The Illusion Breaker

I was 22 when I had just accepted Jesus Christ into my life. I was born into a staunch Hindu family. Like most Hindu families, we were brought up to worship Hindu deities. When persons brought up in such traditions decide to become Christians, they are not only seen as abandoning their traditional faith but also as betraying their heritage. They bring shame on their family and community by following a foreign religion and putting their loyalty in a foreign God. My father detested me for becoming a Christian. He felt that I brought great shame and embarrassment to the family. But for me, it didn’t matter what he thinks. What mattered to me at that point in time is that I tasted the goodness and the mercy of my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. I came to know Him for who He is. I encountered Him and I had to choose Him above everything else. And I did. The price I had to pay for following Christ is to be disowned by my own family. I was looked as an alien and was treated with dis...

Depression is not a sign of weakness. Strong people fall into it. Sometimes, saying you are depressed, will volunteer enough symptoms to confirm easily the accuracy of their own self-diagnosis. If not, a few simple questions will quickly confirm the diagnosis: How long have you felt this way?   Do you wake up every morning feeling impossible?   Is every little decision a major burn out to you these days?   Do you find that you cannot make yourself do the simplest household chores, that you used to do easily?   Do you hate yourself for it and sink further?   Do people tell you to cheer up, and you don't know-how, and then hate yourself for hating them? Often, most depressives will unhesitatingly say, "Oh, yes," to all or most of these questions, grateful that you understand. "Depression seldom hits as severely those who have the gift of tears or the ability to rage. It is the stoic, the philosophic cont...

While I was busy working in my office in February 2017, I decided to give myself a social media break, I went on Facebook and scrolled through my feed to take my mind off the horrible sets of management accounts that I was working on for my Indonesian clients. I would usually relax by reading articles on self improvement and sharing them on my feed quoting an excerpt I could relate to but this time my eyes were glued on a post shared by my friend, Nalina Nair who I met in AWAM's Feminist Camp and she just so happened to be involved with the Democratic Action Party (DAP) back then. Her post was about Impian Malaysia needing volunteer teachers for their education camps in Sarawak and Sabah. I knew about Impian Malaysia and what they were doing as a friend of mine, Collin has been involved in it once. I saw him sharing about his experience on Facebook and I really felt like doing it as well but I just couldn't find the time. There is always something more important or wor...