Down Memory Lane

Form Teacher: Pn. Leela Devi (4Sc1/5Sc1 2004/2005)

Top row (left to right): Wong Sen Loong (Monitor), Livendran Nair (Asst. Monitor), Timothy Wong, Yew Guo Zheng, Gavin Khor, Moganasivan Superamaniam, Yip Heng Fai, Chang Quo Tjen, Benjamin Chong
2nd row: Wooi Wei Ken, Nariderpal Singh, Romeish Balasubramaniam, Jason Lee Chor Kwan, Stephen Chua
3rd row: Kuharaaj Govindan, Jared Ee, Wong Kee Cheong, Aw Sheng Yuen, Chuah Kiean San, Choong Wen Chuan, Tan Kah Soon, Puventhiran Veloo, Liew Kei Fai
4th row: Aaron Yeap, Bernard Fong, Raehan Kumaran, Lee Seng Hoe, Leong Chee Hoe
Bottom row: Yohanand, Daniel Ngu, Siew Wai Onn, Chua Chin Yap, Clarence Choong, Izharul Al Bakri, Mohamed Ilyas, Chung Kar Wah, Lam Kok Chen

Just as I was musing about my secondary school life, this picture was sent to me through Friendster by Wong Sen Loong. Thanks a lot, friend, for your effort.

This picture alone generated various images in my mind about the times that I had spent together with my friends back in school. Looking back into the past certainly enabled me to etch my memories deeper within my mind; this prevents me from forgetting friends and meaningful events.

As I looked at all the faces on the picture, my mind wandered off to the day when these photographs were taken. It was our class farewell party (an annual class party actually) that was held in Hillcity (or is the spelling Hillciti? I remember that the spelling is different from what I would expect it to be). I remember that our Guest of Honour was our ex-principal, Mr. Louis Rozario Doss. We were greatly honoured to have him in our party. We had a cake made specially for him and we feared that he would forget about the party. I recall the moments when I was asked to give Mr. Louis a telephone call because the others didn't dare or didn't know how to remind him about the party.

Eventually, he arrived and was welcomed in with good hospitality. Food was served for him (he was too polite to help himself. *chuckles*) and we tried our best to make him feel at home. When it was about time, we invited him up to the podium to deliver a speech. His speech contained his life history and the times when he was brought up in St. Michael's Institution. His speech contained this vital (hidden) advice: One failure does not mean that you will fail forever. Though he had met with failures countless times, his persistence, diligence and patience allowed him to succeed in life.

It was hard to believe that by this year, most of us would go our own ways. However, as this fact as inevitable, we really cherished the moments we spent during the party. We talked, took pictures (one even recorded the whole party with his video camera), had a game (even our form teacher took part!) and many more.

During the party, we were happy to see that some of the teachers whom we invited came, yet were quite disappointed to see that there were some who agreed to come and yet did not turn up. Nevertheless, we thought that they were busy so we just carried on with our programme. We were also thankful that at least some of the teachers were ever so willing to spend some time with us.

This party was not about food or feasting. It was about the Michaelian Spirit that we share and possess. The fact that all the thirty-seven students turned up for the party proved that we care for one another and that all of us worked as a single unit, together.

So, my dear friends, when shall we ever meet again? Will you still remember me then, as well as the rest of us? I pray that you will.

A poem to end this entry:

I was once an actor,
Now, only a spectator,
Walking down memory lane,
All events still not faint.

This spectator could only see,
What he was used to be,
To act again he could not,
His scripts kept in a vault.

Longing was this former actor,
For those times he spent together,
With friends, with teachers, with the principal,
Now he watches his disciples.

Farewell, goodbye, this actor bids,
Thy phyiscal self far yet spiritually near,
The rice of luck this actor feeds,
"I'll see thee again in the near future."