Chickened out of a public speaking presentation once when I was 10. 9 years later, I redeemed myself, by facing – god knows how many – 500 people - to blabber away, aware the entire time of my drying sliver, back pain, blistering feet, fever, worsening sore throat, trembling voice and finally, the knowledge I was going to stutter at strategic points.
The crowd was a blur, couldn’t locate any familiar face, (trust me, this wasn’t a symptom of fear, but hey, don’t blame me, I only had 7 coursemates to back me up. Oh, have to add, some came, much later, just to eat, and to see if their book prizes was still theirs. It’s ironic then that I was delivering the valedictorian speech. The point was lost – entirely.
Yes, shouldn’t have done it. But, hey, lots of things have been a case of ‘shouldn’t have but I did it anyway’. Crappy, I know.
Since, the speech was wasted; I’m going to immortalize it, by publishing it – in my blog. Read it, if you may, since none cared to hear anyway – heh!
Current music: Ain't no mountain high enough (Marvin Gay and Tammi Terrell's version/ OST-Stepmom)
****
A beautiful day to celebrate a hallmark in our life and to be graced by dignitaries in doing so, is a priceless gift indeed. I, Bathmapriya Balakrishnan, representing the graduating class of 2005 from the School of Pre-Universities Studies, would like to extend a warm welcome to …………………blah blah blah…
Today, fellow friends, we find ourselves so strangely garbed. Lurking in the recesses of my memory, I find myself, albeit a shy 6-year-old, picture stilled with the same attire. I walked timidly on stage, to receive a scroll - A scroll from the kindergarten principal. Now, 13 years later, I am about to do the same. But, today, I am here with you, and that would make all the difference. Balancing anxiety with sheer euphoria, I feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude for being given the opportunity to speak on such a momentous day.
Fellow graduates,
Behind white picket fences of steel, rising tall, a mammoth structure, the blue and yellow KDU fortress rises tall. Despite its indomitable presence, it's not so much what, but who that makes this college KDU.
The center of gravity, the hub of activity and camaraderie is none other than the orange hued cafeteria. Although being at the mercy of our Hotel and Tourism mates, affectionately known as H & T - where we are blatantly used as guinea pigs for their culinary experiments, we can safely say that we are merely sampling the wares of soon-to-be-professional-chefs. The cafeteria would be amiss without the grace of Soraya, a half Javanese who is ever radiant and her dexterous crew. Everyone here today will have a sack-full of memories - almost all our socializing have been done over countless breakfasts, lunches and teas. Who can forget the free newspapers provided for our perusal and the music video clips on MTV while we chatter away our time, bonding and strengthening our friendship with each other?
Go up two floors, and there we greet the convenient Computer Center, available to all of us, thanks to their long opening hours. The Assistants there are always on their toes, repairing, improving and accommodating us with exuberance and enthusiasm. Just like how the KDU building underwent a face-lift - the paint job that transformed the gray-cream coloured walls to the cheery yellows and blues it is now, the printing facility at the center never ceases in its development. During my stint as a student helper, my shift went from back-breaking-always-on-my-feet to the easy 1-2-3-steps-print-yourselves. Whenever confronted with a laud student, Ivan, my supervisor would ease my worries away with an anecdote. "Don't fuss over I-D-10-Ts", he would say, which simply means idiots. The constant improvement at the center eventually made it user friendly. I know not one student who doesn't use the center on a daily basis, be it to print crisp assignment papers or to simply update themselves with breaking news.
Fellow friends,
What is an institution of higher learning without a library? On the 3rd floor, the library sits, spanning a large area, teeming with books and inquisitive students. On a rare occasion, my friends and I switched our halos with sharp, pointed horns. We played a prank by creating a placard with KDU's famous motto - "Driving Dreams" with minor, lewd alterations of course - our form of a welcoming present to the freshmen undergoing their orientation tour. We, however, never got the nerve to display it, since the tour was lead by Ms. Malina - the strictest librarian in KDU. If she was strict, there was also the student sympathizer - Ms. Judy. She would gently remind regular library users on their over-due books. Ms. Judy with her nyonya long braids also does something else - matchmaking, and a successful one at that.
