Memories...
Monday, September 10, 2007
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REFLECTIONS ON MY 4TH ROP..
The picture on the left is ROP Camp 2006, where the 27th MC-elects then were attempting the legendary ice-cream stick game. Sitting in the middle were Lion King and Ruby who were leading the com in solving the puzzle.
I took this picture as an evaluator last year, and 1 year on, I am back again. Haha, how time flies.
In 2004, I went for my 1st ROP, clueless really, on what to expect. What i was really impressed with was that i realized how much Arts Club meant to a lot of seniors back then. And how I remembered the excitement that flowed through me when I presented plans to the ROP Com and the evaluators. And the immense sense of pride and confidence I gained, together with a tingling sensation, when the evaluators told me to "consider running for something much higher" and everybody else goes "aye aye" in the background. Unknown to many, I never forget about that moment in my life.
In 2005, I went for my 2nd ROP, full of clues this time, on what to expect. And I oredi knew that i was going for Presidency. However, I had a tough time esp coz I was re-running alone, and there were times when I felt i should take a step back to let the 26th freshies shine. It was also extremely uncomfortable for me coz my 25th MC peers were evaluating me, when all of them had been my friends.
However, I had to thank 3 people though. The 1st 2 were Rudy and Ridhwan who never stopped believing in me throughout ROP. The 3rd person was Steven, who told me on the 1st night of ROP 2005 at Pulau Ubin that he thought my performance on the 1st dae was bad, and that maybe I should consider not running for President, and told me to admit that I am not good enough to be one. I went back to my tent, shed a few tears alone in the silent night as I slept beside my 26th MC members, and came out of the tent determined to prove him wrong. All in all, ROP 2005 was really tough for me due to the expectations involved and the raw-ness of the new com, but I remembered how proud I was to complete it together with the 26th, and got to know each and every single 1 of them much better.
In 2006, I went for my 3rd ROP, as Chief Evaluator this time. It was a really different experience, being behind the scenes this time, silently watching and observing the 27th MC-elects. Was also really glad that lao jiao seniors all the way from 22nd to 25th could come down as evaluators. Organizing ROP 2006 was a wonderful experience for the 26th MC who was about to step down as well, treasuring the last few times we have together. On a personal level, I remember how glad I was that 27th ropers such as Ruby, Lion King, Bit and Jeremy Irons dared to step up on many occasions to lead, and how interesting characters such as Michael Jackson, Steve Tyler and David James brightened up the camp. haha. And yes, I still remember how David James charmed a little boy, 2 doggies, and an aunty along the way.
In 2007, I went for my 4th ROP, this time as a normal evaluator and for the 1st time, freed of mc responsibilities. Good in the sense that there were definitely lesser things on my mind so I could really concentrate more solely on the evaluation aspect. And I do feel that with experience, one does become a better evaluator.
But in any case, I was really proud of the 28th MC-elects. One must understand that every ROP occurs in different circumstances and different settings, and this year, it is indeed a very young and raw MC. However, as I have said many times in the past, one should judge a com when it steps down, not when it steps up. The 28th will have a long way to go but I m actually feeling quite positive that if they are really able to work closely as a team, and retain n exude their sincerity n open-mindedness, I think that this com will actually surprise a lot of people and silence a lot of critics. 22nd and 23rd MC were freshmen coms with even freshmen as Presidents and Vice-Presidents, but that didnt stop them from achieving great things.
What they ll need now is a lot of guidance and advice, esp from the outgoing com. After that, there ll be no telling how far they can fly.
