The graduates would all assemble in front of the historical Old Government Building, the biggest and oldest wooden building in the Southern hemisphere. Families and friends gather, mingle with the members of the academia, picture taking is a must, flower bouquets, hugs and congratulatory wishes are in abundance.The sun decided to come out today, adding a merrier atmosphere to the surroundings.
For the past 2 years, these parades in May were wet occasions. Vic U has graduation ceremonies in May and November. Most would choose the November session, as it is nearer summer time, but then again, Wellington has a fickle weather. I went to the parade just now, not that I know anyone in the parade except for my supervisor, but just to get the feel of it, sharing the happy feelings of people there, feeling the happiness in the faces of the family members, and the relieve in the faces of the students too after gaining the fruit of their labor. Then I start to wonder whether I will get to experience this too in a year or two? Will I be able to come for my graduation? Unlike other levels of academic achievements, the conferment of PhD is not that straight forward after you submit your thesis. There are PhD cohort members that were conferred after a year of submission. If, for whatever reason I am not able to come for my graduation, I would want at least one of my children to get the scroll for me, hear the recitation of my research, and absorb the gratitude of Allah Almighty for His Blessings, that that part of my journey in life, difficult, frustrating at times, challenging and exciting, has finally come. InsyaAllah.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Vic U Graduations
Safety and kindness
As usual, at this time of the year, Wellington's weather is much to be desired, raining, windy and cold. Today, I was assigned to supervise an exam session for two special needs students, one girl, with diabetes, and another guy who is in wheel chair. The exam, at School of Law, was held at the Old Government Building, situated next to my office.The session was from 5.30 to 7.50pm. The session went well, each student has different needs, rest time, extra time, facility set up, etc. My bus home was scheduled to arrive at 8pm, and after clearing all the administratives with the school administrator, i dashed to the bus stand, just about 150m outside the Government Building. At this time of the night,the bus stand is eerily quiet .There was just me and another guy at the bus stand. People in Wellington go home for dinner as soon as office closes and peak hours at the bus stand are between 5-6pm.The drizzle has not stopped since morning and as the Grand Clock on Old Government Building striked 8pm, my bus approached.Traffic was light, so the bus ride was breezy to the next bus terminal at the suburb near where I live. School boys back from their games alight the bus at this terminal. The last of them was searching frantically in his bag for his money, i supposed. He called out to his friend that he forgot to bring his money, and he said he'll just walk home,and went down from the bus. The Driver closed the door, and slowly moved, but then he stopped, slide open his window, and called out to the boy" Hey Buddy! come on board!" The boy was so relieved, as the rain was getting heavy then. We moved on with the journey, and when the boy stopped at his destination, he took out the money that he managed to find in his bag, and wanted to give to the Driver, but the Driver just waved him off. The boy was just so thankful to him as he said " You saved my day, Driver!" Such acts of kindness just melt your heart, and for his kindness, I gave the driver a piece of chocolate, which I make a point to have in my school bag everytime, in case of hunger attacks.
Providing facilities for people with special needs gives them equal opportunities for their right to education. Knowing kindness abound, such as what the university provides to those who need it, and by such acts of kindness by the people around, in a not so familiar land, makes you feel safe.
Museum of Wellington City and Sea
This three-storeyed building is situated at Wellington's Waterfront, and the displays and contents tell the stories of and about Wellington, the making of the city from the end of the 19th Century till the present. Display techniques range from the conventional to contemporary, with a multi-mix of media used. My favourite of all is the show on Maori legends "A Millennium Ago", which uses the 19th Century theatrical technique called a "Pepper's Ghost, named after 'Professor' Henry Pepper. At first I thought it uses the hologram technique, but it is not.Namali, my office mate and I asked the Museum staff, and they explained the techniques used. It is created with mirrors and a projected image.This Museum is a MUST see for visitors to Wellington.I rate it the best Museum I have ever been to. The clever use and mix of content display is refreshing, both educating as well as entertaining, stimulating your thinking senses.
Exam Time II
Exam time is a stressful time for all, not just students, but also the whole University community. The Students' Association kindly provides free breakfast at the Library courtyard, simply, by putting hot water, Milo, hot chocolate,tea, coffee, sugar, milk, bread, butter, jams, cereals, paper cups, plastic bowls, spoons and knives on the table, and the students help themselves to the food! The peak exam week would have this breakfast, open to all students. It is FUN! And the students clean as they go, as trash bags and bins are provided nearby.
