Many of us would dream of being the valedictorian of our graduating cohort.
What’s not to love? There is recognition and sometimes prize money if you manage to work your way to that top spot.
Then again, valedictorians usually have to give a speech. Unenviable if you have stage fright.
For valedictorian Mr Jacob Lau who is part of the Class of 2020 cohort at Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT), the speech was a good platform to express his love for his favourite food, cai png (which is mixed vegetable rice) and dish out some sage life advice to his peers.
Here’s what he said.
Valedictorian Referenced Cai Png in His Speech
Earlier this week, Mr Lau (user jacobjlau on TikTok) posted a video almost four minutes in length on the social media platform, TikTok, to share his valedictorian speech with the world.
@jacobjlau Guess my favorite dish #classof2020 #valedictorian #fyp #fypシ #tiktoksg #SIT #hospitality #caipng ♬ original sound – Jacob Lau
The caption on the post states that Mr Lau was from SIT, part of the Class of 2020 and his degree was “Bachelor of Hospitality” and “Business”.
He began his speech by setting the scene about using cai png to outline three of his experiences in SIT. He declares his love for cai png, which he describes as “economy rice” made up of rice and many different dishes.
Mr Lau begins by recounting about his cai png adventures on a fine day. He was anticipating a “mountain of rice” when it was his turn to order as he had witnessed others ahead of him in the queue receiving that quantity of rice.
However, to his disappointment, he received only half that amount of rice when it was his turn to order. Mr Lau turns this disappointment into a learning point, sharing that in life, you may always encounter others who receive more than you do.
The reason? Biasness, luck or hard work from the other person.
He claims that speed does not matter in terms of being the first to buy a house or be promoted to manager. Instead, Mr Lau urges his peers to do their best and be “happy with what you have”.
He ends the first piece of advice by saying that everyone should work to better themselves each day and avoid comparing with others, using only themselves as the benchmark.
Makes sense, if not a little cliché.
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Do You Know What Dishes Are Available?
Mr Lau dives into his second lesson, which is about knowing what cai png dishes are available and what you like to eat.
This is a metaphor for knowing what you love to do and what is not your cup of tea. After all, just because everyone “likes to eat sambal kang kong” doesn’t mean that everyone loves to eat that.
Likewise, not all jobs are for everyone. Mr Lau pushes for choosing a career wisely so as to avoid burnout when you’re stuck in a job that is not suitable for you.
He then moves on to his third and last lesson, which is also the most important, in his opinion.
That is not to overload your plate. Just as your precious cai png dishes may spill over from your plate if you try to stack too many items on it, you should also not overload yourself with work.
We think the imagery of not overloading your plate and having food spill out is great – after all, who can bear for their precious and expensive cai png (fish-orderers, you will know!) to be wasted?
Mr Lau discourages pursuing money and filling all your time with work without leaving any time for personal connections and spending with those you love.
He closes off by saying that everyone should brace themselves for more rejection than acceptance. Then follows the usual thanking of family and friends. Finally, he says that he’s confident that everyone’s paths will converge again in the future and encourages all to live their best lives and own them.
Overall, we think that Mr Lau’s speech, which referenced a national favourite food, was down-to-earth and showed a quirky side, making a ceremony which could be otherwise boring more lighthearted.
Whenever you’re lost in life, just think about cai png!
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