrokes in paintings (especially watercolour ones), I couldn’t really appreciate most of the art there (hmm I don’t really like portraits but I very much like van Gogh and Monet). The architecture of the building itself was very pretty though… long, winding stairs with white interior and exterior and a central dome

Thursday was girls’ day in as we were still too tired from the day before to go out and Azmi couldn’t come anyway ’cause he had assignments to hand in. Me and Lina spent our quality bestie time together gossiping and watching movies. We went out on a hunt for sushi at 5:00pm and took the tube to Hammersmith to do some grocery + window shopping. To be honest, it was (at last) a nice quiet day without Azmi and his weird jokes *shhh* Unfortunately, my shower chose this time to get clogged and to make things worse, the lady at the reception wouldn’t let us borrow the plunger (we think it was because we went there early in the morning, still in our PJs; and me putting on a lab coat over it; laughing like madmen… in our defence, we were tired after running around the hall in search of one). Worst thing was, we still couldn’t find one when we went shopping that evening.

Since my shower was still clogged on Friday, Lina and I travelled the 5 minutes needed to get to the RSM to use the public shower/ disabled toilet there (thank god for my building 😉 ) We met up with Azmi at the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square at around 11:30am (BTW there were van Gogh artwork there yayy. Oh, and I like the interior design, architecture and decoration used there. They complemented the artworks, giving a nice vibe/ mood. I know a lot of people criticised the building’s architecture, but this is just my opinion *shrugs*). After Friday prayer at a nearby mosque (which was tiny), we went to Covent Garden, had lunch at Nandos and went food + window shopping (again). The Chrismas lights that decorated the streets and lamp posts were of various colours and shapes. There were pretty stars, angels, reindeers and a big Chrismas tree. If only it’d snowed, it would have been perfect…

That was Lina’s last night in London so we decided to stay up the entire night. We sat in the Linstead common room until morning; munching on snacks, watching movies, doing Korean dance workout, singing, and playing all kinds of games that we could think of. It was a long, loud and fun night. And the good news was, when I got back into my room in the morning, it was no longer clogged so I didn’t have to haul stuff to the RSM to take a shower anymore. Lina left for Loughborough around noon and Azmi left after sending her off.

(P. S If you’re watching the video, the action start at 0.40 😉 )

[googleapps domain=”drive” dir=”file/d/1J8ceqKtf31KfwBUhmxjfNeW8uVnbxi3ksQ/preview” query=”” width=”640″ height=”480″ /]

So that was how my winter break went. The rest of it was spent cooped up in my room studying, sleeping and eating.

Read A Week Touring London in full

Hi guys. So New Year is coming in a few hours and do you know what that means?

NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS *cue streamers, drums and party stuff*

So, to be honest, I’ve never really made any New Year resolution before. I mean, I’ve obviously had at some point listed down my personal goals that I’d like to achieve but they’re not technically New Year resolutions. For one, most of them aren’t meant to be achieved within a year (most of them are much more long-term) and secondly, ’cause I didn’t come up with them specifically for/ on the new year (so it wouldn’t really be the New Year resolutions, would it?)

Anyway, I thought maybe I should try to come up with some and see how it goes. It is a very popular tradition after all, and if it worked for the Babylonians, Romans and knights, maybe it’ll work for me?Besides, the last day of the year seemed like a very good time to stop and reflect on how 2017 was… and it’ll also be an opportunity for me to measure my personal growth (physically, mentally and emotionally) over the years and learn more about myself.

BTW, I’ve read that only 8% of people actually manage to keep theirs so as a means to make this work, I’ll jot down my list then add a definitive goal at the end of each point, okay? Here it goes 🙂

1. Blog more frequently and more freely

I realised that I keep putting off blogging this month because I keep waiting for things to happen so that I’d have something to talk about But when I do start writing a post, I’d over-analyse things and get so worried about what people would think of it that I’d end up procrastinating again (I know, it’s a never-ending cycle). So, I decided that I want to try writing (and then posting) whatever’s in my head at the time. Sort of like a candid, free-writing thing… it seems kinda fun anyway, and it’ll help me voice my opinions better.

