‘Cause I’ll be by your side.

Tenth Avenue North – By Your Side

Why are you striving these days
Why are you trying to earn grace
Why are you crying
Let me lift up your face
Just don’t turn away

Why are you looking for love
Why are you still searching as if I’m not enough

To where will you go child
Tell me where will you run
To where will you run

And I’ll be by your side
Wherever you fall
In the dead of night
Whenever you call
And please don’t fight
These hands that are holding you

My hands are holding you

Look at these hands and my side
They swallowed the grave on that night
When I drank the world’s sin
So I could carry you in
And give you life
I want to give you life

Cause I, I love you
I want you to know
That I, I love you
I’ll never let you go

—

Amazing song. A timely reminder.
Friends, our ability to be there for each other, is limited.
No matter how grandiose our promises of loyalty and friendship, man still fails.
But there is one who has never, and will never fail us. And His name is Jesus. His name is Abba. His name is Daddy.

Time to recover from this leg our journey, before we continue on the next.
A month left to rest and recover before school starts again.
Of course, there’s Film Fest, Comma & Papa still ongoing.

But I _will_ rest.

More people care about me than I’d realized, so, thank you.

Me go back to editing photos now. Just done with Day 1.

Over.

Am due to shoot for Varsity Orientation today (right now to be exact), but my memory cards are full and it’s taking forever and a day to transfer out. Mr Pang Sern Yong is also holding on to my card reader so I’m using my old Compaq. My hard disk seems to have fried itself and turned anti-mac.

So FOC is over. Don’t know when I’ll ever be coherent enough to do a proper thank you. Finally crashed last night at 3am after 48hours of no sleep. Woke up at 9 and here I am, late for church and waiting for all your precious memories to be safely downloaded into my trustier terabyte hard disk.

So here I start my thank yous.

Freni, for having completely exceeded our expectations. So many things about the dynamics of this OG reminded me of Penne, but you guys were twice as fast, twice as fast, twice as strong, twice as crazy, and 20 times more camwhore. There were quite a number of you who were photographers in this group, probably better than me – which was quite stressing, considering the rest of the FOC photo team belonged to the Chron photodesk as well. But well, I’ve done my best to capture what I know will be precious to you. You people are truly one of a kind. I was afraid that you would burn out at the rate you guys cheong-ed the games, but you guys were like Energizer bunnies while your seniors tried to keep up with your ceaseless enthusiasm. Thank you Freni, for being awesome and for knowing how to enjoy yourselves, because that truly is, the greatest reward to us.

So we have come full circle. What our seniors have done for us, we have likewise in kind done for you. So pass it on, dear Freni, pass it on.

The next group of people, Freni seniors, amazing. Amazing, amazing, amazing. I love you people from your hair down to your toes. Tze and Lide were every inch the kickass OGLs I knew they would be from the time we left camp last year. It was so clear to me even back then that it would be the both of you who would take on the mantle of this honourable task. And I’m glad I got to be part of the ride. Full circle guys, full circle. Walts and Shihui, for being the kickass administrators we know Tze and Lide aren’t. For supporting the OGLs. For being more than just AGLs. For just being, ridiculously awesome. And to all the other SAs as well, for being on the ball to babysit the OG whenever the 5 of us were needed elsewhere. Much, much love.

The 3 of you. Lide. Pedro. And of course, the man himself. Weiliang. Apart from Lide who is no emo-shit. The other 3 of us shed more than enough tears on Friday night. But guys, there is no one else that I would be more privileged or happier to work with, than the 3 of you. *salute* For the passion, the love, the grit, the humour, the late nights, the bad jokes, the difficult hours, the initiative, the stubborness to see our work to fruition. This has been a parallel journey for us alongside the main FOC. I freaking  love you guys. (And here is where Lide gives me the the diao face for being emo.)

Caleb, Zhiyuan, Lide, Pedro. You know why la huh?

The seniors Zak, TTP, Marcus. Without you guys, we wouldn’t have been able to see HC to fruition. Thank you for being there to support the HC team. And for much more than just that, but to me, this is personal. Thank you.

Shixiong, Lyon, Psy (who stole my card reader), Amos. For the awesome videos. You guys totally went CRAZY with it this year. 12 DV tapes for 5 days of camp? We have truly gone beyond ourselves with FOC this year. You guys went all out. AGAIN. So thank you, thank you, thank you.

Shannon. For keeping me sane and for being the main victim of my emo-moments when I was drained dry after HC and on Friday. I love you dude.

Jeanette. For your mentorship. For your assertiveness. For being a support to this FOC.

