Days of yore

Class of '85
Class of ’85

Mr Brown and myself have never attended our school’s Founder’s Day dinner, but decided to do so this year, because it’s been twenty, yes, twenty years since we left the stinking halls (my classroom next to toilet) of the school on a hill with the clocktower that showed a different time on each face.

It was worth every cent we paid, even though we were a bit miffed we didn’t think like this classmate of ours, who said, and I quote, ‘Wah lao eh, pay so much for fuck? I come at 10pm and sit with you all lah’.

Our school produces these sorts, but Mr Brown and Mr Miyagi have obviously forgotten some of the things we learnt.

It was good seeing some faces we haven’t insulted in two decades, but before I could fire the first shot, a familiar face went, ‘hey, wah, you grew taller’. And when Mr Brown arrived, another familiar face went, ‘hey, what happened to your giant plastic spectacles?’. Next time, must draw faster.

Mr Brown memorised the school anthem at work today, so he sang with gusto when it was sung before dinner, while I got lost at the second verse (there’s a second verse?? WTF are the ‘Islands of the Main’?)

Then there were the hordes of school kids who were trying to sell us all manner of miscellany, like rugby jerseys and rugby balls, which, surprisingly, the rugby captain of ’85-86 didn’t buy. (For the record, merchandise included: umbrellas with school crest, polo shirt with school crest, rugby balls with school crest, rugby jerseys with school crest in 3 designs and playing numbers, frisbee with school crest, very nice red fleece hooded sweater with school crest (almost bought one), neckties with school crest, posters, tickets to school musical and fun fair tickets).

The rest of the evening was spent trying to eat the food on our plate, trying to find our old teachers, and trying to remember what we did in school. It’s been so long ago, that I hardly remember the time I was in an electro-pop band that played mostly Depeche Mode songs (Master & Servant, Slave Whip Mix 12″ Extended Single). Mr Brown remembers vaguely his band, which I vaguely remember covering Duran Duran or The Bangles.

Now, the Class of ’85 didn’t know who Mr Miyagi and Mr Brown were, so our secret identities were safe, sorta. Until the conversation swung round to I.T., the ingterneck, websites, and blogging. And this is where it hit us like a ton of bricks.

One of the Class of ’85 said, ‘hey, I have a friend whose daughter has a blog. Her name is Wendy, and her blog is Xiaxue.blogspot…’…

Messrs. Miyagi & Brown @ ACS Founder's Day
Golden Oldies R Us.

Surf stop: Sanity Check Point
iTunes’ party shuffle is playing a copy of: Me And Julio Down By The School Yard – Paul Simon – The Paul Simon Anthology, Disc 1, of which I have the original CD and therefore didn’t steal music.
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40 responses to “Days of yore”

  1. becca Avatar

    This post has been removed by the author.

  2. becca Avatar

    This post has been removed by the author.

  3. becca Avatar

    I wonder how a teenaged miyagi behaved; Did you manage to find any teachers who wore a strained smile when they realised who you were or did they all smile proudly?

    And oh, is rugby to you as soccer is to me?

  4. becca Avatar

    I wonder how a teenaged miyagi behaved; Did you manage to find any teachers who wore a strained smile when they realised who you were or did they all smile proudly?

    And oh, is rugby to you as soccer is to me?

  5. calm one Avatar

    1. you guys didn’t wear the localbrands t-shirt??
    2. did u tell that guy that wendy offered you to squeeze her *ahem*?

  6. calm one Avatar

    1. you guys didn’t wear the localbrands t-shirt??
    2. did u tell that guy that wendy offered you to squeeze her *ahem*?

  7. KnightofPentacles Avatar

    Excuse me for being a cynic, but the numbers do not seem to add up..

    Miyagi and Brown were around 16 in 1985, which puts them around 35 now. Xiaxue is at least 20 (I guess), which means she was conceived around 1985 as well.

    Most of the time, friendships are often built most easily around people of the same age.

