the grand dinner

Yeah, it was like a dream. I graduated from AUSMAT already (though I must mention that the official graduation ceremony was in August. Lol lawak eh?). What better thing to end your 1.5 years of a killer matriculation program than with an equally killer grand dinner? Awesomeness.

The dinner was held at the very majestic Empire Hotel. Theme was Grammy night, so there were a bunch of paparazzis taking pictures of us walking along the red carpet and on a Grammy-ish backdrop. Very Grammy, indeed. I must applaud the committee members for organising such an awesome night (despite all the things that happened prior to the event - not going to disclose that one XD). We were supposed to walk into the ballroom in pairs, and my partner for the night was, of course, Nemo (ape ko ingat ade ke mamat2 AUSMAT nak ajak aku jadik partner diorang? Kirim salam. "Tim yang selalu pakai baju hitam tu kan?" But not that I care anyway).

So I said I want to wear aristo. I wore aristo.

Jacket: Peace Collections (not Peace Now or Black Peace Now okeh), with buttons replaced

Blouse: My very old altered 'loli' blouse

Skirt: Handsewn the night before. Slept at 5 am for this.

Epic long petticoat: also handsewn

Jabot: Handsewn 3 hours before the dinner lol

Shoes (which you can't see here, but it's a pair of red velvet stilettos): A shop at Sungei Wang

Mini top hat: Altered, bought at My One Shop. God I'm going to miss that shop.

Also, I must tell you that before the event started, I bumped into Cikgu Hassan. He eyed me from head to toe, and with an inexplainable expression on his face (shocked? disgusted? 'apakah pakaian yang mengikut budaya sembah syaitan ini'?), he asked me "Ni pakaian jenis apa ni?". I was stunned and couldn't say a word, but I managed to blurt out " Uh, ah, ini aristocrat, Victorian style, uh..." and quickly find refuge inside the ballroom. Heh, if Laura and the Innocent Girl Connie can wear micro mini dresses, I can't see why am I not allowed to wear a modest, not form-fitting aristo outfit (itu nasib baik aku tak pakai lolita and boots, kalau tak mesti dia tanya "mana seluar awak?").

By the way, here's how me and my fiancée looked like to

gether (yeah, she said she was thinking of wearing sweet lolita with me, but not many people are courageous enough to wear lolita in public so there you go).

lol macam nak lari

And so the main event kicked off with a performance by AUSMAT's very own band, The Last 3 Letters. Syira's acting was brilliant, kalau audition jadik pelakon tu memang boleh sangat sangat lepas (ini serius). The performances were cool, too. I especially enjoy the Korean medley dances with Leong's sissy antics and whatnots. I was 'invited' to perform a few months back, but I decided not to because I want to eat my heart out without having to worry about performing, and because I don't think people (and Cikgu Hassan?) would appreciate a bunch of electronic noises while munching off their lamb chops lol.

yang ni pun boleh tahan, tapi kena interrupt kejap. what the eff korang tak bagitau aku jien lee main piano

Speaking of lamb chops, the food was AWESOME! Definitely worth RM80. Wished I had bigger stomach though, I only managed to eat one round of everything. There were lamb chops, baked macaroni, dory fish in tartar sauce (?), some cheesy potato thing, mixed vegetables, soto, pineapple and chicken salad, garden salad with coleslaw, bread n butter (super keras tapi sedap), blackcurrant and peach pudding, brownies, cheese cakes, apa lagi tak ingat kot. Sampai sekarang terngiang-ngiang lamb chop tu. I love western-tinged buffets like that.

takde gambar makanan, but enjoy the photo of me with my tablemates

Because it was Grammy-themed, the committee decided to give out a few awards to deserving students and lecturers. There were awards for the most innocent, stylo, talented, hot, Mr. and Ms AUSMAT and happy go lucky students, and the most popular and favourite lecturers. There were also a special award for Suria, the main person behind the awesome event, as well as the awards for best dressed peeps. I was nominated for Talented and Stylo, but of course I was not talented and stylo enough (talented = pandai nyanyi and main instruments, aku nyanyi tak sedap and the only instrument I play is FL Studio 9. Stylo = trendy coordinations using trendy brand items. Lolita is not trendy and BTSSB is not a trendy brand XD). Takpelah, tak kisah part tu, it's a popularity contest anyway and I'm not popular. But one thing though. How come Jepa dapat Most Talented Guy??? Jawab aku, jawab cepat.

By the way, look at the girl winning the Best Dressed award for the night, Salehana.

HEBAT!

The highlight of the event was a candlelight vigil ceremony (lol) for the lecturers. Lights were killed, everybody sat anxiously in the dark, before us candle bearers went in and surround the lecturers table with candlelights. Gave them roses and gifts, and let them blow out the candles. I didn't realize this one, but by that time people were actually crying, suddenly flooded with the memories from the past 1.5 years. The hard work, the perspirations, the tears, the significant moments, all wrapped into one night. Haha, okay I'm going to stop with that here, I'm not good at describing memories with words XD.

Before I forgot, we received our yearbook that night. The birth of my beloved child. The Yearbook Committee's pride and joy. I was proud to be a part of the yearbook team, as one of the graphic designers. Was even prouder when Prof Bib praised our efforts in front of everyone. "This is the original Facebook", she said. Kudos to my man Hong Seng for making it a success.

So yeah, grand dinner was grandiose, no doubt. The best ever in my life (haha, gaya macam pernah attend banyak grand dinner je doh). I shall cherish the memories of AUSMAT till the rest of my life.

Turns out, despite all those whines about the 'most difficult preparation program in INTEC' here, I found myself missing AUSMAT already. Well, missing the memories, certainly not the assignments and tests and quizzes. Hope my undergraduate years will be as awesome, if not better. Marilah Otago!

p/s: almost all photos were stolen from Suria. Some of them are mine, and my tagged photos

p/p/s: Illawong is the best!