"Being an Olympic Star is temporary, the journey through life (you) must be happy..."

JD & JL, this is the collection of videos that I hope will inspire you as we just experienced history being made this weekend. It has been a hectic weekend of meetings, sorting some family matters (which you will soon learn more about when you grow up), watching the Olympics, watching some other film previews and writing commentary pieces. It is exceptionally more poignant at this point because I feel grossly disgusted by things that have happened... (or should have happened). Before this victorious win of Joseph Schooling, I pushed for an interview with his dad to be published (since December 2015) as a way to inspire more parents to focus on growth and development of their child(ren) other than the academic aspects. Well, it was gunned down by mu editorial supervisor as "boring", "too far" (Joseph was training in US), "not trendy (trending; Colin was 'too old' and 'no one knows him)" enough... I pushed ahead, continued to liaise with the PR agency and arranged for my writers to cover it despite planning an exit from the publication. I wanted to share Colin's parenting experience regardless of whether Joseph wins, they fought hard, persisted and most importantly, did that as a family.

Also, I was planning to also feature another of my friend, a passionate photographer I knew since our NUS days. What do you know, was gunned down again - "too far", "not celebrity", "who is he"? Sorry, E Fung and Colin (I don't know you personally), I tried to inject a less materialistic, less academic and more soulful essence of parenting into popular mass media.. But I failed terribly - I just didn't know how to play the game nor have enough influence (I'm not an influencer you see). Regardless, I decided to stay true to myself, my heart and my passion writing and for life - what life brings onto the table and to live a happy life. What I learnt from this episode; no one can take away your vision, your sinceirty and your desire to be truthful and happy.

#1 Never doubt yourself and don't be afraid to look up to someone for inspiration, guidance or mentorship. Joseph set his sights on an Olympic win, and he persisted and of course with his family's supoprt.

#2 Remember, it's not just about being a star. And if you are disciplined, passionate and happy when you pursue your dream, you are a star anyway.

#3 We are all one, travelling across different continents (either through the blood that runs from the first generation or to the third). Don't join in the banwagon of ignorance to label foreign talents. By the way, you both have heritage that stems from Portugal, Java, China, Hong Kong and closer to our shores, Sentosa.

Excerpt from The Straits Times Facebook

Joseph Schooling a "foreign talent"? That's what some Singaporeans thought when he first made headlines a few years ago. In response, his dad Colin told ST in 2014: "Nama saya Colin Schooling. Anak benar Singapura." ("My name is Colin Schooling, true son of Singapore.")

"Being an Olympic Star is temporary,

the journey through life (you) must be happy,

then you are able to shower happiness upon others..."

#passion #Olympics #life #livelife