貝貝自傳之 成長篇
我是Lydia，在香港出生和長大，有一個妹妹。從小，父母就為我提供最好的學習環境，把我送到國際學校讀小學，由於國際學校以英語教學，所以不論在學校學習、和同學聊天或者在家裏跟父母交談，我都只說英語，於是家人為我聘請補習老師惡補中文，可是沒多大作用。當時媽媽覺得中文很重要，因此在國際學校讀了一年後，便決定為我轉校。
六歲時，我轉到瑪利曼小學就讀小學一年級。國際學校和本地學校的差異很大，在國際學校完全沒有功課，小朋友都在歡樂的環境中度過，但本地學校的教學方式，卻是每一科都有不少功課和測驗。
中三後我去了英國 Malvern College 讀書，那邊是讀 GCSE 課程，相等於香港中學會考。英國與香港的教育方式有很大分別，英國的考試難度真的跟香港無法比擬。我從沒有想過自己會考可以考取到五個A，這對我而言，無疑是一個很大的鼓勵，之後在倫敦大學修讀工啇管理。
我覺得自己很幸運，可以避開香港的中學會考。在香港讀書，考試不及格是家常便飯，但當自己長期考試成績差，便會對自己失去信心，而且對讀書產生討厭。雖然成績只是一個數字、一個字母，但它能夠讓你覺得自己不夠優越，打擊自信心。
每個人都有夢想，我當然有。從小到大，我想當模特兒，想跟她們一樣瘦、一樣美；也想跟電影裏的女明星一樣有好演技。
有一天，我終於下定決心跟家人說：「我想當一個演員，當一個全職藝人。」那一刻家人都覺得很意外，但對於我能夠清晰果斷地道出自己的夢想，她們是感動的，亦全力支持我在演藝圈工作。
在父母的祝福下，我對演藝工作更有信心更起勁，母親更主動地分享了她從前在娛樂圈累積的寶貴經驗，從前不愛聽意見的我，由於找到了自己喜愛的工作，不期然會變得勤力和乖巧。
我知道我的成長過程很舒適，一切都算順利，但獨立對我而言，並不是一件容易的事。香港生活環境和樓價實在太貴，賺錢難，又會入不敷支，相信自己要真正獨立還有一段距離。媽媽亦常常教導我，做人要「鍥而不捨，永不放棄」，而這八個字已成為我的座右銘。
I am Lydia. I was born and raised in Hong Kong. I have a younger sister. Since I was young, my parents provided the best learning environment for me. They sent me to an international primary school. As the medium of instruction for international schools is English, I spoke English while learning in school, chatting with friends and at home with my parents. Consequently, my parents hired a Chinese tutor to give me tuition in the respected language. In spite of that, it was not very effective. My mother, at the time, felt that Chinese was very important. Eventually, after a year of studies in the international school, she decided that I had to switch schools.
When I was six years old, I went to Marymount Primary School to attend primary one. The difference between international schools and local schools is immense. There is no homework in international schools. Children can pass the day immersed in fun. But there are lots of homework and examinations in local schools.
After Form 3, I attended Malvern College in the UK. I took GCSE courses. They equate to the public examinations in Hong Kong. The teaching approach in the UK and Hong Kong is very different. The level of difficulty when it comes to examinations in the UK cannot be compared to those of Hong Kong. I never thought I could get 5As for my GCSEs. In my opinion, it is very encouraging. I later graduated from Business Management from the University of London.
I feel I am very fortunate because I do not need to sit the Hong Kong public examinations. It is a dime in a dozen to fail the Hong Kong public examinations. But when your grades are chronically subpar, you will lose confidence in yourself. You will also begin to hate studying. Although grades are just numbers, they can enable you to feel inferior. It will defeat your self-confidence.
Everyone has a dream. I also have one too. Since I was young, I have wanted to become a model. I also wanted to be slim and beautiful like them. I also wanted to be like female movie stars with good acting skills.
One day, I finally made the decision to tell my family: ‘I want to become an actress. A full-time artist.’ At that moment, my family was quite shocked. But the fact that I can tell them my dream clearly touched them greatly. They fully supported my work in the entertainment industry.
With the blessings from my parents, I became more confident and motivated in my work. My mother shared with me her precious experience regarding, her days in the entertainment industry once upon a time. I used to dislike listening to others’ opinion. But because I have found the line of the work that I enjoy, I subconsciously became more hardworking and obedient.
I understand that my days of growing up are very comfortable. It is mostly smooth sails. But independence seems a far stretch away. The living environment and housing prices are too high as well as, costly in Hong Kong. It is hard to make money. The money you make cannot support your living. I believe that I cannot be fully independent soon. My mother often teach me that I should have ‘perseverance and never give up’. These words became my words to live by.
