Leaving 2014: A Quick Flashback

Okay, my class was asked to write about interesting things happening in our year-end break from school. I would like to permit that what I will be writing here isn't exactly one of those; it'll be about how I spend most of my holiday time, but I promise that the next posts will be about them.

Another year has just ended. What do people usually do on year-ends? I guess the answer is thinking about what they, what we just did the whole year; our choices, our mistakes and faults... our ups and downs. We learnt a lot from them, to then plan our next year so that we won't do wrong things again, or choose incorrectly anymore... we are planning to be better than before.

Some of us make a new resolution every year, while the rest even list many. No, no one makes none, even the unluckiest ones get another hope every new year. Either a hope to get their fate changed, or to live with it and turn it into something good.

I ended the year by thinking, like I've told you, what have I done all the year? Did I make so much mistake? Did I accomplish much? The answers to the last two questions is yes and no, respectively.

I must say, I failed at accomplishing my last new year resolutions. I've got plenty of them, but I think I achieved none. I won't tell what they are, but the reason why I didn't succeed is perhaps... I didn't work hard to get them. I relied on my luck, hoping that it could bring me what I'd like to have... and yes, it almost did bring me to them, but as Ariana Grande's song is titled, almost is never enough.

I can't say the year was bad, though. It was good, though not as good as the year before. But I learnt a lot of things from 2014; it made me realize that hard work is probably not everything, but it is a key to success. I also learnt that, sometimes what we never dreamed for could be the best for us.

You see, 2014 was a really lucky year for me. I finished fourth in a competition held for high school student while I was still in junior high, making me a representative for the regional competition held about two months after. I also got good rank in it, my friends said, but I didn't make it to the national round. Why I say lucky is because I guessed a lot during the competition; on more than a half of the questions. I only reviewed the materials in D-1. Unbelievable, right? I never thought my scores and ranks would be that good. But I also regret things because of it; if I studied harder and more seriously, maybe I would make it to the national round.

I was also good at school; well, despite the relative definition of 'good', I was really satisfied with it. But a thing I know is, I also haven't done my best there. I didn't study hard, I was too careless about it.

So here it is. Welcome, 2015! I've got a lot of "achievements" I need to keep this year, but not like last year, I won't depend on my "luckiness". Not anymore.

...But perhaps you hate a thing and it is good for you; and perhaps you love a thing and it is bad for you. And Allah Knows, while you know not.

Q. S. Al-Baqarah 2:216

...Indeed, Allah will not change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves...

Q. S. Ar-Ra'd 13:11

In the name of Allah, The Beneficent, The Merciful. Bismillaahirrahmaanirrahiim.