farewell, ausmat 2009

Good morning ausmat 09!

Time flies… yeah, yeah, so cliché right? It’s been one helluva journey, and I wanted to say thank you. Wonderful encounter indeed. You are truly hilarious people and sharp partners in this roller coaster journey. Thank you. I really enjoyed myself.

Confession – despite the few months period, I still have troubles putting a name to some faces. Please accept my sincere apology. I was having too much fun and neglected storing all your names in my long term memory. At times, I even miss the TEE altogether.

It is not that you are any less important. Each of is an irreplaceable, most precious, and unique treasure to me. And each name is in my prayer every morning.

I am doing this in hardcopy because I felt electronic means are a little impersonal. It lacks certain things… Feelings just not ngam. Maybe it’s impermanence. And a hardcopy is more lasting. Old school.

My intention here is state the things that truly mattered to me – that you will lead a truly meaningful, happy and fulfilled life. The first step to achieving that is to possess a solid life philosophy. This acts like a compass as we chart into new territories in our life journey, and along the way, every now and then, we will be encountering calm seas, storms and Tsunami.

Having some form of compass in life, I feel, is indispensable. Otherwise, we can be easily swayed or swept away by the winds of society.

A short recap on these philosophies…

Love your parents and be genuinely concern for them. This is the most elemental quality of a human being. Don’t cause them worry and spend as much time as possible to be with them, talking with and listening to them. Don’t stop when we grow old. If you only learn one thing from our encounter, I hope this is it.

Set a goal in your life, be ambitious and think hard as to how we can contribute to society. The purpose of education is to enable us to serve the underprivileged, the weak and the poor. Each of you has an important role to play, call it a mission, and each is unique. The thing is that you need to figure out yourself what that mission is and live true to it.

A person who has firm goals is streets ahead of a person who has none. Setting goals is the starting point from which the construction of our lives begins. Youth is a struggle to develop and shape oneself; it is an ongoing challenge to train oneself spiritually, intellectually and physically.

There is a time for everything. Youth, for example, is a time of construction. It is a time that largely determines the whole course of your life. That’s why it’s so important.

To contribute to society, to assist the weak, and to be compassionate, we must be strong. We must be successful in whatever we choose to do in life. And to be successful, we need two things – discipline and passion. Nothing can be achieved without self-disciple. And no one excel in anything without passion.

Being successful does not simply mean being a CEO or having lots of money. So long as we sincerely dedicate our lives for others regardless of the limelight, rewards or status, we will be respected and loved by our friends and community. And that is the true meaning of success.

One thing all great people have in common is their modesty. Arrogance is a sign of one’s lack of true ability.

Distinguish between pleasure and joy. Pleasure comes from consumption and it is fleeting. Indulging in pleasure will only make us weak and lazy. In the end, we will end up living a sad, empty and meaningless life. True joy derives from helping others. True joy comes from leading a meaningful life. It comes from striving each day to the fullest and minimizing the chance of regrets in future.

Never allow money, power and status to corrupt you. These things, however, can be put to good use. Use it if you have it. The important thing is to control and make it work for us, and not become a slave to it. Single minded pursuit of money for its own sake will only lead to empty and meaningless life. Money is only good if we use to for a good purpose.

Friends are important. Make many when you are young and keep them. You must be sincere and earnest with others. Always help out one another.

Friendship is not about strategy or superficial interactions (read facebook). It is a relationship built on the genuine sincerity of those parties involved. Friendship is the most beautiful, most powerful, and most valuable treasure in life. It is your true wealth.

Health is a prerequisite for our happiness. Take good care of your body. Everything in nature has a rhythm. So does our body. Sufficient rest, moderate and balance food intake and discard the sedentary lifestyle. Work your heart regularly and for girls, you must run more and do weight bearing exercise to build more bone density. This is the only way to prevent osteoporosis later on in life.

I better stop here. This sound like a man about to die. Hah! I have no plan to die so soon, but I do have the spirit that each time we meet, it is my last opportunity to meet you. That’s why sometimes I can be quite cheong-hei.

Let me add just one more. Of all the things that I learnt, 98% I learn from this person Daisaku Ikeda. I am sure you are familiar with this name by now. If you are interested to learn more, you can visit the following websites:

http://www.daisakuikeda.org/
http://www.ikedaquotes.org/
http://www.ikedacenter.org/

Well, I guess I really should pen(finger)-off now. I wish you happiness, health and a life of adventure, excitement and victory. I also wish you courage, wisdom and hope.

One last quote from my sifu. This I kept very close to my heart.

Do not compare yourselves to others. Be true to who you are, and continue to learn with all your might. Even if you are ridiculed, even if you suffered disappointments and setbacks, continue to advance and do not be defeated.


Bye-bye, farewell, and jumpa lagi.
10 November, 2009