Life Lesson #5 – Be Passionate
Being passionate no matter what people think and what people judge…
I remember how much I hated science, yet I eventually signed up to study a Diploma in Electrical Engineering. I wasn’t fully committed to the course because it didn’t interest me at all. I chose it after learning that engineers might earn more than other polytechnic graduates. After attempting to enlist as a soldier, I realised that my personality wasn’t suited for that path. I decided to further my studies, but after inquiring and applying to local universities, I realised the chances of being accepted were slim. So, I applied to a university in the United Kingdom and was offered a place.
I promised my dad that I would return home with a first-class honours degree. My dad spent the next three months raising my first-year university tuition fees for me. I studied hard, but my result only qualified for perhaps a second lower honours degree. I was demoralised by my result and became so drunk that I only woke up after two full days of sleep. I kept thinking about why I wasn’t getting the result I wanted.
“I promised my Dad that I will return home with First class honours.”
I spent the next three months of the school vacation trying to figure out what was wrong with my hardworking strategy. Suddenly, during the first lesson of my final year at university, after the school reopened, a thought struck me: if I continued doing what average people do, I would forever achieve average results. I didn’t want my mum and dad to feel disappointed. I decided to do the opposite of what I had been doing in the past for my studies.
“If I am doing what the average people are doing and I will forever achieve average result.”
I chose the most difficult subjects, the ones that few dared to sign up for. I began preparing for exams from the very first day of school. I attended many lessons meant for first- and second-year students, determined to learn from the best on how to study effectively. I developed friendships with Dr Ang and Dr H, hoping to master the skill of studying. Dr Ang was about to complete his Ph.D. scholarship at that time, and I used the word “master” because I knew I had only one chance to do well in my studies. I felt that Dr Ang, being sincere and coming from Singapore, would be able to share his way of studying with me. Dr H had published several hundred research papers at the university, and I wanted to discover how to truly fall in love with engineering. I knew that falling in love with it would be far better than being disinterested.
Some of my friends were surprised by my attitude and behaviour. I started to hang out with Dr H and Dr Ang at the pub and at my apartment. I had been trained by my mum to cook traditional Chinese dishes, such as rice dumplings, chilli crab, and other family favourites. I would often cook these dishes and invite my close friends, including Dr H and Dr Ang, over for dinner.
I was very thrifty because my parents couldn’t afford much for my studies. I saved every penny to cook those dishes and listened attentively to what Dr Ang and Dr H shared about their views on research and studying. I must say that my results improved by a quantum leap, thanks to their guidance and my willingness to change. Although there were whispers that I was trying to earn a good degree by building rapport with the lecturers, I was fortunate to sit for papers that few students dared to sign up for. Some of these were new subjects, with no past-year examination papers available for reference or practice.
To this day, I always remember the feeling before sitting for an exam. I was slightly excited, fully confident, and expecting a more challenging set of exam papers. This was completely opposite to how I had felt in the past.
In fact, I was so focused on my studies that I didn’t sleep for three days. One night, a group of us went to a disco and had a few glasses of beer. I made a flask of coffee and spent the next three days in the research lab, trying to design a material that was both cheap and efficient enough to emit light.
“In fact, I was so crazy with my study that I didn’t sleep for 3 days.”
The device I was working on is now commonly known as LED. I nearly failed to keep my promise of bringing home a first-class honours degree because my grandmother suddenly passed away. Overcome with grief, I requested the school to bring forward the examinations. With less than two weeks to prepare, I pressed on, knowing that I had been preparing for the exams since day one. When I returned to the university, I was thrilled to have achieved my goal, and I managed to secure the first-class honours degree. This was probably the proudest moment for my parents.