Alhamdulillah 1 Oktober 2013 mencatat sejarah tersendiri. Mungkin bukan satu sejarah dunia, mungkin bukan juga sejarah negara. Yang pasti ia adalah satu sejarah penting dalam hidup saya dan keluarga :)
Maaf tajuk entri kali ini agak kontroversial, tapi itulah yang terdetik dalam fikiran saya hari ini.
Hari ini adalah hari konvokesyen saya dan sahabat-sahabat Sarjana Perubatan dari Universiti Malaya untuk tahun 2013. Alhamdulillah hari ini adalah hari ke dua sesi konvokesyen daripada 6 sesi yang akan berlangsung dari 30 September hingga 4 Oktober 2013. Seramai 4449 jumlah graduan telah dan akan diraikan sepanjang FESKUM kali ini (Festival Konvokesyen UM).
The excitement started about a month before the ceremony itself. Maklumlah konvokesyen terakhir saya adalah 9 tahun lalu di Ireland, few photos I shared with you in the previous entry.
A week before the ceremony, with the help of a few of my medical officer in Hospital Sungai Buloh, we chose a dress for my big day. Nothing new, just a nice yellow dress from previous occasions. I was trying to keep to my words to reduce unnecessary shopping.
During the rehearsal, baru perasan stage tu akan warna kuning! So last minute kena tukar plan, but my lovely friends from MRSM Jasin (we have a whatsapp group chat) and my MOs again, helped me chose another dress.
How excited I was?
I can't sleep the night before the rehearsal. It felt like my wedding day all over again! Honest!
Walaupun ada sedikit kesedihan kerana Ayah tak dapat bersama dalam upacara gilang gemilang ini, kerana hanya dua orang yang dibenarkan masuk, tetapi Mama mengajar saya satu pelajaran yang penting. She said, " We can never have it all. A give and take is a must in life. Both your parents were there for your undergraduate, now Mama & your husband will be here for your Masters degree convocation." In the midst of my excitement to celebrate my convocation, my dear mom taught me about "compromise". Subhanallah... :)
Kami bertolak seawal 6.30 pagi. Jam 7 pagi kami tiba di padang kawad PALAPES UM dan kami di bawa ke DTC dengan shuttle bus. Sampai sahaja di dewan, kami diminta bergerak ke ruang menunggu secepat mungkin.
Majlis bermula dengan perarakan masuk para graduan pada jam 8 pagi. Diiringi dengan alunan gamelan yang indah, perasaan berdebar bercampur bangga (Alhamdulillah) meresapi segenap pelusuk hati kecil. Terasa diri begitu istimewa, dilayan ibarat raja.
Duduk bersama graduan yang lain, disaksikan para ibu bapa dan pasangan yang menyokong setiap langkah kami dalam menempuh jangkawaktu pengajian sarjana yang mencabar, tiada kata mampu mengungkapkan rasa syukur yang tidak terhingga.
Raja Nazrin Shah, Raja Muda Perak selaku Pro-Canselor Universiti Malaya berarak masuk selepas barisan professor-professor yang menjadi tunjang kejayaan anak bangsa. Jauh berbeza dengan upacara konvokesyen di Ireland yang agak santai, konvokesyen ini sangat mengkagumkan atucara dan istiadatnya.
Seorang demi seorang graduan dipanggil menerima ijazah sarjana masing-masing. Fakulti Seni dan Fakulti Kejuruteraan mendahului majlis, dengan seramai lebih 400 orang berjubah ungu berkolar jingga meniti permaidani merah dan menerima skrol yang diidamkan.
Hati berdebar menanti giliran saya iaitu yang ke 509. Saya akan mendahului 8 sahabat lain yang menerima Sarjana Oftalmologi atau Kepakaran Mata.
Tatkala selesai graduan-graduan Fakulti Kejuruteraan diraikan, video mereka dirakamkan dengan iringan lagu Gemuruh oleh Faizal Tahir. Airmata bergenang, kerana lagu yang sama mengiringi saya ketika di pentas Hai-O, lagu ini juga bergema dalam Dewan Tuanku Canselor ketika saya bakal menerima ijazah saya.
Acara selingan adalah nyanyian lagu Syurga itu Di Bawah Telapak Kaki Ibu oleh suara merdu seorang pelajar Tahun Empat Fakulti Sains. Ramai hadirin yang menitiskan airmata. Lucu ketika itu, I was telling myself not to cry, lest I will smudge my mascara! Hahahaha.... Tapi airmata tak tertahan jua mengenangkan seorang ibu tua yang sedang menanti nama anaknya dipanggil di atas pentas... Itulah Mama tersayang..
Akhirnya saat dinanti tiba jua... How I felt? Like a million bucks! Priceless indeed.
The moment they called my name..
"SARJANA OFTALMOLOGI
AZLINDARITA @ AISYAH MOHD ABDULLAH"
That 15 seconds that I walked on the stage, that smile from Raja Nazrin, receiving the scroll from him, the walk down the stairs & on the red carpet, that SMS from hubby saying that Mama was crying when she saw me on stage. Priceless.. All thanks to Allah subhanahu wataala... ALHAMDULILLAH!
As we sit back at our seats, the videocamera was zooming to our school of graduands & the song "Standing In The Eyes of The World" by Ella, oh my I felt I was literally on cloud nine. Here's a short video of it:
The day was memorable indeed. If I have to choose a word to describe it, I'd choose "AWESOME".
Yes, we only walked on the stage for 15 seconds to receive that scroll, as a symbol of an acknowledgement of the four years of hard work and determination we had gone through. 15 seconds that puts you on centre stage and makes you feel that you are the most important person in the hall (and in the world!).
4 years of struggle, some takes longer time to complete the study, 3 major exams, months and months of sacrifices during the study period, the tears shed from the stress, the exhaustion from working, doing oncall, studying for exams, writing thesis AND having a responsibility as a wife/husband and parent back home, all at the same time. All that, being rewarded by a very memorable "pride & joy" moments, life changing, inspirational, prestigious (and yet humbling at the same time) 15 seconds? Yes ,a mere 15 second!
It is worth it? To me?
TOTALLY!
ALLAHU AKBAR!
(here are some of the pics taken by my husband. I will upload more pics once I get them from my hired photographer :)
 |
| My pillars of strengths, Mama & Hubby |
 |
| Ophtalmology Class of 2013 From left: Dr Tai Lai Yong, Dr Hah Moon Hing, Dr Gan Chee Chong, Dr Yew Yen Harn, me, Dr Siva, Dr Sunita Nair & Dr Lee Wei Wei |
 |
| Ophthalmology Class of 2013 this time with Dr Yeong Choo Mee |
 |
| Me with Wei Wei |
 |
| Me with study buddy Siva & his mom |
 |
| Can you believe this petite pretty lady is a General Surgeon, just like Miranda Bailey in Grey's Anatomy? Congrats Dr Nora! |
 |
| Depan DTC... last pic taken before our professional photographer arrived |
