Commencement Graduation
Contribution by Celestine:
The day of my commencement whizzed by incredibly fast. I was actually experiencing dissonances and disappointment after the day itself, being unable to get to talk to everyone I wanted to talk to, and for those whom I did manage to grab ahold of to take pictures with, the inability to spend as much time as I’d like with them. I guess it amounts from having so much time to anticipate and think the day through, and when you have a full 3 years of life in NUS/Biz Ad that’s been eventful, enriching & wholesome in ways you’ve never expected, it then becomes natural that you’d expect the day of your commencement, one that marks the end of one unbelievable chapter in your life, to at least somehow match up to the momentousness of everything it’s supposed to conclude.
To all of my friends whom I had forged and strengthened friendships with while in Biz Ad, I wish I had the chance to meet everyone of them, both for them to be part of my special day, and for me to be part of theirs as well.
Murphy’s law manifested itself in incalculable ways during the day: from waking up late for my morning swim, having my handphone spontaneously breakdown the minute I stepped out of my house (I still have no idea till this day why or how that happened), losing all my phone contacts, taking a long time to flag down a cab, reaching the University Cultural Centre only at 2:35pm (40 minutes later than my desired time, leaving me with only 5 minutes to change into my gown, hood and mortar board and to get seated in the hall), to losing my favourite ring during the ceremony.
But honestly? All these little nitty-gritty become extraneous when you review the event from a multitude of perspectives. None of it comes to mind as I reflect back on the day, be it from my photographs or from my memories. The day may not have conformed 100% to what I had envisaged, but that does not negate the significance of everything that has transpired in my varsity life. Everything else fades away with time, but the fact that Biz Ad had been a major catalyst of my life does not.
At the end of the day, we have graduated :). And that's what truly matters.
My heartfelt congratulations to the Class of 2006 - Here's to the beginning of what's to come to our lives. :)
That's Celestine (right) and Patty (left; another lovely girl; scholar from Thailand (no kidding))!!