The journey began when our principal, Mr. Ng Yeow Ling introduced the book to all the Primary 5 and 6 pupils. Each of us was to buy a copy of Mr. Tan’s book, read it and do a reflection on it during the June holidays.
Inspiring, motivational and useful; that’s how I would describe the book. It provides inspiration in me to try my best in whatever I do. It provides motivation for me to carry on whenever I am down. And last but not least, it was useful in a way that valuable lessons could be learnt from the stories of Mr. Tan’s friends.
Our teachers selected a few pupils from each class to be involved in the dialogue session. Training sessions soon followed and each of us was to prepare a few burning questions to ask Mr. Tan. Time flew by and soon it was time for the dialogue session.
There was one particular part about making friends that Mr Tan Yong Soon said that really spoke to me. Friends are very important and most friendships are built during primary school days.. One can make good friends and maybe even some bad friends exist too. “But don’t be afraid to make friends,” Mr. Tan said, “There might be a particular person in your class that has an idiosyncratic way of behaving that you don’t really like, but before you even make the effort to get to know him, you decide not to make friends with him. Down the years, you might meet that particular person and you try to say hello but it’s difficult to, when for six whole years you have never even said a single word to him.”
After the interesting dialogue session with Mr. Tan Yong Soon, I learnt that success does not only have one path leading to it. Instead, it has many. To get a chance at it means that you take the path that you think will be good for you. Follow your heart. Take the risk. It might just pay off one day. If you took the risk and for some reason failed, have the ‘never say die’ spirit and try again until you succeed. You’ll never know until you’ve tried. When you again for some reason failed, do not be disheartened. If you know that you’ve tried your best and gave it your best shot, you won’t be so disappointed.
To round this reflection up, I would like to say that I enjoyed reading the book and enjoyed the dialogue session even more. It was a meaningful dialogue session with an author that such an inspiring book
Ashley Wee, North View Primary School, P6 Hope