Goal: 2 posts/ month is enough (more is always welcome), but umm… pls don’t write both towards the end of the month

2. Bake more

I’ve always liked baking ’cause of my fondness towards desserts. While I was waiting for my IB results back in Malaysia, I used to bake at least once a week. Mostly cakes, but I sometimes I’d also make cookies (especially traditional ones for Eid) and pudding/ jelly is pretty easy to make too. Now that I’m finally getting used to London, I thought of taking up this hobby again. It’s quite a slow process, starting from scratch and having to buy everything all over again, especially since I can only buy only a couple of ingredients/ equipment at a time (I’d use up my meager monthly allowance if I bought all of them at once). Fortunately, my family and friends have been supportive of this particular interest of mine (thank you Secret Santa for those cute cookie cutters you gave me!!!).  Anyway, throughout Autumn term, I’ve managed to make bread pudding, cookies (gingerbread with my floormates and some shortbread during hols… making use of my brand new Totoro cutters hehe), crepes/ pancakes (breakfast + dessert?) and make use of some mug recipes (not exactly fond of these, but they work most of the time). So now that I’ve managed to slowly gather everything I need, I intend to find more opportunities to bake next year and bring them to BakeSoc potluck, share with friends, etc. After all, what more to brighten up your day than a good ol’ slice of cake, right? 😀

Goal: bring something to at least 1 BakeSoc potluck and share something with floormates at least once

3. Eat healthier

Aim is to not have a dinner of just eggs or just “baked potatoes” (it’s technically cheating since I just pop them in the microwave for 8 minutes) and nothing else three days in a row ’cause I’m too lazy to cook.

4. Sleep better

Sleep quality is more important than the hours you sleep. Even if you sleep for 12 hours straight but your sleep quality was bad, you won’t feel rested or that you’ve slept enough. Besides, oversleeping is bad for you too since it affects certain neurotransmitters in the brain (for example, serotonin). Ways to improve sleep quality include monitoring light and temperature conditions in your bedroom (sleeping in the dark is often better, and make sure you’re cosy but not too warm), reading, not eating heavy meals (or at all) 2-3 hours before bed and avoid taking afternoon naps.

Goal: sleep before 12 everyday (including weekends)

5. Read more

I’ve been watching a lot of anime/ movies/ Youtube in my pastime these days that I forgot about reading for leisure (non academic-related books). Also a chance to actually go and borrow a book from the sci-fi/ manga library of the clubs I joined (pls don’t ask exactly how many clubs I’ve joined…)

Goal: read at least 1 book/ month

So, those are my New Year resolutions for 2018. I’ll probably update you on the progress and whether it’s working. Maybe I’ll write another post on whether to list or not to list later on. Toodles… and thanks for reading this 😀

Read With The New Year Comes The Resolutions List in full

Being underage at Imperial isn’t great, at any university really, but London’s security in general is quite tight… To be honest, it does not inhibit you of doing anything. However, you will have to do it in a not so conservative way, but try to keep it on the legal side – just an advice.

Firstly, your welcome week won’t be as fulfilled with nights out as the other students’. In spite of that I never said that you couldn’t have fun! Although you can’t go the clubs, you will be able to party indoors. During the first week there is a lot of prees in the common rooms- JOIN IN. You will have lots of fun, get to talk to everyone and sleep for a good amount of time!

When it comes to the red box around your photo on your student ID, that’s a bit harder! Every Sportsnight (Wednesday), Friday and Saturday night, the Union is secured by -and I have to be honest here and thank them for their patience and politeness when denying my entrance- very nice guards. They are there not only, but also to make sure everyone who is let in is of age. Which means, getting in after roughly 8 pm is impossible. But if you are willing to wait since 7 pm in the union until the night starts, there is no one stopping you!

The most important thing is that you don’t let your age get in the way of making friends! For me, it wasn’t a problem at all. Although it was something all my friends were aware of, I wouldn’t let a number get in my way of having the best time I could!

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7_LwpDI5SY]

Read Turning 18 – FINALLY in full

Hi everyone. Firstly, Merry Christmas and happy new year to all:) I don’t actually celebrate Christmas myself, but with all the Christmas vibes and that happy, festive mood going around, it’s a bit sad that I’m spending the winter hols alone (T_T) Well, I guess it means that I get some studying done so it’s not all bad.

Anyway, even without the cheer and fairy lights decorating the streets, London is still an amazing place and I’m truly grateful that I get to study here for 3-years-and-2-terms more to come. Yes, the weather is colder compared to Malaysia (and sort off hard to get used to; I’m not sure I’m actually used to it yet), and I do miss Malaysian food sometimes (I’m starting to get sick of eating bread all the time), and the fact that I’m kinda disappointed about the lack of snow here; but the sights, and the views, and culture and people, and even the weather sometimes, still takes my breath away even though it’s been (almost?) 4 months since I got here.

