Living in a modest apartment that is fully paid for, I come from a typical prudent middle-income family with parents who are much more conversant in Mandarin than English. However, understanding the importance of knowledge in an increasingly competitive world, they often made me give up my �Cartoon Network� for �Channel NewsAsia�, hence laying the groundwork for my interest in current affairs and by extension, the laws that shape society as it is today.

Blessed with opportunities to study - first in a Special Assistance Plan school (Nan Hua High) and then a premier tertiary institution (Hwa Chong Institution), I was consistently urged to �be a global citizen� by taking an interest in general knowledge and current affairs throughout course of my studies. In an attempt to engage my nascent interest in the English language and the world, I poured over magazines such as �The Economist� and �TIME� in my free time, eventually obtaining Distinctions for English Language and General Paper (GP) in the GCE �O� and �A� Levels respectively � an achievement despite being supposedly disadvantaged having been brought up in a Chinese-speaking household.

Although I was in the Science stream for the entirety of my school life up to the present day, my interest in politics, governance and the rule of law had differentiated me from the rest of my classmates, especially when it came to discussions during GP tutorials. When penning essays, the wealth of examples I had gleaned from sources such as the above-mentioned magazines almost always ensure that I have the goods to back up every argument I make. Even before that, I was chosen to be a founding member of Nan Hua High�s Current Affairs Committee. Ultimately in examinations, my passion and interest for the arts have enabled me to outperform my sciences consistently.

When I entered Junior College and began getting immersed in GP discussions, I realized only then just how crucial are the roles played by lawyers in society. From politics to business and the arts, lawyers are always needed to demarcate boundaries between what is perceived as right and wrong through the drafting of legally binding contracts and agreements that would then be adhered to by all parties involved. In short, they are the bastions of stability that are indispensible in a landscape marked out by ever-changing standards and ideals intertwined with volatile interpersonal relationships and allegiances.

When I received my �A� Level results and began weighing my options, Law was always foremost on my mind and an immediate first choice. I knew from the start that I wanted a course of study that challenges me intellectually and which affords me the luxury to explore across all disciplines. Also, I believe that Law is a profession that requires individuals with immense emotional, mental capabilities as well as strong moral values. Being versed in Law has the potential to place me in close contact with all types of individuals (in every single strata of society possible) and circumstances, thus testing my ability to transit and perform in different situations. Also the satisfaction experienced when justice is dealt out via the employment of succinct arguments and attention to details is, I believe, very tantalizing indeed at the end of the day.

It would be an honour for me to carry on with my undergraduate Law studies in NUS (given the prestige, history and the great importance of this particular faculty in nation-building that is simply not replicated elsewhere, local or overseas). I sincerely believe that along the way, I will be pushed out of my comfort zone and be put in tight spots in order to attain critical skills, not just proficiency in the rule of law, which will prove useful for a lifetime. And most importantly, I aspire to be of worth to society by giving my all in whatever I do, following in the footsteps of giants who had once graced this very same campus.

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