Throwback v2.
Before i joined debating, my English was not fluent & my general knowledge was even worse.
I thought Africa was a country & Egypt was a continent.
I do believe that hardwork will take me places.
I would memorize the english dictionary & watch as many documenteries/videos/movies in English.
I was jealous of my counterparts in Oxford, Cambridge, Harvard etc.
They get the best of debaters from all over the world to join their Uni & expose them to the best of trainings & competitions.
When i was in highschool, i'll watch their videos on Youtube & put it on replay until i'm well-versed with their style of debating.
My Highschool didn't allow for smartphones/laptops, so i smuggled in a low-specs second hand Acer laptop & hid it in the "English room" so that i can watch the videos from 10pm to 1am, daily.
In the Youtube Videos, when they forwarded an argument i never thought of, i'll reverse my thinking process & brainstorm how i overlooked this uniqie angle. I want to be as sharp & smart as the best in the world.
Fast forward, the photo above was taken at Cambridge University when i was awarded the Top 10 Debater for the Cambridge IV (Open).
This was the first time (that i could remember of), a debater from an Asian University from an ESL status, got into the top 10 list.
Usually, we will be awarded with a bottle of wine or champagne, but the organisers were kind enough to replace it with Chocolates when they found out i made the Top10 list.
The following year, Cambridge appointed me as their Co-Chief Judge of the Cambridge IV. Interestingly, another record was broken when a Malaysian team from UITM won the whole championship. I could never be prouder for Malaysia!
Message is, Hardwork is key. Anything is possible when you put your mind to it.
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