Shengliver’s Note: A minute onstage, ten years offstage.

You might be familiar with the Chinese proverb: A one-minute performance onstage costs ten-year practice offstage. I did not subscribe to it until something happened last week.

Last Wednesday, our teacher, Shengliver, assigned Xie to give a mini presentation in English at the beginning of our English class on Friday. The presentation is a daily fixture of our English lesson. For it, we could give a talk, tell a story, or introduce something new.

Mr Xie, who chose a story we had covered in our Cloze Test practice, decided to narrate it to us. As you know, English is not Mr Xie’s strength. The story was rather long with several twists in the plot. Embarrassing himself while retelling the story to us was the last thing he would fancy, so Mr Xie practised it the next two days.

Man, he worked hard on it! He did it again and again. All of us heard it, each morning, each evening, at break and in the dorm. So much did we hear his constant rehearsal that we got really bored. I, as well as others, scoffed at his attempts, thinking he was so clumsy. Mr Xie did not mind it and kept at it, nonetheless.

Friday came, and Mr Xie went up to the podium. He was sailing so smoothly through the presentation that I felt guilty about having ridiculed him earlier. His performance was a great success. When he was finished, he won thunderous applause from us. Our teacher Shengliver even gave him the thumbs-up.

We can do a job well as long as we go all out for it. Many people envy the successful, the famous and the rich, but few are aware that behind their glamour were blood, sweat and tears. Rome was not built in a day. Success does not favour those who are not ready.

So, my friend, come and have a try. You will be the next winner.