I decided to go alone. I expected the registration process to be a very long, boring and tedious process. Definitely not so suitable to bring little children along. 10 years ago I'd bring my parent along. Today I think I can manage all by myself.
When I first saw the UiTM campus, I found myself smiling alone. Standing proud at the university's entrance, the archway was like a shining beacon of hope giving lost travellers like me a second chance in life (wah Afif is so philosophical!)
Remind me to come early next time. The registration process was scheduled to start at 8:30 AM and I got there only 20 minutes after that and the queue was already like a mile long and there were at least a thousand people in line. I really should have come at 8:00 or earlier.
I didn't see anyone I know plus it's too crowded anyway. The program took place at the Dewan Sri Budiman and the annexe building. They also did some H1N1 screening at the entrance. Not very effective though I think because they basically ask whether you had a flu or not. If you answer no, they'll stick a little green sticker on your cloth. Like that's gonna do any good. If somebody did carry that virus around, we're all screwed today.
We had to queue to 8 different counters from beginning to end. I spent about an hour at the EPF (KWSP) counter to get that confirmation letter from the university. In the beginning there were 2 staff manning the counter but just when it was about to be my turn, one of them changed to another counter leaving this poor lady all by herself. I don't know where's the screwed logic in doing that especially when the EPF counter is amongst the busiest counter inside the hall.
We queued under a shade, in a crowded hall and also under the burning sun to get our documents sorted out. I think not my bringing my family along is definitely the right decision. The kids would have ran riot around this place. That said, I did saw a few brave parent including one mother dragging their kids along.
By noon my back has started to ache for standing too long and I really needed a toilet break. So I took some time out from all the queuing and had lunch which was provided free for the students. I call it the insincere menu (menu tak ikhlas) because the rice was so little and so was the vegetable, beef and chicken. It's great if you're on diet or something but for the rest of us, it's quite pathetic. I thinks somebody made a handsome profit catering for this event today.
Next was the photography for the student card session. I think I overdressed for the occasion. I wore a chequered pink shirt and black trousers, tucked in some more. Some people just showed up with their t-shirt and jeans on. But then, they'll have to wear an ugly blazer for this photography session.
This is the last counter that we had to go to hand over some final documents. It was already 1:00 PM when I finally finished queueing. After that I went to the surau to pray and get some rest.
You know any government function would not be complete without hearing a few speeches from the VIPs. That was the final agenda for the day followed by a briefing and a Q&A session. And so the day has come to the end. My ahem, class will start next month, July 19th to be exact at INTEC in section 17, Shah Alam. The good news is my class is only once a month, 3 times a semester. The not so good news is, they'll be my new routine for the next 4 years! Goodness, I could have a new kid by then. Apparently I was not the only one surprised there.But it's okay, I'm ready for anything. 4 years or not I must make this happen. This time no more fooling around and it's hard work all the way. I'm so pepped up and raring to go. Alright, I think that's it for now. I need to go memorize the song UiTM di hatiku before my next class haw-haw!
