Having grown up in the same place my entire life, Singapore is the place I truly know as home. As a result, for all 15 years of my life thus far, I have been immersed in a sense of familiarity. This even goes for the fact I’ve attended UWC since K2. This is most definitely not to say I haven’t stepped out of my comfort zone, but with every test, competition, trip or performance, I have known that at the end of the day I would be retreating to the familiarity of my normal life. The familiarity of the same home, people, routine. As I progress through each milestone of high school, I know that I’m inching closer to gaining complete agency in my life path and choices. The thing is, for the time being, I don’t have this path mapped out clearly in my head. I know I want to go into a field of work that I feel motivated in doing, however, I’m still struggling to pinpoint an aspiration. The same goes for the country I plan to live in, the thing I study, the experiences I grasp, and the list goes on. The only thing that gives me certainty is the fact that whatever I end up doing, I know I will pursue each experience or aspiration with determination, and strive to make my time worthwhile.
As I am a level 8 gymnast here at school, I’m aware that in order to progress and acquire new skills, balance has an integral part to play. This means integrating qualities such as strength or flexibility into all 4 apparatus – vault, beam bars, floor. It’s learning how to balance the time and effort spent on each apparatus/skill that is the key to advancing overall. The same goes for juggling between other aspects of my weekly routine: piano lessons, athletics practice, homework, family time, service, the many hours of gym training, and the list goes on. What I’ve come to realize through this is that amongst these core years of my upbringing, finding balance has been a central goal of mine, – even if a subconscious one. I’ve constantly tried to work my way around getting into a routine where I strive in all areas, but of course, it’s only proven to be more challenging as I’ve moved up through each year. In the same way, my priorities have rearranged themselves according to each stage of my life. One mantra I like to envision is ‘my priorities today are the results of tomorrow’, yet this ‘tomorrow’ still seems so foggy. S0 while the outcomes of the future still remain uncertain, today’s goal can only be to strive for a sense of well-rounded balance.
Although I have no clear long-term ambitions, I have set myself some vague personal goals for the foreseeable future. For now, I am dedicating time towards my studies and extracurriculars as I hope to receive good exam scores, aiming to head off to a good university abroad (probably the UK). As of right now, I’m not really leaning towards any particular career that may follow my university experience. Perhaps it may take on the form of a medical scientist, journalist, film composer, businesswoman, or psychologist. Evidently, each has very little in common on technical grounds, but it’s the skills and qualities I display that I will be able to carry through to each of my life choices. This encompasses characteristics not limited to leadership, outgoingness, principle, and ambition. My hope is that it will be these same qualities that will guide me in overcoming setbacks and growing as an individual. To name a goal in particular, in the years to come one target of mine is to control my nerves when going into piano exams or performances, rather than allowing them to control me, – as I tend to get overwhelmed in these times.
My first year of high school has seemed to slip by me, but this is not to say the memories I’ve accumulated have gone to waste. In fact, many of the traits I embody have stemmed just from these recent past experiences. I feel as though my growth has derived not from success, but rather from each personal defeat. I pay my thanks to the countless opportunities I’m exposed to, and I have no doubt they will guide me in a direction to where I want to be. Moving into Grade 10, I plan to make a consistent effort to actively look for interests and passions (both academic and extracurricular), all so I can get a better orientation moving out of my school life. While change is soon to be imminent, there is no doubt in me that a sense of familiarity is a good thing, at every stage in life. I believe associating ourselves with familiarities is an essential part of our identity. My personal hope moving forward is that new changes, opportunities, and experiences will become a different sense of familiarity in itself.