Danielle
I was cleaning up my drawers and lockers at home. I was throwing away many things that i have kept since even my primary school. Those i know is significant until today, i kept, those that i felt were of lesser significance, i threw away.

As i was going through the things i had stored up in the locker for the past 10 years or so, i was really startled and fascinated at some of the things i was looking at.

Some friends that i remember being very close to. I love cards and it was my card collection that reminded me of who i was back then, who my friends were and what we shared. I was also very fascinated and startled by how far i have come, who i have become today. Who are still my friends, whom i've let go. I also noticed how some of my friends sent me cards almost every year although we never really saw of each other and how i choose to let them go for reasons i cannot comprehend right now. I guess this is what it truly means when we say, human makes mistakes.

So, this is my walk down memory lane and a tribute to great people who've taught me so much about me, about friendship and love and leadership and most importantly, about life itself.

6 years old
I was a competitive, smart-ass in kindy itself, parading my superior intelligence and ability to read well and better than most of my peers. To think of it now, i wished i was more humble and giving. i remember Vigneswary from my kindy, for a childish simple reason that she beat me and got first in class when i got second. From my memory, she copied my answers and beat me at my own game. To come to think of it now, i'm not really sure if she really did.

7-9 years old
My days in primary school always started with 'Aci-lat-duduk' and i was always sweaty and tired even before school began. Those were the days. I had a perfect results in school and i must say it was probably Him. It was also during these days that we children had that 'Kawan' and 'Tak-nak kawan' signals. There were gangs and we were united to isolate those who we felt wronged us. The end of Std 3: i passed PTS and woo-hoo, i skipped my Std 4, abandoned my batchmates, 'betrayed' them and joined the new set of friends. I can't remember many of my old friends name, except for Azhana, Shamini, Revathi, Mayzatul, Charlene and favourite teacher, Pn Fauziah. I don't even remember how she looked like. I remember i loved Mayzatul because she was the sweetest and the kindest. She would still befriend me during the times the 'gang' decided to isolate me. I remember Charlene so well because i remember we always shared and exchanged food during recess. I remember that her grandma made the most delicious fried rice and i love exchanging my nasi lemak for it, although she wasn't too fond of nasi lemak. hehe. Revathi is the only friend, whose house i still went to for deepavali every year until 2007.

10-11 years old.
I can still get my As without studying. I have a new set of friends that i am comfortable with. Agnes, Way Yuin, Suet Ling, Azhana, Subashini, Shalene. I remember Cikgu Shamser, my science teacher who didn't really like me. I remember, Cikgu Azimah who loved me and i'll never forget Pn Jamaliah who was the coolest Maths teacher because she sat down and played Congkak with us. Imagine that? I remember Agnes, the craze of the school kids, my mentor. I remember Way Yuin, gosh she was pale and thin, in other words she was BEAUTIFUL. I also remember that i had ticks on my hair which i got from my sister, who got it from her friends, and i was too embarassed to tell anyone about it. i remember Pn. Dania who found out and asked me about it. i remember getting rid of the ticks and staying away from my sister because i was afraid she'll 'infect' me again. How stupid and selfish of me.
End of primary school: 5As and bigs dreams to go to SGGS for secondary education. It was clearly the in-thing then. SGGS was like Harvard in Penang for secondary school. Everyone wants to go.

12 - 13 years old
I was the only one from SKSN, my primary school who ended taking the offer and going to SGGS. Most of my friends who wanted to go to SGGS initially seemed to have changed their minds. And when i heard that they were no longer planning to go, i decided not to either. Unfortunately or maybe fortunately rather, i was 'blackmailed' into going and wah-lah i was in SGGS. I didn't like how the school boasted of great results for i felt the only reason they do so well is because they only take in good students. Of course they'll do well when the school is made up only of good students. Duh! I changed quite a bit. I talk a lot. I'm a big part of my church youth group. I was learning to balance popularity with kind-heartedness. Thank god for youth group, otherwise in a school like SGGS, it is very easy to become proud and chase after meaningless things like positions and popularity. Well, I'm still cute. Haha. I've become somewhat popular. My best friend was none other than the instrumental and significant TEMME!!! We did many things together but it was when i was in Form 3 that we got super close to each other. At this point of time, the people that i ate with, laughed with, danced with, played with were Rohene, Muna, Kumatha, Temme, Rachel, Shashminie. And i'm so grateful that out of this 6, 4 of them are still very close to him and all of them are extremely dear to me. :) Oh, btw, i forgot mention that my results were going down the drain because at this point you cannot do well if you don't study and i haven't figured that out... yet...

