Politeknik Ungku Omar (PUO)http://www.puo.edu.my/
Well, I was enrolled into this institution on Jan 1999 and graduated on Dec 2001.
What makes me submit & enrol to this institute? What I managed to recall was upon completion our SPM exams, most of my classmates are working as part timers in shopping malls - and I think Kah Kiat & Teik Cheok was working in Ocean Supermarket where I will visit them at their workplace once in a while. They said that the application forms for local polytechnic had been released, and either one of them should had helped me to get the form - and I had applied.
Option 1 :
Diploma Pengajian Perniagaan
Location : PUO, Ipoh
Option 2 :
Diploma Perniagaan Antarabangsa (I think so..)
Location : PSA (Politeknik Shah Alam, Selangor)
Option 3 :
God knows.. as I can't recall.
I enrolled for 6th Form (Lower 6) as I did not receive the offer for the polytechnics, and it was around CNY break of 1999 - I finally received the offer letter and taada.... It was from the 1st Polytechnic in Malaysia - PUO, and for a Diploma course (my first choice). I was hesitating to accept the offer, but finally give in after my parents & my 2nd Uncle's advice.
The First Day : Reporting
My cousin - Lye Piau who was in the 3rd Semester in Civil Eng. waited for me at the registration hall. Well, we are not that kidda close but I really appreciated the little gesture that he had done.
Semester 1 :
DPP 1I was from the 2nd intake for Jan 09, so basically - we do not need to go through the orientation week. We went straight to the classes. It seems that most of the syllabus for Semester 1 had been gone thru in Lower 6 - I really take all the classes for granted. My regret was I do not have my close friends with me in this institute, and I need to rebuilt my social life from ground zero. Of cos I have an ex-classmates that had joined 1 semenster earlier, but she and I was not close and she was kidda bossy.
I miggled mostly with Hairulnizam, Muhd. Faris, Alina Cheong whereby all 4 of us are from the same 2nd intake for Jan 09. Going bowling with them was something I managed to recall. On on Fridays, we have our long lunch/prayers break - I will go back to RPS looking for Alieysa for lunch. Might even lepak at her house until the class resume with "some computer subject" around 3 something.
The most IMPORTANT "ACCIDENT" on my 1st Semester :
I FORGOT TO ATTEND MY COMMERCIAL ENGLISH EXAM!!!! And when I realized that, I straight go to see the lecturer, she said I had to refer the subject. In short : I have been considered as re-sit the paper, and I had just thrown away my 4.0 paper. I can only get a 2.0 no matter how good I score.
Lesson : I will never ever rewrite our my exam schedule again as this happened was because I missed this paper in my hand written schedule.
Semester 2 : DPP 2Lesson well learn from the past semester, and I know I need to buck up with my results as my results was in bad shape for Semester 1.
I started to miggle with the Chinese girls - Sau Cheng & Mun Yee who sat together, while Ai Li sat with Sumeeta. Fei Chee? She transferred from SPP, to DPP and I think she sat with Sook Mei. Sook Mei used to me my schoolmate in RPS, and she tranferred from Polytechnic Shah Alam, back to Ipoh. Was first excited with her transfer, but was not later due to an arrangement from a bossy ex-classmate.
My social circle started to expand a little bit. I joined the English Language Club for Commerce Dept, as an Exco Member & took part in the Spelling Bee Competition during the English Language Week. Ms Chong was then our adviser.
Highlight of the Semester : I met with an accident on my bike in front of the main campus, involving 2 motorbikes (I was the 2nd bike), with Sook Mei riding with me. The idoit guy fr Mechanical make a turn without switching on the indicator. I broke my glasses, with some cuts here and there. Sook Mei was injurred too. From then onwards, No More Motorcycle! I drove ACV 1719 to class.
Semester 3 :
DPP 3Alieysa & Pei Cheng had been enrolled into UPM, while the rest of the girls were no longer in Ipoh. I have not much friend left in Ipoh during that period.
This was also the start of my most exciting time in PUO life. It might had been the idea from Sau Cheng, Mun Yee, or Fei Chee - we joined Kelab Kerjaya Sesi Jan - Jun 2000. I was Dept Secretary and I know one of my closest friend in Polytechnic here - Vincent Albert Surin. Vincent is a nice guy, but kidda cocky at times. It might just from the first impression - until I know him in person.
The club, & the Career Exhibition back then was the 1st time I miggled with ppl from all depts and it was fun. And it was from there I got to know my first BF back then. He was from 6th Semester & fr Civil Dept - about to grad, and entering the working world while waiting for his university acceptance. Things was sweet that time.
Hey, did I mentioned - I was taking Japanese class. Totally into the class, and Sensei Kawazumi was a cool lecturer. I was doing quite good too!
Highlight of the Semester : Commerce Dept had finally moved from the Main Campus, to Campus B in this semester. Campus B were formerly Maktab Perguruan Kinta. The teachers training college had been moved to Tanjung Rambutan. The Commerce Dept was getting more isolated than ever.
Semester 4 :
Industrial TrainingIndustrial Training for 6 mths, and I was attached with a company called Nova Lighting Inds., located in Kawasan Perindustrian Rishah, Ipoh. I earned RM500 excl OT claim. Take home pay per mth was around RM800 that time. I supposed I was the richest amongst the rest of my coursemates as some of them are getting around RM300, and some were even without any allowance.
Life starts at 8.00am and ends 8.00pm. This was a small factory operate by the Ang brothers, and the Lady Boss - Mrs Ang (Mdm Lim Wei Chee). I learnt a lot from Mrs Ang, and she is indeed a nice woman to work with. It was just that her husband - Ang Yee Cheong (hahahahhah!!) acted like a kid sometimes esp. when it's dealing with 1 of the major customer which the company belongs to Mrs Ang's parents... Yes, the Liew Family.
