A Tale of Two Countries
Published Thursday, August 24, 2006 by Robin.
Was listening to the Prime Minister’s national day rally on channelnewsasia.com while replying to my mum’s email yesterday evening (she wrote an email to scold me for not writing to her). If not for talkingcock.com and mrbrown, I would not have come to know about the PM’s rally. I really don’t see why the press holdings should charge people (penniless students, in particular) for access to the Straits Times Interactive. SPH is after all the owner of Paragon and Mediacorp and they are one of Singapore’s most profitable companies. The Establishment really cannot blame people reading blogs for news when SPH is happily making people pay for the sole source of mainstream Singapore news online. Maybe I should write a complaint to the Straits Times forum, after all the Prime Minister was exhorting overseas Singaporeans to stay involved.
There are 11 Singaporeans in this year’s cohort; I’m not sure if that figure includes this guy who gave up his PR status when it was his time to enlist for NS. Singaporeans are not very difficult to spot: the military scholars walk around in their unit T-shirts, some of the rest are still wearing SAF-issue New Balance sneakers, and a number of us still go to sleep in army singlet.
For the first couple of days, I felt a little weird, a little out-of-sorts, a little repelled by the sticky-ness between fellow Singaporeans, even though I am probably the only one with a Singapore flag in his room. Actually, I’m still a little sensitive to it now. After all, one of the reasons all of us have chosen an overseas education for ourselves is exposure. It might have to do with the fact that I’m one of the few who are not on scholarship; perhaps it is because of this that I did not join a bunch of them for their breakfasts, dinners and the many meals they ate out together. But there is also something very weird, out-of-sorts and repelling when Team Singapore, when the Majulah Connection becomes some sort of tribal herd instinct.
However, in terms of sticky-ness, we are no where near the Koreans. They make up half the international students population, and that does not include Koreans raised in the United States. They stick to themselves and speak Korean. I left an Asian fraternity party a couple of days back because I felt like I have walked into the set of ‘Winter Sonata’. Very soon, the fraternities and sonorities will be replacing their Greek with Korean. In general (yes, I’m generalizing) the Asians raised in the United States are very pretty, they are very chio but also very hiao. It’s like they’re rushing off to some garden kimchi party 24/7.
Orientation is going on pretty okay so far, no tau-poks, mass dances or Eusoff- Hall-oleh-oleh-ah-ah. Mostly ice-breaker games and lectures about academics and student life. Meeting a lot of people these days and even though the school is not very big, it is still very tough trying to remember names and getting to know people beyond ‘Hello, my name is Robin’.
I just played the mrbrownshow for my roommate.
There are 11 Singaporeans in this year’s cohort; I’m not sure if that figure includes this guy who gave up his PR status when it was his time to enlist for NS. Singaporeans are not very difficult to spot: the military scholars walk around in their unit T-shirts, some of the rest are still wearing SAF-issue New Balance sneakers, and a number of us still go to sleep in army singlet.
For the first couple of days, I felt a little weird, a little out-of-sorts, a little repelled by the sticky-ness between fellow Singaporeans, even though I am probably the only one with a Singapore flag in his room. Actually, I’m still a little sensitive to it now. After all, one of the reasons all of us have chosen an overseas education for ourselves is exposure. It might have to do with the fact that I’m one of the few who are not on scholarship; perhaps it is because of this that I did not join a bunch of them for their breakfasts, dinners and the many meals they ate out together. But there is also something very weird, out-of-sorts and repelling when Team Singapore, when the Majulah Connection becomes some sort of tribal herd instinct.
However, in terms of sticky-ness, we are no where near the Koreans. They make up half the international students population, and that does not include Koreans raised in the United States. They stick to themselves and speak Korean. I left an Asian fraternity party a couple of days back because I felt like I have walked into the set of ‘Winter Sonata’. Very soon, the fraternities and sonorities will be replacing their Greek with Korean. In general (yes, I’m generalizing) the Asians raised in the United States are very pretty, they are very chio but also very hiao. It’s like they’re rushing off to some garden kimchi party 24/7.
Orientation is going on pretty okay so far, no tau-poks, mass dances or Eusoff- Hall-oleh-oleh-ah-ah. Mostly ice-breaker games and lectures about academics and student life. Meeting a lot of people these days and even though the school is not very big, it is still very tough trying to remember names and getting to know people beyond ‘Hello, my name is Robin’.
