Minding my tasks

Instagram recommended the Invisible Cameraman account to me a few days ago. I guess I am not the only one intrigued by the current social media phenomenon. Where people make questionable content of whether it is true or fake.

I have just completed listening to the e-tutorial recording for my Cross-Cultural psychology class. I really love this subject. So much so that I bought a textbook for further reading. We have just delved into the 1st topic and I thought the idea of Individualism and Collectivism would be a good point to include in my Industrial Training report.

I have several deadlines to keep this quarter of the year. Apart from assignments, there are also other work-related mini projects that I have to complete like Diabetes Day and HIV Awareness Week. It seems that there is always something to do every month. Sometimes it can be overwhelming, so much so that I tend to forget to live in the moment.

Mindfulness, that’s the key.

Social media psyche

The field of psychology evolves with time.

Social media is new and there is plenty of room to research on and study.

There are some things that I still find puzzling as a psychology student and I intend to find out why people behave the way they do. Some scenarios that intrigued me include;

• Crying on camera – a person says he/she has mental health issues. This person then decides to film themselves crying their eyes out and broadcast it on social media. The justification given was to raise awareness and keep it real.
• Filming other people (as the core topic/idea) and making it their content on social media. I get that when you film yourself in public, you’re bound to accidentally stranger’s faces here and there. But to purposely capture someone else, without their consent and make them the star of your videos seems weird.
• Becoming an instant expert – suddenly everyone is an expert in skin care, business or irking health.
• Loyal, innocent and unsuspecting fans/followers – no matter what, the influencers they ‘follow’ are always in the right.
• The viral phenomenon – what makes something viral? what are the key features of something being viral.

I am sure there is more to this.

Semester 9

This is the last leg of my 3rd year. Next year, I would be in my final year. I am just so glad to have started this journey. I think the mind reset helped a bit. It is one of those, even if it takes me 4 years to finish this, I am still going to be 41 years old at the end of it, no matter what. Might as well just do something. And if I decide to pursue a Masters after that, I would still be 45 at the end of it. Something like that.

For this semester, the Industrial Placement module is still on board. The other two subjects are Cross-Cultural Psychology and Introduction to Counseling. Online classes will start next week.

For Semester 8, I got an A for Clinical Psychology. I was proud of it as I did put my heart and soul into the assignment with the tables and all. It was interesting to explore and write up. I am still waiting for the final marks of my Chinese language subject.

Calming the nerves – starting Semester 8

Studying is overwhelming when you see it as a whole. Even the module name ‘industrial placement’ can put you in shivers as you look at the amount of information presented to you. I remembered when I started in 2020 as a 1st year student – it was a daunting feeling as I saw that I have to do a final year project to complete my degree. I was honestly hyperventilating at the thought of having to go to school while working during the pandemic.

The trick to calm my nerves at the time was

• reassure me that I am not competing with anyone and that this learning journey was intended to add value to my job
• take it one semester at a time
• enjoy the process

Although I was able to take 4 subjects in a semester, I chose to stick to only 3 at a time because I do not want to stress myself.

This semester however I am taking 3 subjects with 12 credit points on board. This is because Industrial Placement will carry 6 credits whereas Clinical Psychology and Chinese language with 3 credits each. Online classes will start next week. I have already received my starter pack for my Industrial Placement module and yes, it’s overwhelming but I will take it one step at a time.

Opppss.. not much update for this semester

I was determined to share everything that I could regarding my studies, challenges, interesting topics and all in this semester. I underestimated how busy it is at the beginning of the year as the clinic is in full gear to outline goals to achieve by the end of the year. Although my assignment was completed promptly, there were still hiccoughs during the uploading of our assignments in the portal.

I had to resubmit my English assignment because when I double-checked my submission receipt. Turns out that only 1 out of 3 files are uploaded. Dahlah my marks for this semester is dependent on coursework only. Thankfully I had the urge to re-check my submission! If not, I would only be evaluated based on my reflection report and not my forum and video.

Lesson here – always check the submission receipt to see what files are uploaded. Don’t take for granted that when it says successful, semua dah upload.