Mid-Term Reflections

The year 2008 marks my entry into the Hwa Chong Institution Humanities Programme. In the first place, my choice to pursue a Humanities-focused academic journey was not made lightly nor thoughtlessly.

Amidst the barrage of criticism and sarcasm directed at the Humanities Programme, including the classification of its members as “muggers” or “nerds”, I indeed considered the prospects of selecting another track of study to pursue, such as the sciences. My results for the sciences had been good, even excellent by some standards since Secondary One; I was also rather interested in certain aspects of the sciences, mostly about how certain things work. I believe that had I chose to read science in my upper secondary years, I would have survived well, perhaps coping even better than what I am doing now in the Humanities Programme. As I look back upon the time when I was making my decisions for Special Programmes option, it occurs to me that how close I came to making a bungle out of it. While I love to spend my time reading up about the scientific explanation for certain phenomena or certain properties exhibited by certain objects, I have since discovered that my interest does not extend beyond the very surface. For instance, I am highly interested in the workings of the bullet-proof vest, how does such a thin layer of material can so easily insulate a person against a round of brass travelling at terminal velocity? But telling me that the high tensile strength of Kevlar further reinforced with the twisting of the fibres would suffice. Information about the chemical properties of Kevlar or the formula to derive the strength gained by twisting would be lost on me. Such an attitude towards the study of science would not be very conducive to the kind of in-depth and detailed analysis the science guys are used to.

As one poet whose name I fail to recall so aptly put it: The pursuits of the scientific, mathematical and logical disciplines are all great pursuits, they keep us alive; However, the beauty of the arts, music, literature and the humanities are what we stay alive for. It was a very brief glimpse I had of this particular piece of literary work, so brief that the poet’s name was not noted. But such was the gravity and force of this statement that reached out so much to me that I remembered the essence of it till today. This is a view that I identify very much with. Not to say that the scientific people do not appreciate this or that they are inferior; it would be better to say that they are the noble ones who keep us alive while I am the selfish one who enjoys life. Had I chose to read science, I may not have to stay up so late for so many days; nor would I have to plough through so many profound readings; nor would I have to miss so many recess periods.

Life could perhaps be described as hard, even cruel, by many people. But I am enjoying it! For me, I seek satisfaction in everything I pursue. And that is the prime motivation for me to strive hard in everything I set out to do, as more is achieved, higher achievements are required to give me the kick. From such a perspective, the decision I made to enter the Humanities Programme does not only signify a turning point in my academic studies, but also a turning point in the way I live my life.

At this point, I feel the need to mention one very significant event that happened just a few days ago. 1^st April is designated Projects’ Day Preliminary Judging for the year 2008. For the first time since the first time I set foot in Hwa Chong Institution as a student, I am doing submitting two projects for judging this year, not including the mandatory Humanities Research Paper which I did not submit. And it was not with the nonchalant, indifferent, otherwise known as “bo-chap” attitude that I undertook the commitment of three concurrent research projects. Also for the first time, I actually dedicated so much of my time to these projects! In Secondary One, it was the disinterest that resulted from a project that I would call mundane and insignificant; In Secondary Two it was the sheer amount of slack I cut myself that resulted in the pathetic excuse for a project of mine to fail both the preliminary round and the second preliminary round. Somehow, I managed to find the drive and motivation to seriously commit to a project; perhaps it was the assimilation shock from the Humanities Programme or perhaps it was the introduction of extremely academically inclined and competitive people around me, but it certainly boosted my morale and ignited a flame deep down inside me. A passion for whatever I set out to do. Possibly also due in part to the nature of the projects I undertake this year, I feel much more empowered and able to develop them. For once since Secondary One, I actually feel confident that something positive will come out of my projects. Not just that, but the sensation of the fiery conflagration of passion within is extremely satisfying indeed. Again, like the choice for a rigorous course of academic study in the Humanities, all the late nights and the long days are well worth it, just for the passion and enthusiasm derived.

On another plane, there are also rather great changes for me in terms of my EP3 (formerly CCA). For those faithful readers of my blog, you would have seen the post last year on the Ong Teng Cheong performance. It seems that the spirit of that particular performance had extended itself to this year. In spite of all the academic commitments that I have to fulfil, I still prioritise Chinese Drama over many other things. A case in point can be found in the ongoing Humanities Youth Research Symposium. The initial justification for not applying was due to the planned performance in Hong Kong, which was cancelled. Mr. Samuel Lim actually asked if anybody wants to participate in the symposium for a second time, after I was informed of the cancellation of the Hong Kong trip, but I expressed no interest despite this being a good chance for exposure and building up of my portfolio. However, the calling of responsibility towards the short play we are putting up for national competition overwhelmingly compelled me to pass this rare opportunity off. I knew it would be a quixotic bid to apply for the symposium and attempt to juggle it with drama rehearsals; only one could be chosen, and that one, was Chinese Drama. The camaraderie in the Chinese Drama Club is, to a large extent, virulent; so much so that the Secondary One batch were already caught up in the spirit and participating with zest in our activities. And this choice is one that I have not regretted, and I am now well-primed to dive right into the chaos of national competition. Those of you who are fortunate enough to secure a seat in the smallest theatre I have performed in to date, you would be able to see first-hand the results of our toiling for almost a month of daily rehearsals. For the others, there will be updates as soon as its over.