Ken, is currently studying Design for Interactivity in the School of Technology for the Arts at the Republic Polytechnic of Singapore. He is also into his final year and looking forward to his graduation. Actually, this has not been the ideal course of study for Ken. He didn't perform as well as he had hoped for in the GCE O Level exams and he did not have the luxury of choosing what he had wanted to study at the Polytechnic. Nonetheless, a second chance has surprisingly turned out to be a blessing in disguise for him. He loves the course and enjoys the creativity, flexibility, versatility and adaptibility that the design course teaches.
Use
Ken does not have any ambition. Despite being only 23, Ken thinks really deeply. To him, a life well used is his ambition. Yes, indeed, "A life not used, a life wasted." He believes that a life that helps change and touch the lives of others is a life well used, a life that will leave a lasting legacy with the people it has touched.
Use is the opposite of waste. Don't waste your tears, don't waste your experiences. Use them to help others, use them to help us transform for the better. Ken wants to use his experiences, be it traumatic or painful, by sharing with others. He wants to share his story so that his listeners and readers can avoid making the mistakes he made and avoid taking the wrong paths he took. He has said, "I understand" countless times to many youths and friends whom he has counselled. What makes him so convincing is the fact that he has been through those same struggles and pains himself.
Here is one of the examples of what he has been through. He did really well when he was in primary school but when he entered secondary school, things turned for the worse. He had to spend long hours travelling and hang out a lot more after school. He got to know a group of friends who influenced him into becoming a rebellious kid. All these contributed to his drop in grades. Despite being only 13, he wanted to carry the weight of the whole world upon his shoulders. He even started dating prematurely and as he was too young to handle the emotions involved in a serious boy-girl relationship, he got really distracted. It was through the crisis of a break-up that he experienced the love of his brothers and sisters in church who has rendered him the emotional support that he so badly needed during that difficult period.
Heart-Wrenching Experience
Ken once read a book, "Wild at Heart" by John Eldredge. This book changed his thinking and understanding of his purpose in life and set him pondering about his actions and decisions. It talks about how a man defers from a woman. He once applied the principles learnt from the book to help resolve a major crisis at home. Although no details have been given, this particular incident almost caused his family to fall apart. Anger, frustration, pain and confusion mingled with tears that overflowed. As a Protestant Christian, he felt that his faith in God has given him the wisdom to soften his brother, the patience to provide a listening ear to his mum and the love to comfort his dad. Through this heart-wrenching episode, his family was brought back together and he was thankful that though painful, it has been a blessing in disguise.
Snapshots of Ken's childhood and his personality
He has been brought up in a traditional Chinese home and his parents are the people who influenced him the most. His parents' actions definitely play an important part in influencing him into the person he is today. Ken feels that a few of his teachers have also impacted his lives, to help formulate his passions in life.
I asked Ken what makes him happy. He surprised me with his answer. He said he is glad when he experiences love and when he sees love in action. On the flip side, being misunderstood is what will weigh on him. Seriously, these days, it's certainly hard to find a youth whose happiness is predicated on the intangibles.
When I asked him what he does in his free time, he says he runs, plays ball games, billiard, the piano, the keyboard, guitar, bass drums and spends quality time with his friends. Given the stressful life in Singapore, he also spends time planning how to rise above the stress and how to carve out his future in light of the situation in Singapore.
Finally, he feels that he is at the stage of discovering himself. He is certainly glad that he has been able to become more level-headed and even-tempered over the years. He often finds himself stepping into the shoes of other people and when he finds a reason to stand up for the disadvantaged party, he will not hesitate to take up the issue on their behalf. Doesn't he deserve to be called our very own Robin Hood Ken of Singapore? I'm sure many of his friends whom he has "rescued" will give me a definite "yes"!
No comments:
Post a Comment