Regret

Met RJ - our new gold medalist - and had a brief chat.

He was not quite happy.

"If not because of this new system of examination, it could never be me." He sighed.

I politely reminded him that the "new" system was a contingency that we were forced to adopt because of the swine flu.

But he was not easily moved, "All the same. If there were real patients, I'm sure a handful of other classmates would have come out better than me. Now, there is always a shade of doubt on that piece of shiny metal."

I was speechless for a moment, reflecting this inadvertent effect in my mind. There was a hue of regret in the atmosphere.

At last, I said, "But what's done could not be un-done. You are selected, rightly or wrongly, willingly or not. All you could is to do your very best in the future. Remember, people around would not judge you as your own self. If you do not live up to the expectation, many of us would be disappointed because it would be taken as the limit that could be achieved from the best of the class. You may not like it, but the reputation of your classmates counts on you."

He nodded and walked away.

That's too much for a fresh graduate, I know.