Anyway, I was with my usual group of hwachong friends, since the people who normally do not turn up for class outings didn't come, as expected... I met a few seniors, juniors and grand-juniors, cracked a few old jokes, before I left with Po Chin to meet Su-Lin to attend the arts festival village at Fort Canning. On our way there, Po Chin and I both agreed that the event looked kinda pathetic, possibly because we missed the grand stuff in the morning. Then we went on to compare rgs with hwachong, as she commented that if rgs had a similar celebration, she'd prefer the rgs one.

This reminds me of the time when my students asked me if I prefered rgs or hwachong. I couldn't really answer them at that time, so I asked,"What do you think?" Sort of also pretty curious how they actually see me. The guy who asked the question very firmly said, "Hwachong."

Funny, I have never really thought about having a direct comparison between rgs and hwachong. They represented two very different stages of my life, where I meet very different people, who probably also have very different perceptions of me.

In rgs, I was more passive and laid-back, though I really loved the class spirit, as everybody took great pride in being a 4/11ian. In terms of spirit, I felt that I belong to rgs. To this day, I still remember the times when we cheer our athletes on, in unity. Loud, firm and low-pitched. The Rafflesian in me has never really died away. I also remember the days when my class puts up performances for all sorts of occassions. Founder's Day, National Day, Teacher's Day..It probably helped that we had very talented people in the class, but the more ordinary people like me devoted my time and effort too. All in the spirit of 4/11.

My hwachong class is different. It is segregated and not as close-knit as 4/11, though it is not something that was within my control of course, because I was already much more active in organising outings for this class. But I have also made great friends from hwachong. We don't really do any of the high-profile stuff that 4/11 did, but we talked, we laughed, we just enjoy each other's company. Within my little group of hwachong friends, I felt more comfortable, more like myself. I was glad I chose to come to hwachong, for if I didn't come, I would never have met these people.

The beautiful memories I have of the 6 years in secondary school and junior college tells me that I am a very lucky person.