justmythoughts

Tuesday, December 18, 2007

It's not exactly the end of 2007 yet (2 more weeks!) but I figured that I should post something about my reflections on this eventful year. Better post now before I don't have time to do it and then, before I know it, it's 2008 and I've not set down my resolutions as well (not that I make resolutions every year anyway..)

2007

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious year

So much has happened this year that I'm so grateful for.

1) PAE- Tampines JC

I'll be honest. I didn't really look forward to going to TPJC at first. I didn't have a particularly good impression of it and I wanted to go to SAJC for PAE (but my prelims weren't good enough). But being in TPJC has changed my impression of the school and has opened new doors for me all in the short span of 3 months.

TPJC's Orientation rocked my socks, I got the chance to try my hand at Theatre Studies (which rocked my socks too) and I met many people who I'll never forget in my life.

Here are some shots from TP:

Yep. It's the "let's switch uniforms for fun" phase...

And I think that if I was never in TPJC, I'll never have met Althea and I would never have started going to church as a regular.

It is really a correlation of events...

2) St. Andrew's JC

Many people ask me "Why didn't you go to MJC?" (since I live like 10 mins walk from MJ).

I think that if I had gone to MJ, my life would've been totally different and not what I really want it to be (although this would remain as my own hypothesis since I never actually spent time in MJ to judge for myself). What I feel is that, if I were in MJ, I probably would not have joined the Student Council or have been in 07A06.

Student Council

The Student Council is the one big step that I've made in my schooling life. Ask any of my secondary school friends and they'll tell you that I was a lazy ass back in secondary school and I skipped CCA for FOUR years straight (only appearing occasionally. Say, 5 times a year). So yes, it is a shocker that I even harboured the thought of joining Council (Mrs Chee certainly expressed her shock when I returned to TK with a gleaming councillor badge).

I joined Council because I just wanted to do more. I honestly hated being such a lazy pig back in Sec sch. And I didn't want to make the same mistake of joining a loser CCA (like back in sec sch) where I could rest on my laurels for four years and still get perfect attendance records (I have my ways!). I also hated it that I had so much free time and all my sec sch friends had more important things to do. I wanted important things to do too!

BASICALLY, I am/was (debatable) a no-lifer.

Anyway, the point is that I wanted something to occupy my very uneventful, ennui-filled life and make me feel better about myself- like I've accomplished things in my life (I feel like I'm starting to show my insecurities). And to open more doors, make more friends, yadda yadda yadda..

Council has been good to me. Although juggling school work, council work and my personal life can be difficult and tiring, I have never regretted joining Council. Sure, there are people who piss me off at times and there is this knowledge that some people simply hate councillors (like saying we do nothing and are just elitist and ignorant). I have blown my top before (yeah yeah. my patience is minimal) and I have felt tired, frustrated and bogged down at times but still, I feel that it's worth it. I know some who may not feel this way about Council, but I do.

07A06

I love my class.

Although 2 of my classmates have left for Laselle, I still love my class. And considering that 2 of my classmates left to Laselle (of all places), it kinda tells you what we are like *coughreallyartsyandcrazycough*.

It's the first time I've had a bunch of people with the same music taste at me. Back in TK, I could relate to my friends when it comes to Japanese music, anime and the like but no one really listened to English alternative rock. Now, it's the opposite! Some of my classmates listen pretty much to the same kind of music as me while a few have more eclectic tastes. Which is totally cool because now I have people I can rant and rave to about a Muse/FFAF/Idlewild live concert video I found on Youtube. But I got no one to go to about Utada Hikaru though (except Fefe who left to Laselle). -.-

Someone from Council (I think it was Pris Tan or someone...) once said that one could always tell who was from 07A06. I think it's true. There is something about my class that everyone in my class shares. Like the way we like to sing songs in the middle of now where, crack lame jokes and basically do stupid things.

Like lying on the track and looking at the clouds:

Or maybe it's because some of us like to mug at Starbucks...

Whatever way it is, A06 is a rockin' class and it definitely has been a blessing to me.

3) Church

Church is not new to me. I went to a Christian kindergarten and I have followed my relatives to church (on-off thing). I've always had Christian friends, especially in TK and SA. But regular church-going and just basically having a Christian lifestyle is entirely new.

This would probably not have happened if I had not met Althea in TPJC. Long story cut short, I joined Althea's cell group and the rest is history.

But I think this year has been a year of changes, spiritually, in my family. Around the time I started going to church early this year, my grandmother (mother's side) suddenly decided to get baptized! She is in her 90s, she's never really accepted Christ due to family issues (despite my cousin trying to bring her to church and stuff) and suddenly, my Mum tells me that she's getting baptized.

And just a few weeks prior to my grandma's baptism, my sister had some sort of divine intervention and she suddenly started going to church as well. She doesn't really go now because of my niece (being a mum isn't easy!).

Everything happened really quickly during that period. Those two events happening just about a month apart from each other. I really think that it is God's work. Things did not change 360 degrees and suddenly my whole family became devout Christians- I'm the only active church-goer in my immediate family. But I did see God's hand working in my family and I am grateful for that.

Church is not the only spiritual sort of thing in my life though. School has been as well. My class has quite a lot of Christians so they do burst into Christian songs once in a while (like an incident during the class bbq at my place last month). In Council, we also never forget to pray before every event, every meeting, every meal. There is also a lot of other Christian support in Council, like the email Jeriel sent to Christian councillors to keep the Grad Night in prayer prior to the event.

I'm really grateful for all of that in school because I feel that it makes me, in a way, more grounded.

Which is why I said earlier that if I wasn't in SA, things will probably be a whole lot different.

All in all...this year has been crazy, fast, fun, eventful, stressful, enlightening, reflective, mind-boggling, and all the other adjectives that my mind simply refuses to tell me.

And... I realise that I had lots to say. I think I still have more but I just can't think of anything right now (and I can sense that you are so relieved that this post isn't longer)...

Yeah, well. Whatever...

I'll leave with a song... (and as an afterthought, I can't wait for Orientation!)

Warmer Climate
-Snow Patrol-

Tell me if I'm going crazy
But everything you said amazed me
It seems too easy on the ear to
Be something I should adhere to

You told me to just simply wonder
Rather than take shelter under
And open my heart to the thought that
life is something you're not caught at

Too easy to get lost in progress
I didn't see you there in that dress
And suddenly the world seems so small
We'd fit it all inside our front hall

Edison would spin in his grave
To ever see the light that you gave
Don't want to take it nice and slow here
Don't want to waste a minute more dear

The universe just vanished out of sight
And all the stars collapsed behind the pitch black night
And I can barely see your face in front of mine
But it is knowing you are there that makes me fine

Maybe its the warmer climate
Maybe I'm a smarter primate
Maybe its the beer I'm drinking
Maybe I've stopped over thinking

Baby you're the words and chapters
The sweetness in the morning after
You are the cry that turns to laughter
You're the hope that ends disaster

The universe just vanished out of sight
And all the stars collapsed behind the pitch black night
And I can barely see your face infront of mine
But it is knowing you are there that makes me fine

But the universe is just an empty space
And all the stars can disappear without a trace
I'm so glad that this has taken me so long
Cos it's the journey that made me so strong

Rachel typed at 7:19 pm