So I decided to do this list of what I learned since I got here. Hope you guys like it 😀

1. ~10°C is warm for winter in London

I know this might seem obvious especially for you Londoners out there, but I never really noticed this until one of my floormates, Gordon pointed it out during our floor Christmas dinner ~two weeks ago. I don’t make it a habit to check the temperature and the weather beforehand; I usually just go out and face it. Yet, it seemed impressive to me that I managed to survive that ’cause back in Malaysia, I was already shivering when someone turned the AC to the lower -teens. The fact that I’m not already an ice block; albeit the impossibility of that situation (it is a hiperbole, after all); still astounds me… especially since I tend not to wrap up properly (I hate doing laundry, so other than changing my jacket to a thicker winter coat, I try not to add any more layers than I need).

2. If you walk down a path in central London, you’ll find either a tube or bus stop approximately every 5-10 minutes

I’m not exactly positive this is true but, so far it works for me. If I don’t know where I’m going, I just walk in any direction along a road and usually I’ll be able to find a means of getting back home. There’s still no guarantee that the bus you need to take will stop there, but it’s a little reassuring to know that you can always find a bus or a tube when you’re hopelessly lost. This works well in places like Covent Garden and Chinatown but not so much in parks or residential areas (although there often are access to public transport outside the borders of those places).

3. Tesco is cheaper than Sainsbury and Tesco/ Tesco Superstore is cheaper than Tesco Express

Frankly, I still go to Sainsbury as it’s closer than the nearest big Tesco (the smaller ones don’t sell halal meat and besides, if you add transportation costs, the difference will probably balance out), but I do avoid going to the 2 Tesco Express that are close by. It’s not that big of a difference but when you’re a student, every cent counts (although that may just be ’cause it’s me and I’m quite thrifty when it comes to those things). Plus, they do add up to quite significant amounts if you buy more than 5 or so things. Of course, the smaller branches can be quite convenient when you have to do a quick run or when you need something urgently late at night but other than that, personally I don’t really care for them.

4. When you can, take the bus

Taking the bus is a lot cheaper than taking the tube, especially if you’re changing zones. Tube prices can get crazy expensive during peak hours, but there are flat fares on buses even if you go to the end of the route. Plus there are other advantages like free fare if you take another bus within an hour of touching on the first, a daily cap of £4.50 for Oyster users, etc. True, it’s going to take longer to get there, and it can be hard to understand which bus to take and at which bus stop (at least it was for me), but it’s a nice way to travel as you get to see parts of London you don’t usually see and since buses go pretty much everywhere, you end up walking far less than if you had taken the tube in the end.

Also, I found out about the big Sainsbury branch on Ladbroke Grove while taking the bus to Crescent Supplementary School (I’m a Pimlico Connections volunteer tutor there). Anyway, since then I’ve started shopping there after my tutoring sessions on my way back home on Sundays so I don’t have to worry about finding time to go grocery-shopping. Of course, I try to shop quickly so I can make use of the free fare (see, two birds with one stone 😛 )

5. Poundland is AWESOME (and Hammersmith’s Kings Mall got 2 of them)

Seriously, I love Poundland. I mean, everything is £1 (with the occasional £2 and £5). They sell pretty much a bit of everything from kitchenware, to makeup and toiletries, to electronic accessories, and necessities like chocolates (yes, this is a necessity 😛 ), eggs, etc. I usually go to the ones in Hammersmith as I’m quite familiar with the place (I stayed there with my family before moving-in day) but they have branches all over the UK (and in Europe). The products aren’t too shoddy (and some are actually quite decent) plus you can get popular brands like Cadbury and Colgate at lower prices than normal supermarkets so it’s very attractive for students like me who (normally) aren’t working and need to spend (in-a-way-that’s-sorta-but-not-really) wisely. The bad thing is that some things get sold out quickly and you won’t be able to find everything there (I tried searching for a plunger but didn’t find it… although the weird thing is that Sainsbury and Tesco didn’t sell it too), but they still sell a wide range of products there.

