Monday, January 08, 2007

Big NEWS! Spinning in Action (Part 6)

Big News

in Chinese Guang Ming Daily,

but, small print in The Star;

and NO Print in NST.

Who is this guy?

He is Chiang Ti Ming from Seremban, the boy genius discovered in 1990.

Chiang Ti Ming who at age 15 was the youngest student admitted into California Institute of Technology (CalTech).


Chiang died on Saturday, January 6, 2007.

He had suffered depression for some years.

It had been attributed to the pressure exerted on him over the years in order to achieve that academic excellence.

The price paid, for the prize achieved, is it all worth the cause?

The "Boy Genius" was the top 5% top-scorer at CalTech.

Chiang achieve many first, including being the youngest ever student to receive the Undergraduate Students Merit Award 2 years consecutively. He graduated with a Doctorate in Physics at Cornell University, New York.

19 comments:

Anonymous said...

Most of time, we can never predict what will happen next ~ the more we achieve, the more we want, that's human!

Anonymous said...

Depression kill. Chiang attend CalTech in 1989, in age of 12. It is a age that boy talking about girls and other "boyhood" stuff. And worst, there is no one in Caltech with his age that he can make friend of to chat for similar topic. Imagine the loneliness of the age gap. I doubt the depression is caused by the academic achievement, but loneliness.

Helen said...

This is sad and I cannot even think the pain the parents had to go through for their loss.

MJ said...

OMG. Sad case

Anonymous said...

Sad case. The parents were my batch in MU.

Anonymous said...

read this articles about MALAYSIA in the BBC

Incidents may mar Malaysia's tourism bid
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6228125.stm

Anonymous said...

oh gosh. that's really sad. hope his parents are ok. maybe the chinese are too obsessed with achievement. some balance may be necessary.

Unknown said...

Why many genius can't live longer? And why local newspapers got triple standard?

Arena Green said...

Yes Mave, Chiang's death is the culmination of a very short and sad life of a boy who lost his childhood in search of a bright spot in the adult world. May his soul rests in eternal peace.

Anonymous said...

All parents must remember that human being need that freedom, that 'space' to find the balance in life. Academic excellence is not the only thing in life. Human also need love, passion, compassion and host of other things to
have a successful and fulfilling life.

"Death is not the greatest loss of life.
The greatest loss is what dies inside us
while we live." - Normal Cousins, American Publisher (1915-1990)

Anonymous said...

i think he died cos he could not fit into any society - either Asian or American. At 13 years in Caltech, which Mat Salleh will mix with him? Mat Salleh uni students may also be academically intelligent, but they also know how to party/drink alchohol/night life. Would any 19 year-old Mat Salleh student invite 13-year pld Ti Ming to their loud-music-dance and alchohol parties? Would traditional Asian parents allow their 13-year-old genius son to mix with the Mat Salleh partying crowd?

Academically, Ti Ming is an adult. But, physically, he is still a 13-year old boy, his body not fully developed.

Amongst other Asian adolescents, was he allowed him to do the normal teenage stuff and have a social life? Play computer games, football, climb trees?

Perhaps, it would have been better if had been allowed to still remain a boy, yet sent to an East Asian university, like Singapore's NUS or HK Uni, cos as Asians, it is easier for us to relate to each others?

In our Asian society, too much pressure is exerted on academic performance. We should also recall another Malaysian genius, who was of Syrian/Malay parentage born and bred in England, who was the youngest girl to study in Oxford. At one point she dropped out of her Masters course to become a waitress.

That's the difference between WEstern and Asian societies. I am not advocating dropping out of school. But in Western societies, even if they choose to drop out of school, they can still do any job and get on with life. Unlike Asian countries where it is all pressure, pressure, the expectations of academia and life after graduation are so much higher e.g. high paying respectable job. How will people look at you, that despite all your glowing degrees and PhD from renowned universities, you dont have a glamorous, high-paying job?

