Literature award

[ More info here ]

Abstract from Straits Times

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A TEEN who prefers news magazines to novels has won an international award for ENglish Literature students.Candice Wan Shu Ting picked up the 2004 Angus Ross prize, an annual award for the best performancein the A-level English examination by candidates outside Britain.The former Saint Andrew's Junior College divinity student, who confessed to reading just three novels in the last two years, makes no apology for not being a bookworm.
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Gee I din know its from my batch.





Men she's pretty cool looking :P




Abstract from SAJC webbie.

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"I beg your pardon?" was probably the first thought that came to my mind, when our principal Mrs. Lim congratulated me for winning the Angus Ross Prize 2005 over the phone two days ago. Saying that I was prepared to receive such a prestigious award would be an utter fabrication. Saying that I was surprised would be the understatement of the century. And in all honesty - saying that I achieved this award based on my own merit would be a blatant denial of God's work in my life.

I guess the main message I want to convey is that every student in Singapore stands an equal chance to excel. Often as students we focus too much on the unchangeable aspects of our lives - like the school we are in, the teachers who lecture us, and the undeniably stressful education system in Singapore. While it is valuable to make informed opinions of status quo, isn't it even more worthwhile to focus positively on the aspects of life that we do have control over?

Attitude - a proactive and optimistic outlook - is the key difference between an achiever and a drifter. The desire to overcome odds, to challenge status quo, and to break out of the psychological cages that we place ourselves in at times. Rather than complain about that which we cannot change, why not seek to make a unique difference through becoming an example that others yearn to replicate?

At the end of the day, all schools function primarily through, and for, a shared purpose: To develop students into mature people who can then contribute back to society with their skills and nurtured talents. Thus, is the study environment important to a student's academic success? Most assuredly. I wouldn't have done quite as well without the amazing patience and tireless efforts of the many teachers in SAJC. However, it is imperative to remind oneself that what counts most isn't the external variables, but the internal conviction to be positive and motivated in your approach to education.

I come from humble beginnings - I have no S papers to boast of, no Humanities Scholarship certificate to wave around in pride, and no national awards to my name. But what I do possess - and what all students can find in themselves if they search hard enough - is a genuine passion for learning. Be adventurous; be excited about taking education into your own hands and venturing out into the vast oceans of knowledge out there. Opportunities await you, but as students we must learn to take that critical first step towards our own future, lest the rest of our lives be spent aimlessly floating along the rat race while we watch others successfully pave exits out of it.

After all is said and done, should a person's background, or academic track record, or school name hinder him/her from breaking the boundaries of age-old stereotypes? Dreams will only remain as mere untouchable fantasies if we rest on our laurels and watch as the colours of the day fade into nothingness. Goals will only remain as mere targets if we don't take a step forward in the right direction. Nothing is ever impossible, that much is certain. Traditions, too, may erode in time to come. A precedent has been set; now, the torch is in your hands. Run the race with perseverance, and you will be duly rewarded. My advice to you? Smile, keep your chin up, and be tough. Give God a fighting chance in your lives - because He will surely bless you beyond that which you could ever hope for or imagine!
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Insipiring huh? How i wish i can write or type like that :

I like what she said about giving God a fighting chance. That's what i'm going to do. This is what i need to read. Message that inspires and pushes me everyday :D

She has a pretty cool concept about embracing education. Somthing that i had in my past .... Something that makes me appear more of like a nerd-side. I guess i need to approach it in the way she did. To balance and maintain the passion to learn more and give more in return.

If you fail to learn, you learn to fail. Haa.. modified from "if you fail to plan, you plan to fail."