I have to admit. I was a bit jealous when other graduates received flower bouquets from their loved ones. What’s more, a flow of congratulations messages from those who matter. Anyway, perhaps better things are coming my way than flowers and validation messages, cause well, some families are just built differently. It is a repetitive mistake where we accept discomfort as permissible flaws when to others, it could be red flags. Hmmmmmm.

I wish I had brought a mini fan with me and clipped it onto my OUM pouch. It was blazing hot standing outside the hall, even though it was less than 30 minutes. However, things began to cool down once we were inside the hall. As usual, there were speeches after speeches with performances in between. I had 2 seconds of fame inside the montage video of OUM. Time passed quickly when the scrolls were given out. Then, it was over. I recognised some names among the list of graduands in the convocation book, although there were a few more that I hoped to see. Perhaps they have graduated earlier.

I sent back my robe on the same day in exchange for my certificate and my academic transcripts. I had wanted to take more photos with the robe at the stand and other places but my husband was unwell with his man-flu/rhinitis syndrome which translates in my head as ‘I have no mood/dipping energy levels to entertain you’ sort of thing. The complimentary photos were available for pick-up the next day.

The recorded LIVE broadcast is accessible here.

I was inspired by our Inspiration Icon. Mr Lim Yew Yi acquired blindness due to glaucoma at 20 years old. He had to learn Braille and managed to do it in 3 months. From there, he was unstoppable in gaining knowledge and skills for the betterment of life. He is an IT graduate, and from the short video, despite his disability, he excels in his field and in everyday life. I look forward to other recipients of other awards from other Sidang sessions.

An afterthought

Bachelor of Psychology (with honours)
Pass with Distinction – 13/93 graduands
CGPA 3.84

Attaining this degree does not make me a specialist of any sort. It is just added value to my work and life as a muslim. However, deep inside I somehow believe I am destined to do great things by making use of this knowledge in psychology. I just do not know what yet. I suppose this is something for me to figure out in the many months to come.

I remembered embarking on this journey in January 2020 when Covid-19 just started. I was excited to attend the weekend classes and doing my assignments. I was thrilled with the idea of crafting essays as I wanted to share my ideas and thought processes with my tutors. I loved the online library resources and I know I will miss this once my student account is terminated. The selection of journals and E-books were tremendous and insightful.

Even though Chatgpt was seeping into the world later on, I find that my ideas were somewhat more genuine and refreshing than the suggestions proposed by the AI. I suppose I am one of those ‘oldies’ who still stick to pen, paper and brain. After all, a wise person once said that we should be confident in our own cloud of ideas and thoughts. While AI seems convenient, shouldn’t we be proud that we were able to figure things out on our own? I second that opinion greatly. AI platforms are enticing. So are those ‘assignment helper’ accounts on social media. I actively removed and blocked these accounts on social media. Though a student may use AI to help generate ideas, I feel that as diligent and honest learners, one should be able to articulate these points in their own words properly. Only then would we know if we understand the theories or concepts accurately.

So what’s next?

I am tempted to further my studies in Organisational Psychology. However, I also have personal life milestones to pursue. My priorities are ever changing. I shall focus on my kerja hakiki for now and see where the flow takes me.