🌟 55 chủ đề IELTS Speaking Part 2 - có khả năng ra từ tháng 9 - 12 / 2016. Các bạn học thêm từ vựng theo từng chủ đề và thực hành nói trong 1-2 phút cho từng đề nói phía dưới để thi được kết quả thật cao nhé!
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🌟1. *Describe a time you needed to use imagination*
📌You should say:
👉🏽-what the situation was;
👉🏽-why you needed to use imagination;
👉🏽-what the difficulties were;
👉🏽-and explain how you felt about it.
🌟2. *Describe a time when you are very busy*
📌You should say
👉🏽-When it was
👉🏽-What you had to do during that time
👉🏽-How you managed it
👉🏽-And explain how you felt about being busy
🌟3. *Describe a tall building in your hometown you like or dislike*
📌You should say
👉🏽-Where this building is
👉🏽-What it looks like
👉🏽-What it is used for
👉🏽-And explain why you like or dislike
🌟4. *Describe a person/something that made you laugh*
📌You should say:
👉🏽-What made you laugh
👉🏽-Where you were
👉🏽-when it happened
👉🏽-Who you were with
👉🏽-And explain why it made you laugh
🌟5. *Describe your favorite movie*
📌You should say
👉🏽-When and where you saw it
👉🏽-What type of film it was
👉🏽-What the film was about
👉🏽-And explain why it is your favorite film
🌟6. *Describe a piece of (electrical or electronic) equipment in your home*
📌You should say:
👉🏽-What it is
👉🏽-How often you use it
👉🏽-Who you usually use it with
👉🏽-And explain why this item is important to you
🌟7. *Describe a gift that you gave someone recently*
📌You should say
👉🏽-What the gift was
👉🏽-Who you gave it to
👉🏽-Why you chose that gift
🌟8. *Describe a person who you have met and want to know more about*
📌You should say
👉🏽-Who this person is
👉🏽-When and where you met
👉🏽-What you did or talked about
🌟9. *Describe an interesting song you like*
📌You should say:
👉🏽-What it is
👉🏽-Which country the song comes from
👉🏽-What story the song tells
👉🏽-And explain why you think it is interesting
🌟10. *Describe a creative inventor or musician*
📌You should say:
👉🏽-Who this person is
👉🏽-What this person does
👉🏽-How he knew this person
👉🏽-And explain why you think this person is creative
🌟11. *Describe a time you missed an appointment for something*
📌You should say:
👉🏽-When and where it happened
👉🏽-What the appointment was for
👉🏽-What happened
👉🏽-when you missed it
👉🏽-And explain how you felt about missing the appointment
🌟12. *Describe a sport stadium that’s important in your city*
📌You should say:
👉🏽-Where it is
👉🏽-How often you go there
👉🏽-What people do there
👉🏽-And explain why you think it is important
🌟13. *Describe a garden you have visited and liked*
📌You should say:
👉🏽-Where it was
👉🏽-What it looked like
👉🏽-What you did there
👉🏽-And explain why you liked it there
🌟14. *Describe an area of subject that you are interested in*
📌You should say:
👉🏽-What it is
👉🏽-When it started to become interested in it
👉🏽-What we have learned from it
👉🏽-And explain why you have interest in it
🌟15. *Describe a special meal you would like to have*
📌You should say:
👉🏽-Where you would like to have it
👉🏽-Who you would like to have it with
👉🏽-And explain how you would feel about the meal
🌟16. *Describe something you did with a group of people*
📌You should say:
👉🏽-What the activity was
👉🏽-When and where you did it
👉🏽-Who you were with
👉🏽-And explain how you felt about being part of this group
🌟17. *Describe a famous person in your country*
📌You should say
👉🏽-Who this person is
👉🏽-How you know this person
👉🏽-What this person is famous for
👉🏽-And explain why you like this person
🌟18. *Describe a place where you go to relax*
📌You should say
👉🏽-Where it is
👉🏽-How often you go there
👉🏽-What you usually do there
👉🏽-And explain why it relaxes you
🌟19. *Describe an interesting or unusual thing you did recently (in your free time)*
📌You should say
👉🏽-What you did
👉🏽-When and where you did it
👉🏽-Who you did it with
👉🏽-And explain why you think it was interesting or unusual
🌟20. *Describe an advertisement you have seen/heard recently*
📌You should say:
👉🏽-When and where you saw it
👉🏽-What was advertised
👉🏽-What the contents of the advertisements were
