Basket.

"Things have just gone by... so fast." -Mrs Jasbir Koh

Today was a day when the present took backstage to the past, when old firends were reunited, old times relived and fond memories joyously revisited. What a day.

An incredible number of reunions took place today, and an incredible amount of cherished memories brought back out for a good airing. It exceeded my wildest expectations, and I truly had an excellent time.

The day began like any other, and with me still living in the present. After Justin and I lured Mr Loh out of the staffroom, the others sneaked in and put his gift on his table; so far so good. Then assembly begins, and after it we slip off to avoid both the lame warm-up and the walkathon that would follow. After some running around, Yen Yeong, me and Zihao along with a few others find a nice, quiet niche at the far end of the school and get out the cards. Bridge, the timeless leisure activity.

After about an hour of it, we decide we have had enough and think of heading back to RI. On the way, we pick up Zhiyang, and there's out first reunion; unconsciously we have brought back together the SMP group of over 2 years ago (save Wee Ping)! Immediately memories of the good times we had in the lab, the fish, the long days (literally) and nights (yep) we spent in there, of Nara, Sukumar and Clara, of all the crapping, horseplay, dissections, preservations, journeys, experiences at Ngee Ann Poly in 2001 come flooding back. On a whim, we almost decide to head back to Ngee Ann Poly later to shake hte hands of the abovementioned characters.

The front gate is guarded; we slip out through the back, missing everything RJ has planned for us. No skin off my nose; I'm going back to my alma mater and nothing will be better than doing so.

MRT journey follows; then a lot of time traipsing around J8 getting a bouquet of flowers for Tang Keen Yeen (BB boys' idea). By the time we get back, it is past 10.30 and large numbers of RI guys (mostly lower sec though) are leaving. Hopefully the teachers are still there.

And they are, and this is where my journey into the past began. First teacher I managed to get hold of was Ms Soh Ai Hoon; but she had to rush off. Next I met Mrs Tan Mui Hong, but she had a maths remedial and couldn't stay long either. By an amazing coincidence, I then met Weijie and Zhao Yi, who were going for the selfsame remedial. I followed them, and crashed the session; the first of three times I was to do it during the day.

After that my luck picked up. I managed to locate Ms Grace Chong outside SR 2; having not seen her inover half a year, I do admit I wanted to meet her rather badly. We exchanged greetings, and had a cordial talk. Then I went off and met Tang Keen Yeen with the BB guys at the tables outside the SRs.

Follwoing that, I went downstairs and saw... Mrs Jasbir Koh. My all-time favourite teacher, and one I hadn't seen in literally years. I practically ran to meet her. We had a good chat, and all the time ex-students like me kept stopping by to greet her and talk with her; a testament to her popularity among the student populace. The sec 3s just do not know how lucky they are to get her, and to have her follow them up next year...!

All good things have to come to an end, and I left her exchanging exhortations to take care and to meet again soon. I went back upstairs and met quite a few other former acquaintances, resulting in me crashing Mrs Tan's Maths remedial a second time. Then was the biggest and best reunion of them all; 4E 2002. I discovered them in SR 2 with Grace Chong. Almost all were there; notable exceptions were Zhao Nan, Kaicheng, Apoorva, Yihong, and sadly, Mr Brian Ng. As a class, we joked and laughed with Grace Chong, then went down to the next staffroom to pay tribute to our dear old Physics teacher Mr Mark Wee.

That done, we crashed Mrs Tan's maths remedial (yes, number 3 for me), as a class. In true 4E fashion, we imperiously strode into the LT and simply sat down, occupying two rows. Mrs Tan, to her credit, stoically showed almost no reaction and went on with her lesson after several adroit references to her former class. She was doing the Prelim Paper of 2002; we sure had fun trying to be funny and pretending not to understand (of course, I didn't need to pretend). She paid us back in her own coin, calling Eugene Leong up to answer and inviting us down to teach instead of her.

That small episode over, we had time for one more reunion with dear old Mr Tan Puay Hock, our good Chinese teacher. Following that we kind of split up, with some remaining to play soccer and the rest going off for lunch. I, of course, belonged in the latter group. Together with Weijie, Lau Yan, Avinash, Winston, James and Lin Ming, I trooped down to J8 for a good meal and an equally hearty chat.

And we had great fun. The scene in Pastamania was one that had happened time and again over the past years in the canteen and classrooms of RI; a bunch of friends sitting around doing not much more than talking... cock. Crapping. Laughing, joking, exchanging sexual innudendo together. And we have lost none of that ability - it seems in fact to have grown with age.

At last though, it was time to part. All good things must come to an end, and we all went our separate ways, like we did at the end of last year. The past had forced the present into the backseat for the while, but now it brutally intruded, and we had no choice but to obey.

And thus it was for me, the last reunion of the day - the bus ride home. I didn't think I would ever again take 156 after my O Levels last year, but it has happened time and again. Yet this, surely would be one of the last times I would do so, at least for quite a while yet. The journey itself was a ride down memory lane; the route offered an incredible amount of flashbacks and the bus itself held countless memories. Of all the times I had been on it, whether alone or with friends, whether on the way home or on the way to SMP or even on the way to school. The bus had seen all my moods and most of the shades of my character. It was an unforgettable journey, the most symbolic reunion of the day.

Mrs Koh is too right - things have gone by extremely fast, too fast for some. Yet though I look back with great fondness on the times I spent in RI, the great memories I collected there, the fun I had there, I never for a moment wish I was back in there. Why? There is really no point in doing so. I guess perhaps it may be due to the fact that most of my friends came to RJ with me, but still. One must remember the past, yet look forward to the future. Such is the right way to live.

But I still have to say, 4E 2002, WE ROCK!=)