MR THARMAN Shanmugaratnam will relinquish his post as Minister for Education after Budget 2008. The Ministry of Education has seen many ministers, some heavyweight Cabinet members, but none has made such wide and deep beneficial changes to the education system as Mr Tharman. He has taken a fresh approach to nurture our educational gardens in which different kinds of flowers, bright or dull, weak or strong, have the opportunity to grow and bloom.

Lim Swee Ah

Tactful, helpful Alexandra Hospital

ON MARCH 5, I registered at Alexandra Hospital for treatment of a tooth ailment. The dental officer who attended to me was professional and helpful. Having ascertained the cause of my problem, she arranged the earliest possible date with a specialist consultant to treat it. But the next night, the condition had deteriorated and I was in acute, constant pain. I couldn't sleep. The next morning, I called the hospital. The consultant understood my plight and, despite his busy schedule, made time to see me the same day to have root canal work done.

Lau Tien Wing

BIRD DELIVERS BIRTHDAY RING IN RAIN

I AM South Korean and I write to compliment Jurong BirdPark for going the extra mile. My family of 11 visited the park last Thursday and my husband had asked the staff to arrange for a bird to deliver a birthday ring to me during the bird show. The friendly staff agreed, despite the pouring rain.

Rho Soo Jin (Ms)
Seoul

CELLPHONE FOUND, RETURNED BY CABBY

ON FEB 6, I flagged down a taxi at my block as my parents and I were rushing to attend mass at around 7pm. The taxi driver drove us to Chijmes, in front of my church.

It was only on the way home in the bus that I realised my cellphone was missing. I called the Comfort taxi hotline. Without much delay, the taxi company responded to say my cellphone had been found by a male passenger and returned to the taxi driver, Mr Adnan of cab No. SH 9102 M.

Josephine Juanamarga (Ms)

SILKAIR OFFICER HELPED WITH TORN LUGGAGE

ON FEB 18, I took my maid to the airport to catch her 7.55am flight to Solo, Indonesia.

When we arrived at Terminal 2 at 6am, we discovered her luggage was torn and had been refused at the SilkAir check-in counter. As my wife and I searched for a replacement, we found all the shops were still closed.

Fortunately, a helpful officer at SilkAir counter 12 named Mumtaf offered to help us. She came back with a thick plastic bag and a roll of masking tape. With these, we were able to secure the bag and have it accepted at check-in.

Jimmy Ho Kwok Hoong