I met a colleague – Mr Ong, during one of my training classes and then we became friends. Throughout the training week, our friendship blossomed from acquaintance to actual friendship, and then we started exchanging numbers, and then we start meeting up for dinners, lunched and a friendship was built.
One day, I invited him to an ICAEW networking event, in which he watched me exercise my social skills, going around speaking to absolutely anyone and everyone and I think I could have charmed him with my ability to wander around and just mingle when he was instead suffocated in his own tongue – the disability to speak smoothly because he claimed it was the result of his “Chinese” background and education.
We then toyed with the idea of him joining my CA programme and along the way, he told me something that touched my heart. “I’m born poor. I’m used to working hard.. There was never a moment I never worked hard. I strived for a living.. My parents had 6 children, and now its my responsibility to take care of them. I don’t think I can not work, or leave a job without a job..” And then he gestured the usual money sign.
The topic of security of a job and money, seemed to be an issue to him.. His diligence and determination is absolutely admirable and he made me realise how lucky I’ve been since the day I was born.
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