Destiny's Child == Me;

As I reach the supposed midway point in my tertiary life, I'm gonna slow down just this bit to reflect on what I've become -- and what I've achieved.

Some twelve months ago, I was a nervous wreck -- prepping for the CS1102C exams and churning out pages after pages of code. C++ code, at that. Now I can't even remember a single C++ function with clarity. Regression, looping ([i++;][j++];) and the omnipresent printf function, hell, even the formatting which I was so very anal about... it's all gone. Zilch. Nothing. It's as though it had never been. The lessons, the math and the beloved physics equations.

The endless hair-tearing debugging sessions late into the night with C++ lab assignments. Running them through the compiler (G-something, it was called) and getting the inevitable compilation error or infinite loop error. T'was a time to remember. Getting screwed at both Term I and II exams. Constantly going down to Engin Canteen for prata, the indian mashed potatoes and the oh-so-cheap western foods with Hasan, Junwei and Yimin. Constantly cursing the EG1413 and CS1101C lecturers with my brother-in-arms Chuan Seng, who incidentally left for greener pastures/prettier girls at NTU Accountancy at the same time. NUS was big. Too big, perhaps for my liking. no sense of belonging. The people maketh the place. And the Engineering fraternity (or at least the people in my cohort) were too distant to really establish any sort of bond.

Regret fills me. The incentives, the wonderful facilities and the sheer number of the NUS communes. My NUS experience promised so much. SOOOO MUCH.

*Fast Forward 10 Months*

Hectic schedules. Jam packed with project meetings, with deadlines constantly lurking around the corner. The familiar faces. The not-so-familiar ones as well. The sense of community, of civic duty and active citizenry.

I've found a place where I belong.

Happiness and motivation does indeed translate into better results -- and that into better prospects for the future, I hope. The people that I've known, and am getting to know are brilliant individuals. In EVERY aspect. Keith's organization and humility. Boon Kiat's insane reasoning abilities. Lianne's incredible social skills (she's a hit with the security guards) and many others. Even Yuyee's extreme devotion to the object of his love. I admire him for that. None of these people I expect to read this article, and to avoid leaving any of my friends with puffy heads and buffed egos I've avoided mentioning all of you. But you all know it just as well as anyone else.

You're special, especially you, you and you.

But the one constant? It's YOU my dear.
Nothing can take that away from me.
And I bask in the warmth of knowledge.
Knowledge of your love and your trust.