    So did one of the ACS guys (a classmate?) have a kid around the age of 16? Even if the “friend” – Xiaxue’s parents – were an entire decade older, it would still put Xiaxue’s mother having her at the tender age of 25 of thereabouts.

    Unusual since the mean age of marriage for males is around 31 (female around 29) in Singapore.

    Hmm..

  8. KnightofPentacles Avatar

    Excuse me for being a cynic, but the numbers do not seem to add up..

    Miyagi and Brown were around 16 in 1985, which puts them around 35 now. Xiaxue is at least 20 (I guess), which means she was conceived around 1985 as well.

    Most of the time, friendships are often built most easily around people of the same age.

    So did one of the ACS guys (a classmate?) have a kid around the age of 16? Even if the “friend” – Xiaxue’s parents – were an entire decade older, it would still put Xiaxue’s mother having her at the tender age of 25 of thereabouts.

    Unusual since the mean age of marriage for males is around 31 (female around 29) in Singapore.

    Hmm..

  9. Ah 9 Avatar

    wah knight really go and calculate ah…kudos…haha

    anyway XX will always be a good ice-breaking topic anywhere anytime. heh
    =D

  10. Ah 9 Avatar

    wah knight really go and calculate ah…kudos…haha

    anyway XX will always be a good ice-breaking topic anywhere anytime. heh
    =D

  11. Merenwen Avatar

    Hey Knight, people do have older friends you know, even if it’s not a very common occurence.

    Or maybe XX’s mum isn’t that much older, but she married young. Who knows right?

    Anyway Miyagi-san, you look very hamsem leh. I wanted to get your number from Mr. Brown, but he told me you too old for me and called you Lao Ah Pek. So bad of him hor!

    *runs away quickly before MM and MB notice the inconsistencies in my stories to both of them*

  12. Merenwen Avatar

    Hey Knight, people do have older friends you know, even if it’s not a very common occurence.

    Or maybe XX’s mum isn’t that much older, but she married young. Who knows right?

    Anyway Miyagi-san, you look very hamsem leh. I wanted to get your number from Mr. Brown, but he told me you too old for me and called you Lao Ah Pek. So bad of him hor!

    *runs away quickly before MM and MB notice the inconsistencies in my stories to both of them*

  13. Mr Miyagi Avatar

    Merenwen, you’re a hoot.

    And yeah, I did the numbers as well, and so, we’re not thaaaat old. So happy.

  14. Mr Miyagi Avatar

    Merenwen, you’re a hoot.

    And yeah, I did the numbers as well, and so, we’re not thaaaat old. So happy.

  15. Mr Miyagi Avatar

    And rugby is life, everything else is periphery.

  16. Mr Miyagi Avatar

    And rugby is life, everything else is periphery.

  17. KnightofPentacles Avatar

    merenwen: You could be right, of course. I was pointing out the possible discrepancy that caught my eye.

    miyagi: is then Test Cricket core or periphery?

  18. KnightofPentacles Avatar

    merenwen: You could be right, of course. I was pointing out the possible discrepancy that caught my eye.

    miyagi: is then Test Cricket core or periphery?

  19. Indiana Avatar

    Rugby IS the game they play in heaven.

  20. Indiana Avatar

    Rugby IS the game they play in heaven.

  21. Mr Miyagi Avatar

    Addendum: Test cricket is life in summer, Rugby is life in winter. Antipodean seasons. Except for the Ashes in the Mother Country. And Rugby World Cup. And the Autumn Tests. And Cricket and Rugby tours….

  22. Mr Miyagi Avatar

    Addendum: Test cricket is life in summer, Rugby is life in winter. Antipodean seasons. Except for the Ashes in the Mother Country. And Rugby World Cup. And the Autumn Tests. And Cricket and Rugby tours….

  23. Anonymous Avatar
    Anonymous

    Is that James Lye (of Triple 9, Citibank fame) I see in that class photo of 85?

