Memories...
Saturday, September 30, 2006
I do wonder sometimes, is it better to die in combat with a sword thrust into your guts or a bullet shot into your guts?
Soldiers of the past make war with bows and arrows, swords and spears. You gotta go really up close and personal and hack your enemies to death.
Soldiers of the present make war with howitzers, bombs, machine guns, and rifles. You can be hundreds of metres away and still shoot your enemies to death. Hell, you dun even need to see your enemies' faces as they die in front of you. That ll account for lesser nightmares.
It also makes Generals of the past much more respected and endeared i ll think...leading and fighting your way alongside your men rather than hiding in some air-con bunk. Certainly its a more comforting thought as a soldier knowing your leader is beside you fighting, ready to die if necessary alongside you.
In any case, sometimes it is disturbing to know that in this present age, war is still very much prevalent in the world..an inevitable fact of human life?
President Bush heavily defended his "war" on terror the past 2 weeks, as well as the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan, incredbibly suggesting that Americans and people of the world at large including you and me, are safer and more secure as a result of the wars.
Do you seriously believe that? That Americans, and you and I Singaporeans, are safer today?
I dun, and i think its a pile of bullcrap and "reality denial" from Bushy.
How many sons, brothers, fathers, of Iraq and Afghanistan had been killed? And how many more will rise to take the place of those who fall?
When someone bombs your country and kills your father "accidentally" as part of "collateral damage" and in the name of liberation, democracy, and anti-terrorism, do you subscribe to what they say and what will you do in return???
Are American lives supposed to more valuable and worthy than that of Iraqi and Afghan lives? And for that matter, more important than the lives of other nations in the world? What difference is Bush from a terrorist that bombed WTC himself?
If i, as a normal citizen of the world can feel repulsed by what Bushy said, imagine...
Imagine how the people that lost their sons, brothers, and fathers from the American bombings will feel.
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
I woke up todae feeling a sense of peace, fulfilment, and loss.
What an evening last night was for me...a culmination of 2 years of dreams, hopes, aspirations, and achievements. I have been dreaming of Thank You Dinner 2006 for the past year, and what a way to end it..with my girlfriend Princess Shuang Er...with the Dean and other staff..my seniors who have groomed me and watched me grow up..my 26th freshies who have fought side by side with me for the entire year..my same-batch friends like chonghan, rayner, and bobsie who have grown old together with me..my juniors 27th with dreams of their own..my friends and affiliates who have helped for the year...
The Dinner has indeed brought an end to my time..And i m glad i really have made a difference in the 2 years with the Club...
So i woke up todae asking myself where do i go on from here?
But noeing myself for the past 22 (comin to 23) years, i will be up and running, moving on, and seeking for a new challenge soon. =)
"Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path, and leave a trail behind....."
Sunday, September 24, 2006
How has life been since stepping down for a week??? haha..
Still had thank u dinner preparations the past week..and tieing up all the loose ends to ensure a smooth transition and taking over of the next com..
Had to make a lot of new personal adjustments as well..haha, for eg..no clubroom key after having it for the past 2 years! On Wed night, i stayed until v late at night, and i had to like sit outside the clubroom while it was locked up..haha..oh well..oh, and clearing of cupboard was quite a solemn deed for me..after again like, having my own personal big cupboard in school for the past 2 years..
And of coz, coping with the mentality that i am finally a free man again! haha! This has been quite an interesting issue for me..coz as a president, my mind has to spin v fast with regards to what i shud say, and what i shud not say 24/7, and also of the constant image and behaviour that i might be potraying..Had been used to this for the past one year, and thus, i find it kinda wierd that suddenly, i can say what i want and do what i like without having to think about a lot of factors..haha..i think it is this realization that has made me more cheerful, chirpy, and cheeky the past week, and a lot of pple have remarked to me bout this heh..like what chonghan said to someone the other day, "this s the real Hock man" haha..
Oh, the other thing is that i have had much much more personal time for myself, Shuang Er, tuition, and of coz for my studies..i actually went to the Hist of US lecture on fri, and sat thru the entire lect without sleeping + super enthuing copying notes from start to finish! Haha..so proud of myself man..