I just played the mrbrownshow for my roommate.
Email from Academic Advisor
Published by Robin.I did not even realize that I did not have a time slot with my academic advisor. Got an email from her earlier today:
Hi Robin,
I just wanted you to know that you can attend the advising session for students with the last name beginning with “R” tomorrow, during Academic Day. I just noticed that your last name does not have a place in the schedule, since there are no other H&SS students whose last name begins with a “Q.” The session you can attend will be held from 1-1:30 in Baker Hall 336B.
If you attend another one, it’s no big deal, but I just wanted you to know we didn’t forget you!Best,
Emily
So nice... lah! As Amanda Hannah Bennett would say.
Going to School
Published by Robin.It is day 7 in Pittsburgh. Orientation for international students started 6 days ago. It has been 4 days since the start of orientation for the entire cohort. Mum returned to Singapore 3 days ago.
Choosing a school was a little like shooting in the dark for me. I based my decision on what people wrote about the school, on the strength of her program, her rankings and reputation, but I’ve never been to Carnegie Mellon before I enrolled.
I’ve never even been in Pittsburgh. When I told Judy that I will be going to school in Pittsburgh, she told me she had learnt about the city in geography. Pittsburgh was a textbook example of industrial pollution, environmental degeneration and urban planning gone wrong. But that was probably more than fifty years ago. This place was then the steel mill of America. I saw some of that industrialization when I took the clipper cruise up and down the rivers yesterday (part of orientation). The few factories that I saw don’t seem to be doing any harm to the environment, and there is something very old-world and proletarian about them that makes them very quaint at the same time. Downtown Pittsburgh is slightly smaller than Manhattan; you get the same amenities and the architecture share the same Art Deco and Art Moderne influences, but you don’t find the grime, the crowd, the urban dislocation and hustle and bustle over here. It isn’t a metropolis but there’s still a lot of commerce going on; buildings are a lot more spaced out compared to New York City and the streets are a lot cleaner.
Seeing the university for the first time was also
relief. In terms of finding the right environment to study, I think I have made the right choice. The school is not extremely old but still very charming. Even the laboratories have a certain charm. It’s actually a good thing that the place is not too old. I don’t see what is so romantic about ivies creeping all over the school and having gargoyles stare down at you from every corner. In fact, I find that slightly hideous. Being not too old also makes the place less dreary, more cheerful, less depressing and less bleak. I really like the lush lawns, where in the evening you can find people playing Frisbee, practicing the bagpipe or just sitting around. The school is also not very big, but there is enough space between buildings to make sending someone back to her hall of residence ‘a walk to remember’.
Choosing a school was a little like shooting in the dark for me. I based my decision on what people wrote about the school, on the strength of her program, her rankings and reputation, but I’ve never been to Carnegie Mellon before I enrolled.
I’ve never even been in Pittsburgh. When I told Judy that I will be going to school in Pittsburgh, she told me she had learnt about the city in geography. Pittsburgh was a textbook example of industrial pollution, environmental degeneration and urban planning gone wrong. But that was probably more than fifty years ago. This place was then the steel mill of America. I saw some of that industrialization when I took the clipper cruise up and down the rivers yesterday (part of orientation). The few factories that I saw don’t seem to be doing any harm to the environment, and there is something very old-world and proletarian about them that makes them very quaint at the same time. Downtown Pittsburgh is slightly smaller than Manhattan; you get the same amenities and the architecture share the same Art Deco and Art Moderne influences, but you don’t find the grime, the crowd, the urban dislocation and hustle and bustle over here. It isn’t a metropolis but there’s still a lot of commerce going on; buildings are a lot more spaced out compared to New York City and the streets are a lot cleaner.Seeing the university for the first time was also
relief. In terms of finding the right environment to study, I think I have made the right choice. The school is not extremely old but still very charming. Even the laboratories have a certain charm. It’s actually a good thing that the place is not too old. I don’t see what is so romantic about ivies creeping all over the school and having gargoyles stare down at you from every corner. In fact, I find that slightly hideous. Being not too old also makes the place less dreary, more cheerful, less depressing and less bleak. I really like the lush lawns, where in the evening you can find people playing Frisbee, practicing the bagpipe or just sitting around. The school is also not very big, but there is enough space between buildings to make sending someone back to her hall of residence ‘a walk to remember’. First Post from Pittsburgh
Published Tuesday, August 22, 2006 by Robin.Sorry for taking such a long time to post this entry. I took awhile to get set up. Only managed to find an original version of Microsoft Office yesterday; somehow my new laptop could tell that I was trying to install a pirated version of the program (paiseh!). I can’t blog without Microsoft Word’s Spell-check function.
