My mentor is leaving sg for good come 25th July. She is leaving for Toronto, Canada. I seriously feel quite sad about her leaving. Of course I'm happy that she found the place in which she felt could offer her the best of what she wants out of her life, but I just can't bear the thought of not having her around physically.
I know my mentor since I was 10 years old and she was my tutor then. I can't exactly tell you how much she have influenced me or how much I've always wanted to be like her. It's crazy but I remembered that I stopped drinking soft drinks like coke because she told me that she doesn't drink it cos it's pretty unhealthy. And that stayed in my mind up till today.
She made my learning in school a wonderful experience because she would come up with very interesting activities for me to earn stars to get presents and all. I remembered writing my own "storybook", coming up with my family tree and looking forward to her presents. She has definitely enriched my childhood and gave me my fondest childhood memories.
Growing up wasn't a very smooth-sailing route for me and she was there to listen, to help, to advise. I can vaguely recalled about she being angry with me during my secondary school years because I was so slackened in my work and often didn't complete my work.
As I moved out of the secondary school rebellion days, she was there to help me make decisions - arts or science, ntu or nus, history or business.. She was there when I was on the verge of breaking down, on the verge of wanting to give up my life.
She was in tears when I told her that I took many many panadols to put myself to sleep. My birthday that year, she wrote this in her card:
... Somethings are worth getting worked up for, but some things just ain't worth that much tears and headaches. Remember.. Take your time to walk slowly, what's the hurry. Take your time to do things you enjoy.. Talk your time to walk on.. but never walk backwards!...
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I always look forward to her gifts and cards because her stuff are all hand made and she is really very creative. (She was an Architect, then she became a designer.) This is just one of the qualities that I really admire about her! I just can't stop saying what an amazing person she is and how wonderful it had been to have her in my life.
Now that she's going to a faraway land, I wish her all the best in her new beginning.
Qian li gong chan juan..
