Malaysian Minister of Higher Education Visits Wellington

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On Sunday the 3rd of September, the Malaysian Minister of Higher Education, Dato' Mustapa bin Mohamed arrived at Wellington airport from Christchurch.
On Monday, 4th September, a welcoming event was scheduled to take place in the evening. The event was also a celebration of the 49th Malaysian Independence Day which passed not long ago on the 31 of August.

The preparations for the event started around one month before the actual day... I myself was involved in a humble part of the preparations... as 1 of the 4 Masters of Ceremony. We, the MCs, decided to run the whole event using solely the Malaysian Language, instead of using a combination of English & BM as suggested by the chairperson. I was a strong supporter for this even thou i knew tat i wud have to put in extra hardwork in practising and face the risk of embarrassment due to my lack of proficiency in the National Language.
True enough, during rehearsals & practices, i faced the stress of being criticised for sounding too Chinese... I was under pressure to speak more native-like.
I worked really hard... and i did not dissapoint...

The MCs were not the only ones working hard... the performers were dedicated to practicing: a choir composed of B.Ed. TESOL Cohort 2 students, Haz's poem recital & Shiela's guitar plucking
The technical crew were practicing coordination.
The slideshow crew collecting pictures for the slideshow, selecting songs for the show & compiling it all together into a 10min video clip.
Intan, the chairperson, working hard to keep everything together and staying her calm when things go wrong.
Auntie Rose, waltzing all over the place inspecting every detail & yelling to draw perfection from everyone of us...
Jz by looking at the preparation stage i can see that the night's event will be especially successful!
and i was proven right...

Majlis Sambutan Hari Kemerdekaan ke-49 bersama YB Dato' Mustapa bin Mohamed was a huge success!
I had the pleasure to listen to the Minister of Higher Education speak & also ask him a question.
I found him to be a gentle & kind person. He was also very approachable during the night & wud walk around listening & talking to everyone & anyone. I also found that he has got a heart for the poor & those in the rural areas.
His vision as the Minister of Higher Education is "Quality". He wishes to improve the quality of the Malaysian Education System. He talked about giving training to lecturers & improving infrastructure. He also talks a lot about improving situations in Sabah & Sarawak.
His is a good vision. Accompanied by faith & action, i can see no reason, for his ambition, to have no completion.

Here are some pictures from
Majlis Sambutan Hari Kemerdekaan ke-49
bersama YB Dato' Mustapa bin Mohamed...

Yang Berhormat Dato' Mustapa bin Mohamed Arrives

The Choir, Led by Hadi, Performs Wonderfully

Singing "Tanggal 31 Ogos" with the Minister


Haz (the opening poem reciter) &
the Masters of the Ceremony (From Right: Najib, Liz, Myself & Aimi)


Asking my Question to the Minister

The People who Made the Event a Success
(The Event Commitee Members)

Our IPBA Lecturers & PostGrads were there too!
(Picture Taken with Hygenus Lester, Far Right)

The Sweet Viloshini (Representative of B.Ed.TESOL Cohort 2) & I

The Intriguing Aimi, Myself & the Fair Liz

Intan (isnt she adorable?) & Ali
Finally...

P.I.M.P.

EXCELLENT WORK EVERYONE!!!Thanks for the awesome opportunity
to step out of my box & be MC in BM!

I'd also like to appologize for
any mistakes i made or feelings i've hurt...

GBU!!!

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