A Conversation with 2 Old Boys (Dr Lee x Argus x Genper)

8/31/2020

31 Comments

Argus Lam (right) meets Dr Lee (Aug 2020).

Argus Lam in 2014

Genper Wong (left) meets Dr Lee (Aug 2020).

Genper Wong in 2014

[31 Aug] I feel blessed to have the chance to speak to these two wonderful young gentlemen earlier last week amidst our busy schedules.

Both Argus Lam and Genper Wong are graduates of YWPS (2014). I was so thrilled to have heard about their great achievements in the HKDSE Examination 2020 that I thought I should find a chance to kind of "interview" them, so that their young school brothers could learn from their stories and attitudes and be inspired.

I didn't teach Argus back then and I only briefly taught Genper in an after-school English Enhancement Course when he was in P.6. Fortunately, both of them swiftly agreed to return to school to speak to me.

These happy conversations are compiled into a short video released recently. I wish these two boys all the very best in their endeavours. As the school term begins, I also wish all our YWPS boys healthy, happy and a very fruitful learning journey with us this year!

Dr H C Lee

31 Comments

Genper Wong

8/31/2020 01:12:43 pm

I would like to clarify the last "P" -.-
The third "P" should be "Performance". Studying is not for winning. But, if you do not try your best, you can never advance.

For those who like to memorise things, you are IN DANGER of overwhelming your brains. You can never memorise everything, though you can acquire the basic principles. My recommendation is: learn the principles, apply them, and you will find 10 applications worth more than 100 facts.

I sincerely hope that you all, my dear YWPS students, will always have passion, perseverance and performance as your three ruthless weapons in your schoolbag (or pocket if you don't have one).

Cheers,
Genper

Argus Lam

8/31/2020 02:22:42 pm

To be honest, it is wonderful yet strange feeling to share learning tips with YWPS students. It seems like yesterday when I was one of the students listening to alumni delivering speeches!
As I’ve said, you will face many challenges in secondary school, instead of expecting getting coddled like you did in YWPS, you should grit your teeth and face them with determination! A flower grown under the most meticulous care will not stand a chance against the weakest wind. Therefore, try to turn all your unpleasant feelings into motivation to be a better person, I believe Ying Wa boys are not too delicate to face adversities!

Ms Claire Leung

8/31/2020 11:57:13 pm

Well-done boys! I am so glad to hear that you both did so well in their public examination. Congratulations again for your achievement boys! May God bless you both to carry on your passion and ambition in your learning journey at university.

Marvis Leung

9/3/2020 02:45:27 pm

It is really pleasant to have 2 outstanding students that graduated from Ying Wa, and with that have a few questions to ask them:
Question1: What were the obstacles that you came across on your road to success?
Question2: Except for the 3Ps, were there any other key elements that helped you succeed?
Last question: (similar to Q1) Did you come across any obstacles that almost led you astray form the path to sucess? How did you overcome them?

Genper Wong

9/4/2020 11:52:59 am

Hi Marvis,
Q1: Maybe my personality? I was quite an introvert boy a few years ago, so I did not join any activities or competitions. At that time, I had a negative impression of competitions and I hate battling with opponents (which is still true today). But I was encouraged to join various competitions by my ex (as she really hated me doing nothing, just wasting time haha) and fortunately I won. Still a long way to go haha!

Q2: A companion (by definition, it includes good friends. You are still a primary school student, so no hurry.) A good companion should be able to positively influence you, support you and allow you to transcend, doing things that you have never done before.
Another thing is understanding yourself. Success is not just limited to academics. You can be a great volunteer; you can be a great party-thrower. Know what you love and do what you love. Define your own success.

Q3: In my opinion, this is not a good question. If success is defined by yourself, how can you consciously go astray from success? If so, you have changed your own definition because you understand yourself more. Though, taking drugs and joining gangs are inevitably going astray.

Aden Su (6E 17)

9/4/2020 10:32:46 am

This sharing was truly insightful, having two of the top scoring DSE studēre tell us their motives and methods of success. I thank Dr Lee for letting us have this valuable experience, I hope Argus and Genper both had a wonderful time back in YWPS. I also have some questions for them:
1: You have been through 6 years at Ying Wa Primary School. Which theme of the year was your favourite? Why?
2: In the video, Argus, you mentioned balancing studying and pleasure. Do you have any tips for that.
Last question: How or when did you realise your goal in life?( Like the fact that Argus wants to teach geography.

