Why I...

Greetings from the team of Why I! We have made a remarkable and fun journey of reminiscing over events that we like and hence "Why I" was born out of inspiration into reality. Here's our last post of the blog titling Why WE like about places on Macquarie University.   Despite of our major differences and likes, we unanimously choose this topic the university is our alma matter which brings us together and made this amazing journey possible ! The team of Why I has been made up of : 1) Jaclyn the travel enthusiast and gym bunny 🐰 and our respective superb camerawoman with her iPhone 7 ( L.O.L) as well as the masterful video editor and the only power gal on the group 2) Alex the gym junkie with his physique of super muscles he lifts computers around with his burning passion for them. The mastermind of our photography equipment with his trusty mate of tripod and sharp perception of landscaping. His almighty quote "Do you even lift bro"? 3) Robert 

Algorithms exist in everyday life. It is a set of actions in sequences to be performed and are used widely in computer languages. Computers are fascinating devices that allows us to do various tasks from entertainment to educational purposes to jobs and work that runs the world. Let it be calculations, data processing, automated process, running a program on computers; there is a well defined and set of algorithms that enable the process. I do enjoy complex calculations in Mathematics and especially in parts involving sequences, series and recursions. Apart from that, I also love logical reasoning in Mathematics. This follows suit into my current interest which is programming languages. So far, I had only encountered Java, a little of C++ and I gotta say I do enjoy reading and playing with them. Reasons that I enjoy them: The sense of achievement/accomplishment when solving a complex equation or algorithm. It challenges me to solve a difficult one. WELL I just like to think on

Have you ever had an obsession? Got that little bit too into a TV show? Eaten more Nutella than you should, way more often than you should? Well, I do have an obsession. Alcohol. Or more specifically, bourbon. The taste, the smell, the look and the packaging for expensive and limited edition bourbons is an addiction that I love. I collect the Wild Turkey Range predominantly, but do purchase other brands on the one off when I expect that the price will rise in the future. Here's a glimpse into my $3200 collection. I am most certainly not rich. I probably should have saved this money instead of buying these, but when I look across my bar, it makes me happy to see these beautiful bourbons, and I really have to try in order to not taste them, as an opened bottle is a worthless bottle in a collectors world. This does not include the literal 45 individual bottles of alcohol on the lower shelf of this bar unit. I only have this many such that my guess and I can make anythi

I love sleeping not because I do it everyday, but simply for the fact that I can forget about the past and start a new day fresh. For example, if I'm just having a bad day, I can sleep for 8 hours, wake up the next morning, and forget about everything that happened and continue on with my life. Not only that, but since I workout a lot, sleep allows my body to replenish energy and increase the recovery process. Finally, my bed. It's the most comfortable bed I have ever slept on in my life. It's like a cloud, so that's another reason why I don't just love sleeping in general, but I love sleeping in my bed especially . Image Reference: from  @JSummer81 's Twitter post (9-Jul-2014) Well that's it peeps, that's all I got for this blog ! - Alejandro

The question is WHY NOT? I am always asked if playing the piano is worth learning, is it possible to achieve anything? is it a suitable hobby? Or something which children endure rather like maths in school! Picture resource: http://www.saiedmusic.com/ There are so many reasons why both adults and children benefit from learning an instrument, particularly the piano. Here are my top 4 reasons and I hope it encourages you to learn the piano! 1. Music brings happiness It really is very central to our lives. Never a day that goes by without me turning on the music, whether I am studying, relaxing or even waiting for my food to be cooked! It is important to be given the chance to make music because it can give us an emotional and creative outlet. 2. The Piano provides both melody and harmony The piano can be played solo without any accompaniment. This is not the case with many other musical instrument such as the clarinet, violin which only produce on line, usually the melody li