I am alive!
The journey here was uneventful, thankfully. Security was tight but it wasn’t a nuisance; and even though the Northwest Airline union had been threatening to strike, my mom and I, and our baggage, managed to arrive here safe and sound. Read 1 Samuels and played reversi on the in-flight entertainment system, but true to being a Combat Engineer, I slept through most of the 23 hour flight. Many thanks to all of you who have prayed for journey mercies.
I also want to thank all of you who were at the airport at 3am last Thursday morning to send me off. The timing was really ungodly. Thank you for your gifts, hugs, well-wishes and prayers. Many thanks also for all the emails, SMS-s and phone calls. I was really touched, moved and encouraged by your prayers and by some of the things you guys wrote, especially what Guonian had written in his card.
Fortunately, the airline provided very thick serviettes.
I am alive!
The journey here was uneventful, thankfully. Security was tight but it wasn’t a nuisance; and even though the Northwest Airline union had been threatening to strike, my mom and I, and our baggage, managed to arrive here safe and sound. Read 1 Samuels and played reversi on the in-flight entertainment system, but true to being a Combat Engineer, I slept through most of the 23 hour flight. Many thanks to all of you who have prayed for journey mercies.
I also want to thank all of you who were at the airport at 3am last Thursday morning to send me off. The timing was really ungodly. Thank you for your gifts, hugs, well-wishes and prayers. Many thanks also for all the emails, SMS-s and phone calls. I was really touched, moved and encouraged by your prayers and by some of the things you guys wrote, especially what Guonian had written in his card.
Fortunately, the airline provided very thick serviettes.
Farewell
Published Thursday, August 17, 2006 by Robin.
Later today, I will be leaving for the United States to begin my tertiary studies at Carnegie Mellon University. I intend to pursue a course in economics, and perhaps (hopefully) another major in computational finance or businesses administration.
I leave our island home with a spirit of thanksgiving and a heavy heart.
A heavy heart because it will be a long long time before I see Singapore again. And a spirit of thanksgiving because, despite all her ‘warts and blemishes’, this place has been my home for the past 21 years; it has given me my friends, as well as the memories and experiences that has shaped me as a person. This is home, truly.
I have never thought it’ll be this hard. I traveled alone to Europe and Australia when I was 18. A tertiary education abroad has always been what I want for myself and what my parents want for me. I thought I have been well-conditioned for this. When a friend of mine was leaving to further her studies, I lamely tried to comfort her by telling her how our planet is shrinking because of globalization and information technology.
In the past few weeks, the everyday has become less commonplace. Even laying the table for my mum is no longer the chore that it once was. There is a tinge of sadness to it; actually, more than a tinge. I will miss her, this home that she has single-handedly sustained and the way things are. Help me pray for her, that she will come to know the loving God and that, despite the distance between us, we can be joined in obedience to Him.
Leaving is hardest because of all the friendships God has blessed me with and because the memories that we shared are so sweet. All these memories are part of me now. I will always remember going to school with you and skipping lectures together; going through BPCC as your course-mate and slacking away in our bunk; being your CG mate and going for lunch with you after 1030am service. I will remember how you laugh at the way I play pool and giggle at the way I make a speech, and I will also remember laughing at how terrified you got during that horror movie. I will never forget driving you all over Singapore and you driving me to Church every Sunday morning. I will remember you laughing at how much I enjoy strange seafood and how I think of myself as the Pope.
If the customs authorities allow, I will ziplock each and everyone one of you, squeeze you into my baggage and bring you along with me to Pennsylvania. Keep your blogs updated. Keep in touch via email, msn and skype.
I love all of you and will miss all of you.
I leave our island home with a spirit of thanksgiving and a heavy heart.
A heavy heart because it will be a long long time before I see Singapore again. And a spirit of thanksgiving because, despite all her ‘warts and blemishes’, this place has been my home for the past 21 years; it has given me my friends, as well as the memories and experiences that has shaped me as a person. This is home, truly.
