YJC Summer Fun Editorial Entry: Making The Best Of Your Summer

Written by Sarah Rajaratnam, Class of 2016, Sophomore Cempaka

“SARAH RAJARATNAM!!!”

After I bounced out of bed, I tied my flawless hair into a perfect bun, and admired myself in the mirror! After getting ready, I went jogging around the park, took a shower and cooked delicious breakfast for myself!

Translation into reality, you may ask? I dragged myself out of bed, and caught sight of myself in the full length mirror, attached to my cupboard. I saw... a confident young woman, who really needed to stop looking like a zombie that had been electrocuted. I looked at my phone. 11:50am. Wonderful, I was late for lunch with the neighbors, which had started at 11:30. Honestly, I did not expect my holidays to start like this.

I’m sure this essay was a bit unexpected, since most people would write about how good their holidays were, and how much they achieved, and how much fun they had during the holidays. However, I cover everything, down to the last nitty-gritty, disappointing detail. Don't worry, it doesn't get worse.(not by a long shot anyway!) Also, since summer is all year round here in Malaysia, I’m just going to refer to it as holidays, instead of summer holidays.

Summer fun. When the phrase comes to mind, so do a lot of other things, like playing volleyball on the beach, swimming in the crystal-clear ocean with tropical fish, and taking selfies with your best friends. What probably doesn't come to mind is spending hours, you’ll never get back, on your laptop, and promising yourself that you will finish that assignment today, but never really starting it. Usually, plans get a little messed up and sidetracked, along the way. The trick is how to deal with it when things don’t go completely perfect, though, to you people who’ve had ‘perfect’ holidays, good for you! Otherwise, I’ll let you in on a little FBI Secret’... You’ve got to look at the positive side when things go south!

“What is this silly writer talking about? How can I be happy after I... (bought a game on Steam, and it went on sale later, , got sick and wasn’t able to meet up with my friends, etc.) ? Ah, this is just going to be like one of those encouraging hipster posts, about being happy no matter what happens, and stuff like that.”

I’m going to bet some of you thought this.

To be honest, summer fun could be spending a day at the beach with your best buds, or it could be finishing holiday homework with friends the night before, and thinking of the worse-case scenarios of when school starts, but it really doesn't matter what you do during your holidays, weekends, or free time, as long as you don’t feel like you're wasting most of your youth, (even if you are a little), because every moment is worth enjoying.

It’s time to end the essay with a very deep and knowledgable line, or else you’ll only finish reading this essay after Hari Raya Holidays. It isn't so much what you do, it is your attitude while you’re doing it. You can choose to complain and generally be the pessimist, or you could choose to make whatever you’re doing, fun. (or at least pretend to!)