Beauty and Fashion Habitué: I'm a Graduate! (WKWSCI Convocation Class of 2013)

Monday, July 29, 2013

I'm a Graduate! (WKWSCI Convocation Class of 2013)

OHYEAH I FINALLY GRADUATED FROM UNIVERSITY!!!

14 years of education in Singapore has finally concluded. It didn't start easy at all. My gosh. Thinking back, the process was really quite painful.

I came to Singapore not knowing a single word in English or Chinese. Basically I was a really unhappy 8-year-old in a foreign land. I had to leave my close friends and comfortable surroundings and immediately, I was sent to numerous tuitions. Back then, I had to stay in a host house. Although my mom was in Singapore, my tuition centre was at Parkway Parade, so she had no choice but to spend money on me living in a house full of other Indonesian kids. It was expensive okay. Like S$1000 a month expensive. Even though yes the house was really huge, but there were a lot of kids staying in the house.

Even though I was surrounded by other Indonesian kids, I didn't feel at home at all. Too many kids meant that I was constantly ignored. Moreover, I was a really ugly kid, so nobody really cared. Hence, instead of studying, I did the extreme opposite. I ignored my homework and became a thief. I stole so many things that belonged to other kids. All I wanted was attention. My stealing habit got so bad that all the other kids avoided me and they put all their valuables in a locker. I didn't steal because I wanted the things, I stole because I wanted people to look at me.

Then in 1999, I attended a true-blue heartland primary school (Ghim Moh Primary School). Oh dear gosh me, the first year was just as bad. By then, I could already converse in English, but once again I didn't really bother about my studies. In the end, I did well only in Mathematics and failed everything else.

Eventually I woke up but it was too late because I didn't get satisfactory PSLE score.

Then, I went to Choa Chu Kang Secondary School, and I must say that my secondary school years were one of my best years. I had great friends, great classmates and great teachers. Everything was awesome and I did really well for O Levels!

I was excited to go into a more branded school. Anderson Junior College was branded then because top-tier neighbourhood secondary school students would normally choose to go into AJC. I was ambitious, so I did that. It was definitely the wrong choice. Don't get me wrong. My friends and teachers were really amazing and I had fun. But, I really was terrible in Physics and Chemistry and I did Science stream in JC because my mom told me to do so. I did so badly that during prelims, I only passed General Paper and Economics. The rest was graded "U" and my percentile was single digits for those subjects that I failed.

Obviously I got really scared. I worked my ass off and I was able to pass A Levels with not so terrible grades.

I chose NTU - WKWSCI and I waited and waited and waited. The letter didn't come until a couple of weeks before the closing of the registration period. HOMG THANK YOU WKWSCI FOR GIVING ME THIS OPPORTUNITY.

My university years have been my most fruitful and most enjoyable years. I love how WKWSCI undergraduates know each other because the cohort is so small! I love everything about WKWSCI. Yes, some of the modules were tough and competition was crazy because everyone is so talented, but the process was very much satisfying.

Now that I have graduated, I'm embarking on a new chapter in life - MY CAREER.

To be frank, I kinda miss my school days. The grass is always greener on the other side, eh?

Nevertheless, YAY I AM A GRADUATE!! :)

My FYP mates are like family. We have heated arguments sometimes but we know everything will be okay the next time. Without them, I don't think I can survive my final year in WKWSCI so easily.

Thank you Mr Nielsen Ong, Kokky and Konkon. :')

YAY JAPAN TRAVEL BUDDIES. :) Cray Chay is my KPOP partner and we go crazy over stupid songs like EXO's Wolf. HAHAHAHA.

Thanks to my secondary school friends, Junyi, Lily and Mr Chung (yes we start wayyyy back hahaha) for coming and celebrating my convocation with me!!

Ah, what more can I say about Mr Chung? I'm not the most calm-headed and rational person to be with and this person has tolerated every of my flaws. Let's give him a round of applause for being the world's best boyfriend. :')

Bo! Or formally known as Dr. Jung YoungBo. Stats genius and a master at his specialisation. Our FYP wouldn't have gotten an A+ without his help! THANK YOU BO THANK YOU THANK YOU!!

Yay. I was super bloated during convocation but ohwell, smile and everything will be alright! Also, why are Marko and APH looking so glum? Dr D, on the other hand, smiled at EVERYONE. Also, thank you Dr D for remembering my name and calling me out for sneakily grabbing the last slice of cake during the graduation bash! A bit paiseh but I was so touched that he remembered my name! :')

I must of course thank my mom and my sis for coming! Family is always important when it comes to events like convocations!!

Of course, I cannot forget the Paverts. We used to be tight last time, but we chose different academic paths and hence we drifted apart from each other. However, at the end of the day, we know that we'll be there for each other. Going for FOC in 2009 was the best decision that I have ever made prior to university education!