Life at Bellerbys College

How I Was 'Architected'

Posted by David, studying Engineering Foundation at Bellerbys Brighton

Hello dear readers!

Some people know precisely what they would want to pursue since childhood. Unfortunately, I was not one of them. I personally found it really tough in determining the course I would like to pursue. If you have been reading my previous posts, you would know how easily enthusiastic I could be in everything. This attribute of mine (which I feel grateful to have) actually backfired during this period of time. Since I enjoy doing a lot of things, I was not able to identify what I enjoy doing the most, or which one of them I have the most talent in. 


Accordingly, this post would be all about how I determined my course in hopes of sharing my experience in literally shaping my future with you readers especially those who might face the same dilemma as me.

So why architecture? I used to immediately reject the thought of becoming an architect every time it was suggested. I was all over the place, considering from psychology to food science, business to fashion designing and even teaching or medicine. I then started to envision what I see myself doing in the future, not professionally, but what I expect to literally do. I initially confirmed that I would pursue something related to art yet with a bit of science, then progressed to envisage the frequent practice of leadership, teamwork and presentations. With these little aspects that I foresee and the help of my education agency, I finally settled down with architecture. I should not have made presumptions about architecture as my inceptive idea about the field was so different from what architects actually do, after listening to my agent’s elaboration of the esteemed profession.

Seeing that it was such a late realisation, I came to Bellerbys, devoid of any knowledge about architecture. I have tried my hardest to do researches, but I just did not know where to start. “Do you have a portfolio?” Mr Beer, my programme manager asked me on my first day. I stood still, dumbfounded, flatly saying no. Thankfully, Mr Beer was kind enough to explain what I was supposed to do. I was told to draw random portraits of buildings while he arranged art classes for me.

Feeling extremely unprepared, I tried my best to make up for my lack of self initiative by starting to sketch buildings in Brighton. I had no idea what I was doing, but I knew that I needed to put something together for my art teacher to evaluate. Using purely my instinct as I have never drawn buildings before, I meticulously sketched out the photographs I have taken. 

Surprisingly, it turned out not too bad! Encouraged, I started drawing more and more.

When I had to see Mr Nix (my art teacher), I remembered him advising me to start seeing things as an architect, besides telling me the outline of the architecture degree programme. Being an Engineering Foundation student, I only had limited time with him. Realising so, I attempted to make full use of the time by preparing questions to ask him before I see him. Eventually, I was only able rendezvous with him as the term became busier. As instructed, I started initiating my own projects for my portfolio, seeking his advice only when necessary. I found this process quite strenuous, yet again due to my lack of knowledge and self confidence in my judgment. Nevertheless, this independent style of learning really made me grow so much as an aspiring architect, not to mention embracing myself for university life.

I pushed my own boundaries, endeavouring to experiment with a plethora of art techniques. I tried the typical sketching and detailing with different mediums; pencils, pens, chalk and photography work, steadily progressing into carvery, collage and the study of motion. I had to do figure drawing too. Yes, drawing nude people standing right in front of me.

Speak about awkwardness! Albeit being a conservative Malaysian, I ultimately got used to the idea. (Going to the gym really helped reduce the awkwardness level!) I also conducted researches on architecture for some self development before university life. When I was finally endowed with adequate confidence, I mustered up my courage to attempt some self designing, initially creating a dog kennel based on an apple, tiger and the colour black. In due course, I have designed toilets, stadiums and museums.

In the past term, I have been so engrossed with architecture that I even found orange peels architecturally enthralling! Finishing my portfolio elated me, literally having a huge part of my burden banished. It has been such a fun experience and I have started to believe that architecture is the right choice for me. All in all, I just have to say that a course should be chosen after a lot of individual researches on the field and whether it is what one would be most passionate about, rather than what is most financially rewarding. It is going to be something we deal with for a lifetime.

 I really hope this could help some of you troubled pre-college students as I fully comprehend how it was like, having been in the same position once.

A big shout-out to Mr Nix before I end my penning: Thank you so much for being such an amazing teacher. You have made me develop wonders in my architectural skills. I appreciate your effort in making me think independently and learn to trust my instinct. Thank you for the occasional words of encouragement as well as the timely laughters. You are a VERY FUNNY teacher! Also, my deepest apologies for bugging you almost 24/7. I am just naturally compelled to see your face! :)

Thank you for reading!


More of David’s coming soon! Stay tuned!

Voluntary Work at the Brian Eno Exhibition, Brighton Festival

Posted by David, studying Engineering Foundation at Bellerbys Brighton

Selamat pagi/tengah hari/petang/malam, readers! That means good morning/afternoon/evening/night in my national language, the Malay language, since I probably do not know when exactly you readers will be reading my blog.

I sat down one day, idly wondering what I could do during my leisure times instead of repetitive revisions or drawings.  We cannot possibly study 24/7.  In fact, we should not.  We should have a balance in everything we do.

Well, the A-level exams are drawing nigh, which means it would be unlikely to sight A-level students free enough to entertain me and my incessant energy.  Foundation students seemed occupied enough with their own work, which left me thinking about volunteer working. 

What with my extremely pathetic web surfing skills, I magically stumbled upon a volunteer opportunity in the upcoming Brighton Festival.  It read “Art Exhibition at Malborough House by Brian Eno.”

