A Blast From the Past

Unlocking some memories of the stored

Visiting the compounds of what were the 'prime' years of one's academic education, i found myself in a mixed state of whether i liked being associated with the school...a public school whose students associate being 'cool' with being the ah bengs and ah lians (many of whom were in gangs or wanabe thugs), a school whose extra circular activities achievements weren't known for being in any way outstanding (Whether it is academic value-added, aesthetics, physical health or sports) and whose identity and culture i couldn't associate with. Hmmm. I would have preferred being in an institution where the school values are based on the gospel. I would've liked if it was spent in a communal like, positively charged energy-in-the-air kinda place, where people are just as motivated to excel, with a community who wants a better-than-average future and fellow students who believed they are the leaders of tomorrow. Haha but the then 6-12 year old me couldn't keep day-dreaming till after school hours. Just as my dad has instilled this in his kids- it always is the attitude of the person that makes the situation. In every moment, there are always 2 choices- you either make it an ideal outcome or you can make it not-so-good. That's how the very few kan-tangs back in school noticed each other and hung out. And since then, we have been hanging out for 12years :)

Going back to the premises brought back so many memories- of the different spots in school which meant different things for me. Like that particular spot in the parade square (i got caught for wearing my short hair, Faye Wong inspired, too wildly after the last holiday), that damn chin-up pole which i would dread walking to (I tried very hard!), the particular corridor on the 4th level which i was chosen to be part of the school's choir team, for the hall-cum badminton court i used to practice for matches in, the corner of the bend which i would rush to, the water cooler, after a 2.4km run, the 4 inter-class games we won (so ah lians were pissed and wanted to slap me but instead started to pick a verbal fight!!) and the ramp which i always dreaded walking up to- it meant we had to grind our teeth and bear with then, new principal Ms Monica Quek as she would pronounce brands like Esprit (pronounce EX-SPIRIT. Way off!) but i loved walking down from it =) the most memorable year was when the class locked the Literature teacher out of the classroom and pretended that no one was in class. Looking up at the second floor yesterday also reminded me of that year where i was the class chairman and how i really forced myself out of my shell from being the most shy girl in class (since primary 1 and geek in Seconday 1 and 2!) to being in the leader of the class in secondary 3!It was a feat!!!

So many, many flashbacks and feelings attached to that era when the boy group, Boyz-to-Men was every gal's dream date! Strangely, throughout the whole trip, my friends were laughed at me whenever i mentioned a certain connection to a certain spot!!?? Maybe instead of 55,000 thoughts going though my head in a day, i have 55,000 thoughts going through my mind in a second! My imagination and association is splendid. Oh well! (I still can't get what Angie told me-I'll look at the ramp differently now!! Ewww.)

I don't know why.... but i was frightened by my own thoughts twice last night. I even had a nightmare. It definitely was the cold in the air and the thought of what life there would be, of the tables and chairs, and what goes on in the hall and the back stage, what life do the test tubes and huge basins in the science labs have, now that the school is abandoned? To think there were so many changes since that year we left- change of school uniform colours, change of principal, occupying the primary school campus next to ours (which meant the school had 2 of everything-2canteens,2 football fields, etc) and then finally the few remaining students were then transferred to another school and had a choice to retain the school uniform or purchase the 'new' schools' one. It has been 3 years since the school's closure....I don't know. It was strange going back there. So, what's going to happen to these buildings?Well, the campus is rumoured to be taken up by Raffles Institution and be added to the existing adjacent Raffles Institution/Raffles Junior College campus. On top of that an underground tunnel below Braddell Road connecting both sides of the campuses is also rumoured to be built! How cool is that!

A brand new lease of life for that old, unkept building which held the many good memories for so many............

Oh btw! I managed to find our school's blog (Year 1984-1987), which is maintained by a senior!! Check it out!

Here are our blast from the past pictures!