The Season of Surprises and Decisions - Complete Post

I have lacked topics to blog on lately, caused undoubtedly by my excitement regarding my future in the UK. However, today I had an online conversation with someone and it triggered many thoughts which I feel can be shared.

I will not name this person out of respect. Those who recognise the person, I beg you to remain silent... I have absolutely no intentions other than revealing my thoughts on the subject.

She is a very good student, and very famous. Recently, she was offered a place in a faculty that rejected my application. It was a very handsome offer, with financial aid thrown in. I congratulated her on her offer, although I wondered what would happen if a certain other opportunity were to come her way. Sure enough, it did come. I heard of the decision she had made and even met her on Windows Live Messenger. I asked her if her decision was firm. She affirmed it. I then found myself hitting the Backspace key far more often than usual throughout the conversation i had with her.

I did not want to be a factor, however minute, in her decision. I wanted to stay absolutely neutral. But I found that remaining neutral stopped me from offering the advice I wanted to give as a friend. I contemplated it, and remained neutral still. Much as I might have agreed or disagreed with her decision, I determined not to let her know. However, I was still doubtful as to the balance between respecting a person's freedom of choice and advising the best course of action.

The power of someone's words and opinions are greater than we think. Possibly most people have had a decision influenced by others. I know. I have tasted the consequences of heeding and not heeding others' advice. And, possibly, I have arrived at what I wanted the most. I faltered along the way, but ultimately I was brought back. There were dilemmas and sacrifices on the way, but I ended up with one of my greatest desires placed back within my reach, even though I had thought it lost forever.

I believe in God. I believe in destiny, not fate, and supposedly not luck. But I do accept the concept of luck, just that I define it possibly a little different from the conventional.

"Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity." - taken from Adrian Lim's Messenger nickname

This is not exactly how I define luck, but the first time I saw this attached to his nick was right after I received news of the partial scholarship from JPA. And I have constantly thought of its relevance since then.

In my case, I did not really prepare for the UK. I just held on to the offer as tightly as I could. That wasn't preparation, it was instinct and possibly stubbornness. But the opportunity was certainly offered to me, and I got "lucky", so to speak.

Special Dedication to my friends from Form 5A (and 5B), and later on, all my friends who are heading to/in university:

I have recently been with my friends who did STPM, therefore they are now receiving their respective offers. This is the category of people which the earlier mentioned decisionmaker belongs to. Some of the offers they received make me feel confused as well as angry.

Confused because these people whom I have known for between three to seven years are good students. They are intelligent and diligent, and I know that their hardworking attitudes and moral upbringings are, I declare, SECOND TO NONE! I know many of them wanted (and indeed deserve) better things. But my friends did not receive what they deserved. I question. "Are they blind? Can't they see what kind of talents and great characters they are losing?"

Then comes the anger, because I consider that I have seen my fair share of talents that are not used to full potential. People who walked away from wonderful opportunities because of fear, complacency, pressure, reluctance to try. People who could have been great...... but are not, or will not be as good as they could be. Wasted and underdeveloped talents. Talents which could have been improved far beyond their current excellence, possibly beyond their wildest dreams...... but are not, thanks to certain factors. Some of them had indeed aspired to great things, but were not allowed to sustain hopes. I can at least understand a little if one's ambitions are hampered by a lack of finances, but not when their academic qualifications are not recognised!

My dear friends, although I am not at all satisfied with what some of you are going to embark on, I hope that your characters will prevail in the next half a decade. The values that attracted me to each of you during our school life... let them remain. I wish you all well, and no ill... I am proud of all of you... and I will see you again... someday, somehow, somewhere.

The song on this page is dedicated to all my friends (high school or JC) who are heading for uni, and to those who are already in university, take it as a belated dedication :P. It's not a new song, but I want it to hold true for us.

SMK Chung Hua Miri's Form 5A/2004 class monitor, signing off......