Month: February 2006
the first briefing
Well, yesterday was the first day the 15th took over. Early in the morning, I received a message from Jack, informing me that he would be late for morning briefing.
It touched my heart to know that he still regards me as his Manager but I have already handed over my duties to Fir last Friday at MacPherson ITE during the Investiture. I’m now the Honorary Treasurer.
During morning briefing, I feel quite lost, not knowing where to stand. I went back to my ex committee – House Comm, and stand together with them like before.
It feels kind of weird to see the 14th go back to their previous committee as members.
After assembly, received a message from Edmund. He doesn’t feel too good to have the 15th EXCO commanding him what to do for morning duty. I could understand how he feels. I wouldn’t have feel any better too to have a junior telling a senior what to do.
Don’t worry, 14th EXCOs, I have informed the 15th regarding this and told them to be sensitive and careful with their tones when they speak with you. I will keep an eye on them and won’t let them try anything funny.
ROYCE Committee
The North and the South are at war ~ it’s a Nation divided
Like brothers at odds ~ fighting on with each other
Why does one country fight against itself
When no one really wins in the end?
Brothers at birth ~ like the one and the same
Fighting for blood in this game
It’s a sad situation
One that we don’t seem really to understand
What can we do in a house divided?
How can we live with each other ~ as before
Why do we hurt the ones that we love?
The closer we get ~ the harder we fall
This is our life that we’re tearing apart
The bond will be broken ~
We stand at the gates all alone
What can we do in a house divided?
When nothing could ever again
Make it complete
14th EXCOs (ROYCE Committee)
The Letter
Dear 14th Excos,
It pains my heart to pen this letter. There are a lot of things that I had wanted to say but I do not know how to put it into words.
I am really astonished to learn that most of you actually had an issue with Haida only this week. If you all had an issue with her since a long way back, why raise it only now?
Perhaps I’m being overly sensitive, due to the recent spate of events but I have this uneasy gut feeling that I’m being treated as Haida’s spy when I’m out with you guys.
Remember I turned silent abruptly when we were at the Esplanade? That’s because I was actually consumed by sadness when I recalled about the past. How did things come to such an end?
I thought that we have agreed that there is supposed to be no secrets between us? But ever since the 15th ExCo list is out, the 3 of us staying behind have been sent away after ExCos briefing while the rest of you continued for a while.
I am baffled to know if we are still being considered as your pals, or just another hi-and-bye friend?
I have conflicting emotions battling inside my heart.
As a 14th ExCo, I went on stage to receive my Appreciation Letter with pride for I am really proud to be part of the family.
However, when I went on stage as a 15th ExCo to receive my Appointment Letter, the feeling was dreadful. I do not know what greater challenges (posed by the 14th) lies ahead, now with a new set of ExCos working with me.
Without my 14th ExCos by my side, I am just like a stranded cygnet, having lost my directions without my flock to show me the way.
You are all my friends, my comrades, who once fought shoulder to shoulder with me, weathered through turbulent storms, and facing adversities straight in the face together.
Remember the time, when Sonia felt left out and almost wanted to quit? Despite the fact that she once loses her way, did we not forgive her and gave her a chance to come back to us? We even tried to visit her at her house when we couldn’t find her at the hospital.
If we could show that empathy to Sonia then, why can’t we show it to Haida now? She may not have handled certain situations well, but isn’t that the jobs of ours, to correct and pull?her back to the right path? But, did we?
No doubt Nisha have spoken/reminded her, but perhaps she needed more reminders than that? Right now, we have a 14th ExCo who needed our help. Are we just going to give up on her now, after 10 months of hardship?
I have known Haida since our NITEC days and I know her character. She is a workaholic and has set high standards on herself. As the eldest child, she has to support the family and being a girl doesn’t help much. She must learn to protect herself and perhaps because of this, made her into the demanding Haida we knew today. It’s the environment that she grew up in that molded her into who she is.
What happened could all very well be a misunderstanding? If we could just give her the benefit of doubt and sit down and talk things out together. It’s not fair to send her to the gallows without a fair trial. At least give her a chance to explain herself?
I thought we have always advocated the idea of giving chanceS? If we could keep giving chances to errant lawbreakers like Janet and Yee Chean, why can’t we give a chance to our very own ExCo member?
No one is perfect. Not you, not me, not Haida. Everyone makes mistakes and it is all right to make mistakes. But most importantly was that we admit our mistake, learn from it and never to repeat it again.
I’m not siding with Haida nor am I going against you. I just feel hurt that things are turning out this way. What are we showing to the members? That ExCos cannot work together? Or are we trying to create?the tradition that old ExCos must make things difficult for new EXCOs? Why do we keep talking about traditions when we said that we wanted to breakthrough? Please enlighten me.
Haida:
Please don’t cry, Don’t be sad
Leave your tears behind, Take your fears and throw them all away
I can see what you hide from me, When you feel like no one’s ever on your side.
