Back home and in school, I swung into action. Up went the self-drawn motivational posters on my walls. I started using all the learning strategies I had learned in the camp. I started taking whole-brained notes in class and started speed-reading in front of my friends. When asked a question by the teacher, I was able to rattle of all the points in perfect order, thanks to the super memory techniques I had learnt.
Naturally, everyone became curious. My teachers asked
me what had gotten into me. I responded by telling them
that I was going to top the school. They looked at me as
if I was crazy. My friends asked me where I was planning to go after I had finished secondary school. I replied that I was going to Victoria Junior College and then to the National University. They all burst out laughing. That’s crazy! None of us will ever make it there! Only students from top schools can make it there, not us!’ Instead of discouraging me, their comments inspired me even more! I was out to prove a point and to change history. That a lousy student from a non ‘elite’ school could indeed achieve all that!
Within three months, I had pulled my grades up from an average of 52% to 70%. This enabled me to rise from the bottom of the school to rank among the top 18, all in one memorable year, 1987.
From there I went on to top my school (in terms of Aggregate points, best
of six subjects) in the GCE ‘O’ level examinations with six ‘A’s and eight
points, and was admitted into Victoria Junior College, the college of my
choice. I scored straight ‘A’s for my best three subjects and got a place in
the National University of Singapore (NUS) to study Business Administration.
Starting from the first year of university, my grades earned me a place on the
Dean’s list (honour roll) every consecutive year. I was also admitted into the
Chapter 1 • How A Dumb Kid Can Be Gifted
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