Graduation

20th July will be one of those days in my life that I look back upon with immense pride and fondness. It was the day of my graduation, a day that marked a closing of one highly memorable chapter of my life and the start of a new phase that promises to be just as exciting.



The day was highly charged with a mix of emotions. I woke up that morning all excited, nervous and determined to look perfect on my big day. Two hours of fussing over my hair, makeup and clothes later, I was on my way to university accompanied by my parents, looking just as gorgeous and grown-up as I wanted. The first thing I had to do when I arrived was to collect my academic gown, trencher and the pearl-white hood all graduating undergraduates wear. I swear, when I put the full regalia on, I felt utterly transformed. It's hard to describe, but I felt like I had indeed become the mature and confident young woman ready to take on the world that I always aspired to be. The nervousness about going onstage or making embarrassing mistakes was replaced by a cool confidence and fierce pride in myself.


The hours before the ceremony were spent taking many photos of myself and myself with my parents in various parts of the school. It was, most thankfully, a beautiful sunny day with a clear blue sky, perfect for photo-taking. We had fun taking photos, but there was an underlying anxiousness about being there in time at the designated venue for the big ceremony, so we reported half an hour early. My parents and two friends who I invited to attend my graduation then left to find seats in the hall and I went to join my fellow graduates.



We graduates were the stars of the day. We entered the hall in a long procession, and the audience erupted in cheers and flashes of camera lights. So this is what it feels like to be a celebrity, I thought to myself. An opening speech was made, the first batch of students went up to receive their scrolls, the valedictorian gave a speech, the presentation of scrolls resumed and all too soon, it was my turn. This is it, I told myself as I watched by the side of the stage as the person before me received her scroll. Some of the nervousness I felt in the morning returned, but before I knew it, I was walking across the stage towards the Chancellor upon hearing my name being called. We smiled, shook hands, and I received my scroll with both hands and thanks. My moment in the spotlight was over in less than a minute. I then proceeded to a desk at the back of the hall to collect the remaining documents, which included my academic transcript and certificate. On my way back to my seat, I caught sight of my parents and friends smiling and taking photos of me. I beamed and stopped for a moment to show them my scroll and documents. The ceremony ended with a speech by the guest-of-honour, an alumni member. His speech, which was basically about how success is a journey and not a destination, struck a chord in me the most. I could not help but shed a few tears. The graduates then left the hall in a procession, this time with the precious rewards of all those years of studying and learning clutched in our hands. By then, I was overwhelmed with rapture.



I didn't want to remove my full academic regalia. The gown, trencher and hood were all markers of my new status as a graduate, and I felt so mature and sure of myself when I had them on. I spent a long time after the ceremony taking as many photos with my friends and parents as I could, while I was still able to keep on my full academic regalia . I did crazy and playful poses, looked serious for the more formal shots, tossed my trencher into the air and caught it, and reveled in the festivity and joy of that very special day. All too soon, I had to take off my full academic regalia and return it. For a moment, it seemed like the magic of the day had faded a bit. Then my parents suggested we head to a popular cafe in my favourite suburb for an afternoon tea celebration, a suggestion that was well-received.



As we made our way to the cafe, the words from one my favourite songs, 'We Are Young' by the American band Fun and featuring Janelle Monáe, entered my mind:

"Tonight,
we are young.
So let's set the world on fire,
we can burn brighter
than the sun."

Yes, on my graduation day, a fire was lit in me and I shone brightly from within. I am now on the verge of starting a new chapter in my life, my Honours year, and may those flames of passion, pride and confidence continue to burn fiercely from within and propel me through the rest of my life.

Living in Brisbane

My parents will be visiting really soon, for the main purpose of attending my graduation (see previous post), but while they are here in Brisbane I do intend to show them around. A number of fellow international students studying in Brisbane have remarked that Brisbane is a boring place to live in. Well, I guess it's true in the sense that Brisbane, being only the third largest city in Australia, does not have the big city vibes and excitement that can be found in Sydney and Melbourne, which are probably the two best-known and popular Australian cities. Indeed, when I visited Melbourne with a couple of friends recently, I could sense a difference in the 'feel' of the two cities. Melbourne was bigger, more crowded and more urbanized. My visit to Melbourne was a very memorable and enjoyable one, but I did also find myself being glad to be back in Brisbane and missing good 'ol Brissie.

I for one do like to live in Brisbane. What I like best about Brisbane is that it has a good balance of the urban and the country. That is, Brisbane has a thriving city centre and financial heart, but there isn't an atmosphere of stress and fast-paced living that you often find in many other major cities around the world. People are generally laid back and know how to achieve work-life balance. Also, beyond the city centre, the various suburbs and neighbourhoods have a nice, peaceful community feel to them.

As for the criticism that Brisbane is boring, my response will be that interesting activities and lifestyles don't fall from the sky onto your laps. There are interesting things to see and do in Brisbane, you just have got to look out for them, sometimes by going off the beaten track. Notging ventured, nothing gained. I also think that any city or country will eventually get boring, especially if you finish all the must-sees and must-dos promoted by tourism campaigns. The next stage would then be to immerse yourself in the local life and learn to appreciate local culture.

I do have my favourite hangouts in Brisbane, particularly the suburbs of West End and Fortitute Valley. At the same time, I enjoy discovering new places to hang out, the most recent being the suburb of Paddington, which has many excellent cafes and is a good place to go for vintage shopping. A favourite activity of mine is to go out for a delicious weekend breakfast, which seems to be a popular thing to do among locals, aside from going to the pubs and clubs for a drink and watching a footy match. When my parents visit later this week, I am definitely going to show them Brisbane as I know and enjoy it, and hopefully they'll fall in love with this great city too.

June holidays!

Now that I'm completely done with my Bachelor degree, I've been soaking up the sweet, sweet freedom the June holidays bring by chilling out as much as I could.

First, some updates on myself: I will be graduating next week (gasp! so soon!) and am gearing up for the big day. My parents will be coming over from Singapore to be present on this special occasion. Unfortunately, my younger bro is unable to come as he is busy with schoolwork. After graduation, my Honours programme will begin! Yes, I have been informed that I met all the requirements to do my Honours and am looking forward to getting started :D

Meanwhile, I have been enjoying my precious free time as much as I can. Unlike previous holidays, I did not go back to Singapore to visit this time as I felt that it will be better to stay behind to settle the various Honours application stuff. Also, a few good friends of mine are graduating and returning to their home countries for good, and I wanted to spend time with them since we may not meet again. There's not a whole lot to do in Brisbane so I've given myself little projects to do over the holiday. My aim is to pursue my hobbies as much as I can now that I have free time, as I know the Honours programme is going to be a busy one. So far, I've completed Book 1 (Game of Thrones) of George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series and the Game of Thrones TV season 1, made Chinese steamed bao and pounded a new batch of Thai green curry paste, kept in touch with some people important to me, caught up with good pals of mine, ate at my favourite eateries and discovered new favourites, did some shopping, resumed manga-drawing and finally got a chance to travel to Melbourne! Yep, life is good, really good!

Keep an eye out for more posts, I'm hoping to blog more about my life in Brisbane :D