Lesson in Progress

My first post, Opportunity is Farcical explains why I believe that too much optimism is bad. I have always believed that despite my short-comings in acing exams, if I worked hard enough, there is nothing that I cannot achieve. From personal experience, this is not the case. My Physics mocks throughout my A-Levels have basically become like an experiment in a controlled environment.

Unit taken	Level of preparation	Result
1	A lot.	43/80
4	More than Unit 1	42/80
5	Almost none	41/80

Which brings to mind an equation...

So now children, what can we learn from this? Or more importantly, what have I learnt from this? Dear all, I am (note: present tense) learning to

PERSEVERE

There is a light at the end of this deep, dark, narrow tunnel. I know not if it be the sweet satisfaction of feeling the sun on my face, victoriously alive, or the light of an on-coming train. But persevere I shall.

When I was a wee lass of 16, I decided that I would pursue Architecture. At the age of 17, rearing to go, I applied for 2 scholarships; one at Taylor’s to do a Diploma in Architectural Technology, the other at HELP to do A-Levels. My friend got the previous, and I the latter. The next year, I did a 3 week internship at an architectural firm, and realized how difficult life was going to be, but still I pushed on. Now, with the prospect of studying Architecture in Malaysia, either at UM or Taylor’s, is not so hot. (Actually it is, the weather has been crazy, it’s been burning one moment, and pouring monsoon the next.)

Moreover, my father thinks I’m being anal, and that I do not know what I’m getting myself into. Do I want to step into a sewer containment tank to learn how it works? Liaise with obese contractors and stepping through the minefield that is a construction site? I’ve been there, it sucks. But I will if I must.

Nevertheless, not being able to afford to go overseas to do it is a blow, especially when all your friends are flying off to far and foreign places, while I’ll most likely be stuck in UM, taking 5 years to graduate with a degree. And I wonder, and am considering, perhaps yelling SCREW IT! To the sky, and run off to Singapore to do something boring. Like Sociology, or Economics, or maybe bounce back to Journalism.

But my aunt told me an absolutely inspirational story about herself. She could not afford to go to Form 6 because my grandparents couldn’t afford to send her. So she was the only one who was left behind while all the other’s progressed up a form.

Now, most of her friend’s are retired and bored, very few have a Masters; which my dear aunt does, or a CGPA of 3.65. Not bad for a bus driver's daughter, don't you think?

She is one of the people who inspires me.

So Persevere I shall! And I hope you do too.