👉🏽-And explain how you felt about it
🌟21. *Describe a bicycle/motorbike/car trip that is interesting*
📌You should say:
👉🏽-Where you would like to go
👉🏽-How you would like to go there
👉🏽-Who you would like to go with
👉🏽-And explain why you would like to go there by car, motorbike or bike*
🌟22. *Describe an interesting photo*
📌You should say:
👉🏽-Who look it
👉🏽-Who was in the photo
👉🏽-When the photo was taken
👉🏽-And explain why it was interesting
🌟23. *Describe a small business you want to have in the future*
📌You should say:
👉🏽-What it would be
👉🏽-What you need to prepare for it
👉🏽-Where you would have this business
👉🏽-And explain why you would like to do this business
🌟24. *Describe a wild animal*
📌You should say:
👉🏽-What it looks like
👉🏽-Where you can see it
👉🏽-What it likes to eat or do
👉🏽-And explain why you like it
🌟25. *Describe something you did with a group of people*
📌You should say:
👉🏽-What the activity was
👉🏽-When and where you did it
👉🏽-Who you were with
👉🏽-And explain how you felt about being part of this group
🌟26. *Describe a sport that you prefer to do and is a little expensive*
📌You should say
👉🏽-What it is
👉🏽-How much it usually costs
👉🏽-Who usually do it with
👉🏽-And explain why you like to do this activity
🌟27. *Describe a place in other countries where you would like to work.*
📌You should say:
👉🏽-Where you would like to go
👉🏽-What kind of work/job you would like to have
👉🏽-When you would like to go
👉🏽-Why you want to work in that place
🌟28. *Describe someone who has a great influence on you*
📌You should say:
👉🏽-Who this person is
👉🏽-How she knew this person
👉🏽-What influence this person has on you
👉🏽-And how you think of the influence
🌟29. *Describe a website you like to visit*
📌You should say:
👉🏽-When you found it
👉🏽-What it is about
👉🏽-How often you visit it
👉🏽-Why you like this website
🌟30. *Describe a difficult decision that you once made.*
📌You should say:
👉🏽-What the decision was
👉🏽-How you made your decision
👉🏽-What the results of the decision were
👉🏽-And explain why it was difficult to make.
🌟31. *Describe an item that you received and made you happy*
📌You should say
👉🏽-When you received it
👉🏽-What the item was
👉🏽-Who gave it to you
👉🏽-And explain why you felt happy
🌟32. *Describe something you ate for the first time.*
📌You should say:
👉🏽-What it was;
👉🏽-When you ate it;
👉🏽-Why you ate it;
👉🏽-And explain how you felt about it.
🌟33. *Describe something that you had to share with other people, such as public transport, accommodation, and food.*
📌You should say:
👉🏽-What it was;
👉🏽-Who you shared it with;
👉🏽-Why you shared it with others;
👉🏽-And explain how you felt about sharing
🌟34. *Describe an activity you do to keep fit*
📌You should say:
👉🏽-What the activity is
👉🏽-When, where you usually do it
👉🏽-How you do it
👉🏽-And explain why it can keep you fit.
🌟35. *Describe a person who once moved to live with you*
📌You should say:
👉🏽-When and where this person moved in
👉🏽-How you know -this person
👉🏽-How you got along with this person
👉🏽-And how you feel about living with this person
🌟36. *Describe an interesting tradition in your country*
📌You should say:
👉🏽-What the tradition is
👉🏽-When do you celebrate it
👉🏽-How do you celebrate it
👉🏽-And explain why it is interesting
🌟37. *Describe a person that you like to spend time with*
📌You should say:
👉🏽-Who is this person
👉🏽-How do you know this person
👉🏽-What you like to do together
👉🏽-And explain why you like to spend time with this person
🌟38. *Describe a piece of good news that you received*
📌You should say:
👉🏽-What this news was
👉🏽-When and where you heard it
👉🏽-How you heard it
👉🏽-And explain why you think it was good news
🌟39. *Describe a leader you admire*
📌You should say:
👉🏽-Who this person is;
👉🏽-How you know this person;
👉🏽-What skills he or she has for leadership;
👉🏽-And explain why you think he or she is a good leader.
🌟40. *Describe a creative person that you admire*
📌You should say:
👉🏽-Who is this person
👉🏽-How do you know this person
👉🏽-What creative things this person likes to do
👉🏽-And explain why you admire this person.
