When Life Seems Seemingly "Impossible"

I know for a fact that EVERYONE has encountered at least one "impossible" situation before in their lives... a situation that mirrors desperation... an experience that beckons to be erased from the cascades of time. Each and every human that exists or has ever existed in this fallen world has faced struggles, hardships, trials, tribulations, temptations, and the like throughout their life. There is the famous saying that goes, "What doesn't kill you only makes you stronger".

Indeed, even in the Word of God, the apostle John must have heard a dozen complaints from his fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. The believers under his leadership faced very real issues: The government was against them - taking their businesses, separating their families, even killing some of them. It must have been a temptation for them just to pull back and pull up short. However, John reminded them (and us) of the surpassing value of knowing Christ.

There are times in life when doing God's will seems like it's too hard, maybe even impossible beyond human understanding. Nevertheless, we can be encouraged knowing that there is eternal hope that is worth sacrificing everything for. In this post, I'd like to illustrate that truth via the account of the following man:

George Atley, a young Englishman with the heart of a hero, was engaged in the Central African Mission. He was attacked by a party of natives. He had with him a Winchester repeating rifle with 10 loaded chambers. The party was completely at his mercy. Calmly and quickly, he summed up the situation. He concluded that if he killed them, it would do the mission more harm than if he allowed them to take his life. So, as a lamb to the slaughter he was led; and when his body was found in the stream, his rifle was also found with its 10 chambers still loaded.

Remember folks, what happens on Earth is never the end of the story. The people thought they had silenced the influence of George Atley. Little did they know that his honorary sacrifice had exemplified his commitment to the cause and that selfless act has encouraged millions throughout history!

When life seems too difficult to bear, when it seems that God is calling you to sacrifice beyond what you think you can, just remember the eternal hope that you have in Jesus Christ. Like my favourite verse in the Bible, Proverbs 3:5-6 states... Just place all of your trust in Him and see the seeds of your faith bear fruit, my friends. =)

~Tim~

How Would YOU Define Success?

I wonder how many people have actually taken a moment to sit back and think about how they would define success, let alone measure it. Think about the following questions and come up with your own answers in your heads:

What drives you?

What makes you tick?

Does success in one aspect mean that it would pave the way for future endeavours, perhaps in other aspects?

Would you strive to be even better than you are now, even if you are already the best at what you do?

Most importantly: Is God involved in your success?

I like what my fellow meddie, Daniel Koh, winner of the Manhunt event at the recent Emerge youth conference, had to say when he was given the chance to answer that question in the title of this post, in front of a 500-strong crowd during the Q&A session. Unlike the other male contestants, he kept his answer short and simple, but direct to the point he was trying to make.

Bro, if you're reading this, I'm proud of you, and I'm sure the rest of MUMedS is as well! Always knew you had it in you. This is what he said:

"To me, success is measured by staying power. It's not just about being a one-hit-wonder. It's about taking the long road and staying there. Take for instance, Madonna, who has been in the music industry for decades. Yet even today, she is still as good, if not better, as she was 20 years ago. The world can see her passion and dedication. Thank you."

So folks, let me ask you again, "How would YOU define success?"

Happy Hols!!

FEATURE: Kate Voegele - Lift Me Up

The lyrics to this song are beautiful, and fitting, for a time like this when everyone is in the midst of sitting and preparing for their exams. It's the time of the year when motivation of any sort is most welcomed.

So folks, sit back, relax, and unwind on my blog while being treated to one of the most passionate and soulful voices that you will ever hear! This one's from Yours Truly to you!

(The song will auto-play after it has finished loading)

This road is anything but simple

Twisted like a riddle I've seen high and I've seen low

So loud, the voices of all my doubts

Telling me to give up, to pack up and leave town

Even so, I had to believe

Impossible means nothing to me, yeah

So can you lift me up,

Turn the ashes into flames

‘Cause I have overcome

More than words will ever say

And I've been given hope

That there's a light on up the hall

And that a day will come

When the fight is won

And I think that day has just begun

Somewhere, every body starts there

I'm counting on a small prayer,

Lost in a nightmare

But I'm here, and suddenly it's so clear

The struggle through the long years

It taught me to outrun my fears

Everything worth having, oh

Comes with trials worth withstanding

So can you lift me up,

Turn the ashes into flames

‘Cause I have overcome

More than words will ever say

And I've been given hope

That there's a light on up the hall

And that a day will come

When the fight is won

And I think that day has just begun

Oh, lift me up

Oh, lift me up

Oh, lift me up

Lift me up

Lift me up

Oh, Lift me up

Down and out is overrated

And I need to be elevated

Looking up is not enough

No, I would rather rise above

So can you lift me up,

Turn the ashes into flames

‘Cause I have overcome

More than words will ever say

And I've been given hope

That there's a light on up the hall

And that a day will come

When the fight is won

And I think that day has just begun

Oh, oh, oh, just begun

Lift me up, yeah, oh, oh, oh, yeah, now

Oh, oh, lift me up

Lift me up

Lift me up

His Perfect Plan

For my med school mates and I, exams are coming up in a week, and most of us are busy preparing for it. No one in med school wants to take the "Supps" (colloquial term for supplementary exams), let alone repeat Year 2. Everyone's basically looking forward to going to JB next year for our clinical attachment at the GH there. Let's not forget those in other courses who are also in the same predicament as well (and are often stereotyped to have a lot less to study compared to us for that matter). Anyhow, regardless of the amount of studying or books required to be read by each faculty, the feeling and aura here at Monash is mutual. Some (if not most) of the Monashians here have already felt or experienced pre-exam jitters, wrestling to keep both their private and professional personalities in check. Time management and prioritizing are of utmost importance during this critical period of the year!

Somehow, being caught up in all the hustle-&-bustle of preparing for both the written examinations and OSCEs (our practical examinations) has led many of us to abandon our usual routine of daily living. Packed lunches and dinners or ordering food into the university has been the norm for many students who stay back late into the night just to mug. In extreme cases, some have even skipped eating during their regular mealtimes or have given up on exercise temporarily. I even know of some students who haven't slept in days!!

On a more personal note, I've given up many of my usual activities just to fit in more study time into my already busy schedule... the one most worth mentioning is the spiritual aspect of it. I have to admit, lately I've been a little distant from God, giving up going for 365 for a month already, as well as not attending the occasional Prayer Meeting (PM) on some Friday evenings. I've even skipped my weekly Cell meetings a couple of times already. Don't worry or get me wrong, I'm not backsliding or anything of that sort. I still attend the Sunday services every week and do my regular Quiet Time. It's just that the pressure to do well for the finals has somewhat clouded my judgement and got the better of me at times.

For me, worshipping God has been one of the most enjoyable parts of going for spiritual meetings like 365 and PMs, but as mentioned earlier, it has not been done as often as before lately. When they say that things just somehow fall into place when you believe that God has a plan for your life, you'd better believe it! Somehow today, while studying, I felt God prompting me to attend PM. This took place when I was studying with a bunch of people in Monash. One of them was my close friend Suyin, who reminded me to put God first when she knew that I was contemplating whether to go for it or not. Despite having that internal struggle (due to what seemed like a never-ending pile of texts to read for the exams), a voice inside told me to go for it and reminded me to trust God. Thus, my mind was made up... I took that leap forward and decided to attend it tonight.

But for those who think the story ends here, it doesn't.

So, the story continues... After dinner, Yin & I headed for PM in my car. But alas, the jam at the Summit area on the way to church was a "killer". Upon seeing the long lines, and somewhat clusters, of cars, we both knew that we were going to be late for PM, and somehow predicted that worship would be over by the time we arrived in church. We were right. It took us literally 45 minutes just to get out of the massive jam there and arrive in church.

However, 2 good things came out of this during the jam.

(Always be optimistic & look on the bright side, Tim!)

The first: We got to sing along to some of our favourite worship songs in my car, from time to time. Just singing out loud in the car together reminded me of the simple truth that worshipping God didn't only mean that it had to be confined to a religious building like the church. What mattered was where our hearts were at that time, and whether we meant what we were singing.

"If you can't bring yourself to the place of worship, you bring the place of worship to you!"

The second: We both got to have this really long chat that we had not had in what seemed like eternity =) ... Sigh, blame it on exams! Talking to her had always been fun, with that occasional inside joke here and there, and this time was no different. I also appreciated her occasional opinions and insights that got me to think twice about certain things, especially when she told me that Arts students at Monash had just as much work as their Medical counterparts there with their assignments and reports.

"Thanx a bunch, Yin!" *hugs*

All in all, despite arriving late, today's PM was meaningful in more ways than one. Our senior pastor spoke on something that went something like, "If God calls you to accept 5 offers, don't just accept 1. Take them all! Be fruitful and multiply!" It was also good praying together with familiar and friendly faces during this divine appointment, praying in particular for Project Hebron & the Eagles' Dialysis Centre (EDC). In addition to this, we also got to hear a church member's testimony, who casted out a demon in the name of Jesus, a joyous occasion in the house of God which received a thunderous, resounding applause after it was shared. After PM ended, I had the opportunity to also catch up with friends from 365 whom I had not seen in a month or so.

