Life - An Intricate Web of Learning and Experiences

Olny srmat poelpe can raed tihs.

I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The
phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde
Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the
olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit
pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a
porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by
istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot
slpeling was ipmorantt!

The above was sent by my friend, Freddy Attenborough. The conclusion, "Amazing huh?
and I always thought spelling was important?"

I thought of the above, and of course, realised that until you have really learnt to spell properly, only then can you read the jumble of words! It also made me think of our own life.... how things and events are actually inter-related.

As I loved papa very much, I thought I would not bother about going to university. Being the youngest, I wanted to ease papa's burden by working soon after completion of secondary school. I had always enjoyed reading and thought that if I really wanted to learn, I could just borrow books from the library for did somebody not say that reading maketh a full man? As a legal secretary, it was not easy coping with the stress of working in a very busy law firm. In those days I took shorthand dictation and typed on maunal typewriters. Sometimes as many as 40 clients would be waiting for you to type and amend the documents! How I wish we had computers then!

Due to a friend's encouragement I was also teaching English part-time in a Commerical School three evenings a week. Mom was often in and out of hospitals, and I would often rush to see her after work and rush back to teach at 7.30p.m. The experience taught me to cope with stress.

It was only after the passing away of my parents that I decided to go to Canada for my studies. I worked part time while doing a full time degree course. Typing term papers for students was a breeze! I guess the foundation of reading that I had laid helped me to sail through my studies with flying colours.

Due to the loss of my voice, I decided to give up teaching and tried my hand in real estate marketing. I thought I had disliked sales and would never be able to market anything.... but to my surprise, I am doing quite well in sales. I guess being a teacher for a decade has helped me in being patient, understanding and tactful when dealing with clients.

I remember two of my friends, Judy and Pixie. The two sisters gave up their designing and accounting career to start a small business retailing their own home made Penang Nonya delicacies. I heard someone commenting, "Aiya, want to do this business.... what for, go to the university?"

I wish I could tell the person that before you can read a jumble of words, you must first learn to spell correctly! Before you can teach students well, you must first be a student. Before you can be a good father, you must first be a good son!

Life, indeed is an intricate web of learning and experiences!

Gan Chau