Ong is 18
18th birthday lunch with brother and sister
Becoming 18: threshold of the real world
I turned 18 a good 8 days ago, and have done quite a bit of thinking over the past 8 days. I’ve settled down (quite significantly) to study; I have handed Refugees SG over to 3 very capable people who I hope will do great things with the work that I have started; I’ve also done a stock take of all I have done for the school portfolio, and submitted my applications for the Gupta and Plaque awards.
This year marks a very significant year for me- it is the year of my final examinations, and also the year where the next few years of my life will be determined, in terms of universities and scholarships. Within the next 3 months it is likely that I will have to take apply to a university (November), and apply for scholarships (October-March 2008), and I have to decide on many things before I can confirm my choices for both.
Evaluating the past 18 years
Perhaps it was because from young I realised my initials formed the word “D.O”, I have always regarded myself as someone who could never not “do” something. Be it ideas, or actual action, I have always been coming up with new things, organizing, driving projects and ideas. Be it the web businesses, the Humanities Initiative, Refugees SG- I realise most of my efforts in the past 18 years have been in “doing”, applying my skills and ideas in the real world. I have come to realise what has driven most of my growth in this time has been a result of the application of my ideas, initiatives and drive in whatever context I was in.
However, I have come to realise that there is a serious deficiency in this: I have come to realise that my ideas are becoming increasingly stale, and are running dry. Also, I’ve found that in “doing” so much, I have neglected personal growth at times- whether intellectually, in terms of habits, or just in terms of getting a “life”.
I have also had a certain disdain for academia because I thought it was a bunch of “old men” sitting around doing nothing- hearing the hokkien expletive-laden diatribes of my HDB neighbours when I was young created in me a belief that the academia was seriously disconnected from the ground, in the criticism of government policies. From those experiences, I always thought that it was “doing” that changed the world, rather than “thinking”- the latter only if it was followed up by concrete action.
Stagnation, the bane of progress
Many people don’t know this, but excluding Literature books and compulsory readings, I have never read a proper book since P5, when I put down my book and picked up the soccer ball. All my knowledge from that point, was gleaned from occasional readings of the newspaper, but mostly from the internet, where surfing from page to page I learnt about the world and the various ideas there. This is not to say this method is bad- it has acquired for me a general knowledge that makes me conversant with a wide spectrum of people- from those interested in the NFL, to those who are interested in the intricacies of the Mercosur.
Prior to this week, I often borrowed books from the library promising myself I would read them, but often did little more than skim through the summary on the back cover, before going to the internet in search of a summary. This has arguably saved me a lot of time; however my idea of a “book” has stagnated at P5 levels, where Newberry awards could have been the Pulitzer prize for writing. I have stood confused while others talked about the writings of Chaucer and Shaw, and have on occasion embarrassed myself with a general lack of knowledge in many areas.
The Literate Economist
Over the past 3 days, I have read “The Literate Economist” by Ray Canterbery- and discovered an entire world which I have missed out on. The book is essentially a history of economics which traces its development from Aquinas to Kahneman, and is fascinating and intriguing. Canterbery mixes a thousand years of history, literature and economics soundbites together to show how the latter 2 are a manifestation of the former, and this mix has been immensely entertaining- and at the same time, demonstrative of what I have missed out on in the past 6 years.
Where to from here
The past 18 years have been a mixture of failure and success; a misguided 4 years in RI with dabblings in business and sports; a perhaps more indicative Junior College experience where I’ve learnt to use what I’m good in to do stuff that help people. Where I go in the next few years will be highly dependent on my choice of scholarship, university, and course- and the combination of these 3 will then affect where I go in life.
However, I think that in the immediate 1 year, I will be focusing less on “doing”, instead spending more time on personal development. I’d like to read more, and read widely- not just on subject I’m familiar with, but subjects that I’ve never studied or have “let go” in JC. I’d like to properly learn geography, the hard sciences, and philosophy and ethics. I’d want to play more guitar and piano; I’d also want to pursue my longtime goal of being able to bench 100kg and run 2.4km under 9 minutes. And perhaps learn a new language, and read the Bible in whole for the first time.
