Graduation Night 2006

Tunku Kurshiah College Graduation (form five) Night 2006

I have always been proud to be branded as...

'Tu dia budak TKC!' (That is a TKC girl).

Taking this right off Datuk Rafiah Salim's (Vice Chancellor University of Malaya), mouth during her speech at the FormFive Graduation dinner, held on the 17th September, at Allson Klana,
Seremban, that is the sentiment all of us TKCians shared.


That lovely feeling of being able to give back to our alma mater was written all over our faces, Datuk Rafiah Salim (K Ah), Tg Azuan Tg Mohamed (K Tengku, Super principal Tunku Kurshiah college), Puan Sri Akmar Rashid (K Akmar, VP TKCOGA), Puan Noridah Ahmad (Che Nor, Asst Hon
Sec) and yours truly, all the five of us are TKC Old Girls. We congregated into the Vip holding room together with the other guests, En Abdul Ghafar Mahmud (Principal Asst Director Residential Director, Min of Education) and Puan Zaiton (En Ghafar's wife), Dato Hj Lamin Ismail (Deputy Chairman Parents-Teachers Association Tunku Kurshiah
College) and En Baharudin Hj Yusoff (Puan Tg Azuan's husband).



When the five OGs met, we embarassingly lost a bit of our decorum! Ha ha ha! Well, we sort of created a bit of a tiny (read: actually not that tiny, I was just being polite...ha ha ha) din, and somehow the
others understood, when Puan Sri Akmar (K
Akmar) sheepishly tried to explain how we TKCians are always not very quiet, when we get
together. After all, the other guests are used to this trait of TKCIans.



When the Vips were seated in the ballroom, an up-beat music was played by the Dj, as the 'special people' of the night, yes, the FormFive
girls, walked in, with beauty and grace, garbed in their most beautiful evening dress (we call it 'baju lip lap') with all the tasteful blings (clothes adorned with eye dazzling crystals)! The two teachers at my table, Che Gu Hashim (history teacher) and Cik Gu
Naemah (Asst Head Principal), could not recognize their own girls (as they were not in their usual uniform..ha ha ha).


Their girls were all transformed into 'Princesses' that night.

Datuk Rafiah gave a most motivating speech that night. She told the girls to dream BIG! She said they must not just dream to break the glass ceiling, for the seniors have broken that already. Wow! I so loved that statement. She went on telling the already jaw-dropped crowd, to not just desire of becoming mere scientists, but aspire to be Nobel Laureatte who discovered the cures for cancer for example. She also advocated that we should aspire to head a global conglomerate
or be the architect or engineer who will build the next tallest
building in the world or be the inventors and creators of the future.


There you have have it, a special ride of dreaming BIG with this
dynamic and no-nonsense, first female VC of University Malaya.


But before anything, she warned the already, adoring and over-awed crowd, of an anti climax! Datuk Rafiah told the girls that before anything, they must first dream BIG for their SPM and then afterwards decide their other BIG dreams. That drew laughter from the crowd.



To be honest, I was rather motivated as well, about the 'dream BIG' reminder. Funny, only recently I was reminded to dream BIG too by
Elizabeth Carlassare, author of dotcomdivas.net, at the Women's summit officiated by Dato Sharizat Jalil, held at Sime Darby Mont Kiara, on 24th Aug. It is never too late to dream BIG for anyone. After all, I can quote some high achievers who started late in their lives…I M Pei
(architect), Ray Kroc (Mc Donald), Gianni Agnelli (Fiat) and many others.


After the speeches by Puan Tg Azuan (Principal) and the Head Girl, dinner was served.


At dinner we had beautiful performances from the FormFive girls. There were singing, dancing and instrumental renditions. What is it that these girls are not capable of, one might ask? Such
multi-talented young adik2 (young TKCians). You do us proud adik2!

Ssh…there was to be a surprise!

This special surprise was only known amongst the very few of us.

I will let you into the history.

The day before, I had a date with the college debators and cik gu Carolyn Soo (English language teacher) for a photo shoot. When I just got off
the car, there was Puan Tengku Azuan, in front of the office.


It was fated that we should meet. We sat and talked and caught up with one another. Cik Carolyn then joined us too. In the midst of our
conversation, suddenly Puan Tengku was all wide eyed and had this great big idea, as we were chatting! It occurred to her, that very moment, what a great idea it would be, to have a 'Best-Dressed' award as an interesting event during the Graduation Night. 'It would
definitely be exciting for the girls', she said with wide warm smile on her face.

She looked at me long and hard…and I, knowingly, nodded. To be honest, I too shared her zeal and enthusiasm. I, of course, agreed to organize it for the college, even though the dinner was the next day. Hmm...it was a rush, but, what an honour to be part of history, as this was the beginning of yet, a future tradition.



On top of that I found out Puan Tengku had changed a few other things in the last two days as she herself just came back from an outstation
engagement. She felt that this was a special night for the FormFive graduates therefore, they must make a special grand entrance after the Vips were seated. I thought that was most magnanimous of Puan Tengku.

Well, Puan Tengku is not called 'Super Principal' for nothing. She certainly always has the well being of her students foremost on her mind.


That night an Adik that I got to know quite well during my involvement in the PPM debate preparation, Aainaa Kamila Baharuddin, received the Principal's Award for being an all rounder. She's a dynamite!


Raja Aisyah Maryam Raja Mufik Affandi went away with the 'Best Dressed' award. In my short speech on behalf of TKCOGA, before announcing the winner, I mentioned that we felt every girl that night deserved to be 'Best Dressed'. Everyone looked resplendant in their beautiful bajus (dresses). It was really difficult for K Akmar, CheNor and yours truly to pick just the one.


Of course the highlight of the night was when all 142 graduates, received their awaited certificates from Datuk Rafiah.

There were so many other awards, but rather too long to list all of them here.

I would say it is always fulfilling to be able to give back to our alma-mater.