I was rather free yesterday, so went to Pasar Malam (night market in Malay) to buy something to eat and I spent an horrible $17 just on FOOD alone. At night at around 10pm, I was forced to go down again with Yang and Hong. That extra trip caused me another $8 on FOOD. Sinful! So yesterday after finishing all the food with my sister at 5plus, I had the sudden craze to clear my room. I spent the entire evening clearing my stuffs and reading the letters people wrote to me during secondary school days. Those days were no doubt my best phase of life so far. We were really childish then, the content in the letters can be really silly and naive. Of course, not to forget those letters of heart-felt warmth from many peeps.
I still remember in Secondary 3, when we were all streamed into different classes. My class, then 3/6, was the top class, taking 3 Sciences and double Maths, with Geography as the elective. Mr Cheong Chee Leong was our form teacher and Chemistry teacher. He is firm and always went by law, thus I could sense not all of the class liked him. Madam Ho Soo Yin was our all-time-favourite Biology teacher. Her fun character fitted into our class perfectly. She was my and everyone's favourite teacher of all. With her, we talked things before Biology, beyond school. Loved her so much that I bought her some cute furry pens which I knew she didn't dare to use. Ms Tan Chong Hui, our Physics teacher. She was the teacher famous for her fairness and professionalism. She taught with undepletable knowledge and wasted no second. We all respect her. Next was our A-Maths teacher, Madam Sarojini. She spoke with an Indian accent that she found it sorry for us at times. She was an experienced teacher who was cute at her own way. E-maths was taught by Mr Kok Yeong Haur. He is still as humble now as then, a real gentleman. We all loved his kindness too! Then Humanities were taught by Madam Lim. The very soft and ladylike teacher who cared so much for our results that she even teared in class once regarding our bad results. She told us, in the top class, every subject was to be spent with the same amount of hardwork. She felt sad for the fact that our class did not put in as much effort as what we should. On Childrens' Day 2006, we each received one lucky G2 pen from her, wishing us conquer O Lvel, conquer Humanities, despite we were all over-aged children. Mr Tsing was our English teacher, he taught with his unique way that we liked to laugh at him for different funny stuffs he did. However, he was a great and passionate English teacher, we were lucky to have him then. I thank the school, Riverside Secondary School to award us with the few wonderful teachers!
The class loved staying in the cozy classroom, munched on our buns and sucked on the soya beans bought from Huiyi. We all loved our classroom and the company of one another very much! Due to this, other classes of the same level named 3/6 as the mugger class! But whatever the name was and no matter how much we hated the name, we didn't change our habit because we have one another and a bunch of lovely teachers, so there was nothing to be afraid of! Back then I remember that we enjoyed writing to our close friends as our beloved Biology teacher told us at her house: writing is a good way to improve your English/GP. So in order to drill in advance for our GP, we tried to write letters of encourage to our friends. That time, whenever I was bored, I would take them out, read over a few times and laughed to myself like a silly girl. Just now, I came across a few names friends wrote for me in the letter: Miss Dono, Princess Fantasy, Blur Queen, Sotong, Laopo, Yorbu, Kat/Cat, Miewmiew, Chuchu, 牙签，爱哭鬼，梦幻公主... etc.
Also, I came across this cute cartoon phone card, with SGD$5 folded nicely inside the plastic wrapper as shown:
If I remember correctly, it was put in in 2003, Secondary 1. I am not sure if any one of your have the same feeling as me, I tend to worry that I may get lost somewhere. Since back then I didn't own an ATM card, and afraid that I may end up not having enough money to get home, so this $5 was there like my amulet, providing me sense of security. I realized we get contented easily with merely $5 then, for now, I guess the amulet will expand in size and value, to $50.
Not convinced?
Evidence: below shows half of the 101 watches I bought during Secondary days.
If you care to take a closer look, the watches all cheap ones from any random shop out there.
The cheapest is less than $10 (can't remember which is the cheapest and how cheap it is) and the most expensive one here does not even hit $30 (think so?!). But for now, the watches I am wearing can easily hit $300, cheapest is also above $100. As we grow older, we demand for better goods, but I can say, the time when we owned the simplest thing are the times we were the happiest. Before I threw away all these ancient watches, I actually examined them one by one. Recalled how I got them if possible.
Then I came across this watch, it was one of my favourite then.
I remember I bought it at an 'expensice' price, I guess it was about $20 plus? Then the amazing thing is, I tried to push in the 'tunner' at the right of this watch, and it works! Meaning the watching is still working after 7,8 years of hibernating?! Yes, I keep it with me now, though I doubt I will be wearing it again, it is too kiddy to wear it, right? I know some of you may say that!
The work continued, I found another sweet thing: (Click to see if you can find your name here)
Those were the days when we had no Handphone, we recorded down friends' contact numbers. I remember right after 'collecting' numbers from the Primary 6 graduation class friends and the Secondary 1 new friends, I bought a Nokia 8250 phone. Not long after, I switched to Nokia's first colour phone, and many of my friends were crowding around me, eager to see the first colour phone! This scene will only replays itself now if you are carrying a black-and-white ancient phone.
There were bits and pieces from secondary school, but the puzzle never completes, as we are constantly being the pieces filling in one anothers' life till now.
Then life moved on to Anderson Junior College in year 2007, where I spent 2 years. I remember I have great fun there, but also, the very first time experiencing failure in academic matters. I cried the most over my results during those two years. I was not sure whether was I stupid or my brain was really getting rusty that no matter how hard I tried (perhaps not hard enough according to my friends), I couldn't get the desired result. I knew many of my teachers were quite disappointed with me, as normally in class I was not that dumb! Mr Vincent Goh, my H2 Chemistry tutor once urged me to clear any doubts if I don't understand, and he added, he had faith in me! AJC was not the school with only nightmares for me, it was also the school that trained me into who I am today.
Since primary school to JC2, I have been appointed as class monitress/class leader almost every level. However, it was in AJC that I had the most training in leadership. I joined two school camps, both drilling us on how to be a successful leader and how to handle problems well. In those two years, I put what I have learnt into real practice - I read announcements and handled some miscellaneous issues for the class. It taught me to be confident when speaking in front of a crowd. Thanks to this, I then took part in some external events/projects which required me to display high responsibility and great leadership skill. I have to admit that in 2008, I didn't graduate from AJC with an honourable result slip, but I walked through life via the AJC gate as a more matured and confident individual.
(A heart found in my drawer, unknown of the sender)
Lastly, I would like to declare that, I am truly proud to be an AJCian, Non Mihi Solum!
In 2009, I entered Nanyang Technological University and major in Civil Engineering. I was told by a handful of seniors that university friends are hi-bye friends and that there was no much time to gather and to know one another better. Bearing that in mind, I thought I couldn't find any good friends in NTU, and didn't care to confide much in them. Sometimes, I don't even share my things with them like what I did with my RS and AJC friends. During school holidays, they would say that it was as if I have disappeared from the world. However, two years passed, I can tell that those seniors were wrong. The group of friends I make in NTU were really kind and fun. We encourage one another in studies, share the fun we have in the dreadful lessons. This left me with the greatest guilty in life, I feel very sorry towards them. And I like to tell them that I am actually a very bad girl, believe or not, up to you. No one, not even my best friend or family can understand how exactly I feel as this is just not my style of making friends. Friends should be always there for one another if you need them. friends should be aware of what is happening with your other friends. friends should be truthful to one another. friends should be.. However, I know it is too late for me to make up now, perhaps, after graduation, okay?
Till 2013.