I have never thought it’ll be this hard. I traveled alone to Europe and Australia when I was 18. A tertiary education abroad has always been what I want for myself and what my parents want for me. I thought I have been well-conditioned for this. When a friend of mine was leaving to further her studies, I lamely tried to comfort her by telling her how our planet is shrinking because of globalization and information technology.
In the past few weeks, the everyday has become less commonplace. Even laying the table for my mum is no longer the chore that it once was. There is a tinge of sadness to it; actually, more than a tinge. I will miss her, this home that she has single-handedly sustained and the way things are. Help me pray for her, that she will come to know the loving God and that, despite the distance between us, we can be joined in obedience to Him.
Leaving is hardest because of all the friendships God has blessed me with and because the memories that we shared are so sweet. All these memories are part of me now. I will always remember going to school with you and skipping lectures together; going through BPCC as your course-mate and slacking away in our bunk; being your CG mate and going for lunch with you after 1030am service. I will remember how you laugh at the way I play pool and giggle at the way I make a speech, and I will also remember laughing at how terrified you got during that horror movie. I will never forget driving you all over Singapore and you driving me to Church every Sunday morning. I will remember you laughing at how much I enjoy strange seafood and how I think of myself as the Pope.
If the customs authorities allow, I will ziplock each and everyone one of you, squeeze you into my baggage and bring you along with me to Pennsylvania. Keep your blogs updated. Keep in touch via email, msn and skype.
I love all of you and will miss all of you.
Robin
Mundane Ramblings
Published Wednesday, August 16, 2006 by Robin.Here’s how last week, my last full week in Singapore, went:
Monday: Visited my primary school in the morning. Checked out Dempsey Road (Item 6) in the evening, that place is so secluded that it is more ‘chilling’ than ‘chill-out’. Changed plans and went to Geylang for dinner.
Tuesday: National Day eve. Dinner with Bernie at China Square. Caught the fireworks display put up by Team Singapore from the Esplanade bridge.
Wednesday: National Day. Bought camera at Peninsular Plaza. Visited the philatelic museum and the national museum. Lunch at Aunt’s place. Watched the NDP. Nights out with my army mates at a veritable Singaporean institution.
Thursday: Road trip followed by dinner with RI classmates. In some sense, item 4 can be checked because the restaurant we went to did have a view of our skyline. Unfortunately, the view was pretty far away from where we were sitting.
Friday: Slacked at home. Rented ‘Russian Dolls’ from Videoezy. Ate cockles.
Saturday: Breakfast at Tanjong Pagar food center. YAM. Watched fireworks put up by the French team from the Padang; I was super impressed. Had dinner at Laguna.
Sunday: Church. Lunch with YAMmers at Raffles City. Dinner at China Square with ex-classmate. Bought CD at the old parliament house.
Monday: Visited my primary school in the morning. Checked out Dempsey Road (Item 6) in the evening, that place is so secluded that it is more ‘chilling’ than ‘chill-out’. Changed plans and went to Geylang for dinner.
Tuesday: National Day eve. Dinner with Bernie at China Square. Caught the fireworks display put up by Team Singapore from the Esplanade bridge.
Wednesday: National Day. Bought camera at Peninsular Plaza. Visited the philatelic museum and the national museum. Lunch at Aunt’s place. Watched the NDP. Nights out with my army mates at a veritable Singaporean institution.
Thursday: Road trip followed by dinner with RI classmates. In some sense, item 4 can be checked because the restaurant we went to did have a view of our skyline. Unfortunately, the view was pretty far away from where we were sitting.
Friday: Slacked at home. Rented ‘Russian Dolls’ from Videoezy. Ate cockles.
Saturday: Breakfast at Tanjong Pagar food center. YAM. Watched fireworks put up by the French team from the Padang; I was super impressed. Had dinner at Laguna.
Sunday: Church. Lunch with YAMmers at Raffles City. Dinner at China Square with ex-classmate. Bought CD at the old parliament house.