Hence, it can be concluded that today was a productive one: academically, spiritually, socially, mentally, and now physically (gonna do my work-out now).

All glory be to our Lord God Almighty, author and perfecter of our faith!!

Soli Deo Gloria,

~Tim~

Everyone's a Citizen of Procrasti-Nation! [Part 2]

I know some (or most) of you peeps are waiting earnestly for the continuation of my previous post. Over the past 7 days or so, you probably checked back here more than once a day to see if I've updated my blog, but did you realise that you were procrastinating in the process? =p Sad to say, blog-hopping and mindless Facebook-profile-stalking are just two examples of the common procrastinator's habits. =D Thus, *drum rolls*, I've prepared some strategies to help you combat your procrastination tendencies. However, before we get there, you need to know how you procrastinate... because it can be tough to tell when you are doing it. Too often, we don't even realize that we are procrastinating — until it's too late.

How do you procrastinate?

• Try to ignore the task, hoping against hope that it will go away?
• Over- or under-estimate the degree of difficulty that the task involves?
  
• Minimize the impact that your performance now may have on your future?
  
• Substitute something important for something really important? (For example, cleaning instead of studying or doing your assignment(s).)
• Let a short break become a long one, or an evening in which you do no work at all? (For example, claiming that you are going to watch TV for ½ hour, then watching it all night.)
• Focus on one part of your studies/assignment(s), at the expense of the rest?

Create a productive environment.

• Find a place to work where you have at least half a chance of actually getting some work done.
• If you have a laptop computer, try going someplace where you can't connect to the Internet (e-mail and the Web are the bane of the procrastinator's existence—as you probably already know).
• If you are a procrastinator, then chances are you are already pretty exasperated; don't risk frustrating yourself even more by trying to write in an environment that doesn't meet your needs.
  
• Consider when you will write. When are you most alert? Try to schedule writing time when you know you will be at your best.

Break it down.

• The moment you get the assignment (ideally), or shortly thereafter, break the writing assignment up into the smallest possible chunks.
• This is the concept of mind over matter i.e. the paper never has a chance to take on gargantuan proportions in your mind

Get a new attitude.

• Changing our attitude toward the task, when possible, may go a long way toward keeping us from procrastinating.
• Tell yourself that the task isn't so bad or difficult, that you either know how to do it, or that you can learn how while you're doing it.
• Start early on a particular assignment; simply starting to write can often help us feel more positive about writing.

Ask for help.

• Get an anti-procrastination coach: from the supportive people in your life. Tell someone about your writing goal and timeline, and ask them to help you determine whether or not your plan is realistic.
  
• Get an accountability buddy. See if you can find a friend to work alongside you.
• For assignments, get help with your writing if you think you are a weak writer. Ask someone (a Writing Center tutor, a current or former professor or teaching assistant, a friend) to help you improve.
  

Get unblocked.
Sometimes, we procrastinate because we feel "stuck" when studying a particular subject or when working on a particular section of an assignment. If this happens, you have 2 options:

• Write the easiest part first. You don't have to start at the beginning. Whatever section you can do, do it! If you think that's wimpy, and you would rather do the hardest part first so that you can get it out of the way, that's fine—whatever works for you. If you start writing and you get stuck, write about why you're stuck.
• Talk it out. Try tape-recording yourself speaking the ideas you want to include in the paper, and then transcribe the tape.

Get some fresh air to clear your head.

• Personally, I take occasional walks around Monash in between studying or doing assignments whenever I feel the need to; be it for the change of scenery or the fresh breeze available outside the med lab/library.
• Exercise frequently or as often as you can!
  

Leave your work out

• Keeping your work (books, notes, etc.) physically out, in full view, gives you a reminder that you are either need to study, are in the middle of an assignment, or both.
• The fact remains that you may also need to start doing work.
• Also, if you write in more than one shift, it can be helpful to leave off in the middle of a paragraph and leave your 'tools' where they are. When you return to the paper, you'll be able to "warm up" by finishing that paragraph. Starting a new section cold may be more difficult.

That's all I'll leave with you folks for now. Rest assured that if requested by popular demand, I will write Part 3. =) Till then... tata & take care!

p.s. All the best to those sitting for their exams in the next few weeks!! It is a critical period of the year for all Monashians especially, so STOP procrastinating people!! Finish all those dreaded assignments and study to da max!!

~Tim~