Dear Fast English students,
As you can see from the photo, I have a thrilling and fascinating experience to stand in front of the Statue of Liberty. She reminds me of how hard I worked to prepare myself to unlock the door of opportunity in the US and how gratified I am to be able look into her eyes right now and that she stares back at me as well. From my perspective, the Statue represents three important aspects - the Crown, the Torch, and the Tablet. The Crown signifies your dreams - what you want to become and where you want to be. Your dreams need to hold so firm on the top of your head that your daily activities align with them; otherwise, the Crown may fall somewhere and your dreams will never be actualized. The Torch is simply saying "go for it" and you can start igniting the fire right now. At the beginning, everything surrounding you may seem so dark that you give it up too early but once the fire is up, you will see a way forward - one step at a time. Along the way, the Crown will squeeze your head briefly so that you continue to pursue them no matter what. The Tablet symbolizes knowledge. Just as you are sitting there at Fast English every week, you are expanding and strengthening an important part of your Tablet, which is a good command of English.
You may have questions like "How can I remember all of these materials?" or "Am I smart enough to master these skills?". Remembering 5,000 words is just a collection of 50-word sets, each at a time. You need to have a sheet of 50 words with you every day and work on it whenever possible, such as standing in a busy skytrain or waiting for the bus to come. It is a matter of choice whether you want to continue to swipe your fingers on the iPhone's screen or you see the Crown and get back to work on vocabulary building. You may also spare 30 minutes after lunch to watch evening news and hear words you have memorized used in practice by crystal-clear-voice news anchors. Repetition and vocabulary "in-context" are the keys to unlock your mastery in English. For the second question, you are probably sitting on the same chair that I and other successful alumni used to sit at Fast English. You also have a similar brain structure as we do and likely have better GPAs than mine. No matter where you are right now in the map of English proficiency, you never and ever question your intelligence. Only thing you have to keep in mind is that you are very lucky to have the brilliant and caring mentor, Dr. Boonchai, standing in front of you and preaching you tirelessly. He has systematized and distilled the endless English grammar rules and words in dictionary books so that you can digest the "essence" in a relatively short period of time. Some may spend four years in college to get a degree in English but I spent two and a half months to learn essential English grammar. The faster you expand your Tablet, the more confident you have in achieving your goals.
Now the Torch is in your hand and it is time to make a critical choice of raising it up and walking towards your goals or blowing out the fire and turning your back on them. I hope you choose the former. Living with your goals makes your life more meaningful and gives you a sense of identity. Last, I wish all of you success in getting whatever end results you want and it is simply all about looking at your Crown, working on your Tablet and never putting down your Torch.
Kittipat Apicharttrisorn
Fast English Alumnus
You write so beautifully that I am amazed at your brilliant mind and brain. You really have a good mind to inspire people, especially those who are left in the dark, to live with hope and persistence. This in my view is the greatest merit that you have ever made and please keep doing it. There are still plenty of Fast English students who long for your boundless and selfless generosity, guidance and wisdom.