I grew up in a country where our only mode of transportation is our own car. It was not safe for us to ride the cab or the bus. But few years back, I learnt about UBER from a friend. She uses UBER everywhere and she said it was really cheap back in Malaysia. I was skeptical at first because they only accept payments via credit card at the time. Even when I came to Australia to pursue my studies, I realised that everyone uses Uber which makes me very curious to try it out too! Gradually I found myself taking Uber every now and then, especially those nights where the train or buses are not working. Here are 3 reasons why I decided to take Uber. Photo Resource: http://www.uberchile.info/2016/07/ 1. It's easy to book With just a few typing and clicking. One can easily book a ride with Uber. They also provide UberEats which delivers food to your door step. How incredible is that? Also, there is a fare estimate before confirming the book, this way riders could have an idea h

Anime refers as an animation from Japan which its style often characterized with colorful graphics, vibrant characters and fantastical themes. In Japan, anime is covered in all sorts of genre from animations, TV series ,games and even advertisements on billboards. Anime is an art which is not bound only to Japan itself but towards all forms of animation that exists in the world. However, in the western culture, anime is plainly denote to a "Japanese-style animated film or television series"; in another word a style of animation created in Japan. Reasons why I Anime: The depth of the story line and characters in anime is absolutely MIND-blowing. The details and effort put in by Japanese animators towards the anime that they create takes such careful planning and execution. This is what makes anime full of sense of thrill and depth compared to animations in Western countries. The variety of genre that anime has to offer. Genre such as comedy, fan

I moved to Australia with my family about 7 years ago. I was born raised in Venezuela til I was 10 years old. The situation in my home country is very bad at the moment. There is no security, a lot of violence, shortages of food, water, electricity, and more. In addition, Caracas (the capital city) is ranked number 1 as The Most Violent City in the World, with a murder rate of almost 120 per 100,000 population, and my home town rated at 72 per 100,000 (rank 7). I'm grateful to live in a secure, developed, and welcoming country like Australia. Here are reasons why I love Sydney, Australia: 1. Cultu re - Australia has it all. From countries all over Europe, Asia, Oceania, Americas, etc. The food especially. That's what makes Australia so exciting! you find a Thai restaurant somewhere, and right around the corner there could be a Spanish, Italian, Turkish, or Arabic restaurant! This is why I refer to Australia as a mini earth, because you could visit another country by just cr

Why I hate Objects I'm sure there are things in your life that just make you want to scream "Why Me!?". This is one of those times. Let me make this very clear, I like things, whether they help with chores or are recreational goods, they make life a lot better. Dishwashers wash dishes. Computers play games. Washing machines wash clothes. Bookshelves hold things. Vacuum Cleaners Clean Floors. Fantastic Right? These objects, as brilliant and wonderful as they are, only bring joy if they are correct and in working order. In my case I have had issues with many objects, here's a list, please note the following occurrences are ALL whilst still under the product's warranty - Entertainment unit - Missing magnets to hold doors closed - Custom Designed Bar - Missing the interior shelves. - Outdoor Setting - Wrong colour, 6/10 chairs completely warped. - BBQ - Missing 1/2 hot plates. - Had to wait 3 weeks for BBQ to arrive and another 4

There are only 2 types of people in the world. The ones who drink coffee or the ones that drink tea. Well, You guessed it! I am definitely a coffee person. I love coffee! I love how it taste, I love the whole ritual around drinking coffee, whether brewing it myself or just sitting in a coffee house with a nice hot cup of coffee catching up with a friend. And I love how it feels after I drink it! I enjoy my coffee when taken in small amounts, that way I can slowly enjoy and taste the aromatic smell of the coffee. In this post I'm going to list down some of my favorite coffees and what it is actually made out of. picture reference: Sydneymovingguide.com I personally love Espresso. Espresso is generally thicker than coffee brewed by other methods as it has a high concentration of suspended and dissolved solids. As you can see in the picture above, espresso only consist 1/3 of espresso shot. So yes it will be bitter for those who are not use to drinking coffee on a daily b

1. Entertainment Video games, my passion. There's nothing better than finish the final exam of the semester and coming home to a library full of games to play on my computer. I have a blast playing with friends online, playing competitively in games such as League of Legends and Counter Strike (Although I've kinda stepped away from those games for a while), and sometimes I just like to chill and play single-player games. 2. Education Being able to do my homework and studies from 1 device makes my life so much easier. Not only is taking down lecture notes faster, thanks to fast typing and auto-correct, but it also allows me to download all of my textbooks and readings and carry them around everywhere I go. 3. My Passion for Hardware There has been so many improvements in technology in the past few years. With faster processors, more storage, power efficiency, aesthetics, I have grown to be a PC enthusiast. I absolutely love learning about the hardware behin