Genper Wong

9/4/2020 11:31:11 am

Hi Aden!
Studēre is unfortunately a verb, meaning "to study". So, you are a student, or a "discipulus". Being "discipulī", we should also be disciplined. :)
I will tackle these questions one by one as follows:
Q1: Good question. You are challenging my memory! I guess it will be the Pearl of Alaska, as one of the assignments was to write a short story. I wrote a novella which was still on my bookshelf.
Q2: I shall let Argus answer that haha. Though it really comes to how you define pleasure. Some people find studying enticing, while some are obsessed with games. So it depends.
Q3: My goal is to live a happy life! Just kidding, I want to do some education and research stuff. I realised it in YWPS, as back then I have "established" a small "tutorial center". If you have not found your goal, no worry! You will find it soon. :)
Cheers.

Argus Lam

9/8/2020 07:06:21 pm

Hi Aden,
Q1: Pearl of Alaska was may favorite theme. I guess it's because I enjoy learning topics related to climate! (the theme aimed at raising awareness of students on climate change)
Q2: I usually spend 20% of my day having fun and 80% of time studying.
Q3. I wanted to be a teacher when I was in primary six. My maths teacher Miss Wong invited me to teach several questions in front of the whole class, I found out that I really enjoy teaching others.

Jeffrey Chiu 6E04

9/4/2020 12:51:13 pm

Thank you for sharing your experiences with us Argus and Genper. This is so motivating to have two top-notch YWPS students to answer my questions. I will not take too much of your time, so here are my questions.
Q1: Before I ask this question, I would like to congratulate both of you on getting such good grades. Back to the question. Do you find your studies boring or frustrating?
Q2: Is there any pressure on trying to maintain good grades next year? Are both of you confident in proving to yourself and others that your fifteen minutes of fame is not over yet?
Q3: May I ask for some advice? Do you think self-discipline is one of the key ingredients of success?

Argus Lam link

9/4/2020 03:38:24 pm

hi Jeffrey,
Q1. I rarely find my studies boring (except Maths lol), I believe finding joy in learning is a key to motivate one to keep on studying. For me, I really enjoy discovering new knowledge (especially in subjects I like e.g. geography), this allows me to keep on studying.
Q2. Indeed, I sometimes feel stressful when trying to maintain good grades. However, stress is actually helpful in motivating us to strive for excellence!
Q3. Self-discipline is definitely a key ingredient of success. When you proceed to secondary school, there will be no one (neither your parents or your teachers) reminding you to study for examinations / tests, it will be entirely up to yourself to plan your schedule. Therefore, being self-disciplined is very vital.

Genper Wong

9/4/2020 03:40:36 pm

Hi Jeffrey:
Q1: Studying can be boring. It can also be frustrating. But these emotions should not make you hate studying. People hate studying only if they are not using a proper method to learn, such as drilling exam strategies and reciting things.
Seneca once lamented about the education system. He said, "Nōn vītae sed scholae discimus", which roughly translates to "we learn not for life, but for school." So are you learning for life, or learning for school?

Q2: Not much pressure. You should excel even if you don't get any fame after all.

Q3: Sleep early. Do sports. Work hard play hard. Manage your time well. Find your favourite mode of learning and studying. Be eager. Be curious. Be fanatical. And be brave.
Self-discipline is definitely important, as in Latin, "disciplīna" means education. But there are many kinds of self-discipline. For example, I am never stoic or abstinent, so if I have any desire or emotions, I will show them. If I want to do origami, I will go straight ahead. As long as you know who you are and what you are doing, everything should be safe and sound.

Isaac tin

9/4/2020 01:59:30 pm

Thank you for your mind-blowing sharing about your ways to success.It is very pleasurable to know that two YWPS boys have became DSE top scorers.Along with it, I have a few questions for them.
1.Argus mentioned that he faced many challenges .What are some of them, and what did he do to deafeat them?
2.Are you satisfied with your grades? Or do you think you could have a even better job?Are the teachers shocked to see your results?
Finally ,were you two top scorers in primary school?How did you keep up instead of dropping down?/How did your grades go up?

Argus Lam link

9/4/2020 03:17:29 pm

Hi Isaac
Q1. I think making new friends was the biggest challenge I faced in S1, because most of my friends in 6E did not belong to the same class with me. In order to overcome this, I actively participated in many class activities (e.g. war game), during which I get to know more about my new classmates.
Q2. I was pretty satisfied with my grades, and my teachers weren’t shocked to see my results because they were similar to my predicted DSE grades estimates according to my daily performance.
Q3 I was not one of the top scorers in primary school. To be honest, I was a lazybones XD! However, ever since I realized my life goal, I started to devote much more time and effort on studying, in order to achieve my goal (to be a teacher)!