Customer feedback
Victoria University Library in Rankine Brown Building is undergoing some refurbishment. They have added the Kiwiana corner, with a beautiful view of Wellington Harbor, complete with a masterpiece Kiwi-designed carpet center piece, which students, tutors/lecturers often use for group study on the floor (at one time I saw the whole group lying down on the floor - yes, group study session!)near the check out desk, quiet areas and "noise" areas have been provided for, to meet different 'lifestyles' of the students in Vic Uni.
While the physical refurbishment is still an ongoing process, the services are also being reviewed. Posters and emails were sent to students, inviting them, on a volunteer basis, to participate in what they termed as "Library Services Review Panel". There were several undergraduate groups, as well as postgraduate groups. The groups will have their say regarding the library services and the physical environment, what they want to be improved, what we can do away with etc etc. It is an open session, with the Librarians facilitating/asking the Panel members.The session took 40 minutes. The motivation to encourage participation from students,was a lucky draw for an iPod worth abt $350. During the session, on the table was bowls of mini chocolates, and each panel member received a paperbag full of goodies, chocolates, energy bars, a small bag of chips, a bottle of water, post it notes.
"Openess" & Accessibility
This morning, as I was sending some documents to the School of Law, housed in the Government Building, I noticed a group of tourists, busy taking pictures of the beauty of the building's interiors. Government Building is a heritage building, apparently the largest wooden building in the Southern Hemisphere. The School of Law is there, so are some government departments, though some of the judges and the members NZ's judiciary have moved to the new High Court next door ( grand opening of the High Court was by HRH Prince William earlier this year :)) ).
The Beehive, NZ's parliament is just opposite Government Building. But, I don't see any sentry post, or guards at all. The building is under electronic surveillance, of course, as members of the public are allowed into government buildings. Victoria University's buildings and facilities are open to the public. Members of the public are allowed to go in and use the University Libraries, except for borrowing materials. Most of the public universities I went to back home, have sentry posts, where you have to leave certain kind of IDs before you can set a foot into the University grounds. When can an ordinary member of the public be able to use the facilities developed from tax payers' money, such as a public university, without feeling as if you are under heavy observation?
favourite foods in exam halls
the favourite food students bring into exam halls are, chocolates, energy bars. favourite fruit is banana as it is also an energy booster, and you don't make much noise when you eat it. :)
favorite drinks are the energy drinks and water. for a 3-hr exam, you need to sustain your energy while you 'pour' your mind onto paper.
Cultural Fests in Wellington
Wellington is an artsy city. All around the year, there are arts festival, cultural events, performances organised, and being the capital City, Wellington has the advantage of Embassies and High Commissions based here. Recently, the Embassy of Brazil launched the Brazilian Festival, with The Ambassador launching it with a musical performance by musicians from Brazil, performed at the Wellington City Hall, followed by a series of Brazilian events the entire week. The Italian Fest was launched with an Italian food fair, and a series of Italian movies. I went to one movie " The wind blows around"yesterday with my university colleagues, and we enjoyed the movie, though by comparison, Yasmeen Ahmad's movies are way better! I am positive our Malaysian High Commission can organise one Malaysian Fest par excellent, with support from Malaysia's Tourism Ministry and Malaysia's corporate sector, as well as the Malaysian coommunities in New Zealand. The Malaysian students here are already making headways in introducing Malaysia to their colleagues, especially using Malaysian food as the major "channel".
Exam time
You wouldn't hear grumbling tummies during exam time here, as students are allowed to bring food and drinks into the exam halls. Food wrappers are to be the 'noiseless' types, and students are not to make noise while eating to respect other students. I had a discussion with some of my PhD friends from Malaysia, who are mostly academicians, on this matter. I asked whether this is practiced in our universities. The answer was a complete "Not at all!" The reasons being, our students in Malaysia will write the answers on the bottle labels, food labels etc.How can we build trust in our future leaders if trust is not build early on during their studying years? And to think that Malaysia is an Islamic, as well as religious-based society? I hope my fellow friends here can observe this and bring back these values in their academe, besides achieving flying colors in their studies.
Eaton Mess , Ambrosia, Pavlovas
Spring is in the air, and fruits associated with it are in the supermarket. Simple summery desserts are definitely ontop of the menu! :) The common ingredients in these desserst are cream and fruits! so, balance up the calories.
