underestimated
her academic
abilities. She’s
a way better
student than I
ever was,” he
says proudly.
As for their
second daughter
Cheryl, she’s
following in
her mother’s
footsteps and
majoring in
business and
accountancy,
albeit at the
Singapore
Management
University instead
of NUS.
with each other and with their two
daughters, and they’re glad to share
that they’ve had many of these. And
the Cheongs are unlike many Asian
“I became a General Practitioner,
parents. “We actually don’t push our
or GP, in the 80s, when it was the
daughters hard or send them for
least popular time to be one! In our
enrichment classes,” says Dolly.
circles then, if you became a GP, it’s
Dr Cheong chimes in, “In fact, before
as good as you failing your medical
their examinations, we would head to
examinations and getting kicked out
the beach for a picnic. Our daughters
into the boondocks.”
would bring their school books so
Dr Cheong even turned down two civil that they could study while still having
service traineeships, which, according fun at the same time. After all, it was
always great to get their minds out of
to Dr Cheong, made him really
the dining room where they usually
unpopular with the then Permanent
studied in.”
Secretary. “He told me to not expect
to show my face in the government
sector ever again!” says Dr Cheong,
They must be doing something right.
laughing heartily, clearly unaffected
Their oldest daughter is currently
by the civil servant’s words.
studying medicine (like father,
like daughter) at the prestigious
But, the Cheongs have never been
King’s College and, to Dr Cheong’s
bothered with money or keeping up
surprise, is doing very well. “I was
with appearances. To Dr Cheong,
worried for her because it is such a
reputation and status were, and still
are, the least of his concerns, quite an competitive environment but I clearly
home from work on time every day, a
rather significant move considering
the climate of his sector back then.
irony consideri