Convocation 2016

Weehee yesterday's the day I finally convocate officially and it marks the end of 17 years of education!!

We started off with singing the national anthem. I realized this was the last time I was going to sing the national anthem as a student so I sang out loud to immerse in the experience lol.

So nervous walking down the stage! I was smiling with my mouth quivering LOL

Joce researched and found out that we were supposed to wear the motar board's tassel on the front right before graduation and flip it to front LEFT after receiving the diploma! 

Met the BFF right after the ceremony and we haven't flipped the tassel yet lol.

Received so much flowers from the supportive family and friends! I used to think that flowers were impractical but still basked in their glory for a bit yesterday :)

So grateful for family and friends that came down on a nice weekday morning to pulau ntu to support us! Thanks Ah Bong, Vivian and Jingqi! Bong kun even took leave to come see us TTTT so gandong 

I have a wonderful flower display at home now lol

Met up with the Taiwan roomies after that to snap photos! So difficult to gather as a group of 8 lol. Check out our nifty photo formation that we can form automatically after much training from exchange.

Time to reminisce the 17 long years of education! 

I remember the good old years of primary and secondary school to be a breeze, with helpful teachers making sure that everyone in class is doing okay. I remember physics class' Master Suria who has a knack for making physics really fun, math class' Mr Happy-go-Lucky Liu, Chem class' Mr Imran , Bio Class' Mrs Lim (I still rmb that particular class on human reproduction was sooo hilarious with 13 year olds asking the weirdest questions), GP Class' Jaryl who was a GP lifesaver, among many others who put in so much effort walking around the class to explain each person's queries. They made learning sooo incredibly enjoyable. 

That gradually changed in university where we are expected to be independent and quick learners. We are expected to be ready for each class by completing a tutorial on a completely new chapter, sometimes twice a week! And also for each module, to do a presentation on that particular topic (where all the answers are expected to be almost perfect) This was so stressful for me that I unfortunately had to give up my dance CCA in year 2. (Managerial accounting module, I'm looking at you, lol). 

Despite that, there were professors who managed to reach out to me and make learning less intimidating in uni. Especially OB Class' Prof Don and Accounting Class' Mrs Chan and Prof Tan. Sometimes it just takes a "good job" on one of the test scripts to charge me up to try harder next time! Also, I had awesome study buddies like Joce, Nic and Khoong who I could blast all my questions at when I was unsure. I really don't think that I could've gone through uni without your help and support!

Enactus was a tough but rewarding journey as I had the opportunity to co-lead my project •Brand with Love• with Jingwen. I got to have a close glimpse of how a social business works, and to see the challenges that revolve a business like marketing, creative design, client communications etc. I remember the sleepless nights thinking of which direction the business should be going and the joy when some clients placed orders with the social business. It must be really scary yet exhilarating to have your own business and I'm so lucky to have experienced being a small part of that. More important are the unforgettable friendships forged with amazing big-hearted people!

It was also through enactus that case budz was born!

Those scribbles at the bottom are our signatures LOL

Speaking of cases, I did enter a few of those with my case budz, and although we didn't win, it formed many unforgettable memories of persevering through the night to work on a common goal (though often distracted by fun stuff lol) 

I also had the chance to take part in Soul Funky for around a year and eventually perform in the Joint Dance Concert 2014! Never imagined I'll have the chance to perform a locking dance piece on stage! The memory of the non-stop audience cheering as we laid down in slow-mo (super ab workout) is still vivid in my mind :)

Despite how tough uni is, there were wonderful memories made and it definitely made me more prepared for the working world. It helped me learn to be more quick thinking and independent and to persevere through adversity. 

Though I really pray for providence of good colleagues and bosses who will help me through this journey!

Importance of fun and friends :)

After an intense 1 hour kpopx fitness session with Joce, we were thoroughly exhausted but wanted to master the song "I see the light" from tangled. The song has an intriguing harmony that we had always failed during kbox sessions thus far lol.

(Oh ya I must say the fitness class is really improving our stamina. In the first class we almost passed out but now can actually breathe while doing!! 1 hour of cardio is no joke though)

As part of our endeavor, we had to find a quiet corner to practice the harmonies... And we ended up stuck to a lone wall at Clementi bus interchange while listening to the song and practicing lol too unglam!!

After a few weird passerby stares, we made our way to the "creepy bridge", as named by Joce, but it really is the Rail mall haha. While swatting away mosquitoes, Joce practiced the male voice and I practiced the female voice for a whole hour!!

Reminded me of the good old times during A levels when we when to the most secluded part of school to sing (or rather, screech) and de-stress. It was our only outlet of fun in those days!

Anyways at railway mall, we left even though we haven't succeeded because workaholic Joce needs to go to teach tuition! 

In a mad rush back to joce's house for her to change, we decided to switch our singing parts, and viola, immediate success LOL. It was such a eureka and energizing moment!

Which brings me to the point of this entry, the importance of doing fun things with friends once in awhile. It definitely helps to have a non-judgmental and equally goofy BFF to have fun with. I can't imagine having so much self-entertainment fun with anyone else :) Work will soon be a huge part of our lives, and we will strive to work hard and of course, play hard! :)

Speaking of friends, it seems increasingly hard to get close to people. Does growing up means becoming more and more self-conscious? Reference to Joce's latest post, I guess it's really because we are afraid to put ourselves out there and risk being hurt when the person responds unfavourably. Lol, imagine how little self-consciousness I had when I was 13 to ask Joce "Can I be your friend?" when I first met her. 

To think about it in another way, putting myself out there had little to lose but a lot to gain :)

Now, to brainstorm how to put "Can I be your friend?" in a more socially acceptable manner for a 21 year old context... (╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