Eaton Mess: meringue pieces, crushed brandy snaps ( it is the name of a biscuit, no brandy it it! something like the waffle icecream cone, except it is crunchier and sweeter) canned mandarin segments or fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced or quartered, whipped cream. Mix all together. Viola!
Ambosia: cream, mixed berries and marshmallows. Mix all together. Frozen mixed berries can also be used.Defrost first before mixing.
Pavlova: the essential Kiwi dessert (there's always a tussle here, according to my Kiwi friends, where this recipe originated from, or rather who 'owns' this dessert, the Kiwis or Ozzies? Of course the Kiwis always claimed that it is theirs, much to the chagrin of the Ozzies! I stand by my Kiwi friends!). pavs are made of egg whites, beat with sugar till stiff, and put into the cold oven. Then switch it on and bake till lght brown. switch off the oven, an dit has to be left to cool in the oven until the oven is cold. Best done at night time, as you need to leave it in the oven until it is really cold, only then you can take the pav out. If this is not followed, disaster to the pav!
Whip cream, spread on the pav, and arrange fruits to your liking, which can range from sliced kiwis, strawberries, and sometimes i used canned peaches. stawberries' are the best!
Pulang
Sarawak's cultural artifacts travel the world. Most are in the collections of those who appreciate the value, as well as the memories associated with them. Iif the family of the collectors do not understand the meaning of the artifacts, some can be seen at car boot or garage sales, hoping the artifacts can go into new 'homes'. I have the opportunity to meet one gentleman who took the trouble to return some artifacts he acquired during his younger years when he served as a volunteer teacher in Three Rivers School in Mukah in early 60's. He intended to repartriate the artifacts so that they will go to where they belong, where they came from.We hope to see these artifacts 'pulang' to where they belong.
A Dental appointment with a difference.
Today I HAVE to seek dental treatment for one of my upper molars, which broke while I was enjoying caramel glazed almonds at a movie.Boy, enjoying that luxury of watching the movie was cut short by that episode.
I was treated by a very groovy Dentist, who has red streaks in her hair. The practice here is the Doctors themselves will invite you for your treatment, not the nurse or the receptionist,. Dr. Wixon came up to welcome me and introduced herself. She led me to her room, or rather, I'll call it a suite, minus the view.The suite is tastefully decorated, and with live plants too! As she sat me on the dental lounge chair and preparing me for the treatment, I noticed there is a TV screen mounted on the ceiling, for my viewing pleasure while she does her repair job. That, to me, is quite an innovative way of minimising a patient's anxiety when undergoing dental treatments.
I enjoyed the day at the Dentist!
My Bus Episode
This morning, I managed to take the 8am bus, and with 5 dollar coins in hand (I don't carry much cash), I gave it to Mr. Driver to top up my bus card as I only have $1.60 value in there, not enough for a $3.20 one way fare. Mr. Driver said,"you need a minimum $10 to top up, dear." I didn't know that but I gave him my $5 worth of coins to pay for my fare. He refused the coins, took my bus card from my hand, charge my fare from all the balance in there, gave back my bus card and the receipt. "Cheers!" he said! That happened so fast that all I can say was a meek "Thank you!" as that was really UNEXPECTED!
So, that is the start for my day...and Mr. Driver got an orange as a token of THANKS!! :)
Merit , Democracy and Transparency
These informal sessions are part of my metacognitive learning processes, beyond the learning curve in preparing for my proposal. I wonder how the processes of selection is done in our universities in Malaysia?
Another bus episode...
An Asian Lady boarded the bus I was in on my way home. She then told the driver "ticket for two pls." The bus driver was taken aback, " for two?!" he asked in a puzzling manner. "Yes, Sir, as I was not able to pay for my fare this morning." Honesty...
Acts of Kindness
Everyday I take the bus to school. It is a great way to observe people, and I use the journey time to catch up on my reading. I normally take the 7.45am bus trip, and yes, the buses here are on time. I like to sit behind the bus driver, to have a good view of the journey we are taking into the City.The Bus culture here is a refresher to sanity, passengers say thank you as they disembark, and drivers greet you genuinlely as you board, asking about your day.
For the past 2 weeks, the bus driver taking the route from my house, is the same guy, a mature gentleman, and I have been observing his acts of kindness to his passengers.
The bus that I take uses a card system, where you load money on it and the fare will be deducted from the card, and using the card gives you discounts for your bus trips. The driver can reload the monetary value on your card when you board the bus.
Episode One.