Economics is a social science where studies the interaction of factors internally or externally that affects the market. I am a student of economics but more than anything else ; it is my HOBBY. Learning and reading economics not only gives me the understanding of wacky theories of why someone would actually buy and consume this particular good. But realistically, it is not about the actual reason why they would purchase the good for eg; I need food cause I am hungry? or something like I need petrol cause I have a car. Economics links the ties between a person in need of some good but what will change their perception of actually buying more of that particular good or less of it. Throwing consumption of a good aside, economics also touches on why producers would actually make or sell something. The reason is pretty simple behind all those complicated theories. They sell them because they are people actually buying them. Most of you will be like ; DUH isn't that o

My interest in cooking sparked when I started to live independently as a university student. To be honest, I never had much affinity to cooking or making something complicated from scratch. The most I ever cook was the infamously instant noodles through microwave if that was even considered cooking. Today, I have learned and critiqued my own dishes that I made and its really something now compared to back then where stir fry was more of like being boiled LOL. Not to mention the countless times where I cut myself and puzzled on how to actually even prepare and dice a chicken. Most of my recipes come from my mom and my on research from the Internet. Trust me; if you are ever puzzled on how to cook something, Internet's a great place 😁. I can cook quite a handful of Malaysian dishes with my own twist to my taste, a few Jap dishes, pizza and pasta as well as making cookies too 😆. I love cooking as I am a huge FOODIE. I love eating good and tasty food whilst being

Malaysia is located in Southeast Asia, where it consist of 13 states and 3 federal territories. I am born and raised in this beautiful country and I would like to share with you 3 reasons why I absolutely love my home country.  Picture Reference: http://www.kuala-lumpur.ws/ 1. Mix of Old and New Malaysia is an idea destination if you would like to experience both and new places. In major cities like Kuala Lumpur, there are massive skyscrapers and large shopping centres. In other part of the country such as Penang, one could find old temples and more historical sites. Picture reference: http://travel.cnn.com/   2. The Food I cannot start about food because there are just TOO MANY GOOD FOOD in Malaysia. There are delicious food everywhere, so it is enough and left for a whole year. Food stalls are lined up along the streets, serving fresh and delicious food in many varieties from Chinese, Malay, Indian food and much much more. I personally love and miss

There are a few reasons why I decided it was a good idea to start working out. I saw myself getting fat after finishing school for not doing any sort of exercise like sports and walking, so I had to look for an alternative. My big brother was lifting at the time, and that got me thinking, I gotta get bigger than him, I wanna be the big brother now. And there I went to get a gym membership. Not only do I want to become healthier and look better through weight training, but I also want to be stronger. Mentally and physically. Since I don't really have a main goal in life at the moment, this keeps me motivated to accomplish new goals and feel happy about myself. There are a few YouTube channels I would like to mention that really helped me out get started and continue training: Buff Dudes, Hodge Twins, Scottman Fitness, Kali Muscle and a few other that I occasionally check out like TigerFitness, and of course loltyler1 (hehe xd) - Alejandro

"What is a hill station?" might be the first question that comes in mind to most readers. Hill station is a term where a town is located at a higher elevation than the nearby plain or valley. Hill station comes about during the colonization of European colonial rulers that colonized mainly Asia. Those stations are founded as a "summer heat retreat" or getaway for them to avoid the rising heat. Here's my question to readers: what do you think of colonization and these hill stations? Are they good or bad in the current time of the century. I am a full bred Malaysian and the place "Cameron Highlands" is a very common retreat to most Malaysians due to its cooler weather compared to the humid tropic weather around Malaysia. One thing for sure, my family and I travel down there every year ever since i was little. Could put it as a yearly trip round down to there and the weather changes as time goes on due to the rapid development and little co

