The past caught up with me. It has been a week for reminiscing.
For several weeks now a group banded together on the messenger app has been anticipating the weekend. Former SAJCians would meet at Hort Park to celebrate and reconnect. This reunion was spiritually driven by the approaching or the arrival of the number 50, the desire to reconnect and renew bonds long neglected but not forgotten and physically driven by a few dedicated organisers, most of whom were members of the 6th student council.
photo credit Dennis Tan
For me the entire week had hints of this reunion and the past.
In midweek, a friend now residing in Barcelona posted on FB a football team photo we were part of, another friend from another team hijacked this post by sharing another photo of another team this second friend and I was part of. I have always been in football teams in school, in the army and in NUS. I reposted both photos commenting how team sports builds long term friendships and character. I had started up a football school, some years ago with this exact premise. This venture brought much pleasure and fulfilment but not the monetary rewards.
On Saturday, I went for a run in the woods of MacRitchie, a place most readers here will know as my backyard. I started at the Pierce Reservoir carpark and accessed the woods at Venus Road. On this run, I met the future and the past.
The future is a group of CJC students who were enthusiastically selling a tour of the trails leading to the HSBC treetop walk. They were fresh faced, bubbly and full of confidence. These young ones were probably botany students. They wanted to show and educate the visitors to the woods, the flora and fauna found in these parts. Science and commerce combined, so I thought we looked good for the future with these young ones. I later saw this in the reunion organisers. Carolyn, Lee Hwa, Reg, Sunny, Beng Siong and Siva, I see you guys in this group of future movers of our society. I also saw in these kids, Jenni, Doris, Young, Jonathan. Singapore is in good hands for the future if they turned out anything like you guys.
The past that I met was a reservist comrades in arms, we were both platoon sergeants in SP company of 522 SIR. He was signals platoon, while I was 106 platoon. I was on my second rep of my 2 rep 3.5km rolling hills repeat workout when I literally ran into Yeo. This trail is excellent for a hills workout, long rolling hills coming at you quickly. Kick up the hill and slow on the downhill as they can be treacherous. Yeo is now working and residing in Jakarta and is an avid mountain trekker. Closing on 50 he is still fit and hearty, full of life and climbing mountains. The guys and girls I would later meet that night was more of the same.
The reunion was that evening. Some had cold feet and felt nervous and likened it to a first date. Yes, it did feel like a first date. So we met, a lot of us recognised each other instantly while some need a little toggling to remember. We had lots of help with old pictures and yearbooks.
While I hadn’t expected ancients with creaky knees wobbling, it was great that all of us looked fit and healthy. None of us were really struggling. So is 50 the new 30’s? Going by looks, I suppose so. Going by how many of us are still physically active, as exemplified by the fact that 2 of the party, Shan and Stan, left early because they would be running the Army half marathon the following day, I would say yes. Add to that Enrico, who at the 9th hour had commitments & could not attend, is an IM finisher several times over, in Kona twice. So double yes. Another example is Yeo, my reservist comrades in arms who climbs and treks mountains, I would say triple yes. Going by the way we all showed savviness in using modern smart phones and technology as exemplified by our FaceTime conversation with one of our kins in the US, I would say a definite yes. Two So yes, I think 50 is the new 30.
The buffet was forgotten, put in the backseat while the front seat was occupied by laughter and back slapping and hugging as people who have not met in 32 years shared memories and caught up with each other. Bernard commented that it was good how we could pick up a conversation left off some 30 years ago. The years seem to just melt away and we were JC students once again.
Indeed we were reminded by Mr. Wee that we should always be a student. Learning new things everyday. He then let us in on a secret, he hadn’t taught Economics at all until he taught the Science classes in our year. Mr. Wee continued that he did not know much about Rugby before being handed the role as teacher in charge of Rugby in a Rugby mad school. So he learned, even after becoming a teacher. So should we remain a student, even at 50, even after having children and raising them and even after being a CEO.
Highlights of the evening was Shark’s performance, entertaining us with his smooth vocals. Shark has always been a wonderful voice. A KR rocker no less. And we sang the school anthem. While not all of us had Shark’s vocals, I think we nailed, albeit taking 3 shots at the cherry before succeeding to do the anthem justice.
The winning team
But what really struck me as the glue that bonded us all was the SAJC athletics team that won Gold that year. I was not part of that team, these guys were far better athlete than I. Nothing was so defining for us as SAJCians as that win at the National Stadium. Suresh recounted how we were faster than the fastest when Frankie Lee pipped the fastest man over 100m that year to win us Gold in the relays. I choked at that moment and realised that my belief that sports is the glue that unites people was spot on. Joseph Schooling’s win should glue us as a Nation.
So 50 is the new 30, be a student and learn everyday and nothing builds bonds like sports.
Keep on running, friends.