what just happened? 

today, i took the last two tests that i will take in my university life and possibly in my whole education journey. thankfully, they are modules that i enjoyed this past semester. it still feels pretty surreal that i'm pretty much done with university, with my 16 years of education. i just left my final year project presentation next week, so while i work every day for the rest of this week, i will have to squeeze in time to practice my speech as well. i think i will need time to digest this transition and let reality hit me - that i have finished one chapter of my life. university had been a wild but really fulfilling ride - i've had my fair share of ups and downs and gained many unforgettable experiences through the opportunities i've been given. 

here's to the future. 

all the love and till next time x 

in just a few weeks time, i will be concluding my 16-year long education journey. it's pretty insane to think about it - how fast time flies, how i have experienced the different education levels, and how i will soon be graduating from university and starting the work life. the past 16 years of education had definitely equipped me with a lot of theoretical knowledge that i usually forget once the exam is over, but the experiences that i have gained through joining different clubs and activities are definitely fond memories of my youth. being the nostalgic person that i am, i am typing this post with the intention of reminiscing the good old days (this makes me feel old) - days when i used to complain about the never ending deadlines and workload, days when i got to gain eye-opening experiences. 

primary school - my primary school is just a stone's throw away from where i stay but i always went to school as early as 6.30am in the morning when morning assembly only started at 7.10am. why did i not learn how to cherish the sleeping time i had when i could back then? i joined indian dance as my cca - something extremely new and different to me as i was also taking ballet lessons outside. many people i talk to can't really grasp their head around this idea, and frankly, sometimes i couldn't believe it either. they asked me why i joined this cca but i realised that i never really thought about it. one thing for sure though, is that i stayed because i enjoyed myself -  from the performances to the competitions that we joined, the opportunities to be able to perform grew my love for performing onstage. it was also in primary school when i took the plane for the first time to travel to china for a cultural exchange programme with the company of a group of close friends. while the memories from 11 years ago are pretty vague now, there are some scenes that i still remember - constantly getting over 90 for my math tests, playing ice-and-water during recess, and watching the ndp preview as a primary five student, among others. today, i still hear the school song during morning assembly on mondays and fridays, and i wish that i could be part of the cohort of students, back as a primary school kid. 

secondary school - while secondary school was only four years long, or short, those four years were the highlight of my education journey, the best days of my youth. being a member of international dance allowed me to perform for events big or small - this includes school celebration performances and large-scale performances like chingay parade and national day parade. while commitment for taking part in such events are high, fun memories were made and new friendships were forged. it is difficult to forget how we were eating kfc for our dinner almost every saturday, and the walk from the f1 building to the floating platform when we will wave to random performers. as a student councillor, there was an extra commitment to struggle, i get a sense of satisfaction when i see events carried out smoothly and when i observe my juniors enjoying the event we have planned. throughout the four years, i also had the opportunity to travel abroad a couple of times for leadership training camps, cohort camp and cultural exchange programmes. i really appreciate these opportunities given to me, allowing me to make new friends and learn new things about the world out there. thinking about it, i think i had a vibrant experience back in secondary school - i was an active member of my ccas and took up leadership positions, i grasped the chances to be able to take part in once-in-a-lifetime events and overseas trips, and i had close groups of friends who balanced out the workload and stress. i definitely do not miss putting on the seven buttons on our uniform every day, though! am very very grateful for the people i crossed paths with during these four years. 

junior college - a very short two years that i honestly do not have many fun memories of. highlights of junior college would include orientation and matriculation for the two years that i was involved in - as a newcomer, and as a senior. it was a week where friendships were forged, memories were made, voices were lost and we did everything but study. because the rest of the time was spent on studying. we had our project work and promos in our first year to study for and it was a mad rush to prepare for a levels once we started our second year. i am grateful to my friends who made all the studying a little bit more bearable. we were all going through the same thing - struggling to save our grades, and i'm glad we pulled through the two years together. it was no easy feat! 

university - the final lap of my education journey. i never through the four years would pass this quickly. in school, i got to take a variety of modules that exposed me to the various sectors in the communications industry, without having to churn out essays - typical of a CoHASS module. seven months of internship as part of our curriculum allowed me to, for the first time, experience what it is like to work in the pr industry and to experience first-hand the things that i learnt in school. staying in hall was one of the most memorable experiences in university to me. it was my first time staying out of home alone, and i learnt to be independent. through hall camp, i was warmly welcomed in the simpsons family, and made a bunch of great friends there - we still keep in contact and meet up even though we don't stay in hall anymore. staying in hall was a test of my discipline - to do my homework or not, to have supper or not, to pull an all-nighter or not. and i am thankful for the memories made in hall. i got the chance to embark on a semester-long exchange programme in busan, which was yet another eye-opening experience for me and taught me to be independent even more so this time as i was alone in a foreign country that speaks a foreign language. for the first time in my life, i climbed a mountain almost every week up to the dormitory when i missed the last bus, i was forced to step out of my comfort zone to make new friends, and i attended concerts for less than $100! i would never have traded this experience for anything else. 

as i write this post, i am grateful to have been brought up and received education in singapore. i was able to learn and experience so much growing up, and i am thankful for these opportunities. here's to the next chapter as i step foot into the working world. 

all the love and till next time x