but in retrospect, i'm quite thankful that i came to NTU. there were lots of firsts for me. and this huge sprawling campus at the siberia of singapore holds too many fond memories.
i remember moving into hall 7 and making new friends. i remember louisa was my roommate and we had a great time sharing apples and oranges, watching tv with our neighbours and gathering in our friend's room to talk rubbish and sing songs.
it was the first time i was living away from home. and the feeling is both scary yet liberating at the same time. and that same feeling came again when i left singapore to study in seattle. it was a city in land of danger aka USA and it was 18 hours away with the huge pacific ocean separating me and my loved ones.
this 6-month stint overseas was enough to teach me about life, because so much was experienced and my eyes were widened so much. it was also the first time i was comfortable being alone and not feel lonely. that's my most independent experience so far.
it was also the first time i experience the fear of living in a country where people are allowed guns and tragedy strikes. not once but twice. and another time my roommate heard a gunshot in the middle of the night, woke me up and for the first time, i was afraid for my life and went to pray immediately for like 15 minutes.
(anyway too many things can be said about my trip overseas, so that's a story for another day.)
well school held many fond memories. i have the greatest bunch of friends and i really love my cohort for being so funny and spontaneous and noisy and free-spirited. being continuously fascinated by the intricacies of biology and God's work is something we share in common. that and those endless nights of studying and cramming and memorising. whether in our beloved old resource room or the new one christened "diamond", or in the libraries of HSS, NIE, library 2, canteen B (complete with prata and teh peng), or at starbucks eastpoint or burger king.
outside of school we had that usual fair share of gatherings, BBQs, steamboats, orientation camps, inter-school games, jam band sessions, trawling the flea markets and bazaars for cheap earrings and clothes, our favourite "i-scream" yoghurt with blended fruits. not to mention that one year of carolling during the christmas season.
my hall friends from hall 7 are the most eclectic and weird mix of friends i have ever. because we all have different majors, and we come from different backgrounds and have different personalities and interests, the things we do together are the silliest but nevertheless, memorable.
those nights of mahjong, drinking, playing silly orientation camp games, the infamous birthday celebrations consisting of soy sauce and a whole range of condiments, detergent, kiwi shoe shine and LOTS of water, lots of chasing and running and screaming. followed by the more subdued and mature cake cutting, photo-whoring and drinking and chat sessions. there were also nights of silly short-film-making, pretending to be soldiers infiltrating the girl's rooms, climbing the walls of our block, pretending to be back in NS and doing pushups. and the usual parties, steamboats, playing in inter-hall games, hall production rehearsals late into the night, watching the actors go through their lines till i can memorise them, carolling around town, late-night suppers, trips to sentosa for beach volleyball and frisbee.
well hall 7 was also where i met my first (and only, so far) boyfriend and it's strange that 3 years ago this day was THAT day. you know. and while it has ended a few months ago, i don't really know what to say about it except. yeah i don't really know what to say about it. of course it has been the one thing that has taught me the most about myself. the way i do things, say things, handle things, and my relationships with other people, and ultimately God. yes and i don't know what else to say.
(that must be the world's most incoherent paragraph.)
then there was my CCAs outside school and hall. welfare services club was a big part of my NTU life. we did so many projects. and we helped so many people. yes i'm sounding pompous but WSC does a lot of good. we reach out to so many different underprivileged/less fortunate people in singapore and overseas and i'm very proud of her achievements. working with the boys from singapore boys hostel was a great learning lesson, for me as a person, as a volunteer and as a teacher and i'm thankful for that experience. those miscellaneous committees i joined enlarged my circle of friends and taught me valuable life skills and lessons. being in the 11th and 12th management committee has also taught me those things on a much larger scale. the people i've worked with are amazingly talented and smart and i do believe that they are on their way to achieving great things in life. because they have that compassion. (:
and yes i did enter the Istana for the first time to receive the Singapore Youth Award medal of commendation with my friends for WSC's work. met ronald susilo and minister teo chee hean and other dignitaries. also made friends with eunice oslen (though i'm sure she doesn't remember me now), got interviewed by local press and so much more.
