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2020, a year that most of us was waiting for especially the 90’s kids. The hype about 2020 was all because we were taught during our younger days that Malaysia will be witnessing a self-sufficient industrialised nation including flying cars that is no where to be seen yet. Well to me, 2020 was a pretty good start and still going strong. This semester I was taking 8 subjects including both my core and elective. Yes! That was a lot of subjects for the first time in my degree life. Besides that, I was super packed with both my residential college and Indian Representative Council’s programmes. It is not easy to host two major programmes in between your studies yet this semester was definitely a remarkable one to me with a lot of lessons and learnings that I am ever grateful.

Every day was never enough for me, 24-hour cycle was like 24 minutes to me because I was running errands from attending classes in the morning, walking miles and places to get programme related works done, going out of campus to get funds and staying up till early in the morning for rehearsals. While I am typing this, I can never imagine how did I pulled off that period. There were days where I was extremely exhausted and could not even wake up for my morning classes the following day however my friend Kavena was truly a support system. She literally saw me every day how tired I was. Almost every day she gives me a wake up call or a wake up message just to check on me and to make sure I present in the class. When she sees me in the class first thing first, she will ask me ‘sis what time you slept yesterday?’. During lecture she keeps me awake and entertained not forgetting the little massages that is so soothing. After classes, while we walk back to our rooms that is when we share each other our routines, problems and works. She has been always there to hear me. I am eternally grateful to have a friend that is not only there to witness happiness but being present and sharing thoughts during my darker days too.

My parents were also one of my main support systems, they checked on me, paid visit and helped me to get rid of unwanted thoughts. With all their support I successfully completed the two main programmes. At the end of the day when I reflected back, all I see was the importance of balancing (I had to balance between my studies, works and commitments), to react wisely (I faced a lot of challenges daily but I did not react immediately, I pause to think and RESET to start freshly) and not to forget leadership skills that I worked on because an organisation works solely based on the leader. After all, a leader is one who knows the way, goes the way and shows the way – John C.Maxwell.

Upon completing that, I took a 2 day break.14th of March I travelled back home and that is when a huge turn over happened. Enjoyed the weekend at home and the Monday which I was supposed to get back to campus my lectures were changed to online mode because that is when the Covid-19 pandemic rose enormously in Malaysia. 18th of March officially whole Malaysia was put into a lockdown and there is me staying at home who just came back for the weekends.

Rushed back to the campus, picked up my books and some stuffs. Honestly, at that point of time we were all clueless how exactly the study mode will be. It was like a movie with no title. The management decided to continue the online mode studies. This was definitely a new experience to me because in my entire life I have never studied online. It was all about classrooms, teachers, books and the normal activities. The first few weeks I was clueless on how to feel about the situation but I always told myself; this too shall pass. Weeks went by as we adapted the online learning, 8 subjects and I was bombarded with heaps of assignments.

Since it was lockdown, the assessment was mostly group assignment based. Working in groups it always has 2 sides either you work with all of the same mindset or you work with people with different mindsets and characters. It was definitely challenging because each subject had more than 5 assignments and almost all of them were group based. It tested a lot of my patience, daily routines, sleep cycle and my eating habits were affected. Since all the assignments were given in a very short period of time, deadline was our greatest enemy. Although there were so many difficulties, I was always determined to get through this new normal. During this phase I came across many new things that I am always grateful for. It helped me test my acceptance level, how well I can accept things throughout the semester, I discovered that every hardship is a sign of good things coming in. I gained many new knowledges academically that I never came across and most importantly I worked with amazing teammates that was always there for each other throughout the semester.

Despite staying at different places, social media kept us connected and helped us complete our assignments. Everyday my sleep routine was affected because I had to stay up late complete my assignments, proofread, and edit. I was mentally and physically tired at that point of time yet my daily meditation kept control of myself. No matter what, I was always telling myself that this semester I have to get myself into the Dean’s List because that is my goal since the day one of my degree life unfortunately, I missed it three times. Every day was challenging but I took the challenge positively and worked really hard for it. Throughout this semester I realised how important sacrifice is to gain success. My heart was so light as I completed all my assignments whole-heartedly and the satisfaction was definitely beyond words to describe. At the end of day when my results came out, I was so happy to see that I actually scored well and most importantly I made it into the Dean’s List. All the hard-work paid off. I am always grateful for this lockdown period because despite the challenges I faced it helped me go beyond what I can and today I know the worth of myself better. Throughout this whole semester I am also grateful to Kavena because she taught me really a lot that was very beneficial and we were always there for each other throughout the semester. I am happy that both of us got through this semester. Thank You Kavena!

This semester was undoubtedly a roller coaster ride however, I am thanking the universe for the pause time given as I not only learned a lot but I ventured so many things about myself that is keeping me motivated to strive better in my upcoming semesters. The strongest quote that I believe in is – you attract your vibe. I believed I could do and I did it.

WHAT IS BEING HUMAN TO ME?

Being human to me is living the life you desire. In this life not all of our five fingers are same so as our desires. To me this moment given is a lifetime opportunity and I would like to take this opportunity to make it a life time experience. Being human it is important to respect others, accept what life has for us, enjoy, give space for new experience and always be happy. Growth happens in the space between ourselves and another. It’s where we learn to love, trust, risk, find our limits and push against them. Don’t be scared to open up to it. It’s where the wild, beautiful things are. Be positive of making new relationship with new people and open up your circle. Love with no expectations because at the end of the day when we leave this mother earth nothing owns us. As I live now, I cherish every single moment and working to be the best version of myself and that is what being human is to me.

Happiness starts with you, not with your relationships, not with your job, not with your money but with you
– Sadhguru