Every year has to come to an end regardless of how wonderful or how bad it was.
A quick revisit to my time capsules revealed that I have not made any new year resolutions for this year, so there isn't any need for me to weigh myself against a set list of resolution just to know if the year has been a good year or not. Fulfilling resolutions does not mean its a good year. A good year really means that its been good. Er...
Its been a good year for me. A really really good year. It has also been a year of changes for me. Changes are always exciting, they bring novelty into our lives and we are always excited by novelty. For me, my life took quite a number of turns in the year, with me leaving the military service, entering the university and multiple changes to my perspectives.
My stint in the military for the 1st half of the year was really good. Not only did I draw a sweet salary (of which I am still enjoying the fruits), I also gained an experience that could not be found anywhere else. Many great friendships were also formed during this period of time. I ORDed on a really nice note, with me feeling that I have gained everything I can from the service before embarking on the next phase of my life.
2nd half of the year started with what I call, "The Break". Its practically a 3 month break to refresh my mind before I go back to school again. I went to the church camp (which was absolutely refreshing) and also plugged myself in to help my region with the Chinese event. More importantly, I used this period of time to retune myself for university and to prepare to study again.
My 21st birthday also fell nicely in "The Break", allowing me time to plan and come up with a birthday party. The money left from the service was what allowed me to pull off what I feel is a costly event, which I felt was really important as that really meant that I need not burden my parents for something like that.
Then in comes university life. It started off pretty well. The period of retuning worked out just fine and I found myself fitting in just nice. Everything went at a pretty nice pace and I had the luxury to still feel my way around the areas that I was not familiar with. However, when the assignments started to pour in and the exams drew near, I began to feel the heat. I began to realise that 2 years without any academic activity really threw my brain into a freeze. I was having a cold start. Skills revolving essay writing completely escaped me and I found it really difficult to start writing anything academic at all.
My friends, whom I am absolutely grateful for, came in at just the right time to lend me a hand. Shu Ting, my counter-part from NUS in English Literature, re-taught me a few skillsets that I found was really essential for both writing and studying. Ying Hui provided me an idea for my politics term paper when I couldn't decide on what to write on. Lian Ah Lian was really kind and generous to invite me for study sessions at SMU when the exams drew near, sessions that I found was really good and focused. And of course, all my friends in NTU, Izzat, Hazwan, Michelle, Nadiah, Izzy, Adel, Hansen, they never fail to put the peer pressure on me to study, and sometimes to not study.
When the exams came, I was really apprehensive. The truth is, I totally didn't know what to expect. I haven't taken a single examination (other than military ones) in nearly 3 years and I have forgotten how it felt like. Besides, taking an examination in university is probably another matter entirely. But still, with God's strength and peer pressure to study really hard, I managed to pull it off.
The year ended on a sweet note. I got back my results just a day before the year closes. A GPA of 4.25 to kickstart the next semester really puts some of the motivation and drive back into me again. Although not a very fantastic result per se, its still encouraging that I managed to stretch past the 4.0 mark despite of the difficulties I faced. 4.0 was one of the targets I set for myself when the term started and I am really happy to have been able to achieve it! Now I have to see if I qualify for double major.
As I look back on the year, I must say God really placed these different things in my life perfectly. The timing of my military contract was impeccable, providing me a break before university that was just enough to refresh my mind. University was a plan that I never thought about. This one goes back to a really long time. 5 years ago.
It was 2004 and I just finished my 'O' Levels. I really didn't intend on going to JC, so I put Mass Comm at Ngee Ann as my first choice of institues to go to. A combination of the course's popularity and God's amazing humour, I found myself going to PJC instead. I stuck through JC and I began to see how this was God's chosen path for me all along. Well, cut the story short, here I am. I don't think I would have been in university had I went to polytechnic instead, but I will never know.
As I prepare myself to usher in 2010 (2010 seems so cool, you just have to say twenty-ten), I wonder if it is still needed to come up with a list resolutions. Resolutions are good, but you don't need them to have a good year. I'll just take what comes my way in my stride and make it a good year for myself. If there is any resolution that I want to make for next year, I want it to be a happy and a good year.
:D
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