155 Years - SJI Founder's Day

Wow, it has bee 30 long years since I went in St Joseph's Institution at Bras Basah Road - now the Singapore Art Museum.

Just 2 days ago, I received a call from my old classmate, Anthony Mak, that SJI is celebrating its 155 years of its Founders' Day. Just an excuse of having the guys from my class - 4 Arts 10 - to meet up. Of course, I said yes, but later have some reservations, as the costs of $100 and later my oldest daughter needed $150 for her Outward Bound Course she attend in March. There goes the budget for this month. So much to do and yet so little to spend!!!

Well, the attendence of this Founders' Day dinner on next Monday - 30 Apr 2007 at Shangri-La Hotel have brought back so many memories and also take stock of how much have happened for the last 30 years.

In 1977, going to a new school was really quite scary. I remember my parents came to see which class I was in. I remember being in Sec 1 C 10. Must be in the second last class as my Chinese was really hopeless. Well my sec 1 and sec 2 classmates had some of my classmates from primary school. I clearly now remember that we were really a bunch of motley boys. we would always made to stay back after school as we always make the most noise in between classes. And the irony is that the the beside us is the "best" class. I think it was 1 C 5.

We were so naughty that we even made 4 relief female teacher quit after a day of teaching as we always disturbed her. We even made teacher scold us for not wearing our uniforms after PE lessons. Some of my classmates will be in their underwear when the female teacher comes in for lessons. But think of it now some of the guys are now bankers or lawyers. Such irony in life.

When I went to Sec 2 I was in 1 C 9. You must think I improved but I think not, the school will place us in categories of what levels if standard you were in for your 2nd language. I was always in the worst class. we were always given this psychological tension that we will fail our O levels. even though the chinese teachers were right, I think this is like putting us in for slaughter.
I remember we were up for streaming at Sec 2. and also had to go for Tech Class at Mcnair Road every Friday. I hated going as we needed to do metal and woodwork. Sec 2 was quite a blur now, but I remember having to studying hard but I guess with my Chinese I was Destined to go to Art Class.

I made it to Sec 3 Arts 10, and we were made to be in a class that was next to the principal office. Again always had to stay back as we made one hell of noise in between class. One incident that I find weird is of having 7 classmates suspended for looking a a "dirty' Magazine. Well I recall, the magazine was passed during Science Lab class. I was sitting in the second row, and waitng to see the magazine, but never got to see it. Well, if the storey was right, some of the guys were looking at it and when one of the spotted a prefect walking by threw the magazine on the floor.

The guy that was reading the magazine was brought to the Principal's office and asked who else saw it. It was like asking him who he knows. it could be the whole school. Well, form waht I was told, someone chicken out and spill the beans and 7 guys were suspended for a week.

Well, Sec 3 and Sec 4 was the best time as we were voted by the school for having the class with the best teamworking and togetherness. Till today we still remember our "brothers" as one we will always help for anything.

I may have offended many of you guys during these 30 years, I don't mean any offence - maybe being young and hot tempered. But I will always remember our good times and hope that we will meet each other soon and connect again.

I look forward to this Monday's dinner and maybe this can be some life changing experience. Well, life is always made of experience that we can always learn from and grow from it.

I will report of what happen then, Later ...........

Going to Ngee Ann Poly

Hi

How is everyone? Good I hope. Happy Easter to one and all.

Well, when we received our GCE o Level results in 1980. I knew I only had 2 choices in life, to study in Ngee Ann Poly or do my A Levels privately. Because I did commerce as one of my O level subjects I guess gave me an advantage of doing Business Studies in Poly. Also the biggest draw is that I do not have to do Mandarin again for life. You see I scored a F9 for my Chinese.

Well, I still remember the day when we received our results in the SJI school Hall. All my classmates were just pushing each other to to be in front of the line to receive the results from our form teacher - the late Mr Lee. He seemed very pleased of our results - or from our thoughts that morning was we just passed and he had to teach us goondus again.

Before the months before the results after the O Levels, we just hung around together usually about 10 - 15 of us. Always asking each other what we'll do after the results and what we'll become years later. After receiving our results a I managed to get good enough results to enter Poly. Did well for maths, commerce, Lit, and english. I remember a few of my friends just cried their eyes out in the tuck shop. They did rather badly, some of them had to stay back, but not in SJI. (Secret, one of them is Fr Richards Ambrose). But looking back - with their rich parents those who stayed back went to study in the States and now are Bankers or Lawyers.

My class alone had 8 lawyers and one of them is now the Dean of the Law Faculty in NUS. We always say we were a bunch of guys who really knew how to talk-cock like they say. We were also a bunch of buay-yahs as you can imagine we had "love letters" with IJ girls and always had functions with girls. Such fun those days. So poor were we that we could not afford mobile discos like the youth today, but had to borrow the classmates' best sound system, and use torchlights to simulate disco lights. Ah those were really the days. The youth today must say we were so lame.

Well, I went to Ngee Ann Poly to do the Diploma In Business Studies. The first experience of studying with girls and with our raging buay-yahs, sometimes it was hard to concentrate. But I never had any girlfriends while studying in Poly. The work suited me as I was always very independent, and work was always depended on yourself. Some of my friends just left Poly after 3 month as they preferred the School - spoon fed system. I remember us schedulling our classes that we only had to come to school from Mon - Thu. Fridays was going out day - beaches, cinemas or playing squash or soccer.

One biggest incident was when one of my friends who was a "Babok - gay", dressed up as a girl and pretended to be one till graduation. He/She was even in the Poly's debating team in my first year, and the uproar from the SJI classmates when he/she was shown on TV, He even won the best speaker award - even though we did not win overall. He did this for three years and boy did he had an adventure as he went to the girls toilet and saw everything the girls did. even some of the girl class mates did not know he was a guy till we received our Diplomas in 1984.

There was even once a guy who wanted to date him. He was really a attractive gay/girl. But we out him to his senses when we told hime after he went out with him a few times. He was so shocked that he refused to talk to he/she again.

Poly was always fun as we had so much fun and time. But time can also be your biggest obstacle and you really needed to time managed or you'll just wate all the time and soon there will be no time to study.

I did many things that I was proud of in Ngee Ann Poly. One was to set up the Catholic society that it had to be registered as a Society in Singapore. You see, the menegement in Ngee Ann was very strcit in religious societies in Poly then and we had to be independent so that we will be more structured and organised. But throught he 3 years I was a bit disillusion, as I wanted to have more prayers for my members but the YCS had other objectives. I slacked off in the final year and the society only lasted for 5 years. Just one my proud and saddest achievements.

This was also the time I took up photography seriously. I was the official photographer for many events in poly - but the most challenging was with the educational Tour to the USA for 25 days. I was appointed the official photographer then and had to produce a slide show for the Travel agency and produced for the Poly after the tour. Boy those days we had to take slides negatives then and convert it with a machine as big as your photocopier now. Now we just do it with a windows programme. Till today I am still crazy over photography.

I miss my friends as we don't seem to keep in touch so much as my SJI friends. Guess it is our work and families, but we always remember the good times and friendship fostered.

I will always miss the freedom of being a student and the carefree life we had. I miss being a student and know the best time of our lives is being a students and the stories we can tell.

Till then ..........