Academia…

          …The longer I pursue academia in university, there’s this increasing realization I have of how much I admire and value the sincere and genuine kindness in people, the glorious failures, the simplicity of things, the unpretentiousness in some people and everything else in life that is unpolished, raw, and unrestrained.           I grew up in a household where academia is extremely important – it’s everything. However, nowadays, I sometimes find myself having to step back and reflect on my life and remind myself, academia isn’t everything. Sometimes we get so wrapped up in pursuing academia (i.e. trying to achieve that high grade, finishing numerous assignments, aiming to be in the top percentile of our class, striving for perfection, competing to be the best, or stressing out over the thesis presentation that could possibly make or break your career) that we often forget to appreciate, enjoy and take in the simple things that life has to offer.            It’s good to enjoy the simplicity or even the craziness that life offers. …Because, before you know it, you’ll become too old to enjoy certain things or miss out on cherishing the wonderful memories that you could have had.           Before my goal used to just be: study hard and get good grades. This has changed this year. My goal is to honestly take some time for yourself and enjoy life. Work and academia can wait (at least for a bit)…             Intellectualism can sometimes be tiring and overrated.  Xo! – S