{ Saturday, June 16, 2007 } 3:21 AM

I Love and Admire Mr Eng

I went to collect my A Level certificate and School Graduation Certificate today. I didn't know that Mr. Eng had to write a testimonial for me. I read it and I was really touched. He really had a wide - and I mean WIDE - range of vocabulary which is the reason why I admire him.

Esther and I decided to post what he wrote onto our blogs. So it's as follows:

Chen Shu Min Christy was a student of Innova Junior College from 2005 to 2006, where she pursued a course in the Science Faculty.

Christy has always been clear about what she wanted. Upon joining Innova, she was determined to have an all-rounded education. Thus, it was highly commendable that she excelled at her studies and was selected for the college Scholarship Development Programme. She has succeeded on both fronts in developing herself holistically, in line with the mission of the college. Always polite and well-mannered, Christy was able to interact well with both teachers and her fellow schoolmates. She learnt a lot about effective communication skills as a member of the college Publication Club and also as a Chinese DJ for the Innova Broadcasting Station. For one of her assignments for the Students' Newspaper, she had to interview a group of students from Mainland China on their stay at Innova. The experience taught her to be more tactful, as well as to think on her feet.

Christy aimed to stretch herself by taking part in many competitions and she always gave her best. Her diverse interests range from working on a project for the National University of Singapore (University Scholars Programme) World Bank Challenge to participating in a competition where she positioned herself in Kofi Annan's shoes and wrote a letter as the Secretary-General of the United Nations. There was a very brief period when she seemed disappointed because her academic rseults slipped due to her overabundant commitments. However, Christy showed her mettle by picking herself up and returning to her original heights.

Christy is adept at making friends and defusing awkward situations. Her social skills came to the fore when the college hosted a few students from Sekolah Djuwita, an Indonesian high school, and she was one of the Student Ambassadors. At the beginning, the two groups of students barely interacted with each other, but Christy took the initiative to liven up the atmosphere for them, and soon they were talking and joking together. She also proposed an alternative itinerary during the tour to enable the visitors to see more of the school. It was a very thoughtful gesture om Christy's part, and by the end of the day the two groups of students mingled so well that they arranged to meet again in Indonesia at the end of the year.

Christy can be counted on to continue to set high standards for herself. Now that she is better able to cope with the negative aspects of stress, she is much better equipped that before to attain those standards. Wherever her chosen course of career takes her, she has the intellectual capacity and sheer industry to rise to the upper rungs.

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I am so touched because Mr Eng has magically made me feel that I've learnt something through my time spent at Innova, and it gave me the chance to recall the times I had at Innova. Seriously, I don't know how he understood me so much, but after reading all these, I realised that I've always had a Class Tutor as precious as gem. There were times when I had misunderstood his intentions and troubled him a lot... And there were times when he was super nice and thoughtful towards me. I've liked him and always will.

Ah, how I miss Mr Eng! And I wonder how he's doing right now. Hope he's happy. Always.

And as I was saying, I really admire him for his way of putting words to life. Ok, maybe you guys can't feel the "life" in his words, but seriously I don't think my English is half as good as his. It's really an achievement I would like to have someday. Haha, now Mr Eng has given me another goal in life.

This is like, the truly one happy post I've posted on my blog ever since I started work... Or even since the holidays. Thanks again, Mr Eng.

P.S. If Mr Eng was a female, I would have hugged him. Maybe someday we should meet up with him. Haha.