Brian Eno?  I have to be honest.  I was oblivious as regards to who he was; absolutely clueless.  I just thought to myself how cool it would be to meet an actual artist.  Having been totally new in voluntary working, I was excited yet dubious of what I might have gotten myself into.  You see, I have trust issues with the Internet, earlier being convinced that all offers made on the Internet are somewhat scams and plans devised to kidnap you.  I am a paranoid child! 

Nevertheless, I sought advice from Mrs Chris and was approved by her that it was safe for me to proceed.  Gleefully, I leapt onto my laptop, typing out an email to apply for my first volunteer job.

Briefings during the induction gave me a clear view of what I needed to do.  We work in two different exhibition places: Fabrica Art Gallery and Malborough House.  Fabrica contained the ’77 Million Paintings’  where Brian played with sets of 4 different sized screens comprising of various motives overlapping in time.  Along the entrance walkway, activities like colour tone-based Sudoku and naming colours kept some visitors occupied.

Malborough House, on the other hand, was a slightly different environment, housing 5 rooms distinctively defined with Rick Holland’s poem.  Based on the different poems, Brian cleverly brought out the ambience of the room by manipulating his installation of his self-designed speaker flowers, prompting the visitors to imagine to the fullest. 

The most interesting room for me had to be the one where he used disco balls as reflectors shone through a white light between his ‘flowers’, exuding a biological imprint on the walls of the dark room; resembling haemoglobin in our body cells as mentioned in Rick’s poem.

Working for Brian Eno for the past few weeks had been amazing.  Seeing that Bellerbys is a college only meant for foreign students (besides the local teachers of course), it is gratifying to actually have the opportunity to interact with the locals in Brighton.  

I have met so many different kinds of people from all walks of life.  There were kids who were completely engrossed with the Sudoku and questioned the artwork in a surprisingly innocent yet innovative manner. The funniest encounter had to be in Malborough’s house when a man asked us volunteers if we were real people. (How random is that?) 

There was also a sentimental moment when a lady creatively named a colour after the date of her son’s birth.  She elaborated how she felt during his birth and sent her prayers that all will be well with him in the future. 

Speaking with the British people has dramatically spurred my confidence in speaking, which I am certain, would be of a paramount asset when I enter my university.  It was certainly the icing on the cake that this experience could potentially be the ‘sugar and spice’ in my college reference, giving my reference an extra punch of something outside of school than plain academic reports.

Not only that, throughout the entire period, I have met similar art enthusiasts working for the event as well. They were not all students, but experienced art pursuers too.  Having met them enabled me to learn a bit more about the perception of art.  Some volunteered to improve their grasp of the English language or simply to show their mettle in dealing with public speaking.  Did I just hear a way to improve one’s IELTS speaking test? 

Anyways, with Malborough House coincidentally being one of Brighton’s architectural masterpiece in Brighton, I was lucky enough to be able to first-handedly witness the structurally rich building.  By the way, previously mentioning that I did not know much about Brian Eno, I was completely infatuated with his work.  Getting to meet him really was like meeting the artsy version of Sara Bareilles.  (I am a die hard fan of Sara Bareilles.)

A big shoutout to Tila and Tasha (the volunteer managers): Thank you so much for the warm hospitality with all the frequent provision of snacks and drinks.  Not to mention, treating us volunteers with such consideration, allowing us to switch places so that we could also experience different aspects of Brian’s work while working. 

I was also amazed by how you both could effortlessly remember all of our names.  There were so many of us and yet it seemed like you have known us for ages.  It certainly made us feel appreciated.  It has been such an experience under your leadership skills.  Not to forget, being meticulous enough to brief us on different ways to handle certain scenarios.  Now, I certainly know how to get myself out from someone who has been talking to me for ages, hindering my work. One thing though, can we keep the volunteer shirt? *laughs*  Most importantly, a gigantic TERIMA KASIH (thank you in my national language) for instilling good work ethics in me.

Dear readers, voluntary working has initially started as something merely to fill up my days.  Instead, I ended my experience, with a profusion of accomplishments from vocational experience, communication skills, social networking, discipline, more architecture, and town exploration!  It was definitely a worthwhile experience, which I reckon that everyone should give it a go.  I am definitely grabbing the next opportunity that comes, anticipating for more exposure in this second home country of mine.

Thank you once again for reading.
Au revoir!

Big Steps!

Posted by Sebastian, studying Law Foundation at Bellerbys Oxford

Hello dear readers!

I have just decided that it is time to give a little update on what has happened recently.  There was quite a lot going on.  Time is really passing quickly these days and so is the Law Foundation course.

Our teacher Ian always knows perfectly well how to keep us going and busy, also over the weekend – even if we claim we need a little break to recover he insists on giving us our weekly research homework in Politics.  But if I think about it we should thank him for doing so as he is not only testing our stamina and how much pressure we may take but also it is an excellent preparation for University life.  So the sooner we learn how to deal with such situations the sooner we will get used to it and the easier we may find it later or at least we will not experience any evil surprise.

Surely I will never forget how he described Foundation as a three stage course.

In the first term, everybody sits on his lap. In other words, he is going to tell us everything.  In the second term, he is holding our hands which means that he will tell us most but some things are left to ourselves and in the final term he will more or less wave us good-bye because, especially in Politics we are bound to conduct our own research and find out things ourselves and then compare it in class.