🌟41. *Describe a course that you want to learn*
📌You should say:
👉🏽-What this course is
👉🏽-When you want to learn it
👉🏽-Where you can learn it
👉🏽-And explain why you want to learn it
🌟42. *Describe an important skill you learned when you were a child*
📌You should say:
👉🏽-What this skill was
👉🏽-When you learned it
👉🏽-How you learned it
👉🏽-And explain why you think it was important
🌟43. *Describe an activity that you do in your school after school*
📌You should say:
👉🏽-When and where you do
👉🏽-What you like to do
👉🏽-Who you do it with
👉🏽-And how you feel about it
🌟44. *Describe a mistake that you once made*
📌You should say:
👉🏽-What the mistake was When,
👉🏽-where you made it
👉🏽-Who was with you
👉🏽-And how the mistake affected you
🌟45. *Describe an occasion you got up extremely early.*
📌You should say:
👉🏽-When this happened
👉🏽-What you needed to do that day
👉🏽-Who you were with
👉🏽-And how you felt about getting up early that day
🌟46. *Describe a big company you are interested in.*
📌You should say:
👉🏽-What is the company called;
👉🏽-How did you know this company;
👉🏽-What kind of business this company does;
👉🏽-What kinds of interesting activities the company has
👉🏽-And why this company is interesting
🌟47. *Describe a method that helps you save money*
📌You should say:
👉🏽-What the method is
👉🏽-When you started to use it
👉🏽-How you knew it
👉🏽-and explain why it is helpful
🌟48. *Describe a positive change in your life*
📌You should say:
👉🏽-What the change was
👉🏽-When it happened
👉🏽-How it happened
👉🏽-And explain why it was a positive change
🌟49. *Describe an interesting public place that you like to visit*
📌You should say:
👉🏽-Where is this place
👉🏽-What you can do there
👉🏽-Who you like to go with
👉🏽-And explain why you think this is an interesting place
🌟50. *Describe a wedding you have been to*
📌You should say:
👉🏽-Where it was
👉🏽-Who you went with
👉🏽-What you saw
👉🏽-And how you felt about the wedding
🌟51. *Describe a program or app in your computer or phones*
📌You should say:
👉🏽-What the app/program is When,
👉🏽-where you found it
👉🏽-How you use it
👉🏽-And how you feel about it
🌟52. *Describe a situation that made you a little angry.*
📌You should say:
👉🏽-What it was that made you angry
👉🏽-Where you were when this happened
👉🏽-What you were doing at the time
👉🏽-And explain why you felt angry.
🌟53. *Describe a (short) journey that you disliked*
📌You should say:
👉🏽-Where you went
👉🏽-Who you went with
👉🏽-What you did
👉🏽-And explain why you disliked this journey
🌟54. *Describe an antique or an old object that your family has kept for a long time.*
📌You should say:
👉🏽-What it is
👉🏽-How your family first got this thing
👉🏽-How long your family has had it
👉🏽-And explain why it is important
🌟55. *Describe a character or personality of yours*
📌You should say:
👉🏽-What it is How it affects your life
👉🏽-Where you get it from
👉🏽-And how you feel about it
「describe a place you would like to visit in future」的推薦目錄:
describe a place you would like to visit in future 在 Lee Hsien Loong Facebook 的最佳貼文
By now, you have probably heard about my father’s red box. Minister Heng Swee Keat posted about it last week. The red box was a fixture of my father’s work routine. It is now on display at the National Museum of Singapore in his memorial exhibition.
Some of my father’s other personal items are there too. His barrister’s wig (of horsehair) from when he was admitted to the Bar. And a Rolex Oyster Perpetual watch given to him by the Singapore Union of Postal and Telecommunications Workers after he represented them in the famous postmen’s strike in 1952.
I enjoyed my visit to the exhibition a few days ago. Was happy to hear that many of you went yesterday. The exhibition will be on until 26 April. – LHL
MR LEE'S RED BOX
Mr Lee Kuan Yew had a red box. When I worked as Mr Lee’s Principal Private Secretary, or PPS, a good part of my daily life revolved around the red box. Before Mr Lee came in to work each day, the locked red box would arrive first, at about 9 am.
As far as the various officers who have worked with Mr Lee can remember, he had it for many, many years. It is a large, boxy briefcase, about fourteen centimetres wide. Red boxes came from the British government, whose Ministers used them for transporting documents between government offices. Our early Ministers had red boxes, but Mr Lee is the only one I know who used his consistently through the years. When I started working for Mr Lee in 1997, it was the first time I saw a red box in use. It is called the red box but is more a deep wine colour, like the seats in the chamber in Parliament House.
This red box held what Mr Lee was working on at any one time. Through the years, it held his papers, speech drafts, letters, readings, and a whole range of questions, reflections, and observations. For example, in the years that Mr Lee was working on his memoirs, the red box carried the multiple early drafts back and forth between his home and the office, scribbled over with his and Mrs Lee’s notes.
For a long time, other regular items in Mr Lee’s red box were the cassette tapes that held his dictated instructions and thoughts for later transcription. Some years back, he changed to using a digital recorder.
The red box carried a wide range of items. It could be communications with foreign leaders, observations about the financial crisis, instructions for the Istana grounds staff, or even questions about some trees he had seen on the expressway. Mr Lee was well-known for keeping extremely alert to everything he saw and heard around him – when he noticed something wrong, like an ailing raintree, a note in the red box would follow.
We could never anticipate what Mr Lee would raise – it could be anything that was happening in Singapore or the world. But we could be sure of this: it would always be about how events could affect Singapore and Singaporeans, and how we had to stay a step ahead. Inside the red box was always something about how we could create a better life for all.
We would get to work right away. Mr Lee’s secretaries would transcribe his dictated notes, while I followed up on instructions that required coordination across multiple government agencies. Our aim was to do as much as we could by the time Mr Lee came into the office later.
