Date : Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Time : 6:41:00 pm
Title : On lessons & learnings

Ms Ng did some motivational sharings with us when the SP people were on monitored-self study in one of the Lecture Halls. She told us about the students in the big big posters which are placed on the walls of the lecture hall. The photos were taken from her year. The students in the poster are all student leaders and one of them is a A Level top scorer from her cohort. Subsequently they all made in to the Local University and the girl is now a Scientist. She also told us the college received a letter from NTU some time ago to congratulate the school saying quite a number of SRJC students from Engineering have cap scores (they call it GPA in Poly) of 4+, which is of Dean's list standard. They are SR students who graduated with First Class Honours, and the main point of her sharings is... Discipline.

I am here blogging for a reason because I have homework to do which involves using the computer.. Tsktsk, BIG distraction! I have due-tomorrow deadlines and have strict tutors who 'take care' of us.. Not that I want to risk getting scoldings from them.... but I need an outlet to pour out my thoughts. I DO finish my work, not to worry. Discipline pls, girl! :(

I realised a certain specific department in the school is very stringent in tutorials.. I think all the teachers there are just as stringent.

There are many things which I have been finding the chance to say.

I've learnt... that many things in life don't come for free.
Over the past several years, I have been studying people (not that I'm freaky or what, just that I'm interested in psychology) and tried to understand philosophy, but failed. But I certainly have many thoughts going on in my head.....

There is the analogy of life similar to being on a train journey.

Life is like a train ride. We get on. We Ride. We get off. We get back on and tide somemore. There are accidents and there are delays. At certain stops there are surprises. Some of these will translate into great moments of joy, some will result in profound sorrow.
When we are born and we first board the train, we meet people whom we think will be with us for the entire journey. Those people are our parents!
Sadly, this is far from the truth. Our parents are with us for as long as we absolutely need them. They too have journeys they must complete. We live on with the memories of their love, affection, friendship, guidance and their ever presence.
They are others who board the train and who eventually become very important to us, in turn.
These people are out brothers, sisters, friends and acquaintances, whom we wil learn to love and cherish.
Some people consider their journey like a jaunty tour. They will go merrily along.
Others, will encounter many upsets, tears, losses on their journey.
Others still, will linger on to offer a helping hand to anyone in need.
Some people on the train will leave an everlasting impression when they get off..
Some will get on and get off the train so quickly, they will scarcely leave a sign that that they ever travelled along with you or ever crossed your path…

We will sometimes be upset that some passengers whom we love, will choose to sit in another compartment and leave us to travel on our own.
Then again, there’s nothing that says we can’t seek them out anyway.
Nevertheless, once sought and found, we may not even be able to sit next to them because that seat will already be taken.
That’s okay, for everyone’s journey will be filled with hopes, dreams, challenges, setbacks and goodbyes.
We must constantly strive to understand our travel companions and look for the best in everyone.
The bigger mystery of our journey is that we don’t know when our last stop will come.
Neither do we know when our travel companions will make their last stop.
Not even those sitting in the seat next to us.

School life is also part of the train journey.

I've seen way too many peers come and go in JC, the experiences I've met is really similar to the train ride. Those friends come and go, some unexpectedly & you will never know what action will ur friend take next (be it to stay or go). Sometimes, just when we start to get involved deeper into our social circle with our friends, some of them just have to alight from the train and hop onto another train journey....

Its painful, I know. Seeing closed ones leave is a sad thing.

But then again, I'm certain we'd get to the main station and meet up with everone else.Everyone will all be carrying their baggage.. most of which they didn’t have when they first got on this train.

I’ll be glad to see them again. I’ll also be glad to have contributed to their baggage.. and to have enriched their lives, just as much as they will have contributed to my baggage and enriched my life.

I always wonder around the train cabin, constantly moving from one seat to another. Sometimes, I prefer to seat on the single-seater seats!
Some people can just stay in the same spot,
while some others can just take life one step at a time.
Most of us are on the train journey for a ultimate destination to reach somewhere.
Hopefully, everyone will reach the 'interchange' of education.

Arrivals and Departures (social-wise) are part and parcel in school life, I'm not bothered anymore, for I've learn to keep the faith and try my best to stay cheerful to things that happens.

Yu zhen's tears were touching. ):