Missing 'Mojo'

After 10 weeks or so in my not so new environment, I realised that my life is very different compared to how it was back in my hometown, Malacca. For starters, I now share a room with somebody (no complains, though). 

No doubt, I expected university life to be very different, but I somehow ended up lost and went with the crowd. As the first semester finally draws to a close, I realise how mundane and unmeaningful a typical university student's life is. Attend lectures and tutorials, complete assignments, meet datelines, sit for exam, end. For the record, I had a very different lifestyle back home.

The reason why I enjoyed my Form 6 days was definitely not studies. It was because of my involvement in church activities. I had a purpose, a direction - to serve. To serve God in whatever I do. That was my priority back then. Serving God does not benefit Him, but ourselves. I learned a whole lot about organization as well as made a whole bunch of crazy friends along the way.

Over here, it's a whole new world. I no longer serve in a youth ministry - that takes away a huge part of who I am, since I gave my all to serving Him and my involvement in government-required activities were minimal. I guess that's why I got lost in the first place.

I used to have a good balance in life back home; physically (eat well, excercise well, sleep well), intellectually (studies, obviously), socially (friends who are like siblings), emotionally (proper channelling of stress, leisure, FUN), and spiritually (serve God). When I came over, a huge portion of social and spiritual disappeared. I never really bothered what had been lost, but just went along with the crowd, which was a whole lot of intellectual. That's when life becomes pre-programmed and mundane. 

Surely, everybody's perspective on balance is different, but I'd stick with this model, which means that I'll have to find a way to put the talents He's given me to good use - serving others!

Teachers

This clip really got me thinking - how teachers aren't supposed to just teach a subject, but to also bring out the best in his students. As Prof. Randy Pausch puts it, dream enablers. How often do we come across teachers who really care about their students and try their best to see them succeed, not just academically but also socially, emotionally and spiritually? You're truly blessed if you've met one. I know I am.

Just a thought: With a teachers workload nowadays, I don't blame them for not being able to care. In fact, I'm amazed they can remember so many names. Too many students, too few teachers. The Malaysian education system is seriously flawed in many ways, but I'd say its greatest flaw is that it fails to recognise non-academic talent. So what if some people can't remember all seven food classes? So what if some people screw up all the dates in Islamic history? All that matters is maturity of thought and creativity, the ability to think outside the box. Honestly, there are people who excel academically but still lack these basic skills. And we wonder why graduates aren't able to find employment. The system has got to go.