The clock is ticking, and the countdown has begun. Summer is officially coming to an end soon. With just days to spare before I hop on that plane that takes me back to New York for sophomore year, all these plans to hang out start pouring in.

For instance, today at 3 p.m. I will be going to a cafe with one of best friends, and for dinner, I will be joining another group of friends for dinner. Tomorrow morning, I will be having breakfast with two other close friends I knew from my part-time job last summer and to top that up I would still have to spare some family time. (What's worse is I haven't begun to pack yet)

I've been home for almost the entire summer and spent most of my time just binge-watching shows on Netflix and suddenly these last few days will be the busiest with meetups. All those "let's meet up during summer" meetups only happen right before I am about to leave, why? Did it just only click to them that I am just about to leave and won't be back for a while?

Why do we always just wait for the other to make the first move to plan on meeting up? I say it is time we pick up our phones and just say hi to the friends whom you have dearly missed.

Every time I catch up with a good friend, I get so immersed in the moment and when it's time for us to say goodbye a small thought will always pop up in my mind.

"When will be the next time we see each other?"

For instance one of my good friends is furthering her studies in Taiwan soon, and they do not have a winter break. She told me she would only get a Chinese New Year holiday which would last her a week around the beginning of February next year. This means that I would not be able to see her at all till next summer; that's around nine months without seeing each other.

This is my last week back home for the summer, and I have to mentally prepare myself to say goodbye to my friends as we part ways. That is also why I have taken the initiative to start hanging out with some of my friends.

And when the time is up, a goodbye hug or a goodbye handshake will be shared. A sign to mark the end of a wonderful and exciting part of my life. Summer 2018, you have been amazing.

Therefore, I encourage every single one of you to at least fulfill one of those 'summer meetups' before you leave, you never know when will be the next time when both of you will be in town at the same time. Appreciate and cherish these moments that you get to share with each other.