Vivas do Brilhantismo
Could you please ask yourself, have you lived your 10 years of mandatory education fruitfully? I can tell you proudly, I have.
Besides the valuable values learnt, I have a long honour roll. Not boasting, but I've got a whopping ten intra-school awards and one inter-school trophy.
I won my first medal in 1999. It was some Snake Run during sports day and the team was supposed to run around cones. Then, Poi Ching was still in Toa Payoh and shared the field with Pei Chun Public. I was always slow during practices (I was much clumsier when young) but surprisingly, my inspring performance on the actual day drove the team to the 1st spot. Due to my extreme small size, my teammate was able to carry me as part of a celebration. The team was very much elated upon the glory.
My only inter-school glory was the East Zone Volleyball Championships in 2004. The memory may be quite vague, but I still can recall the main parts. In 2003, I was the only P5 then who didnt make it to the school team. The coach rather let my juniors take my place. I worked hard and finally got into the school team in 2004. However, thanks to my vice captain (forgot his name), I was booted from the team after Zonal Competition, and I was also the only school team player who did not step into the court all the way into our National quarters (even the P5 kid who replaced me did get a sub appearance).Well, I was simply considered the worse player then.
Of course, there was no DSA then, so everyone went to study. I acheived quite a disappointing 231 which deriviated quite a lot from my target 250, on 24 November 2004, the day of release of the results. My then-form teacher Ms Phua Ai Lei, OM Mr Chee Ai Leng and then-principal Mdm Foo Mui Chuw were amongst the most anxious for my results. They comforted me on my below-par performance. I remember clearly that Ms Phua still told me about a student who scored an under-average score for PSLE but seven distinctions in O Levels. Four years on and we promised to bring back my O Level report slip. On 22 December 2004, Mr Chee received the pile of posting results from MOE and after the clerks pasted them on the respective report books, Mr Chee took the trouble through 280 books and picked out mine. He was overjoyed when he saw: "4. 3006 GAN ENG SENG" He told my mum that GESS wasnt a bad school too. And indeed, GESS is the greatest school, I think. It is where I will stay committed to.
Just four years ago then, O Level seemed so far-fetched but within the blink of an eye, we are now sitting for it in two months' time. And more heartbreakingly, my glorious, fun, fulfilling and meaningful 10 years of mandatiry education is coming to an end. It was the time of my life, I believe.
On another note, the National Day Parade wasn't great at all, thanks to this year's GOH the dragon scouts. They were of low standard, wanted to do a split-march-in when they can't even have a proper bang and their uniform suck. Seriously, I think the supporting contingents, without white gloves, were much better. Later the day, caught the Beijing Olympics OC which was really grand. China really has ability, I feel. But I still ponder on their people's social quality.
Then the next day was National Day, the real one. Once again, I don't know why SAF picks lousier parade commanders each year. Is it a custom? Nonetheless, Parade SMs still maintained their standards. As usual, concerts and fireworks were nothing interesting. Watched Money No Enough 2 after the parade. Well, quite true, it really portrays the situation in So, in appreciation to our beloved nation,
"The Singapore Song" by Rony Tan. Its red-hot on YouTube now.
These few days, there were quite a chain of events. After National Day there was a day off for us and after we returned back to school it was really full study mode. I got a disappointing A2 plus Dist oral grade for Chinese and maybe I'm the only distinction student retaking? Nevertheless, got through English O Level quite like a breeze, I had something to fall back on, at least. Furthermore, I feel I'm soaring now, after I got two straight Ds for the recent SS and Phy Tests respectively; and scoring quite well in A Maths Practice Papers. Well, Maths, Science and Humanities aren't that difficult. Remove that thought, because O Level is just part and puzzle of life.