There are countless people to thank. All the other seniors who came down in one way or another. Chang, Weili, Pamy. For helping to run the show in the background and doing things that no one visibly sees, the freshies probably don’t know your name, don’t remember your face, but without you there, many, many things wouldn’t have happened. So thank you.

The FOC main com. It is over. I would say we have truly exceeded ourselves this year. It’s time to pass the baton, and I’m getting goosebumps just writing this. It has been difficult for many of us, but for you guys, the suffering was drawn out the longest over the 9months. So I just want to say, good job. Well done. The show went on. And it went on excellently.

Evadne and Jes in particular, because your team is the team I’m here to support, even though I ended up doing more than just publicity stuff. But no less than any of the super seniors are doing for us too.

There are more people I know I’ve forgotten to thank. I’m not actually awake yet.

Later okay? Hopefully I remember.

They say being a photographer is a thankless job. You’re there to capture the best moments, not be a part of it. But when I look at my photos, the satisfaction is immense. Just to see the smiles, the laughter, the fun all captured in that single still that’s 1/160 of a second. I could not ask for more. No regrets for being a photographer. On the first day when the Chron team trooped down with all their equipment, I think my heart shrank 4 sizes. Out of all the photogs present I was the least experienced. But eventually I told myself to just forget the pressure and just shoot. So Freni, I hope I’ve captured your best moments. And to the pro-er photogs in my OG, do forgive my n00bness.

A lot of the ways I’ve supported this year is a thankless job. Having to leave my OG early on Thursday to test out the video, and then hearing it didn’t quite go according to plan later on… and this, after having to leave them at several instances during the first 3 days too… well. At least they made up for it by being the biggest bunch of camwhores I’ve ever met.

It has been emotionally, physically, mentally and psychologically exhausting. Now I’m not even sure if I remember WL calling me at 2.30am in the morning and talking a lot about something that I was too incoherent to remember. *checks phone* Okay, that seems right. But as I was saying, exhausting. But there is no other better way I would have done it.

Thank you, everyone. Every single one of you freshies, every single senior who came down and automatically helped out whenever lack was present. If there is one time in a year the CS family truly becomes one, it is at FOC. I can’t remember which senior said that to me last year, but it has never meant so much to me until now. During the course of the year events play out, cliques form, sem 2 comes and half the school disappears on internship and exchange, and you forget the CS spirit. But it is this one time every year that we are reminded of how much pride runs through our veins when we say we belong to WKWSCI.

Finally.

Now I must run. Am 2 hours late.

And my 1st card has finally dribbled out all 8GB worth of photos.

So.. over and out.

The last day.

Blogging in school now. All you freshies are knocked out in Hall 7 after getting pwned by everything the seniors have planned for you the past 4 days.

Last day now. Have not slept for more than 24hours and counting. Just done sorting through my photos for the photo slideshow… and to give my beloved Frenis.

Will blog more when I get home and recover from camp. But it has been one heckkkkkuva 4 days so far.

I remember reading a particular entry on Weili’s blog (my then AGL) after wkwscifoc’08 about his gripes about his role as a senior at camp. Many of the emotions expressed by him back then, I experienced for myself. But this camp is for the freshies, and as I sorted through my photos earlier I couldn’t help smiling and laughing to myself when I saw how zi-high you people were, how much you Frenis enjoyed what the seniors have spent 9 months preparing for… I am glad.

Whatever I’m dissatisfied with, remains personal. At the end of the day, quoting Lide, this is Freshmen Orientation Camp after all. And who else is it for but the freshies? Whatever we’ve done well, we’ve done well.

What we failed to do well, is already done.

We hope we gave you guys the best welcome to the CS family beyond that which you could have imagined.

But well, more later – I’m using WL’s com and he wants his baby back to send some mails.

Even while you sleep, your seniors have been up doing up the videos and keeping guard. Feel the love yo. The same love we were given back when we were freshmen in 2008.

Welcome to WKWSCI.

So it’s time.

Out for WKWSCIFOC’09. See y’all in a week.

Amazingly.

It’s funny how many nervous (excited) people there are in WKWSCI right now.

The freshies are worried about not being able to make friends.

The seniors are worried about not being able to give the freshies the best WKWSCIFOC ever.

And it will be, the best WKWSCIFOC ever. In Jesus name. Amen.

But it doesn’t stop us from being any less nervous!

We really just want the freshies to have the best, best possible time and be fully inducted into the Ways of Wee (okay I just came up with that).

There’s so many things I don’t like about the school. But what I do love about it supersedes everything else I dislike about it.

And the worst part is that, sometimes I just can’t put a finger on why I love this darn school so much.

