1993 - I finally grew up and was promoted to secondary school. Just to sum up, my secondary school was an eyesore, really. It was painted pink all over, i guess that's what you would expect when your principal's name is Mimi Asmara.
I was originally posted to another co-ed school nearby but divine intervention landed me in this school instead. I was ecstatic, and really enjoyed every single moment there.
1993 was the year i picked up softball. It was to be an integral part of my life for the next 5 years. Till today, i am able to recall that fateful first training. I was a scrawny dancer back then and i had no idea how to toss the ball. I have a feeling that my coach really liked me =) She never once raised her voice at me, not even when i somehow miraculously injured both my hamstring muscles during a tournament and my teammates told me i was in for a scolding back then. Aside from the stitches i needed for the torn eyelid, the twisted fingers and 4-hour daily training leading up to a tournament, i must admit i didn't know i could derive so much joy from chasing a small little leather ball in a large diamond field.
1994-95 - I don't have much recollections from these 2 years except that i was a quiet student. I was not a prefect, in fact i was not a leader at all. I preferred to keep a very low profile in class, i guess. Oh ya! One of the big news back then really left us shell-shocked. My Living Skills teacher was found dead in his house. Apparently, he was electrocuted whilst he was trying to change the lightbulb in his living room. Talk about irony ; the person who educated us just weeks earlier on how to change the lightbulb in our homes actually perished doing what he was supposed to know best. Speaking of Living Skills, all schools in Malaysia back then introduced this subject to teach students the various skills in life. Be it starting a business as an entrepreneur, erecting impressive woodworks, sewing, cooking, gardening, to recognising wires in a socket to drawing architecture plans to cleaning the toilet, you name it, it's there! I wonder if they still keep this subject in the education system...hmmm....
1996-97 - In Sec 4, all students in Malaysia are streamed into different branches. I chose the Science Stream. I must admit i sucked in Science and Maths back then, so i'm wondering if it was peer pressure that made me do it ! I was never one to grasp logical concepts and i totally hated anything to do with numbers!!! Nevertheless, i was always in the top 5 in school. It wasn't my fault , you know. I had no choice but to turn into a nerd. I had no computer then, no ICQ, no MSN Messenger, no internet and *Oh My God* no cable TV!
Being in a secondary school back home was relaxing. They didn't put unnecessary pressure on you to perform. If you did below expectations, it's not the end of the world, and you wouldn't feel like shit. Sad to say, my happy-go-lucky and laidback lifestyle was brought to an abrupt change the following year as i was thrusted into a different education system in a neighbouring country.
Even now, years later, i would still wonder what might've been, have i chose to stay in my homeland at that juncture. Would i have turned out differently? Would i have been a better person? Haizzz....
I'm gonna talk about 1998-1999 next time. Ciaoz
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