behold, the power of the internet.

Was googling the names of random friends when I came across my grandsenior class' blog. 06S6C. And then I just clicked on the link of this guy's blog.

http://millionaireterence.blogspot.com/

hope that this guy doesn't mind me koping some stuff from his blog. but here goes... it may be of interest to hc people... and jael too. btw this post was dated 31st december 2008, so it's definitely not outdated!

Coincidentally, I got news from my JC junior that Hwa Chong is implementing certain revamp to the school too. Our beloved students' lounge, more affectionately known as Fishtank, will vanish. Replacement is still not made known.

There will be changes to the entire canteen since there is a change of the canteen operator. My beloved eel rice from that Japanese food stall will cease to exist; ditto for Xiao Mi Mi （笑咪咪） economical rice stall; even Candy Yong Tau Foo has to go.

The bookshop auntie is evicted from the school too. She's probably the biggest loser from this revamp saga. Not only did she receive very little notification of the termination of her lease, the school did not even take into consideration of her many years with Hwa Chong.

To think that Hwa Chong has always boast itself to have a warmth and amicable environment, the sheer coldness that the administration has given to the bookshop auntie

is indeed an apt illustration of what the term "irony" truly means.

Whatever happened to 人情味？ We've lost that in this incident. We probably had lost it long ago, long before I could even realise.

原本弥漫整个华中校园的浓浓人情味，似乎早已飘散了。取而代之的，是人性里最冰冷绝情的贪婪与市侩。看来再伟大的治校使命与原则，也抵挡不过金钱利益上的诱惑。讽刺，讽刺啊！

uh ya.Just to digress a little. In case you want background info about this guy... Terence Heng. He got a perfect score for the A levels. One of the 63 perfect scorers. Wahhh... xian4 mu4 ah... (sorry can't find an IME for vista, have to stick with hanyu pinyin) Okok sorry for daydreaming about perfect scores. I don't even qualify for H3, how to get 'perfect score' huh?? SIGH, zibei. Nvm, I swear I will work my brain and tired right hand up to their breaking points in J2! Heck about H3, THAT PERFECT SCORE WILL BE MINEEEEEE!!!

and MIT will open its golden gates for me to be educated within its mythical ivory dome with other evil geniuses.

muahahhahahahaaa

HAHAHAHAHAHHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

ok, reality check. the MIT part is highly unlikely to happen.

sorry ah, back to the topic.

we've all heard about the fishtank issue during the forum, so I'm not going to say much about it. and the comparison between canteen food in HC and TKGS is akin to comparing HDTV showing a blu-ray movie and the screen of your scientific calculator, so I'm going to drop that topic too.

(although I will somewhat miss xiao mi mi a little)

I've heard about the bookshop auntie's predicament a few months ago from some classmates, but never did I expect it to be for real. She has been with hc for a really long time, and it's hard to imagine how it would be like to visit the bookstore without her anymore.

This guy illustrated his thoughts vividly in the last paragraph, which was written in Chinese. I really admire how well he expressed his emotions, it made me feel somewhat ashamed of being a hc-ian.

Even though my language abilities are not of a high standard, I have found another way to express my thoughts: to let the school's values and beliefs do the talking.

Just take a look at the school's philosophy.

Underlining our mission is our corporate resolve to achieve our goals in an environment of joy, teamwork, integrity, excellence and resilience, while keeping a global perspective. Together, these form our school values.

Our Values:

Joy

We aim to make learning and teaching a joyous experience as joy brings about enthusiasm, optimism and passion for living. We also seek to bring joy to others.

Teamwork

We value people and relationships. We believe in teamwork, so as to harness the unique strengths and expertise of staff, and the potential of every student for individual and group success.

Integrity

We abide by our principles: our thoughts and actions are always guided by what is good, just and honourable.

Global Perspective

We take a global perspective while remaining rooted to our nation. In learning and teaching, we keep abreast of global developments and are open to innovative ideas and practices.

Excellence

We seek to set benchmarks of excellence. We strive for continual improvement in performance. Our performance targets are long term and sustainable.

Resilience

We regard adversity as an opportunity. When breaking new ground or faced with challenges in our learning journey, our perseverance, fortitude and tenacity will enable us to press ahead with our quest for excellence.

(shakes head)

A "corporate resolve". Can't agree more, huh. Sometimes, I think the school is being run like a business organization with a CEO, a Board of Directors, and all. But they're not entirely at fault for doing so, because...well...it can help to save costs.

To me, at this point of time in my life, 人情味 is more important than money.

But I cannot influence my ideals upon others.

Some people value money over morals.

Hope that my morals will not take flight if I ever become a high-flyer at work.

Many of us strive for efficiency and excellence. This is even more evident in the corporate world, particularly in big firms. But while we attempt to maniacally ascend the ladder of success in a state of freneticism, we should not forget those who have helped us up along the way. These people are like the rungs of a ladder; deceptively simple and forgettable, and yet undeniably indispensible. They quietly assist you in reaching your goals and dreams without asking for anything in return. Reaching the top would be a task of Herculean proportions with the termination of their existence; that is, unless you are really good at climbing up lamp posts.

When taking part in sports activities which require you to leave the ground far below you, people often tell us to not look down so as to negate the paralysing effects of a fear of heights.

But when it comes to the ladder of success, maybe, just maybe, we should take a glance down after every few steps, and thank the austere, taciturn rungs of the ladder below you.

Show your appreciation today.