I began my primary education in 1979 at Chong Yi Primary School, which followed a curriculum based on the Chinese education system. I vividly remember the day my father saw my first report card – he flung it far away, took out the cane, and left a lasting impact on my life. I cried not because he caned me, but because no one understood how I felt. My family didn’t even allow me the time to complete my schoolwork after school, as I was constantly needed to help on the farm.

As a result, I “consistently” failed my exams and became well known as the child with the worst results in the class. To this day, I still cannot figure out how I managed to progress to the secondary normal technical stream, especially considering that I scored an “F9” in English during the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE).

In 1995, I began planning to pursue a degree course in the United Kingdom. Knowing that my polytechnic results were not good enough, I decided to find something I could leverage to gain entry into a university where I could truly excel. I discovered the Navy and thought that perhaps the British would hold greater respect for a naval officer than for a regular officer.

Sadly, I had to confront a significant challenge: I couldn’t swim and was deeply phobic about it. Determined to overcome this weakness, I told myself that I must face it head-on. I created a timetable to practise swimming three times a day, and after three months of relentless effort, I achieved my goal. I became one of the very few NSFs to be selected for the divers’ course in the Naval Diving Unit.

Another significant obstacle I faced was convincing my father to part with his hard-earned money for me to study in the UK. I had always been the disappointment in the family, with my grades being the worst among my siblings. One evening, I mustered the courage to speak to my father. He was initially shocked and could not believe I had dared to approach him about this.

I explained that I had been offered a place at the University of Surrey (Unis) and assured him that it was one of the best universities in the UK. To support my case, I showed him a newspaper article about NTU ordering a satellite from Unis. I even shared my enthusiasm by telling him that I would be studying rocket science, not just engineering.

I am someone who firmly believes in under-promising and over-delivering, as integrity is paramount among the values I hold dear. I couldn’t face my father after he had given me all his money, counting on me to succeed. I decided that the only way to ensure success was to burn the bridge, leaving no room for retreat.

During my summer holidays, I spent three months studying intensively to better prepare myself. I asked my classmate to shave my head in front of everyone and declared that I would achieve a first-class honour, no matter what challenges came my way. Over the following two weeks at university, I began “hunting” for the most difficult subjects to study, knowing that this would push me to my absolute limits.

I even took on two subjects for which no one had ever scored an “A”. In each of these subjects, only four students were enrolled, and the classes were conducted in the office due to the small class size. I also sought help from senior students, who were scholars, to guide me. I realised that I could only be the best by learning from the best. I adopted this attitude of “passion” from the top students.

Guess what? I achieved numerous “A” grades and distinctions in my final year and was awarded a first-class honour. This accomplishment has allowed me to lead a better life since then. In fact, in the past few years, I consistently spend at least $10,000 to $20,000 annually on self-upgrade to stay relevant. This investment also adds value to my clients’ financial plans and personal lives.