Born the Horse year of 1990, alongside many other babies, a great being was brought into a tiny speck in the maps of the Earth: Singapore. Brought to life from another, through the vessel of life which belonged to Christina Chia and the power of fertilization which belonged to William Tiang, the boy had no idea the journey of which he was going to be embarking on.

Being the first child of the couple whom together bore another two daughters, and also the only boy of the family, the child received tons of love from relatives – distant or close. The father, being proud of his son, often brought him around to company gatherings and parties, where the boy could meet up with other kids around his age, socialize, and gather relevant life skills which (little did he know) would help him later in life.

Since a tender age, he had been taught of love and respect in both the harsh and the loving way. It was hard, being the only male descendant of the maternal family (Christina Chia’s side); he bore responsibilities and a future, a future so distant that he would never have dreamed of: not then, definitely. Living together in a close-knitted family of 5, love was of abundance, and it was evident.

When it came to be of age to receive education, the boy was hampered off to a Methodist Nursery, where he was first introduced to words, numbers, and Christ. It was an interesting journey, of self-discovering and social-networking, and after 2 years of pre-preschool education, he graduated one night where they invited families of children for a concert. Even at a tender age, he found his love for public speech and acting.

Preschool and Primary education had taught the boy something about himself, something that he learned (rather painfully) that not many people liked. The boy had a sense of humour, and he enjoyed exploiting that fact. He loved cracking jokes, having fun, making fun, anything (the list goes on and on) as long as he would receive laughter, for it was his calling to thrive in laughter. But because of this sense of humour, no teachers liked him: They found him either too noisy (incessant talking) or too mischievous (never giving up on making people laugh – be it good or bad).

Upon graduating from Primary education and moving up the ladder toward Secondary, the boy decided that he did not quite like his past, and hence deleted all unhappy memories – that of which would have led him to embarrassment. He still kept certain traits about himself though, traits like that sense of humour. It was at the faculty where he was being provided his Secondary education that he met a friend whom would, in times to come, stick with him through thick and thin. This friend, he did the unimaginable. He created wonders, and miracles. He made the boy fall in love with math and develop interest in so many things the boy’d never ever imagine himself meddling in.

Apart from his buddy, the boy made other friends. Other good friends whom he thought would, in time to come, stick through thick and thin like the did over the 2 years they spent together during the Upper Secondary education. It was unfair to call them fair-weathered friends, for they did their part where things were concerned. They were good friends, good people. But the boy learned, upon the closure of their chapter together, that all things must come to an end, be they good or bad. Them memories, the boy kept close and tight to his heart, hoping one day he would be able to relive them all over again.

In the year 2006, he graduated from Secondary education with several distinctions – not all that glamorous and wonderful, but they were results of his own. It was then, that he was thrown into the working life as a part-timer, and at the same time, introduced into love. Although it was true, that first loves do not usually last throughout your life, he was certain that he had been happy – at least once.

He moved on to Ngee Ann Polytechnic, to the faculty of Infocommunication and Technology, where he met wonderful friends of which he hopes that their journey together would never come to a closure. These friends stood by, through the good times and the bad, and they had their fair share of fun and quarrels. They witnessed the terror of the boy, the height of his anger, the things he’d do to protect people he loved, the power of his drunken-state, and his passion for doing things he loved.

Not all that magnificent and glorified, the boy has grown from a naive kid, to a mature guy. Bearing his responsibilities from the past and the present, the boy has had his life rerouted several times. This time, he is sure. This time, definitely.

With a bright future up ahead of him, the boy has plans to reconcile with God, and give back to the society what he has taken with what he does best – the language.

The boy, with all pride and love.
The man, Ian Ding Renjie.