We Shine Brighter in the Darkness

Every day, life is spent filled with unpredictability. As students in NYP, we do face all sorts of challenges in our daily lives. An unexpected conflict between project group mates, financial issues, social issues, power struggle between classmates, etc.

Anything can happen.

But that is not all there is to life. How a person lives when things do not go his/her way depends on himself or herself.

Napoleon Hill once said: �Strength and growth come only through continuous effort and struggle.� I cannot agree more. If someone was born perfect, there�s no way he or she could ever be human. They would never understand what it is like to hit rock bottom, to get back on their feet, or be able to empathize with those around them.

I decided to ask some NYP students what they are proud of, and what would they like to change about themselves.

Theng Yeong with his girlfriend

�I�m not proud at how I wasted the years in my life, thinking I could live without putting in effort. If only I knew earlier, that effort is the key, I wouldn�t have neglected myself then,� said Digital Game Art & Design student Kong Theng Yeong.

�But, I�m proud of my ability to pick things up fast. This allows me to help others and benefit myself. I like myself because I can be helpful,� he added.

Reuben Heng

�I am not proud of how prideful I can get sometimes. Though I get overly proud, I�m still proud of my devotion to playing my guitar. I�m also proud of myself for being the honest person I can be,� said Accountancy & Finance student Reuben Heng.

Joyce Er

�I�m quite lazy and I procrastinate a lot. I simply lack determination and I can�t seem to care sometimes. But because of that, I�m proud at how I can move on quickly in life, especially when I get bad results. I�ll forget about it and switch to focusing for the next test. It�s funny that my flaws can really help me this way,� said Fund Management & Administration student Joyce Er.

Patrick Tierra

�I�m not proud of my reclusive self. This makes me really want to be a friendlier person. Neither am I proud of my height. But I guess I can�t change that. However, I�m proud of my looks, and I�m also proud to be a Filipino and identified as Pinoy in Singapore,� said Patrick Tierra, from the Diploma in Digital & Precision Engineering.

All of us will experience things turning out the way we did not want them to.  But having weaknesses is what makes us humans. The strength to see beyond them however, is what sets us apart.

After hearing from these NYP students of the things they�re not proud of, I would like to thank them for their willingness to share them with me. Seeing how they did not forget the things they are delighted about, reminded me not to forget the things I can appreciate too.

Let us keep shining brightly even in our dark moments.

By Sharlene Tan, Diploma in Fund Management & Administration

�The strongest hearts are the ones that have been broken.� 

Setbacks are unavoidable in life, but what matters is picking yourself up.? Being one of the new members of The Write Stuff, Sharlene Tan is on her amazing journey to living life fulfilled. 

Her family and friends are the ones who have kept her going, and they mean the world to her.