Graduate

In 2011, after SPM, I got my very first handphone. In 2013, after STPM, I got my very first smartphone. Therefore prior to obtaining these phones, I used what I had at my disposal to record memories - my brain. This is why I am highly sentimental. My brain contains everything. I meticulously record every journey, every part of my life in my brain, with absolutely no reliance on any technology. I record by remembering and writing. That makes me particular exceptional - I openly confess my feelings without shame, and I could recall a lot of past events normal people could not, right from primary to....now.

And this too contributes to my particularly active senses. My senses are hyperactive, and right now even while I am typing this I can recall greatly and vividly those things that happened in the past. I could feel and remember how tired I was in the school. I could remember the feeling of my sweaty shirt sticking to my back. I could remember the hot steering wheel of my car after school. I could remember the scent of the food in my canteen et cetera.

And this is why I am easily triggered whenever I come across something pertaining to my past. How can I tell my brain, which is my camera and cam-recorder, not to replay an event when the play button is hit?

University life has its fun, but admit it - secondary school is still the best. The life is simple. Stressful, yes, but simple and fun. Adolescence is a nice period where you don't get too mature and enjoy fun like children, but then you are not too childish to naively just play - you invent games, you find partners, and you prank.

Secondary school too functions as a partial shield. It provides substantial shield to the students that protect them from certain unforgiving incidents. Students are well protected from the ugliness of the society, to the point they consider school as "oppressive" although a school merely provides temporary shelter. The school allows you to make all sorts of mistakes without the students bearing terrible consequences. The worst you could land yourself was meeting parents or getting expelled, it's still better than getting fired and losing all your financial support when you're working. 

University is different. It has its fun, but without a class, without classmates, without your own tables and chairs and without a fix classroom and a form teacher, everything is different. In high school, handphones are forbidden. Hence, you forge relationships with friends by emotional bonds. In university, when people have nothing to do, they don't take the initiative to talk, they get themselves buried in their phone.

So videos about graduation start circulating on facebook, I came across this video, which literally brought me to tears. Trust me when I say I would give everything back to go back to secondary school, because I really do.

What people say are true: a school is a cruel place that binds people with a robust bond, only to forcefully separate them when time is up.

For those graduating soon, appreciate the remaining days. No matter how much you hate it now, no matter how much fun you think you'll have in the next stage of your life, you'll miss it badly in the future. For those who still have years to go, enjoy your school life. It's awesome.

Happy graduation!