Hi, it’s me again, Akram, a 4th year sudent inside the Cloud and Distributed Systems Laboratory. We’ve all been getting busier and busier with the deadlines of our graduation thesis, resumes and such. So why not take a breather with me, as I talk about a lifelong childhood dream of mine.
Growing up in Malaysia which is nearby the equator line, I’ve always had a dream of playing in the snow during a nice winter day. Both of my parents studied overseas under a scholarship, my father in University College London, and my mother in University of Wales. They spent their university years in a place where snow falls down frequently during winter, and I’ve always set my eyes on that. And thankfully, I was able to gain a scholarship too, allowing me to fly to Japan, and experience my lifelong dream.
This is a picture I took when I was on the chairlift in Zao Onsen Ski Resort in Yamagata. I love sceneries in the snow so much up to the point I picked up a new hobby, which is snowboarding. Throughout the 25/26 winter season, I’ve went snowboarding up to more than 10 times. I’ve always been someone who likes sports, and picking up snowboarding has been an amazing gift for me.
These are a few pictures of me and my friends snowboarding. I’ve developed a passion for snowboarding, even though it’s a hobby that will tear your wallet apart. Going down the mountains with your friends, having a good laugh on the chairlift, trying hard slopes and terrain, pulling off tricks in the park and simply just carving down the slopes is so fun to me. There’s something very special about this sport that makes me go back to it every time, even if it’s very expensive (like a toxic ex). Maybe it’s because I dreamt about playing in snow when I was a kid, and now, once I got to, I became obsessed.
Well, I would be lying if I said I only snowboard for the fun of it, but I can’t lie, I look really cool, right? Jokes aside, me talking about snowboard isn’t just to talk about on of my new hobbies I picked up. It’s to talk about having something to look forward to in life. Throughout this semester, I’ve only been absent from the lab around 2 times so far. It’s not because I like coming to the lab, it’s because I’ve made a system for myself. Lab in the morning, gym in the evening, hanging out with friends during the weekends, snowboarding during the holidays, all of this pushes me to get through each day, day by day, because I have something to look forward to. And all of you should have one too.
Thoughts on Graduation
All of us is closing up to certain deadlines, most of us are stressed, me included. However, knowing that in a few weeks, I don’t have to come to this lab anymore pushes me even more to get things done. If you told 6-year-old me that I would be graduating from a University in Tokyo, Japan in the future, he would have never believed in you. But here I am, pushing my limits, putting in the work everyday to finally put an end to this long, hard journey of mine. In a few months, I would like to dedicate my graduation to my parents, as without them, I would have never gotten this far. To all of you, stay strong, work hard, believe in yourself. You’re only a few steps away from graduating, and moving onto a new chapter of your life. 皆さん、頑張ってください！＾ー＾