New Beginnings.
The last week has been nothing short of amazing.
I went into PDC thinking it'd be the same old game - making hi-bye acquaintances whom I'd probably not want to send off come August/September. I went into it thinking that my life and the people around me wouldn't change because of one course. But in some very significant ways, it has. And this is just the beginning of PDC.
Those of you who know JAMETTY - we started off as strangers in a room, making judgements about each other that were totally off tangent. By some serendipitous stroke of fate we somehow clicked and ended up as a bunch of crazy people - not friends, but family.
I never really thought I'd find the same feeling of connectedness anywhere else again, but I sort of did through the last week at PDC.
Not to say my PDC group can replace JAMETTY - that is near impossible - but perhaps I can find/have found another group with whom I can relate to.
Silver has been an amazing group. I think it has to do with us being well spread out - 3 RJ, 3 Hwach, 3 TJ, 1 VJ, 1 ACSI, 1 DHS; 5 girls, 7 guys; 3 China, 4 US, 4 UK, 1 Singapore. The diversity of the group really helped to reduce any form of cliqueing and banding. Tomorrow is SHATEC and effectively the last day of our PDC group-ness. Man but I'll really miss being with the group of people on a daily basis!
The usefulness of PDC in imparting knowledge and skills may be debatable, but its utility as a networking platform and support system is really undisputed. I'm quite sure these are people I can still laugh with, relate to and go out with even after 4 years apart from each other - when we rejoin in the Civil Service!
Go Xin Ying, Wan Joo, Adrian, Han Liang, Calvin, Guan Hui, Yuan Zhi, Jin Zhi, Jonathan, Leonard, Xianyi and me! (:
--
There're 7 of us going to Oxford in October. This is a big number - that's like nearly 10% of the batch. Claire, Philip, Navjote, Daryl, Aaron, Hu Ching and me.
Leaving never really struck me till when I was at the Networking Tea yesterday, when we were talking to the seniors (Dorcas and Ian Wern) about Oxford, about leaving, among other stuff. When Aaron, Philip, Daryl and I were talking about plane tickets, when I was out at Silver Lunch and we started talking about send offs.
It's 11 weeks to departure (way, way later than most people I know but...) but I really haven't settled into the idea that I'll be leaving Singapore for the United Kingdom, that I'll be leaving home (even if only for two months on the first flight), that I'm starting a new phase of life in university, in a place I've wanted to be in since nearly 2 and a half years ago.
I don't think I'll be teary when I leave - but the thought of leaving does bring about different thoughts and emotions.
The idea of starting life away from people I've known for a long time is scary - I suppose it helps that some of my friends will still be nearby - the penguin in London, and lots of ex-ex-classmates too.
I really do hope that I don't end up with a disparate reality in Oxford - that I'll still be able to come back after 4 years and join up the splitting seams with everyone I want/intend/hope to stay close to.
I hope I don't lose the belayers in my life - but if I do I guess I'll know where to find hope/support.
I went into PDC thinking it'd be the same old game - making hi-bye acquaintances whom I'd probably not want to send off come August/September. I went into it thinking that my life and the people around me wouldn't change because of one course. But in some very significant ways, it has. And this is just the beginning of PDC.
Those of you who know JAMETTY - we started off as strangers in a room, making judgements about each other that were totally off tangent. By some serendipitous stroke of fate we somehow clicked and ended up as a bunch of crazy people - not friends, but family.
I never really thought I'd find the same feeling of connectedness anywhere else again, but I sort of did through the last week at PDC.
Not to say my PDC group can replace JAMETTY - that is near impossible - but perhaps I can find/have found another group with whom I can relate to.
Silver has been an amazing group. I think it has to do with us being well spread out - 3 RJ, 3 Hwach, 3 TJ, 1 VJ, 1 ACSI, 1 DHS; 5 girls, 7 guys; 3 China, 4 US, 4 UK, 1 Singapore. The diversity of the group really helped to reduce any form of cliqueing and banding. Tomorrow is SHATEC and effectively the last day of our PDC group-ness. Man but I'll really miss being with the group of people on a daily basis!
The usefulness of PDC in imparting knowledge and skills may be debatable, but its utility as a networking platform and support system is really undisputed. I'm quite sure these are people I can still laugh with, relate to and go out with even after 4 years apart from each other - when we rejoin in the Civil Service!
Go Xin Ying, Wan Joo, Adrian, Han Liang, Calvin, Guan Hui, Yuan Zhi, Jin Zhi, Jonathan, Leonard, Xianyi and me! (:
--
There're 7 of us going to Oxford in October. This is a big number - that's like nearly 10% of the batch. Claire, Philip, Navjote, Daryl, Aaron, Hu Ching and me.
Leaving never really struck me till when I was at the Networking Tea yesterday, when we were talking to the seniors (Dorcas and Ian Wern) about Oxford, about leaving, among other stuff. When Aaron, Philip, Daryl and I were talking about plane tickets, when I was out at Silver Lunch and we started talking about send offs.
It's 11 weeks to departure (way, way later than most people I know but...) but I really haven't settled into the idea that I'll be leaving Singapore for the United Kingdom, that I'll be leaving home (even if only for two months on the first flight), that I'm starting a new phase of life in university, in a place I've wanted to be in since nearly 2 and a half years ago.
I don't think I'll be teary when I leave - but the thought of leaving does bring about different thoughts and emotions.
The idea of starting life away from people I've known for a long time is scary - I suppose it helps that some of my friends will still be nearby - the penguin in London, and lots of ex-ex-classmates too.
I really do hope that I don't end up with a disparate reality in Oxford - that I'll still be able to come back after 4 years and join up the splitting seams with everyone I want/intend/hope to stay close to.
I hope I don't lose the belayers in my life - but if I do I guess I'll know where to find hope/support.