Graduation

I have finally graduated – 3 golden years of my life just ended in a flurry. I must say that so many things have happened in the past 2 weeks that I have no idea where I should begin. Maybe the pictures below can summarise some of the feelings.

Christ's Singaporeans

My Night Buddies

The huge entourage

Parting shot

But yes, behind all the happy faces, and large grinning smiles, there’s so much more emotions to graduation than just elation. I remember telling SK on the first day of graduation (I think it was King’s ceremony) that I don’t understand why do people congratulate people when they graduate – if you think about it, congratulating people when they matriculate makes lots of sense as it marks the start of 3 wonderful years of your life, while graduation marks the end of it and also the beginning of the “real world”. What’s there to congratulate about it? Lol. Maybe I am an idealist, or some one who just refuses to accept the responsibilities of life that comes when you grow up.

Apart from this sombre truth, there’s actually another feeling of graduation which I have that is so indescribable. I was around last year for some of my seniors’ graduation and I felt really happy for them at their ceremonies. And this year, same as well, I also felt really happy for my friends during the ceremonies itself. But, our post-graduation activities (or pre-graduation activities) evoked a huge wave of sadness within me. Our nightly gatherings (often lasting till some god-forsaken hours), our emo sessions, our crazy activities, our endless nonsensical banter, hmmm, it’s something so special, so sad, and so memorable.

It is hard to summarise my feelings, but I do know 1 of the main reason why I am so sad with graduation is because I made quite a lot of close friends (what Kenrick termed the “brotherhood”) in the past 3 years (actually, I think I really got close with most people only in year 2 and year 3) that I feel really sad to leave them. Worse, my close group of friends happen to encompass people from Malaysia, Brunei, Hong Kong (there’s also Singapore), and even worse, we all have very different plans after graduation. Some will be staying in the UK for their graduate studies/career, some will be heading to Hong Kong for work, some will be returning home (wherever it may be). All in all, it does look really bleak as to whether we will ever meet up again, and enjoy each other’s company like we did in the past few years. Or, as what SK correctly pointed out, the next time we meet will most probably be at somebody’s wedding (which in my opinion, looks like its going to happen in just a few years time).

I guess I shouldn’t harp too much on all the sad things in life. Being an optimist, let me focus on the bright side of graduation. Having graduated, I guess its time for all of us to leave our comfort zone and to continue on with our own journey, and to strive on. I just hope that people will know that no matter what happens, there will always be a strong core group of friends that will always be there for you in times of need. With today’s world, a simple FB/MSN message/email will do, and I’m very sure people will respond. Also, a gentle reminder of where each other will also be greatly appreciated.

To me, the undergrad years is more than just about academic achievement (ok, I admit, I screwed up my final year results so I got nothing to be happy about), but it is really about the friendships that were made, and the acquaintances met. To all my dear friends whom I will sorely miss after university, good luck and may our paths cross again.