Balls I have attended

Many colleges and universities have annual balls, the same goes for Taylor's College Subang Jaya (TCSJ) and Newcastle University Medicine Malaysia (NUMed). Until now, I have attended 6 balls. Here, I am sharing my experience of attending such events.

The first ball I ever attended was the TCSJ Prom Night on 13 June 2014. At that time, since I had never attended a ball before, I didn't know what it is like. I had the impression that it is just some sort of a farewell party and I actually thought that casual wear would be acceptable. Later, with my friends' advice, I bought a formal shirt for the event. However, I still didn't wear a blazer and a tie. As a result, I looked quite different compared to my friends and that was a bit awkward. The organisation of the TCSJ Prom Night 2014 wasn't good in my opinion. Somehow, I had the feeling that the organisers only cared about their close friends while every one else seemed to be neglected. The food and performances were also just mediocre. However, I still enjoyed a lot during the event, mainly because I had the opportunity to take many nice photos with my friends.

On the following year, during Stage 1 of my MBBS course at NUMed, there was a NUMed Ball on 18 April 2015. At that time, I still had the impression that the event was only meant for students who would be graduating soon. I felt that since I was just in Stage 1, there was no reason for me to attend it. I also assumed that my friends wouldn't be attending. However, it turned out that most of my friends actually attended the NUMed Ball 2015. Seeing my friends taking so many photos without me made me feel very sad. As a result, I really regretted not attending the ball. In fact, that was one of my greatest regrets in 2015.

Therefore, when it came to Stage 2 of MBBS, I told myself that I must attend the NUMed Ball 2016 no matter what. It was held on 15 April 2016 and this was the first time where I attended NUMed Ball. I definitely wore a blazer and a tie this time. Initially, some of my friends didn't seem interested to attend, but eventually most of them still attended it. Compared to the TCSJ Prom Night 2014, the NUMed Ball 2016 had a much better organisation. The NUMed Student Association made everyone feel involved in the event, and the food and performances were excellent. I again took a lot of nice photos with many of my friends. It was definitely a very enjoyable experience. 

When I was in Stage 3 of MBBS, I intended to attend the NUMed Ball again. It was held on 24 March 2017 which would have been a good date, as that was just one day after my birthday and at that time I had just passed my clinical examination. Unfortunately, I had to fly back to Kuala Lumpur for one night on 24 March to do something important. I was supposed to do it earlier but I didn't because I had to revise for the examination, and at that point it couldn't be delayed any further. As a result, I had no choice but to skip the NUMed Ball 2017. Unlike the previous years, not many of my friends attended this ball. However, I still felt disappointed for missing out on it.

Having missed the NUMed Ball twice, I was determined to attend it during Stage 4 of MBBS. Initially, I was a bit worried that the ball would be held in April 2018, because I would be in UK at that time for my SSC3 and thus I wouldn't get to attend the ball. When it was announced that the NUMed Ball would be on 9 March 2018, I was so happy about that. However, the problem was that most of my friends in Stage 4 were not at all interested in attending the ball. I tried persuading my friends to attend it, but I wasn't successful in that. This put me in a real dilemma. If I were to attend the ball without any friends, I might end up being in an awkward situation during the ball, but on the other hand, I really didn't want to miss out on the ball once again. 

After careful consideration, I decided attend the NUMed Ball 2018 anyway, as I knew I would regret a lot if I don't attend it. I registered for the ball as soon as the registration was open. However, up until the day of the ball, I was still a bit worried of the awkward situation I might be in. It turned out that I had a very enjoyable experience during the ball and the awkward situation didn't materialise. There were still a few of my friends who attended. Just like the NUMed Ball 2016, the organisation of the NUMed Ball 2018 was excellent. The menu was really great, with a wide variety of food, and I was truly immersed in the performances. Besides taking photos with my friends, I also got out of my comfort zone by taking photos with many students that I didn't know previously, including the girls who were shortlisted for the Prom Queen. I can say for sure that I made the right decision to attend this ball.

The following NUMed Ball was supposed to be held in March 2019. However in October 2018 during my Stage 5 of MBBS, the NUMed Student Association announced that they would be scrapping the NUMed Founders and Benefactors (F&B) Night, an event similar to the NUMed Ball that was held in November every year. Because of that, they decided to bring forward the NUMed Ball from March 2019 to November 2018. This ball became the second NUMed Ball 2018 and it was held on 30 November 2018. I definitely chose to attend it and quite many of my friends attended too. My experience during this ball was truly enjoyable. The food and performances were great. I managed to take two-person photos with every girl in my batch who attended this ball. I was no longer shy in approaching them to take photos, thanks to my experience with the previous ball. As it turned out, I was the only student in my batch who attended both the NUMed Balls in 2018.

In the previous years, a Graduation Ball would be held just for the NUMed Stage 5 students after the final examinations in June. However, this was a problem for 2019 as immediately after the examination it was the Hari Raya Aidilfitri, so many students would go back to their hometown and not return to Johor Bahru anymore. After some discussions, my batch eventually decided to have the ball earlier before the Easter break. The Graduation Ball was held on 5 April 2019 and of course I attended it. Vast majority of the students in my batch chose to attend it. This ball is the best one among all the balls I have attended. Once again, the food and performances were great. I had wanted to take two-person photos with all the girls in my batch, but this proved difficult as there were so many of them and time was limited. In the end, I was still able to take many nice photos. Personally, I was actually glad to have this ball in April, as it would have been very emotional if it was held after the final exams.

I was supposed to graduate in June 2019. However, it turned out that I failed the Stage 5 final examinations and had to repeat the entire Stage 5. During my repeat year of Stage 5, I had the opportunity to attend the NUMed Ball 2019. It was held on 13 December 2019, just one day before the start of the winter break. Most of my close friends chose not to attend the ball, but I still decided to attend it. A significant number of those in my batch attended it. A few of my friends who had graduated and were working as NUMed teaching fellows were also at the ball. The NUMed Ball 2019 had a very good organisation. There was a wide variety of food and they were really tasty. I also really enjoyed the performances. I took two-person photos with my friends as well as everyone else in my batch who attended. During the ball, I met a girl from UK and I took photos with her as well.

Interestingly, the NUMed Ball 2019 is my 1st ball in the repeat year of Stage 5, my 2nd ball in 2019, my 3rd ball since starting Stage 5, my 4th ball in a span of 2 years (2018 to 2019), my 5th ball in NUMed and my 6th ball in life. My next ball will be the Graduation Ball on 3 April 2020.