Living Well: A school award gave me confidence at a time when I had little self-belief

SINGAPORE - Many of the certificates or awards we garner through the course of our life end up in forgotten files stashed away at the bottom of an old cupboard or, worse, unceremoniously in the junk heap.

Sporting trophies may remain on the bookshelves or display cabinets a little longer, but again with shifting life priorities and space constraints, these inevitably end up making way for the Lalique crystal vase or the Baccarat wine glasses that look more appealing than the tarnished bronze trophy that says you were third in a bowling competition 45 years ago.