My dad has always been the most influential person in my life, not because of what he had achieved so far ... but more so of what he had believed.
He has many many quotes, i am pretty impressed already that someone can even have that many quotes, not to mention that his quotes are actually deep. They have real depth, unbelievable meaning and most importantly genuine. When one listens to him, he or she will be touched, affected or with slight exaggeration, subconsciously shaped his or her life due to his words. That's how powerful his words are.
My description of him or his words, i strongly believe many out there will feel the same way as i do because I was purely an average human being, a simple guy, a normal kid turned teenager who listened to him all my life while i grow up. When I said listen, well... I meant I literally listened, don't really mean I agree or followed, if u know what I meant.
There are uncountable quotes I can think of when I spoke of my dad...... well, just a few really memorable ones that one will never forget.... my dad being my dad, a sophiscated, witty, humorous, intellectual, yet a down to earth, honest, and most of all, an unbelievable faithful husband to my mum and a responsible dad to me and my elder brother. Such is a saint and an impossible find I had ever come across... never .. not one person even half close to him..
Unfortunately, I was never my dad. I was playful, mischievous, always ending at the wrong side of the class, where my form teacher would always try to contact my parents, desperately hoping for a better education on me, that she had long given up upon. However, for all my mischief, childishness and playfulness, I wasn't really a bad kid, I was top 5 in class consistently for the next few years in primary level. I went to a SAP School, which was a top ranking school in Singapore and I was a middle class top 5% kid in general Singapore high school standard. I represented Singapore in gymnastics and I was popular in school among the boys (ya, we were a boys school) and also popular in the sports scene among girls from other schools. I was an egoistic, proud little boy who excelled in sports and was very much confident, to a certain extent, deemed arrogant, in terms of my academic and sporting achievements.
However, life isn't as simple as a little boy lives his life in school.. Dad got bankrupt and all of a sudden, my life was in turmoil.... I had to give up my savings in my piggy bank to help dad... me and my brother had no more allowance to eat in school and I remembered we had a fight finding $5 in the entire house....... dad forced me to take my savings.... I lied saying I don't have any, my brother, unlike me really had no savings as he indulged all his savings in CDs of his favourite singers at that time. Dad eventually found my piggy bank and cracked it... took all the $258 dollars.. I still remembered... I WAS ON FIRE... I WAS FURIOUS.. I HATED HIM.. WHY DID HE TAKE MY HARD SAVED MONIES???? JUST COS BROTHER DIDNT SAVE, HE WONT BE A VICTIM.. HOW UNFAIR! I RATHER SPENT ALL ON BUYING CDS LIKE HIM !!!!!!
My Growing up process was tough ... And all was good before I was born. Daddy was a successful entrepreneur, he had a tailor shop and he was the boss, my mum being his staff finally married him after 10 years of fairy tale dating, of which then they had me and my elder brother. My
brother was born in a landed house, dad driving a sports car and was a successful tailor with his own shop at Far East Shopping Center. As for me, I came into this world a year later. And all was wrong... I seemed like a jinx born to curse the family.....the market for tailor was dying, dad failed in his business and became bankrupt. We had to move from a landed house to a 1 room flat in Teck Whye Lane all within a year. All these were told to me by my kind dad n mum, reminding me n my brother constantly to be boys and study hard so that when we grow up, we can have a good job and endlessly without fail, reminding us that we promise to study hard and that will be a gurantee to a better lifestyle.
Some of the quotes my dad said that I will remember for the rest of my life :
1. When I was 6 years old.
Daddy's quote : There are many gods that u will hear during your lifetime as u grow up. And all of them will be watching u. They will only help u succeed when u work hard to succeed. No GOD WILL HELP ANYONE THAT DONT HELP HIMSELF.
Impact on me : I believed that till this day.. I know if I don't study, I will fail. I know if I study hard, god will help me score well. If I drop in the sea, I will drown if I don't have the will to survive, I will peddle hard and find a log to cling on to, regardless of how tired I am, then I will find a log where I can cling on to and survive.
2. When I was 10 years old.
Daddy's quote : The strongest man is not the man with the biggest muscle but the one with the biggest heart. He said no matter how strong one man can be, he can whack the shit out of another, but he will not be able to fend off the hundreds of people that will revenge for the one u whacked. The strongest man will be the one with the biggest heart, let the weaker one attack you. Without retaliation, you can then conquer the hearts of the hundreds behind him to pull him away. Words of wisdom, my EQ became way higher because of this.... all thanks to dad's quote.
3. When I was 12 years old.
Daddy's quote : Cheating in exams gain u a few more extra points. But everytime u succeeded in cheating, u will be somehow tempted to cheat again and again and again.. Human beings getting away from cheating will never stop. That is the main reason why cheaters will always be caught cos once they started they never stop. Once they are caught, their lifetime achievements and reputations will rot...... i was caught cheating in high school and dad told me those golden words... Truly i was caught cheating ... and since then i was never seen as a good kid ever ever again.. i was deemed a permanent "C" conduct student my entire 4 years in high school.
4. When i was 14 years old.
Daddy's quote : Everyone has a weakness. Even the most powerful man has a weakness, but he somehow doesn't seem to have a weakness because he knows how to compensate with other strengths to overcome his weaknesses. Daddy was referring to my height. I was the shortest in class since primary one. Dad said if i am the shortest, by default i had lost to anyone taller than me. So i have to be a wittier, quicker in thoughts, funnier, nicer, more kind and more considerate person, than the rest in order to be more outstanding than the taller guys. He was curing my self esteem, he was afraid i lost confidence cos i was shortest in class and everyone mocked at me as "shorty". I remembered his wise words... i became the top gymnast in school, i won every award i could had won at national schools level and i did him and myself proud. i was the shortest, but i became the strongest.
5. When i was 16 years old.
Daddy's quote : The No.1 leader in the army is not the best archer nor the best shooter nor fighter. He is one where everyone agrees to vote him to be the leader with the utmost respect. Ironically, respect doesn't just come with capability, it encompasses the power to command and lead, the charisma where everyone likes you as a person. He was worried as I won all the medals I could have and became a top national gymnast. He was worried I might become egoistic and arrogant and make many enemies. I very soon realised what he meant and I know there are and always will be people that are better in terms of skills, strengths and other fortes. I learnt that in life, the utmost importance is to be genuine and be considerate. Always think about others before yourself and friends and people around you will then be appreciative of you, that's how respect will be earned.
6. When i was 18 years old.
Daddy's quote: It doesn't matter how rich or poor you are, the most important is how good your heart is. If you have a good heart and you are really poor, alot of people will be waiting to help you without asking, if you have a bad heart and you are really rich, alot of people will be waiting to step on you and pray for you to be poor. I immediately recalled of some of the wealthy school mates that i had. I realised that so many people are backstabbing them and hating them so much, i thought it was out of jealously in the beginning, later i realised it was the bad character, how they treated people, how they showed arrogance was the key reason.
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