Confessions of A Troubled Student

Would you dare to bare your soul, unveil your vulnerability and put your life under the microscope for public scrutiny and examination? What if others pass judgment? Would it not invite unwelcomed feedback, unpleasant comments and untoward behaviour? Confessions are hard to make, priest, parent or public. But she did it.

Twenty-year-old Jasmine Yow admits she never did set out to write a book. Her journalling through her deepest darkest days as a teenager in college was the bedrock for a 128-page book. Titled Behind That Shiny Resume - Jottings of a Troubled College Student, it's published by Armour Publishing.

The Malaysian from Alor Star was a star student on an ASEAN scholarship in a local junior college. She'd excelled at everything she put her heart and mind to do and her pursuit of excellence continued during her college days. But she battled clinical depression along the way, losing motivation to be that top performer she'd been known to be.

The pressure to excel (something she owns up to placing upon her own shoulders) bore down heavily and she wondered if she'd still be loved for who she was, as much as for what results she was capable of producing. Her struggles within and without were for no one to hear, save her jotter book.
Her book's now open and available, primarily for students who've lost or are losing their bearings in life because of the tremendous pressure of academic performance and who feel no one understands the turmoil within. Jasmine does.

But education consultant, Clarine Chun says it's "a must-read for every parent, teacher and student".

Title: Behind That Shiny Resume - Jottings of a Troubled Student
Publisher: Armour Publishing
Available at MPH, Times The Bookshop, Harris, Kinokuniya, Crest & SKS ($9)