A Letter to the Younger Me

Greetings Tiong Wei,

10 years from where you are, you'd have gotten a new name and in 5 years time all your new friends will address you by your new name. Your new name is Judah. It probably doesn't mean anything to you where you are right now, and you probably don't even know what it means. Oh by the way, did I forget to tell you also, 10 years on, you'd have become a Christian.

Don't ask me why or how, I came through where you are and I know even if I were to tell you my conversion story, you'd remain skeptical and treat it as nonsense. You are too smart, and you are too ambitious, and you think you are smarter than you really are, just because you outperformed most of your peers in PSLE. Busking in past glories would be your downfall.

I don't want to advise you as someone who is 10 years older. I know you won't like it, so even if I might be able to give you hindsight, I believe these are good opportunities or some sort of a rite of passage through which you'll be transformed, for the better of course. From where I am right now, I can almost tell you certainly that it's really for your own benefits.

But if you would allow me, I want to affirm you of the few things that you are doing them right right now. In fact, I am thankful for those efforts.

You know, how you are intentionally breaking away from introversion and how you are pushing your grasp of the English language, in the next 10 years you are gonna reap the benefits of your efforts and to tell you briefly how it'd look like, in two years time your essay will be topping the class, and you will be standing in front of the whole school to present speeches, and in a few more years people will start doubting that your primary language is mandarin because spoken English sounds so natural from your mouth, and then still a few more years, you will become more fluent than some of your current classmates whom you think are really good English speakers. You will fall in love with the limelight to the extent people literally stop believing that you are the introvert that you are right now. So well done! And thank you! And press on, the dividends are great! 

Even though I don't want to act as if I know better (I know you hate that, and I tell you 10 years on I still hate it), I think a few kind words for parting would be good.

Guard your heart. You won't understand this now but just keep it within you. It starts with the certain w-girl whom you like in your class now, and in the next few years, your life's gonna be rocked. Guard your heart, nevertheless.

Stay secured. Whatever you place your security in right now- good results, good looks, promising future, good portfolios and even good positions etc, these are all temporal and you can lose them. Stay secured and try identifying something bigger than yourself... You'd love it. I just know:D

Oh, and maybe you might want to start working on some things early: patience, anger management and self-righteousness. Trust me, it would do us both a whole lot of favor and cut out many unnecessary detours.

Finally, while you are still young, enjoy! Live life to the fullest! I know you will! :D

Love in abundance,

Judah, 

Your future self!

Jeremiah 1:5

"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations."