Embrace love and life.

Actually, the GB 80th anniversary dinner at The Pines wasn't bad at all! Initially I had my reservations, after all I was the only one present from my batch (the rest were busy/can't be bothered) and has to sit at the officers table! Just 'coz I helped out for one term this year? 

It felt strangely warming to see the faces of your past officers, your seniors and your juniors... and the 1st Coy alumnai, though most of them were about 10 years++ older than I am. We exchanged greetings, traded stories, filled each other up with our current lives (pretty Jia Yan's now an SIA air-stewardess! Juicy is working in MediaCorp, and was recently in the TV series Lifeline as an 'extra'... she said to Sangee, 'OMG, I can't believe you actually watch that show!' Haha. And I think Clarise still thinks I'm quite a bimbo just cos I told her that I am interested in fashion- she's doing Med in an Aussie university, you see.) and collectively shared fond memories about our GB days. It's been almost 3 years since I donned that blue uniform and polished my pair of boots, but I am no less a GB girl. There was a sense of belonging and identity then, and even up to now.

As I look back on my 4 years (2001-2004)in The Girls' Brigade as a student, and subsequently coming back to MGS for GB during J1 and after my JC years to lead in small groups and worship; I have to say that through the weekly chapel devotions, annual camps, times of fellowship, drill under the sun marching and later polishing our boots with Kiwi shoe wax till we can see our eyeballs and teeth etc, I have been taught the values of responsibility, servant leadership, discipline, independence, tenacity and many other spiritual lessons. It is through GB that I got to know the Lord better too. Not to forget, some of the friendships forged with my GB mates are gems to me and in the years to come, as we walk down memory lane. I feel as if we can just have a chit-chat after long periods of absence and picked up from where we have left off.   

We used to joke about how in GB, we get to do what the netballers, choir girls, guiders and people of other CCAs do and more! We played many types of games during recreation, sang during worship and camps, tried our best to learn knots, started a fire for outdoor cooking (not that it was exactly the best but it was a skill learnt nevertheless!), did flag-raising, leant the 'secret' of having a cohesive foot-stamp, and we even got a chance to correspond with overseas pals. I kept in touch with my friend from New Zealand for over a year though e-mails, but sadly, we drifted off after that. Her name was Renee and we used to share with each other about ourselves, our countries and the similarities/differences of our GB companies. What I missed the most were those camps in school or outside of school, where we met girls from other companies, together with the times where Hang, Fong and I baked had a non-stop baking marathon session just to raise funds. We washed our teachers' cars as part of the fun raising efforts too! These moments and more such as jamming during pre-worship sessions, polishing our boots till our index finger couldn't be straightened, outings to Botanical Gardens/the Zoo/Sentosa, cleaning yucky toilets for inspection, late-night talks during supper sessions over Khong Guan biscuits and hot Milo, shrieking in indiviual cubicles as we bathed in super duper cold water during the camps etc were all bonding times for many of us.

The close interaction between us and the officers made us a family, a big family of God. I remember my seniors (most of them from the Class of 2001, 2002, 2003) being a fun-loving bunch, ever so readily to give a huge smile whenever we pass each other in the corridors, and I looked up to them with much respect when I was just a newbie in Sec1. Haha, didn't we all? As for my juniors, I really learnt what patience and being a servant-leader meant. There were times when you feel like taking the easy way out due to sheer complacency but you realised that you were seen to be as an example for the little ones. I love the juniors so much, after all, I got to interact and got closer to so many of them during my relief teaching term at the start of this year. As for my other not-so-young juniors, it's still great to reminisce about our days in GB then!

There were times when we would get scolded by our officers but I guess it was all done out of love. Especially Mrs Tay, whom is known to so many of us as the 'mummy' of 1st coy as so many of us when under her care and guidance, since she was appointed as Captain in the 1970s, and is still serving strong in the company (and in MGS) all these years! Though firm in discipline, she was someone whom I trust so much, a mentor who was always there to encourage, affirm and guide. She was my listening ear when I had to tide through some difficult times, she prayed alongside me for strength and wisdom; she has indeed taught me well. I am very blessed by her committment and her sincerity in many ways.

There's the current captain of 1st Coy GB too, Mrs Yee. To me, she's the younger version of Mrs Tay, and as I got the chance to teach her class for a term, I had to work closely with her and everytime I felt that I was under-performing in some way or another, it was easy to drop her a ring to tell her how many day went. Encouragement would pour in, and she would tell me to 'Just do whatever you can and leave the rest to the Lord'. There's Mrs C. Ong as well; I am not as close to her as I was with her then when I was still studying in MGS, but she was an approachable officer during her years as Captain, which happens to be the bulk of the time when I was a GB girl. Other officers like Mrs Lau who has gone home to the Lord recently, Mrs Tan, Ms Teo saw me grow from an awkward Sec1 kid to who I am now. And I feel funny saying this, but my other colleagues/teacher helpers like the two Primary school chinese teachers, Ms Cheong, Mrs Pandien and Ms Ng whom I got to know much better at the beginning of this year. See how huge our GB family is? :)


Well, as much as I miss those days, it's slightly different now, maybe because I have to carry myself as an adult, an 'officer'. That's life for you, you have to move on when it tugs you in its one-way, forward direction, but I'm thankful for all the GB memories that have found a place in my heart.

Growing up opened a whole new world for me, but it also meant that I would have to leave the old one behind. There was still so much in the old one behind. There was still so much in the old one that I have not yet seen, heard, touched, tasted and felt and now I would not be allowed too. 

Life is a paradox itself.