My Extraordinary Sunrise

Hey jiamin, i read that you got your visa approved so i guess you'll be leaving pretty soon rite...feeling kinda sad actually...i'll miss you SOOOOO much! Miss the whole load of crap and nonsense that you make up, miss your edison infatuation, miss teasing you about being white (or rather, fair), miss your bullying me and miss all the many other things that we shared the past years. Letting one of your best pals go is extremely hard to do, but if letting you go brings you a step closer to fulfilling your dream, i support you all the way. I know you'll find your happiness and future in Sydney, and im glad for you that you made the right choice.

I remember from the day we met in Sec 3, you told me before that you wanted to study in Australia. To me, doing that was to have a very big dream - a dream that you dared to follow despite whatever risks may occur, a dream you were determined to fulfil, a dream you knew could deliver your happiness. I cant recall whether i told you how much i admired you for dreaming that dream, but i must admit that i was amazed and a little taken aback that you, my special friend - a friend whom i always thought of as shy, quiet, and timid (though not really now) - had set your sights far beyond the limited horizons of NUS and NTU, and was daring enough to find the future that you wanted. Perhaps i was too ignorant then, but personally at that time, studying abroad was to me, a huge and hazy vision. It seemed an impossibility both physically and psychologically.

I was outrightly defeated by your guts and conviction, but most of all, it was your confidence to live that dream that won me over entirely. You knew what you wanted - without any apprehension and indecisiveness - and you made sure you pursued it, without any regrets whatsoever. For that, i fully respect and admire you, because you taught me an invaluable lesson i never would have learnt before. Although i havent fully made up my mind whether to steadily chase my dream Down Under, you have enlightened me and made me more certain of what to do with my life. I do need to learn much more from you, and hopefully, if i really were to meet you in Australia, by that time i would be at least half of what you were now.

Thanks for everything, my friend. I never may have told you how much all this meant to me and about the exemplary (but invisible) lessons you taught me, but deep down inside, i do cherish it all and i want you to know that to me, you and our friendship extend far beyond my constant groaning about you and your Edison. I give you my blessings and pray that you may find your happiness and realise your dream soon.