01 Jul Work Hard, Play Hard – July 13

By Ebnu Wiyono

I got this uni friend of mine who work almost every day and also during the weekend, it seemed almost impossible to ask him to hang out his friends. That somehow caused him to have no friends. Few years later, I heard the news that he was going back toIndonesiafor good. I ask him what causes him to make this decision, all he said was that he felt lonely that he had no friend. Life was too steady for him, he felt that he has wasted his life here.

For students, I realise that our first priority, when coming toSydney, is to study as best as we can and achieve the highest mark. And apart from that, maybe the second priority is to try to find a job so that we can reduce our parent’s burden financially. However, this does not mean that we neglect the importance of social life. We need to live a balanced life. It cannot be work or study all the time, but we also need to hang out with friends and do some positive activities in our life. A British study has found that a healthy old age depends on how much balanced lifestyle we maintain during prime years of life. The truth is that it really is important that we make our time on earth count.

Therefore, why is social life also important where we know that our 1^st priority as a student here is to study? There are 3 reasons that I can outline here:

1. We are created as a social being. We cannot live on our own and this is the fact that we cannot avoid as a human. Human needs interaction with each other. We are loved so that we can love other people. How do we extend this love when we keep everything for ourselves? We need friends that we can trust to share our thoughts, problems, joy to one another. Everyone needs, at least, a friend.
2. To build networking. Networking these days is one of the most important aspects that we must have in life. And networking could not be established without through social activities. Because through networking, we might: establish future business, be able to get reference for a job or even meet your future partner 😉
3. The last one is the simplest reason, your brain needs some rest! As simple as that. There is nothing wrong to reward ourselves after we study or work so hard. Life is meant to be enjoyed. Do not be hard on ourselves, a little bit of break will not go wrong.

Therefore studies as best as we can, but we should never neglect our social life as well. Some of us now might feel that life inSydneyis boring, but hey, maybe it is time to do some self-reflect of ourselves whether we have a balanced life or not. If not, make some effort to have fellowship with your closest ones! Enjoy life!

Ebz

3 main statements:

1. The truth is that it really is important that we make our time on earth count.
2. We need friends that we can trust to share our thoughts, problems, joy to one another. Everyone needs, at least, a friend.
3. We cannot live on our own and this is the fact that we cannot avoid as a human