One of the most memorable experiences I’ve had this year was performing at the Chomdong Fundraising Concert on January 25th. This marked my band’s third year performing at the event, and over time, we've grown more comfortable with the venue and more experienced as a group.

However, this year presented some unique challenges. The concert was held earlier than usual—around January instead of March—giving us less time to prepare. This was especially tough for my band, as four out of five members are full IB diploma students, making it difficult to coordinate long practice sessions. To make it work, we committed to rehearsing from 4–7 p.m. every Sunday and practiced after school whenever possible.

Another obstacle arose just days before the performance, when I became ill. Singing suddenly became much more difficult—especially since I had to perform three songs that I knew would be too high for anyone else in the group. I took medication, practiced as much as I could, and did my best to push through. Although I wouldn’t consider it my strongest performance, I learned that responsibility and self-care are just as important as practice. Taking care of my health was key to delivering what I could on stage.

In the end, we were proud to raise 255,300 baht, which was donated to Siriraj Hospital. This was a significant jump from last year’s total of 180,000 baht—meaning not only did we meet our goal of 200,000, we surpassed it.

I still have a lot to learn as a musician, but experiences like Chomdong offer me valuable opportunities to grow. I'm especially grateful that our hard work contributed to such a meaningful cause. It motivates me to keep improving and reminds me why I love doing this.