Speaking of research, I am really happy to say that I finished my first draft of the extended research Essay everybody has to do in Foundation English Skills 3.  As I said it was not easy to convince myself to do some extra work and go to the library and read books about the Industrial Revolution and trying to understand them as some were written in a very sophisticated way but somehow I did that and it makes me a little bit proud now that I was able to be so disciplined.

I struggled in the beginning, first finding a title – it changed I think three times but then I became better.  Well it is not finished yet completely but the basement, the foundation exists and basically editing and improvement is required now.  In addition it means a relief of stress to me because it had been flying somewhere in my head all the time and I can now focus on other things, for example writing the blog or learning my cases for law.

Studying cases in Law in the third term is also taken to a new dimension compared to the second though they might stick to your mind easier because the situations are more likely to imagine.  However it is possible that the number of cases so far is more than all the cases added together in contract law and there are three more topics to study.  It is another hurdle that has to be taken.  And it might help to think in smaller steps and not to try to see all at once as it sometimes happens to me.  If I do so I sometimes begin to struggle and think I will never be able to finish and I feel unconscious.  Then I always remember what my mother used to tell me: “Think in small steps, do one thing after another!  Then you will see, things will become much easier and after you finished some of your tasks, the mountain you thought you could never beat, is almost climbed!”

In addition I just remember that the course will finish in about a month, so I like to describe this last bit as the grand finale in which we should mobilise all our energy to bring it to a memorable end and we can say that we gave our best and we deserve our break before we are heading to the next stage which will be University.

As I said before much was going on in the last weeks and something rather stupid happened to me the last time we went out to play football at Oxford Brookes University.  Either I lost my wallet or it got stolen.  When I realised that I was quite shocked cause it felt like I lost everything, identification and the way to receive money. As it was an emergency, a good friend borrowed me some money for the bus. 

By the time I reached my home it was nearly midnight and so I had to try to wake up my parents to explain and let them block my card.  I felt a bit disturbed and confused and I also called the police the as well as the bus company because I thought, maybe I left on the bus but they did not have it nor did anybody hand it over to the police.  So during the last week I was rather limited but luckily for every problem there is a solution and so during the coming week I should be able to continue my normal routine.  I never expected that something like that would ever happen to me but it seems that it can happen to everybody and the timing when it happens is always wrong, for instance in that turbulent time when there is a lot to do and you do not need such obstacles in your way.

So, finally everything is now more or less sorted out and things are getting more positive, also because I received a new letter from Brookes, my firm choice, about applying for living in a student hall.  For me it is another big step towards University and a sign that soon it is not only a dream but it will become reality.  But for now, although it can get quite stressful at the college with all that endless tasks, I try to enjoy the last month as much as possible.  Like the saying “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy” suggests that it is not only about hard work but also about having a good time with friends you make and enjoy the international experience.

Unfortunately this time I do not have any pictures to support my blog but I promise that the next time there will be some along the text.  I should have some good ones as the next bigger event featured by Bellerbys and Embassy will be the traditional spring ball to which I am really looking forward.  It should be fun and I am excited how everybody will dress up.  For me I decided to wear a black suit with a white shirt accompanied by a red patterned tie.  My only problem is that I have no idea how to tie a tie, so this will be my task until next weekend.  To give myself a crash course in how to tie a tie.

I think that this should be enough for now.  To, sum up, the course is progressing in big steps towards the end and sometimes it is good to take a break and reflect what was going on and to recall the past.  In that sense, I hope you enjoyed this entry and stay tuned for more!  Thanks for reading, you may also leave a comment.

Breaking Out

Posted by David, studying Engineering Foundation at Bellerbys Brighton

“Basketball tomorrow?" my friend asked me perkily.  Whilst trying to maintain a calm demeanour, I frantically searched for a polite excuse to get myself out of the invitation.

I was never keen on sports.  I mean, I do enjoy watching sports, especially tennis.

In fact, I am an ardent Federer fan and supportive towards the return of the two Belgium former No.1’s, Clijsters and Henin. Despite so, I usually hesitate in playing sports myself. I would much rather hit the gym than indulge in ball or racquet games. You see, I was the typical chubby kid during my childhood.  I resented moving to such an extent that I would cry when I was told to run for Sports Days (No kidding!  But that was when I was really young).

Growing up, certain sports did spark my interest, but as much as I wanted to try them, my low self esteem kept me questioned: “I absolutely have neither the talent or any experience compared to the others. I would just make a fool out of myself.” It certainly did not help that I have once smacked my badminton doubles partner right in the face while charging my racquet towards the shuttlecock (Yes, I am that bad).

This perception of mine went on and I eventually concluded that I was too old, to pick up a sport.

Yet somehow, I blurted out an affirmative reply (I was actually going to say that I sprained my toes.  Joking!). Surprisingly, I was not praying desperately for the next day to never arrive.  I dismissed all my pessimistic thoughts and told myself that it was just going to be quality time with my friends.

The day arrived.  My friends and I casually divided ourselves in teams, while being filled in with basic rules simultaneously.  Soon, the game officially commenced.  Initially, it was tough for me to get out of my shell. 

I constantly reminded myself to refrain from unnecessary clumsiness and awkward movements, most importantly not to injure any of my friends.  Obviously, my dire attempt failed miserably and my friends started teasing me playfully for my ‘dancing’ movements.  A clarification : I could not help it!  Dancing is the only experience I have in terms of movement and body coordination.  I subconsciously applied it.  (I partly blame my influence from the Glee cast who played rugby while dancing to Beyonce’s Single Ladies tune.)  Albeit my extremely sensitive self consciousness, I just laughed at myself, with my friends.

“This ain’t so bad!” I thought.  Why not just embrace my flaws and eccentricity?  Realising so, I let loose completely, hence immersing myself into the game.  I dribbled and passed the ball to the best of my ability, trying to minimise the occasional blunders and panic attacks when I have the ball. 

And guess what?  Halfway through the game, I actually scored a point for my team!  Although it was just a petty accomplishment, it meant so much to me.  I know clearly that I am an easily excited person, but I could tell that this is not a mere exhilaration.  It made me realise how wrong I was to think that I do not deserve to play sports.  

It is never too late to learn something and definitely does not require talent. Passion is the key as well as the simple desire to have fun!

From then on, we have made basketball a weekly routine and I could see myself learning new aspects of playing sports (we sometimes venture into football), thus improving slowly but steadily.  Besides, it can be a much better exercise compared to working out all by myself in the gym.  I must thank my dear friends for the words of encouragement and simply for being a part of this little enlightenment.  I feel so grateful to have made such great friends here in Bellerbys.  They are such genial and supportive people, despite their difference in cultural backgrounds.

I hope that this confession may inspire some of you readers to get out of your comfort zones and challenge yourselves to do things you never thought you could do.  Not just sports, but anything at all.  And if you think you’re too dorky, clumsy or a plain oddball, I totally feel the same.  So, just build up the self esteem and do not bail on yourself before even trying.  To those who have absolutely no problem with these kinds of matter, thank you for your time reading my doodling.

Till we meet again! :)

Looking Forward

Posted by David, studying Engineering Foundation at Bellerbys Brighton

‘I’ve got your mail!' My college mate from Hong Kong said to me while handing me a violet shaded envelope stamped with a Malaysian mark.  I immediately recognised the penmanship, by the written address.  With a nod of gratitude, I took it and went straight to class.  Seeing that I had 5 minutes prior to starting the class, I wanted to peep what was inside.  Despite my agitation in viewing the content, I tried my best to open it without damaging the letter cover.  I discreetly peeked inside and saw, ‘Happy Birthday, from Mum & Daddy, your brothers’ just as my teacher asked whether it was my birthday.  Biting my lips to hold back my emotions, I told her that it was an early wish and that my birthday was a fortnight later.  Classes went on for the day.

I came back to my room and inspected the greeting card closely, reading every single word in the card.  It was rather simple, I must say. They wrote nothing, except that it was from them. Other birthday texts were printed alongside with the design. Devoid of actual words from my family, the card spoke a million sentences to me.  I just held this little gift, beaming with a recharge of strength and motivation.

It is indeed something extremely courageous to do: to study in a foreign country all by yourself.  A whole new experience, I must say.  At times, I do feel lonely, especially when I come back to my quiet room.  (Don’t get me wrong, I still do LOVE my room!).   I used to anticipate coming back from high school, returning to my vibrant home where my brothers would frequently tease and tempt me to play with them instead of doing work and my mum, shouting our names to get us down for dinner.  I also missed waiting for my dad to come home, picking up his office bag while he asked about my day in school.  Not to forget, my maid, who has been with me since birth, exuberantly offering me desserts which she never hesitated in making.

Of course, I was overcome with acute nostalgia in so many other aspects:

My Country (obviously)
Malaysia, my home country, a banana-shaped protrusion of the Asian region, directly under Thailand.  Well, that is just Peninsular Malaysia.  The other half of Malaysia is right beside the first half, comprising Sabah and Sarawak.  In general, my country is best known for the multicultural diversity and the Petronas Twin Towers, one of the tallest buildings in the world.  Besides that, who would not know that the Formula 1 racing championships take place in our very own Sepang Circuit.

Holidays, Festivals and Multiple Languages
Due to our rich cultural background, Malaysians are easily bilingual, having to speak at least the national language, which is Malay, and English. If we are not of the predominant race, we would be able to converse in an extra language (of our native tongue). Evidently, multicultural diversity also means more holidays! Due to countless cultural festivals, Malaysians are able to enjoy holidays from time to time. Contrasting with the limited but lengthy holiday periods in the UK, the holidays in Malaysia are quite brief, notwithstanding the higher frequency.        

Food
The aspect I find most wistful is the spicy Malaysian food!  You have no idea how much I crave for cuisines like nasi lemak, char kuay teow, jawa mee, roti canai, rendang, tandoori etc.  The list will never really stop.  I should have eaten more back home.  My tongue desperately needs some stimulation from the Malaysian spices.  It has been hibernating for too long.  

But, THANKFULLY, there are Oriental restaurants around Brighton which do serve some of these dishes.  They obviously could not match the orthodox taste produced in Malaysia, but they really are quite sufficient in appeasing my palate.  Moreover, some of the waiters are Malaysians, which is nice to know.  It makes me feel homely every time I visit these restaurants.

Weather?
No, I do not miss Malaysia’s weather at all.  At least not yet.  Maybe I did, during the frigid winter.  But, I am LOVING spring.  Sun and wind: altogether, it is the perfect weather combination.  I am really getting used to Britain’s weather compared to my hot and humid country.  If I were to go back there now, I could potentially melt from excessive perspiration.  Funny thing though, it is usually pleasant to enter a mall back in Malaysia because they are usually air-conditioned, therefore colder than the outside.  It is directly the opposite here in the UK.  I would rather stay outside of the mall.  Should I need to go shopping, I would have just sported a sweatshirt with bermudas.

Friends
The people who had gone through childhood and adolescence with me, shared great memories and dilemma with me, and most importantly, become such a vital part of my life.  They are the toughest for me to leave, besides my family.  Nevertheless, it is pleasant that I am creating new bonds here, most of which have become quite dear to me too.  Thanks to the wonders of Twitter, Facebook and Skype,  I was able to keep in touch with my friends, albeit not as often.  They may be physically absent, but just hearing their voices or browsing through their pictures is adequate to keep me going.

At last,

I am finally growing up.

That is the conclusion which I have come up with, after much pondering about this occasional surge of emotions. It is the harsh reality.  There will be times when we would need to part from our loved ones, and mine is this very moment, right now.  I know that I have parted from my family and friends for good reasons and I have to make it worthwhile.  And the only way to make it worthy is to excel in all that I have committed myself into, more importantly to do my best.  To get accepted into prestigious universities.  To obtain top honours in my degree.  To make them feel proud of me instead of being let down.

Looking at the bright side, it is definitely a new beginning.  And I can foresee a good one, right here in Bellerbys.  Glad to have started my British experience in this college.

Thank you for reading!

Signing off!

Find out more about studying Engineering Foundation at Bellerbys Brighton.

My Daily Routine at Bellerbys

Posted by David, studying Engineering Foundation at Bellerbys Brighton

Aloha everyone!


I was a rather busy student back in Malaysia, being involved in various school activities.  Arriving here in this new environment simply seems like reconstructing my daily routine from scratch.  It really took quite a while for me to rustle up my courage and take part in activities either organised by Bellerbys or outside of the college.  I knew I had to do something during my leisure times to release my indefatigable energy.

Therefore, I have consistently been collecting those pieces of coloured notices listing out the weekly activities in Bellerbys, throughout the term.  I started attending yoga and fitness classes after the college hours.  And I must say that they really do make me sweat!  Apart from that, I go for guitar lessons on Fridays.  It was very considerate of them to organise two different guitar classes - beginners and intermediate for students of different levels of experience in the instrument.

There are so many other activities I would have loved to be involved in if not for the time restriction that I have.  For instance, the Debating Society, martial arts, violin, drumming, table tennis and the Poetry and Books Club.  What I anticipate the most is the dance club, which is going to be established soon.  I cannot wait for the first class!

Not only that, I have become a member of Fitness First (a ten minutes walk from the campus).  It was my first experience possessing a gym membership.  When I was given a tour of their facilities, I had to check and make sure that the equipments were safe enough for a clumsy user like myself.  Ever since watching Final Destination 3, I have never had a good impression of gyms.  (Watch the movie and you will know what I mean!)  Contrary to my beliefs, (or maybe it’s just Fitness First) going to the gym is actually safe and fun!  Not only the equipments have simple-to-follow instructions, the trainers there are very approachable, always more than glad to advise you on the right exercising method to prevent unnecessary injuries.

Nonetheless, what I am most fascinated about this membership is the group classes that they have offered, comprising of cardiovascular exercises, toning regimens, body balancing classes and lastly, DANCE classes!!!!  They organise Street/HipHop, Latin and Strictly Fit classes, where the dance genre would vary from time to time.  If only they have offered contemporary dance classes, this gym would have been perfect.  My personal favourite (besides the dance classes, of course) is the Spinning Classes.  We cycle for our lives during those sessions, pressing our feet against the pedal rapidly to synchronise our speed with the energetic upbeat music.  The pace of our rpm (revolution per minute), in other words, the speed of our feet’s movement is literally like rolling drumsticks.  I never thought that was possible until I actually did it myself.  I never knew the cycling methods could have been this versatile too.  A secret confession to make, I cannot cycle conventionally for nuts.  Thank goodness the gym ones are stable spinners.  Hence, I quote from Mr Bentham, just ‘throw yourself into deep water’.

Despite these self-indulgent ‘everything is good’ ramblings of mine, there is an initially negative aspect of my gym experience.  I would say that I come from a rather conservative country.  So, obviously, you could have imagined how stunned I was when I entered the gym toilet and all I see was exposed male body parts.  Culture shock really hit my brain at that instant.  I got used to it though, eventually.  It was sometimes not even about the awkwardness I felt, but the sheer intimidation from seeing their chiseled bodies.  Well, not all of them, but you get the idea.  The feeling of insecurity was soon channeled into a stronger sense of motivation to increase my fitness level and most importantly, my health.

Did I also tell you that the Fitness First in Brighton has a sauna and steam room?  Okay, enough of the gym, I have recently signed up to volunteer for this charity group called Moving Voices, but yet been able to assist them due to the clashing times with my classes.  I tried searching for other voluntary work too, especially charitable ones.  And I actually heard (vaguely) from my classmate that people can soon volunteer to contribute to the Olympics Games in 2012.  Will definitely post something about it if I have actually stumbled upon this once in a lifetime voluntary program.

Of course, aside from all these activities that I have been doing, my academic performance is still my top priority.  I limit myself to a maximum of three activities a day and study at night.  I firstly complete my homework, then proceed to recapping what I have learnt for the day, before mind-mapping everything during the weekend.  If I still have time, I would do some research about architecture to increase my depth of knowledge in the field.  Weekends are even better as I would be able to hang out with my friends.  I have to give credit to my personal diary designed with such an efficient layout for me to conveniently plan my daily routine.  In my opinion, this habit of scheduling your daily plans is extremely beneficial.  Do try it!

Stay tuned for more David!

Thank you once again for your time in reading this ‘little’ entry of mine.

Till we meet again!

Signing off!

Find out more about studying Engineering Foundation at Bellerbys Brighton.

A Gist of Term One at Bellerbys

Posted by David

Arriving at this alien country for the first time on my own finally seemed surreal when I stepped out of the taxi, sighting the residence door with Pauline (our residence supervisor) welcoming me and my friends. Having put down what seemed like 5 tons of luggage in my new home, I was instructed to proceed to the office for some registration work. 

Seconds after that, the ‘Term 1’ timetable was given to me.  As I briefly skimmed through my schedule, I spotted : English class, 2.20 pm. I literally sprung up and marched aimlessly into my first class which was starting in 5 minutes, whilst downing a sandwich in three bites. 

This totally epitomises the frenetic ambience of my first term.  It certainly did not help that I was still getting used to the time difference; I woke up at 4am everyday and slept at 6.00 pm for the whole first week!  How I wished I could arrive earlier instead of the second day of Term 1.

FES 1, Pure Maths 1, Mechanics 1, Matters & Waves and Art.  These were my subjects during the term. Mr Bentham, my jocular Mechanics teacher, is also my personal tutor, who has helped me in every possible way throughout my UCAS application procedure.  Ms Jenkins, (we call her Lorna), was my zestful yet systematic English teacher who never fails to amuse me in every classes.  I was also lucky enough to have Dr Grant, an extremely ardent physicist, as my Matters & Waves teacher. 

The remaining teachers (Art, Pure Maths) were the quick-witted Mr Nix and the amazing mathematician, Mr Jepps, who coincidentally have the same first name as me; David. How weird is that?  I have three ‘Davids’ in my term reports, where two Davids report about the other.  In general, I think that all British teachers are naturally affable and convivial.

Now that I have mentioned term reports, we receive two reports by the end of a term.  They respectively outline our academic performance as well as our conduct in class in the first half of the term and the remaining half.  We also had a mid term test (we call it ‘mocks’) along the way.  Moreover, due to Bellerbys partnership with ‘billions’ of universities, we were privileged and lucky enough to be able to attend a convention held at Bellerbys Cambridge.  During that time, students had the opportunity to know more about their choices of universities first-handedly and at the same time, catch a glimpse of the sister campus.

In my opinion, the principal challenge of this cardinal term was to get my portfolio prepared.  In contrast with the other courses, architecture students are expected to send a portfolio of their work to the universities of their choice, besides the grades from the exams.  Consequently, I have spent quite a couple of weeks squeezing out all the creativity I possibly have to create a versatile range of work in hopes to impress the universities.  Despite the countless drawings, colourings, modeling, you name it, it was a rather fun process.  I will blog an insight into my portfolio as one of my future entries so as to share with you my experience.

By the end of Term 1, I sat for the Foundation Exams.  I was rather let down by my Mechanics and FES papers, especially when the errors made were extremely careless ones.  It had definitely been a long time since the last exam I have taken in Malaysia.  Nevertheless, I am still grateful with my accomplishment and looking forward to push myself even harder in Term 2. Kudos to all my dear teachers, who have skillfully woven those extensive syllabus into my brain in such a short time.

That’s all from me now. More to come : my daily routine, an insight into my architecture portfolio, kickstarting Term 2 etc.

Thank you for reading.  Au revoir!

P.S : I just finished my Maths test a few seconds ago.  Having an Electricity test tomorrow and an English test on the following day.  Term 2 is definitely not as sparing as I thought in terms of time.

Signing off.

 

David is studying Engineering Foundation at Bellerbys Brighton.

Defining Myself :)

Posted by David, studying Engineering Foundation at Bellerbys Brighton

HELLO readers!!

I feel ecstatic and well beyond honoured to blog on behalf of Bellerbys.  Before I introduce myself and officially pen entries about my life in Bellerbys, I must thank everyone who had made this possible for me. Mr Addison, Mr Corcut, and Ms Courtney.

Last but not least, Mr Beer, who also approached me about this matter, not to mention the countless assistance he had already given me and Mrs Chris who has been instrumental in hastening this opportunity.
 
If you are in the Brighton campus, spot this typical Malaysian guy who smiles so wide for absolutely no reasons, usually donning ties and vests paired with jeans, strapped with an obviously undersized backpack for the amount of things he put inside and a water bottle. That would be me, always pacing very briskly between the corridors of the art and science department.