While we did this, Mr Lee would be working from home. For example, during the time that I worked with him (1997-2000), the Asian Financial Crisis ravaged many economies in our region and unleashed political changes. It was a tense period as no one could tell how events would unfold. Often, I would get a call from him to check certain facts or arrange meetings with financial experts.
In the years that I worked for him, Mr Lee’s daily breakfast was a bowl of dou hua (soft bean curd), with no syrup. It was picked up and brought home in a tiffin carrier every morning, from a food centre near Mr Lee’s home. He washed it down with room-temperature water. Mr Lee did not take coffee or tea at breakfast.
When Mr Lee came into the office, the work that had come earlier in the red box would be ready for his review, and he would have a further set of instructions for our action.
From that point on, the work day would run its normal course. Mr Lee read the documents and papers, cleared his emails, and received official calls by visitors. I was privileged to sit in for every meeting he conducted. He would later ask me what I thought of the meetings – it made me very attentive to every word that was said, and I learnt much from Mr Lee.
Evening was Mr Lee’s exercise time. Mr Lee has described his extensive and disciplined exercise regime elsewhere. It included the treadmill, rowing, swimming and walking – with his ears peeled to the evening news or his Mandarin practice tapes. He would sometimes take phone calls while exercising.
He was in his 70s then. In more recent years, being less stable on his feet, Mr Lee had a simpler exercise regime. But he continued to exercise. Since retiring from the Minister Mentor position in 2011, Mr Lee was more relaxed during his exercises. Instead of listening intently to the news or taking phone calls, he shared his personal stories and joked with his staff.
While Mr Lee exercised, those of us in the office would use that time to focus once again on the red box, to get ready all the day’s work for Mr Lee to take home with him in the evening. Based on the day’s events and instructions, I tried to get ready the materials that Mr Lee might need. It sometimes took longer than I expected, and occasionally, I had to ask the security officer to come back for the red box later.
While Mrs Lee was still alive, she used to drop by the Istana at the end of the day, in order to catch a few minutes together with Mr Lee, just to sit and look at the Istana trees that they both loved. They chatted about what many other old couples would talk about. They discussed what they should have for dinner, or how their grandchildren were doing.
Then back home went Mr Lee, Mrs Lee and the red box. After dinner, Mr and Mrs Lee liked to take a long stroll. In his days as Prime Minister, while Mrs Lee strolled, Mr Lee liked to ride a bicycle. It was, in the words of those who saw it, “one of those old man bicycles”. None of us who have worked at the Istana can remember him ever changing his bicycle. He did not use it in his later years, as he became frail, but I believe the “old man bicycle” is still around somewhere.
After his dinner and evening stroll, Mr Lee would get back to his work. That was when he opened the red box and worked his way through what we had put into it in the office.
Mr Lee’s study is converted out of his son’s old bedroom. His work table is a simple, old wooden table with a piece of clear glass placed over it. Slipped under the glass are family memorabilia, including a picture of our current PM from his National Service days. When Mrs Lee was around, she stayed up reading while Mr Lee worked. They liked to put on classical music while they stayed up.
In his days as PM, Mr Lee’s average bedtime was three-thirty in the morning. As Senior Minister and Minister Mentor, he went to sleep after two in the morning. If he had to travel for an official visit the next day, he might go to bed at one or two in the morning.
Deep into the night, while the rest of Singapore slept, it was common for Mr Lee to be in full work mode.
Before he went to bed, Mr Lee would put everything he had completed back in the red box, with clear pointers on what he wished for us to do in the office. The last thing he did each day was to place the red box outside his study room. The next morning, the duty security team picked up the red box, brought it to us waiting in the office, and a new day would begin.
Let me share two other stories involving the red box.
In 1996, Mr Lee underwent balloon angioplasty to insert a stent. It was his second heart operation in two months, after an earlier operation to widen a coronary artery did not work. After the operation, he was put in the Intensive Care Unit for observation. When he regained consciousness and could sit up in bed, he asked for his security team. The security officer hurried into the room to find out what was needed. Mr Lee asked, “Can you pass me the red box?”
Even at that point, Mr Lee’s first thought was to continue working. The security officer rushed the red box in, and Mr Lee asked to be left to his work. The nurses told the security team that other patients of his age, in Mr Lee’s condition, would just rest. Mr Lee was 72 at the time.
In 2010, Mr Lee was hospitalised again, this time for a chest infection. While he was in the hospital, Mrs Lee passed away. Mr Lee has spoken about his grief at Mrs Lee’s passing. As soon as he could, he left the hospital to attend the wake at Sri Temasek.
At the end of the night, he was under doctor’s orders to return to the hospital. But he asked his security team if they could take him to the Singapore River instead. It was late in the night, and Mr Lee was in mourning. His security team hastened to give a bereaved husband a quiet moment to himself.
As Mr Lee walked slowly along the bank of the Singapore River, the way he and Mrs Lee sometimes did when she was still alive, he paused. He beckoned a security officer over. Then he pointed out some trash floating on the river, and asked, “Can you take a photo of that? I’ll tell my PPS what to do about it tomorrow.” Photo taken, he returned to the hospital.
