MYOUE

July 19, 2006 @3:37 PM

I read about the online petition regarding the change of school song. Seriously, I do not oppose to the idea of a simplified version of the school song because I felt that it is better for every student to understand the lyrics instead of singing it every morning w/o knowing what you are singing.

Imagine someone ask you for the meaning of your school song. Would you rather share the song with him/her with pride or brushed off with a casual "dunno leh"? Wouldn't you feel ashamed that you had sung your school song for 4 years without knowing the meaning behind the lyrics? The worse is when you continue saying "most of us dunno one lah, so chim".

Then my question is, what are Anglican High students doing in the school for 4 years?! Memorising song lyrics without appreciating its underlying meaning?!

Thus, I am not against the simplified version of the school song, since it will allow every AHS student to better understand its meaning when they sing and the chances of them sharing it with pride after they leave AHS will be higher. At least now they know what they are singing every morning.

From another point of view, the school song is part of the school's identity and therefore it should not be changed. Many of the ex-students felt that both the current students and alumni of Anglican High should hold the same identity - that they sang the same school song when they were in AHS. Therefore the change in the school song suggest that the link is broken - seniors no longer feel connected to the younger generation, or even the school.

Perhaps outsiders would wonder why the school song seemed to be the only identity of the school. The reason is simple. Times have changed. The principal had changed, the teachers had left, old buildings had been pulled down and the new ones occupy almost every corner of the campus. Now I see a fountain instead of carpark lots when I stepped into the school. The container classrooms disappeared. The airy building for the upper sec was history. The stone tables between the labs and the upper sec building were replaced by a connecting stairways. There is even a new addition to the uniform - AHS socks. Also, the councillors now wear a different blouse/shirt from the rest of the students.

That was probably why many ex-students are trying so hard to preserve as much as they can. A slight change in school song may sound harmless but it meant a lot to any student who once had an unforgettable time in Anglican High, including myself. Like all other ex-students who had signed the petition, I would like to do a part to help preserve the very little details left of the school we once shared. I also agreed with Gina that most of the time, petitions doesn't work, but I will still sign it to show that I do care about the school.

Ultimately, I doubt the school will remain the old school song lyrics, which is a good thing as I'd like to see my juniors explaining the lyrics to their friends with pride after they graduate.

****

I miss my secondary school days so much.

I miss the time Jasmin, Gwen and I shared in the guitar room. I remembered Jasmin introduced herself as the Jasmin-without-'e' girl during welcome party. I remembered telling Gwen that my little finger was crooked because I played the guitar too long and then we laughed so hard that we both got stomach ache and later we both concluded that we'll go crazy if the practice goes on in the boring room...

I miss Mr Shi so much. I saw him changed from a quiet man to a humourous instructor during the SYF period. He called me at the SYF 2005 and I was so happy that he still remember my name. Perhaps he realised that the interaction between the instructor and the players is the trick to success because the AHS Guitar Ensemble got a GOLD award again after 2003. I am truely very happy for him and the ensemble.

I miss my friends in council. My life in AHS will not be as fun and enjoyable without them. It was Mr Chua who first brought us to the Gelare in Siglap and subsequently we'll ask him to treat us waffles on Tues after meetings. I remembered how Darren always pour maple syrup like water running from the tap. I also remember our Tanjong Puteri trip in sec4 - that night we all tried to stay in one room b4 Mdm Lau chase the girls out, the super not scary night game that we planned and the classic story about Qilun touching Mdm Lau unknowingly during the blindfold game. Roy still keep that photo of us in the ferry in his antique N6610. I miss Hubert's hit-the-monster-100-pts joke, Chang Yang's 滑雪, Cai Lin's auntie attitude and long lost Shu Fang!

I am glad that the few of us are still keeping in contact. Ivan and Roy recently reminded me that I used to bugged everyone to eat 锅贴 with me in Chinatown. Not long ago I recalled how I always say 我很饱但是我很渴 to David, Gina n Qilun. In fact, there were many other things that I've forgotten and I was surprised to know that my friends still remember them. I am really thankful to know these wonderful people who had given me invaluable memories...

忽然之间，感触良多。
好想马上召集大家，谈谈往事，说说笑。
好想让他们知道我非常珍惜我们之间的友情，
但很多事，用心去感受胜过与嘴边的甜言蜜语，
不是吗？

好怀念中学时代啊！
长大了才明白为何大人常说小孩子最开心。
无忧无虑的生活谁不喜欢？
我小的时候常盼望早日长大做大人，
而活到了今时今日又渴望回到无知的时代，
做人还真是矛盾。

也许这就是人生吧，
永远都不会满足。