14-16 years old
Form 3 til Form 5 is the time that my popularity in such a big school escalated. I was elected Junior Prefect in Form 3 before being elected a Red Skirt. I was part of the Debating Team and we were State Champions and dethroned Penang Free School rather smugly. Hehehe. By this time, my oratory skills are pretty developed and i am known for my wittiness. I have a good relationship with my teachers and i love them. Pn. Irene, Pn Goh, Mr Ang all contributed to my being who i am today. I still keep in touch with Pn. Goh and i love her to bits. I still visit her during Chinese New Year until now. That is a compusory house to visit for me. I miss her. Temme and i are extremely tight. We've done crazy things and amazing things. Playing truant, watching movies after school, hanging out at her house or at the mall in our uniforms, talking for hours on the phone and sometimes during sleepovers, complaining about characters we don't quite like in school, fearing losing each other. Truth is she was way cooler, nicer than me and i got to know people because she knew them. We were alike in so many ways and yet different in many other ways. She was already great in her writing. No wonder she excelled in Mass Communications in the end. My close group of friends now were Vivienne, Rohene, Elavarasi, Zaharah, Muna, Shashminie, Temme (obviously), Meng Lin. Gosh, i miss them so much now. We, soooooo, need a reunion guys!! I learnt put some effort into studying. I still hate History, explains why i got a B3 for it in SPM. Btw, i kept getting E8s for my form 4 and form 5 history. So, B3 is a miracle!! :) The rest were As, teachers were surprised, i wasn't. I wonder why i wasn't surprised. Faith? Possibly.


To be continued...
9 Responses
  1. 毓涵 Says:

    was i the craze among students? lol. thats a bloated description.

    anyway, i got b3 for history as well.although pretty much the same for the others.lol.


  2. Danielle Says:

    c'mon, agnes. don't tell me you didn't know. YOU WERE THE CRAZE AMONG STUDENTS.

    All those young girls were deceived by your innocent look and wanted to be your godsis... gosh, to come to think of it, they were everywhere...hahaha..

    did you hate history like i did??


  3. the red team Says:

    Hi Feli! U-Jean here. This is a project I'm currently working on now. Feel free to drop by and link us. Thanks :)


  4. 毓涵 Says:

    Deceived by my innocent look??!goodness me...lol.I dont remember much about godsis, the only thing i can remember is how I got second in standard 6 after Azhana and Cikgu Salmah was my mentor or something like that. Though I remember Cikgu Hasji, Cikgu Jamaliah, Cikgu Azimah, perhaps now only by the name. lol, I have lousy memory. But that was a long time ago wasnt it.So u were not deceived by my innocent looks then?! lol.

    i did not hate history. I just don't love it as much as i love economics and philosophy and music. besides, Msian history, bahh, government tend to rewrite their own don't they?


  5. Danielle Says:

    well, you can only deceive those you do not know... hahahaha...

    wow, we clearly remember different things about school..hahaha...

    to tell you the truth i don't remember cikgu salmah at all... i have very vague memory about cikgu hasji though... :P

    i enjoyed PA in form 6, so maybe it was how History was thought and how the syllabus was like...not too appealing for me..

    i never had the chance to study neither economics nor philosophy but i am pretty sure i would have loved it... something about study of people and how they think always fascinated me...

    how's surviving in australia alone like? i'm really curious...


  6. Danielle Says:

    yu-jean, i actually checked out your site earlier already...
    looked like a really interesting project... good luck!!


  7. amy-da-great Says:

    So freaky man Feli..I was cleaning my drawers and cupboards myself!
    Hahahaha...

    And someone owes Aroma and I TGIF!!!

    heh heh

    Cheers!


  8. Danielle Says:

    simmei, we've got that freaky telepathic thing going on...
    shaiks!!!

    TGIF?? no way, baybeh! it's tony roma's!!!
    TGIF fail... hehehe...
    sure belanja wan... just dun tell others... later got too many ppl on my list...
    hehehe
    ;)


  9. lee wei Says:

    you're right. we must really meet up :)

    so i guess you've graduated? err i must pop you an email sometime soon and bug you for updates! sorry i've been really busy at work. work really does take over your life...

    i bumped into jerryne at a wedding back home. she hasn't changed much eh? still looks as young as ever!

    miss you guys la...hehe i sometimes teringat us ponteng sekolah and hiding in the ferry toilet HAHA that never fails to make me grin. :)