Mind.Wanders

Alhamdulillah, the world is slowly getting back to normal as we are transitioning into an endemic with Covid-19. My graduation ceremony, which was supposed to be held in summer of 2020 had been postponed to March 2022, and here we are, back in Sheffield for this very occasion. :)

To be honest, I was having mixed feeling about this graduation ceremony - partly because it seems surreal (and super exciting) to be back in the UK after all the travel restrictions we had to endure for 2 years, and also because it feels like I had 'graduated' from student life 2 years ago, just not officially, if you get what I mean. It's just a complicated feeling, haha. So it felt kind weird to be attending my graduation now, without the presence of my other PhD pals who weren't able to attend, as most have already moved on with their lives elsewhere, outside of Sheffield. Nonetheless, it was really nice to be back in Sheffield, to observe the familiar routine as as student at the University of Sheffield again. :')

In front of the Student's Union.

With one of my PhD colleagues and my good friend, Lauriane Suyin.

:')

With Frankie and Lauriane Suyin

My sister, who joined me in the graduation hall of The Octagon Centre, UoS.

My support system from the beginning of this journey <3

The IFLA World Congress is an annual landscape architecture conference held in different countries every year. In 2020, it was supposed to be held in Malaysia, but due to Covid-19, the event was held back and postponed to 2021. Even then, it became the first IFLA hybrid conference, with participants joining online while working committee members to be physically present on site to ease the event organization and coordination. 

The IFLA International Student Charrette was held on a virtual platform, where facilitators and participants joined in on a three-day workshop discussing environmental issues with 5 main themes; floods, waste, pollutions, urban heat islands and energy. Participants were instructed to analyze the situations and impacts of the themes given to each group and present their discussion and findings through any creative means of presentation. On the last day, the participants presented some very impactful and interesting insights on the topics despite the limited time (and interactions) they had since the workshop was conducted fully online. 

The participants consisted of students mainly with landscape architectural background from all over the world. One virtual group photo of the group that I was in charge with. Such a joyful bunch! :)

From the student charrette program, I was invited to become the moderator for one of the sessions for the IFLA Congress. This really came by surprised and I was not prepared for it at all! I was the last person join the committee team with only weeks away from the main event. Alhamdulillah, with very a supportive team and leaders, everything went smoothly and I had so much fun and really glad I was a part of it. 

The congress had an impressive line of speakers - very prominent in the landscape architecture field. A couple weeks before the congress, we had rehearsal sessions with the speakers, though this had to be done during odd timings due to the time differences from where some of them are from. Nonetheless, we had some really great casual chats getting to know the speakers, some I've only dreamt of 'meeting' - very lucky indeed!

If you studied landscape architecture, you must have been taught and read about or referred to Professor Martha Schwartz's designs. We even had late night chatting session with her the night before her actual session during the congress - very impactful and fruitful discussion on how landscape architecture can help with climate change - definitely not something that comes by often!

As I mentioned before, the congress were conducted in a hybrid mode; working committees and moderators on site in Georgetown, Penang and speakers in the respective countries. Each Satellite Hub (sessions according to theme/topic) were conducted on different days (4 days in total). 

Here are some photos from my moderating session during the congress. 

With Professor Richard Smardon (SUNY)

With Professor Laila ElMasry Stino (Cairo University Egypt)