without further ado -
2007 has been a good year
perhaps it didn't seem like that to me when i began the year, but certain points made little changes in my perspective to what it is now...
as i welcomed '07, i had just got off the high of my year back in ACSI...
perhaps what stuck with me most on this exact day last year was the small group of friends (the front-row ppl of point.eleven + 3 from other seats) i'd made and grown incredibly close to in such a short amount of time...
plus there were the two trips i made with friends to bintan and phuket (which i'd return to twice) that were amazing...
endless late nights on MSN had made me kinda insular when coming into the new year, and that probably set the tone for my approach to entering the IB programme...
orientation was when i spent extended periods of time with han an since sec 2, and i'm glad to say its continued since...
of all those in my OG, i only speak to 2 now, but i don't quite think of that as any loss, primarily because of what it gave way to - a new class...
sitting at the back of five.nine the first day we got our allocations, i remember i had gave paul a worried glance just minutes before, and he had nodded in sympathetic understanding..
as i stood last to introduce myself, i made a silent promise to myself - that i won't lose touch with my friends from the previous years in school as i was gonna need their company loads...
but that look of worry has faded nicely to a sense of warmth, an identity that the class has developed over many months together...
a few things aided in this process - knowing danny from 2.3, jim from being a debate supporter, gerald from RMUN and justin/tedkin from OM'04...
the recent change in our class blog photo to the new one is representative of a welcome change - the 2nd intake ppl, and particularly mel, who has been really easy to converse with...
apart from individual ppl, the other events that made life chipper was the birthday cake my class bought on april25, the 2 charity cafe instances, class gatherings at sentosa/theglasshouse, and above all these, WOW'07 - Phuket...
there's no denying that we got the best location of all the classes, with pretty darn nice hotels and stuff...
but i took back most from the work that we did in Khao Lak, and the nightly gatherings in various rooms...
that marked the beginning of the second half of '07, which was significantly better than the first...
(though i was slightly peeved after not succeeding in the council thingy, i did gain a new friend in the person of deon after we met at YLS, and we've since spent countless hours in various malls/eateries...)
the 2 weeks of studying with the class regulars in school during the june hols really started the momentum that i'd missed the past 2 years...
the results of this weren't immediately obvious, but it was a good start with 38 points...during that same stressful period, the presidency i had inherited from sam/auggie over the IB debate society now needed some proving, and captaining a team that did not start to train for the nationals until 2 weeks before was scary, but i thank my teammates, coach and mai who was wrongfully removed from her spot on the team...
finishing in the top 4 teams was pretty good, and it marked the end of my debating career for good (wow, this is probably the firs time i've said that out loud)
that left me with more time to pursue my academic goals for the rest of the year, and these included the first important IA, the English A1 Part 4 IOP... being first in both the mock and the actual thing was probably a good thing, as i had tonnes of time after to concentrate on other stuff...
and there was a huge lot of this stuff to tackle - redeeming my dismal English/Econs grades, chem/econs/history IAs, the chinese B IB exam and the all-important FYEs...
term 4 was probably the shortest i've ever had, and right after sitting for my papers i went for my second job attachment in 2 years (the first was a farce), and very soon after received what i'd been working towards and was 2 years in the making - a perfect score of 42...
and i finally got to feel what i'd felt in '04 and '05 again =)
the highlight of my year was the Phuket Deaux, the photos of which i've yet to obtain, but whose memories are more than enough to illicit a smile...
4 days of work at an unforgettable site and 3 unbelievably relaxing days on an unbelievably pristine leisure island, all with excellent company...
after that trip, i didn't think the rest of my hols would be half as much fun...
but the many trips out with 2 groups of friends in particular made it an enjoyable 2 months...
my food expeditions with han an/sarah in the thomson area were really tasty...
and i got to know gareth, whom i've known since primary 1, lots better, and the surprise party we threw for him was really fun, and got me thinking about interact as my debate replacement next year...
then there were the movie/lunch/dinner/Minds outings with sean/deon/yewjin/javier which were really frequent...
finally there was Christmas'o7, with fewer gifts, a few close friends and the alcoholic debate party, and the five.nine party with guitar hero 3...
i'm trying to get together a last movie outing to watch Across The Universe tomorrow before school begins, just so i don't spend it worrying about what the new academic year will bring...
there's tonnes to be apprehensive about, not least the IB exams in November...
but if there's one thing i'm confident in, it's that i won't be going into '08 with the same attitude that i did previously...
there are good friends around that i'm far more aware and appreciative of, and whom i'm eternally grateful for, and that's more than i could ask for as i get myself ready to welcome a whole new year...
as i said in the beginning of the post, '07 was a good year...
it's with little doubt and infinite hope that i end by saying that
'08 is gonna be marvelous