Mai Phen Rai ~ Means never Mind, my dear
When you feel alone and lost and cold inside
Mai Phen Rai ~ Will make it easier
Just remember you are special in my eyes
They may say you are different, They may say you are strange
But in my eyes ~ I can see that you are special
And people are all different ~ They just need some time to see
Its what you have inside that matters most of all
Mai Phen Rai ~ Means never Mind, my dear
You must look beyond, search for one’s better side
Mai Phen Rai ~ will make it easier
Just remember that you are special in my eyes
Sonia: It hurts me to see the ‘present’ that you have left for us in the ExCo corner, after I had painstakingly tried to clean up. What is your point? I wonder what do you really get in the end? Some cheap thrills at the expense of someone else’s agony?
Remember which manager invited you to join her com when you felt left out? Which com saved food for you, when they had potluck – knowing it that you are still around in the SC room?
I have no idea what happened between the two of you, but it is always a blessing to be magnanimous. If Haida had done something horrible to offend you, why stoop to her level by seeking revenge?
I believe what goes round comes around. If we could give you a chance then, why not graciously bestow that same chance upon someone else who needs it now? It’s really very tiring to hate someone. Don’t you think so?
Remember, we are a part; not apart.
William
Conrad Hotel Event
I almost didn’t want to wake up this morning but I have to go back to school with Edmund. We received an eleventh-hour notification yesterday that the SW Department needed two guys to help them out with an event today.
As we couldn’t find any manpower due to the short notice, we were left with no choice but to go ourselves. We didn’t know what they wanted with us but only know that we will be paid for it.
After reaching school, Mr Borhan told us that Conrad Hotel is having an inter-department soccer match in our school and they have booked our soccer field for it.
The game would be from 9am to 12 noon and all we had to do was to collect the scorecard from the referee after the matches and to clean up the place after the event ended. It seems like easy money, considering that we would be paid $20 each for 3 hours of work.
As we were watching the game, a Malay boy behind us was kicking a soccer ball against the wall repeatively. He was dirtying the wall with ugly patches of ball prints and the din created was so irritating that I had to yell at him to stop.
A while later, another Malay boy came along and did exactly the same thing. This time round, Mr Borhan was the one who asked him to stop playing.
After the match ended, we started clearing up the rubbish left behind by them. It’s mystifying how much rubbish could be produced by this small group of people in such a very short time!
We went round the spectator’s seats to collect the boxes of unfinished food and mineral water bottles that were left lying around. It’s very sad to see food wastage, as there is still a lot left in the boxes.
Hundreds of children are dying of famine in third world countries everyday yet these people still do not know how to appreciate what they had.
Likewise for the mineral water, there are places suffering from drought for years yet they only took a few sips off the bottle and they didn’t want it anymore. How my heart ache to see this happening.
investiture
It’s finally over. The 14th have officially stepped down and the 15th have taken over the responsibilities of leading the SC.
Our Course Manager, Mr Steven Low and the Section Heads – Mama Lum, Mrs Yeo, Mr Ho and Ms Wong came to attend the Ceremony.
My eyes started getting teary when Wee Kuang said his outgoing speech, evoking all the past memories of our struggles and sorrows when we tried to build up the 14th batch. In fact, most of us started crying.
The Tampines EXCOs seating behind us were so mean as to mimic the sounds of us crying. They are really a disgrace to all the councilors, making a game out of this solemn event!
I have conflicting emotions battling inside my heart, as I crossed over from the 14th to the 15th. As a 14th EXCO, I went on stage to receive my Appreciation Letter and farewell gift with a relaxed frame of mind however, when I went on stage as a 15th EXCO to receive my Appointment Letter, the feeling was dreadful.
I do not know what greater challenges lies ahead, now with a new set of EXCOs working with me. Without my 14th EXCOs by my side, I feel so lost and insecure.
The comrades who once fought shoulder to shoulder, weathered through turbulent storms together, and facing adversities straight in the face for the past year will soon be going their separate ways.
14th ~ 15th Investiture (rehearsal)
The 5 College Central campuses would be holding their first ever-combined Investiture tomorrow at ITE Macpherson whereby the 14th EXCOs would be stepping down and handing over their duties to the 15th EXCOs.
Most of the councilors will be involved and won’t be coming to school on Friday. However, Mrs Chew came to me this morning and wanted me to return to school on Friday after the Investiture for CO practice.
Friday is a big day for the SC and she has no idea how important this gathering is to us as it is going to be our final gathering already.
The Investiture is expected to end around noon and she allows me to go for the gathering however, she wants me to be back in school by 3 pm. What good can 3 hours of gathering do?
Furthermore, I haven’t even included the travelling time yet! So how much time is there left for me to ‘gather’ around?
After I told them that I might not be able to attend the gathering, everyone’s moods were dampened and I felt so sorry for being the cause.
This upset me the entire morning as I tried to think of a solution to solve this problem. I couldn’t pay attention in class and I was really caught in a dilema.
After serious considerations, I have finally made up my mind and tendered in my resignation letter to Mrs Chew. I am not quitting CO solely because of this incident. There are alot of other factors involved.
