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Time and life are precious, says Lim

Oriental Daily News, 1 December 2006

Time and life are precious, says Lim

Having undergone difficult times, Tan Sri Lim has come to appreciate the value of life and time. Now that his health is restored, he realises that one’s existence is based on one’s life span.

Having undergone eye surgery on three different occasions, Tan Sri Lim Kok Wing has come to appreciate life more than ever. He has also become more conscious of what he wants to do. He treasures each day with a great sense of importance.

Last year, he went for an eye surgery in Singapore. It led to two more surgeries, and he still recalls trembling on the surgery table.

He remembers signing the agreement to undergo the operations. When he thought over it, he realised that he has become responsible for his own life. The medical staff came to know him well. The specialist explained to him that there was a possibility that he could become blind.

For the first time, he realised that his life was in his own hands. Even the experts could not predict what would happen to him.

During the first one-and-a-half-hour operation, he felt comfortable, thinking that everything would be all right. When he had to go through another operation, however, he was not so optimistic. After two and a half hours, he was wheeled out of the operation room. He thought that the outcome would be favourable.

Under such circumstances, he thought about how precious life and time on earth were. There is a limit to your life, and you have to be hopeful, he says. When it is time for you to go it is the end. So he reminds himself about how to use his time and also about the value of life.

For example, his daily activities may include meetings with students and a meeting may last just five minutes. That dialogue is important because it could be the only meeting with the student.

He recalls his younger days when he was very fond of art and design. He was driven by creativity. As a result, he won many awards. Unfortunately, he was sometimes misunderstood even in his family because of his love for art and design.

His mother thought it was a waste of time for him to devote so much time to art. To her, there’s no future for artists or designers. So he had to hide somewhere when he was doing design work and he did not want his mother to know about it.

Did he find fault with his parents? He smiled, saying, “Certainly you could not do that in those days.”

Even when he won prizes for outstanding design work in school, he said he would not bring them home. Instead he hid them in school.

Could he not have shared the joy of winning with his mother? “She did not appreciate art,” he says. “She would be angry with me whenever she saw me painting or drawing something.”

He confesses that although his ancestral origin is Guangdong he is not able to speak Cantonese fluently. He expresses himself in English.

Whenever he goes to China he cannot help feeling out of place because he cannot speak Chinese.

If he had a second chance, he would certainly learn Chinese as it is widely used. He does not like the idea of relying on a translator as there is a language gap.

Making a difference through creativity

Tan Sri Lim Kok Wing is a man with a great deal of courage. He is not afraid to make a difference through creativity. This is evident in the following interview.

Question:

Why do you like black?

Answer:

Black and white are not considered colours. In China, professionals like to wear white. We apply colours to the work we do, not to our body.

If colours are applied to knowledge, black or white indicates clarity. In our case, black means that knowledge is 100 per cent clear.

Question:

Why is the university’s logo represented by a big bird?

Answer:

Originally, I wanted to create a person with wings as “Wing” is my last name. Finally, I decided to use a bird as it is more related to our culture. I chose an eagle to represent freedom and soaring height.

Question:

Why did the university reverse the letter K in KOK?

Answer:

The first K is meant to stand out. When the second K is reversed after the letter O, the word looks like an eye, meaning there is vision.

Question:

Why do you emphasise “power” as the cutting edge?

Answer:

When you are empowered, you are likely to succeed. You don’t worry about failure or defeat.

Question:

What hobbies do you have?

Answer:

I have regarded work as my hobby. It is not hardship; it is something I enjoy.

Question:

Don’t you feel tired when you work so much?

Answer:

I had enjoyed work when I was young (he said, smiling). When you are creative, you don’t feel exhausted. If you are really tired then you could take a rest.

Question:

How do you regard fame?

Answer:

I have not pursued fame. You don’t work for fame; you work to gain respect and prestige.

Question:

Would you say that creativity is a trial-and-error thing?

Answer:

You have not done your research into creativity thoroughly to understand what it means. If you want to fill up a big cup, you make sure it is full. If it is half-full, it is not full.