Daily Lessons from Life 16 January 2013 - Doctor jailed 4 months for forging $50,000 cheque

"Doctor jailed 4 months for forging $50,000 cheque - The Straits Times Jan 16, 2013

Lai Jenn Wuu, who had gambling debts, filled in the cheque and went to cash it for $50,000 using the owner's identity card. But he was caught after a vigilant cashier noticed he did not look like the man in the picture."

A rather short description on the AsiaOne website of this piece of news but sufficient details on the root cause of this medical doctor's fall from grace or descend to a very low 'hell'!

Lessons for me are:

1. gambling can ruin a person very very fast. Especially when he or she gets to bet very big amount of money without actually SEE the big amount of money in cash! When cash is denoted in chips or worst, in electronic digital numbers, the sense of how much money is involved get blurred or 'temporarily forgotten' in the split seconds of pressing a button to submit the BET!!;

2. often time it is the novice or the newbie that get caught in a 'quick sand of gambling' while the die hard ones who had taken many knocks and probably went through a few divorces if married or being in jails or whatever can last longer! No pretty but some do. Of course, many, despite being so-called veterans of casinos and gambling habit STILL perished under the gambling curse!;

3. when someone who was ruined by gambling has lesser education or low qualification, the world seems to be more indifferent. While a medical doctor like this one fell into the same trap, many expressed surprises, some asserted that he is an idiot, many more laments the waste of his talents. This is understandable as become a trained medical doctor does take a lot from the man himself and the society that invested in a medical education. He could have done a lot of good helping and saving patients. And has a good life as medical doctor is paid fairly well.

May he found his redemption after the sentence is passed. May he find the strength to get back to society and uses his talent in some other field besides medicine if he is NOT allowed to practice again. Hopefully not.

A pity that may turn into a turnaround?