My PSLE student

“Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.” (Hebrew 13:16)

Last Thursday I was so thrilled to receive news that my student whom I offered help in her PSLE exam, had performed far beyond our expectation. She managed to get all As and qualified for Express stream as well as get to choose a better neighbourhood secondary school.

I came to know this student from her aunt around mid-August that she was in great need of help in her study. She comes from a broken family without adequate adult supervision. The fact that she is living nearby and my healthy blood test result made it possible for me to volunteer in this task, giving her tuition two or three times a week. Initially it was very difficult and frustrated because she is too quiet and not so responsive. The thought that my best effort could get unappreciated by a not so motivated student kept creeping into my mind. I was also running out of time to help her given that the PSLE exam was only two and a half- month away. On top of that, no proper filing for school works was done by her to enable me to start with.

In the end, I found out by chance that my student actually had one stack of past year Top School PSLE exam papers which were still unpacked! I began to get down to work on them with her intensively. Based on my past experiences, such past exam papers do help students in some ways to do better if used appropriately. It is no wonder that these papers are so sought after by parents!

My prayer was that she could gain at least seven to ten points so that she could cross over from her normal score of low 60s to low 70s at least. I began to sieve through her strength and weaknesses, and to save the precious time, made her practiced only those areas that she was weak in. As days went back, things got better and my student also gradually opened herself up. Perseverance and hard work finally paid off with God's blessing. She managed to cross the 75 mark! It was such a joy to receive my student’s ‘Thank you’ card personally made by her. This great sense of fulfillment is one that beyond words can possibly express. I am thankful to God for sustaining me throughout this period with stable health to accomplish this task of helping someone in need. Truly it is more blessed to give than to receive.

"Invictus"

‘for though a righteous man fails seven times, he rises again, but the wicked are brought down by calamity.’ (Proverbs 24:16)


Human history is full of horrific stories how one human set against another, one race set against another, one country set against another etc. On the other hand, it also contains accounts of how courageous men brought about reconciliations over human strife, bitterness, hatred, mistrust.

Nelson Mandela is one such person. I read with interest how he spared no effort in doing that. The movie, Invictus, actually tells how he after been elected as South Africa’s first black president, explores ways to bring the blacks and whites together after decades of violence and mistrust. The opportunity came when the country held Rugby World Cup in 1995.

The title of the movie is taken from a poem written by Ernest Henley who struggled with tuberculosis of the bone when he was very young and had his foot had amputated in order to save his life. The word “Invictus” means ‘undefeated’ in Latin. Mandela was so inspired by this poem that he wrote it on a piece of scratch paper and kept it in his prison cell while he was imprisoned for 27 years. He even admitted that he probably would not have made it through the long years in prison if it weren't for the words of this poem.

The South African Springboks rugby team is made up mostly white Afrikaners except for one black member. For many black South Africans, its name, logo and colours all represent the dark history and racial injustice of apartheid in their country, hence refuse to support them. To Mandela, a win for this rugby team in the world cup could unite the Afrikaners and the natives.

The rugby team was forced by Mandela to take occasional breaks from their training to go out into the poorer areas and teach rugby to the people. Soon the entire team was out there helping a new generation of children to learn rugby and instil national pride, regardless of race. As the team wins more games, their support by both white and black Africans continues to rise. Its win in the World Cup helps to restore the national pride the country badly needed after the end of apartheid.

Financial Derivatives

"The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty."(Proverbs 21:5)

The recent financial trouble of a major financial derivatives broker again throws light on the risks of commodities and derivatives products. In an environment where it has becoming very difficult to make money based on stubbornly current low interest rates lent to clients, more and more financial institutions are taking on excessive risk and over-leverage to carry out their own proprietary trading. Making big bets on European sovereign bonds is one of them. These companies relied heavily on overnight loans to finance their operations which can be pulled at any time.

The Contracts for Difference (CFDs) are basically betting on the movement of an asset without actually owning it. They were first introduced to retail traders in 1990s and were popularised by a number of UK companies with innovative online trading platforms. The ability to trade on leverage (as high as 10 times the leverage ratio), and one can trade both ways (long or short position) are the main selling points of this product.

