Some time back in 2003, i was given a small blue paper, the size of a postcard, before the O'Levels began by one my teachers in Ngee ANn Sec.

3 years down the road, i found it lying in my drawer, still as fresh & crisp as ever. On the small paper, it read:

Muhd Hafiz,
Learning isnt easy
Frustration tends to set in quickly
You hurt
You feel defeated
You want to give up
To quit
You want to walk away
And pretend it doesnt matter
But you wont
Because you are not a loser
You are a fighter
We all have to lose sometimes
Before we can win
We have to cry sometimes
Before we can smile
We have to be hurt
Before we can be strong
But if you keep on working
And believing
You'll have victory
In the end

- Ann Davies

I know probably at the time my teacher gave it to me, she didnt meant it much when she passed me the paper. I was just another malay blood-sucking mosquito in the school. I,too, didnt take much notice of the 'inspirational' poem. But as time passed, i began to realise the truth of it all.

Ann Davies is someone prominent personalities like Oprah Winfrey, Jeffrey J. Mayer, the late Keagan and even Alan Smith look up to. All of them have distinct, common characteristics.

I want to join that list of names too. Who doesnt?