Swinburne Orientation for March Intake, Take Final

For the final part, be prepared for a bit of problems as it has been a week since then and I'm a person with a rather bad memory. XP

Okay, let's begin~

The second and final day is less on introductions and more on physical activities within a group. Personally, this wasn't good for me, as I'm that physically fit(not overweight though). Lack of exercise is part of a problem within young people nowadays. XD

As like on the first day, I arrive there at 7.30am. Very early. I met with one of my friends and chit chat a bit. Before 8.00am, registration(or attendance) is taken. I was second again, seriously. XP At any rate, I and my friends(my second friend came already by then) seated together at the same place as the day before in the same auditorium. Though, in all truthfulness, it wasn't so necessary as we'll soon have to move our butts to another place.

Well, at 8.30am, we have a briefing on "Blackboard". It is some kind of online site belonging to Swinburne used to pass notices online to the students. It can also be used to get information on the taken courses, slides on the courses and whatever information for the courses that they felt like giving.

Since I already can use it now, I can explain it a bit more. It is like an online organizer and bulletin board. You get your school announcements, club announcements, course announcements and whatever necessary announcements. You can also email to your lecturers and ask for help online, not need to search high and low for them. If you want to get more information on the Blackboard, click here.

The explaination was not so long so at around 9.00am, we were hauled to the MPH(Multi Purpose Hall). It is not MPH bookstore, alright? XD There we were required to join in for the aerobics session. Just some kind of warm up exercise... just for one hour... We were all split up into the temporary groups we were assigned to like the day before. If you can't remember, I was group 3(or unless I forgot to state before). The streches we did mostly followed the beat and lyrics of the songs played throughout. It was very funny at some points. Seriously. "Y, M, C, A!" Inclusive of making the letters out over our heads with our arms. Many songs were played and the beats were followed by actions of our bodies, soordinated by a really flexible coach. The songs are not all English, some were Malaysian, IIRC. >.>

I only took one picture. Can't look like a weirdo taking pictures when everybody else are moving to the beat. XP

It all ended like 10.20am when it should have ended 20 minutes earlier. Ah back pains and feelings of extreme tiredness. Luckily, it was time for a tea break! Oh yes! The food they served this time was different, fried green beans(I think, it fried like fried banana) and popcorn chicken I guess. The popcorn chicken finished fast and was totally delicious. I think there were some other snacks available, but my memory fails me. Drinks served were the same as the first day, but at least the orange juice is cold this time! I ate and drank quite a bit as I felt like I required a bit of nourishment to recover my energy a bit. Coffee to the rescue. XD

After all the deliciousness, I mean food, we all have to do group dynamics. This, I have to say, was fun, full of "lol" moments and "evilness".

The activity? 3 "devils" from each group and the non-"devils" are blindfolded. Thanks to my immense weird luck to see lots of experience within my life, I was chosen to be one of the 3 "devils". It was probably for the best, as I get to see the fun moments. XD

My job? Well, the "devils" are "distractors"and are required to distract the blindfolded people of another group. For example, my group is 3 and the "devils" of this group are required to distract, disturb and misled the blindfolded people of group 8(there are a total of 10 groups). As I was chosen, I became friends with the other 2 "devils". Yay, friends, though we don't meet much on campus as we are within different courses and groups. Ah well.

The aim? The blindfolded people are led by a legislator while they get pestered by the 3 "devils". Sounds simple enough? Heck no, especially for the "devils". OH yes, the "Devils" aren't allowed to use physical contact, but meh, it wasn't obliged anyways.

The poor souls who are blindfolded... with really thin cloth... seriously, they can kinda see.

Our legislator, this woman. How am I supposed to misled this guys when my voice and the other 2 guys are in different wavelengths, pitches and even tone?

Ah, this guy really is fun(black shirt). He really tries to stop them with his body actions. See next pic for more info on this. XP

"Can't pass me! Oh wait..."