My deepest sympathies and prayers to Ti Meng's parents. May they quickly recover from this tragedy, and may Ti Meng's early passing be a lesson for all of us.

Anonymous said...

I think Pressured made a very astute and yet very sensible remarks regarding the vicious and dangerous consequence of high expectations and the attempts to meet the expectations.

Anonymous said...

Maverick

Malaysians have this weird mindset that like to pressure their children for best results, especially educational even the long term effect may be negative.

Many brilliant children of the past were good at schooling education, but when they grown up to the universities and working levels, their brain capacity and intelligent quality declined, hence affecting their livelihood.... many ended up as drug abusers, sexual workers, mad drivers, alcoholics, and mad smokers!

Parents need to give a balance schooling and social mixing life to their children - too many extra activities, music, swimming, tennis, golfing, piano, chinese, french, and kumon will only make a child turn cuckoo...

The nation already has a Cuckoo Mr. Prime Minister, another rakyat cuckoo is the last thing Malaysia needs at this moment.

Its best to be a wise Parent than a Proud Parent because the former last, whereas the latter only tortures the family in the long run.

Something good to ponder!

Anonymous said...

The IQ > 148 = 2% population thing said in news is such a humiliation to us who scored some of the highest scores from the mentioned test. Top 2% in world population means 130,000,000... is simply nothing. I sat for it a few years back and I got the perfect score, 180, stunning all my friends who took the test together with me and my teachers. Yes, I'm definitely one of the born geniuses but made known too late. My parents just told me "if you're a genius, then go out bring back a few million ringgit and give it to me then I believe you!" -> Game Over.

Now, I'm merely a useless human in the world. Geniuses are cursed rather than blessed. We are helpless... We are lonely... God... if you can hear us, please confiscate our intelligence and give us a normal life and friends... I can't stand it anymore!

Sorry for yelling. I just felt what Chiang felt and would like to voice it out before it's too late, I don't wish myself to be featured on newspaper someday. Btw, I ended up with a bad future, so I believe I can live longer now. I'm sorry again... you may consider me as a spammer, but, oh well, thanks for reading and bye.

Prof WILLIE SOON said...

He shouldn't have come back to this racist country, people like him will be treated with jealousy and will be bully. I know because I had the same experience with kampung malay teachers who think that bright Chinese students are a threat to the kampung malay breed. Look at Phua who hail from Khir toyo's kampung, Sekinchan who is now very successful in Taiwan.He co-invented the pendrive!!.When he came back to Malaysia, he was rejected about what he inevented,could you all believe that?? IF YOUR FAMILY MEMBER HAVE DEPRESSION , DON'T ADMIT THEM TO GOVERMENT PSYCHIATRIC WARD, THEIR CONDITION WILL BECOME WORSE...GET WHAT I MEAN?? POOR CHIANG ..WHAT A WASTED TALENT IN THIS HITLER'S SHIT UMNO MALAYSIA....rEST IN PEACE BRO...

Anonymous said...

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Unknown said...

Well spoken eloquently articulated . Genius are being told we are worthless because we not in a knowledge economy; we in a " Who you know" economy. Our worth is latched to Who. I yell to stop craps but they think I cuckoo .

Unknown said...

So true ,I ask questions to have clarity from those confused ,I am ambushed with personal statement attack from not listening or why not trust or so bodoh without an answer to perhaps to let it be poor results n point a finger but not Me . I should not come back to a racist ctry that already put a rubber stamp on me although I am a true Malaysian - true Malaysian n race blind are orphans or be prepared to be told why we not this not that as to be as into a box. Ye true Msian is out of a box n not many think out of a box they box box if we not fit into any category as the race . Hi hi I am 60 I woke up late now finally less depressed.

Unknown said...

Sad . Did he has a job ? Where was he working ,? Perhaps he in environment of personal environment target rather thinking environment. Culture shock shitty working environment shock based on power can be very depressing if not tell . Most not see or not into subject matter or TQM or solution ,then, ended political and being a nerd myself we always are losers . It's truly anguish as a failure from inhumanity.