It was the retirement ceremony of the only secondary school principal I had ever known, Puan Chia Loy Tian. In my wildest dreams I could never have imagined a more wonderful principal. Puan Chia is one of those teachers who never utters a rebuking word harshly, yet you sense that she is not one to be toyed with. Misdeeds and mischief was not tolerated-but in the gentlest yet firmest way possible.
The clearest memory I have of her was a time when she sat me and certain friends of mine down after assembly to talk to us. Our SPM trials had just concluded and Navini and I, who were both targeted to achieve 10 A's, had performed quite miserably. She gave the both of us her famous Puan Chia 'look' (eyebrows raised and eyes peering over her glasses) and bluntly asked us if we had simply given up on scoring those 10 A's. It was a talk I would never forget and after that, though I fooled around A LOT, I did manage to get 9 out of those 10 A's.
Anyway it was totally awesome being back in the glorious place that used to be my second home. Being in school was a great walk down memory lane. As it turned out, five of us from the class of 2007 made it to say our final thank you to Puan Chia. Jasmine, Jeni, Khir, Poon and I were ronda-ing around the school just absorbing the vibes of school life. We couldn't stop reminiscing about the mischief and all the nonsense we were up to when we were in school just four short years ago.
We sat in our Form 4 classroom, remembering the attack of the monkeys and the way we would get totally creeped out when the building was empty. We took a tour of the Prefects Room and of course decided it was better in our day ;p We spoke to many of our teachers, and they all pretended to forget how much trouble we used to cause them. We even visited the tree where we carved our names and it was STILL THERE with our names intact :'( I got some photos, here's my name on our tree :)
MGS has changed in many ways, but in many more ways it is still exactly the same.
At the retirement ceremony, the school spirit displayed by the teachers and students was still the same. I had a brief moment of deja vu, imagining that I was one of those students squashed on the floor cheering, or one of those prefects telling them to be quiet.
Oh and there's a new guy teacher who all the girls have a crush on named Mr. Wong. Mom introduced me obviously and yeah he was good looking but not all that great. But then again, being in a girls' school changes people's opinion of good looking :) I would know. Poon went as far as claiming he looked slightly similar to Robert Pattinson (which he didn't of course :S).
What else? Hmmmmm........... I guess there was just too many things to absorb. But yeah I was so pleased to see that the MGS spirit still lives on. Oh and me and the girls were planning on joining the alumni, since we fit the description of "old girls" now :) Not exactly OLD but you know what I mean. We got distracted by the plan to go have lunch in our old haunt, KKI(stands for Kari Kepala Ikan). Yet despite the name we never had fish head curry there :)
Of course at the end of the ceremony everyone was jostling for Puan Chia's attention. Being an ex student comes in handy here lol. We said our goodbyes, without tears thankfully. And of course we got a photo with our beloved Puan Chia.
Teacher,
In a time where being an educator is no longer a calling but a mere profession, I just want to thank you for all the ways in which you showed me how to be a better student.
I thank you for being there whenever I needed someone to look up to, to be an example of what I could achieve if I worked hard.
I thank you that by making me a better student, you also made me an infinitely better person.
And I thank you, Puan Chia Loy Tian, for helping me to be proud to be an MGSian and to stay true to the school for all that it has done for me.
Thank you, Puan Chia, for making MGS the MGS it is now, the one I will remember always.
The best part of the ceremony was singing the school song. I don't know why but I had never been so proud to sing that song and discover that (of course) I still remembered all the lyrics :)
MGS, arise and sing,
Sing and let your voices ring.
In fervent vow and joyous song,
We pledge to be ever true and strong.
To work in love and harmony,
With steadfast faith and loyalty.
For youth, for service we shout and hail,
May truth and justice fore'er prevail.
Onward, onward MGS.
From strength to strength march on always.
With uplift heart, untiring feet,
March to the goal of light and grace.
See, I remember it all :)
Although Puan Chia has left to enjoy her life as a retiree, MGS will indeed remain MGS. As my class teacher Puan Faridah said, "Once you're in MGS, you're in for life". It has a way of etching itself into your heart and never letting go. That is but one thing that makes it the awesomest school ever :D
Onward, onward MGS. We'll miss you, Puan Chia.....
