August 6, 2005
Supplies!!!
Okay, I guess that (the title) was a rather lame impression of a chinese fella trying to give a surprise. And I had one lame surprise this week which I manage to find some time to share.
Yesterday (5th August 05), the Environmental Science Club of University Malaya had a little SPAS get-together-meeting-cum-party at the Rimba Ilmu. For those of you who don’t know what a Rimba Ilmu is, I’ve placed footnotes for your referal convenience.
I had taken courses heald at the Rimba Ilmu before and it’s heald in a very comfortable theather-room-cum-lecture hall. It has a nice fountain in the garden which is flanked by green houses on the slopes of the hill. Quite a scenic place to have a little party, yes?
As I arrived, I was greeted with puzzled faces as there’s no reception, caterer or even the lecturers at sight. About 20 something junior members loitering around, wondering if they are at the right venue.
As the minute hand moves, more and more people gathered and the crowd gets more and more restless. By 9.20 as I was about to give up hope and head home with my girlfriend, we were given news that the party is held INSIDE Rimba Ilmu.
The event is held in an open space inside a secondary forest which is part of the Rimba Ilmu botanical garden (a place city folks shy from). We had to track for atleast 3 minutes from the comfortable lectuer hall to the actual venue in the abyss of the botanical garden.
As if getting there isn’t bad enough, tall trees block the most needed breeze that i desperately need to cool off. Yes, i was literally drenched in my own sweat and I was wearing a warm maroon business shirt which don’t provide any help dispersing sweat and heat.
I had it easy, it’s the girls that suffered the most. The mosquitoes were having a buffet, feeding on the girls. I really pittied Grace since she wasn’t dressed for the occasion. Her short sleeved shirt and long thin skirt makes her a sitting duck for the savage mosquito to feed upon.
In that kind of condition, it didn’t take long for me to quit. The scorching heat, poorly prepared food, lame games, and a very bored girlfriend by my side made me throw in the towel. But, in this event, you cannot leave without proper permission. What I did? I sneaked out of course. I know that my name is already black-listed and there’s not an ounce of respect that I’ll be getting from the newcomers, but I don’t care. I could care less if they are going to minus my CGP, I’m not babysitting NooBs in the middle of a jungle.
Only if they have it some where else more civilized. Last year, they had it in a lab. Though serving food in a lab full of formalin perserved specimin is strongly discourageable, atleast there’s airconditioning and a proper place to rest our city folk heavy butts.
SPAS get-together-meeting-cum-party - SPAS(Sains Pengurusan Alam Sekitar) Environmental Management/Science annual party to help juniors bond with the seniors and lecturers via ice breakers, games, speaches and canteen catered food.
Rimba Ilmu - Established in 1974, Rimba Ilmu is Malaysia’s the first university botanical garden and occupies a core 40-ha site located within the University’s campus in Lembah Pantai, Kuala Lumpur. Rimba Ilmu was initially established out of the need to study and conserve the immense diversity of plant life found in the Malaysian tropical rain forest. As a result of this, the botanical garden is well planted and is also home to some of the most beautiful and rare types of the tropical plants.
