Previous Unloads:

1991 May: A Visit to Langkawi, the Land of Mahsuri

1991 Aug: Study tour to Medan, Indonesia

1994 May: First Asia Pacific Chitin and Chitosan Symposium (APCCS)

1997 Dec: Rally Nationwide Vision

1998 Apr MOU and Launching of Chito-Chem (M) Sdn Bhd

1999 Sep: The Officiation of Smart Technology Centre, UKM

1999 Dec: Study Tour to Taiwan

2000 Jul: A MiniReunion of Class of 66

2000 Dec: Just An Unlucky Day

2001 Jul: 29th Covocation of UKM

2001 Dec: Digging Deep Into the Root: SKBT Revisited

2002 Sep: A Consequential Events from Feb 2002

2003 Apr: Reminiscing the Little Boy

2003 Nov: Reunion of Class of 66

2004 May: Cameron Highland Revisited

2004 Jul: In the Heart of Two Cities

2005 Jan: SAS Re-revisited

2005 Jan: Seri Puteri Eventually Visited

2005 Apr: In the Backyard (and Frontyard)

2005 Nov: Jalan Hale Revisited

2006 May: Kenyir, Here I Come

2006 Aug: Convocation UKM #34 2006

Convocation UKM #34 2006 Aug 11-17 Fri-Thu (Dated: 2006 Aug)
August 12-17, Degree Conferement Ceremony #34 UKM; the degree conferement season, and its accompanying "pesta konvo"; the festive mood of before and after thus covered the whole month. Graduating students and their parents flocked the campus and made "pilgrimage" at the usual "shrines". The jolly and jovial mood pushed almost to the yield point, incomprehensible by words, extricated out deep from the core, none left to go on with when the festival is over; for the exact of what I felt in Jun 1974 minus the latter.
The first degree conferement of UKM was in 1973, in Dewan Bankuasi, Parliament Building on June 23 Sat. It was not my degree, so I did not attend; but I participated a lot in the "Pesta" for the Persatuan Mahasiswa Sains stalls. This is probably the last degree conferement that I could attend. Would I attend? Or should I attend? The last I attended, after a very many years of absent for a very touchy reason, was the 29th Ceremony 2001 Saturday July 7. Although I put on the academic gear, I did it for personal reason; it was for my #1daughter. Before that it was the Konvo #23 1995 Aug 6; and that was for my PhD student Zainal Abidin Harahap. But this occasion was when I swore that I would not attend any for the fac until the univ pay me back my dinner it owed. It was after the ceremony that I was enticed to follow the bunch to the admin building which ended at the banquet dinning. At the door, right among my friends and colleague (but they were no 'nonsensense' unlike me), I was stopped by the welcoming door-lady (who I knew) who knew me that I was not a senator. Apparently the lunch was for the senators only, not for the ordinary lecturers. I was ushered away! And I left in obedient; went to buy my own dinner. That was the price tag the university put on the ordinary lecturers like me: less than a convocation dinner for a senator. Before this event I usually like to attend the konvo ceremony, and rarely miss every year, because I felt sort of respected being paraded infront of the standing attendees in the mega-lighted hall DECTAR, in the academic regalia which I purchased in 1983 in England for none other reason, to wear it once a year and in only such occasion, and not for others. The last before that I attended was the Konvo #21 1993 Aug 6 Fri. Had it not for the touchy dinner, I would surely attend this ceremony; this is a last tango too, a last waltz in fact!
The festival usually began with many pre-festivals. PUSANIKA became a "mobile" instant shopping complex, changing face every few days; selling anything from recently announced computer, to all kinds of "pasar malam" instant foods.
Festival could only be meant one and only one thing: the opportunity of making MONEY. The organiser make money by asking the money makers to come in frenzy so that the numbers of patrons multiply by thousand of which the latter were made to so-understood. And come, be any thing at all; and this one even the motivation talk. The hall could swallow up to 600 (I used to give lecture to 650 students in this hall), that makes 3k for 2 hrs talk. For the patrons to stay that long, the 'performer' must be a great comedian indeed. It needed to be so to get out of the paradox: one needs to be motivated to pay to attend the motivation talk, but motivated one does not need a motivation talk. Unmotivated one will rather go for 'relaks'. But, hey! This is a comedian show, let's go! And the punch lines goes ... "... nak jadi cemerlang senang saja, tidak susah. Semua orang boleh jadi cemerlang. Kita mesti rajin, mesti jangan malas; kita mesti jangan cepat putus asa, sentiasa berusaha; kita mesti kerja kuat, kita mesti jangan ...; kita mesti ..., kita mesti jangan ...". Many have already got it for free and many times: It was from our own parents; unfortunately in their own 'comedian dialect' which almost 'unamusing' to the intended listeners.

The DECTAR in the regalia of ceremonial mood;

The "shrines" in peace at night; flocked by the "pilgrims" during the day time. For many of them this is the only time they spent the time with; they then either forget it or felt that the "structures" were, regretfully or not, just ordinary stones; erected there in exchange for a lot of money.
And the university's trade mark flag by the student - it was the longest during the time the students' much talk about the 'shortest' PNGK. The flag was at the palce for the past few convos. However its original sewn fabric pieces was replaced by this printed plastic piece; another example of students activity turned into somebody fat meal. But wait, a 'small' ripple at this month end may reverberate into next year convo #35. Just give a reservation for it;
The "Festival Hill"; night time (above), and day time (below)
The "Festival Hill"; night time (above), and day time (below). A deeper adventure into other parts of the hill would hallucinate visitors into places like Chow Kit Rd, or Petaling Street, or Jln Masjid India; at worst a night market.
The "Festival Hill"; night time (above), and day time (below)
Spotted the notorious black-cladded gang; always in cluster like that of the underworld; or like that of the broilers in the barn, they scare and bite each other's head from time to time, especially when the food is scarse. Ostensibly, some of them will land here in several years time.
The ceremony was through to Aug 17 Thu evening;