I was no longer Mr Lee’s PPS at the time. I had moved on to the Monetary Authority of Singapore, to continue with the work to strengthen our financial regulatory system that Mr Lee had started in the late 1990s. But I can guess that Mr Lee probably had some feedback on keeping the Singapore River clean. I can also guess that the picture and the instructions were ferried in Mr Lee’s red box the next morning to the office. Even as Mr Lee lay in the hospital. Even as Mrs Lee lay in state.
The security officers with Mr Lee were deeply touched. When I heard about these moments, I was also moved.
I have taken some time to describe Mr Lee’s red box. The reason is that, for me, it symbolises Mr Lee’s unwavering dedication to Singapore so well. The diverse contents it held tell us much about the breadth of Mr Lee’s concerns – from the very big to the very small; the daily routine of the red box tells us how Mr Lee’s life revolved around making Singapore better, in ways big and small.
By the time I served Mr Lee, he was the Senior Minister. Yet he continued to devote all his time to thinking about the future of Singapore. I could only imagine what he was like as Prime Minister. In policy and strategy terms, he was always driving himself, me, and all our colleagues to think about what each trend and development meant for Singapore, and how we should respond to it in order to secure Singapore’s wellbeing and success.
As his PPS, I saw the punishing pace of work that Mr Lee set himself. I had a boss whose every thought and every action was for Singapore.
But it takes private moments like these to bring home just how entirely Mr Lee devoted his life to Singapore.
In fact, I think the best description comes from the security officer who was with Mr Lee both of those times. He was on Mr Lee’s team for almost 30 years. He said of Mr Lee: “Mr Lee is always country, country, country. And country.”
This year, Singapore turns 50. Mr Lee would have turned 92 this September. Mr Lee entered the hospital on 5 February 2015. He continued to use his red box every day until 4 February 2015.
(Photo: MCI)
describe a place you would like to visit in future 在 Melinda Lee 李棽玲 Facebook 的最佳貼文
After reading this, I realized what is the most valuable things in my life <3
Hmm... What u actually want? Happiness? Wealth?
Many of us might think that 'no wealth no happiness' ,
therefore we rush here & there busy working hard for $$$,
but are u sure that u gonna b happy if you're wealthy ? ?
Enjoy your life & appreciate what you have =)
A True Story from Dr. Richard Teo - 美容医生临终录像自责︰“我不是好医生,病人在我眼中只是钞票”。(Chinese version below)
♥ Like ✔ Tag ✔ Share ✔ Comment ✔ ♥
Malaysia Physiotherapy Students' Network (MPTSN)
Below is the transcript of the talk of Dr. Richard Teo, who is a 40-year-old millionaire and cosmetic surgeon with a stage-4 lung cancer but selflessly came to share with the D1 class his life experience on 19-Jan-2012. He has just passed away few days ago on 18 October 2012.
Hi good morning to all of you. My voice is a bit hoarse, so please bear with me. I thought I'll just introduce myself. My name is Richard, I'm a medical doctor. And I thought I'll just share some thoughts of my life. It's my pleasure to be invited by prof. Hopefully, it can get you thinking about how... as you pursue this.. embarking on your training to become dental surgeons, to think about other things as well.
Since young, I am a typical product of today's society. Relatively successful product that society requires.. From young, I came from a below average family. I was told by the media... and people around me that happiness is about success. And that success is about being wealthy. With this mind-set, I've always be extremely competitive, since I was young.
Not only do I need to go to the top school, I need to have success in all fields. Uniform groups, track, everything. I needed to get trophies, needed to be successful, I needed to have colours award, national colours award, everything. So I was highly competitive since young. I went on to medical school, graduated as a doctor. Some of you may know that within the medical faculty, ophthalmology is one of the most highly sought after specialities. So I went after that as well. I was given a traineeship in ophthalmology, I was also given a research scholarship by NUS to develop lasers to treat the eye.
So in the process, I was given 2 patents, one for the medical devices, and another for the lasers. And you know what, all this academic achievements did not bring me any wealth. So once I completed my bond with MOH, I decided that this is taking too long, the training in eye surgery is just taking too long. And there's lots of money to be made in the private sector. If you're aware, in the last few years, there is this rise in aesthetic medicine. Tons of money to be made there. So I decided, well, enough of staying in institution, it's time to leave. So I quit my training halfway and I went on to set up my aesthetic clinic... in town, together with a day surgery centre.
