Naphtalians! Now!

[Quote of the post]
Believing hear, what you deserve to hear:
Your birthday as my own to me is dear;
But yours gives most; for mine did only lend
Me to the world; yours gave to me a friend.
-Martial
[Song of the post] My Love - Westlife

Happy birthday to Kevin Wong! Yay! Whee, timed it just right. Kev's supposed to start a blog on his birthday; I'll link it ASAP and fix Daniel's broken link as well.

You might not remember, but there's this blogpost a couple weeks back about this bond between us. Yeah, having the same name can really bring people together, y'know? I won't talk much about this, but thanks Kwong for being my friend. =)

What I really want to talk about is this. In 48 hours time, the class of 2.12 Naphtali 2005 will officially cease to exist. We move to Sec 3, with a more difficult year ahead of us, different classes, different friends, different teachers, different trends. (Hey, that rhymed.)

As I look back over the year, the times we had, the times we shared, the things we did together, the things we laughed about, the teachers we joked about, the things we shouted about... *sigh* I really am going to miss 2.12.

When you think of it, the school annual yearbook is another victim of school budget. Sure, the only class you'll remember after you graduate is the one which you took through O-Levels, but how about the other three years? They brought you to that class. Why should only the Sec 4 photos be displayed, showcased in the everlasting memory? Is the school budget too small to pay for other class photos? They only have to hire the photographer - we're paying them for the photos. Sure, give feedback, you say, like it's so easy. The thing is, people in this era talk too much, and listen too little. But enough about that.

Looking back over the year, I realise what impact my class has on me, me on my class. This sort of thing is more impacting on me because I'm the Class Chairman; I see everybody everyday. Anyway, one of the major events this year is TNN. TNN brought the class together, no matter how loosely. Even Boey knows about it; not much, but still - he knows. It provided me with an outlet for my creativity and a voice for my reason, as well as entertainment for my friends, a couple of profitable crossovers and regestered franchises. As the class affects TNN, TNN affects the class. It's... kinda hard to explain, but (as Michael Wee undoubtedly knows) there's something special about this class that's hard to explain. I mean, we're not as close-knit as a sweater, but we're not as divided as fractions either. It's a big, complicated rojak of friendships and enemy-ships, love and hatred. But no matter what, we're still a class.

I'm sure gonna miss TNN, even though there'll be something like a sequel next year. The pioneers always seem better in a way, like TNN would be better than TZZ or whatever I come up with next year. My favourite quote in the whole story, the entire 20,000 or more words so far, is not something insightful, something witty, or even something stupid. It encompasses everything 2.12ish for the entire year, and it's not that I like it because my character says it.

"Naphtalians! Now!"

Those two words are just full of meaning. We can work together as a team, as a class, like during OEP. We may have some differences and conflicts, but even Kwong and Boey have a love-hate relationship (figuratively, of course). I haven't talked much about the Malaysian scholars, but if you only knew what type of friendships there are between us now... they're like the seasoning in a stew: everything would be okay without them, but they add the extra flavour.

As Jun Yi puts it, "its so strange to think that i didnt [have] this feeling at end of p6/ even though the separation there is a lot bigger". I think it's the maturation of our minds, the mixture of knowledge and hormones, that places us in this position. And of course, being together two years, both in something-point-12 classes, we know each other inside out.

To all who are not in 3.9 next year, I will miss you. 2005 has been the best year of my entire life so far. And although my behaviour today may not have shown it, I am proud to be your Chairman. Truly.

One final word; two actually. This is something I've been saying to most of the people who have MSNed me and are going to another class. "No matter what class you will be in, no matter what school you go to, you will always be here, a Naphtalian in my heart." I will never forget you.

"Naphtalians! Now!"