Doing Something Brave, pt. 2

6 things I might regret...or be glad I did later.

Again, I don’t consider myself a brave gal. I would very much prefer to sit in my soft, cozy, hazard-free bubble called my “comfort zone”.

Why?

I’m scared of failing. Or worse… being disappointed.

At least if I order the same dishes I love at a restaurant, I already know they’ll be satisfying (mmm love me those glutinous rice dumplings at Guelph BBQ) (not sponsored by the way but if the owner of Guelph BBQ ever reads this PLEASE DO SPONSOR ME WITH YOUR DUMPLINGS).

But sometimes, I like to do something out of the blue, just to prove to myself that I can. Or I do it just for fun. Which is honestly very contradictory to my fear of stepping out of my comfort zone.

Here are just a few times I decided to do something brave:

1. I made a song about mosquitoes in grade 9.

Then I made a whole music video with my siblings. Then I posted that music video on Facebook, and it blew up amongst my friends. Hard to admit that I cringe about this every once in a while. I genuinely don’t think I have the guts to watch it again. Yet it still exists on the Internet (if you ever find it, I’ll give you 20 bucks.) At least I left behind a memorable digital footprint.

I hope my siblings don’t come at me for this…at least the Internet won’t be reminded of our horrendous acting.

2. I fostered 3 kittens that were abandoned in a box.

Had I ever taken care of kittens before this point in my life? Absolutely not. But I mean, have you ever found the bravery to resist 3 tiny, fragile beings screaming (actually, meowing) in desperation at you (is this my savior complex speaking??) More on this at a later date!

3. I joined a 2-week songwriting camp right after high school.

I wanted to see if pursuing music was a career for me. Turns out, I didn’t have enough patience and passion to write songs for a living (it’s a me problem). But, since then, I’ve written two more “masterpieces”: one called “One Day Stand” (a love story that lasts exactly one day), and one about…bacon (might drop them if I ever “felt cute”).

“Tình Một Ngày” (“One Day Stand”) performance with my friends <3

4. I jumped off a cliff into a lake on a late summer camping trip.

Alright, fine, it was a very, very tall rock. Okay, maybe just a regular rock. But still, let me tell you why it was brave. First of all, I am tropical, so even an Ontario lake in August feels like an ice bath to me (and it was raining, too, okay??). Secondly, I don’t do well with heights. Tree-top trekking and glass floors are my nemesis. So with all that combined, I still did it. Very much “Bella jumping for Edward's hallucinations” core.

The view, and the jump…told ya I did it.

5. I couldn’t imagine myself as a veterinarian. But I applied anyway, and got in!

In fact, it was my mom who brought it up as a potential career choice during my second year of university, when I was in my “what am I doing with my life” era. I literally laughed at the idea, since—me? A dogtor? That’s delulu, pishy kaka, totally baloney.

Yet here I am now. Crawling through vet school and trying to survive 10 exams (the struggle is real).

First-year vet school me! She certainly looks…not dead inside, yet.

6. I started a Substack to document my journey through (pre)veterinary school.

This journal is for you: pre-vets and vet students trying to get to where I am now. I’m sharing it all: the tips, the mistakes, the things I wish someone had told me, so you don’t have to figure it out alone. Consider it your “I tried so you don’t have to” guide to vet school.

Will I cringe at this attempt to publish my journal entries in a year? Will I even have the patience to keep posting consistently? Genuinely can’t tell you, I’m too busy thinking about how to pass Food Animal.

Guess we’ll find out together!

Until next time…🐾

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UPDATE: I did in fact pass Food Animal WOOHOO!!! Will I ever willingly touch livestock again? Nope, unless for pets. Small ruminants get a free pass tho.

UPDATE 2: I indeed forgot the NAVLE exists for a moment and honestly those were the best 4 seconds of my life.