27.7.12

Graduation.

I've said that I would share my graduation photos when they're done being edited... 
And here they are!

Thank you Suan, for rushing down to help us with this!
So super grateful!
:)

The people closest to my heart.

(Xiaobai looks super cute here OMGADZ.)








I thought it was just going to be a casual photoshoot,
because we would be doing another one next year once Jolene graduates.

But I was very touched (and surprised) that my parents made special efforts to look good for the photoshoot.
Especially my dad since he's one who loathes having his photos taken.
They both had their hair done and fussed for several days about what outfit to wear.
So cute them.
:)

It is also really rare to see my dad smiling in almost every single picture!
His expressions are usually -_- in photos.
Really!



From the bottom-est of my heart,
I really love and thank my parents for bringing me up the best that they can,
never depriving me of anything material when I was growing up,
showering as much love and concern for me and my sisters.
Even though we often don't see eye to eye on certain issues,
but I always know that they want the best for me and that they also want me to be the best that I can.

Unlike most parents who would prefer their children to have secured jobs after graduation,
they are so, so extremely supportive of me doing whatever it is I'm doing now.

It is not the most conventional route, running my own business.
So I'm really glad that despite their initial objections,
they have now come to terms with it and are actually happy that I have achieved a small success with some results to show now.


I often get questions like 'What motivates you to run your own business?'
And my parents are part of the answer as to what motivates me.


My dad has been his own boss since he was 17,
and I really admire his drive in running his own business.
To me, my dad will always be my best inspiration.
He's smart, tough, capable, hardworking, determined, driven and everything I hope to be.

My mum is the best mum anyone can hope to have.
She is forever fussing over us like we're still kids,
worried that we might not eat our meals regularly,
or not have enough money to spend when we're out.
She does so many little things for us it's impossible to list everything out.
All these on top of helping my dad run their business,
my mum is really a superwoman!


It never hit me how aged they've become until I was editing these photos.
All the lines and wrinkles etched from their worries and frustrations from over the years of bringing us up.

It's like in our minds, our parents are super human beings who will never grow old.
But they do.
As we grow up, they grow old.

I hope that TTR continues to thrive so that they can retire with a peace of mind soon.
Then maybe we can do a family overseas trip!
:)



My dearest sisters who are ever supportive and loving,
thank you for the laughter and joy every single day of my life.

I hope you both graduate soon too,
and make dad and mum proud!



The cutie pie and spoilt princess at home.
Hehe.
Love you forever!


And this is me, in my graduation robe.

I'm finally a graduate!
Cannot be any happier, really.
Definitely a significant milestone in my life.

University is the toughest part of my entire school life because I was juggling work and studies at the same time.
It wasn't as easy as I thought.
And because I breezed through primary school, secondary school and jc,
I kind of expected my university life to be like that too.
And I was so, so wrong.

It was alright at the start, when TTR had just begun.
But during the period when TTR got busy, and school got busy,
it was so impossible that until now I don't know how I got past that period.
Everyday was a mad, crazy rush from the moment I open my eyes.

I was far from the model student in university because I would always not know what was going on in school.
I skipped classes just to work on TTR, be it mailing parcels or doing photoshoots.
TTR would always be a priority compared to studies for me.
I lost track so horribly that I failed a couple of modules and had to retake them.
Until now I am still confused about the bidding system.
I would miss tests because I forgot about them.
The most classic incident was when I forgot to bring my book for an open book exam.
But I still did quite okay for that exam if you're wondering, haha.

It's really a wonder that I'm still able to graduate.
OMG.
Such a fail student please.

There were so many times I wanted to give up and defer my studies for a semester or two,
but I know that if I did that,
I would never have gone back to studying.
And my dad would kill me, hahaha.

Decided to pull up my socks and put in more effort for my last semester,
so I still managed to graduate with a decent looking CAP score in the end.
(Please do not ask me about it though, LOL.)


I have never blogged so openly about my studies before,
and if you're those who happen to do extremely well in university, don't judge.
But after much thought I've decided to write this on my blog.

Hopefully this can be an encouragement for students out there who might not be doing so well in school now.
I think it is quite hard to find someone as lost as me in university,
so don't fret.
As long as you're not worse than me,
you'll most probably be able to graduate.
Hahaha.
Almost cried tears of relief when I received the graduation notice from NUS please.


I took a degree in Business Administration,
but until now I have yet to find that it really helps me in running my own business even though it is supposedly a degree which is the most related.
What I learnt though, is that the value of an education is not about the end result.
It's the journey.
The journey which shapes me into who I am today.


I'm awfully sorry for the lengthy post,
especially if you're not one to enjoy such entries.
But I think my graduation definitely deserves a post like such after all the difficulties I went through.
;)


And I shall end this post with my favourite quote on education:
The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you. - B.B. King