Dr. Alan Tan is Professor at the National University of Singapore (NUS) Law School, specialising in Aviation Law, Criminal Law and Environmental Law. Born in Penang, Malaysia, Alan came to Singapore for junior college as an ASEAN Scholar and subsequently obtained an LL.B from NUS and a masters and doctorate from Yale Law School. He was previously Vice-Dean for Graduate Studies and Research at NUS Law. He was also Director (Projects) in the Office of the Provost at NUS, overseeing the newly-established Yale-NUS College's double degree programmes. Alan has been engaged as a consultant on aviation liberalisation in Asia by the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC), the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the Arab League and various national governments and airlines.
When he first graduated from NUS Law, Alan had an enticing offer to join Mars, Inc. to market M&M’s chocolates in China. But then the Law School beckoned with an irresistible offer to come back as an academic. Even as he now revels in his choice, he does wonder occasionally how life would have turned out selling M&M’s in China.
This Letter is addressed to his younger self during his time in law school, and is dedicated to all his students - past, present and future.
Hey J.,
Block 5, Raffles Hall, Kent Ridge
So, here and now, in two-thousand-seventeen
Looking back, where have I been?
Oh, you'll be delighted to know
You won't quite be leaving Law School, no
For loving the law so much, you'll get to go
Right back to profess, to spawn more of Them (!)
A true blessing then, to be bestowed this gem
Of a career that fuels infinite content
(And no, I don’t mean selling M&M’s)
So one of Them says, can you pen
To your Self of bygone whens
Sure, I say, far from something trite
I'll tell you what you got right
Keep the faith, avoid the fright
Of sadistic partners and endless nights
Climb instead that ivory tower of academe
There, you'll help shape and make dreams
Not that they'll be grateful, these younglings
But the sublime joy of knowing
That They'll be forever nineteen
And should any be disagreeable to bear
There'll always be the bunch next year!
Oh They, on their yellow brick road to untold wealth
Thru’ days of 18-hour labour
With no small sacrifice to sanity and health
And soon enough They’ll look askance
At that promise of work-life balance!
But for you, you shall find gladness and goodness
In the pleasures of books, cases and IVLE
In the hopes of remarkable achievers-to-be
Let this then be a tribute to our joint charges
As I reminisce, these are some gems you'll find
Jordan T and FY Min in advocacy
Eugene T and Wendell W, in pro bono crime
Amrin A, man in white, working the ground
Pris S who flees law to fashion gowns
Kelvin T who'd rather make films in town
These are, bar none, your very best
Of wards who never let it rest
But went out to scour the world
For their pot of fulfilment gold
But let you also know, lest one hasn’t been told
There'll be tears, as nights turn cold
Sorrows to weep, mates to console
Dreams shattered, anguish foretold
Angels taken young, HY by terrorists evil
EY, by nature's crushing waves
Thiru, by sickness but never fazed
And now poor AW who'd rather walk alone …
Alone maybe ... though never lonely
For it’s said that friends who love beyond the world
Cannot be separated by it
And you, yourself, in months to come
Friend of friends, joy of joys
One July day leaves one rather lonesome
But you then live life quite the fullest
That life you'd have wished them to live
Had you been first to leave
So alone yes, but never lonely
These, the myriad souls
Whom you'll meet, celebrate and condole
So stay the course my young Self
This, the life you choose
You'll get there safe, for certain
For there'll be bookloads of
Challenge, Companionship
And above all, Contentment
All that you'd ever wish in turn
Upon every single Them student.