“Now that I realize this is my second year in West Malaysia and also my second year at UCSI University. I am Kathie, 19, currently doing a first-year degree in Bachelor of Optometry which I have been aiming for since Foundation. Why optometry and why UCSI? Honestly, I don’t know. I am still questioning my future goal. I heard about UCSI optometry from my classmates after SPM and just happened to choose it as a temporary goal.
Coming all the way from Sarawak to Kuala Lumpur is tiring and costly (flight ticket) but now I am kind of used to it. In the first few months of Foundation, I was still disappointed about being alone in a hostel while most of my friends got to go home and be nurtured by their parents. I am kind of comforted by being able to video call my family. I encountered lots of problems booking flight tickets back to Sarawak during the Chinese New Year. The price is shockingly high. Luckily now we can refund flight ticket fares twice a year.
I am satisfied with the facilities available on the campus, like the computer lab, the library, the discussion rooms, the study area, a few cafes, photocopy shops and Family Mart. I often photocopy my lecture notes and assignments at the photocopy shop since I can’t afford a printer. Studying in the library helps me to concentrate well. We always have group discussions about presentations and assignments in the discussion room. Sometimes, we conduct study groups in the discussion room. The information resources in the library are the perfect reference for our assignments, revision and tutorials.
Back to the question of why optometry, I think I just want to pick a field that I am more familiar with. I was diagnosed with around +8.00 D axial hypermetropia by the age of two and a half. Luckily my nanny found something wrong with me and had my Dad bring me to an ophthalmologist or else it may permanently impair my eye development and vision. I have been meeting ophthalmologists and opticians annually since then. I guess now you know what I mean by “familiar”.
An optometrist is between an optician and an ophthalmologist in rank. Now I kind of like this profession. It is quite interesting to conduct eye-checking and use the instrument. I may be aiming at setting up my practice in the long term.
Last but not least, I see myself as a nerd and definitely a bookworm. I love reading (reading material depends on mood, usually online) and random drawing (drawing and painting whatever comes to my mind). This year, I even picked up a baking hobby, making cookies and cakes during the semester break and would like to try on more new recipes. Besides, I do watch TV series like Two Broke Girls and Young Sheldon which are my favourites. I love them and sometimes refresh my mind with them while studying. Max and Sheldon always crack me into laughter and sometimes teach me things I would never find in textbooks. I watch movies from many countries. My current favourite movies are Bad Genius and How to Train Your Dragon series for animation movie.”
– Humans of Kuala Lumpur
Note: Story first published in 2019