There are a lot of talks held over last few years which just as any other kind of ‘investment talk’, unfortunately focus primarily on financial gain potentials rather than risks. Now it is apparent that the inherent risks are not just confined to the financial instrument itself, but also the CFD provider. The CFD is always a contract between the client and the provider. It can trade under two different models, i.e. the provider is a ‘market maker’, or by way of ‘direct market access’. The ease of opening such trading account with a small cash outlay has enticed many novice investors over the years. This financial turmoil may help to bring us back to reality – that there is no free lunch in this world.

Story of Appreciation

Please share with your children‏ also for you to ponder:

One young academically excellent person went to apply for a managerial position in a big company. He passed the first interview, the director did the last interview, made the last decision. The director discovered from the CV that the youth's academic achievements were excellent all the way, from the secondary school until the postgraduate research, never had a year when he did not score good grades.

The director asked, "Did you obtain any scholarships in school?"

The youth answered "None."

The director asked, “Was it your father who paid for your school fees?"

The youth answered, "My father passed away when I was one year old, it was my mother who paid for my school fees."

The director asked, "Where did your mother work?"

The youth answered, "My mother worked as clothes cleaner."

The director requested the youth to show his hands. The youth showed a pair of hands that were smooth and perfect.

The director asked, “Have you ever helped your mother wash the clothes before?"

The youth answered, "Never, my mother always wanted me to study and read more books. Furthermore, my mother can wash clothes faster than me."

The director said, "I have a request. When you go back today, go and clean your mother's hands, and then see me tomorrow morning."

The youth felt that his chance of landing the job was high. When he went back, he happily requested his mother to let him clean her hands. His mother felt strange, happy but with mixed feelings, she showed her hands to the kid.

The youth cleaned his mother's hands slowly. His tear fell as he did that. It was the first time he noticed that his mother's hands were so wrinkled, and there were so many bruises in her hands. Some bruises were so painful that his mother shivered when they were cleaned with water.

This was the first time the youth realized that it was this pair of hands that washed the clothes everyday to enable him to pay the school fee.The bruises in the mother's hands were the price that the mother had to pay for his graduation, academic excellence and his future.

After finishing the cleaning of his mother hands, the youth quietly washed all the remaining clothes for his mother. That night, mother and son talked for a very long time. Next morning, the youth went to the director's office.

The Director noticed the tears in the youth's eyes, asked: "Can you tell me what have you done and learned yesterday in your house?"

The youth answered, "I cleaned my mother's hand, and also finished cleaning all the remaining clothes."

The Director asked, "Please tell me your feelings."

The youth said,

1. I know now what appreciation is. Without my mother, there would not be the successful me today.

2. By working together and helping my mother, only I now realize how difficult and tough it is to get something done.

3. I have come to appreciate the importance and value of family relationship.

The director said, "This is what I am looking for to be my manager. I want to recruit a person who can appreciate the help of others, a person who knows the sufferings of others to get things done, and a person who would not put money as his only goal in life. You are hired.”

My cancer marker blood test result

'Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserved my life.' (Psalm 138:7a)

My blood test result today shows fairly stable reading: 11.3 for CA125 (previous:11.4) and 11.7 for CA199 (previous :11.6). The last test was done on 15th August. The result brought great relief for my family as they had booked for a holiday last month. Now they can go in peace leaving me behind. They truly deserved a holiday as they have not done so since I fell ill 3 years ago. My stable health condition also means that I can continue my prison ministry, and prayfully in some areas as well.

Cancer marker blood test

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”(John 14:27)


I had just gone for my cancer marker test this afternoon. I was doing earlier this round so that the result is available before I see my oncologist next Tuesday morning in view of the coming public holiday. Although I feel physically stable, only God knows what is inside my body.

Last 3 months have been a fruitful one, most notably, I contributed a poem to the prison ministry's fortcoming newsletter besides continued to involving in marking the bible lessons of the prison inmates. My health condition also permitted me to help a needy primary 6 student for her PSLE examination. She comes from a broken family and probably went through trauma herself as she is extremely quiet and not so responsive. It was an enriching experience as I learnt to be patient and persevered, not to feel my best efforts wasted in the face of seemingly unmotivated student.