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

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

Last Wednesday, our teacher, Shengliver, assigned Xie to give a mini report in English at the beginning of our English class on Friday. The 5-minute slot for presentation a daily fixture of our English lesson, we could give a talk, tell a story, or introduce something new in the foreign tongue for it.

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

Man, he was working like crazy on it! He did it repeatedly. All of us heard it, each morning, each evening, at break and in the dorm. So constantly bombarded were we by the boy’s rehearsal that we got fed up with it. I, as well as others, scoffed at his attempts, thinking he was so clumsy. Mr Xie did not mind and kept at it, nonetheless.

Friday came, and the earnest boy went up to the podium. He was sailing so smoothly through the process that I felt guilty about having ridiculed him earlier. Oh, boy! His performance was a great success. Hardly had he finished when the boy won thunderous applause from us. Our teacher Shengliver even gave him the thumbs-up.

We can do a job well as long as we put on a full-court press. Many envy the successful, the celebrated and the rich, yet few are aware that behind their glamour were blood, sweat and tears. Rome was not built in a day. Fortune does not favour those who are not ready.

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