School of Future Leaders

Graduation
8th July 2011

Yes that's the reason why we went to the UK.
To see the youngest in the home complete her studies.

Sara in the company of her Malaysian and foreign classmates in the school of Law in Reading. Small in size, she has a mind bigger than many. During times when she was undergoing stress, I wondered at her classmates; I was right. Many of them look so matured in size and stature but she is not one short of the grey matter.


Dad has always been the one ready to send her to school especially to the Kindergarten. While all her siblings took the bus to school, she had the privilege of being sent by dad each morning. On some nights, dad will still tell me how he enjoyed seeing his little girl off to the kindergarten and never failed to smile when he recalled how she would kiss him on the cheek each morning before letting her off the car. He misses her childlike ways.


Mama must say she is different from the rest of her siblings in her outlook. She is strong in her opinion and I could still remember how hard I tried to stop her from quitting the prefectorial board. She used to say that it was just too much for mother and daughter to control the discipline of the school and that she just wanted to be an ordinary school girl ; free from the burden of maintaining school discipline. Perhaps she must know that her extra duties are part of the reason why she can be so eloquent and confident in her ways. I bet she will differ from my opinion; that's why she is different.

Shaun is brother to Justin who is classmate and housemate to Sara for the coming semester as they return for their bar studies.

When I saw Sanjeve, I told him I must take a shot to show it to Puan Nages, a colleague of mine. Sanjeve is nephew to her.

Nicholas on the left is Sara's good pal and he is very patient with her. She told me that both Nicholas and Justin would walk her to the exam hall just to calm her and be there for her. Such friends are hard to find. No wonder they show much care and consideration for one another. Debra on the right is quiet and demure and is a silent onlooker; but nevertheless is always with them in talk and company.


This is Sher Hann with me. When she saw me, she shyly came up to me and presented me a book which had her fine art work adapted in the cover page of the Hall's writings. Her artist dad has surely given her an edge and her flair for art is obvious. I am very proud of her as she is not only musically inclined but at the same time has a strong flair for drawing and writing. I know it because I taught her in Form 4.



Now you can imagine the overwhelming joy when I see all these girls from Seafield graduating together from the Law school at the same time. It's as if I was representing the school for the occasion. Their Alma mater was surely proud of them. From the right is Cassandra Lim, Chia Chai Jin , Chua Sher Han and Sara. How did they land up here at the same time? I was told there was another one not in the photo - Elisha Omar - also from Seafield. When I related to Justin's father that Seafield has 5 protege in the graduating class, he looked at me and asked "What school is that? A private or public school?" That spoke volumes. But I was very elated on that auspicious day; never in my wildest dreams could I imagine it happening. This is so unprecedented !


This is even more memorable. All parents of the 4 law graduates gathered together for a shot. We travelled thousands of miles to be with our girls and it was a proud moment for us. I can safely conclude that all of us took extended leave and the opportunity to travel to other parts of the UK and some even went to Europe. Malaysia lost quite an amount of revenue!


This is another photo taken with excited parents on that day. Malaysian parents take great pains in making sure the best of education opportunities be given to their children. A mother asked why the need to spend so much? Would it not be better if we just use the money to get a property for them; settle them down and let life get on by itself? Millions have been siphoned off to foreign lands in the name of education.

But as the saying goes...

Give a man a fish; you have fed him for today.
Teach a man to fish; and you have fed him for a lifetime...

We teach them to feed themselves for a life time; not for today. So spend we must without qualms.

So the final shot with the class of 2011 in Reading's School of Law.
Congratulations everyone!

To the special daughter; pa and ma are proud of you.