Closing The Chapter

August 02, 2018

Yesterday, 1 August 2018, concludes my 16 years of education, including the last trying 4 years of economics school in NTU. I was never the most academically bright student, but I'm glad after all the hustle and struggles, it's finally my turn to throw the cap! Also, please catch your cap, else it's gonna dent when it lands, ouch.

University was not an easy path. First year, first semester was the best high time of my uni life but it also wrecked me the most. I was introduced to so many things, including clubs lol. I enjoyed everything, from the camps, the friends, the late nights and all the fun we had. Every other week we would be hitting the clubs, else it was just another all-nighter to indulge in liver-damage activities, not to study. It was so often, alcohol was like water. What used to be my favourite sour plum shots, I now cringe at them eversince I puked cause of it. I started to skip lessons as a result of my sleep cycle being compromised, wasn't even sure why I was even in school. I was literally young, dumb and broke.

Came year one semester two, I knew I had to get my shit together. Not that I completely stopped, but I definitely cut down a hell lot and eventually end the degen life. But this did not mean I appeared as frequently in school and I was a hall phantom. My friends had made comments how they barely see me in school. Truth was, at a point of time, I really detested going to school, I would rather be working my ass off elsewhere. What they don't tell you about university is that everyone is on their own. They only tell you about the fun part about hall, and that is if you do go for hall camps.

𝑁𝑜𝑛𝑒𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑠𝑠, 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑘 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑜𝑠𝑒 𝑤ℎ𝑜 𝑝𝑢𝑡 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑒𝑓𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑡 𝑡𝑜 𝑏𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑝𝑒𝑜𝑝𝑙𝑒 𝑡𝑜𝑔𝑒𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑒𝑙𝑓𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑝𝑎𝑐𝑘𝑠, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑎𝑙𝑠𝑜 𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑜𝑠𝑒 𝑤ℎ𝑜 𝑤𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑐ℎ𝑒𝑐𝑘 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝐼 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑜𝑘𝑎𝑦 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑅𝑒𝑑𝑜𝑥𝑜𝑛 𝑣𝑖𝑡𝑎𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑠, 𝑤ℎ𝑖𝑐ℎ 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑢𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑦 𝑒𝑥𝑝𝑖𝑟𝑒𝑑, 𝐼'𝑚 𝑞𝑢𝑖𝑡𝑒 𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑔𝑒𝑡𝑓𝑢𝑙. 𝑂ℎ, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑏𝑒𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑒 𝐼 𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑔𝑒𝑡, 𝑡ℎ𝑜𝑠𝑒 𝑚𝑎𝑔𝑔𝑖 𝑚𝑒𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑜𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑡𝑦 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑝𝑎𝑛𝑡𝑟𝑦 𝑡𝑜𝑜!

Any other free time out of lessons, I was either studying or working. I wanted to pay off my $50K study/tuition bank loan by the time I graduate to avoid the interest rolling as much as possible. Education is expensive goodness. Would have been $50k richer if not for this stupid piece of paper and society's stereotype.

Year three, was pretty sad because some of my good friends were gonna graduate, they were already in their final 3rd or 4th year. I moved out of hall after the first two years. On days that I get a lift, I would reach at 7+am and my study buddy would always without fail be there at one-stop study area at 8am to study together, we were so early, we grew sick of Mcdonald's breakfast. This was also the year where I volunteered to be a fake freshie for UOC camp, because I missed out UOC camp as a freshie. I was so glad I did, cause damn, was it nostalgic.

Things gradually changed. I attended almost every single lessons every week in my last year, despite a 2 hours journey. Probably got possessed overtime lmao. Some days I got lucky with a lift to school, so thank you too. But I was still disconnected from school that till today I have no idea whether Economics falls under Humanities or Social Sciences since its separation.

Fast forward 4 years later, it feels so surreal to be there on the stage with my fellow course mates, whom I'm so thankful for who have helped me in one way or another through this journey.

It's been a good run, 16 years of education. I'm so thankful for all the little things and all the people who appeared in these four years. Just a little sad that it's so difficult to keep up with friendships nowadays.

𝐻𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑏𝑒𝑒𝑛 𝑡𝑜 𝑎 𝑝𝑜𝑖𝑛𝑡 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑤𝑎𝑛𝑛𝑎 𝑐𝑎𝑡𝑐ℎ 𝑢𝑝 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑠𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝑝𝑒𝑜𝑝𝑙𝑒 𝑤ℎ𝑜𝑚 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑢𝑠𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑠ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑠𝑜 𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑦 𝑎𝑚𝑎𝑧𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑚𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑠 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ, 𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝑎𝑓𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑑 𝑖𝑡 𝑤𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑏𝑒 𝑎𝑤𝑘𝑤𝑎𝑟𝑑 𝑏𝑒𝑐𝑎𝑢𝑠𝑒 𝑦'𝑎𝑙𝑙 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑑𝑟𝑖𝑓𝑡𝑒𝑑?

Bittersweet thank you ♥