6. London is not an ideal place for stargazing

When I was in Malaysia, I used to go stargazing with my friends (and on my own) in our school field almost every week. Here, I tried to keep up the tradition? (can I call it that? It almost is one for me anyway) by joining the Astronomy Club (one of many that I joined), and sometimes going to Hyde Park at night if I have time, but I have to be lucky to see anything much. The club members try our best too, but it’s still a tough battle. One, London is waaay too bright to see much (*cough* light pollution *cough*) and secondly, London nights are cloudy… it’s rather hard to stargaze when all the stars (and sometimes the moon) are obscured by the clouds. Well, there’s not much we can do about the clouds, but I’ve always had strong opinions regarding light pollution… one day I hope to organise a stargazing evening activity for the public to demonstrate the effect light pollution has on our night sky. Fortunately, events like that are gaining support thanks to increasing awareness on the damaging effects of light pollution, so maybe (hopefully) I’ll get to make this dream come true soon.

7. London weather is unpredictable

It seems sunny at first, and 15 minutes later it starts raining… then it stops, and after awhile, it’s already raining again. That is how London weather is… it changes almost as fast as a girl’s moods during her period. Every once in a while, we’re blessed with one whole day without any gloomy grey clouds or rain and you’ll see people going for walks or just sitting in parks; glad for a nice, warm day at last… I guess I can understand why the stereotype for British people is that they like talking about the weather and are thrilled to have a bright sunny day. The good thing is, you rarely need an umbrella when it rains here. I used to carry an umbrella everywhere, but London rain is so fine that you don’t actually get wet so I don’t bother anymore. However, it does rain heavily sometimes but it’s nowhere as heavy as it does in Malaysia where you”ll probably be soaked within the first 10 minutes outside.

8. Save your work on your laptops!!!

Seems obvious and trivial, I know, but please REMEMBER THIS!!! Do not repeat my mistake and rely on autosave. I have this really bad habit of always relying on autosave and twice it had cost me :’) Once, when I was writing up the last draft of my Extended Essay, and once, just now. To be honest, I had written another blog post on a completely different topic (it was about my HOST visit to Harpenden) but I lost everything except the intro. I still plan to write about my stay there, but maybe in the next one… after losing all my progress (2 days’ worth of it), I’ve lost heart (and my motivation) to do it for now. I know, it’s my fault for not saving it, but I have a tendency to not close files once I’ve opened them until I finish themIt’s mostly to remind me that I still have unfinished work, but there’s also that sense of accomplishment when you finally close it… never cease to make me feel just a tiny bit better.

So, that’s all I can think off right now but I’m sure there’s much, much more than that. Learning to cope and adapt to such a foreign place (especially since this is my first time in the UK, and first time travelling abroad without my family) is incredibly hard but everyone’s support; namely friends, lecturers, family; makes it somewhat easier (sounds cliché but it’s true) so thank you and please continue to encourage me (and please continue reading my blogs :3 ) Peace out 🙂 and thanks for reading this

Read Things I Learned While Living in London in full

So I’ve done various things to make some cash on the side:

• Private tutoring
• Turinglab (Tutoring at imperial)
• Undergraduate teaching assistant
• Internships
• uTest
• UserTesting
• Blogging

and for those keen students looking to make money on the side I’d definitely suggest private tutoring, UserTesting and uTest. If you haven’t heard of uTest, its a website where you test any app possible: games, payment, echo etc and based on your bug finding skills you get paid. Some test cases give you payment just for following the steps, even if you don’t find any bugs.

UserTesting is basically talking about your opinion of a website for around 10-15 minutes, for 10 USD which is pretty good. However, it takes time to get invited to do those. UTA’s and other tutoring are good, but unless it’s private tutoring I’d suggest looking for other ways to get money. Of course, if you’re like me and enjoyed the module a lot, then definitely go become a UTA.

The big punchers are internships. I chose bachelors when I entered Imperial, and decided to change to Masters half way – enabling me to be a penultimate student twice. Those keen on internships know many internships require penultimate status to join. Banks definitely pay the most and are easier to get into (think ~40,000 per year)  whereas consultancy is much less (26k?). Other popular companies like Accenture, Bloomberg pay the same as banks.

My top tip? Start early. Do those spring insights, as they usually offer an easy entrance into an internship, followed by a job. Plus you get paid. If you’re an international student like me, make sure you check the Tier 2 list of sponsors to make sure they can sponsor you after you graduate. No point in doing an internship and finding out they want to hire you, but can’t due to legal reasons. Most big companies on there. You can find the list here.

In terms of porfolio, you can always create your own website. It’s impressive to list on your CV, here’s my website. I’m using github pages and bootstrap, you can find them here :

• louiskueh.com
• studentfinancetips.com

Read Making money as a student in full