Who are We?

Who are We?

We are year 3 medical students (22 years old when we race) at National University of Singapore, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine (YLLSoM). Before that, we studied at Raffles Junior College, Raffles Institution, Taonan Primary and Rosyth School.

Jiang Lei:

Passion permeates all aspects of my life, to the passion I show in caring for my patients as a medical student, to the natural enthusiasm I feel when meeting new people. After graduating from Raffles Junior College and Raffles Institution, I found medicine to be my calling, not only because of my passion for serving and healing ill patients, but also because it was a mentally and physically challenging field. I am always keen to take up challenges, for I believe it is through such demanding tests that true character is built.

I have always fared well in academics due to my inquisitive nature and willingness to learn. However, I have always felt there was more to life beyond the books, which is why I was actively involved in co-curricular activities such as Judo. I also represented my college in fencing, and was previously a member of the Singapore Scouts due to my love for adventure.

I was also involved in volunteer work since my days as a scout, spending a week in Thailand to assist in the renovation of a local primary school, to teaching tuition to needy students in Ghim Moh Primary School. Most recently, I was part of a Medicine project where we organized a tandem cycling trip for visually-handicapped individuals.

I enjoy making friends and possess an out-going personality. Friends who know me describe me as someone who would go the extra mile to help others in need. I am also a team-player who can adapt to the toughest of environments, and it is these qualities which I feel would put me well at ease with the rest of the crew.

Why do I want to join the race?

Since I was young, I have always yearned to be part of an adventure, to travel to the furthest reaches of the world, to conquer the most dangerous oceans. Joining this race is about fulfilling my lifelong passion for adventure.

As a medical student, I will be competing during my electives period, where most others would travel to other countries to broaden their perspectives and learn more about the practice of medicine. As the one of the more qualified medical personnel on the team, I would be required to take a First Aid Proficiency course and serve as the boat medic. The yacht sees its fair share of cases, from minor cuts and rope burns, to life-threatening acute appendicitis and painful fracture. One of the races even saw the boat medic setting up an intravenous drip for a crew member with the yacht tilted at a 45 degree angle. Serving as the boat medic will build up my confidence as a doctor and train me to deal with emergency situations in the most difficult of conditions.

Most importantly, I see the race as a great opportunity for me to represent Singapore in an international sporting event. Although the yacht is sponsored by Singapore, the team in past years has found difficulty in finding Singaporeans willing to sacrifice time and effort to represent their nation. I hope to change that, and believe my can-do spirit would be a useful addition to the team.

Yee Onn:

I would describe myself as friendly, easy-going, caring, responsible and dependable. I like to meet and interact with people as well. I also believe firmly in being a team player, in adapting, persevering and pushing limits when the going gets tough.

Just to add on to what Jiang Lei said, which I agree very much with,

Two key ideas I believe and like to share are

1. concept of noblesse oblige
2. having a great passion for life and engaging its challenges.

Noblesse oblige is the notion that to whom much is given (and fortunate to have received), much is expected and we should give back much. That is why I especially love Medicine and like to do community work (Interact Club, camps, mentoring, hospice care, medical cip (please google Project Lokun when you have time!))

I absolutely agree about leading life with zest and setting an example for others to follow in leading an active life. I like to play soccer with my former schoolmates in RI every week, sometimes tennis, swim and run regularly (I've done a marathon and lots of other runs!). I especially like seas sports alot, like kayaking extensively, windsurfing and cable ski. I especially love going on outdoor expeditions like mountain-climbing and hiking. I also like learning stuff like music, astronomy and languages like Japanese, French. Currently, I also like doing publications like journalism and editing. Ok..it can go on and on...I guess that's enough for you..

Most importantly, we now hope to help Club Rainbow Singapore! So please check out their website at http://www.clubrainbow.org and donate or volunteer your services!

As an aside, we would describe ourselves as being very fortunate to have a smooth-sailing life thus far; that is also what led us to enter the sailing race, for it is our wish to challenge ourselves, meet new people, promote the Singaporean spirit, culture and as well as funds for charity.

If you identify with what we have mentioned and are interested to help in anyway (financially, fund-raising campaign for Club Rainbow, sailing, charity work etc.) please get in touch with us at kokyeeonn@gmail.com or megabyte_sg@hotmail.com!