The Expected Surprise
Have you ever heard of the phrase ‘
expect the unexpected’? This phrase is very suitable to be used during a major
examination result announcement. Just last week, I went back to my hometown in
Seremban to collect my SPM result. The journey back home was very calm. Why?
Well, practically every passenger in that ETS train are my friends and they too
were as nervous as I am. In the train, we chatted about our seniors’ past
experience, laughed about the last day of examination and our hopes and dreams
after the result announcement. Yeah, sure everybody hoped for the best. But the
we remind each other that fate has been set and we have to prepare ourselves to
confront the future. That evening in the train, the majority of us read the
Yaasin surah, praying for the best. We know that our SPM result would determine
our potential, ambition, and future life.
So, on the morning of 23rd
of April 2012, I arrived home with my brother from Damansara. We had spent the
night staying up to finish work and depart for home at 3 am. The ride on the
highway in the morning with a sleepy driver was a terrible idea. Our Perodua
Kancil was moving from right to left at times, because my brother was very
sleepy. Thank God there were only us on that side of the road. Being a concerning
sister, I just kept supporting him and massage his shoulders and backs just to
ensure that we got home safely. And we did. Upon our arrival, I quickly prepare
to go to my school in Kuala Pilah, Negeri Sembilan. Later around 9am, we head
to Kuala Pilah. Through the whole journey, me, baba n my brother chatted about
post-spm. I was planning to pursue my undergraduate studies in biotechnology.
However, I was afraid that I would not get an A for my biology. My baba said
maybe I could just go on with my studies in UTP, and get my hands on
Engineering. There’s nothing wrong with UTP and engineering, it’s just that,
this field requires me to have a strong passion for mathematics which I don’t.
We discussed more on what scholarships could I get and where should I study.
Other than that, we also exchange experiences. Regarding that my baba was a
petronas scholar and he studied overseas, we had a lot to talk about. I would
love to follow in my parents footsteps of studying in the U.S.
Upon our arrival to school, the
atmosphere was relaxing. Seeing old friends meeting up after 4 months with
their new styles, shapes and stories to tell made me relax. The best part was I
met with my juniors. They swarmed around me. We hugged, kissed and took
pictures together. Sharing my 3 months experience and knowledge gained in UTP
had brought them wonders. Suddenly, some teachers came into the hall. I shook hands
with them and peeked at the papers they were holding. To my surprise, it was
the list of straight A’s candidates and I was one of them. Afterwards only the
teacher had noticed I was having a look. They tried to play a trick on me
saying that I got a B for my Bahasa Melayu paper. Though I already have a look
at the list, I was not 100% sure about what I saw. Almost bursting into tears,
the teacher told me, I succeeded. FUUUUHHH… That was a close one. Later on, the
principal came into the hall and the ceremony started. My brother asked me whether
am I confident that I’ll be called up onto the stage. I just smiled back and
nod. He had a confused expression on his face. Then, my name was called up. To
my surprise, I was the best female student! Finally, I my dreams of being the
number one girl in school, have become a reality. Now, I can pursue my dreams
of studying and becoming a lecturer in Biotechnology.
My perspective of life changed after
that moment. I had realized, no matter how great you are in sports, towards the
end, your academics would be the one that matters most and looked up by
everyone. I am not saying that we don’t need to be involved in co-curricular
activities. It’s just that we have to create a good balance between the two. So,
I had learned that when you’re studying, your effort alone would not be enough.
We must seek help and ask guidance from the Creator Himself. It is Him who
decides our future and we must seek guidance from Him. My experience during Spm
when I did istikharahs were very precious. He had guided me on what to study
and guided me to be with the right people at the right time. Amazingly, almost
every subject an d topic I studied, questions I have done, came out in the
exam. So, I am planning to do the same thing in the future, no matter where I go.
On the other hand, scholarships, matriculations, universities and many more
filled my mind. What to apply, when? How? Where are the best places to study? Am
io eligible for this and that etc. You can say that its was more stressful than
Spm itself. Just imagine this situation. I am a straight A student and I have
not applied anything other than PTPTN, while my other less fortunate friends
are gambling with fate by applying for scholarships that they merely pass the
qualifications. But I just ignored them and focused on my life in UTP. I have
decided to only follow what my parents say that are good for me, and not apply
blindly to scholarships and loans.
Back in UTP, I was very shock that
not all my peers had achieved good results. They were only a bunch of us. I
dare not to ask about their results. They put on their happy faces, but deep
inside I know that they are terribly worried about their future in UTP. A
minority of them decided to withdraw from UTP because of their family financial
status, while others wanted to pursue their studies in other fields of study. I
remained uncertain about my future in UTP. Want to be an engineer or a
biotechnologist. My love for UTP had bloomed since the day I arrived here. It
was very stressful a few days after the result announcement. But I pray
everyday that I would be guided in making all my decisions. Having a positive
attitude, keeping myself busy and joining religious sharing sessions had helped
me get through the days in UTP and hopefully all my life.
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