Minutes to 7am : Edited

This post was edited since it was first posted up, and 2 new posts have been added below it, so do read :)

Changed my playlist!

Today will be my last day in Malaysia.

Every person's life is made up of a series of events which are often thought about in isolation, but when looked at from a distance, present a picture of ordered development seemingly composed by an unseen hand.

These events are more than simply results of decisions taken by a person to solve particular problems at particular times; they are more than isolated happenings: they are a reflection of that person's inherent nature, the attitude of his family members, the environment in which he lives, and the influence borne on him by those with whom he is in immediate contact.

One of the most important decisions that I have ever made to date was the decision to do A-Levels, and to do it at HELP. I feel that because of this decision, later in life I will not only reflect my innate nature but also the positive effects of what others (my friends, family, and many people I've crossed paths with over time) have done for me. I grew mentally and matured greatly over the "short" period of those 18 months. I have many to thank for that.

By and large my life has been (in spite of a few unfortunate happenings) a smooth and even one. This is probably because of the strength and character I acquired through my childhood, adolescence and the period of college where I gained the character and strength to face the rest of my life.


FIRSTLY :

As genetic traits implicitly (if not openly) affect the course of one's life, the first group I would like to thank is my family.

(Though I hope they don't read my blog.)

They've given me everything, and they have are sacrificing so much. My dad gives his all without saying a word, and my mom pushes aside her own needs and wants for her children. Their character, morals, and selflessness has made me a better person than I could ever be. And if I followed them even more precisely, I could be so much more. They know what I'm capable of and so pushed me to the maximum, and I'm finally thankful to them for that. My sister has always been supportive and remains so even though she didn't have the opportunity of being sent overseas like I have.

I am so happy that I have grown up in an almost perfect family environment. I don't want to call it perfect because then people will just think I'm exaggerating. Now I see and understand the rules I had to follow and the lessons I was taught. I now see how important it was that I had a stable and loving family environment, and that is the main reason I am who I am today.

In his autobiography, my great grandfather said, "When decisions do not work out, it can cause a certain degree of doubt and unsettlement in the individual. The only safe guard against such unsettlement is a sold foundation of steady sober and judiciously flexible upbringing."

I thank God I had them.


Secondly,

The one I thank the most is God. Thank you for giving me such a wonderful caring family, and such great friends and confidence and faith to weather the rare storms of sunny life. Thank you for always watching over me and being there for me and surrounding me with beaming individuals who love me. And I feel peace knowing you still will.


Finally,

Next up is the list :) My friends. Thank you so much for letting me be me. There are so many different shades of Ruwan - I'm a different person with every person I interact with, but I finally realise, I'm all of them and more. My friends stuck with me through thick and thin, made me a better person, taught me to live to the fullest and appreciate life, and the value of trust and openness.

From every different person I've had the greatest honour to meet, I've learnt something. And so I want to thank not only my closest friends, but also all the friends who I unfortunately do not have the opportunity to interact with all the time. In order of when I met them :

Ro Wern
Nicole
Boon Choon Ean
Kamen Liew
Christopher Loh
Ng Guak Bee
Jeremy Lim
Aina Fairus
Tengku Iqbal
Manpreet Kaur
Christine Hia
Nadia Tan
Ruth Chiah
Dush Ganeson
Azra Azizi
Sara Azadeh
Liew Ai Vyn
Gregory Tan
Harvey Wong
Lim Yar Sze
Putra Rezza
Stephanie Lim
Lim Ju-En
Sharifah Fadilah
Amalina Abdul Alim
Wong Tchen Terk
Azlin Ibrahim
Raymond See
Jonathan Wong
Lim Chin Siong
Chong Ian


Charmaine Goh
Koh Siew See
Brigitte Leong
Chua Ching Ching
Wong Mun Yee
Ang Yee Ping
Choo Jia Hui
Emy Mun
Nick Wong
Rachel Chin
Lim Seok Mei
Koo Ray Mun
Liew Shing Yun
Aaron Tang
Pearly Tan
Liew Lixia
Hannah Low
Divya Chandran
Boon Ian Sann
Yan Mei Chan
Chang Min Yang
Angeline Ang

Thank you for making my life so wonderful, and making me anticipate each coming day with such enthusiasm and joy. Thank you for putting up with my quirks, and for forgiving my mistakes.

I'm not dying, but I'm going to be 6400 miles away. I'll see some of you twice a year. Connections will be lost, friendships will be forgotten, memories will dull...but not on my end.

I'll always preserve, cherish and remember every single minute detail of my years here. Thank you all for helping me come into my own.

Don't forget to remember me.

When you look back on times we had I hope you smile
And know that through the good and through the bad
I was on your side when nobody could hold us down
We claimed the brightest star

Whenever you remember times gone by
Remember how we held our heads so high
When all this world was there for us
And we believe that we could touch the sky

Whenever you remember, I’ll be there
Remember how we reached that dream together
Whenever you remember

Talk to you when I'm over there :) Keep in touch. And I'll always be there for all of you :)

Goodbye....for now.