My name is David Kam, an Engineering Foundation student fresh from Term 1, pursuing Architecture. Evidently, this would mean that I am deeply intrigued by the wonders of architecture.  It was a rather late passion though, paradoxically developed from my interest in fashion designing.  I just generally like peculiar geometrics.  The art of photography is also something I greatly appreciate.  Not only that, I do not mind calculations and simple physics.  However, should I continue listing the number of things I find engrossing, you would never see the end of this post.  I just like.....everything.  Nothing could seem boring.

As for my hobbies, I get very enthusiastic about the little things in life.  (It has become my nature.)  I am also infatuated with dancing, yoga, hitting the gym and listening to music.  Of course, like everyone else, I love hanging out with my friends.

I like trying out various new things too.  Throughout my high school years, I have earned a Diving License and a Life-Saving Proficiency Medal (It was arduous for me to overcome my hydrophobia), scaled the highest mountain in my country, kayaked, abseiled and even eaten raw goat’s liver (as part of some Fear Factor-like challenge).  These experiences are truly memorable and they encourage me to take on more challenges.  But if you know me enough, the one thing I absolutely would not do is to eat cucumber.  Its smell just disturbs me.  Yes, I am a rather random person.

Having already been in Bellerbys for a few months, I have adapted well to the college.  I quite like the way it is designed where departments of different subjects are located in respective floors, making it so simple for us students to navigate our ways to the classes.  It certainly helps me as I have no sense of direction at all.  I am happy with the library as well as the ever so resourceful Mrs Peers (our librarian).  The ample amount of books, especially books on architecture, in the library is just so tempting.  I have to admit that I am a tad bit geeky.  The canteen, on the other hand, is fine.  It is definitely a cosy place where I hang out with my friends the most.

Speaking about cosy, nothing beats my residential room here in Bellerbys.  As time flies, this room of mine has become so functional and dear to me that I fear I would have a tough time vacating it by the end of my time here.  It is just so perfect.  Location wise, it is situated facing the railway station, but the minimal noise did not seem to affect me at all.  Maybe I am just a heavy sleeper.  The fact that my room number (165) is also the date of my birthday, 16th May, is definitely the icing on the cake.  This new home of mine is trademarked with montages of pictures depicting my life back in Malaysia as well as moments in Bellerbys.

Friends!  I must say, this aspect of entering a new environment is usually something which everyone would worry about.  I was fortunate enough to have instantly befriended the people in Bellerbys.  Regardless of their race, Russians, Kazakhs, Nigerians, Vietnamese, Hong Kongers, Chinese, Singaporeans, Thai etc, they are all so amiable!  There are also quite a number of Malaysians here whom I have become quite close to.  In my class, however, I am the only Malaysian.  In addition to that, our class is made up of only boys.  It seemed that no girls were interested in pursuing engineering this year.  How unfortunate!

This new undertaking elates me, previously being the Co-Editor in Chief of my high school’s online magazine.  It is not only something I would enjoy doing during my leisure times while briefly practising my writing skills (I hope you’re reading this, Ms Lorna and Mr Ben) as I sincerely hope that through my views and experiences in my daily scoop of life, I could connect and relate to people, in and outside of Bellerbys.

I just have so many things to share with you readers that it is practically impossible to include everything in my introductory post. I hope you have enjoyed my penning.  I am glad to be able to share my experiences with you readers.  I have also included some pictures of my experience in Term 1.  Stay tuned for my future entries : kick-starting Term 1 and 2, an insight of my architecture portfolio, etc.  Should you have any enquiries at all, please do not hesitate to contact me directly at davidkam09@gmail.com.

And thank you once again for reading. Adieu!

Signing off.

Meet David, Our New Bellerbys Brighton Blogger!

We are delighted to welcome a new student blogger to represent Bellerbys College Brighton.

Say hello to David Kam from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. 

David is 17 and studying Engineering Foundation at Bellerbys Brighton.  He hopes to study Architecture at Sheffield University in September.

David leads a very active life outside of the classroom and lists spending time with friends, drawing, fashion designing, photography, yoga, dancing, music and going to the gym as his hobbies.  Phew!

Check the blog very soon to read his first post about settling in to life studying Engineering Foundation at Bellerbys College Brighton.

An Overview of My Time at Bellerbys So Far

Posted by Sebasatian, studying Law Foundation at Bellerbys Oxford

Hello readers and welcome to my first entry.

As you have probably already read I am studying Law Foundation at Bellerbys Oxford and am now in my third and last term.  I started this course in September 2009 and have been asked if I would be interested in blogging for Bellerbys.  I certainly was but there were a number of reasons why I then decided to do it later. Well, more or less it was always an excuse not to do it.  However, when I first started Foundation I did not expect that this course will be so intense which I soon found out. Although I only had three subjects (Law, Politics and FES) in my first term, the amount of work you have to do is quite a lot.  I cannot remember exactly how many essays we had to write but there was at least one per week.

My teacher Ian always kept us going and tried to motivate us even when we were at point where we thought that we cannot take any more.  I would have never thought that it was like this and then there were also the December exams.  closer they were coming the more worried we became.  Furthermore my UCAS application needed to be done and I decided to take my IELTS exam as soon as possible.  So I already felt a bit miserable at the end of this first third.

