Graduation Day

~ Mum, dad and myself while queuing for our photoshoot ~

I'm not sure about you guys, but as much as people claim graduation days to be extremely fun and enjoyable, I actually find the day to be a lil' overrated and rather tiring.

No doubt it was fantabulous to finally be able to don the gown and officially graduate, but the fact that ONLY less than 1% of the attendees (comprising mom, dad, bro and 4 other PhD students who were also graduating) in the hall actually KNOW me, made the whole affair far less grand.

Also, all the running around in the morning before the ceremony - i.e. waking up early in the morning to collect the graduation gown, dressing-up, making-up, remembering to bring own camera for the ceremony, remember to bring invitation tickets for family, remember to feed family before graduation, queuing up and posing for the university photoshoot, making sure that both my family and I arrive at the graduation hall in time to get good seats and to register for the ceremony, ...yadda...yadda...was so exhausting it was inevitably hard to fully absorb and enjoy the moment that was to mark my academic achievement.

~ With dad, mum and bro outside Barony hall ~

~ With Fui Goon and Sandy Gray, whose student was also graduating ~

Nonetheless, the day went smoothly and there was nothing more I could ask for. Some wonderful friends/cohorts dropped-by after the ceremony to take photos with me and to share my joy. I was touched beyond words.

~ With the Malaysians ~

~ With the Pynes ~

The short impromptu photo session outside the graduation hall with friends and family was followed by quick dash to the nearby photo studio (in which my brother works in) for yet ANOTHER photoshoot, albeit a professional one, but with a difference. Venture Studios, which bro works as a digital imaging artist, provides a completely different photography experience called lifestyle photography - no conventional sitting-on-chairs-and-posing type of photography but instead more candid-and-in-the-motion-and-moment type of photography. The session was great fun, mum and dad especially enjoyed it. Unfortunately I don't have a copy of the photos to upload now. Maybe later on...

Later that night, Fui Goon and I had our graduation dinner at Cafe Andaluz, which serves Spanish cuisine. Both our families, Goon's boyfriend's family as well as our close friends joined in the fun.

~ My family, Goon and Angelov's parents ~

~ The 3 families ~

~ Wee Kiat, myself and Sue Chin trying to control our laughters resulting from one of Wee Kiat's jokes ~

Despite the rushing around and slightly anti-climax ceremony (because I didn't know many of the graduants in the ceremony), the day on itself was still made special by the presence of loving family and good friends.

.....and not forgetting, flower bouquets and a me-to-you graduate bear gift! :D

Trip to Tunisia - Part 3 (and hopefully the last)

I'm BACKKKK!!....

Dead tired but had great fun during my trips. As mentioned in my previous enry, was away for 10 days in Arizona for conference and a bit of sight-seeing. Then, back to Glasgow for a week for my graduation (which mum and dad attended!). Next, bro and I brought mum and dad to Prague/Vienna/Ljubljana for 8-days. Now, back in Glasgow resting and recuperating from the overdose of jetlag and travelling. Nevertheless......I'm happy!

Have lotsa photos to show but those of you who've followed my blog since the very beginning will know I DO tend to take my own sweet time writing blog entries (busy marrr...). Promise I'll upload the photos in due course.

Alrighty, more about Tunisia (again....)

All in all, the highlight of my Tunisian trip was the 2-day excursion to the Sahara and surrounding areas, where we clocked approximately 1100 kilometres by bus and jeep (not forgetting, a short distance by camel!).

~Underground Troglodyte house in Matmata, which is surrounded by rocky desert~

The first of our many stops was the town of Matmata, a name that would ring a bell to true fans of the epic Star Wars (Matmata was the home planet to hero Luke Skywalker). In Matmata, we visited the troglodyte houses of the Berbers, the native people of North Africa, who lived in the region long before the arrival of foreign imperialists. These houses were also homes to Skywalker and his family in the film.

~Rocky terraces in Matmata~

~A peek inside a bedroom in the Troglodyte house~

Like any house, these troglodyte houses comprise of bedrooms, kitchen, living room, and a courtyard, built in double-storeys. The unique feature of these dwellings are that they are naturally thermostable. The clay and sandstone walls keep the rooms warm during the cold winters, and cool during the hot summers, hence the reason these troglodyte houses remain used until today. Can't give you the precise thermodynamics explanation but pretty neat, huh?

Next, we drove to the village of Douz, the gateway to the Sahara Desert. In Douz, we mounted camels and rode into the heart of the Sahara to witness the sunset along the horizon. The Sahara landscape is unlike that of Matmata. No rough, rocky terraces, but instead stretches of fine sand dunes with an occasional plot of date palm trees. Was initially anxious about mounting a camel but was comforted by the picturesque sight of the desert during dusk. The beauty of the Sahara is like no other and one can only fully comprehend its splendour by being there and experiencing it in person.

We rode along the Sahara for a good whole hour and was fortunate enough to take with us a bit of the desert, a handful of Saharan sand, before heading off to our stop for the night.

~ My furry friend and me ~

The next day’s itinerary began with the journey to the Atlas Mountains on 4x4 land cruiser jeeps to catch the sunrise. The mountain ranges and canyons were impressive but unfortunately there wasn't enough sunlight to capture any good shots.






We next drove past the salt desert of Chott El Jerid, which again, displayed an entirely different landscape - flat and desolated piece of land stretching as far as the eye could see. Looking across acres and acres of barren land during the very sunny morning, our eyes kept deceiving us as we spotted mirages several times. Very intriguing!

Subsequently, we visited an oasis village, Chebika, a spot of green among the dry and barren flatlands and mountains of the Tunisian desert. The village is built near a charming palmeraie (‘palm grove’), which is sustained by a small stream from mountain springs. Remains of the old village of Chebika, which was destroyed by floods in the late 60’s still stands at the top of a hill. We were told that this was the location for the filming of ‘The English Patient’. This now abandoned old village overlooks the new village that has settled further down the hill.

~ Left: Oasis village Chebika, near the palmeraie


Top: Directly behind me is the old town ruins of Chebika
and further down the hill, the new town ~

~ More shots of Chebika ~


Finally, after lunch, we were driven on coach to Tozeur to visit the local fig and date plantation. We were educated about the running and maintenance of the plantation, from the design of the irrigation system to the harvesting of the fruits. Before we left the plantation to head back to Sousse, we managed to sample some fresh dates and took some photos.

All in all, I had an splendid time in Tunisia. It was a combination of the diverse culture, splendid historical heritage, scenic landscape, brilliant food, great weather and, last but not the least, the warm hospitality of the local Tunisian people that made the trip exceptionally memorable. Having often spend my holidays in Europe, which presented richer and more developed countries, it was a humbling experience visiting Tunisia. The simple and contented lifestyle of her people not only reminded me of how caught-up the world sometimes is with riches, technology and status but also of how much my own country, Malaysia, has progressed through the years. May we all never forget our roots no matter where we journey forth in our lives and be thankful always for the comfortable lives we presently live in.

CATNAP!


~ I thought this photo was so cute, I had to find a space to slot it into my blog. Tunisians love cats...and oranges.... ~