#6 Biodata - Change & I

Born in 1985, I grew up in a multiracial environment living in Kuala Lumpur, the capital city of Malaysia. My school life is a colorful story; reciting my alphabets in a Methodist kindergarten, writing calligraphy in a Mandarin primary school, studying for my national exams in a Malay government secondary institution, and finally spreading my wings to Singapore on scholarship for Victoria Junior College and then National University of Singapore. The changing scenery has truly blessed me with the opportunity to appreciate the unique cultural diversity that prospers in Southeast Asia, the melting pot of East and West. Change is new and new is fun. I love the excitement of a mystery ahead, the challenges it poses, and the jubilation of surmounting the impossible. I believe in making a change in our world for a better tomorrow.

#5 Teaching An Old Dog New Tricks

Learning is a lifelong process. Often in life we repeat a task so often that our minds switch off and our body just happens to go through the motion. As a 4th year student constantly bogged down by assignments throughout my school days, I guess it is fair to say that sometimes I am jaded by the prospect of working on yet another assignment.

After all, are not all assignments essentially the same? First, you delve into research. Next, you piece together the findings. Lastly, you spice up the draft. 1-2-3 and presto, you have completed yet another new report. If that is true, why is it that our education so vehemently extols the virtue of ‘team projects’?

By now I am sure many of the readers are itching to tell me why it is right and how I am wrong. I know my cue when I see it, so let me first apologize and gently remind everyone that I did say that I am jaded.

Just like the story, a man sought adventure and travelled long and far, eventually he reached his final destination but was utterly disappointed by what he saw. The moral of the story was that his unerring focus on the final destination left him numb to the experience of an amazing adventure that was the journey itself. Getting back to the topic of the day, team projects are more than just producing yet another report. It is simply about enjoying the company of new friends threading on a quest for knowledge, braving the challenges ahead, facing adversity with the new found strength that comes from unity and diversity all in one tight group.

For these amazing experiences, I thank my fellow adventurers, Oxy and WeiKin, for it is truly them who have given life to the ‘new’ in yet another report. All I can wish for is the kinship we have would not fade with time nor should the different paths ahead distance the bonds in our hearts.