The road less travelled by
"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
I took the one less travelled by,
And that has made all the difference"
If the 3 sentence about seemed familiar, it is already an excerpt from the poem "The Road Not Taken". Very simple and meaningful poem which can actually explain my life ever since a long long time ago. I do not know why, but this poem came into my mind when I wanted to get to bed to rest up a little for tomorrow.
I am 22 this year, and to be honest, when I look into myself to do self reflection, I found out that I have never actually "succeeded" in anything big or proud. Perhaps the only time I felt proud of myself is when I got straight A's for my UPSR exam when I was 12 years old? Simply because it is only through these "mainstream" things that I can actually get noticed. Sometimes I ask myself, why do I not get good reputation or perhaps a chance where people can look up onto me and thus allowing me to look up upon myself? Well, just now I found some hints that it is because I have always taken the different road; "the one less travelled by".
All my life, I strived to be different; to be unorthodox. I refuse to follow the norms of what a proper student should do - study hard and score well in exam, get into a good University and get a professional career. A doctor, lawyer perhaps? But I always decide to do the exact opposite. I took the road where I believe that studies don't bring me anywhere far. I went for extra-curricular activities, and had a good balance of both (I guess?). When people studied hard to get into good Universities and work in the science stream to be professionals and engineers, I chose to get into the arts stream; not because I suck at Science, but simply because I avoided the norm.
To bring matters even further, I put music as my passion in life. When everyone was trying hard to score in the University exams, I made trips back through and fro from Kampar to Ipoh for practices due to performances in my band. When people are in a rush for assignments, I put my time and effort in practising for performances in events, on ships or a simple ball night. Sports? When people are focusing on popular sports such as football, badminton and basketball, I put my effort on E-Sports, where people thinks that I am a joke, and take what I do as simply "playing computer games" and "computer addicts" or perhaps "da gei zai". While things are being looked in such negative ways, sometimes, it just takes a wee bit of understanding to look things in my perspective.
To be honest, I am very confident that if I had chosen to go to what ordinary people would do, study hard, work hard and get a good degree in professional courses. Go for good jobs and take up sports like badminton and basketball. Socialise through societies and clubs like Leo and Lions Club. I believe that I can and I am definitely able to be as successful as what a lot of people around me are. Unfortunately, never had I did such thing. Am I simply talking big, full of trash and bullshit? Nah, I believe I am not. So do I ever regretted such decisions and choice that I made? No, not a single bit. It is simply because I believe that life is too short and there's too many things that I have yet to experience.
I am an unorthodox person,I walk the road of the lesser and as what you would've guessed, I suffered the negativity immensely. To me, though, it does not matter, because it is from all these things; I learnt a lot of things the hard way. I may not seem successful at this moment, average results in exams, not having a lot of achievements, may not have a bright future in my career, etc; but I believe things will change in the future, and I will work towards it.
To have a breakthrough in life is tough, but still possible
To have a breakthrough in a clutter is tougher, but not impossible
But to have a breakthrough in something that is not in existence
That's what I'm aiming for, looking towards.