Why I … Play Guitar I’m gonna start off with a little background story. I was first introduced to guitars when I was about 6 or 7 years-old. My big brother had bought a yellow Yamaha guitar online. Awkward colour choice aside, I thought it was pretty cool at the time, but he didn’t let me play it because he didn’t want me to break it. Besides, it was an adult size electric guitar so it was too big for me to play. At the time, I didn’t “like” music, because I rarely listened to it. This all changed when my brother showed me the music video of Green Day – American Idiot. I immediately fell in love with the song and wanted more. So then he showed me other songs from Blink-182, Foo Fighters, and Linkin Park. I remember listening to my first Metallica album ‘Master of Puppets’. Ever since, I wanted to buy an electric guitar and learn how to play their songs. Only a couple of years ago I bought my first electric guitar. Here are some pictures: This is the Ibanez Gio Black m

MOBA simply known as multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) which is a genre of strategy video game. It is a game where complex strategies are played out during a game to challenge another team of similar people in determining objectives that are present such as taking down towers and ultimately the fort behind it. Its probably gonna be something as complex as this :   Woah, what, how is that even fun; nah just kidding 😝. Such example of these games that I played and classified into MOBA is DOTA2, Heroes of the Storm and Civilization VI. I do enjoy these games as they are not only challenging to my mind but tests my ability to react to sticky and messy situation when a fight breaks out. It tests my capability to translate the grasp of the situation into something easier for me to take advantage of the small opportunity to enable my team to survive and win the game. Apart from that, I absolutely enjoy teamwork within my team. Gotta say there are times when I kinda flipped wh

Road trips are full of fun and exciting adventures with your friends or family. It is certainly a great way to relax and spend quality time with them. Road trips are also a great way to explore different places depending on the destination. I find road trips relaxing and fun as I get to spend a lot of time with my friends and also to enjoy a good adventure. One of the recent road trips I went was to Newcastle. Newcastle is a harbour city in the Australian state of New South Wales. Its plentiful beaches are linked by the Bathers Way, a coastal walk stretching between Nobbys Beach and Merewether Beach. The journey up to Newcastle from Sydney city takes approximately 2 hours with car. We stopped at Avoca Beach along the way to have lunch and enjoy the scenic view of the beach. Besides that, we were lucky enough to have the amazing weather that was enjoyable for picture taking sessions. Avoca Beach  Once we reached Newcastle city, we decided to visit the Newcastle Memorial Walk

During this Easter break, some friends and I decided to climb Australia's highest mountain, Mount Kosciouszko. Mount Kosciuszko is located on the Main Range of Snowy Mountains oin Kosciuszko National Park in New South Wales.  The mountain has the height of  2,228 metr es (7,310 ft) above sea level,  whic h makes it Australia's highest mountain.  We started our journey from Sydney to a small little town called Jindabyne, where we stayed overnight before heading off to the peak of the mountain. The total journey took us 6 hours to drive there, imagine how exhausting that can be!  Day 2, we started off early in the morning as we do not want to reach our camp site late. We began to track from Charlotte Pass at 10am, which is the starting point of the hike. There are several hiking trails which leads to the summit point, depending on preference and fitness of individuals. We chose the Main Range Track for our hike as this trail has more scenic views. There were also scenic l

Welcome to WHY I... This blog is all about us. If you are expecting anything different, you've come to the wrong place! Our team consists of four very different individuals from a diverse range of backgrounds, Our blogs are our opinions on everything. From WHY I hate vegetables through to WHY I love classical yodelling. Enter the world of the human mind and share an opinion or two. Team Leader: Robert Spear I'm a alcohol enthusiast with a strong affinity for technology, I'm an incredibly picky eater and don't get me started on how much physical activity is torture.  Members: Alejandro Nieves I am in love with computers and hardware. And yes, I have taken it to a physical level (I have built computers, diagnosed technical problems, etc). In addition, I am into health and fitness. Jaclyn Wong Jia Wen I would perceive myself as a health and adrenaline junkie.  I absolutely love outdoor activities such as hiking, rock climbing and s