Memories...
Tuesday, July 03, 2007
MY NUS ARTS CAMP STORY..
Haha, i guess its finally time for me to wrap up this final chapter of this amazing journey which has taken me from year 1 to year 4...and which have left so many unforgettable memories each time for me.
As a freshie in June 2004, I honestly felt that out of the 3 Camps i attended, e other 2 being PA Camp and Sports Camp, Arts Camp was the least fun. Perhaps coz it was held at PGP and was too short then..But still, that camp was the start of how i got to know friends such as Chonghan, suzie, diana, eunice, ken, song kwang, fiona, etc.
Decided to run for PD when i got into 25th MC, and really aimed to revolutionize it and make it 10 times better. And so in June 2005, Artstasy was finally materialized..and there were soo many massive changes in programmes..and the spirit of the camp was really great and ended in a touching moment for a lot of pple including myself..The camp became like a baby to me, as i witnessed 1st hand how it could touch and change the lives of so many people, both freshies and councilors.
Moving on to June 2006, it was another interesting experience as i was the President this time, meaning that it was better for me to take a step back behind the Organizing scene. Became an OGL for the 1st time, of Shakira (u guys rock!! heh) and going thru the camp from a different angle. Had a lot of fun and strengthened bonds with the other S House councilors haha..It was really a huge camp as well..close to 288 freshies, meaning it was harder to bond each OG as it was so much larger than the previous year.
FASS Foward to June 2007...haha, and this time i was a House IC for Spartan blue house!! I m so glad i didnt regret trying out for the role..i have to admit that initially, i face certain apprehensions within myself. Chief of which was whether i had the energy, passion, fire, ra-raness and craziness as a lao lao going back..and also dealing with e reality that most of my fellow S House buddies n councilors last time such as Xiao xian xian, bian bian, michele, swilin, yuimin, Joy, Weiliang, Marriee Ivy, Jono, Eric, Daniel, Felicia, Amy, Peiyong, Weilong etc etc wont be back this time. They were such strong councilors really!! Thank god for egg head, joshua, leon, kimberly, dave, and Fangling the familiar faces haha!
Nevertheless, i went into Arts Camp 07 with what is 1 of my greatest weapons in life: An open mind. =) And i m really glad and grateful to the new batch of S House councilors who really stepped up and proved themselves. I thought i was really lucky to have super zai OGLs this time in Gerald, Harris, Shafiq, Egg head, and Joel, who were really responsible and put in so much effort to bond their respective OGs. Haha, though i must say that the councilors this time may not be as garang in leading cheers, but i think being a good councilor at the end of the dae shouldnt just be about being able to lead cheers. If any one of u councilors are reading this, i just wanna thank u once again for everything and a great job done!! =) I m also glad to noe new frenz such as the nu3 ren2 jun1 tuan2, my ex-Shakira freshies now Starsky councilors much better, and so many others including Mao mao, huixiang, leona, yan guang, daphne, kim, so many many la haha!
And of coz to the freshies this year, i really hope they had a great time, regardless of which house or og they are from. =) Being a house ic means u get to see, observe, and noe many more freshies, but it also means that u dun get to noe most of them deep enough, as half of the time, we gotta run around and join different ogs, and sometimes at other places settling stuff. Nonetheless, its great to see that most of them truly enjoyed themselves at the end. I was pleasantly surprised to count over 10 freshies crying during the circle of friendship..haha..guess some of them were really touched..which speaks volumes for the camp. I mean, seriously, which other Orientation camp in Singapore can u go and come back crying on the last dae?
I guess it was really quite touching in e end..when so many pple broke down. Didnt expect Chonghan and Ben to cry as well..and actually, when the 8 of us house ics were practising behind the function hall, rehearsing on e 2 songs, fangling, michelle, julie and shuning were oredi holding back plenty of tears. And needless to say about the councilors, O com members, ex 26th MC members, Jeremy irons, and the 27th mc members...This kind of experience and scene are things u ll never forget for the rest of your life, long after u graduate. I always tell my juniors that life in uni is not just about mugging for that piece of cert (which so many pple have todae anyway), becoz when u graduate, the things u hold onto are not those lecture notes or capscores, but the friendships and the memories of the camps, events etc u attended in yr 3 or 4 years in uni. Just ask those graduating now, or who have just graduated.
And of coz, a special note to Chonghan, Julie, Little india, michelle, john, ben, and fangling, a special grp of friends whom i had so much fun and banter with as fellow House ics. I always knew since year1 as freshies that Chonghan and i can have lotsa fun and rubbish together, and we re really glad that we could bring it together and showcase our rubbish and stamp collection to the freshies and this year's camp. I never forget those daes back at Artstasy 05, when me as PD then, and Chonghan as FOP Chair then, did so much crazy at-the-spur-of-the-moment stuff such as hula hoop competition, talk cock competition, sing-song competition, dancing competition etc. haha! I was thus really grateful and happy that there could be a reunion of some sorts for us this year at Arts Camp..and of coz, i was really impressed as well with 1st-time house ics michelle, julie, john and ben. I thought they did a fantastic job considering they are year1s goin on to year2s and its their 1st time they re doin house ics. You guys absolutely rock!! n_n
I said before the camp that john and harris had a freaking lot of potential and i m so glad that both of them were given a platform to shine and rose up to the occasion. John as a house ic and harris as 1 of the best OGLs in the entire camp.
Haha, but really, the fellow house ics really gave me plenty of cheer and happiness this time round, esp when we sit and talk cock together during meals or when the other camps are busy playing station games. Guess there exists a special bond within us, as it is every year with the other house ics. And sometimes it can be really tiring trying to lift up the morale and spirits of not just the freshies, but also the councilors as well! haha. And i also realize that when u re a house ic, u really feel very very strongly for yr house and the house collectively means a lot to u.. =)
Well, i guess at the end of the dae, the camp was fantastic and really left a very sweet memory for me, esp as it is my last ever Arts Camp. While i dun like to make comparisons, esp as i always emphasize that every year there are different pros and cons for each Arts camp, but i do feel that this year's spirit of the camp was as strong and similiar to 2 years ago, n considering that Jeremy irons led a really young O Com, they did really really well. n_n
Leaders come and go, but what is most important in the long run is that the spirit of the club and the camp traditions are being carried on. From what i witnessed, i m silently confident that the camp ll continue to do well in the years to come, with strong leadership from future MCs. haha.. I m sure the legacies of Arts Camp will continue.
Well, the journey ends here for me....
Or does it?
Hee, the end of an journey is the beginning of another for me..esp when i m an adventurer remember???!! :p
Hint: Pirate Ship, here i come!!! Land AHOYYY for the Big O!!!!
