a thankful heart among all

today, i graduated!

amidst the chaos of boring claps, emotional speech and song, crazy photo-taking and happy hugs, every moment was carefully saved and stored in my memory. just like the lyrics from Vitamin C's Graduation (Friends Forever),

But when we leave this year we won't be coming back
No more hanging out cause we're on a different track

sadly, but truly, everyone of us will be pursuing our own ambitions, traveling to different places and doing very different things. i cannot but help thinking about all the times i've had in SCI over these past 4 years. i've had memorable moments in secondary school and junior college, but nothing beats what i've went through these 4 years: the friends i've made; the lecturers/professors/tutors who have made an impact in my life by the words and advices spoken inside and out of classes; the orientation camps, stageOne performances, Homecoming, ISGs and club meetings; Loofs and Emancipation Nights; steamboats, bbqs and JB food trips, which never materialize; and countless project meetings, presentations, exams and lectures and tutorials that we've all attended and/or skipped together.

nothing can string together all these memories that i've had, which are obviously different for every CS individual but nonetheless, equally memorable and valuable. i dread to even imagine a gathering for everyone together after today, for it will not be the same again. i do not want to get emotional and cry my eyes dry, for it is a happy occasion; but neither do i want this very day to pass, for everyone is embarking on his/her own journey hereon. but i feel proud, for having withstood every challenge my professors had thrown at me, for having completed a 16-year long education that has been expected of me, and for having graduated as an unique CS individual that makes us so different from the rest of NTU (or so we choose to believe).

as the day comes to an end, excitement grows, for this is an exciting period of my life. what i choose to do from hereon, will ultimately decide the kind of life that lies ahead for me. BUT, putting all the excitement, the sadness, the happiness and the emotions aside, i want to be thankful.

thank you to my family for supporting me in everything i do, for being there for me and taking care of me, making sure i am always fighting fit (but fat). thank you to my friends for the joy and tears we've shed together over the past 4 years, for moulding me into the person i am today, for taking my lame jokes and for sharing my troubles when there's no one i can turn to. thank you to the few special people who have taken up a permanent place in my heart, for the memories i will never forget, for doing things for me that i will forever appreciate and remember, and for continuing to be a part of my life regardless of what happens. but most importantly, i want to thank GOD, for blessing me and opening doors for me, for His unwavering love for me, for always watching over me even though my heart had strayed, and for His forgiveness and for providing me with everything that i have asked for and more.


Vitamin C - Graduation (Friends Forever)

And so we talked all night about the rest of our lives
Where we're gonna be when we turn 25
I keep thinking times will never change
Keep on thinking things will always be the same
But when we leave this year we won't be coming back
No more hanging out cause we're on a different track
And if you got something that you need to say
You better say it right now cause you don't have another day

Cause we're moving on and we can't slow down
These memories are playing like a film without sound
And I keep thinking of that night in June
I didn't know much of love
But it came too soon
And there was me and you
And then we got real cool
Stay at home talking on the telephone with me
We'd get so excited, we'd get so scared
Laughing at ourselves thinking life's not fair
And this is how it feels

As we go on we remember
All the times we had together
And as our lives change
Come whatever
We will still be
Friends Forever

So if we get the big jobs
And we make the big money
When we look back now
Will our jokes still be funny?
Will we still remember everything we learned in school?
Still be trying to break every single rule
Will little brainy Bobby be the stockbroker man?
Can we ever find a job that won't interfere with a tan?
I keep, I keep thinking that it's not goodbye
Keep on thinking it's a time to fly
And this is how it feels

As we go on we remember
All the times we had together
And as our lives change
Come whatever
We will still be
Friends Forever

La, la, la, la
Yeah, yeah, yeah
La, la, la, la
We will still be friends forever

Will we think about tomorrow like we think about now?
Can we survive it out there?
Can we make it somehow?
I guess I thought that this would never end
And suddenly it's like we're women and men
Will the past be a shadow that will follow us 'round?
Will these memories fade when I leave this town
I keep, I keep thinking that it's not goodbye
Keep on thinking it's a time to fly

As we go on we remember
All the times we had together
And as our lives change
Come whatever
We will still be
Friends Forever


m.