For all the times that I’ve been adhering to deadlines and meeting them promptly or even finishing whatever assignment earlier than stipulated, I can be a total airhead when it comes to important matters needing my attention.

Commencement for one.

Smart ol’ me missed the deadline of having to register for the all important ceremony by a mere 3 days. When I looked at the email again, I went OMG OMG WTF WTF!

[insert headdesk]

[/headdesk]

I panicked. Like anyone would. And continued going OMG OMG! HOW HOW! Should I risk not going for the ceremony and disappoint my parents AND grandparents whom already asked when my graduation ceremony was? They wouldnt be able to see me on stage (yet again), this time however in the all important blue gown and mortar board whose material origins I always suspect. A marked difference from the usual getup I’m usually in when on stage - heavy makeup, thick eyelashes, wild hair and various costumes ranging from the skimpy and trashy to the glamourous and sometimes ghetto.

I was stoked when I got my final semester’s results. HOORAY! I MADE IT! No bad grades! I didnt have to worry about staying another semester or registering for special semester. But forget to register I did. Forget to register for Commencement that is. Pffffft. I guess, to me, at the point in time, it was just a tangible ceremony to mark whatever milestone I had passed. In my mind, I had already started my job search and gotten back the results I wanted, thereby marking my own passing into the working world.

However, after some gentle persuasion on my friend’s part, I emailed the Registrar and thankfully got an email reply saying that she would manually register on my behalf. Though I might NOT be able to sit with my batch mates, it was still definitely better than not being able to attend at all. We’d still be able to take a group photo after the traditional ceremony. I would thus be able to share the last few moments of my undergraduate life with new found friends who made the entire Honours year memorable.

Tomorrow I venture into campus grounds once more to order the familiar blue gown donned by several select thousand. Again missing the deadline for online ordering of the gown I have to go down personally and do a first come first serve selection of the sizes. I think the problem will be more of WHETHER THEY HAVE A GOWN LONG ENOUGH FOR ME, rather than having to make sure that everyone else doesnt get their stinking hands on that ONE LAST gown. Great Student Sale in the Multi Purpose Hall.

Even now thinking about it, THIS WILL REALLY BE THE LAST TIME, I CAN CALL MYSELF A STUDENT. And Im somewhat getting emotional about it. After putting on the commencement gown and receiving my scroll, no more, slacking off till the last minute. No more saying, “I dont feel like going to school today” or deciding to cut class halfway because you thought the lecturer was talking crap. After which you venture to town just to blow the rest of the afternoon away and go home and spend the rest of the night online talking to your friends over MSN. Campus days were filled with lotsa freedom and you didnt really have anyone to answer to except yourself. YOU decided how good a grade you wanted to get, YOU decided whether you wanted to go to class. Sure there were expectations but you couldnt care less. And it really didnt matter whether or not you were actually talking as much in the lectures as you should be in the tutorial sessions.

But now, things are different.

However, I wont be joining the ranks of office bound people everyday for the rest of my working career. I wont be getting off the train for the next one month at Tanjong Pagar, nor Raffles Place nor City Hall. Though standard office wear will be the same, I will have more leeway in what I wear. The key thing is that it has to facilitate movement. The environment is great and they are focused on open, honest communication. No hush-hush red-taped types. No having to wait for 3 months or longer before something gets approved. No being stuck in a position you hate because you dont have the proper qualifications. In the first place, if you didnt have the right attitude nor the right skills for the job, you wouldnt have gotten a call-back.

We had 2 days of interview. The first day was a one-on-one, the second day however, was a 4 hour long, 3 round practical interview or rather, behavioural observation where YOU were the subject. We had to demonstrate our creative skills, play skill and even physical strength in front of the other candidates and two supervisors. You had to have thick-skin and not be afraid of making a fool of yourself. For that few hours anyway. By the end of the day, the bunch of us were fatigued, hungry and pretty much well-worn out. And we still had to wait till the following Monday for the results. THAT was excruciating especially since I thought I did okay.

It’s not a job for everyone. And it’s a position that will take great patience. Everyone tells me that it’s a noble job and that I must have a big heart for wanting to undertake such a challenge. But I guess it’s just something that I really want to do. For the 2 rejections that I got, one for a position that was roughly similar to this, ie. Special Needs Officer, THIS one job is the one I REALLY want. Honestly, who can have the title Behaviour Therapist to their name? PLUS, the pay packet is really not that bad comparatively.

But I’ve deviated too much from the main point. And Im horribly late.

Hello Commencement. Goodbye NUS. I will miss you.

And for those who scorn 4th year, you’re totally missing out.