Instead

I saw him shaking his change in a coffee cup
Asked for a dollar but I told the man to give it up
Said he's hungry i dont think that it's true
I bet my dollar he'd just spend it on booze
I turned my back on him and began to walk away
But then i heard a little voice inside me say
What if it's really true? What if he's hungry?
What if it's not for him? Does he have a family?

How'd you get here
How'd you end up on the street
Where did you go wrong
Wonder what I'd do if it were me

Chorus:
A new point of view
A walk in your shoes
I wish I could get inside your head
To see what you see
When you look at me
Cause I could have lived your life instead

Verse2:
It was 90 degrees in the Summer heat
She was veiled in black all the way down to her feet
This is America doesn't she know
Somebody take her shopping buy her some clothes
She came up to me I didn't understand a word
I was about to leave then another thought occurred
She must be really lost scared and frustrated
I should try again to see what she's saying

How'd you get here
How'd you get so far from home
What was it that made you leave
Wonder what I'd do if it were me

Chorus:
A new point of view
A walk in your shoes
I wish I could get inside your head
To see what you see when you look at me
Cause I could have lived your life instead

I wanna see oh see what you see
And I wanna feel oh feel just what you feel

Cos I could have lived your life instead

- Stacie Orrico

How true. Probably sums up my reasons for wanting to become a psychologist. Isn't it always illuminating to see how much a person can construe the same situation differently from you and realise that that person has grounds for viewing the world in the world they do? It's always interesting to see how our judgments of right and wrong are dependent on how we were brought up, and really, nobody is right, neither is anyone wrong. It's always a lesson in humility, and one I enjoy doing.

That said, I still believe strongly that we should all keep to the values that are important to us, while maintaining the open-mindedness that there are people who will have views and ways of doing things that are different from us, and respecting that. I'm still learning it, and I hope I'll get better.

Everything in its Time

Everyone needs time to think about their past actions in order to grow. I find that when you give things or people time, over time (no pun intended), you do find that things do change. So there's no use in getting upset over what you can't change when it's just going to do so sooner or later. We need to give ourselves and others time to get used to us too.

I think with this mindset, I've come to let go of many things. Some things are not worth pulling my hair over when I've got other things to think about and other things to do. Why spend my resources on things I can't help right now when I can spend my resources on things and people and build up my relationships with them?

I should have come to this realization years ago. That would have saved me alot of heartache. But then again, this probably wouldn't have had such a big impact on me as it does now, and I probably wouldn't have learnt so much. So, there you have it - everything in its time.

Note to my 16 year old self

Horrible results they were, weren't they? But you know what? Things happen for a reason. There's no need to be in the top school or at the top all the time. You're always going to feel you need to feel on top, but that's going to be more manageable as you grow older, because this time, you're better able to accept that when things happen a certain way, it doesn't mean that opportunities are going to be closed. Nuh-uh. You'll find that going to TPJC's not going to be all that bad for your self-esteem. It's where you're likely to find yourself and be a happier person again. Satisfaction with yourself does not mean that you have to be on top all the time. TPJC is not the best thing in the world to have happened, but it's not the end of the world. You might think I'm crazy and that going to TPJC's going to close alot of doors for you. But nope! You're going to get the experience of a lifetime, and you're going to become a better person because of all that. Better still, you're going to learn how to be stronger. You're not going to be a perfect person, of course, neither are you going to be the top scorer of the school. But you're going to find back the person you lost sight of before.

Let go, and go open the new chapter of your life. If there's one thing I've learnt in all these years, it's to give everything time. Everyone needs time to adjust and think about what's right. If you feel that it's right and you're doing something that you value and feel comfortable doing, go ahead. Trust yourself and your attributes, and that will get you the help and direction you need. Jiayou k?