Sunday, August 1, 2010

Strategising on Saturday



these are my notes from yesterday’s rehearsal session for my graduation ceremony on Tuesday:

8.50 a.m. - skip breakfast and ignore road etiquette to get to UM on time for the rehearsal session.

9 a.m.  - pray fervently that Malaysian timing comes into play.

9.20 a.m. - prayers answered (not proud of it).
 - the hall is barely full. these are the thousands of graduates due to receive their scrolls next week?

 - curse under my breath as the announcer announces that the post-grad briefing will only take place at 11 a.m.

 - decide to listen to the undergrads’ briefing anyway.
10 a.m.  - bursting for a pee. the toilets are still clean. great!
10.30 a.m. - everyone laughs at the undergrad who presents a deep, 90-degree bow during the practice session.
11 a.m.  - post-grad briefing begins. it’s a rehash of what was presented earlier, but with a facilitator from the institute of post-grad studies instead of the exam unit and no practice.
 - the guide on how to put on academic dress is in video format.
 - refrain from growling “I’m the Batman!” when the model lifts one arm, then the other to show how the sleeves should fall correctly.
11.30 a.m. - realise that even though the facilitator promised to speak in English and BM, his English is actually less fluent than that of the facilitator from the exam unit.
 - excitement ripples through the audience when it is announced that we will be receiving our scrolls from the Pro-Chancellor of UM @ his royal handsomeness the crown prince of Perak, Raja Nazrin Shah. FFS he’s 53 this year!
12.15 p.m. - leave. the sun is too bright.


I’ve forgotten what I’m supposed to do already.

2 comments:

Snuze said...

Hey, yours is tomorrow afternoon, right? Get early lunch or you won't have a place to park.

Happy convocating!

Angela Gripesalot said...

(belated) thanks~! didn't feel like eating for most of the day anyways, plus i didn't have to drive :D