Room 100

Today was a strange, but ultimately truly wonderful day.

Strange, because I simply couldn't stop singing the four National Day songs. From very loudly during the joint rehearsal in the morning, to softer during all the rest of the periods for the day. I sang during Higher Chinese, I sang during PE (while trying to play badminton), I sang during AMath (while everyone was concentrating on going through the RGSS paper), I sang during recess (...), I sang during English, I sang after school, I sang when I was skipping along the corridors. I just SANG. And the world knows I can't sing for nuts. It's really really freaky how the songs just stick in your head and can't get out no matter how hard you try. Suddenly I wish I was monolingual, then I wouldn't be able to sing anything except the English song. And still I would be singing that the whole day.

Anyway, my personal opinion is that I really don't like the Chinese song. National Day songs are supposed to get you feeling all patriotic and happy that you're living in a wonderful city like Singapore, but the Chinese song (as much as I keep humming it) does NOT do that. Another reason is that it's neither high nor low, and for someone with a voice like mine (i.e. one not suited for singing), it's very hard to switch between the high parts and the low parts. One minute I sound like I'm trying to be a manly man, next minute I sound like I'm high on helium. In other words? Not good. Plus, I cannot fathom Chinese songs that will suddenly have an English paragraph pop out of nowhere. Especially one that goes "Children of the world, every boy and girl..." - Oh look, I'm doing it again. I'm going to have to think of a way to stop this. Like, now!

Well, another very interesting, and definitely memorable thing happened today: Steffi and I got locked into Room 100.

The secondary fours weren't actually supposed to be having drama today, but the two of us needed to discuss something, so we ended up helping the juniors to arrange the tables neatly in Room 100 when they were done, while they went off to the Khoo Auditorium to watch a rehearsal for Gan Eng Seng's drama production. When we first realised that we had been locked into the room, we assumed that our juniors were doing it for the fun of it (trust me, it's not the first time), and that they would come along in five minutes and unlock the door, laughing like crazy and making fun of us. Well, obviously, that did not happen, and five minutes went by, then ten, which soon led us to the realisation that we were locked into Room 100, with no human beings in sight.

Our first reaction was to laugh. Steffi laughed until she started to tear very badly, and I was rolling around on the tables. Then we attempted to pound on the door, which did not work, because it would appear that nobody walks around on the fourth floor corridor, and therefore nobody could hear us. Well, my heart soon sank when I realised that my phone was in my bag, which was OUTSIDE Room 100 (I will remember to carry my phone in my pocket wherever I go from now on), though thankfully, smart Steffi - wait. Did I say smart? Okay, I take that back. - had her handphone with her, so we knew that somehow or other, we'd be able to call for help. With that thought in mind, we went back to arranging the tables and chairs.

We weren't actually in the room for very long before we were rescued, perhaps just over half an hour, but it was a half an hour I'll never forget.

Getting locked into a room by our junior might at first seem like a very silly and trivial thing, which is sure to provide many laughs in the future, when we look back on it. While we'll no doubt be bending over laughing whenever we think back about this, I think I'll be smiling for so many more reasons. How often is it one gets locked into a room with just one other friend, nothing around but tables and chairs - no studying material, no food, no distractions, for a whole half an hour? Rarely, if ever at all.

Everything happens for a reason, and I'm pretty sure there's a good reason as to why this happened. Perhaps I may never arrive at the REAL reason for it, but at the very least, for me, instead of thinking of it as time lost (be it for studying or whatever else), I'm beginning to see it as a time of bonding. And it's precisely moments like these from which memories are created.

Steffi was never my good friend back in lower secondary. In fact, up until this year, I've never really known her very well. We had, and still have, completely different cliques, and we've never been in the same class (she's always been in SY), plus I was never a prefect before this year, so I couldn't have gotten to know her through that. Being in the drama committee this year though, has provided me with a chance to get to know her so much better - something I'll always be thankful for.

Today in Room 100, we were being our usual silly selves, mostly laughing and prancing around, hoping to get saved. And with nothing around that could possibly distract us, we spent the whole time talking (not necessarily about serious issues), i.e. communicating - something that many people don't do anymore, I've realised. That short while in the room was truly meaningful, and something I'll never forget, not two years from now, or ten, or even when I'm old and suffering from dementia. At least it's something I hope I won't ever forget, because such a wonderful memory, no matter how silly, funny and meaningless it may seem at first, will prove to be one of the most meaningful in my life.

Thanks Steffi, for making it a fun experience, and Farhana, for locking us in in the first place. Not to forget Rekha, who eventually came to our rescue after a desperate call from us to Miss Sie.

And finally, a HUGE thank you to God for today - a day that will forever be etched in my memory.