Tuesday, December 16, 2008
We are bound to face many obstacles in our life and whether or not we can move on, depends on our ability to pick ourselves up. I've got a friend from my jc days who still remains ashamed of herself because she didn't do exactly well for her a levels and didn't manage to get into any one of the 3 local universities. Well, if this was the period shortly after a levels or even months after it, I can understand her position. However, it's been 3 years and getting close to 4 soon. Having been in her shoes before, I can testify to the fact that it wasn't easy moving on and getting a grasp on reality.
When I went back to my secondary school on Teacher's Day or any other special occasions, it was literally going back with my head down because I felt ashamed of myself and felt that I've not only let myself, my parents, the school and the teachers who had high expectations for me down. When you see your peers doing well enough to get into the top 5 jcs while you're stuck at one of those neighbourhood ones, that kind of feeling constantly plays on your mind.
A significant moment which I'll never forget was when my biology teacher asked me in front of 2 njc guys from her other class which jc did I get posted to. This was partly the reason in the begining stages of my bmt and course time that I started to tell people I was from poly. Funny thing was, people believed me and said that I even have the poly mentality (where you just go for lecture with this foolscap pad and 1 pen) because of that slacker look on my face.
Who really cares whether you're the top scorer for your PSLE or even the O Levels? What happened was the past and what we should focus on in life is the present and the future. However, it's easier said than done for some people. I've tried my best to help her move on but she's not only resisting help from her friends but constantly be in denial. That's honestly the worst thing that can happen to an individual. It's my like having my students telling me that they don't want my help and having the belief that they're beyond hope.
Good or bad, everything happens for a reason. For me, I see it as a blessing in disguise. I hope my friend can too.
