Just got home from an advanced birthday bash! Apparently, my family has been plotting behind my back all this while planning a surprise birthday party. Grr!

Over the years, I’ve somewhat grown to not like surprise parties because argh, I could never pull an elegant “surprised” face for the camera, plus I always feel that sense of “why didn’t I see that coming?” Haha. And because I always plan surprise parties for others, it has somewhat grown rather cliched.

But this one was wonderful! The blueberry cheese birthday cake with what I assumed 23 candles came last! And of course the highlight of the night was that, it was a mini convocation!

There’s the birthday girl still dazed while being dressed by bestfriends in the official BA Education (TESL) robe (coincidentally coloured turquoise and rose)

A mini convocation! I had 2 lecturers, 2 deans, 1 AR, my coursemates (well, what’s left of us anyway), and all that was missing was His Majesty actually giving me my degree certificate! (I sort of wish he was also invited via Facebook, as was everyone!)

With the beloved Department of English Language and Applied Linguistics, part of TESL 2004-2008, representative of TESL 2006-2009, Dean of Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences and Dean of Hal Ehwal Pelajar. 🙂

I was lured into the trap on the pretense of a quiet birthday dinner with the Boipren. I knew a surprise was waiting when he refused to go into the restaurant first! Hahaha. And yes, there was my darling family, like ALL of them, babies and all, even Tari the maid was in on it.

Here’s everybody! My dad sleepy. 😛

Little did I know behind a cream coloured sliding door my friends, coursemates and lecturers lay in wait (in their graduation robes) to pounce and say “SURPRISE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” (Trust me, it was very loud)

With my bestfriends!

I was speechless! When the crowd demanded a speech I could only concoct like… “………………..mmmmhhhrhhh…………..” or something of the sort. I really didn’t know what to say without losing my composure. 🙂

So we sat down and ate over much joy and laughter! Then after eating came dessert!

Two cheesy cakes!

I told you the birthday cake came last. 🙂 We had loads of fun with Donovan’s magic mic karaoke machine singing idiot and sexually ambiguous songs such as YMCA, I Want To Break Free, Lady Marmalade, Bohemian Rhapsody, and of course the star of the night, YELLOW SUBMARINE.

Much fun ensued later with how-could-we-not-see-that-he-was-a-Queen, Dr Prema’s Gynaecological Clinic, and of course Guiyang stories, and August‘s PhD robe and some Oxford tradition to do with lecturers and tails, which reminds me, my “scroll” is still in your robe August.

Thank you all for the mini convocation ceremony! I really really appreciate the effort from the robes and all to the salt and pepper squid. Love, love you all!

To my TESL 2004-2008, Chester, Hane (both there) and Bobby, Faezah, Fifie, Le Rissa and Sera (not present), it has been a pleasure being in the same ship as you lot the past 4 years and I especially would like to mention my quintessential kampong girl, Fizah, who was absent tonight but I wish was there, a person without which my TESL years would have been a lot less fun (and less frivolous).