Perhaps it is because it has given me so much room, and space to experiment, to try things out, to do something so vastly different from the structured regime of the past 12 years of my education that brings me such luscious liberation.

Maybe it’s the people, people with dreams as big, or bigger than mine to dream together, our flights of fancy not yet completely torn down by cynicism and reality.

I still remember how enthusiastically I sold the school during Open House and those other random days we had potential-freshies come down to school for the tour. At the back of my head I was thinking, ‘Wassup Liz, since when did you pledge your undying loyalty to this school after you’ve bitched about it so much.’

But most importantly, I remember telling everyone how they must come for FOC. And how I’m still disappointed when I get a Facebook message from a freshie who can’t come because of work or other commitments. Because WKWSCIFOC’08 was the best camp I ever attended. And I know that WKWSCIFOC’09 will be as good, or even better. So.

I’m excited. And nervous.

Hold your breath.

It’s going to be one heck of a ride.

Messy.

Someone needs to understand that personal problems should be taken offline and not publicised on the Internet for the whole world to see.

Finding my footing.

A day and a half to FOC.

Some seniors are staying over tomorrow night (because there’s no way I’m getting to NTU by 7.00am on Monday from East Coast Road).

Guess I’ll have to make it up to him then.

MEHHHH.
Tide over.

CS life.

Conversation that just happend 5 mins ago in the editing room:

Lide: Wahlau, all of stalk until like that. All the freshies are going to have the wrong impression of us. Not all of us stalk okay. I for one, am not like that.

(not even split second of silence)

WL: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAHA
Peds: HAHAHAHHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHHAAHAHAHAHAAHAHA
Liz: HAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAAHHAAHAHAHHAAHAHAHAAHA

Lide: Thanks, nice reaction guys. HAHAHAHAHHAHAHAAHHAHAAHAHHAHAH.

Okay freshies, if you happen to be reading this… allow me to dispel some myths about CS life:

1. Yes, it is true, not all of us stalk. Only in the name of WKWSCIFOC’09 and the excitement of meeting all you new freshies do we get exceptionally kaypoh. Normally we are less exciting than we look. (But still more exciting than the general NTU populace)
2. Not all of us dress really nicely when we come to school. My order of the day (depending on my mood) is usually a permutation of tshirt/shorts, spagh/shorts, and slippers, slippers, and slippers. And no I’m not abnormal. But yes, there are people who dress really well. I am still astounded at the ones who manage to appear for 8.30am lectures in heels, makeup, perfect hair and beautiful clothes.

Honestly, when I first came to CS, I was concerned about not fitting in. I’m not much of a dresser, I love my tshirts and shorts too much (and then you’ll realize that most of us in school do). (Most of) The guys only have a few shirts in their wardrobe all of which you would have seen by the 2nd week of school, and we are all, far more normal than all this online activity makes us look.

So if you’ve been feeling intimidated by all the activity and our behavior, don’t be! I’m not surprised though, if I were a freshie, I think I’d be somewhat taken aback. But have no fear! CS may be small, but we aren’t photocopies of each other. As a wise senior said to me before I came to Wee Kim Wee;

Don’t worry about not being to make friends. CS may be small but you will definitely find people who think like you. (Lee WY, 2008)

So freshies, put your heart at rest, come and enjoy the camp. We really are quite unassuming, friendly and very kopitiam in real life.

First few things I remember about CS.

In light of the upcoming FOC, it’s time to dig out a one-year-old spur of the moment observation that was prominently noted within our batch.

CS LT phenomena.

An obvious exaggeration, but the number of mac users in this school (and in our batch) is quite astounding.

As KJ once said;

In order to be different in this school you don’t buy a mac, you buy a PC.

Vague annoyance.

Okay, so I shouldn’t kick up a big fuss about it, but it is kinda, annoying.

So we get used to CS culture.

Live with it lor, no such thing as trying to keep low profile relationships.

Remembering all the words we used to say that I now have to take back:

Never shit in your own backyard.

CS is a terrible place. If you ever like somebody here, you cannot let anyone know!!!!!

Too late. Mr Shiu did choose one of the most dramatic ways to kickstart this.

Oh well, let’s hope everything continues to go well.

Edit:

In happier news, I’ve bought my spanky new SB-600 and got the Tamron 17-50mm, f2.8 in time for FOC. After shooting for HM09, the severe limitations of my D90’s kit lens indoors has proven to be critical. (Felt totally handicapped and paralysed at many times, but also learnt a lot about how to deal with superbly stingy lighting conditions.)

FOC shall be a good opportunity to practice flash photography.

Okay. Over and out. Shall go try and sooth the miffed boyfriend.

Lizzy dislikes mornings where the boyfriend is annoyed with her.