Genper Wong

9/4/2020 03:44:46 pm

Hi Isaac,
I will answer Q3.
No. I was not the top scorer. I didn't like studying back then and I played at home every day while my mum would be yelling at me haha.
I have always been a free-range kid, including now. :)

Alex Wong 6E24

9/4/2020 08:02:51 pm

Thank you Argus and Genper for sharing your experience with me. I am pleased to know that both of you did very well in DSE and very outstanding. I agree with you that self-discipline and time management are the keys to success. I hope that you will have a lovely time when you come back to Ying Wa. I have some questions for you:
Q1: If you find difficulties in a subject and block at the bottle neck of it, what will you do to solve it?
Q2: Will you teach in Ying Wa Secondary School? I hope to see you.
Q3: Can you share some interesting things that you came across in the university?

Genper Wong

9/4/2020 11:35:15 pm

Hi Alex,
Q1: I will skip :) and one day I will find a way to solve it.
Ask someone for help? Self-help? If self-help does not work, find someone else. If asking others does not work, just let it be haha. It is never urgent to solve everything immediately.

Q2: Unfortunately no. I enjoy teaching university things. So I would like to be a professor. But you can find me teaching neuroscience on YouTube; my channel is "HK Brain Bee". Plus, I teach HKDSE subjects somewhere hehe (not going to reveal the location / affiliated organisation).

Q3: Hmmm... nothing really that interesting. When you become a senior secondary school student / enter a university, you will automatically know.

Argus Lam

9/8/2020 06:10:00 pm

Hi Alex,
Q1. I have a similar approach with Genper
Q2. I’d love to a YWC teacher (if there is a job vacancy when I graduate from University lol), I hope to see you too!
Q3. Erh... Sadly I haven’t encountered any interring things in University yet since it is just the beginning of my University life.

Omeo Wong 5C (26)

9/4/2020 10:22:48 pm

All in all, I liked the article. I liked especially the part when Genper forgot the third P was, it was amusing. (I will not use anything like funny, not to mention hilarious, as I do NOT want to sound rude). I also enjoyed the part of Argus & Genper (both of you) recalling the memories. I know it must have been hard, after all those years, but I’m actually already thinking about the time when I will be recalling MY memories. I’ve got only a year left (I’m P. 6). Time really does fly, doesn’t it?
I want to congratulate you guys on getting such good grades. I do hope I will as well. Also, I’ve got a few questions for you two:
1. What was the first thing that attracted you to Ying Wa?
2. How would you do the percentages, if I were to ask you what things it took for your success, and what portion did each element take up?
3. Was it all plain sailing on the way to success, (I’m actually sure it's a no LOL,) and if not, what was the obstacle? How did you overcome it?

Omeo

9/4/2020 10:24:13 pm

Correction, should be article AND VIDEO, sorry...
😅😅😅

Genper Wong

9/4/2020 11:50:04 pm

Hi Omeo,
Haha, not rude at al! I do find myself hilarious! I am a very playful person. I don't bite :)
Q1: I had better ask my mum.
Q2: Fun 100%. My insatiate desire for pleasure and fun is my carrot. (While the stick is no fun.)

Argus Lam

9/8/2020 06:21:51 pm

Hi Omeo,
Q1: I guess it was "Snoopy Principal"'s friendly and playful character! I vividly remember she played games with us during the interview!
Q2: 90% Diligence, 5% luck and 5% intelligence
Q3: I'd say temptations in form of social media is an obstacle for everyone in such a highly digitalized era. That's why I said being self-disciplined is a key to success!

Ken Pan

9/5/2020 03:32:32 pm

Thank you , Argus and Genper for sharing your stories with us ! You guys truly inspired me to work harder to achieve my goals . I , like every other student who has commented on this video , am P.6 now , so I'm pretty nervous about my exam results (especially Chinese )
Again , like my classmates, I have a few questions for you :

1. What kind of a schedule did you keep during primary and secondary school ? Did you study all the time , or you spent your time playing , or maybe a bit of both ?

2. What was secondary school like for you ? Was it challenging , boring , easy , or ... (I can't think of any other adjectives ... brain fart . Hehe )

3. Genper , you said Chinese was a pain. But yet , you still managed to score a 5** in that subject . Could you tell me how you achieved this feat ?