Luckily I can always enjoy very good support from my parents and friends.  They gave me the strength and the courage to get trough all of these difficult passages.  And in the end it all went well and after we had finished our first set of exams I think we were the happiest persons in Oxford which we also celebrated greatly in a pub.

The second term I must say was then different from the first one in many aspects. Firstly, our class grew in number.  In the beginning our course was really small.  It just counted 5 students.  Here I must say I enjoy being in a smaller class because the teacher is able to address and to talk to people individually which is a good thing.  So for this second term we were told that we will have 5 new people joining us.  I was very excited about this because this is always a good chance to meet new people.  Thus the first week was more or less introduction for the newcomers.  One more positive thing I can add is that our class consists of people that are all from different countries which gives a very international feeling.  Also because of this we often have quite lively discussions in Politics for example and it is just fascinating to hear about how things are in other countries.

Secondly, I had to do one more subject which was CIT – another reason to delay writing the blog.  I felt relaxed and happy in the CIT classes.  This was because my teacher Peter made classes enjoyable and funny, so you never felt that work is overwhelming.  The only thing I disliked about it was that my timetable grew and I had less free time.  It was also awkward to wait for the CIT classes sometimes because on a Friday there was a three hours gap between my first class and CIT and you fancy going home for the weekend.  However, I think CIT was a good module for two reasons.  The stuff you do will not overload your mind and you are always shown how to do it, so not too hard and moreover it is a good module to push your marks up, considering that you always went to those classes and did your work thoroughly.

In addition I have moved to another host family which marked a third change of circumstance for me.  I think this also helped me to settle here in Oxford and gave me some peace.  I always remember the day when I first came to my first host family and my parents and aunts were with me as we enjoyed the last days together in England.  When the door opened they probably did not expect that they were with me which was very funny.  However it was not quite what I thought it should have been and so I finally decided to make that move after thinking about it a lot and I do not regret it.  I am now living with two other guys who are very friendly and nice in another family.  I really enjoy my room as it is not only bigger but also I like the furniture(lots of storage room) and the way it is set up. It just gives me the feeling that I am at home here and when there is any interesting football match for instance I can watch it on the TV in my room – so go Bayern Munich!

All in all the second term was better for me and I then knew better how to do my work and not get stressed.  I just told myself to slow down a bit and not to think about everything so much which in the end gave me some confidence and I was able to improve my overall average about 5% from 70 to 75%.  It makes me a little bit proud of course.

In addition I think in the second term it was different how you saw the people around you.  Because of the fact that you have been with all this people for one term already you were happy to see them again and in the meanwhile you got used to them and made friends.  In my opinion to have friends in an unknown environment is the key to be happy and do a good job and was also one of the reasons maybe why I was not completely happy before.  I put down my head only to work and then forgot that there is also the other side of the medal which is to enjoy yourself and simply to have fun and party. 

Perhaps it was also because I was a bit shy in the beginning and did not want to ask anybody. Luckily this has changed now and there is one thing in which Bellerbys Oxford is outstanding and I value a lot.  It is the fact that it actually consists of two schools joint together, so Embassy CES and Bellerbys.  This allows you even to meet more people and make new friends due to the fact that students studying at Embassy do change from time to time.  However in some cases you would have wanted that they could have stayed a bit longer.

The most release of tension in my opinion was the arrival of my offer from Oxford Brookes, my preferred choice!  The offer came really quick so I was very happy when I saw it, another good reason to celebrate of course.  I also went to an open day of this uni and after I have been there I really really want to study there and I know it will be the right place for me.  It also gave me motivation to do good in my exams.

So now I have arrived in my last term here at Bellerbys and in the meantime many things happened and events took place and my feeling says that this term again will hold some surprises ready and will be different from before again.  The first week is over now and I saw a quick start into the topics of my subjects.  No time for long introduction, really jumping in what is on the syllabus.

In Law this is the law of tort and can you believe we have already had over 25 cases in just the first week.  Fortunately I am now aware of that your teacher can bombard you with information and I just take it easy.  Whereby in FES 3 this term I may find the most difficult because students have to do their own research essay.  Even finding a good title gives me some trouble and then going to the library and look for the information about this topic can be pain, for example if you are looking for books for one hour and then admit that you probably have to change your title as you did not find any relevant information at all.  And of course the nice weather at the moment keeps me from entering a library, so I decided after 4 hours of research that I will relax now and then met two friends at Oxford Castle.  It is a lovely place because there is a big hill that you can go up to and it gives you a very nice view and it is located in the middle of the city. 

Actually I wanted to go play some football as the school always organises a friendly between Embassy CES and Bellerbys but I can also go there next week.  Weekends for me will probably involve a good amount of time being in the library to do my research which I hope I will enjoy more in the future but I was told that this will be the way it is in university but at least they will give me the title.

Well I think that this is enough information for now.  I hope that you enjoyed it.  I just wanted you to give an overview of how I felt during the time I have been here since September and how this will continue.  I am happy to share some of my thoughts with you! 

I will also provide some pictures from my hometown in Germany to give you a little idea of how it looks where I come from.  They will appear all over the blog not to make it look like a wall of text.

See you next time, stay tuned and thanks for reading!

Learn more about studying at Bellerbys College Oxford.