Hello, world! :)

12:31am, Singapore. Just finished watching a lecture (which I understood precious little of, whoops), and trying to convince myself that everything will miraculously solve itself out and all will be well (now I’m really wishing my life were like a Disney film). At the same time, I’m wondering how to (properly) begin this post, so here goes!

To whoever is reading this right now: Hello, I’m Charlene! Nice to meet you. A year ago I won’t believe myself actually saying this, but I’m a freshman at the University of Melbourne, doing a Bachelor of Arts and majoring in Media and Communications. I have a year of advanced standing, which honestly scares me sometimes as I feel there’s lesser time to catch up to the pace of learning.

I’m passionate about many things, but in particular I would say mental health issues as well as anything related to education. In my free time, I like scrolling through Tiktok, it keeps me occupied during this pandemic (honestly I’m so addicted to it, someone save me please). I particularly like the recipe videos!! Not gonna lie, for a noob like me, Tiktok recipes are the best way for me to feel as if I’m some professional chef. Take for example this sunflower potato which I discovered and couldn’t get enough of (it’s so good, I highly encourage everyone to try it out!! It’s literally just slices of potato with an egg in the middle and cheese sprinkles on top, hence the name)

Here’s the photo that no one asked for:

This was my first time making sunflower potatoes. Yes, the presentation definitely needed work, and it was slightlyyyy undercooked, but it’s the effort that counts! :))

On a more serious note, I’m really happy to be one of the bloggers for the First Year Diaries. I hope I can play a part in making this community a safe, inclusive and positive one– this pandemic is making us all feel crummy, and I think many students wish they were leading a normal campus life right now. I hope my posts can lend a bit of sunshine to anyone that reads it.

I hope to strive for relatability in my posts, because I mean–we’re all in this together! I hope to be able to reach out to you guys effectively.

Dare I say, this also serves as a mini life diary for myself as well– I can imagine my future self reading through these posts and laughing at how silly Freshman Charlene was back then. It serves as a way to document these memories down (the good, bad, and chaotic ones)

Feel free to leave a comment about yourselves too! Would love to get to know all of you 🙂