We are now walking towards the darkness...(that's the main block BTW, block A and B, which are connected)

Stopping by to rest on the wall. XD

"Use the wall!"

Going round the corner...

OH ****! Another blocker has appeared!

Walk towards the light~... WAIT! DON'T WALK TOWARDS THE LIGHT!!!

As you can tell through the pictures, our efforts were almost fruitless as the only ones that worked was when we put blockers or if there is a wall in front of them. XP I didn't really do much as I was trying not to do physical contact(which my teammates did anyways). I just tried to imitate the legislator's voice but it doesn't work as my voice wasn't in the right wavelength. Ah darn.

On the way back~ See the orange cones in the back? One of my teammates tried to used it, though it failed...

We're back and everybody is waiting for the last two groups, 9 and 1.

Welcome back group 1! Damnit, they must have gotten "better devils"!

So, after everyone was back in the MPH, we are handed our next group task... prevent an egg from cracking when dropped from the first floor of the MPH. Sounds hard? Not really, we are given the following materials and tools;
1 Egg
5 Rubber Bands
8? Pieces of A4 Paper
8? Straws
1 Piece of Big Translucent Paper
1 Sellotape
1 Pack of "Magic Pens"

The numbers with a question mark means I don't really remember. You can try counting through the pictures though.

Before that, there was a lesson from the previous activity. It is something like there will be distractions in life as our journey continue. It is within our choice whether we chose the right part or listen to our inner "devils" or negative influences around us. Yeah, something like that.

"Okay guys, we'll just wrap this egg with paper, some straws, sellotape to hold em' and make a parachute."

"Our egg shall be invincible!"

Show them what you all did to protect your eggs!

Yes, we have to drop it from there.

After the fall... Did they break? o.o

The moment of truth... "Please don't break!"

"It's..ALIV-I mean IT'S OKAY!"

Then, we all group together to witness the last "egg-opening".

Yes, all. FYI, theirs didn't break also.

Each group needs to send a representative and give an explanation of how they protect the egg and why they did it like that. In short, there were a lot of repeated terms. Absorber(covering the egg with paper, etc), reduce impact(using parachute) and so on.

EDIT: The lesson of this activity was how fragile our lives are. We need support from others if we want to live properly. Something like that.

And then, the end, well not really, but there wasn't much to say after this. I went to eat at Chilli Peppers once again with my two friends and enjoyed some delicious fish burger at about 12.30pm. Yummy.

We then came back soon after eating as break that day was only for 1 hour...(supposed to end at 2.00pm) In short, we came back early to the MPH and became one of the few earlier people to join in the next fun... signing up for clubs! Since clubs are optional and only for you self-enjoyment and "self-nourishmen", I was like, "Why not?" and joined 3 clubs. They were the CPA(Accountanting, Australia) Club, Japanese Language Club and Anime & Manga Society. Oh the fun will ensue(which already started yesterday).


After joining the clubs stated, I sat down with my friends and talk a bit and just relax until 4.00pm when we have to go back to the auditorium to fill in another "sastisfaction form" and then get our invoices, thus getting our Student ID number. That was all and I went back soon after.

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It has already been a week since then and university life had gone through my eyes for a week's duration. Nothing much happened as it was mostly introductions this week but I already got an assignment due on the 4th week of university. Ah fun. XP

I made friends within my group, met some seniors within the clubs and met an old friend from Batu Lintang(he is a year older, IIRC)! I even made myself became a commitee member of the Anime & Manga Society for an upcoming "welcoming party" for the new members. The fun of being a busybody leads to that, but meh. XD

On another note... my sister bought these today...

Enter, Pei Pei(smaller one) and Pei Lang(bigger one). Yes, I gave them those names, even if I cannot understand Chinese, at all(nearly). So, if it has any negative meanings, seriously tell me. At any rate, my sister wanted to name the bigger one "Ying Bao". I wonder what that will mean... XP

Oh well, that ends my post for now as I would like to do other more important/fun/creative things... >_>;