The Chinese Bamboo I was scrolling through my phone when I felt someone was watching me, observing every single flicker I made. It was in fact, my mother, who is ever so suspicious of my activities in my phone and whenever she peeked, I would quickly turned off my phone away. Yes, this happens to me and perhaps every other teenagers all the time. My mother would do her very to unlock my phone. So, one day, when she finally did, she asked me, "A plant? As a wallpaper? And not One Direction? "I replied cheekily.. "Never Judge a Book by Its Cover." Honorable judges, ever-precise time keepers and members of the floor. A very good morning I bid to you. I'm sure all of you here are curious too, what is the story behind that plain wallpaper? Well, it is the Chinese Bamboo tree, a humble plant, which to the Chinese, is a symbol of virtue of people's souls and emotions. We use it for beautiful hardwood floors, place mats, cutting boards, you name it. But it is not their versatility that inspires, it is the growing process of the Chinese Bamboo. It has such an inspiring growth that has humbled me, with invaluable lessons of patience and persistence. But why is it different from the other trees? Simply because this remarkable tree doesn't grow in the usual fashion. You would expect great results from it as its seed has been watered and fertilized, watered and fertilized for a year! But to the contrary, nothing happens. The same thing happens or doesn't happen, the second year. And you wait and wait.. comes the third year! After the seed has been nurtured without fail, still, nothing shows! Nothing!! The fifth year you continue nurturing the plant, and then suddenly- it seems- the seed begins to sprout and grow to over ninety feet in just one growing season! All the dedication didn't go unnoticed and at long last, all the hard work definitely pays off! Life is very much akin to the Chinese bamboo and is very much true about myself. I have now begun a new chapter in my school life as I am no longer the innocent lower secondary kid but, blossoming largely each day, into a young adult. I'm convinced that life works in a similar way. You can toil for weeks, months and even years on your dream with no visible sign of progress at all, and then, all of a sudden, things begin to shoot off and this converges to one focal point- faith. The hardest part for most of us is that we tend to get excited about the idea that has been planted inside of us. Thus, we begin to second guess ourselves during the initial planting. Sadly, what we do not realize is that our dream is a certainty if we are firm and have faith in our conviction . If you fail, keep on trying until you succeed. So long as we keep nurturing the dream, it will come to fruition. If Thomas Edison hadn't failed, he would not have become the most prolific innovator. He continued his innovation not twice but a hundred times without fail and finally, "Ping!" the bulb lighted up and so he finally succeeded in inventing a light bulb. Thomas Edison once quoted , " I have not failed . I have just found 10 000 ways that won't work."Let's not forget another dominant key to success - Perseverance. It is to face life's hardships with boldness , courage and tenacity even though we may fail 99 times but determinately achieving success the 100th time. When a toddler learns to walk, he initially stands up and keep on trying despite thousands of failure. Even if he falls down again and again, he gets back up and steps forward again and ultimately, he succeeds in walking. Without perseverance, no great achievement is possible. Success takes time and doesn't just happen overnight and remember. It won't grow if you won't sow." Your dreams, no matter how colossal, are not futile. Just because you don't see manifestation of progress now, do not grow weary in continuing to build, to give it everything that you have, heart and soul. Believe that growth is happening deep within you and that each and every one of you here has a bamboo seed inside just waiting to sprout through. So keep edifying and believing and you too will be flying high before you know it. To end,allow me to quote Henry Longfellow, "The heights by great men reached and kept were not attained by sudden flight, but they , while their companions slept, toiled ever upward through the night."