Week of Shuan winning an iPod touch and receiving another scholarship award

On Wednesday during the week, Shuan attended a seminar at Ngee Ann Polytechnic for their "Science For Our Future" festival that featured a panel which included Nobel Laureate Barry Marshall. Prior to the seminar the participants were to submit questions online for the panel to answer. Shuan's question was found to be the best that was chosen to be answered by the panel. His reward was a brand new iPod touch!

Today Friday is his Award Presentation day for another year's scholarship at his college. His perfect GPA score of 4.0 for the first semester last year and consistent hard work after contributed to his success in winning the scholarship at his college again for another year! This accomplishment is added to our family blogpost that keeps track of the academic success of the boys in Singapore to date.

The following video and photos were taken during this special event to make up what I call a win win win or triple win week for the family:


Click the above screen to see the video clip or on this link if you don't see the screen.
Triple win because Shuan won his iPod touch and received his scholarship award...
... and the fact that we got to enjoy a nice banquet after is the third win ???
Nooooo......the real third win is when Mom in the morning, after a blood test at the hospital the previous day, got to meet with her doctor who looked at her test results to give a her thumbs up opinion!!!  Her cancer markers are down and her blood platelets are up where she had in the previous month seriously needed a blood transfusion! She had to turn down or cancel several story telling assignments due too her weak condition since then but now the doctor told her Go Go Go!!! This event and other post dated events of Mom's health journey will be added to her 'Unstoppable Mom' post here.

 Hurray to our truly unstoppable Mom!

For those curious as to what was the question that Shuan asked to win the iPod touch, here is an extract from facebook of the conversations that were going back and forth among family members and friends :
Han Chong
is IMMENSELY proud of his brother Shuan Chong who, invited as a scholar to the Ngee Ann Polytechnic Science for Our Future seminar that featured a panel which included Nobel Laureate Barry Marshall, won himself an iPod Touch by asking the best question!!!! =)
Wednesday at 10:40pm · ·

  • Han Chong ‎Su Min Chong Fei Wyatt Sun Fu Chong Geok Lee
    Wednesday at 10:40pm ·

  • Geok Lee I'm so proud of you, Shuan Chong!
    Wednesday at 11:10pm ·

  • Jeremiah Lim What was the question?
    Wednesday at 11:38pm ·

  • Marion Tan Now Shuan Chong doesn't have to bug Chong Woon Ern when playing Unblock Me! :D
    Wednesday at 11:38pm · · 2 peopleChong Woon Ern and Han Chong like this.

  • Jonathan Ong omg no wonder i thought he looked familiar!
    Thursday at 2:25am · · 1 personLoading...

  • Sun Fu Chong Thats the way to go! www.fastlaneinfo.blogspot.​com

    Fastlane
    www.fastlaneinfo.blogspot.com

    Thursday at 6:55am · ·

  • Fei Wyatt Where's the "Love!" button?
    Thursday at 7:48am ·

  • Christopher Wyatt Only in Singapore would they come up with an idea as cool as "win an iPod by asking the best question."

    What was the question?
    Thursday at 7:49am ·

  • Han Chong Haha we'll let the man speak for himself =) It definitely was a really good question!
    Thursday at 8:00am ·

  • Geok Lee ‎Christopher Wyatt, the participants were given ample notice to think about the question too. Those interested would email their questions ahead of time. We need that kind of coaxing in Singapore otherwise we risk getting poor participation.
    Thursday at 5:49pm ·

  • Sun Fu Chong I told Shuan many are now questioning to know what is the question he questioned but he replied only two persons questioned and didn't answer so can we have more people question him what was the question that he questioned? phew!!!
    Thursday at 9:13pm ·

  • Shuan Chong My question was simply one that all the professors on the panel wanted to answer. I never thought it would be the best question as I felt it was very general-- yet, this was the biggest question that has always been bothering me! Actually I was shy to ask my simple question but this was my chance to have it answered by such succesful scientists! I couldn't let the opportunity slip away! However, to such a simple question, I received stunning answers and perspectives that I never thought of. I am really grateful for the chance to meet such distinguished people in the world!

    Anyway, here is the question exactly the way I asked:

    "There have been so many amazing breakthroughs and discoveries in the field of science. Sometimes it makes me think "What's left for me to discover?" Have you ever felt this way? How can we overcome this discouraging thought as potential future scientists?"