  24. Anonymous Avatar
    Anonymous

    Is that James Lye (of Triple 9, Citibank fame) I see in that class photo of 85?

  25. Tym Avatar

    So did you and mb get outed?

  26. Tym Avatar

    So did you and mb get outed?

  27. Mr Miyagi Avatar

    Soccersalvaged >> Sorry for the late response. Yes. Strained smiles and tears from Mrs Ira Suppiah, who said to us, ‘You boys are the reason I come back to these dinners’.

    Tym >> Outed in a low-key way, when asked how we knew Xiaxue.

    Anonymous >> No, it is Lye Hin Siong of Sec One A, ACSS 1982.

  28. Mr Miyagi Avatar

    Soccersalvaged >> Sorry for the late response. Yes. Strained smiles and tears from Mrs Ira Suppiah, who said to us, ‘You boys are the reason I come back to these dinners’.

    Tym >> Outed in a low-key way, when asked how we knew Xiaxue.

    Anonymous >> No, it is Lye Hin Siong of Sec One A, ACSS 1982.

  29. aGent X Avatar

    miyagi-san : you cannot get away from being with celebs huh? but i guess, ACS has many of them, including Adrian Lim (the unholy trinity guy).

  30. aGent X Avatar

    miyagi-san : you cannot get away from being with celebs huh? but i guess, ACS has many of them, including Adrian Lim (the unholy trinity guy).

  31. AcidFlask Avatar

    i think the ‘islands of the main’ refer to the indonesian archipelago, considering that back in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century southeast asia used to be known generically as “the east indies”, i.e. the stuff east of india.

    yeah i remember how just about everyone would stumble through the second verse whenever the full anthem was played during flag-raising, which i think was probably once a year. so that probably explains why no one remembers it.

    or perhaps it’s because it’s no longer PC (and also incredibly ironic) to claim “our students hail from China’s plains”? the cheenabeng and cheenalian students (to use nsl‘s terminology) would be laughing their heads off if they knew.

  32. AcidFlask Avatar

    i think the ‘islands of the main’ refer to the indonesian archipelago, considering that back in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century southeast asia used to be known generically as “the east indies”, i.e. the stuff east of india.

    yeah i remember how just about everyone would stumble through the second verse whenever the full anthem was played during flag-raising, which i think was probably once a year. so that probably explains why no one remembers it.

    or perhaps it’s because it’s no longer PC (and also incredibly ironic) to claim “our students hail from China’s plains”? the cheenabeng and cheenalian students (to use nsl‘s terminology) would be laughing their heads off if they knew.

  33. suspiciousbastard Avatar
    suspiciousbastard

    Gah! ACS! SJI’s worst rival! Not that Sji guys were any better…

  34. suspiciousbastard Avatar
    suspiciousbastard

    Gah! ACS! SJI’s worst rival! Not that Sji guys were any better…

  35. Rugger Lover Avatar
    Rugger Lover

    If rugby is life then… I say, PARTY ON!
    Just saw a load of cool auctions on eBay for the Sevens! http://promo.ebay.com.sg/sevens/
    Bring on the beer!

  36. Rugger Lover Avatar
    Rugger Lover

    If rugby is life then… I say, PARTY ON!
    Just saw a load of cool auctions on eBay for the Sevens! http://promo.ebay.com.sg/sevens/
    Bring on the beer!

  37. Mindy Avatar
    Mindy

    It just occurred to me that I was at that very same Founder’s Day Dinner as a J1 student, probably trying to sell things to you.

  38. Mindy Avatar
    Mindy

    Oops. Not J1. J2. I forget how old I am sometimes.

  39. Mindy Avatar
    Mindy

    It just occurred to me that I was at that very same Founder’s Day Dinner as a J1 student, probably trying to sell things to you.

  40. Mindy Avatar
    Mindy

    Oops. Not J1. J2. I forget how old I am sometimes.

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