well, the students' union was also something i was kinda involved in, and i was thrusted into the mess of politics in the union and that also exposed me to the harsh realities of student government politics. like back in JC, running for students' council was a simple affair. this was a whole new different ballgame and it was a good thing i merely stood at the sidelines and observe people trashing and backstabbing one another without having fallen into that mess. but still, it taught me good lessons which will be applicable to the future working world of dog-eat-dog.
i'm sure i missed out many many things. but i was feeling sentimental 'cos my exams are finally over and i won't have to take anymore of it in my final semester and so this is the unofficial end to actual going-to-school-and-study-for-exams. so this is dedicated to all my friends from the school of brewery/biological sciences.
carlene, edward, champ, andrea, renchun, lanpei, huimin, angeline, samuel, weiliang, fish, gerald, fidelia, lauretta, kristin, saheen, kelvin, nikolay, weiqi, vincent, engel, tingfeng, wani, juni, ilda, kah suan, and ohmygoodness i cannot think of other names but there are so many more! but everyone from SBS class of 2008, this is a song for you. read the lyrics and listen to the song. you'll always be remembered.
For Good
Wicked OST
Original Broadway Cast
Kristin Chenoweth & Idina Menzel
GLINDA
I've heard it said
That people come into our lives for a reason
Bringing something we must learn
And we are led
To those who help us most to grow
If we let them
And we help them in return
Well, I don't know if I believe that's true
But I know I'm who I am today
Because I knew you:
Like a comet pulled from orbit
As it passes a sun
Like a stream that meets a boulder
Halfway through the wood
Who can say if I've been changed for the better?
But because I knew you
I have been changed for good
ELPHABA
It well may be
That we will never meet again
In this lifetime
So let me say before we part
So much of me
Is made of what I learned from you
You'll be with me
Like a handprint on my heart
And now whatever way our stories end
I know you have re-written mine
By being my friend:
Like a ship blown from its mooring
By a wind off the sea
Like a seed dropped by a skybird
In a distant wood
Who can say if I've been changed for the better?
But because I knew you:
I have been changed for good
And just to clear the air
I ask forgiveness
For the things I've done you blame me for
But then, I guess we know
There's blame to share
And none of it seems to matter anymore
Like a comet pulled from orbit as it passes the sun./Like a ship blown from its mooring by a wind off the sea.
Like a stream the meets a boulder halfway through the wood./ Like a seed dropped by a bird in the wood.
Who can say if I've been changed for the better?
I do believe I have been changed for the better.
And because I knew you:
Because I knew you:
Because I knew you:
I have been changed for good.
I've heard it said
That people come into our lives for a reason
Bringing something we must learn
And we are led
To those who help us most to grow
If we let them
And we help them in return
Well, I don't know if I believe that's true
But I know I'm who I am today
Because I knew you:
Like a comet pulled from orbit
As it passes a sun
Like a stream that meets a boulder
Halfway through the wood
Who can say if I've been changed for the better?
But because I knew you
I have been changed for good
ELPHABA
It well may be
That we will never meet again
In this lifetime
So let me say before we part
So much of me
Is made of what I learned from you
You'll be with me
Like a handprint on my heart
And now whatever way our stories end
I know you have re-written mine
By being my friend:
Like a ship blown from its mooring
By a wind off the sea
Like a seed dropped by a skybird
In a distant wood
Who can say if I've been changed for the better?
But because I knew you:
I have been changed for good
And just to clear the air
I ask forgiveness
For the things I've done you blame me for
But then, I guess we know
There's blame to share
And none of it seems to matter anymore
Like a comet pulled from orbit as it passes the sun./Like a ship blown from its mooring by a wind off the sea.
Like a stream the meets a boulder halfway through the wood./ Like a seed dropped by a bird in the wood.
Who can say if I've been changed for the better?
I do believe I have been changed for the better.
And because I knew you:
Because I knew you:
Because I knew you:
I have been changed for good.
a video of the song sung by the original broadway cast in NYC. (: click to go to youtube page.
another video, tracking the rehearsals for the musical. a better hearing experience. click to go the youtube page.
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