Flight Details
Published Monday, August 14, 2006 by Robin.Date: Thursday, August 17
Departs: Singapore- Changi, Singapore (SIN) at 6:00AM
Flight: NW 6
Arrives: Tokyo- Narita, Japan (NRT) at 2:25PM
Class of Service: Economy Class (B)
Flight Duration: 7 hours 25 minutes
Miles: 3311
Meal Service: Breakfast
Aircraft: Airbus A330-200
Date: Thursday, August 17
Departs: Tokyo- Narita, Japan (NRT) at 3:40PMFlight: NW 20
Arrives: Minneapolis/ St. Paul-Int’l, MN (MSP) at 12:40PM
Class of Service: Economy Class (B)Flight Duration: 11 hours
Miles: 5953
Meal Service: Dinner
Aircraft: Boeing 747-400
Date: Thursday, August 17
Departs: Minneapolis/ St. Paul-Int’l, MN (MSP) at 3:10PM
Flight: NW 4775
Arrives: Pittsburgh, PA (PIT) at 6:16PMClass of Service: Economy Class (B)
Flight Duration: 2 hours 6 minutes
Miles: 725
Meal Service: None
Aircraft: CJ8
Departs: Singapore- Changi, Singapore (SIN) at 6:00AM
Flight: NW 6
Arrives: Tokyo- Narita, Japan (NRT) at 2:25PM
Class of Service: Economy Class (B)
Flight Duration: 7 hours 25 minutes
Miles: 3311
Meal Service: Breakfast
Aircraft: Airbus A330-200
Date: Thursday, August 17
Departs: Tokyo- Narita, Japan (NRT) at 3:40PMFlight: NW 20
Arrives: Minneapolis/ St. Paul-Int’l, MN (MSP) at 12:40PM
Class of Service: Economy Class (B)Flight Duration: 11 hours
Miles: 5953
Meal Service: Dinner
Aircraft: Boeing 747-400
Date: Thursday, August 17
Departs: Minneapolis/ St. Paul-Int’l, MN (MSP) at 3:10PM
Flight: NW 4775
Arrives: Pittsburgh, PA (PIT) at 6:16PMClass of Service: Economy Class (B)
Flight Duration: 2 hours 6 minutes
Miles: 725
Meal Service: None
Aircraft: CJ8
Road trip
Published Friday, August 11, 2006 by Robin.Took a drive around ‘My Island Home’ (I find Kaira Gong a little skinny) with the GreenCow yesterday. Drove to many places I have never been to but have always been curious about, and many places I had passed by as a NSF sitting at the back of a tonner. It has been an extremely long time since I visited some of the places; they’ve changed over the years but thankfully they’re still recognizable.
Here’s a summary of the itinerary:
Orchard Road - Scotts Road - RGS - Shangri-la – Orchard Road – Grange Road – Kim Seng. Pass a veritable Singaporean institution. - Tanjong Pagar – AYE – Queenstown – Lunch at Tanjong Pagar Railway Station – West Coast Park – National University of Singapore – Biopolis. Impressive. – Jurong Town – Singapore Science Center. Still plenty of fun after so many years. – Jalan Bahar – Home Team Academy – Keat Hong Camp – Tengeh Air Base – Garden of Remembrance – Lim Chu Kang Cemeteries – Ama Keng – Sungei Gedong Camp – Neo Tew – BBC broadcasting station. Took a wrong turn and ended up seeing more antennas than I had intended to. – Sungei Buloh Nature Reserve. Entrance fee is $1, but the park ‘ranger’ is really nice. – Kranji – Mandai – Upper Thomson – SLE – Seletar Camp – TPE – Changi – Hendon Camp – Changi Village – Selarang Camp – Changi Museum – Changi Prisons – Tampines – U-turned back to Old Bedok Road – ECP – Suntec - Marina Square for dinner with old classmates.
Here’s a summary of the itinerary:
Orchard Road - Scotts Road - RGS - Shangri-la – Orchard Road – Grange Road – Kim Seng. Pass a veritable Singaporean institution. - Tanjong Pagar – AYE – Queenstown – Lunch at Tanjong Pagar Railway Station – West Coast Park – National University of Singapore – Biopolis. Impressive. – Jurong Town – Singapore Science Center. Still plenty of fun after so many years. – Jalan Bahar – Home Team Academy – Keat Hong Camp – Tengeh Air Base – Garden of Remembrance – Lim Chu Kang Cemeteries – Ama Keng – Sungei Gedong Camp – Neo Tew – BBC broadcasting station. Took a wrong turn and ended up seeing more antennas than I had intended to. – Sungei Buloh Nature Reserve. Entrance fee is $1, but the park ‘ranger’ is really nice. – Kranji – Mandai – Upper Thomson – SLE – Seletar Camp – TPE – Changi – Hendon Camp – Changi Village – Selarang Camp – Changi Museum – Changi Prisons – Tampines – U-turned back to Old Bedok Road – ECP – Suntec - Marina Square for dinner with old classmates.
