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What does time have more to say?

 

Have You Ever Pondered Away?

Yesterday, while waiting for transport home after my strenuous Tae Kwan-Do lesson, I was tired and my sore limbs needed rest. I sat down on a concrete bench, lying back comfortably against the wall behind to admire the weather. It was by then amazingly fantastic: the sky was clouded dimly yet rays of sunlight could still shine through. What a perfect lighting condition for photography. Soothing breezes would wind intermittently with leaves wafting around in the cool air. Usually rain would follow such fine weather, but miraculously it did not. Opposite me was the open-air concrete basketball field cum carpark. There, twenty to thirty St. John Ambulance members of my peer age were enjoying their time playing games while teasing, laughing and cheering. They were divided into two groups, with each group forming a huge circle. Group members held each other's hands firmly and I believe they were sharing the great moments of teenhood together. How can someone not rejoice in the presence of friends under the cool sky? It was somehow heartwarming just sitting and watching them relish their moments together. How great to

see them be filled with unmatched joy - as I have experienced those great moments of fellowship as well. It reminded me of the times when I was like one of them.

Like I never tire from it, I marvel at the quirks of life as well as the fact that time just passes so swiftly. When I visited school yesterday, construction workers were working hard trying to finish off the school's renovation project over the two-month holidays. Students gather at various places of the school for their uniform group activities. I have gotten to know most of them throughout the year. Seeing the school growing colder and colder everyday reminds me that year end holidays are approaching fast. One year of school term has practically ended and geez I can still remember the first days of school this year so vividly. I remember the zeal and excitement among students as a new year of new hopes and new tales dawned to begin. Of course I also remember that feeling of wearing long pants as the new school uniform for the first time.

1999 has really been a great year for me. I disdain myself for sometimes growing unsatisfied with my memory and envy others'.

During the JC-ISCF Camp 99.
  During the Joint-Committee InterSchool Christian Fellowship Camp 99 (titled "What Would Jesus Do?") on 21 Feb 99. I am the third from the left among the boys who are standing.

Early '99

Despite all the expectations, the outing with classmates to pay each other's house a visit during Chinese New Year early this year turned out rather disappointingly dull.

Perhaps it was a rushed thing, perhaps I was hoping for too much, or perhaps we were all not ready for such activities yet. Anyhow, the ISCF camp took place just a few days after that outing and the camp really touched me. Praise the Lord for that. The camp was titled "What would Jesus do?", organized by St. Thom's ISCF committee and participated by the JC-ISCF of 7 different schools in Kuching, if I am not mistaken, that is. The camp took place right in the heart of the already-too-familiar hometown. Its activities were not groundbreakingly exciting or tiring as I have had many worse experiences from "nightmarish" camps before. Despite those not-too-exciting features, the camp put me together with many St. Thom friends I had long lost contact with. Better yet, I am now still assured that God was doing miraculous works all throughout the camp. I once again felt the zeal and fellowship in the Christian family. My friend who was a non-Christian received Christ there so praise the Lord for that too. And being group leader and lead keyboardist led to many great experiences as well. Somehow there was this "don't-wanna-leave" feeling at the last day of the camp. It was a splendid camp, maybe mainly due to the fact that it was one of my early "serious" spiritual camps.

Then during March, the state symphony orchestra I was in had a trip to Sibu. During that trip, I mixed around

with adults so much that sometimes I felt rather left out when seeing peers enjoying their time together. (Note: that was then, now I do not think I would repeat such a thought again) One complaint about the camp is that we had too many practices. The first night we did not have dinner until 11pm+, and guess what, the same thing happened for the second night! The performance was nevertheless somewhat interesting. SONS combined with ODSS for a few songs, making the entire orchestra huger than ever before. I mixed with such a wide range of people
I never thought that I would end up helping the Sci & Mats club in one of its station games. You never know.

  I never thought that I would end up helping the Sci & Mats club in one of
its station games. You never know.

and spoke Mandarin, Foochow, English and Malay to a stage that I got confused with which language to use many times. When I got back to Kuching, I was called to join the Salvation Army Flag Day to help the Old Boys' Home raise fund (since I became a little more "well-known" from the ISCF camp). Six persons from my school joined the project so we took shifts. My shift (two friends and me) was scheduled to start at 10am+. Before that, some friends and I had to help out with one of the school's clubs in organizing its station game. We had so much fun teaching the participants how to play the game. Of course it was also hilarious just watching them play. Done with that, I walked across the streets to the center of town to take up my Salvation Army Flag Day shift. It was kind of a "rewarding" experience wearing the Salvation Army T-shirt, holding a Salvation Army bag and going around town to ask hundreds of people, each with different responses, for donation under the name of the Salvation Army, of course not to mention giving Salvation Army stickers to donators. My shift team sometimes spread out to "sweep" various areas. When we got together again, we would take turns to ask for donation from passerbys while sharing tales. It was a great-going day.

