a sixth sense cannot make up for a complete lack of common sense
the resident
-best known as May Ching-
-09/01/1990-
-19 years 1.2 months-
-mugger/slacker/writer-
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Thursday, May 15, 2008, 6:39 pm
The 27th Students' Council stepped down yesterday, the 14th of May 2008, ending a term which began on the 24th of May, 2007.
In a grand ceremony (though not as grand as last year), the 28th Students' Council of Jurong Junior College were invested with the theme 'Valeo' (my class kept thinking it was Caleo, until now I insist the V is lying way too flat.
Besides being a formal occasion to symbolise the stepping up of the juniors, it makes me feel old. Very soon there'll be the investiture of the 28th student leaders and then prelims and then 'A' Levels!!! Time really passes too fast.
Although I do acknowledge I am too biased to be qualified to write an eulogy (refer to previous entries on this blog), I would like to. Kindly do not take umbrage at whatever I say.
I am one of those few leaders who have spent a great amount of time with the 27th, both in projects and on a personal level. It would be greatly exaggerating the truth to say that the relationship between us has been smooth-sailing all this while.
I'm not going to lie and say that this council was excellent. They were not. To use an euphemism, they were fiercely independent. Some members were especially so, bulldog stubborn to the end. On the positive side, though, the 27th was tenacious. It weathered the many scandals and survived being tarnished again and again. More than once, they were estranged from the 27th student leaders. Conflicts broke out sporadically between members of both camps, of which I have had more than my fair share. Not stopping there, many more scuffles were internal, of which the effects remained hidden behind a mask.
To be honest, as a project leader, I wasn't happy to work with the 27th. I liked them on a personal level but I had very little positive things to say about the way they did things. I believe the other leaders felt the same way. Nevertheless, as good JJ leaders, we supported them whole-heartedly and formed Team JJ.
To say they were incompetent would be a lie. The 27th were and are excellent leaders. They got better with time as all good organizations do. Together, the 27th batch of leaders grew and matured.
We all have had our disagreements. But in the end, we are still bonded as one with a common goal. Like a family. I can say I was proud to be of the 27th batch.
27th, thank you for the fun, the laughter, the guidance, the time, the effort, the blood, sweat and tears, the leadership, the courage to stand up, the love. It wasn't easy, but you did it.
Below are a few random pics.
Taken on Investiture, 2007
Labels: 27th students council, leaders
Thursday, January 10, 2008, 9:34 pm
I so do not enjoy Maths.Supposed to be mugging for a Binomial and Poisson Distributions class quiz tomorrow, courtesy of Mr Leow.
I spent about 2 hours in school studying but for some mysterious reason, I can't get the answersto the simplest questions but yet am able to solve some of the tough ones. Go figure.
The design of this year's Orientation shirt isn't half bad, I feel like getting one for myself. Bit sad though, I heard they're going for $10 apiece and J2s can only buy them only after Orientation 2.
Speaking of Orientation 2, the response to the call for leaders has been pretty lukewarm from what I've seen so far. I was personally shocked when my friend said that not just OGLs were wanted, but Shadows as well. Um, hello, I thought that my batch was the last batch.
At first, I thought none of my campers who took the leader applicant forms actually filled it out, which is kinda depressing. Until later, I found out that some of them actually did put in application forms. That's good, because that means I and my fellow OGLs don't suck at our job.
I can't help but wonder: did my batch of OGLs really suck? I remember last year, after Orientation 1 when the call came out for OGLs the hall was packed with people. The leaders now are certainly numerous, but not in the droves that was during my time.
Anyway, my birthday came and went. A lot more attention this year, and the first time in a long time that I had to make a wish and blow out the candle(s). Happiness abound, though hardly any presents. :P
Labels: birthday, leaders, maths, orientation 1
Wednesday, October 24, 2007, 8:32 pm
Finally comes an update on this week.I'd like to begin with a little admission of guilt: right now, I should be finishing my Maths Promo paper corrections RIGHT THIS MINUTE because it was due on Tuesday. Sigh. I've been really trying my best to fix this problem. In fact, I've joined Procrastinators Anonymous. The only problem is, the meetings keep getting postponed. :)I am dead, Mr Leow will kill me. I'm already not passing Maths and now I'm showing him attitude.
Tomorrow is the last official day of school. Time really flies when you're having fun. However, I just can't muster any enthusiasm for it. These few days I've been feeling under the weather. As in, I can't seem to focus on studying and paying attention in class, which is most certainly NOT a good thing.
I submitted my application form for Orientation 1 today and the interview's tomorrow. Luckily, Glennda reminded me I needed to wear full school uniform to the interview, otherwise it wouldn't look good.
In other news, my classmate Deepan won the prize for Best in History. At first, I was really pleased for him but then I began to wonder: has the results for Literature and General Paper come out? Those are the only subjects in which I can compete for the Best in Subject. I REALLY REALLY ABSOLUTELY POSITIVELY want to win something so I can prove to my mum that JJ leadership is good for me. (I think I'm using the word 'really' too many times. :( )
I've been going out for dinner quite a lot of times this week with the councillors, especially with Cherie. Happily, it's mostly with councillors I feel comfortable with. Especially when I'm not exactly happy with the council and the Yunnan planning comm for what they did during the M.A.D camp. All my leader friends who are ex-shadows and ex-Love Fiesta planning comm keep advising me not to help the council because of their ingratitude for what the leaders have done for them and their sheer pig-headedness in refusing to admit that they need help. The ingratitude part is what bites them the most, when they see how much I've helped the councillors and what I get in return.
Actually, I'm kind of the link between the leaders and the council. All the leaders know that I'm quite close to the councillors. They often don't hesitate to share their opinions of council with me. For me, as an ex-shadow and veteran JJ leader, I can sympathise with my fellow leaders and use my experience to critique the council. As a friend of the councillors, I get a rare insight into the inner workings of the council normally not open to non-councillors. Mixing it all up, I end up being the middlewoman bridging the gap between the council and the leaders because I can see both sides of the coin, if you know what I mean.
Though I freely admit that many of my fellow leaders are unhappy with the way council does things and they grumble and grouse among themselves, those gruff veterans will willingly lend a hand in any way they can, uncompromisingly and unconditionally if the councillors were just to say the word. I know I would. In the end, we need to operate as a school in front of the others, even though we may be bleeding on the inside.
That's pretty much my beef. I speak for the experienced leaders: We treasure our knowledge and experience from our shadow and planning comm days, and we preserve it still. Many of you are relatively new to this business and we would be more than happy to share our experience with you if you'd only deflate your fat head a little and get off that high horse of yours to our level. We want nothing in return, only to see the leadership legacy of JJ be passed on to the next batch.
Labels: councillors, leaders, orientation