Pi Mai, Pi Mai, Tang Tu: A Monash
Alumni’s Tale of Progress
Maxine Lim
The process of writing this article started like any other
assignment back in the good old undergraduate days
of Monash – forgetting the looming deadline of the
submission, sheepishly asking for an extension and
then madly putting thoughts down to send it out. So
much for successfully “Adulting”.
What could I say about metamorphosis? Have I really
changed into something different? Ten years on, I
certainly feel rather the same – still a pupa waiting to
emerge as a fabled butterfly. I imagined this to look
like someone in a power suit, polished and dishing out
TedTalks like a pro (i.e., clearly someone who is not
me).
So, I dug into old university stuff – old assignments
that I kept. All to try and recall who the Undergraduate
Me was.
Then – 10 years back
Looking through my past papers was like
rediscovering a language I had forgotten I could speak.
Dr Pat’s citation reminders ▼
MSASS Alumni committee thinking and working
hard (Photos courtesy of Lim Zhen Hui) ▼
Did I really write and hand in a research proposal on
‘How Homosexual Men Appropriate Existing Public
Space in Bukit Bintang’s ‘Catwalk’ in Kuala Lumpur’s
City Centre for Sexual Interaction?’, and submit
a critical analysis on ‘The Relationship Between
the Romantic Idea of Authorship and Biographical
Criticism’? Damn.
I remembered writing assignments as being
excruciating activities but now they look rather
interesting.
There were always the lovely and kind comments from
lecturers like Ben (God bless him), reminders to source
citations (Dr Pat), the detailed constructive feedback
(Dr Helen) and, of course, the wonderfully salty
feedback from Dr Andrew, which everyone dreaded
receiving but secretly enjoyed reading. There were of
course, also the assignment extension slips – naturally
for Dr Andrew’s Authorship & Writing.
Ten years ago was also probably the last time I felt
remotely clever – except in Dr Patricia Goon’s Media
Text and Dr Andrew’s Authorship & Writing where
no one really feels clever and everyone is in
good company.
Looking back at the madness of chasing deadlines,
begging for extensions and doing whatever we did
back in the day, I don’t think we ever really sat back
to enjoy the process of discovering mind-blowing
theories and the joy of learning just for the heck of it.
Rather, it was usually niggling worries we had as
students as to how ‘useful’ all of these theories would
be in landing us a decent job later on.
65
I remembered
writing
assignments
as being
excruciating
activities but
now they
look rather
interesting.
At the amazing Ta Phrom site with
Dr Yeoh during ISO Siem Reap (2008). ▶