Sometime in April, one of my classmates transferred

  The Sarawak State Music Camp & Concert: "A Celebration of Music" (31 May - 5 June 99). I know the faces don't show but what the heck. The Sarawak State Music Camp and Concert (31 May - 5 June 99). I know the faces doesn't show but what the heck.
stress. Many a time I only got back home at 8pm+. Oh yeah, I was also in the school English and Malay debate teams (so much for debates, eh?) so I had to also faithfully attend their meetings in the middle of the craze of preparing for music exams.

After all those, the educ dept gave me one week of school holiday to get a good rest (actually it was mid-year holiday), but then it was fully occupied by the state's first music camp. Therefore I found myself pittifully stuck in the middle of a St. Joe school classroom with double basses in front and two adult bassists beside. Frankly, it was so boring as the double bass standard here in Kuching is terrifyingly low. Note that I am using the word "terrifyingly" here. If the same music camp were to take place again next year, I will definitely and surely play the violin instead of the over-bloated double bass! I just got so sick of carrying the double bass around. Nevertheless, the rehearsal and concert night saved the entire camp from a full negative comment. The concert night in particular was rather memorable. The public turn up for the concert was not extraordinary, but the children choir invited from Singapore was notable. Inexplicably, their fairy-like voice, their musicality, together with their depictive songs overwhelmed me. However desperate I try, I can only recall the first stanza of the chorus. I so much long to hear them sing once again…

After the concert, the music camp participants had a party till late night 11pm+ (if that is late). The party was the best part of the camp, I would say (since the camp was generally bad, heheh). Almost everybody was asking almost everybody to sign their, well, signature on the camp book. They were taking photos as if the camera was a new invention they had never seen before. Some chatted with the same persons throughout the night (you know who) while some, well I wouldn't say. At least I got to know some of St. Joe, St. 3, and ODSS people that night. Should have mixed around with Miri/Bintulu people too…

After the music camp, school resumed and the English debate competition began. My school lost in the semifinal round on a dratted Wednesday afternoon, which became a rather big hit to me. All my dreams of sitting in the air-conditioned auditorium listening to my teammates doing the debate (I told you I was only a reserve, haven't I? haha) in the final vanished. My school's debate team was immediately dissolved that day. When we met the next morning in school, all we did was shook hands to console one another. We never talked about debate matters ever again, as if disappointment was inherent in each one of us. (music) Then a week after that, we were invited to witness the inter-division final between Kuching's St. Mary and

Tatau/Miri's SMK Tatau. I met some people from the Sibu division whom I got to know via the music camp there. Some things (heck even infatuation) happened after that which I do not think I will touch here. At least my school's previously dissolved debate team got together. As I remember it now, the feeling was great. It is comforting to know that no matter what happens, we still share many common interests together.

Feel free to bomb me for my assumption of liberty to do the sketch. Please don't laugh, I couldn't have drawn it better.

  Drew this on the afternoon my school debate team lost. Feel free to bomb me for my assumption of liberty to do the sketch, then pardon my trifle with scale and proportion. Please don't laugh, I couldn't have drawn it better.

Colored using the computer some time after the sketch was drawn.

 

part two >>

school. (music) We held a farewell party for him and it did not really turn out that memorable as planned. At least it was somewhat better than last year's get-together party. Blame it to poor management and bad cooperation from the attendants. It was since that party did I realize that such social gatherings do not necessarily be as fun as dreamed. Anyway, I was rather hoping to see the photos from the party, especially the group photo and the photo of a friend and me squatting beside a dog which was also sitting down and in fact even looking in to the camera! But later we discovered that the camera was defunct. So much for those photos. Music and Debate

Then it was middle of the year and my life somehow started to become ridiculously busy. So busy to a stage that I had devoted the upcoming year-end holidays just to "rest in peace". Well AMEB have their annual exams set on the end of May every year. Hence I found my violin exam, music theory exam, and piano exam almost crashing. Add the fact that I had to accompany other violinists during their examinations (playing the piano), the preparatory work was frightening. Everyday was flocked with some sort of