Genper Wong

9/6/2020 10:09:19 pm

Hi Ken,
No need to be nervous about Chinese! Just embrace Chinese language and yeah... should then be ok.
Q1: I did have schedules in senior secondary forms (because my school life was getting too hectic -.-). Let's consider my after-school life. I usually 30% of my time with my ex, another 30% studying / work from my boss, the rest just having fun.
Q2: Depends. If you think the subjects are challenging, then challenging. If you nail it, then maybe boring? I find it both challenging and boring. Challenging because of exam strategies, boring because of exam strategies. You will know more when you graduate from YWPS.
Q3: Chinese has been a pain due to exam strategies. To be honest with you, DSE Chinese comprises of: 20% Chinese ability, 80% exam strategies. I know many people who are much better at literature than me, but they nearly failed their Chinese exams. So yep. You will know more when you graduate from YWPS.
Trust me.
But, you should continue reading Chinese books and learning Chinese through both ancient texts and modern literature. It will be good if you can familiarise yourself with ancient Chinese texts as soon as possible.

Argus Lam

9/8/2020 06:49:07 pm

Hi Ken,
Q1: Adequate rest is very vital to motivate myself to continue studying. Therefore, I spent 1-2 hour per day having fun (e.g. watching videos on Youtube) instead of studying all the time.
Q2: I'd say secondary school life is very fruitful. There were both good times and bad times in secondary school life, but I treated those challenges as opportunities to learn! Without those challenges, I could never learn to be a better person!

Arthur Chan

9/6/2020 01:44:08 am

Thank you, Argus and Genper for sharing your thoughts and experiences. I especially like the 3P’s(Passion,Perseverance,Pleasure)By the way,congratulations for the good results! I have some questions for you:
Q1. Since when have you started to revise or work hard for the DSE?

Q2.Now if you looked back,will you think the DSE was pretty easy?

Genper Wong

9/6/2020 10:12:55 pm

Hi Arthur,
Q1: Around February this year. Since back then I was too occupied with teaching neuroscience. But I studied regularly in the past so the memories were still fresh.
That's why my ultimate suggestion is to study regularly. Keep your brain well-stimulated.
Q2: Haha.

Nicholas Tang

9/6/2020 08:03:32 pm

Thank you Argus and Genper for sharing your wonderful experience of your learning. I am excited to know the result of your mind-blowing results. If you don't mind, I have some questions for you.

Q1: How do you think the ratio of work and leisure be?

Q2: What would you do when you are studying?

Q3: Have you ever thought of giving up on the journey of learning?

Once again, congratulations to your astonishing results!

Nicholas Tang :)

Genper Wong

9/6/2020 10:20:10 pm

Hi Nicholas,
Q1: There is no golden ratio. As long as you are comfortable with it, then it will be your golden ratio. Just remember: WORK HARD, PLAY HARD.
Carpe diem!
Q2: Peruse the text, read aloud, listen to yourself and write appropriately. I would like to introduce the pyramid of learning:
Stage 1: Read aloud
Stage 2: Do practices
Stage 3: Teach others
If you can teach well, you know what you've learnt well enough.

Q3: haha good question. No. Knowledge is my second partner.

Argus Lam

9/8/2020 06:54:50 pm

Hi Nicholas,
Q1: Around 8:2, when preparing for public examination, I usually spent 1-2 hours having fun and 8 hours studying.
Q2: I have a similar approach with Genper when it comes to studying. I also like reading aloud when doing revision because it helps me to build up long term memory easily (and it is proved by various studies!)
3. Yes of course! I sometimes thought of giving up when I felt really stressful, but I tried to turn stress into motivation that drives me to strive for excellence despite all those difficulties.

Lance Lau link

9/7/2020 07:19:30 pm

Thank you for such a beautiful sharing! I will remember these tips you shared. BTW, reading helps a lot in any language. So if you're having trouble in French or Spanish, read more and you'll be fine. Good luck with your studies!

Also- Q1, could you share a bit more about your experience with the special themes in Ying Wa? I would love to have been able to be there... (sadly I wasn't born early enough haha)

Genper Wong

9/7/2020 10:43:52 pm

Hi Lance,
When I saw your name, I thought of Lancelot haha
By the way, your YouTube channel is impressive! Keep up your good work!
Q1: My memory is pretty vague... I have "dementia"... I only remember the Ten Brothers and the Pearl of Alaska. There were some animations and games, but I forgot the content. There were nighttime activities sometimes, as what Argus said about Star Wars.
I would love to see all of you having fun haha.

A Conversation with 2 Old Boys (Dr Lee x Argus x Genper)

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