Basket.

This coming week will see Open House 2003. So it has come full circle - now we're the ones organising it, we'll be the ones talking to sec 4s about RJC, we'll be the ones showcasing our CCAs, we'll be the ones on the other side of the looking glass.

It also reminds me that it has been nearly a year since we left RI on the coaches bringing us down to where most of us would eventually spend the coming year. Open House 2002. I remember it so clearly, even down to the minor details of what I did during the bus journey. The only thing I can't recall is the exact date...

It was a bright, sunny morning, I remember. We came to school as usual and after a last HM Assembly, boarded the buses. I remember we didn't have enough space for everyone to sit down, so some people were standing; it was more than one class to a bus. I remember I found a seat, but it was rather cramped. I know that traffic was heavy and the journey took longer than it should have. Zhaonan was standing, and I wanted to stretch, so I exchanged places with him and let him have the seat.

I know we were pretty boisterous. Winston, Andee and Zhongwei were swapping jokes and talking loudly, and I bantered with them across the bus while trying to maintain balance by gripping the pole near the exit.

Eventually we got to RJ and alighted, to be given paper bags with "Kaleidoscope" written on them. I remember the most memorable thing on the way in was seeing the China scholar who appeared on the Chinese version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire. The bag had a bottle of Newater and a book introducing RJC.

Once in, we were pretty much free to go wherever we pleased. We went as a group, me, Winston, Weijie, Andee and Zhongwei. I know one of our destinations, the place where we stayed the longest, was room 1-4, where the various Faculty Captains were. We talked extensively with the CPS Captain, Huixin, I think her name was, and she told us a lot about RJC in particular, including how to get those S Papers. She also recognised me, and the reason is obvious. Wasn't the first or the last that day to do so.

After that we just pretty much walked all over the school. We also went into LT 1 to watch a video, which showed Xantheus, Orientation 2002, and found out a bit about the other subjects. I remember coming across Prac Crit questions in room 1-10.

I left at about noon, and the rest went to Ghim Moh for lunch.

That day, however, was but one of the more than 800 I spent in RI over four years.

One year after I left (and what a year it has been, but that's another story, another long blog post)... it is a good time to reflect on what I did in RI.

I remember the first day clear as a bell. I was still sad over leaving my primary school classmates, the majority of which went to Chinese High and Nanyang Girls'. I didn't really want to go to RI, and in fact was once headed for Chinese High. So well, I faced it with a certain amount of skepticism.

My brother was in sec 3 then. We went in together, and first thing I saw was the swirling crowd on the Astroturf which would eventually become a familiar sight. Not knowing where to go, I instinctively plunged in and managed to find the place where the PSLs were gathering the new sec 1s.

Then it was off to the Hall for our first Headmaster's Assembly. And Wong Siew Hoong. His first speech to us was unforgettable. Ask any RI guy from my batch. Napoleon, anyone? We continue to laugh about it now.

It seems amazing this was all nearly five years ago. I can't believe sometimes it was that long since I wore tight white shorts to school everyday. Ok fine, mine wasn't that tight, unlike some other people's...

Ok, onward. I remember the PSLs gathered the sec 1s after assembly (and after we checked our classes) and went out to the Astroturf to practice assemblying. Nothing much happened then. next we went up to classrooms, in the then newly-finished Junior Block. 1E classroom was all the way up, six flights of stairs to climb.

So we got there, and it was time for icebreakers. I remember the first person I spoke to was Nikhil. The PSLs? how can I forget them? Wee Yang, Junkai, Leon, Najip, Kenneth Bok... and damn, I really cannot recall the name of the last one. I even remember who were the strict ones and who were the nice ones.

SO we introduced each other. If I remember rightly, Zihao was the third name I had to remember (Abiel and Roy were the first two, I think), and somehow no one could remember my name. Quite funny.

Then it was time for recess, and I remember Kaushik came back late and the PSLs had to go find him.

That was about it for the first day. First day in RI, first day in secondary school.

Once again, I can't believe it has been that long. Close to five years, or half a decade since I first became a Rafflesian. The first time I stepped into RI as a student, to the last time I stepped out as one: 4th January 1999 to 27th November 2002; over 800 school days, perhaps a hundred more times I came during the holidays, and countless hours spent within the compound of Raffles Institution. Countless more hours spent on doing things related to RI. It is an incredible length of time, and it just zipped by so fast.

Yet how was it? A wonderful experience. Ask any RI or ex-RI guy and he will tell you that. RI was incredible. I did so much there and I remember so much from there. From sec 1, Orientation Camp and torture, History lessons and Lifeskills with Allan Soo, chess with Zihao during recess, Jeanie Cheah's lessons, English Day, making friends and knowing people... oh and how could I forget, Project I-Learning. And a lot more besides. Sec 2, better yet. Homeroom system, 2 I-Learning weeks,lessons with Mrs Jasbir Koh, happy days in the homeroom with Zihao and Yen Yeong playing San Guo and picking up the occasional booking from a then-newbie prefect and former class monitor called John Nehemiah Samuel. Not to mention having a classmate in the MOELC by the name of Amogh Nallan Chakravati, whose brother Archit I knew from the RIGE.

Sec 3, new class and oreintation all over again. Kena sunburn. Agony. Both arms, the back of my neck and my ears. But it was quite fun overall, especially after the thunderstorm on the last night saved used from the torture-chamber like game. I still remember how horrid the food from the Sentosa Cafe was though (I particularly remember the burnt porridge for supper on the first night), and Selvan's idea of pitching tents was ridiculous.

Sec 3 was fun, yeah. Made new friends, and continued to stay in touch with old ones. Began my bridge habit, but in those early days, got caught quite a few times. I look back fondly on the days when tiao-ed each other rather than listen during lessons; racist jokes for Avinash, mugger jokes for Winston, corny jokes with just about everyone.

And we got Grace Chong. And Wei Jing, my little-known FT 2. I think in one year we exchanged less than ten words. Grace Chong was well, what can I say. Not so bad I guess, looking back at it. But pretty moralistic at times. Brian Ng? Ha, that was funny. His SS lessons rocked; they very often had nothing to do with SS at all.

Then after all that revelry and getting rather poor results for my End of Year, came sec 4. The penultimate year. And the realisation that this was turly, the last year. At the beginning of it I thought we'll be mugging straight for one year, but I was proved wrong. We had so much fun. From class barbecues to NMAs to more corny jokes... sigh.

CCA-wise, my last guitar camp, and the most fun. Finally got to torture people; push-ups in the rain at Bishan Park, anyone? My last RAGE concert too, and last performance, I had decided, i would ever take part in. No more guitar in JC.

Then very quickly it was Common Test, which I fucked up. 24 points, failed 2 sub, one A1, one A2. And both in the Humanities! This, a mere two months from prelims. I remember having remedial for both Maths, Physics and Chem, and doing paper after paper to brush myself up. Tan Mui Hong helped so much though; I still hear her going "Bring down power, power minus one..." when doing Chain rule nowadays.

Then it was all a whirl. Prelim 9 points; I remember what a scare I had. Got 2 A1s and one A2 on the last day of results release. I thought I wouldn't make it to RJ from the past two days' results, but the last day got me in. After moderation, 8 points.

Then it was continued brishing up and nothing much more... until the day of Open House 2002.

Now it has all come full circle.

One year... so short.