In fact, I have long wanted to quit, as there are some disagreements that I had with the Instructor. I even nearly quarreled with my CO chairman over this. Nonetheless, I hoped to have more time for myself after dropping one CCA.
Taken during one of the many rehearsals.
bleeding
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Hurt my toe this morning while I was changing the water for the fish tank. The entire 2ft glass tank slipped from my hands and crashed onto my foot and it broke into smithereens!
Blood was oozing profusely from the gaping wound and I was rushed to the TTSH.
An X-Ray was taken and amazingly, no broken bones except for a slight graze near the big toe. Received out-patient treatment and was discharged with 5 stitches.
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Where’s Thomas?
Haven’t seen Thomas for the whole week. I heard that he’d left school already but wherever he is, I hope he’s happy… AND far away from the bullies.
Just to be nice to someone?
Why make fun of us
Just so you can have fun?
It’s just not right,
And definately not okay.
Who else will you make miserable
And chastise today?
Broken hearts and shattered feelings
Lie in your path.
Unique people who are dealing
With the pain of your laugh.
We withstand the day,
And try to keep a smile,
We stand up for ourselves
Every once in a while.
But when the sun sets
And all the damage is done;
We go home and cry
At the price of your fun.
What if you were on the outside,
And no one was there.
How would it feel to have nobody care?
Try to understand;
We’re not all the same guys.
Not everybody’s like you
Personality-wise.
But all that really matters is
Who we are on the inside.
Geeks, nerds, blacks, whites;
Preps, snobs, jocks, right?
Stereotyping people:
Do you think it’s right?
That that’s a reason for people to fight.
All we crave is some attention.
Somebody who cares,
Not giggles or glares.
Are you really that self-conscious
About who you’re seen with?
Look who your friends are,
What can they give?
There you all are;
The proud and the few.
What makes you think they won’t do it to you?
Capitalism from around the World
TRADITIONAL CAPITALISM.
You have two cows. You sell one and buy a bull.
Your herd multiplies, and the economy grows. You sell them and retire on the income.
AN AMERICAN CORPORATION.
You have two cows. You sell one, and force the other to produce the milk of four cows. You are surprised when the cow drops dead.
A FRENCH CORPORATION.
You have two cows. You go on strike because you want three cows.
A JAPANESE CORPORATION.
You have two cows. You redesign them so they are one-tenth the size of an ordinary cow and produce twenty times the milk. You then create clever cow cartoon images called ‘Cowkimon’ and market them worldwide.
A GERMAN CORPORATION.
You have two cows. You reengineer them so they live for 100 years, eat once a month, and milk themselves.
A BRITISH CORPORATION.
You have two cows. Both are mad.
AN ITALIAN CORPORATION.
You have two cows, but you don’t know where they are. You break for lunch.
A SWISS CORPORATION.
You have 5000 cows, none of which belong to you. You charge others for storing them.
A CHINESE CORPORATION.
You have two cows. You have 300 people milking them. You claim full employment and high bovine productivity. You have the newsman who reported on the numbers arrested.
AN INDIAN CORPORATION.
You have two cows. You worship them.
A MALAYSIAN CORPORATION.
You have two cows. You signed a 40-year contract to supply milk at 0.06 per lit. Then midway you raised the price to 0.60 or you cut supply. When the buyer agrees to the new price, you change your mind again and now want 1.20. The buyer decided you can keep the milk and they go look for milk that comes from recycled cows. Your two cows retire together with the PM.
A SINGAPOREAN CORPORATION.
You have two cows: One “cow-peh” and one “cow-bu”. Both are owned by a government linked corporation.
disillusioned
Went to school on Friday morning with a heavy heart. My mind was still preoccupied by what happened during the previous day’s meeting. I dragged my feet, hoping that I would not reach so early.
I see it pointless for me to go to school early. What for do I bother waking up at 5 am in the morning everyday just so to reach school by 7 am? I was hoping to lead by example, to encourage the members to be punctual for school too but what good would it do, if my own EXCOs who lived just nearby could still be late?
All of us have to be of one mind and one heart if we want the members to be cooperate with us.
I don’t see if I could reach Bishan from CCK on time, why can’t they? (For info, I still had the time to clear up the rabbits litterbox and bring Dexter out for his morning walk round the neighborhood before I leave for school every day.)
I hate to admit it but perhaps, Joseph was right all along. In the past, Fanny would open the SC room before 7 am. Everyone who enters the room would greet everyone and morale was high then.
At that time, we even competed against each other to see who would reached the earliest. By 7.20 am, the SC room would already be bustling with people already.
But now? The SC Room is not even opened at 7.15 am! I really respect Joseph and Jerry, who would take the effort to be in school as early as 7 am everyday, sometimes even 6.55 am! I can see the commitment and sacrifices they had contributed towards the SC and it’s one great consolation for me.
It’s no use for us EXCOs, to keep whining about this and that but without setting a good example on our part.
The Dead Cockroach 