You know the irony is that people do not make heroes out average GP (general practitioner), family physicians. They don't. They make heroes out of people who are rich and famous. People who are not happy to pay $20 to see a GP, the same person have no qualms paying ten thousand dollars for a liposuction, 15 thousand dollars for a breast augmentation, and so on and so forth. So it's a no brainer isn't? Why do you want to be a gp? Become an aesthetic physician. So instead of healing the sick and ill, I decided that I'll become a glorified beautician. So, business was good, very good. It started off with waiting of one week, then became 3weeks, then one month, then 2 months, then 3 months. I was overwhelmed; there were just too many patients. Vanities are fantastic business. I employed one doctor, the second doctor, the 3rd doctor, the 4th doctor. And within the 1st year, we're already raking in millions. Just the 1st year. But never is enough because I was so obsessed with it. I started to expand into Indonesia to get all the rich Indonesian tai-tais who wouldn't blink an eye to have a procedure done. So life was really good.
So what do I do with the spare cash. How do I spend my weekends? Typically, I'll have car club gatherings. I take out my track car, with spare cash I got myself a track car. We have car club gatherings. We'll go up to Sepang in Malaysia. We'll go for car racing. And it was my life. With other spare cash, what do i do? I get myself a Ferrari. At that time, the 458 wasn't out, it's just a spider convertible, 430. This is a friend of mine, a schoolmate who is a forex trader, a banker. So he got a red one, he was wanting all along a red one, I was getting the silver one.
So what do I do after getting a car? It's time to buy a house, to build our own bungalows. So we go around looking for a land to build our own bungalows, we went around hunting. So how do i live my life? Well, we all think we have to mix around with the rich and famous. This is one of the Miss Universe. So we hang around with the beautiful, rich and famous. This by the way is an internet founder. So this is how we spend our lives, with dining and all the restaurants and Michelin Chefs you know.
So I reach a point in life that I got everything for my life. I was at the pinnacle of my career and all. That's me one year ago in the gym and I thought I was like, having everything under control and reaching the pinnacle.
Well, I was wrong. I didn't have everything under control. About last year March, I started to develop backache in the middle of nowhere. I thought maybe it was all the heavy squats I was doing. So I went to SGH, saw my classmate to do an MRI, to make sure it's not a slipped disc or anything. And that evening, he called me up and said that we found bone marrow replacement in your spine. I said, sorry what does that mean? I mean I know what it means, but I couldn't accept that. I was like “Are you serious?” I was still running around going to the gym you know. But we had more scans the next day, PET scans - positrons emission scans, they found that actually I have stage 4 terminal lung cancer. I was like "Whoa where did that come from?” It has already spread to the brain, the spine, the liver and the adrenals. And you know one moment I was there, totally thinking that I have everything under control, thinking that I've reached the pinnacle of my life. But the next moment, I have just lost it.
This is a CT scan of the lungs itself. If you look at it, every single dot there is a tumour. We call this miliaries tumour. And in fact, I have tens of thousands of them in the lungs. So, I was told that even with chemotherapy, that I'll have about 3-4months at most. Did my life come crushing on, of course it did, who wouldn't? I went into depression, of course, severe depression and I thought I had everything.
See the irony is that all these things that I have, the success, the trophies, my cars, my house and all. I thought that brought me happiness. But i was feeling really down, having severe depression. Having all these thoughts of my possessions, they brought me no joy. The thought of... You know, I can hug my Ferrari to sleep, no... No, it is not going to happen. It brought not a single comfort during my last ten months. And I thought they were, but they were not true happiness. But it wasn't. What really brought me joy in the last ten months was interaction with people, my loved ones, friends, people who genuinely care about me, they laugh and cry with me, and they are able to identify the pain and suffering I was going through. That brought joy to me, happiness. None of the things I have, all the possessions, and I thought those were supposed to bring me happiness. But it didn't, because if it did, I would have felt happy think about it, when I was feeling most down..
You know the classical Chinese New Year that is coming up. In the past, what do I do? Well, I will usually drive my flashy car to do my rounds, visit my relatives, to show it off to my friends. And I thought that was joy, you know. I thought that was really joy. But do you really think that my relatives and friends, whom some of them have difficulty trying to make ends meet, that will truly share the joy with me? Seeing me driving my flashy car and showing off to them? No, no way. They won’t be sharing joy with me. They were having problems trying to make ends meet, taking public transport. In fact i think, what I have done is more like you know, making them envious, jealous of all I have. In fact, sometimes even hatred.
Those are what we call objects of envy. I have them, I show them off to them and I feel it can fill my own pride and ego. That didn't bring any joy to these people, to my friends and relatives, and I thought they were real joy.
Well, let me just share another story with you. You know when I was about your age, I stayed in king Edward VII hall. I had this friend whom I thought was strange. Her name is Jennifer, we're still good friends. And as I walk along the path, she would, if she sees a snail, she would actually pick up the snail and put it along the grass patch. I was like why do you need to do that? Why dirty your hands? It’s just a snail. The truth is she could feel for the snail. The thought of being crushed to death is real to her, but to me it's just a snail. If you can't get out of the pathway of humans then you deserve to be crushed, it’s part of evolution isn't it? What an irony isn't it?