Dearest friends,
As the sun rose today, along with it disappeared the mist on a long winding road. Suprisingly, we find ourselves at Carrefour. A departmental store you say? Carrefour of course, means a crossroad in French. We shall not make the mistake of pigeonholing this auspicious ceremony as the beginning of an end. Rather, let us take a moment to realign our bearings. Before a long journey, one stops to pack. Likewise, let us meticulously spread our past before us prior to saddling it up on our shoulders.
KDU's forte or it seems lies in its teaching staff. Although one judges a lecturer's credibility by his credentials, most students hunt for something discreet - his pedagogical tenure. I can proudly attest to the fact that we are not only provided with the best of the crop, our lecturers are an inspiring lot too. Mathematical Mechanics would not be interesting at all if not for the motherly and adorable Ms. Loh. Thank you, Ms. Sathya for teaching us how to think again for a dismal subject that everyone else laughs about - Thinking Skills. Chemistry, the wicked twist that Mr. Andrew Wong made of it. We were fed with a hearty dose of the kaleidoscopical mixture of chemistry and its daily applications as well as chemical equations. We would all affectionately remember you, sir, for your tasteful ties - your dearest wife's contribution of course. My personal favourite - the midnight blue iridescent number from Salvatore Ferragamo. Mr. Warren Lau, now semi-retired, still tickles us with his quirky dress sense. I for one, have adopted your famous line 'Everyday is a good day' as my mantra. Operating as Fishtail in the blogging world, your omnipresent zest has made many of us bloggers as well. Mr. Anand and his interpretation of the law is as much news as CNN can bring. Keep waving like it's a SOS call, sir! Teddy Bear Mr. Anuar who dances Saturday Night Fever in an attempt to imprint in us the different shapes of graphs. Teeny-weeny Ms. Chee that interrupts our wayward banters with a high pitch call of attention. I must not exclude the ang-pow giving generous principal, Dr. Chia. A fantastic bunch, all of them!
We all came here for technical knowledge, a jump-start for our future careers. We got just that, but we will leave with wisdom too. Thanks to the fleet of ever smiling and approachable teaching staff, our bubble of naiveté so carefully cultured in our childhood was pricked. Here we are in the real world, and who better to usher us into it than our lecturers? Food never tasted better, light never seemed brighter and adventure was never before this inviting. Speaking on behalf of all my peers, thank you.
Fellow graduates,
Standing here before you, I would like to propose a toast, a toast of appreciation. Cheers to those that listened, cheers to those that shared their joy, cheers to those we shoved during a basketball game, cheers to those that we competed against and cheers to those that teased and pushed us on. Kudos to all those that made our life the way it should be because there is just no other way.
In all this merry making, it would be blasphemous to discount our folks. Remember those dark dawn hours, when tired hands hurriedly tied our white shoelaces. How about 'look left, right and then left again before crossing the road'? I will not forget the mouth-watering of my home-cooked lunch and the wet Sunday morning car washes. We will all be eternally indebted to our parents - for their endless support, guidance and most importantly for their faith in us.
Coming from a middle-class family, I dare say, I was born to materialise a dream, a dream handed down generation after generation - that is simply to breakaway from a vicious cycle. Education took precedence, trampling other activities along the way that were considered simply too 'bourgeois', for only the rich can afford those luxuries. Art, literature, music, theater - all these were considered as mere hobbies, not something ideal to pursue fervently as a career. 19 years down the road, my knowledge of the real world may be limited. But, I would rather work on something I chose, rather than what that is expected of or dictated to me. It is utterly pointless to hide behind a façade, then regret it later when we are old and withered. Be true to yourself, chart your territory, but do it your way. When all is done, let us look back at the flotsom-and-jetsom of our life with relish. Remember dear friends "He, who will not reason, is a bigot, he who cannot, is a fool, and he, who dares not, is a slave."
To the graduating class of 2005, go out there and do it true!
Thank you.
****
