“Knowing others is wisdom, knowing yourself is enlightenment”. That is a quote from the famed philosopher Lao Tzu. At the age of 15, I have yet to achieve “enlightenment”. I am still on my way, and I am discovering new things about myself every single day.
I am a person who is positive about every aspect of life. There are so many things I like to do, see and experience. I like to read and write. I like to talk and listen. I like to watch the sunrises from the top of a mountain in the morning. I like to wonder at the dazzling stars that dot the deep blue sky at night. I like to feel the music flowing through my veins. I like to feel the morning breeze in the park. I like the hustle and bustle of the city. I like the peaceful quietness of country life. I like the magnificent skyscrapers in Kuala Lumpur. I like the breathtaking view of the Himalayas, where the earth meets the sky. I like to be alone. I like to be surrounded by friends. I like comfortable shorts and flip flops. I like good novels and romantic comedies. I like to stare at the sky that stretches on forever, knowing that life is free and beautiful.

To quote Einstein, ‘The only thing that interferes with my learning is my education’. That is something I hold dear to my heart. Life is about learning. Learning is not what is done at school, where one plus one has to be equal to two. I learn from reading, I learn from being with people and I learn from life. It is pretty easy to be smart when you are parroting smart people. To me, being smart is knowing what you are dumb at. I know what I know, and I know what I do not know. There is always something to occupy my mind or attention. I must use my mind in a purposefully creative way, pushing the envelope with the most challenging thing I can do. It is a complex world, and I try to develop as complex an inner life as possible with the ability to react in a wide variety of ways.

I have fears like everyone, but I have dreams like no one does. The world is full of possibilities and I believe anything can be achieved, as long as I put my mind to it. I dream of moving to New York, the concrete jungle where dreams are made of. I dream of working at CNN, going beyond borders to present the news to the world. I dream of fighting poverty, starvation, racism, sexism and all the issues the world is facing. I will do my dreaming with my eyes wide open, and my looking back with my eyes closed.

To me, all I have to do to succeed in life is to work hard. Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity. As long as I just keep going and do my best, I am happy. The brick walls are not there to keep me out. The brick walls are there to let me show how badly I want something. And even if my tries do not work out, I still learn something as experience is what I get when I do not get what I wanted.
As Linda Berens says, ‘Find the music in yourself, enjoy your melody’. I cannot change the cards I am dealt, just how I play the hand. I am embracing myself, flaws and all, so that I can keep on improving myself every single day.