I want to make late dad proud

HE made history in his junior college by becoming the first student to score seven straight As in the A-level examinations.

"Life is about growth. There's just no staying still. We're either moving backward or forward all the time."

CLUELESS: Ming Da looking composed before the school named him as top JJC student.
Yet, while the vice-principal was lauding his achievement when the results were released yesterday, Tok Ming Da, 18, began to cry.

For his is a story of determination and resilience in the face of tragedy and adversity.

What should have been his happiest day was tempered by the sudden death of his father from a heart attack last September, just six weeks before he sat for the exams.

The Jurong JC (JJC) student found it hard to come to terms with the shock loss as his father had seemed to be in good health.

But rather than mope, Ming Da decided to use the memory of his father to motivate him for the exams.

When his touching story was told to his college mates yesterday, many of them were inspired by his success, but also red-eyed over his loss.

As vice-principal Chua Lek Hong put it, Ming Da is a testament to how anyone, no matter how old, can overcome all odds to achieve great success.

When Mr Chua mentioned his family tragedy, the boy couldn't help but shed a few tears, as his friend passed him a piece of tissue paper.

SAD: He turn tearful when the vice-principal relates his story to the school.
Ming Da topped the JC's previous record of six As by getting As in all his seven subjects - General Paper, economics, mathematics, physics, chemistry, project work and Chinese.

'I did it to make him proud,' said the soft-spoken boy, referring to his father, Mr Tok Khoon Hee. He was 55.

Recalling the tragedy, he told The New Paper: 'He woke up at 3am and started coughing non-stop. He complained that he couldn't see very well.

'We rushed him to the hospital but his condition worsened very quickly. His heart stopped but the emergency crew managed to get it pumping the first time. But it stopped again and we had to let go.'

His father had run an automation company. His mother is a housewife and his sister, 28, who had just become a teacher, became the sole breadwinner.

Said Ming Da: 'My father was the one with a true resilient spirit. He dropped out of school after O levels, did odd jobs here and there and made it to run his own company recently.

'Even though he didn't do A-level maths, he was a maths genius and helped me a lot with my homework.'

- TNP

"Don't be distracted by criticism. Remember - the only taste of success some people have is when they take a bite out of you." Zig Ziglar

"Change one's mindset and boost one's ability. Do not hold onto thoughts that 'things will always be like that'. One must always be true to one's word and determined in deed. Be realistic - it is better to have tried and failed than not to try at all." Claire Chiang

"One day at a time - this is enough. Do not look back and grieve over the past, for it is gone: and do not be troubled about the future, for it has not yet come. Live in the present, and make it so beautiful that it will be worth remembering." Ida Scott Taylor