Hee =p will take time to fully adjust i m sure..meanwhile i just wanna enjoy my newfound freedom more yay..
Monday, September 18, 2006
Todae is the last official dae of my term..spent a good old Sundae alone at the clubroom, my 2nd home...for prob the last time...
My 2 years of MC life and 1 year of Presidential life with Arts Club ends tonight at AGM. Quite undescribable really..my feelings... =)
What a wonderful and exhiliarating journey it has been..one which has further shaped who i am, and one which i ll never regret for taking it up in the first place.
To all my beloved friends, past and present, all my seniors, affiliates, juniors, and all those who encouraged and believed in me for the past 2 years, i wanna say a big thank you....Rest assured I will not forget each and every single one of u who cared for me, and gave me the strength to carry on esp when the chips were down.
Thank you all for making my dreams come true. =)
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
Time flies, before i noe it..my 3rd ROP Camp is over..As i was walking and walking, memories of my 1st ROP and 2nd ROP came flooding back constantly..
During my 1st ROP, i was a freshie who didnt pretty much give a damn bout all e politics then, and wasnt scared of anything and ended up surprising all the evaluators and Arts Club seniors.
During my 2nd ROP, i returned as the sole person re-running, and felt the whole world on my shoulders. It was much tougher than my 1st ROP, due to the expectations of running for President, and that i was leading an entire group of freshies with only Rayner and Bobsie by my side.
During my 3rd ROP, as i walked side by side with each and every single one of the 27th..i cant help but think how they ll be like at the end of their term..when they look back and realized how much they have grown. This is the start of the journey and adventure of their lifetime...
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As i sit here in the clubroom at night alone..i realize it may be one of my last nights here alone..it is 5 days to AGM, where we ll hand over our coveted keys..
And as i type my AGM report and review the Club's progress over the year..i cant help but smile to myself..yes i am proud of 26th..And i have never ever been more proud of them...
I love this group of people..this group of friends..i really love them..even though as President i had to be niao and scold some of u a lot of times, i hope all of u understand that deep down inside me, i have never liked or enjoyed doing it to any one of u...and that i love u guys as much as my babies.. =)
It has been a wonderful journey seeing all of u grow up...the time has come for me to step down and move on gracefully..seeing Ruby getting fired by a barrage of questions reminds me of myself 1 year ago..it is tough no doubt, but this is a toughening process for the incoming President where he earns the mandate and respect of the people. The day has come where I ll be handing over e baton and the next lap of journey to Ruby, and i wish him all the best...
i love u guys..i really love you all..
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
Today (Mondae) was really a fruitful and accomplished day for me..Hosted a large group of Japanese students from the Hyogo Joint Summer Session in school from morning till afternoon, before returning to board their ship at night for a wonderful evening of cultural exchange, good food, and overseas companionship. =) The Japanese students were really adorable, friendly, and great hosts.
What makes me most happy is that the successful conclusion of today's hosting marks the 3rd and final leg of my attempt in office to put Arts Club and Arts Fac on the world map, and at the same time, giving a wonderful opportunity for our Arts students to experience meaningful cultural exchanges and link up with our counterparts in the other parts of the globe. In this age of globalization, it is no longer sufficient enough for us to be narrow-sighted and look within our own shores.
During my 1st leg, I worked closely with the Deans Office in linking up students for the hosting of foreign friends from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill..
During my 2nd leg, through a twist of fate, I managed to secure contact with the Students Union from the University of Macau, and hosted them during Arts Camp.. =) The highlight for me during that dae has to be seeing our guys cheering for the Macau visitors, and my fellow counterpart Arts Club President from UM speaking to the campers...
My 3rd leg ended todae, where i worked very closely with OSA to host Japanese Uni students from the Hyogo Prefecture...
Throughout all 3 legs, i realize what gave me the greatest satisfaction and fulfillment was not the food or anything, but rather, the result at the end..where our Arts students took pictures with their foreign friends..smiling, laughing, joking with each other..breaking bonds across international barriers...making new friends across international boundaries...A wonderful sight really..
