I'm 17, Young and I Have No Idea What I'm Doing

My name's Kelly Chung. I'm currently a student at Taylor's University College and I'll be finishing my A-levels next June. I don't really know where my life will take me after that, although I do have a dream of becoming a great lawyer one day. I've always had many things to strive for in life growing up, and I still do. It's amazing how for one second we can think we are no longer the child we used to be, and in the next for us to realise that nothing has actually changed.

When I was younger, my father used to tell me all the time that I'm the most beautiful girl in the world to him. I used to get everything I wished for. Whether it was the most expensive barbie doll house in town, or my mother standing by my classroom everyday so I could see her - I had them all. I used to think that everything around me was so perfect.

My father's name is Robert Chung. He was born on New Year's Eve, 1959. My father loved playing football as a child. He went to an all-boys school, as my grandfather had insisted that all his children were put into a single-sex school. My father once told me that his schooling years were one of the best years he ever had. Today, my father's a lawyer. Not a criminal lawyer, but a corporate lawyer. He owns a law firm with his sister and brother, my Aunt Catherine and Uncle Andrew. Together, they have a wonderful time working as lawyers.

My mother's name is Heidi Koh. She's the youngest of 8 children. My mother went to an all-girls school, just like all my aunts did. She and I had very different childhoods. While I spent most of my time growing up in an English-speaking society, she on the other hand grew up in everything but. My mother went to a Chinese-speaking school where everything was taught in Mandarin. She and her friends spoke very little English back then. After high school, my mother went on to become a secretary. Not too long after, she met my father.

My mother was 25 when she gave birth to me. A year later, my younger brother Sean came along. It was not long until my mother decided to quit her job and devote herself to becoming a full-time mom. In 1994, my youngest brother Scott was born.

As young children, me and my brothers were very close. I guess my parents did a great job at keeping the family together. They often pointed out the importance of a good education, and did everything they could to provide us with one. We are where we are today because of that and we owe very much to them.

Apart from studies, my parents also gave great emphasis on music. At the age of 4, my parents had enrolled each of us for piano lessons. We all had the same teacher growing up, Ms Loretta. The year I turned 12, my brother and I had gotten a new piano teacher. Her name's Professor Panovska. It was tough work, but I enjoyed it most of the time. It was through this that I had the opportunity to travel to many places around the world. In 3 years, my mother and I had visited the beautiful cities of Seoul, Jakarta and Tokyo for many prestigious piano concerts and competitions.

Then in December 2006 came the time my brother Scott and I surprised everybody by doing tremendously well in the Asean Chopin International Piano Competition. I became the first Malaysian to achieve the gold prize. Everything was happening so fast that entire week I don't remember much. All I remember was my teacher's face when she saw me after the results and apart from that, going to the countless different events. I also remember the call I made to my father who was in Australia that time. He was so delighted and proud he told everyone he knew there.

Growing up in school, I guess I was always miss goody-two-shoes who would never fail to finish all her work in time. It wasn't until the last year of high school that I had decided to cut myself some slack. Against my better judgement, I went from sitting in front of the class to sitting all the way at the back. I started hanging around with the anti-nerds behind. Ironically, I ended up becoming best friends with the girl I hated most. Her name's Kavita. She and I turned out to be one of the closest twosomes ever. She wasn't particularly nice to everyone, but she was always there looking out for me. I wish we could go back just for a day.

College can somehow rather be very different from high school. Your presence is voluntary. You go to classes because you want to. You don't do your homework to stay out of trouble or to please your teacher, but you do it to please yourself. Things aren't quite the same anymore. I guess I do kind of miss high school. But now that I've gotten used to going to college everyday, I realise it's just as great here, if not greater.

It's funny. Just when you feel like your world's ending, suddenly you realise it has just begun. I will soon be leaving home for England. My father's been there, now it'll be my turn. I'm not sure if I'm prepared for it yet though. The thought of being a thousand miles away triggers lots of excitement but at the same time nervousness. I really long to see what my life will be like in the UK. I think I've come a pretty long way since the girl who used to play with Barbie dolls. I haven't made a bad start, have I God?