Chances

To my 18 years old self,

I know that you are doing great. You will be going to pre-university education at the same place as your high school. What I want to say is what comes after pre-university education.
If you had the chance for pre-university, try get into accounting class instead of science class. However, studying sciences at that time is still fine. After your pre-education university, you will have to make a choice to go to which university and what to study. At this point, I feel that you should take business or finance related courses as these fields will be more related to how we live our lives. Study in local university if possible because at least you will be able to say the final good bye to your grandma. After that you can pursue your masters overseas.

After joining the work force, you will make bold decision for your financial status. You will commit into a financial plan, which is a mistake that I learned. Get out of any plans which need to pay any fees up front, it will burn a hole in your wallet and will take a long time to gain back what is lost back from the market. You will start to venture into the market by yourself and start to learn your own philosophy about it.

As for your love life, please treat your friends as just friends. You will come to love a girl that you know since primary school. You will learn that love is painful if you love her and you will wish that you never know her from the beginning. Go out to know more people, choose who you want to love from them, not from your friends. Also, is good to expand your network as you do not know who will be able to help you in the future.

We take chances everyday in our lives when we make decisions. Take it while you are able to recover, make bold moves and learn from your mistakes. You must stand up again and again when you fall even if it means sacrificing intangible relationship. You will lose a lot but you will gain more.

Your 26 year-old buddy