So the New Year has come and another year has passed. A friend asked me, over the past year, what have I learn? Did what I learn make me a better person? I wonder...
I learnt a lesson long ago about cherishing those around you, I guess that lesson has been reinforced again with the loss of my grandma... I never did spend enough time with her using all the stupid excuses of being too busy. Well, you can be busy, but work is never ending and time spent brightening up the life of another human being is never time wasted. With all the globalization, internet and all speeding our lives up, I guess a lesson all of us need to learn is never to lose sight of the most important things in your life. Is mugging for that grade A really more important than family time? I don't think so anymore.
Who are the ones important to me? Well... There are a few. I won't list them by name but I hope my actions speaks louder than words and you already know who you are. Well... though I don't like to list names, but two of them deserve special mention. My two brothers in arms, Kevin and Yihe. We've known each other for... 10 years. Never have I met people who understand me better than you do and I would trust you with my life. We may differ in opinions at times but yet it is through our differences that we better compliment each other. I'll just stop here before it gets too mushy but here's a simple thanks to you, for all you have taught me in my life.
Who are the ones important to me? Well... There are a few. I won't list them by name but I hope my actions speaks louder than words and you already know who you are. Well... though I don't like to list names, but two of them deserve special mention. My two brothers in arms, Kevin and Yihe. We've known each other for... 10 years. Never have I met people who understand me better than you do and I would trust you with my life. We may differ in opinions at times but yet it is through our differences that we better compliment each other. I'll just stop here before it gets too mushy but here's a simple thanks to you, for all you have taught me in my life.
There was also one I used to cherish, whose name I shall not mention. I'm sorry for keeping the hate so long, for not being able to forgive. When you took that first step to seek my forgiveness, I realize how I've been hating for far too long, remembering only the painful end and forgetting the good times that we shared. Thank you for the good times we spent, no matter how short it was and thank you for teaching me that holding hatred only brings pain to me and those around me. Though things did not work out for you and me, I hope you find happiness someday in someone who would hold the key to unlock your heart the way I could not.
Some people say between the selfish fighting for grades within University and busy timetables, it is difficult to find a true friend. However, I am glad that it has been proven wrong. I did find good friends in the University. I say friends because there is not only one, but a few of you and I cherish each and every one of you. In case you ever wondered, I shall leave the initials here and you recognise yourselves. PS, thanks for being there always when I needed someone to talk to and to share silence with me when I need it most. J, thanks for being my guide and lending me a listening ear whenever I needed sharp, insightful advice into the situations happening around me. S, thanks for bitching with me about common dislikes and likes, for reminding me that there will always be people who appreciate. E, thanks for sharing my weirdest obsession with building stuff and listening to my wildest ideas and lamest jokes. NY, you may not see this, but thanks for always choosing the right moments to appear when I needed someone to ask if I'm alright. I won't crumble but it is nice to know that people still care. Last but not least, H, thanks for sharing moments with me when I was at my weakest, when I just needed an outlet to talk to, to let my frustrations out. Perhaps I have not been the friend always there for you but if you need me, I'm but a call away.
Perhaps the most important I learnt this year was to cherish, to appreciate what I have rather than look at what I did not have. A person who is content is the happiest person be he a king or a pauper. It is only when we cherish what we have that we can find true happiness.
In this world there are so many people that we will meet. Some will become good friends, some will become buddies, some will just remain acquaintances while others I wish I never met. Aside from the friends, there will be those around us with ulterior aims and motives. Human politics, within family, within friends. Honestly, I never cared much for it but often times it is forced upon me due to me being a human, a social creature. What can I do? I can choose, to engage in it, using the experiences I've learnt painfully over the years, and perhaps I could even be a master of it having to deal with it since a very young age. Or I can choose to ignore it, to walk away from all this gaining of favor and false pretentious social interactions. To walk my path amongst those who choose to be sincere and true. In this new year, my resolution is to walk away. Away from the taunts, away from falsehood and present a more true self. Many have tried and many may say it is not possible but I believe I can try. It is way better than the alternative. However, don't think of my walking away as a weakness, as an inability to live in the life of cloak and daggers because if you try to exploit this "weakness", I promise you that I will show you that I do know my way around.
So in the new year, I resolve, to cherish my friends, to walk away from conflicts and to live a meaningful life.
Royston Tan
A person who is content is the happiest person be he a King or a pauper.
