I apologize for the lack of updates. I’ve been spending a lot of time on my next novel and am proud to announce that it could be out in bookstores by end-November 2011. Do stay tuned!

For your info, For That Day has been nominated for POPULAR Readers’ Choice Awards 2011. Please vote for me at https://www.popular.com.sg/readerschoice/ (under English(Children)). You’ll get a chance to win $50 POPULAR voucher! Due to this nomination, there will be a 20% discount for the book in all POPULAR Bookstores till 30 November 2011! Please note that some branches have placed the books at the tables near the entrance of the bookstores for the nominated books. You can also get it from HARRIS bookstores.

My friend asked me what the chances of winning are, since he has not stepped into a bookstore for years. I told him that it did not matter. To me, victory is when one has done his or her best. It is not determined by the results, but by your efforts!

I believe that in a competition, winning is not about getting first. It is about doing your best. For example, in a competitive run, we may not win the competition. However, if your best timing has always been ten minutes, and you completed it in nine minutes during the competition due to your intensive training, you’ve won. The improvement of one minute might not have brought you the trophy, but it tells you that you’ve done your best.

It is impossible to win every competition in life, but it is possible to do your best and conquer yourself in every competition. If you have done that, what more can you do? Of course, when you think you have done your best, you must have done your best. You cannot pay lip service to yourself! Don’t consider getting A for your subject as a victory—consider what you will do in order to get an A for that subject as a definition for victory. If you have done your best, then you’ve won.

In my next novel, there is a trophy used as a motif (some sort of important item that is related to the theme). It is a trophy for getting first in a running competition by the protagonist. However, she had taken a short cut. At the end of the story, she throws the trophy away—because it has not helped her. In fact, it harms her. Why do you think getting first is no longer useful here? Well, you’ve got to read the novel (November 2011!)…but if you think critically, you may get the answer. Winning does not take the form of achievements others envy, but achievements you are proud of.

Therefore, if you’re going to embark on a competition soon, have you won? Yes, you have, if you’ve been trying your best (or training) for the competition. You have not, if you’ve not been trying your best…even if you get first!

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