080808

I am one of the few I know who is quite oblivious to the Olympics.

080808 is not about the Olympics. It is about me leaving school for almost twenty years now. And I have always thought to visit my ex-teachers in my Secondary school when I've "made it". That day never came.

Yet.

(You must always put a "yet" on things that are still on your To-do Checklist. If you're planning to accomplish them that is. And carry them out successively so that you can then move on and not think about it on your deathbed.)

The buzz about 080808 reminded me of 080888 (8th Aug 1988) when I was in school and we celebrated National Day.

I should go dig out that photo and show you.

I was in Sec. 3 and there was a buzz about that date, though there wasn't any $8 million dollars TOTO draw, which i think is phony.

To me, the chances are better on a normal day, rather than an exceptionally large prize draw where the top prize would normally be shared by more persons due to oversubscription. So anyway, we were in school and we wanted to commemorate the date, so we took a picture together.

By sec 3, my original group of eight has been dismantled by 1. - my form teacher's deliberate intention to split us as she saw that our group was influencing each other in a delinquent way and 2. - there was "power-struggle" among two of my friends on who was being more popular with the boys. So, we didn't hold together in eight but we somewhat paired up which wasn't bad. Looking back now, I think my teacher was really very smart. She sized up our group and paired the least likely pair together in a class. So we each had our best buddy gone and was left with another buddy whom we had least chemistry with. The person who suffered the most was my group leader - Josephine. She wrote me a heart wrenching letter about how devastated she was feeling and how she missed me. Although we were in classes next doors, our group-strength withered. The only pair that was still having a ball was my new buddy & I. Once, many years back,, I think it was in 1998, I met a senior on the street. He told me that my group of eight was like the envy of the cohort, we were the live of the party and everyone he knew secretly wished to be us. I said he must be exaggerating but he said it was like that. So anyway, I'm glad I had my days.

I am a gregarious person and yet very personal at the same time. I have many friends who are enemy with each other but are all personal with me. They know very well that they could never bad mouth about the other to me because I fiercely guard the other and they know I will do the same for them. So anyway, I know that my form teacher Ms. Li & Literature teacher Ms. Leong are still teaching in QSS cos my cousin just finished schooling there and he told me. I really can't imagine how it will be like if I visit or what on earth can I tell them, but I would really like to visit them. Perhaps I could tell them that I turned out well. Or that she shouldn't have meddled to break up our group. Or that her worst fear about one of my friends happened. Or that my first puppy love BF was really gay and is now a dashing model. Or that I really was not a delinquent. I think I should just tell them that I turned out fine. You think?