It was also the very first time I went to Labour Court when an employee sued the co., to the Immigration Dept to renew the only foreign worker in the co. - Kumar's permit, accompany Kumar for FOMEMA checking, apply for new registration number plate in JPJ, visit to customs to pay sales tax, and apply sales tax exemptions.. I need not to further elaborate that this job was some sort of one-leg-kick kidda work.
Relationship : Surviving the LDR (Long Distance Relationship), and Telekom did earned some good money.
Semester 5 :
DPP5AResumed class after 6 mths of working life - self claimed that we know the working world and mad rush to start and to complete my industrial training report. We have new competition - we started to be known as DPP5A, and DPP5B are those upgraded from Certificate level, and some of then were with some sort of working experience too. Sometimes, we felt a 'lil belittled by this lot from DPP5B cos we (DPP5A) were bit of childish.. Sorry coursemates I have to put it that way.
Again, involvement in Career Club, & the Career Exhibition. Achem.. I was named as President of Career Club for Commerce Dept. Nice title, but I did not do much things.. hahahah.. Vincent was back as DJA5B, and President of the club - Main unit. Joining us back was Lee Eng Choy. And this was the very first time in my life that I did not spent my night at home. I was in the hall the whole night with Felicia & Vincent doing some last minute preparation. Some achievement eh?
I had my best CGPA in my poly-days this semester. And the not so good part of this semester - I broke up with my first BF, and he started a new relationship with his current wife.
Friendship :
Vincent's housemate : Ho Yew Keong, Chen Keat, Ah Seng.
Others : Beh Gek Chong, Kim Leng, Manjit Singh...Ahhh.... Who else? Heheheeh..
I lepak a lot at Vincent's house. All tenants were guys, but I dared to go.. Well, I did not eat any chillies, so I had nothing to worry about. I was not into all these guys.
And Vincent, was about to start going after his wife : Felicia this very semester =)
Semester 6 :
DPP6AFinal Semester! Still active in Japanese Club, last posting as the Club's Secretary.
President : Chang Fun Wang, the cute guy from DKB who is a sporting type, and we had Chris Ooi, Mun Yee and Sau Cheng in the committee as well. Kawazumi Sensei can even gave us his apartment key to us therefore we can do all the club things like wrapping the gifts & etc at his house... How daring...
I think it was from this semester, or from Semester 5, there was a rule being implemented that all girls in Commerce Dept must either wear skirt, or baju kurung -
NO PANTS... It was due to some 'tomboy' and 'ah-kua" things.
Final thesis had brought us to UUM where we stayed at the lecturer's hostel and doing some digging in the uni's library. The lecturer assigned to guide us : Puan Wan Yashima, a strict but kind lady at the very same time.
The worse part of this trip - I was so mad with Soon Guan Heng, cos he was undecisive on the bus tickets kidda thing, and Siti Mariah - cos she left the bus ticket at the hostel and we had charter a cab back to hostel to collect the tickets. And the whole Transnational Bus & it's passanger to Alor Setar was waiting for us like for 30 - 45 mins in Medan Kidd. Can you imagine how they stared at us? I fell sick on that trip and was well again immediately I reached Ipoh around 2am. I made a statement that
I Hate The Public Transport in Alor Setar, and my second trip back to the place in 2007 still prove this was true!
Exams time were super stressed, but we still can have some fun from our time studying in the local library. Lunch breaks, tea breaks.... supper
Relationship : Yeah, Vincent was then officially with Felicia, and I was their official "
light-bulb".
Not forgetting, our squash session with Keat, Felicia, Yew Keong & I, while waiting my sister & her colleague Dyan Foo join us after their work at the stadium. It was on every Tues, and always looking forward for the session.
Most Memorable Moment for the Semester :
I dropped my car key into the toilet bowl and that was 'd day for my group thesis presentation. My hero of the day - My Ex-Senior : Mr Tee Wei Boon who happenned to be in Ipoh, and asked me out from lunch. All my things for the presentation was in the car, and he had to send me back to my house to collect the spare key. Thank you Brother Wei Boon again!
Most Boring Class of the Semester :
Production Management by Mr Cheow Hon Ming. Sharing his, or his fellow friends' experience and always out from the subject, draggie, boring, and the feel of dozing off immediately he entered the class... No luck for dozing off cos I sat at the front row.
I always claimed that my 3 years in Polytechnic was like in a pirate ship. I should have not accept the offer, and the 3 years for a Diploma was a waste of time. I missed my RPS schoolmates, and if I did not quit Form 6 - I should be completing my Degree in a local uni.
Well, thinking back at this very moment : Polytechnic was not that bad afterall. It was super cheap - MYR 200/ semester. Most of the lecturer were nice, and respectable - some of the were even more professional compared to those from private college. We had Kawazumi whereby I always laughing to myself every single time he pronounced "Language" as I always think I heard it as "Luggage".
My Coursemates :
- Fei Chee (Soh Poh)
- Soon Guan Heng (Fei Low Soon)
- Hairulnizam (Hantu)
- Hisam & Hafidz (Alim)
- Faris, Kumaragurubaran & Steve (Gagak Hitam)
- Ai Li, Sumeeta, Sau Ching & Mun Yee (Study study & study)
- Aniza (Sporting Ampang Girl)
- Nurul (I.S.A)
- Anisah (Icah Budak Baik)
- Alina Cheong (Pasukan Bola Sepak Perempuan Negeri Perak)
Thanks all the above ppl, incidents & events that makes me grow, and have a memorable 3 years in Politeknik Ungku Omar...
