initial F___Wednesday, March 26, 2008
It is great to see the scenery from the 28th floor. The stylish office beckons. A pretty lady walks over and ushers you in. The stage is set for a swashbuckling interview.
Doors swing open, there is an exchange of handshake, and you settle down comfortably on the chair. General questions are fired off but you shrug them off easily. After all, you are well prepared to answer them after rehearsing through the ordeal several times. A piece of cake.
Your confidence grows. It becomes a protective shield, masking away your flaws and charming your audience with your strengths. You suddenly feel invincible, as if an omnipotent god. Surely no one can hurt you now?
Then the wind of change blows. A needle pierces through your shield, shattering it into pieces. Your shortcomings become awfully exposed, bare for all to see. You start digging for an escape with your bare hands, hoping to create a hole where you can hide yourself. But the ground is covered with granite, and there is no chance you can slip away.
You curl up in a roll, a traditional defensive stance. What a pathetic futile attempt. Meanwhile, the storm of attacks continue. When it is all over, you lick your wounds and leave. Count your blessing, she says. That is the price for overestimating yourself.
The next time I smoke, I bloody make sure it comes out from the barrel of my loaded rifle.
perseverance___Tuesday, March 11, 2008
I still remember that fateful day.
The sky was clear, less for a few fluffy white clouds. Although the weather was bright and sunny, I was in a less cheery mood, something that fluttered between anger and disappointment. Dragging my two feet, I managed to haul myself onto one of the benches in the school canteen, and settle beside CK and Niam.
As several other classmates tucked into their food, each of us remained silent. Having been humbled by the recent chemistry examination, none of us had the appetite to consume anything. The eerie silence continued for a few minutes, before CK suddenly spoke up.
A string of expletives were fired off to vent his frustration, before he gave a truly inspiring speech. Stroking up our egos, he challenged us to become "Comeback Kids", and to channel our anger and disappointment into a unstoppable drive to succeed. Since then, we snapped up past year papers, attempted ten year series, and other tiny booklets of assignments.
In the end, our efforts were rewarded handsomely. Looking back, I was glad that I persevered despite going against the odds. Although the failure disappointed me, it did not defeat me.
Being able to pick myself up, and bounce back from failure was crucial. Through this blog entry, I hope to inspire others such they too can find the strength to bounce back up.
