Last year

The amazing things I was taught last year:

1) Publishing my first ever article on NYE. It certainly had taught me that WRITING isn't just about HAVING FUN with WHAT you write. It's about having the ability to CONNECT WITH YOUR AUDIENCE, PATIENCE to write, COURAGE to express what you want to say, DETERMINATION to FINISH what you've started. Of course, WORD POWER and KNOWLEDGE come in handy too :)

2) Making mistakes is OKAY as long as you don't make the same mistake OVER and OVER again. - Related to point no. 1.

3) Meeting new people, making friends with some of the most bubbly exchange students. It was HELL SCARY at first because I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to understand them, or more specifically their (thick) accents. Initially thought that they were going to judge us especially if we're not fluent in the English language.  They  turned out to be QUITE a NICE bunch. :) They taught me what no textbook could teach me, what my parents have failed to teach me properly. But most of all, I learnt that they can be the most beautiful people ever. They'd be the ones to lift your spirits high, calm you when you're extremely nervous, tell you that everything's going to be alright. Pretty supportive, don't you think?

4) It's okay not to get Distinctions.
Life isn't all about grades. Well, of course they matter to some extent but last year, when I didn't get what I wanted, it was painful... brutal if you'd allow me to say so. Then again, I came back stronger the following semester, telling myself, I need a good break from the laptop sometimes... and I guess it paid off because I had MUCH better grades the second-half of the year :)