This week ends with 3 reunions with my former classes: 00S14, 01A01 and 04A02. And not forgetting a long awaited reunion with my 3 brothers; edward, louis and mike over a passing train and many phone-calls thereafter.

I am leaving Singapore and my vocation (for now) with a deep sense of gratitude, having been given the chance to recollect many past and present journeys shared with friends and ex-classes alike. It will be interesting to meet most of my classes before i leave. 00S14 / 2000 made teaching GP quite relaxed and fun for me as a beginning teacher then. I still shudder at my style of teaching and the little that was learnt. They were a receptive lot and provided me with much patience and space to grow. S14 (and the likes of Kim, Weizhang, Xian Hong, Wilfred, Wee Pin and William) were a smart and cocky bunch who always had a heart for others and remained so to this very day. They are one of the most memorable classes i've ever taught. 01A 01/2001-2002 was my first CT class. I took them on with much joy since i coached them for most of JC1. Warm, affectionate though sharp by nature (they still are! Think Hazel, MJ, Aleen, Chooi, Shang, BingBing, Mark and Pat-she hates being called by that label) : those early months bristled with negtiations as we sought to navigate across sensitive terrains and mechanical rules on everything from attire, deadlines to punctuality. Being a subject tutor for them in Jc1 entailed a different stance as you take on CT in Jc2. Still, the months went by and there grew greater trust and regard for each other. They remain my first CT as always and i will always remember them for that. 04A02 / 2005 is on record, the 'final' CT class i've taken on before leaving service. They were a motley bunch, so incredibly diverse in their personalities and utterly coloured in many different shades. I lumped them into artsfour (jc2GP/2005) for the many hours of rare insights and pathsways we've taken; treetop hikes, sacred places, lit hikes.

Lives were broken, stories were woven and stiched and the occasional hollar across small rooms, classrooms and corridors which left one in tears. By then my journey was almost ending and the call came early to retreat, withdraw and rest but not before i could and want to tell them they were the most human and humane class i have seen, both in their wry vision to Life and the felt compassion and yearning to know and be understood. The final chapter of their lives proved was a fitting tribute & necessary closure for all that we've seen, felt and heard. Till this day, whatever happened in Arcadia on Farewell Assembly day, between and within the class will always be a sacred encounter between them and themselves. Many reflect an awkward shyness and occasionally respond with derisive laughter when they recall that day. Yet in the still and silent hour of prayer, I knew there was something more than ordinary emotion or spirit felt in that dim room that day- a flicker of chance, openness and genuine regard no one else but they would understand in the years to come...


Much of our lives are marked by mystery. Becoming human is'nt the easiest thing to do but it remains a necessary journey for all who desire more out of life and our ordinary and frighteningly mundane and mechanical existence. There lies contours we need to mark, point out and re-read once more, the brief glimpses into eternity that tempers our battered experience of life's lesser tragedies and blank compromises.

we give thanks..