I realize these images at the end were e factors that always kept me going..trying to source for new contacts and lobangs for hosting of foreign visitors, and again, making a difference to our students' life. Not many of us are rich enough to travel the world, but i sure can do my part to try and bring the world to the feet of others..
And now finally when i am stepping down, i can say that it hasnt been an easy job coordinating as well, becoz most of the time not even my fellow MC members noe much of or appreciate the effort i put in to organize these 3 legs. I had to do a lot of these planning alone..and e reason why i choose not to get too many pple to help me is becoz i want them to concentrate on their internal Cell and MC and FOP projects..And i am grateful indeed for the enriching experiences learnt from these hosting events, and i have told myself that i ll return to help out for future of such hostings by the Club or faculty. =)
3 other things delighted me todae..1st..my ninja team is finally completed. =)
2nd..met Joanne from Deans Office todae at e forum..and she was like shrieking at me "Ching Hock! Why u never re-run!!??" haha..i told her my reasons and offered my future services to help Deanery liao..And then she said something...
Something which touched me a lot.. :
"Frankly, this term has been the best in years that we at Deans Office can remember. You and your team did a great job. A lot of us here are really hoping you ll continue."Just a simple line from her..but yet this line means so much to me. Affirms what 26th had done..And she is not the 1st from Deans Office to tell me that...
Of coz she also added another line that:
"You all better choose a good President to succeed! The moment a wrong one is chosen it ll break e Club and all that the past seniors had done over the years!"Aye aye..
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And the 3rd thing is this letter from an old old friend..."Hey Ah Hock!
In case you didn’t know yet, I’m an avid reader of your blog. And after reading your most recent entries, just would like to share with you some of my feelings.
You’ve done a great job for the past one year. I suppose for those with eyes, they will easily notice. I remember back then when we were all freshmen, I don’t remember Arts Club doing anything much to add value to the lives of FASS students. I don’t remember the club doing much to really aid the students. In fact, I don’t remember anything except the word “bash”.
But under your leadership, I can see that Arts Club has changed quite a lot. I may not have been involved in any of these, but I can see with my eyes. I’m not sure exactly when the tutoring referral emails started entering my NUS mailbox, but I’m pretty sure it didn’t happen when I was in year one, it happened after my freshman year. And as an observer, I’m just going to credit you with that.
Not only this, correct me if I’m wrong, I notice that the suggestion box was only up permanently outside Arts Club only after you took over. I don’t remember seeing that box hanging on the door of Arts Club when I was a freshie. Also, I notice that more and more banners of a wider variety of activities were hung out along AS1 under your presidency. Once again, I don’t remember seeing so many during my first year at NUS.
I’m saying this not because you’re my friend. It’s obvious that from what has been written in your blog, as well as the concrete things you’ve accomplished, you’ve done a lot for Arts Club and FASS. I’m not an admirer of Arts Club back then in year one, but what you’ve done, your passion for the club has more or less changed my view.
Therefore, I hope that you don’t let negative comments or whatever stuff gets you down. There will always be people who are dissatisfied, but similarly, there will always be people who respect you for who you are and what you’ve achieved.
Best of luck for this academic year, and take care!
Zhixiang"Old buddy, if ya reading this, i just wanna tell u that yr letter is really touching and sweet. You rock..sorry for not being a very good friend the past 2 years and not spending much time with ya..really appreciate yr letter and encouragement..thanks man.. =)
i always tell myself that true friends are those who ll stand by you thru thick and thin..and when e chips are down..u re def 1 rv boi! haha..
Friday, September 01, 2006
Had a good drink with the other Presidents tonight..1 by 1, we are all stepping down, and moving on to a new phase of life. Despite the competitiveness among the various Faculty Clubs, there is a lot of mutual respect and sense of brotherhood among the group of us. It only seemed like yest when all of us first stepped up and met collectively at a Presidential meeting..No doubt, it was an honour to have known and worked with this group of leaders and friends, the best from their respective fields. We all promised to keep in touch, and at the back of my mind, i just have this feeling that we ll still be linking up in future, be it for work or friendship =)
Decided to spend some more time in Clubroom tonight...
How many more nights can i spend like this, i wonder..?
