Before we all go separate ways

This post is dedicated to all 8Short

Just today I overheard a familiar face grunted about how she is going to die and fail her CA. Just how worried she was because she didn't finish revising her materials, or even if she did, she wouldn't understand any of them anyway.

And as we go through our University days, I am sure there will be more worries to contend with. From tests and exams, to lectures and tutorials, and to the extracurricular things outside school, we will never, and I'm not exaggerating, stop worrying about them. We will be consumed in our little world that we forget the beauty these four (or three, depending on your course) years have to offer. And it is a waste if you leave this compound not learning what I've learnt.

Between assignments to assignments, lectures to lectures, the most important lesson I've learnt from my professors is not thermodynamics or conservation of energy, but the simple insatiable crave for learning. While we are all fighting fire from deadlines to deadlines, the most important thing to remember is not the equations or numbers, but the process of learning. That when we graduate and are thrust into the real world, the same equations and numbers will not solve our problems. It is our ability to learn, to infer and to conclude that will keep us competitive and survive the dog eat dog world. Make it a point to learn, and not to just remember blindly. And as we grow older, do not stop learning, do not dread learning.

But the greatest lessons I've learnt in my University days are not taught in class. I've learnt the value of friendship. From the moment I stepped in Hall, and 'till the moment I leave, the most valuable asset I will take away is the friendship forged. That in times of distress, and in times of jubilant, the same friends are always there sharing the burden and the joy. I am sure you have the same sentiment. But as you rushed to your next lecture just now, did you notice the frown on your friend's face? Friendship works both way, that you have to keep you side of the bargain. So treasure the true friends you have now, forget the imposters, but most importantly, take some time off your busy day to connect with your friends. 'Cause really, he could be carrying the heaviest of burden, and you'd want to share that burden with him. That's what friends are for.

And in my days here, I have fought well and tasted both the sweet serenade of victory as well as the agony of crushing defeat. And have learnt to treat those two the same. Sometimes we focused too much on a failed relationship, or the thrashings from soccer last Saturday, or the test which we just flunk. Sometimes we let the perfect score in our project, or the victory over our nemesis team, or the praise from our professors go to our head. My best achievements are not the perfect score in tests, or being a top scorer in certain college, or having a CAP within a first class range. My best achievement is my ability to stand up and to face the challenges when I've fallen flat on my face. And this is a lesson learnt from the many falls I've experienced.

And I worry too. Sometimes unnecessarily. But I've learnt that for all the time spent worrying, the amount of effort expanded does not justify anything. That I could spend those times and efforts doing more constructive things. That instead of worrying if I'm gonna fail my exams, I could be focusing on making an effort not to fail them. That for all the worrying done, my real troubles are those that are unexpected. The kind that left you witless on an idle Tuesday. And that I cannot be prepared for, but always ready to face.

But the most humbling lesson I've learnt is to love, and to love always, deeply. Enough said.

So dear friends, as we finish up whatever is left in our University days, let us remember the friendship we share. That I am willing to listen, if you're willing to share. Let us not forget our drive to learn, from the South Park philosophy to the world philosophy. Let us worry less, and concentrate more on the things that really matter in our lives. Let us remember the victories we hand-in-hand brought home, and the defeats we faced with arms over each other's shoulders, and treat them both for nothing more than they are. And most important, let us love, and let us love truly and not be reckless with other people's heart.

As a parting shot, let us remember the days of our lives right here, right now.