Saturday, August 24, 2013

Ashley's splendid 2012 in a nutshell

Dearest Ashley,

After browsing through the little journal detailing the sweet memories of you when you were a toddler makes me feel that the importance of keeping a record of Abby’s and your childhood memories that will warm your heart when you guys grow up.

P5 had been a great year for you. The No. 1 “Block Buster” was winning the Championship of the 21st National Chinese Story Telling Competition. You and your team mates were cut out for the roles you all played. As the majestic King, you exude an air of confidence, charisma and power. When I saw you on stage, I couldn’t help myself from feeling that you’re the Most Talented Boy on Earth! All your hard work paid off. 刘老师 is indeed your 恩师.
You were also invited by Mdm See to join the Speakers’ House where you learned public speaking, debate and storytelling. You were the only one selected to represent school for the Good English Speaking Public Speech contest. You have trained hard. Though you did not win, the experience you gained is invaluable. A little setback like this is actually good for you. Life is full of ups and downs. That’s what makes life interesting & worth living!

All is not lost when the V.P. invited you to deliver your speech “Should children play more?” at Talent Fest. When the entire hall of students and teachers cheered for you during your speech, streams of tears flowed down my cheeks uncontrollably. You’re amazing! Even the Principal, Mrs. Foo and the Superintendent were very impressed by you. After your speech, you earned yourself a playful name called “Play Boy”. Mum almost fell off the chair when you shared with me this joke. Hahaha…
Another highlight was your appearance in Street Racers. That was awesome! From making the audition video to the onset filming, Mum was totally impressed by you and Emanule. You guys formed a great team. Working in a team is about complementing your team mate and being able to work well as a team to achieve the common goal. Your confidence, resourcefulness and eloquence were apparent on TV. Despite running in the hot sun, you did not lose your cool and was always focus on the tasks on hand. It’s the laser-sharp focus that gave you guys the winning edge. Great Job!

In school, you organized and led the class performance during Teachers’ Day Concert. Your Form Teacher, Ms. Eileen Tan, also praised you for your leadership in the report book.
Last year, you acted as the Golden Crane in your school’s play. I love your acting, very natural and energetic. You really belong to the stage!

You also received your G2 Piano distinction and merits in G3 theory. Mum is so envious of your natural gift in music. We love to hear you play.
You had so much fun in the Taiwan Immersion Trip with your roommate, Jin Hao and other boys. You took lots of interesting pictures and participated in many local cultural activities. You also sang solo 细水长流 and group singing at Taiwan Primary School. Mum is proud of you for being so sporty and participative. It was a bonus when we found out at the airport that Mrs. Foo was going to Taiwan too!

As a family, we visited 四川 with Dance Ensemble Singapore (DES) in June. The cultural trip was fun and tiring for you and your cousins as you all had to practize wushu and dance for the first 5 days. Mum was very impressed when I saw you on stage with the older boys and teachers performing 国风.
Life is full of surprises. We never knew that our visit to 杜甫草堂 could be your Chinese Public Speaking topic in 7 months’ time. This reminds me of your very 1st Chinese Public Speaking at Story Island in P1 假如我是….. You wanted to be 黄飞鸿. We guessed you got the idea from visiting黄飞鸿博物馆 with DES again 7 months ago. See, history repeats itself for good.

You were so gutsy when you tried snow-boarding in Korea for the first time. In one day’s time, you have conquered the 1.8km beginner slope at least 5 times all by yourself. Mum & Dad are so proud of you!
As Mum is detailing your P5 days, I was simply taken aback by the long list of accomplishments you have earned. It takes more than talent to achieve all these. The daily dose of hard work is an essential success ingredient. Tei Han is also a very talented boy. Mum is happy that, through thick and thin, both of you have forged a strong friendship. At the same time, you know you’re not racing against him but yourself. If Ashley Today is better than Ashley Tomorrow, that’s one step closer to reaching your goal. That’s SUCCESS, according to Adam Khoo.

Talking about Adam Khoo, you attended his 5-day camp in Dec. You had the best time in your life. Making new friends and more importantly, having an inspiring coach, Xavier. He commented you were the gel of the team, rallying everyone to work towards a common goal. He was touched when you stood up for him when he was scolded by Adam Khoo. Your team is the Winning Team out the 13 teams. Superb! You also shared with Xavier and everyone at the Graduation Ceremony that you wish to score 265 and enter Hwa Chong. Xavier said you have to work hard to get into Hwa Chong. Mum has confidence that you will reach your goal.
Mum is so proud of you when you received the Model Pupil and Endurance award last year. Well done!

The only target you missed was to be in the Top 10. It was a pity as you were top 6 in SA1. I know you were sad and Mum shouldn’t add salt to your wound by reprimanding you for missing your target. I should be more understanding. In retrospect, you have the best teacher in P6 – Mrs. Ivy Lee!
As 2013 unfolds, you’ve already won the 1st place in the China-Singapore Bilingual Public Speaking competition just before Chinese New Year. Wow!!!!!!!!!!! When you shared with me that you used your eyes to signal to 宇辰 to be your buddy, Mum was laughing away. Through this exercise, you have transformed yourself into a script writer and Director by combining the two 5-minute scripts into a 3-minute script. The teamwork and synergy between the two of you were marvelous. All these were accomplished in less than 2 days. Unbelievable!

One of the setbacks was you didn't do well in your G4 piano exams as the exam date coincided with your competitions leaving you very little time to practise. I could sense your disappointment as you refused to talk about it and didn't touch the piano for more than a month. Dad and mum just left you alone and hey, we were so glad that you overcame the negative emotions and started to pay "Pay Phone" & "River flows in you". We were mesmerized by you and your music....

As you're growing up, Mum is also learning to see and treat you as a young adult rather than the little boy who loved butterfly kisses. I guess we need to give each other time to adjust as you enter a new phase called puberty and teenage years. We're living in a imperfect world and no one's perfect. With a little more tolerance and patience, our lives will be happier and richer.

Before mum signs off, I just want to tell you that Dad and mum love you for who you are, not just your talents but your temperaments and everything that's you. You're our first love and we love you, our beloved son.

Bear hugs,
Your one and only Mum & Dad


No comments:

Post a Comment