There I was being trained as a doctor, to be compassionate, to be able to empathise; but I couldn't. As a house officer, I graduated from medical school, posted to the oncology department at NUH. And, every day, every other day I witness death in the cancer department. When I see how they suffered, I see all the pain they went through. I see all the morphine they have to press every few minutes just to relieve their pain. I see them struggling with their oxygen breathing their last breath and all. But it was just a job. When I went to clinic every day, to the wards every day, take blood, give the medication but was the patient real to me? They weren't real to me. It was just a job, I do it, I get out of the ward, I can't wait to get home, I do my own stuff.
Was the pain, was the suffering the patients went through real? No. Of course I know all the medical terms to describe how they feel, all the suffering they went through. But in truth, I did not know how they feel, not until I became a patient. It is until now; I truly understand how they feel. And, if you ask me, would I have been a very different doctor if I were to re-live my life now, I can tell you yes I will. Because I truly understand how the patients feel now. And sometimes, you have to learn it the hard way.
Even as you start just your first year, and you embark this journey to become dental surgeons, let me just challenge you on two fronts.
Inevitably, all of you here will start to go into private practice. You will start to accumulate wealth. I can guarantee you. Just doing an implant can bring you thousands of dollars, it's fantastic money. And actually there is nothing wrong with being successful, with being rich or wealthy, absolutely nothing wrong. The only trouble is that a lot of us like myself couldn't handle it.
Why do I say that? Because when I start to accumulate, the more I have, the more I want. The more I wanted, the more obsessed I became. Like what I showed you earlier on, all I can was basically to get more possessions, to reach the pinnacle of what society did to us, of what society wants us to be. I became so obsessed that nothing else really mattered to me. Patients were just a source of income, and I tried to squeeze every single cent out of these patients.
A lot of times we forget, whom we are supposed to be serving. We become so lost that we serve nobody else but just ourselves. That was what happened to me. Whether it is in the medical, the dental fraternity, I can tell you, right now in the private practice, sometimes we just advise patients on treatment that is not indicated. Grey areas. And even though it is not necessary, we kind of advocate it. Even at this point, I know who are my friends and who genuinely cared for me and who are the ones who try to make money out of me by selling me "hope". We kind of lose our moral compass along the way. Because we just want to make money.
Worse, I can tell you, over the last few years, we bad mouth our fellow colleagues, our fellow competitors in the industry. We have no qualms about it. So if we can put them down to give ourselves an advantage, we do it. And that's what happening right now, medical, dental everywhere. My challenge to you is not to lose that moral compass. I learnt it the hard way, I hope you don't ever have to do it.
Secondly, a lot of us will start to get numb to our patients as we start to practise. Whether is it government hospitals, private practice, I can tell you when I was in the hospital, with stacks of patient folders, I can't wait to get rid of those folders as soon as possible; I can't wait to get patients out of my consultation room as soon as possible because there is just so many, and that's a reality. Because it becomes a job, a very routine job. And this is just part of it. Do I truly know how the patient feels back then? No, I don't. The fears and anxiety and all, do I truly understand what they are going through? I don't, not until when this happens to me and I think that is one of the biggest flaws in our system.
We’re being trained to be healthcare providers, professional, and all and yet we don't know how exactly they feel. I'm not asking you to get involved emotionally, I don't think that is professional but do we actually make a real effort to understand their pain and all? Most of us won’t, alright, I can assure you. So don't lose it, my challenge to you is to always be able to put yourself in your patient's shoes.
Because the pain, the anxiety, the fear are very real even though it's not real to you, it's real to them. So don't lose it and you know, right now I'm in the midst of my 5th cycle of my chemotherapy. I can tell you it’s a terrible feeling. Chemotherapy is one of those things that you don't wish even your enemies to go through because it's just suffering, lousy feeling, throwing out, you don't even know if you can retain your meals or not. Terrible feeling! And even with whatever little energy now I have, I try to reach out to other cancer patients because I truly understand what pain and suffering is like. But it's kind of little too late and too little.
You guys have a bright future ahead of you with all the resource and energy, so I’m going to challenge you to go beyond your immediate patients. To understand that there are people out there who are truly in pain, truly in hardship. Don’t get the idea that only poor people suffer. It is not true. A lot of these poor people do not have much in the first place, they are easily contented. for all you know they are happier than you and me but there are out there, people who are suffering mentally, physically, hardship, emotionally, financially and so on and so forth, and they are real. We choose to ignore them or we just don't want to know that they exist.
So do think about it alright, even as you go on to become professionals and dental surgeons and all. That you can reach out to these people who are in need. Whatever you do can make a large difference to them. I'm now at the receiving end so I know how it feels, someone who genuinely care for you, encourage and all. It makes a lot of difference to me. That’s what happens after treatment. I had a treatment recently, but I’ll leave this for another day. A lot of things happened along the way, that's why I am still able to talk to you today.
