I went for my JPA interview yesterday. I was quite nervous in the beginning, but i told myself that if its God's will for me to get it, I will get it no matter what and if it is His will for me not to get it, no matter what, I will not be able to get it. I felt much relieved after convincing myself of that. I just went with a calm heart, thanks be to God.
If you did not know, I only verified my certificates and documents that exact morning. I was so pressured and stressed out as of all mornings, the school had to have sukan tara on that morning itself. All the teachers were busy with their field duties. I was very afraid that I might not get it done in time. So as I was waiting, I just opened my bible and read through, not expecting anyone else to come and verity their certificates at the eleventh hour. Suddenly, Yumesh came. I was pleasantly surprised. We later went for a meal at Pelita Nasi Kandar in Desa Damai after knowing that the sukan tara would end at 10:30 am. I was again quite worried as I haven't done my last minute preparations including ironing the clothes I would be wearing.
After getting it done, I just rushed home to do my quiet time (at last).. Then, I just got myself ready and prepared to go. As I was waiting for Chandra aka Candi to come pick me up, I just played my CabalSEA to keep my mind off the interview for a few moments. When he arrived, I just jumped into the car and asked him to check my clear holder, to check whether I lacked anything. Thankfully, nothing lacked. We just concentrated on the questions they might ask later on in the interview.
When we arrived, I was literally soaked due to the humid weather (there was not even a fan in the waiting hall.. zzzzzz). We met a pleasant girl from Parit Buntar who scored 9A+ and 1A-!!! I was lik WOW when she told me her results. Although slightly discouraged as she was in the same panel, the feeling soon went away when I found out that she was also a Methodist.. Haha.. Unbelievably, Kah Khen was in the same panel as me, too. This helped me be more confident as I knew 2 persons from our panel.
When we entered, I was amazed by the interviewer's command in English. He was a young Malay guy with a
DOCTORATE IN ENGINEERING!!!
As the interview proceeded, I volunteered to introduce myself. I was fairly confident as the question was to be answered in English.. XD When the next question in BM came, I was at a loss for words. I spoke last. However, God helped me by making the situation to my advantage. The question was, "Pada pendapat anda, mengapakah kes-kes bunuh diri yang melibatkan kanak-kanak dan remaja semakin meningkat dewasa ini?" I was speechless..........
One by one spoke with confidence. However, I realised that all of them started with the phrase 'pada pendapat saya'. I just thought, "Why not be different"?? I started by saying,"Puncanya sering diketepikan oleh orang ramai. Namun begitu, kita haruslah menyiasat perkara ini ke akar umbinya agar jalan penyelesaian yang efektif dapat dijumpai". "Dewasa ini, kita terlalu sibuk mengejar kebendaan materialistik, justeru memaksa anak-anak bangsa kita untuk berjaya dalam semua bidang, bukan sahaja, akademik, tetapi juga dalam kokurikulum dan lain-lain. Kita tidak memahami tekanan atau stress yang dihadapi oleh anak-anak kita. Ibu bapa juga kian melupakan salah satu elemen yang penting dalam kehidupan kita kerana terlalu menekankan benda-benda ini, iaitu kehadiran Tuhan yang Maha Esa di dalam hidup kita. Oleh itu, kanak-kanak dan remaja yang terlalu stress dengan hal-hal ini tidak dapat melihat harapan yang ada pada hari-hari yang akan datang.Akibatnya, mereka membunuh diri kerana berfikir bahawa tiada harapan lagi dalam kehidupan mereka." By God's help, I realised that the iterviewers were quite happy with my answer. The rest of the interview went on very smoothly. Thank God!!!
As we left the hall, there was a guy from Chung Ling High School who asked many questions regarding his studies if he did not manage to get this scholarship. 1 of the interviewers told him right in his face, telling him ot to worry, God is in control of everything. "Semua di dalam tangan Tuhan". I was even further encouraged with the thought that my statement in the 1st question impacted them so much. All glory be to God..
On the way back, as I was thinking to myself, it is true tat without God's presence in our lives, there will be an emptiness. I was once like that. I looked for satisfaction in various things, including friends, vanity, online games etc etc. These things never gave me pure satisfaction in my life. After awhile, these things would seem so boring. My life, if not for my studies and friends would be utterly meaningless.. Till God came into my life, I have not felt so much meaning in my life. This is the case for many youths today.. They feel that life is so meaningless, often looking for satisfaction in drinking, drugs, etc etc. They will never have true satisfaction. There will be a time in their lives where they would enter a state of despair and depression, causing them to take their own lives. However with God in my life, I wake up with another reason to live everyday. There will be a hope that shines towards me everyday in my life. Even when things get terrible, God is still there with us, offering us hope.
"Weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning. Psalms 30:5b"