I have become a much better driver after yesterday and now I can vouch that the Toyota Vios is an extremely fuel-efficient car.Item 2 on my list of the Top-Ten things I intend to do before leaving Singapore is checked.
National Day
Published Wednesday, August 09, 2006 by Robin.National Day is a public holiday; you don’t have to pay to use public car-parks.
Went to Peninsular Plaza with my mum in the morning to get a new camera. We managed to get one that is very operational at quite a huge discount (more than a hundred dollars off the usual retail price), but since we seldom have to spend on electronics I came out from the store feeling a little kek-sim and a little chek-ak. My mum got paranoid after the camera I brought along for my exchange turned out strange pictures and she has been insisting on me getting a new one before I leave for the States. My current Akira camera is a showroom set which I got for free. Even though it periodically loses some of its functions, I don’t mind it too much. Most of the functions usually work after I switch the camera on and off a couple of times. And although I sometimes have to do a lot of adjustments just to take a picture, I like playing with the many functions.
On our way back to the car-park, we passed by the stamp museum. The colonial postbox outside the museum caught my mum’s eye and we went in to take a look. Found out that museum admission is free because it’s National Day, and since parking is also free, we toured the place a little more. Wanted to visit the Freemason Lodge and the National Archives (free exhibition), unfortunately, the former is restricted to members and the latter is closed on public holidays.
Went to Peninsular Plaza with my mum in the morning to get a new camera. We managed to get one that is very operational at quite a huge discount (more than a hundred dollars off the usual retail price), but since we seldom have to spend on electronics I came out from the store feeling a little kek-sim and a little chek-ak. My mum got paranoid after the camera I brought along for my exchange turned out strange pictures and she has been insisting on me getting a new one before I leave for the States. My current Akira camera is a showroom set which I got for free. Even though it periodically loses some of its functions, I don’t mind it too much. Most of the functions usually work after I switch the camera on and off a couple of times. And although I sometimes have to do a lot of adjustments just to take a picture, I like playing with the many functions.
On our way back to the car-park, we passed by the stamp museum. The colonial postbox outside the museum caught my mum’s eye and we went in to take a look. Found out that museum admission is free because it’s National Day, and since parking is also free, we toured the place a little more. Wanted to visit the Freemason Lodge and the National Archives (free exhibition), unfortunately, the former is restricted to members and the latter is closed on public holidays.
Took a swing to the National Museum. The place is still under renovation but there is one ongoing exhibition, ‘Stylo Mylo: A Selection of Men’s Fashion in Singapore’, and admission is free. I found the exhibits rather gaudy and hideous, but I like what they have been doing to revamp the place. The new coat of white and grey is a refreshing facelift, and the glass and marble integrates the old façade with the newer extensions. The architecture is grand but not imposing, stately but not inhibiting. I find it very sleek. 
In some sense, items 8 and 10 on my list are checked.
Thanks to free parking, this morning had truly been Uniquely Singapore.
Visiting Rosyth
Published Tuesday, August 08, 2006 by Robin.Item 9 on the list of the Top Ten things I intend to do before leaving Singapore: Visit Rosyth School.
It has been nearly a decade (9 years) since I left my primary school and many things have changed during that time. The school itself has changed. The Rosyth that I went to was a pre-Independence building along Parry Avenue. It was a very simple place, but there was a quaintness to the utilitarian features. It can even be described as having a rustic charm. Many of the window grills, pipes, fences, gates and rafters had corroded but were still functional. In the old Rosyth, you get a lot more sunlight, fresh air and greenery. We shared a huge field with Parry School. Creepers sneak into classrooms and the huge trees become guerilla hideouts for boys playing catching after school. From the fourth floor, you get a very good view of the entire area. I had always found that view very uplifting. The one who designed the new
school seems to be fantasizing about architectural awards when he was planning the building. He poured everything he learnt from Architecture school into the blueprints. You have stairways and walkways that extend from and cut across each other. You have columns that extend to walls, and walls with openings cut into them as part of a Zen-ish matrix. If not for some URA restriction or MOE regulation, the architect would have added glass pyramids, Grecian columns and Oxfordian spires. In the main academic building, classrooms surround leafy nature; you will find a seamless flow of lines, from concrete to water, interconnecting the space. The new school has a canteen and an open-air basketball court on the fourth storey, a multi-purpose hall somewhere higher up, it has a lift, a heritage center, spiral staircases and CCTV cameras.