I'll just end of with this quote here, it's from this book called Tuesdays with Morris, and some of you may have read it. Everyone knows that they are going to die; every one of us knows that. The truth is, none of us believe it because if we did, we will do things differently. When I faced death, when I had to, I stripped myself off all stuff totally and I focused only on what is essential. The irony is that a lot of times, only when we learn how to die then we learn how to live. I know it sounds very morbid for this morning but it's the truth, this is what I’m going through.
Don’t let society tell you how to live. Don’t let the media tell you what you're supposed to do. Those things happened to me. And I led this life thinking that these are going to bring me happiness. I hope that you will think about it and decide for yourself how you want to live your own life. Not according to what other people tell you to do, and you have to decide whether you want to serve yourself, whether you are going to make a difference in somebody else's life. Because true happiness doesn't come from serving yourself. I thought it was but it didn't turn out that way.
Also most importantly, I think true joy comes from knowing God. Not knowing about God – I mean, you can read the bible and know about God – but knowing God personally; getting a relationship with God. I think that’s the most important. That’s what I’ve learnt.
So if I were to sum it up, I’d say that the earlier we sort out the priorities in our lives, the better it is. Don’t be like me – I had no other way. I had to learn it through the hard way. I had to come back to God to thank Him for this opportunity because I’ve had 3 major accidents in my past – car accidents. You know, these sports car accidents – I was always speeding , but somehow I always came out alive, even with the car almost being overturned. And I wouldn’t have had a chance. Who knows, I don’t know where else I’d be going to! Even though I was baptised it was just a show, but the fact that this has happened, it gave me a chance to come back to God.
Few things I’d learnt though:
1. Trust in the Lord your God with all your heart – this is so important.
2. Is to love and serve others, not just ourselves.
There is nothing wrong with being rich or wealthy. I think it’s absolutely alright, cos God has blessed. So many people are blessed with good wealth, but the trouble is I think a lot of us can’t handle it. The more we have, the more we want. I’ve gone through it, the deeper the hole we dig, the more we get sucked into it, so much so that we worship wealth and lose focus. Instead of worshipping God, we worship wealth. It’s just a human instinct. It’s just so difficult to get out of it.
We are all professionals, and when we go into private practise, we start to build up our wealth – inevitably. So my thought are, when you start to build up wealth and when the opportunity comes, do remember that all these things don’t belong to us. We don’t really own it nor have rights to this wealth. It’s actually God’s gift to us. Remember that it’s more important to further His Kingdom rather than to further ourselves.
Anyway I think that I’ve gone through it, and I know that wealth without God is empty. It is more important that you fill up the wealth, as you build it up subsequently, as professionals and all, you need to fill it up with the wealth of God.
Here's the link to the video of this :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umLkfADe17s
患上末期癌症后劝人莫贪钱的美容医生张庆祥(Dr Richard Teo),临终前在网上公开录像,自责自己以前太过贪钱,不是好医生,引起网友的热烈讨论。
张庆祥去年患上末期肺癌,本月中病逝,享年40岁。
他患癌后,才知道金钱和财富并不是一切,也不能带来真正的快乐,於是开始在网上劝人,特别是劝行医的人,要以爱心来医治病人,不要像他那样贪钱。
张庆祥在网上自爆,他从小就很爱钱,以為一个人要成功才会快乐,而成功就是拥有财富。他坦言因為很爱钱,因此选择医科,因為当医生才可以赚大钱。
他透露在医院癌症部门当见习医生时,他对病人没有半点爱心,对癌症病人遭受的痛苦,没有感同身受,病人在他眼裡只是一个工作,他每天都希望快快做完快点回家。那时候,他每天或每隔一天就会见证末期癌症病人死亡,并看著他们因身体剧痛,每几分鐘都要按一次吗啡来止痛,连吸一口氧气都感到困难,然后看著他们最后死亡。
张庆祥坦言,那时候的他,只把病人当著是工作,直到自己也患上末期癌症,他才开始对病人的痛苦感同身受。张庆祥因此劝告行医的人,要对病人有爱心,瞭解病人的痛苦。
為赚更多钱,放弃行医改当美容医生
张庆祥自爆,他当美容医生时,拼命向爱美的顾客和印尼富太刮钱,想办法把她们的每一分钱都刮到光光。张庆祥说,為了赚取更多的钱,他中途放弃行医,改当美容医生。
他说,许多人付20元看普通医生就喊贵,要她们花1万元抽脂或1万5千元隆胸,她们却毫不手软。他的美容生意非常的好,让他赚了很多的钱,那时候他才30多岁,就已经是百万富翁,拥有跑车、洋房,出入顶级餐馆,交往的都是有钱人和名人。
“我只顾追求成功和财富,甚麼都不理。在我眼裡,病人只是我的收入来源,我尝试从这些病人身上榨取每一分钱。”张庆祥透露,少年得志的他,每逢新年便会刻意开著法拉利跑车去拜年,目的是要向亲戚朋友炫耀,然后觉得很“爽”。
他说,现在他才知道这麼做很无聊,只会招来羡慕、妒忌、甚至怨恨。
Here's the link to the video of this :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umLkfADe17s
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