Montée du Chemin Neuf, Lyon
19 Avril 2008, 1401h
My travels in Europe must have been a defined moment of my life. It represented everything i wanted to explore and more importantly it showed that i could explore anything that i wanted to, i could discover anything i wanted to see. I could just go on hopping from places to places just to see.
The traveler was alone, but was never lonely.
And i loved it!!!
After 4 years of undergrad studies, i can finally go on to the next stage of my life! The academic gown surely made us look much more intellectual 
I have learnt something really powerful – be careful of what you wish for. Next time i must wish for greater things so that in the process of working towards them, I become someone worth becoming.
The greater danger for most of us is not that our aims are too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it.
~ Michelangelo
This is surely the start – so many new people to meet, new challenges to overcome and new places to visit. This is indeed the Commencement!! Woooohooo!!!!!!
I cannot believe that i would be able to show you all the roof top that i was talking about so fast. I went back to my childhood neighbourhood yesterday. My house isn’t there anymore. It has already been demolished and replaced with a block of flat. But i really wanted to go to the top of the flat building to feel the space once again… the ironic space amidst the beautiful clutter!
Thankfully, the people in the neighbourhood recognised my dad as the borobabu of the old family that once used to reside in that neighbourhood. And immediately one of them took us up on the roof top.
It was a very emmotional moment for me… i didn’t come to this place for almost 12 years. And so, i went up and i was standing amidst the same neighbourhood, but on the new roof top. The surroundings was exactly the same. The connected roof tops, the brown bricks and endless view of houses – all under the sky. I started recalling all my playtimes right here.
It’s so strange what time does to people and things. Somehow neither seems to change…
“Good morning Mrs Tay, Mrs Tan, Teachers and fellow Cedarians. Here are the announcements for today.”
As we walked across the courtyard, we all instantly remembered this. As we came across the hall, we remembered the camping night. I even remembered which hall lock didn’t creak and that lock STILL didn’t creak!! We remembered the conference room where we ‘tortured’ our juniors… hehe kidding we were nice people
Today we went back to visit after 6 years of leaving the school. The blue-grey uniformed teenagers were all strangers. Some teachers were still there and most recognised this notorious bunch..hehe! Even the wanton mee uncle recognised me! But i’m just wondering what’ll happen say after 10 years… 15 years later. There won’t be anybody to go back for. Juniors, teachers, canteen vendors… all will change.
And so i was wondering how will I still fit in…
I think i would fit in really well… because as we walked around the campus we felt as if the sturdy building itself spoke a lot to us. And it will still speak to me for years to come… because every corner of this brick and cement has a story that is only mine mine mine!