Thank you…
…to all the past presidents that graced our 26th Annual Convention, “Your wisdom and experience has been the lifeblood of our academy, and you have never failed to inspire us to selflessly serve PAAS, as you have done in the past, and up to the present.”

Thank you…
…to all our colleagues that attended and made our convention a success, “You could have all just chosen to enjoy your Sunday rest day with your respective families, and spent your Monday holiday on an out of town trip, but you have made a sacrifice to spend it with your second family– your PAAS Family. Up to now, I am still dumbfounded at the overwhelming support you have shown.”

Thank you…
…to all the members of the Convention Committees that worked day and night in preparing for the event, “I will always be proud to say that I have served our beloved PAAS, alongside with you, and very happy to have witnessed one of the best ever conventions in the history of our academy.”

Thank you…
…to all the Board of Directors, headed by our president Dr Alvin Jorge and vice president Dr Junjie Decangchon, who promised to support the organizers and committee members, “I am thankful that you have kept your word, and I am likewise humbled by your never ending guidance all throughout the preparations.”

They say that the hardest thing to do for a leader is “to lead leaders”… and, to be honest, that was a fear that I had when I was appointed by the board to be the Overall Chairman of this year’s Convention a few months ago, but my fears slowly abated each passing day when I was seeing that PAAS leaders were different… different in the sense that we lead by example… and that had made all the difference.

Even though each member of the different committees had their assigned tasks, I have seen how everyone had initiative and never even thought twice to take over a new role whenever the need arose.

To all the delegates, we wanted to serve you in the best possible way that we could offer: from the venue and food that matches our academy’s high standards… to the scientific lectures that were both timely and mentally stimulating… also our high quality souvenir programs, convention bags, and plaques… and all the way to the carefully screened and hand-picked sponsors, who are our partners in our delivery of service.

Indeed, I have found the best leaders in PAAS… the society that has the ability to create an aura of learning among its peers and colleagues… without competition… without mental reservations… doing it selflessly and consistently.

Please allow me to quote a line from Lao Tzu where he said, “A leader is best when people barely know he exists, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves.”

I am proud to be a part of PAAS… and proud to have served and made another milestone for our dearest academy.

Again, from the bottom of my heart, and to everyone at PAAS, thank you for making our 26th Annual Convention a success!

Fraternally yours in PAAS,
Dr. Erwin Brian Tan, FPAAS