I know that i’m suppose to be hibernating. But i was back at my secondary school today and i simply must post an entry. I’m once again, as you can probably tell, bursting to share…! So, i shall begin! I predict it being long…i’m in a long-winded mood now :)
Like i said, I was back at yiss today to witness the graduating batch’s final day at Adam Khoo’s ‘I am gifted so are you’ camp. But that’s not the point, just the context :) The point is, whenever yiss has some kind of event, it always ends with a BANG. We end on an emotional high, arms around each other proclaiming our love and allegience to the school. We gladly shout out our school song (we have a really catchy song, if you see me arnd, ask me to sing it for you! i’d comply if i’m in a good mood) and for the next few days or weeks, we wouls thank our lucky stars that we ended up in Yiss, the first president’s school.
Anyway, i was there during that climax and as the passive audience, i saw the excitement and the current students going through all that emotional high… it brought back a LOT of memories and i invite you to take a walk down memory lane with me (just from 2000-2003, so it’s not that long ago!)
- Firstly, the 3 most favourite people of yiss: Limin, Maggie and Zhi Min :) I remember the four of us adopting the seasons as our irc or IQmind chat nicknames…Limin was summer, Zhi Min autumn, Maggie winter and I was spring! We even had our own special channel on irc where only the four of us could converse! It was named after some bee i think. I also recall how we hoped that all group projects were just 4 people, because we knew exactly who those 4 people would be. We even had our own signature border for our projects, just so that we could recognise them from far. It was Maggie’s ’multi-cornered borders’ or her sunset with coconut trees at the sides. We liked each other so much that we even had similar stationery! From the pencil case (I remember heading to Jurong Point with Zhi Min to buy identical pencil cases!) to to dangle from our bags (at the exact same zippers can). We would be not only buy from the same food stall but also having long discussions of which coloured PE T-shirt we should wear as we wanted to wear the same colour! From lessons, to projects to recess, I had a whole lot of fun with you 3 girls…you’re the best company a person could ever have in Secondary school.
- Another thing i do remember would be my fellow cca members!! Limin and Maggie (again) from Life Science; Becky, Qiong Xia, Siew Lin, Wendy and Rina from guitar; Ching Wen, Keng Ee and Vicknesh from debates :) CCA would be such a dread without you people. Especially the guitar mates! I remember having to lug the guitars to school and how we’d sneak our guitars into the classroom before morning assembly. We’d hide the guitars in that small door at the back of the classroom and get really concerned during class spotchecks as we worry that the teachers would confiscate the guitars. Haha! To think of it, who would want to confiscate 5 guitars??!!
- Classmates matter a lot too. Sec 1 all the way to Sec 4, although most of us remained in the same class all 4 years!! Even though it’s quite a daunting task to list all of you by name, I really enjoyed having each and everyone of you in my class. Especially the few of us would leave the classroom after every other lesson, if not to the toilet, it would be to the water cooler or simply just stand outside the classroom and ‘act cool’ and ‘zuo bo’. It was essential during our upper sec days when we shared textbooks. I would never forget creeping near the backdoor of 3e3 to pass Zhi Min my textbooks in exchange for hers while her teacher would be teaching at the front. I still have all the small cards that i passed around in sec 4!! I’ve kept them really nicely in an album. Some of them are really hilarious! But thank you all for the very sweet things that you wrote for me…especially the someone who wrote that i’m the favourite person in yiss at that time.
- To those people who i around me in class. It’s people like you who i did those impromptu group projects with and people whom i reallllllly enjoyed sitting around. Those in front, beside and behind. You guys were the ones passing the worksheets to me and stuff :) I’m not kidding, i’ve sat beside horrible people before, that’s why i like you all so much! This includes those people who filled up the seats next to me “temporarily” whenever they were empty. Like a counsellor of mine and someone who always slept in class :)
- Oh yah, to the people who trudge up the hill towards H.J with me as well. Although i’ve never said so, i did enjoy your company :) You guys made those walks home quite fun and less lonely.
- To all the other school mates who made my time at yiss even more memorable than it already is. People who were never in my class or ccas but who were my friends anyway — friends of friends i reckon. Once again, just because i’m not listing your name, it doesn’t mean that you matter any less! I’m glad you were my friend!
So yes, YISS was indeed quite an experience for me. The best school experience i’ve had. The sad thing is, i’m in contact with just a handful of you people. Haha! Chances are, only a few of the people mentioned in this post would actually get to read this. It just shows how good i am at keeping in touch with people who made my secondary school life as memorable as it was. But in all honesty, it’s not that bad. I’m not naive…Althought it’s nice, I dont’ expect to be lifelong buddies with every single one anyway. After all, we bonded then because we had similar experiences and circumstances. If we were all placed together again, I imgaine it to be quite awkward. We’d all be at difference stages in our lives and except for yiss, there’d be little we can talk about.
I seldom say this…but maybe it’s because all the memories make me nostalgic. I do miss the YISS days. And sometimes, i can’t help but regret not keeping in contact with more of the yiss people…especially the group of 8. I wouldn’t be surprise that we may not even recognise each other now! I’m glad most of you are together though - having went to the same course and the same poly! - you guys are great company! :)
I could go on..but i’m getting a little tired and i doubt it if anyone would read till this point anyway! :)
In conclusion, if you were my schoolmate or classmate in YISS, i’m glad you were!! Especially so if we were close friends during that time, even though i rarely if ever contact you now, it’s not that i’ve forgotten you okie. You still hold a special place in my heart and mind! :) And it was good while it lasted! Don’t lament over the lack of contact now, but cherish those ultrally great years we shared!
I do thank MOE for posting you to the same secondary school as me!!
People, you are loved!
–melo
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