I can’t recognize most of the teachers but I am surprised that the few whom I recognize still remember me, without having to go into chicken-and-duck questions to backtrack our memories. Was really surprised that Mrs. Irene-can’t-remember-her-last-name still remembers me. She taught me for only one year, when I was in primary one. Mrs. Tan-can’t-remember-her-first-name still recalls my name. I remotely, vaguely remember her teaching me maths. Mdm Norlela still recalls my show-and-tell item (I talked about my fighting fish, very random). My primary 3 form teacher is Mr. Raymond Bong. My class is probably the worst that he had taught; nearly all of us flunked our exams and all except two went to below average classes the year after. 9 years later, he readily identifies my class after our chief prankster. So, felt pretty happy when he invited me into the class to speak to his students. Spoke to Ms Katherine Tan for quite awhile. Amongst all my teachers in Rosyth, she is the one whom I have the fondest memories of. She is approachable and has plenty of common sense. She pushed us hard but not too hard; she allowed us to be children.
The school population today is twice that of my JC. The students go to exotic places for field trips. They learn the er-hu for music lessons. When I was in primary school, I learnt the banal recorder. I could never get a hang of that instrument, and music lessons soon became acting classes for me. We didn’t have internet access. Now, the school has internet clusters along the walkways. They have an Innovation Center. They have murals explaining the different parts of a cell. These days, teachers are a lot prettier.
Item 9; checked.
It has been nearly a decade (9 years) since I left my primary school and many things have changed during that time. The school itself has changed. The Rosyth that I went to was a pre-Independence building along Parry Avenue. It was a very simple place, but there was a quaintness to the utilitarian features. It can even be described as having a rustic charm. Many of the window grills, pipes, fences, gates and rafters had corroded but were still functional. In the old Rosyth, you get a lot more sunlight, fresh air and greenery. We shared a huge field with Parry School. Creepers sneak into classrooms and the huge trees become guerilla hideouts for boys playing catching after school. From the fourth floor, you get a very good view of the entire area. I had always found that view very uplifting. The one who designed the new
school seems to be fantasizing about architectural awards when he was planning the building. He poured everything he learnt from Architecture school into the blueprints. You have stairways and walkways that extend from and cut across each other. You have columns that extend to walls, and walls with openings cut into them as part of a Zen-ish matrix. If not for some URA restriction or MOE regulation, the architect would have added glass pyramids, Grecian columns and Oxfordian spires. In the main academic building, classrooms surround leafy nature; you will find a seamless flow of lines, from concrete to water, interconnecting the space. The new school has a canteen and an open-air basketball court on the fourth storey, a multi-purpose hall somewhere higher up, it has a lift, a heritage center, spiral staircases and CCTV cameras.
I can’t recognize most of the teachers but I am surprised that the few whom I recognize still remember me, without having to go into chicken-and-duck questions to backtrack our memories. Was really surprised that Mrs. Irene-can’t-remember-her-last-name still remembers me. She taught me for only one year, when I was in primary one. Mrs. Tan-can’t-remember-her-first-name still recalls my name. I remotely, vaguely remember her teaching me maths. Mdm Norlela still recalls my show-and-tell item (I talked about my fighting fish, very random). My primary 3 form teacher is Mr. Raymond Bong. My class is probably the worst that he had taught; nearly all of us flunked our exams and all except two went to below average classes the year after. 9 years later, he readily identifies my class after our chief prankster. So, felt pretty happy when he invited me into the class to speak to his students. Spoke to Ms Katherine Tan for quite awhile. Amongst all my teachers in Rosyth, she is the one whom I have the fondest memories of. She is approachable and has plenty of common sense. She pushed us hard but not too hard; she allowed us to be children.
The school population today is twice that of my JC. The students go to exotic places for field trips. They learn the er-hu for music lessons. When I was in primary school, I learnt the banal recorder. I could never get a hang of that instrument, and music lessons soon became acting classes for me. We didn’t have internet access. Now, the school has internet clusters along the walkways. They have an Innovation Center. They have murals explaining the different parts of a cell. These days, teachers are a lot prettier.
Item 9; checked.
Stuff that school horror stories are made of.
More security than the Louvre.
