Bittersweet Nostalgia

I have not only one, not two, but three..yes three opportunities to wear my graduation robe, which I'm sure I'll never wear again after tomorrow..Gosh, we practically had to run from one event to another. Man I feel important =p


Early in the morning, we attended the Pride Of Grady ceremony at the Classic Center. I was awarded the William Ray Scholarship at the event. The reception following was kinda embarrassing though...how so you may wonder? Yes I wondered too..We were served 2 huge plates of..star-shaped sugar cookies coated with sugar all over..yah...it was that bad..

So we headed to Downtown for a quick lunch and dashed to get a bouquet of flowers at granny's insistance. She said no girl should graduate without a bouquet of nice flowers =p Plus, it's also a gift from my cousins back home.

At 1pm, we returned promptly to the Classic Center for Grady College's convocation ceremony. I was pestered by anxiety the whole time as International Student Life's (ISL) Graduation ceremony was exactly an hour following this. And it meant a great deal for me to attend ISL's as all my closest friends and company would be there.

I have to say though Grady's ceremony was pretty grand with all the graduates seated on stage. After 2 long speeches, names were finally announced so that graduates can receive their Grady keychain as the key to graduation from the prestigious college.


Alas, my major was assigned to be the last batch to receive our keychain. My mind was spinning with ideas to run outta there as the clok ticks closer and closer to three. My cellphone kept vibrating as well as Allie continuously called to remind me to make a move. She also *tricked* me into believing that I was supposed to be presenting an award to Leigh, which I would delve into later...

So after careful deliberations, I decided I could wait no longer and cut in line so that I can grab mine and sprint out of there asap. Thus, I graciously slipped into the Telecomm major line and proceeded to receive my keychain nonchalantly. It took me a few more steps toward the stairs before I scurried out to fetch my car.

Fortunately my scrupulous master plan worked out perfectly. My mom and granny were waiting for me as I pulled in front of the Classic Center. From there, I sped to Memorial Ballroom as fast I as I could without getting a ticket.

Once we arrived, Allie was waiting for me with Laura's brother so that they could park my car somewhere without a summon. Gosh, I can't thank Allie enough for being such an awesome spot so that I could attend graduation. I pity my mom and granny though for having to dart here and there with me like a madwoman!


We made good with timing as I had a couple minutes to take a breather before I was supposed to give my speech. I wanted the opportunity badly so that I could thank my mom publicly for enabling me to realize and live my wildest dream. A couple drops of tear welled up in my eyes although I promised myself to not be a crybaby.


Nevertheless I felt better when my roommate told me she couldn't help but shed a few tears when listening to my speech. At least I wasn't the only baby..haha.. but really it's what matters when what you say means something to someone else.


Then came the craziest part of the ceremony. Apparently the part where I was supposed to present an award to Leigh turned out to be the other way around. Trust Victor to plot a scheme just to make sure I get there!

I was presented with the Saeba Mohammed Award for demonstrating leadership, academic and social qualities during my tenure as a student at UGA. I was genuinely taken by surprise and gratitude when Leigh announced I was the recipient for this year's award. Best still, the award comes with a scholarship award of an undisclosed amount yet!

Now the crybaby in me took charge again as I was a stone throw away from full-fledged gleeful welling up..haha =p Apparently all guests but the graduates were given a copy announcing the receipient along with my achievements. How tricky of ISL!!


I love my UGA/Malaysia sash. The colors just blend so well together making my robe a strikingly stunning ensemble. The reception following was warm and beautiful simultaneously. In all, I had the best time yet!!!