SMART CHINA SCHOOLMATE A RIVAL?
NAH, SHE'S A GOOD ROLE MODEL
May 08, 2008

YVONNE Gao Yuan is the kind of student who scores straight-As easily, asks intelligent questions, and seems to enjoy learning.



She is eloquent and confident, and plays the saxophone in her school's jazz band. To top it all off, she's easy on the eye.

So it is not inconceivable that many would love to hate her.

But the thing is, they don't.

If you ask any of her schoolmates about her, the answer will probably be the same: Gao Yuan's got spunk.

The tattoo on her right ankle is an indication.

The first time I met her in school two years ago, she peeled down a sock to reveal a tattoo of a phoenix just above her ankle bone.

When I exclaimed at her daring, she shrugged and likened it to a mere accessory, like an ear piercing.

I was impressed; and it wasn't because she had a tattoo, unlike most of my peers.

Gao Yuan is a breath of fresh air.

She didn't display the 'kiasu-ism' Singaporean students are infamous for. She didn't rush to the library once the school bell rang, or throw big words around to impress teachers.

She isn't even vain like most girls. She didn't like wearing make-up for concerts, and usually chose her dresses at the last minute. Instead of fussing with her hair, she would rather tune her instrument.

And when some chose to party the night away, she chose instead to experience the nightlife by serving drinks at a bar during the holidays.

She is down-to-earth and practical but adventurous, traits one cannot help but admire.

Whenever the phrase foreign talent is mentioned, the talk is usually of the threat they pose to Singaporeans.

But in Gao Yuan's case, I find that irrelevant. I don't see her as a competitor who came to stun the student population here with her intellect, or take away my future job.

Instead, I see her as a positive role model for otherwise complacent young Singaporeans, someone who willingly pushes boundaries and seeks different challenges for herself.

Her zest for life and tenacity should be looked upon as an inspiration, not a hindrance.

And if she is offered a premium scholarship to study at a premium university, well, good for her.

What matters is that she has worked for it, and so deserves it.

People like Gao Yuan are a wake-up call to my peers, to loosen up and start living life with eyes and arms wide open. I find it hard to hate someone like that.

AND YOU WERE WORRIED ABOUT THE BEER LADIES...

By Ng Tze Yong
May 08, 2008

MY dad told me a lame joke last week, something about a man who stood in front of a cave, and then got run over by a train coming out of it.

Or something like that.

Not very funny.

Miss Gao Yuan reminds me of this joke. She is the train; and I am the man.

While born-and-bred Singaporeans were busy worrying about China beer ladies taking away jobs at the kopitiam downstairs, look who's serving up the Tequila Sunrise at Bellini Room.

Hey, it's another China Girl!

But this time, it's not the kopitiam auntie in frumpy clothes with the non-existent English.

Neither is it the sweet young thing clad in a frilly skirt, hanging on to an ah pek's arm.

This is China Girl 2.0.

Look at Yvonne's picture again. This is what happens when the study mama's kid is all grown up.

GO-GETTER
Go ahead, call her China Girl again, because you might not be able to when she becomes a high-flying scientist at the Biopolis.

And there will be many more Yvonnes to come.

Miss Gao impresses on two levels.

There is the obvious - that migrant's go-getter attitude.

In essence, she is doing what her mother did.

Both were brave enough to leave their comfort zone. Mum left China, daughter left the bubble of elite JC life.

Both slogged hard. Lawyer mum became study mama, in a land where she would be looked down upon. Daughter saw the hard work in a nightclub as a way to better herself.

But we will miss the point, if we stop here.

This is not about the values of hard work and determination. Singaporeans know them well enough.

This is about Yvonne's other trait, the one that will define the winners in a globalised world: The imagination, the curiosity, the guts to explore and conquer.

She had the foresight to know that being in a JC debate club sparkles on a CV, but knowing how to talk to people matters more.

She had the wisdom to see the bubble of elite JC life she was in, and do something about it.

It's a trait the Government has been trying to nurture in Singaporeans, in schools and workplaces.

But it's hard to change.

Singaporeans are go-getters.

But we are only go-getters stuck in a box.

It seems China Girls know better.