One morning last week, a Lady boarded the bus, and did not realised the money on her card has run low.And she was fumbling in her handbag to get the cash, but the Driver said, "nahhh..you can pay me next time." The lady just looked at him, in disbelieve, but went ahead to get a seat as there were other passengers waiting to board.When it was time for her to disembark, she gave her money to the Driver, but he said "You just go ahead. Don't worry about it. "
Episode Two. This morning a school Boy got on the bus, and asked him whether our bus gets to the destination of his school, and the Driver said, "Not this bus, but it is the bus behind me that gets there." So the boy got off the bus, and the Driver closed the door. But just as he was about to drive on, the Bus that he meant for the Boy, drove pass our bus. Our Driver stopped, and open the door and call out to the Boy and ask him to board our bus. He took the bus fare from the Boy (they have a much subsidised bus fare for school children). And he continued to drive, trying to get as close as possible with the Bus in front, which goes to the Boy's destination.
He walkie-talkied the Bus in front to stop at the next bus stand, telling the Bus driver in front that he has this Boy who needs to get on that bus to reach his school. The Bus in front got the message and both agreed to stop at the next bus stand. Our Driver called out to the Boy, and told him to go into the Bus in front, and told him not to worry about the bus fare.
Such random acts of kindness touch your feelings, that this value is still ,strongly, there in people around us.
It dawn on me that today is a Friday morning. I took one of my pears for lunch, and as I was about to disembark the Bus, I gave our kind Driver the pear, thanking him for his kindness.
When appreciation was shown...
Tutoring seems a natural thing to do when you want to immerse yourself in the academia, and when you need to earn the extra bucks...and that's just what I did. Taking this bold step, especially in a challenging environment - foreign students, English not your first language, etc etc..i just took the risk. For the past 12 weeks, I tutored two classes for strategic information management 300 level. Students, regardless of their origins, color, language, age, are here to learn, and I learn from them as well. Their participation and interaction provide fresh perspectives, not provided for in the text.Preparation is your best bet, and the satisfaction of being able to help them in their journey to acquire knowledge was indeed a blast! And yesterday,...the unexpected applause they gave at the end of the class says it all...
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
The coldest weekend so far this year...
Winter is here, and it is frostier than usual, and the last time hail and snow flurries happened in Wellington was about 14-15 years ago.Why am I not surprise? When it was my turn to accompany my dear husband during his studies in London in 1990, the firsts winter we had there was so cold that it snowed heavily, and the last time that happened in London was more than 20 years before that. And now, here in NZ, and, co-incidentally, it happened when we are here. My Kiwi friends told me this year, there's no autumn in Wellington, we went straight into winter. The cold southerlies add to the dropping temperatures, and ski resorts in NZ opened early. The surrounding hills near where we live now can be frosty in the mornings and the patter of early morning hails can be heard on our windows. Our electricity bill will be quite high this winter, as our house was built in the 60's, so it is really a cold house, sometimes colder than the temperature outside.
Thank you, Wellingtonians!
Coming to a new place, to live, can be very daunting, and can give a person high anxiety levels.We ( my 2 children and I) arrived first in Wellington, New Zealand, as due to bureaucracy glitches, my husband can only arrive at a much later date.On arrival at the Wellington International airport, we were greeted with what Wellington is well known for, the rain and strong gusty winds. The flight from Auckland was akin to a mild roller coaster, due to the winds! Vic Uni kindly arranged for airport meet, and was kind enough to transfer us to our temporary accommodation. Datin Judith Amin, cheers for your kind heartedness for offering us to put up at your nice and warm house, without which, we would have been more challenged, as the very next day, I have to report to the University. Wellingtonians are very helpful, and all you have to do is ask, or even before you ask for help, they offer their help. To the Wellingtonians who came up to help this "Damsel in Distress",Your kindness and warmth made up for the sometimes "unfriendly" weather you have. A very BIG THANK YOU! That sells Wellington!
To Ann and Gill, thanks for taking us under your wings! You are God sent Angels that helped took care of us when we felt so lost!
Have books will travel!
My dear father always asked me,"when are you going to stop studying?" I don't have an answer to his question everytime he asked me, as I consider studying and learning an ever continuous process. Everyday, every second,hour, there's always something new to learn. I took the plunge to take a sabbatical from my work, to undertake, or rather trying my hands on attempting a PhD. Now my family and I (minus my eldest) are in Wellington, and I am with Victoria University, Wellington. I hope I will be strong enough to weather the demands and challenges of my study, as well as life in cold, windy Welly!
