Nostalgia and musings

It's kind of strange when you go onto a social networking site like Facebook and you join 'meet' people who share similar experiences with you during the particular time in our lives. Let me give you an example.

I stumbled upon my primary school alumni page (no kidding). Well, it is a relatively popular school in Singapore, but what really got me chuckling was the sight of some class photos that we used to take way back in those days. Yes, way back in those days, we took photos of all classes in front of the same statue with the same poses (by the same photographer, that I am certain of). My goodness! And to read the threads posted by different people, I sure remember some of those names they quoted! Actually, I can say that I am a notch up from most of them --- I actually went back to school about a year back! Some teachers were still there. But of course, most of them have left, retired or moved on to somewhere beyond the blue.

Not many of you know this but there was a time in my life when I actually went back to secondary school but this time, not as a student but a relief teacher. There I was, sitting in the teachers' common room where not too long ago, I had to knock and ask for permission to enter. This time, I actually GAVE permission to students to enter! Sitting there at my desk, I remember looking around me. My former teachers were now my colleagues. And as I was sitting there, along came a teacher who had previously taught me. With a twinkle in her eye, she started sharing some gossip with me about some students and teachers. As she walked away with a chuckle, I remember being a little stunned that the person I previously had to revere and 'respect' was now a peer who was showing her human side unabashedly to a former student. But I guess that just meant that she was treating me as a peer and not anything else. When did this shift in her mindset take place?

My dad has this mantra he reminds himself "Be careful who you offend on the way up, you might have to meet them on your way down".

Right, so I have gone a little off tangent here. But back to my point about sharing similar experiences with strangers during that time of our lives. Can't help being nostalgic here, can I?

I am a big fan of history. Not just the topic and the study of it, but of how we can all learn from our past to bring ourselves into the future. I was just telling The Wife about how I value charting my life regularly and asking myself tough questions about where I am now and where would I like to see myself in the future. I've learnt more about myself in these past 2 years than I ever did in my life. This only means that I am well positioned for things to come in the future. What things might these be? Only the good Lord knows. But this thing I do know:


"I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favor to men of skill; but time and chance happens to them all." Eccl 9:11


Right time, right place...