    Just to share, my favourite answer was the one by Professor Carmen Lawrence (a psychologist) who said that the breakthroughs nowadays are not done by just one person. Often the problems are so complexed that it requires people of many diverse professions to work together and solve it. Thus we need to be skillful in our chosen field and build a strong network of professionals so that we can pull these people together whenever big issues arise. (especially world issues)
    Well, of course she had good examples to elaborate her point and put it in a clearer and more convincing way than I did. From this answer, the take-home-message that I got was that it's not always about being *THE* person to discover something amazing or anything but rather being a contributer to serve a bigger purpose. My goal now is to be this contributer! =)
POST DATED EVENT :
21 Aug 2011 Shuan wins a free trip to Perth in Western Australia for his written essay.

      Posted by No comments:

      In Memory of Abraham Suki

      Abraham Suki was called home to the Lord on Sat July 23rd 2011


      I will always remember him as the Cool Cat of Singapore. The above the pic was posted by himself in a note of his facebook with the following words :

      Quote for the day

      by Abraham Suki on Monday, December 22, 2008 at 2:04pm
      It's my life
      It's now or never
      I ain't going to live forever
      I just want to live while I'm alive
      It's my life

      BON JOVI

      For his journey home, I was inspired and somehow was able to share his own note on his facebook wall but added this song dedicated to him.


      I enjoy his subtle humour always and I found in another note of his facebook that he loves to share quotations of Einsten like me too. Here is one I found :

      Quote For The Day
      by Abraham Suki on Saturday, December 20, 2008 at 10:44am
      The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don't do anything about it.

      Albert Einstein

      It seems that in his life he has lived in accordance to the principles he has shared in his quotes. He was not one who "don't do anything about it" but proactively served a full time mission for his Church to make the world a better place. You can easily find him in the missionary group photo below, being always bigger that the others :


      Here is another of his quotes :

      2nd Quote for the day
      by Abraham Suki on Friday, December 19, 2008 at 8:18am
      Sir, my concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God's side, for God is always right.

      Abraham Lincoln

      Here is another missionary group pic taken in Dec 1987 where the big man is hidden behing all the rest of the missionary force in Singapore :


      Besides being faithful to be on God's side as a missionary, after his missionary service, he faithfully obeyed God's commandment to multiply and replenish the earth to became a righteous father of his own family. Here is a photo of his family taken at the Clementi Ward grounds :


      All the above was only possible because as a young man below, he accepted to hear the gospel from two pioneer LDS missionaries in Singapore, namely Elder Roy Thong and Elder Marc Barlow in 1976.
      He thirst for the gospel and despite knowing the challenges if he were to convert to a Christian faith, he commited without fear. He has lived his life to the end on this day in a way where others can say to him "You have fought a good fight, you have finished your course, you have kept the faith!"

      In memory of his dedication as a missionary who have served in the Singapore Mission, I am inspired to put Elder Abraham Suki as the first in a new facebook photo album that I created entitled,"In Memory of those who have served and called home to the Lord" found here.
      Posted by 1 comment:

      Has Dad turned Politician or become a Political Activist?

      I was there in Jalan Pudu, near Pudu Raya cordoned off with the crowd on both sides by the Police!

      I am strongly for community work , also a writer and a public speaker but does that make me a Politician or a Political Activist? Not at all as I have never felt or shown any political inclinations in my life whether in community organizations, businesses or even in the family network.  However in my lifetime, I have been nominated to lead such entities and have always been willing to let go of the position as soon as my term is up or if I find the majority is not in harmony with me staying in 'power' hahaha.  I believe strongly in the freedom of choice not just mine but others as well. For in heart I am more a peacemaker than a fighter as my interest in life is first to Connect in order to Synergize before we can really Futurize positively. (This was shared in my reflections on one Father's Day.)

      I find no satisfaction in down sizing others for their faults and weaknesses. I tend to rather look inwardly as to how I can do better myself if found in the similar circumstances and may give my two cents worth of opinion if my creative mind can think of any better alternatives. Having said all that, I must add that I am inclined to seek for truth and purpose of life and will defend it with all my heart, might, mind and strength. This I do as I believe failure to exercise proven principles of life brings negative consequences not only to me personally but also to my family, friends and the rest of the community or country.

