I have a personal note from the desk of International Library of Poetry's Howard Ely, Managing Editor:

"I am delighted to inform you that one of your poems has been awarded our prestigious Editor's Choice Award because it displays an original perspective and unique creativity -- judged to be the qualities found most in exceptional poetry. Congratulations on your achievement!"



"Your poem is also featured in a deluxe hardbound edition. This anthology, as expected, will soon be sold out. We have, however, reserved a limited number of copies that are now available only to poets included in this distinctive volume. Because you are one of these poets, we wanted to remind you of its limited availability. If you haven't already ordered a copy or wish to obtain additional copies, this is your last opportunity to do so. Don't miss out on owning this unique edition featuring your poem! "

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Personally I did not expect that but I have yet to really work on more on it or something lately. Perhaps sometime I will do a section for that and such.

Plus I also found out that there is also another "Becky Cheung" in the poetry site and all so I do not want someone to confuse my work with hers!

Hah. Maybe I should add a middle name or something but I do not have one. :x

Becky is currently the lastest batch of NYAA GAHA members during 2007 and awarded The Gold Awards ( highest honour ) for the National Youth Achievement Awards:


(I know I look funny and formal here and you can go hahahaha and laugh. )

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To be honest, it feels good to be recognized however, I think there are many unsung heros out are there serving those in need and I think all of them are already a winner.

The humble community service projects I have made and I have yet to make, for both the benefit of others and myself are little things that keep me away from feeling this sense of frailness and helplessness perhaps in life at times ( besides wanting to lead a worthwhile life like some physical validation. )

I hope I can reach out slowly I can overcome my own ego more and more and reach out to someone else more. I do not know but I hope I can do it better.

Opps, I found myself in a little corner in Lime's magazine ( Dec 2007) :



I am under street chat section interviewed by [Levan Wee]
:

It just happens that one of my fav. DJ from 98.7, Ross is there, too. ;)
( Click on the photo for a larger view )

It seems that this rocker is doing well in Lime with fan mails and all:

Becky is a finalist for best diariest 2007. The Weblog Award is the world's largest blog competition, with over 525,000 votes cast in the 2006 edition for finalists in 45 categories. It is about honoring hundreds of blogs (nearly 500 this year) versus the same couple blogs over and over.




The Weblog Award is probably one of the most prestigious awards you may get as a blogger.

I realized that I am the only Asian there for Best Diarist and the youngest too. Among those finalists, the blog called Little Nuances*1 looks pretty impressive and he is an author and freelance writer with more than 300 writing credits in various newspapers, magazines, and websites. Dooce*2 is also one of those blogs. Neil Gaiman's *3 journal is also one of the finalist but then he is under literature since he is an author. ( Gosh, seems that most of them are authors and gosh Neil Gaiman!!! )

Those names may sound unfamilar to some of you but notable bloggers in the local blogging world in Sinagpore that used be in the list includes Xiaxue *4 ( She is one of the most interesting bloggers around ) and Mr. Brown*5. ( However, they are mainly only known for the Best Asian blog but I think they are earning bling bling for their blogs heh!)

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1.http://littlenuances.blogspot.com/

2.Dooce is one of those blogs! If you have yet to hear about it, it is a blog that became so famous after Heather Armstrong lost her job for writing posts that included people in her workplace that the term "dooced" is now routinely used in the media when a blogger gets fired for doing the same thing Armstrong did.

3.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neil_Gaiman

4.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mrbrown

5. Xiaxue's blog has won several online awards, mostly for popularity: Best Singapore Blog 2003, Best Asian Blog 2004, and 2005 Blog and Best Asian Weblog. Since then her blog attracts a bit less than 20,000 readers every day with her take on current events and her life which makes her a celebrity and runs her own shows such as her TV show called "Girls Out Loud"... also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xiaxue

I do not own a cat really -- my cat owns me instead. Mr. Bond, my darling just had his first solo public appearance on TimeWerke magazine. He was featured under the series of "Cat eye's" watches :


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(Click on fpr a larger view )

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He used to appear in Harper's Bazaar some time back along with my sister during an interview, too. Hah, this suave feline version of Brad Pitt!:


( click on the picture to read if you like to read or something )

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I mean gosh, I do not even cut down and scan in some of my magazine interviews or something at times. My mother is pretty much happy with him and now my cat even has a friendster account created by my sister for fun. Personally, I think it would be great to create some stop animal abuse kind of awarness but I guess I will see how. Haha.

Becky Cheung, also known as Becky@Beracahvalley for her nickname, started sharing her work online in her blog (or online diary Becky's blog) and in Deviantart Becky's gallery — an online community where artists and art appreciator from all walks of lives shared their work.

