Life in a book?

It's rather late now, considering the fact that I have to get up early tmr, and teach sec school kids who are just running around, refusing to sing.


So, last week's LDP we played a mini ice breaker, where we were given little rectangular cards consisting of questions and we had to answer them. These questions are more likely to be asking "Would you choose Subway, Macs, or KFC" rather than "Who is the 37th president of the USA" kind of thing. You get the idea.

I picked a hard one, "What would be the title of the book of your autobiography (besides your name)"? It got me thinking, and I never thought so hard during a game. I was stumped when I got called to share my answer, because thoughts were just racing through my mind, trying to squeeze something that would impress, yet not too cheesy to cringe at.

And so, the title "How to fail successfully" birthed. I was sharing my initial thoughts that I didn't want something too mainstream, like "The Life of Priscilla". I thought about what has happened in my life so far, and I guess failure sums it up pretty much. But, the story "ends" being successfully through the fruits of failure. Not to wallow in self-pity, I'm actually kinda proud of some failures I've faced. Example, choosing to repeat JC1. People have been telling me how noble I am, deciding to spend another year in college despite meeting the mark. But truth is, at that moment, I was damn willing. Most (if not all) of my closer friends had to repeat. I hated H2 CLL. I disliked my class. Repeating seem like a good option. So there, I appealed to the school, and I rejoiced when it got accepted. I started my new term with a new class, a new subject (econs)- which happens to be the love of my life only until I discovered it - tada happy ending.

Well, things are not always rosy isn't it. Honestly, there were times where I felt I might have made the wrong decision. Sometimes when I see same-aged friends already moving on to uni, I wonder where I'll be if I didn't make that choice. Actually, is getting all As for A Levels really that crucial? I doubt I'll do THAT bad for A Levels. Sometimes jealousy arises, I'm still stuck here while people has moved on.

Looking back, I think choosing to repeat was definitely a failure that I encountered, be it was a free, affirmed decision, there were times that the social stigma was enforced on me. I felt bad about myself, seriously doubting my own abilities. As the chinese proverb says, failure is success' mum (正所谓，失败是成功之母), I felt compelled to work hard and prove people wrong that retainees can do well - and I did! And this leads to another success story; scholarship.

There were also many other instances where I felt that the failures were a stepping stone to my success, but I guess it's personal to share it here. However, I must definitely credit God for turning an extreme to the other; 危机变转机. Couldn't, wouldn't, have done it by myself. So, if I were to write that autobiography, it's subtitle would be "with God".


P.S, if only I have the ability to write a book.