      As a citizen of Malaysia where I have lived for over 50 years, I have always realized it is a promising young nation made up of a beautiful mixture of race, culture and religion. I had liken my own personal growth and development to that of our nation in a previous blog post . I believe in life, timing is everything and while certain weaknesses or imperfections in the country were tolerated in past years, it seemed to me that now is the time to express to the government the seriousness of such weaknesses if prolonged.

      The Bersih 2.0 rally seems an optimal choice as it was not a political rally to support any political party or parties. It had clearly 8 demands to the Election Commission to put fundamentals in place for free and fair elections in a democratic country like Malaysia. ( Read or print this article by Rainer Heufers on The Politics of Democracy in Malaysia, to fully appreciate the intricate details.)
      So there I was in the eye of the storm in the Bersih 2.0 Rally, the eye supposedly being the calmest part. It was ... until the end as recorded on my cellphone live video broadcast below :


      As noted in my scratchy video clip at the last part, where I was has become a historic place for me. On the same street, our first two babies or daughters were born at the Chinese Maternity hospital, I was mobbed by 4 people in a bus in Puduraya, my father died at the Tung Shin hospital and today, I'm at this historic rally!

      VIPs present in Jalan Pudu visible in the video include Members of Parliament R Sivarasa for Subang, Dato' Ng Khoo Ham for Bruas, Perak and Dato' Johari Abdul for Sungei Petani. Present but not visible on the video was Dr. Mohd Hatta Ramli, MP for Kuala Krai, Kelantan.

      Can you find 'Waldo' in shorts on the right just as the first blast of jet water was shot at the crowd? I've since learned that it's not just ordinary water but has a chemical that makes your skin sting for a good 10 mins at least! It really hurts as recorded at the end part of my video above.

      The next video below, in the middle part, shows exactly what happened at Puduraya along Jalan Pudu. The MP R Sivarasa, wearing a yellow shirt with glasses and a short 'goatee' beard, was negotiating with the police to allow the large group of people sandwiched by the police on Jalan Pudu to be allowed to walk out on half the road to Jalan Sultan.

      Suddenly in the midst of negotiations, the police grabbed the MP away from the crowd and later started shooting chemical water and tear gas at the crowd again! I was right close to the front of the crowd who were peacefully waiting, seen on the far right of the photo above in shorts, as the water chemical spray began falling on us!


      The crowd dispersed from the main street and some ran into the Tung Shin hospital compound thinking it was safe but apparently not! Read the names of 11 doctors who boldly refute the claims of the authorities and govt ministers that the police had not shot into the hospital compounds!
      I may have thought I suffered quite a bit but then comes an iconic lady that makes you forget what you went through. She has become known as Aunty Bersih - The Lady of Liberty. See her album of photos.

      No, I am not a politician or activist any more than Aunty Bersih is by walking the streets. We're just ordinary citizens feeling the need to support a movement to preserve the peace and beauty of this country by insisting on an electoral system that is fair and just for all. It doesn't matter which party wins.  We just do not want any tyrants or bullies to manipulate the system to keep power longer than what the people desire for that has a tendency to breed corruption for personal gains. I think the people of Malaysia are just awakening to the need for a truly fair and just system for all!

      I end by with an Einstein quote, "Yes, we have to divide up our time like that, between our politics and our equations. But to me our equations are far more important, for politics are only a matter of present concern. A mathematical equation stands forever."

      Current News as the event occurred



      Educational  Section

      Read or Print this article for detailed understanding of "The Politics of Democracy in Malaysia"

      (Click bottom-right multi-directional arrow icon on the slide below to expand to full screen)
      Malaysian Constitution - An Introduction to the Malaysian Constitution


      View more presentations from Malaysian Constitution

                                             Entertaining Section





      (To see the result of the by-election despite money offered click here. Click the profile link of Mr. Wong Ho Leng who won in order to view it.)

      (Postdated development: A coincidence occurred in Kl to meet the opposition candidate, Mr. Wong Ho Leng, who won the by-election referred to above is recorded here. It is sad to know that he died on 21 June 2014 of cancer and so did another good politician, Mr. Edward Lee Poh Lin on 20 Dec 2011, whom I had known for years through community social work in PJ whose life is remembered here.)

      Who wants to be a billionaire?

      My fastlaneinfo video clip was used and received credits


      Political Commentary Section

      Tumultous events in Malaysian Politics from 1987

      The direction of the Third Force


      For more on politics in Malaysia, CLICK HERE.
      Posted by No comments: