2006

365 days later, and here we are. Once again at this juncture I’d like to take some time to reflect and ponder upon the past year. Before resolutions are drawn, reflections are made. 2006 can be remembered for many events, and the one that impacted me the most has to be the introduction of the International Baccalaureate (IB) at ACS(I). This is it, those 2 years of preparations and practices in Pre-IB 1 and 2, all boils down to this “show”. The big performance. Everyone is watching us – trailblazers – as we make Singapore history. (In light of recent National Museum of Singapore advertisements…what would you be remembered for? Dr Ong: For introducing the International Baccalaureate to the local education landscape)

How would they fare, compared to A-level students? Would they go further? As such questions loom in the minds of educationists, I wonder about myself. I still am: Would I cope? Would I be able to equilibrate everything? More importantly, would I do well enough to get into my preferred University course, or qualify for a scholarship? Looking back, the answer has been disappointingly negative. Alas, my “EOY miracle” did not happen this year. In its place was the “Mid-course-nose-dive”. It has occurred a few times before: In P3, P5, and Year 3. Those years, approximately the midway mark for the respective course, my results were the lowest. Fortunately I always managed to pick myself up thereafter: One of the top in class in P4; did well and got into ACS(I) at P6; achieved a desirable 37 points for the internal exams at the end of Year 4.

After this year’s academic failures, I resolve to rise above and do well next year. If I do not, I have no other. It is the very end, my very future hinges on it. My dreams: to be fulfilled, flying high? Or to be shattered, shards piercing my heart? We shall see, by the next annual reflection.

I have been rather pleased with myself in other areas of pursuit. After 4 years, I earned the opportunity to compete for the school in the Inter-school Swimming Championships. All my efforts have not gone down the drain, and something good has come out of my acceptance into the IBDP. I remember writing in that personal statement in Year 2, the very last sentence, how skipping the O levels would allow me to bring glory to the school in swimming. Well I did, just by earning the school points by swimming, even though I did not win any medals. Swimming for the school may be no big deal for some, but personally it has been my dream. A dream I hope to take to greater heights in the 2007 Nationals.

Besides the memory of my swimming achievement, I take with me several others from this year. One of them is the memory of my second trip to Shanghai with the school. Shanghai was not my destination of choice, but eventually I made many friends and enjoyed myself learning about “Business and Technology”. The most meaningful memories this year come from CAS activities.

Besides volunteering with GVN, I spent many hours designing and revising designs for the nail clipper project. Later on, I, together with a team of helpful and selfless friends, toiled for hours on end packing nail clippers. Eventually, (and quite miraculously) we managed to deliver all 3000 packages. Above all, the one memory that I will cherish and keep in my heart is that of SYC. A fitting end to 2006, SYC brought together youths of various countries to interact and learn about one another. I’ve made many many worthy friends, both from Singapore and overseas, through exhibition preparations running up to and including that 1-week at RELC. Truly an unforgettable and fulfilling experience. How can Xinling and I ever thank enough the one teacher who made it possible for us to attend SYC: Mrs Thong!!!

At the beginning of this year, I knew I was going to face challenges, but such disappointments were really unprecedented. Unexpected too, was the many good friends I made in December. They have shown me such kindness and graciousness. How can I ever thank them enough! Furthermore, I have learnt much. As a friend has shown to me, one of the greatest things in friendship is not to trust, but to be trusted.

As we bid farewell to another year and brace ourselves for the next (which, of course, is hoped to be better than the last), I leave you with a quote by one of my most trusted friends: cherish what you have and not lament what you do not have…