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To score strings of As in your public exams, 

but only to realise that the next exam you face becomes more difficult;

To gleefully boast that you can now ‘break-free’ from your parents, 

till you see the pile of dirty laundry in the corner of your dorm room and finally appreciate that there is nothing better than home;

To attend your dream university in a foreign country, 

which eventually made you realise the sacrifices your parents made (not you!) to ensure that your degree would one day allow you to afford a lifestyle more comfortable than the one they built;

To get the chance to live abroad, with the hopes of living amidst a society with greater living standards that advocates for zero racism, 
but only to recognize that an ideal world as such does not exist…...because the grass is not always greener on the other side;

To get offered a job, 

but only to grasp the true meaning of “studying is better than working”;

To play the endless imitation game --- mimicking others’ footsteps to seek a better job that pays a substantial wage,

until the reality of paying heavy taxes strike you;

To find yourself a boyfriend (or girlfriend) after years of staying single; 

but only to understand how nice it is to not have someone constantly waiting for your messages when you just need a moment of peace by yourself;

To complete your collection of Snoopy toys from the McDonalds’ Happy Meal sets; 

until one fine sunny day 10 years down the road, when you question the need of such things while spring cleaning your house;

To be able to travel the world and imprint your footsteps on all the continents, 

but only to take in the fact that our beautiful Mother Earth is slowly dying because of mankind’s foolishness;

To win the respect of others, 

but to realise that your life is yours to live, and not for the rest to judge;

To realise how lucky you are, ultimately, 

because your success is not yours alone, but belongs to all those humans who have appeared in your life, even if only for a second.