'Most S'porean grad speech ever': SIT student analogises cai fan to life
Not a box of chocolates, but a plate of cai fan.
A Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) graduate centred his valedictorian speech on his love for “economy mixed rice” – referencing how different tenets of the popular Singaporean meal reflect, in some way, the journey of life.
Jacob Lau, who was part of the class of 2020, and graduated with a Bachelor of Hospitality Business, used cai fan as an analogy for life lessons his fellow graduates could take as they enter the working world.
Lau shared a four-minute-long clip of his speech on TikTok, in which he said he had three “valuable lessons to share”.
Lesson #1 – Don't compare yourself to others.
Referencing an experience at a cai fan stall one day, Lau said he was disappointed to get only half the portion of rice as the person before him.
“There will always be someone who gets more rice than you,” he said. “It could be down to bias, luck, or the person might have put in more resources behind the scenes. You will never know for sure, so stop complaining… just do your best with what you have.”
@jacobjlau Guess my favorite dish #classof2020 #valedictorian #fyp #fypシ #tiktoksg #SIT #hospitality #caipng ♬ original sound - Jacob Lau
Next, he touched on how we shouldnt be swayed by a decision or a career path simply because of its popularity.
"Just because everyone in the audience likes to eat sambal kang kong does not mean I have to eat sambal kang kong.”
"We should be able to envision the career we love because passion precedes everything, he stated.
Lau’s final lesson was on how there's always "limited space on the plate" – and if he orders too many dishes, food would fall off the plate.
The point here, Lau said, is to not be driven by money to the point of forsaking the joys of life, such as spending time with loved ones.
The comments section wasn’t short of praise for Lau, with one commenter even calling his speech the “most Singaporean grad speech ever”.
Possibly.
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