That is something crucially significant that I've learnt at the start of this year. Alhamdulillah, I've managed to cut down my activities and now I am focusing on swimming and dancing and a little gym work. I am not even sure whether I will perform for Pizazz or not this term, but we'll see.

Last Saturday, I was about to overwork myself. My initial plan was to go for my Charity Swim Channel, where my team would swim a total of the British Channel and raise funds for an environmental charity organisation. I contribute 3km, then I would rush to my 3 hour intensive dance class then plan to Uber to the rail station to go to The 1975 concert in London.

My exam results was proof to me that I was not worthy of spending the weekend outside my uni, and a talk with my mom convinced me to sell off my ticket and proceeded with only my swimming and dancing. I did have fun regardless, and thank God I didn't go to London, or else I would've fainted due to fatigue and me overworking myself.

I managed to swim 3km in the span of 1hour and 10 minutes. I was jubilant and then I went for my dance class. I was so so tired because I didn't have the time for lunch but I went anyway. I forgot that intensives are normally catered for intermediate and advanced dancers but I had so much fun. The teacher was Mikey Ureta, a renowned Hip Hop Teacher in Studio 68. The class was free, so of course I had to go, though I barely do hip hop. There was something he said repetitively which is, "If you're here to have fun, then go ahead. But if you're here to learn something, and to be a better dancer, you gotta push yourself and do more, practice more, see yourself in the mirror."

And that really dawned on me.

If I really want to excel, I will have to go the extra mile.

I applied this analogy for my swimming session today. One time, I asked Viktoria, my friend who happens to be the fastest swimmer in the triathlon team how do I be a faster swimmer. She said that during training, if the set says to do 100% effort, she really does a 100% effort. And so I tried pushing myself out of my comfort today and swam a little faster than I used to. Boy am I tired now. But I felt like I've achieved something. Even after my body is sore, I was able to go for lectures and understand the content.

Maybe all these while, I admit, I do not go the extra mile. Maybe my time was too consumed by other things that my time for academics is swooped away. And enough is enough, I'm here to study. I will have to make that time for feedback sessions, I will have to get out of my insecurities and ask the lecturers even if the question sounds dumb. Like the lady in Goldman Sachs said, "There's no such thing as a dumb question."

Otherwise, I'm extremely grateful that the problem I have now is only academics, and that's what I'm here for anyway. Hopefully, just hopefully, I will have some peace in mind to solely concentrate on my exams. I have prepared myself some coping mechanisms if another calamity is happening. I know it won't be enough, you can never be prepared. But at least I have this new mentality which is that, no matter what happens, education is why you are here.

I will have the chance to get what I want. I will go the extra mile, and nothing, insyaAllah, nothing, is going to stop me from doing so.