She is known for mainly her work in the poetry and writings besides her interest in creative modern art and designs. In 2004, the International Society of Poetry from poetry.com recognized her as the Poet of merit and honored members of 2004-2005.

Becky was also invited to read her poetry at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, during the Prestigious 2004 International Society of Poets Summer Conversation and Symposium— where Pulitzer Prize winning poet W. D. Snodgrass, Academy of American Poets past Chancellor David Wagoner, Dr. Herbert Woodward Martin, Dr. Grace Cavalieri and other well-known poets are invited and reading their poetry along.The International Society of Poets from poetry.com also nominated her as a Poet of the year 2004.

The International Society of Poets, established in 1990, is composed of dedicated poets around the world that received international acclaim—including front-page coverage in USA Today—for World’s Largest Poems for Peace. Her poetry appear alongside verse by such notables as former President Bill Clinton, the 14th Dalai Lama, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and poets from over 70 nations worldwide who have contributed to the effort. This in return with poetic contributions and the society making charitable donation for UNICEF to help the children of the world, and for research to help find a cure for multiple sclerosis.

Currently while still doing her studies, she also helped out actively in community service such as Service Learning Club, BP-mentoring program. In view of all these, she is receiving a National Youth Achievement Gold Award by President SR Nathan in 2007.

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Personally, I did not expect that actually there will be an article about me but nevertheless a happy thought--at least there is some sense of achievement. Perhaps it shows that and disagree with what I think no one actually cares about the garbage that spews forth from my mouth like a broken garbage disposal regurgitating dinner scraps at times like I have said.

For me this is a place where I put some of the articles, media mentions and among others to remind myself of the part of past films of my life. Here are the letters from the International Poet Society that I have scanned in among others:

I finally have my National Youth Achievement Gold Award letter:

(click on the picture itself to have a larger view )



The NYAA Singapore is a Full Member of The Duke of Edinburgh's Award International Association, which is comprised of 113 member-countries worldwide. Singapore is a member of the Asia Pacific Region (Australia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka, New Zealand and Fiji).

Articles from service learning club

( note: I am not the person on the right with the funny hand sign )
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The first M2M session was capped off with a BBQ dinner. By that time, the students mentor were heartened that the event had gone beyond some of their initial expectationa. Becky Cheung, from Nanyang Polytechnic, reflected that " It was not only a fun-filled event but a meaningful one; it teaches me the concept of selfessness and paying it forward."

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Articles from Mentoring in RP website:

( note: I am not a student from RP but I know the mentors there )
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Becky also nealty summed up the spirit of mentoring:

" Mentoring is all about reaching out, serving and believing in a vision that we can make a different. I am very thankful for the wonderful chance to be attached to my mentor, Chole. We found on that we have a lot in common and I feel good and touched despite their ( the mentors ) work and busy lives, they are willing to share and be our guiding light! "

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On a personal note, someone once asked me why I am into mentoring and spend my weekends doing volunteer work to help some kids with lower incomes level.

To be very honest, my first session was not what I had expected at all but I slowly grow to actually love it. Actually it is not so much of tuition but interacting and having someone to believe in them.

Perhaps I am what you called an 'adult child'-- people who are searching for someone to nurture them and fulfill their needs at times. Therefore in a way, I try to fulfill it by trying to do so to someone. I guess at some point or another we need to allow people whom we can trust to open up and share our concerns. It is all part of the growing process.

I see so much beauty in the world, but sometimes only not of humanity. The only redemption I find in people is in kids who are thrown away by society at times.

Some of them may have been labelled as bad, but they have all hope. I saw it, and I hope that I have made them see as well. ;)

Nomination as Poet of the Year 2004 by International Society of Poets:

( click on the image to have a larger view )




I am now an international Poet of Merit and honored member of 2004-2005 for International Society of Poets but what suprised me more is that I am nominated as Poet of the Year 2004 by International Society of Poets.

To be honest, I am always embarrassed about the way I feel that I wish to be a writer/poet because I know that I am not good enough. Besides, I am more of a business student than of an art student.

However, it should not mean that I should not pursue my dream and I am trying to improve and work towards it even I may feel so small at times. I mean we can dream all we want because it is free and almost effortless. Our dreams tempt us, seduce us, and lead us to believe that reality can be better yet to make dreams reality we have to pay.

At times, it is even frustrating and poorly rewarded work for me because it fails more than succeeds. Perhaps we seems to become the slave of dreams as the seduction, the temptation defeats our logic and reasoning, and sometimes even becomes the logic and reasoning?

So are dreams free?

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Anyway, I have agree to the International Society of Poets to use one of my poems for World’s Largest Poems for Peace. This in return will be making charitable donation for UNICEF to help the children of the world, and for research to help find a cure for multiple sclerosis.;)

Here is where I scanned part of the letter to remind myself it is perhaps not a grandiose self-delusion: