Simple in Virtue, Steadfast in Duty

You know how songs get stuck in your head? Well, this morning, it was the Selangor anthem. I know. Pretty random. And I was mildly impressed that I could remember all the words.

Then me being me, I proceeded to try to remember the words to all the songs that they made me sing throughout primary school and high school. I went through Negaraku, Duli Yang Maha Mulia, SRK Taman Melawati School Song, then the CHIJ School Song and even the Singapore National Pledge. I remembered everything - all the words, all the tunes. EXCEPT THE SINGAPORE NATIONAL ANTHEM. How the hell did that happen?

Anyway, being a complete Google geek - I typed in my old high school motto: Simple in Virtue, Steadfast in Duty. And found this. I also went to the school's website and found out that there was an IJ iPhone (or iTouch) application - WTF? I'm so checking that out when I go home.

So that was my reminiscing for the morning. Time to keep my head down and get some work done. Only two more days until I finish up at my job! Eek!

3.30pm rocks up and I am desperately trying to gain some momentum on this complaint which I have been trying to write up for days. I was getting frustrated because all day, people have been interrupting me and preventing me from getting work done. When I assessed my status report last week, I thought that I was able to finish my work before I leave. I don't think that this is the case now.

So 3.30pm - half an hour before I leave work (and before you judge me on that, please note that I have been at work since 7am) and this woman walks up to me and starts asking me where to get good Chinese food. Come on. Define good. And define Chinese. And... who are you?

She starts telling me about how she was Singaporean and that she loves Chinese food and the Chinese food in Hobart will never be able to replicate the delicious food in Singapore, etc. She then proceeds to ask me where I'm from. I inform her that I'm from Malaysia, but I studied in Singapore for four years. She asked which school and I say IJ (Toa Payoh). She didn't say anything. But then further into the conversation she tells (quite proudly) that she was the CONVENT OF THE HOLY INFANT JESUS. And the one in Victoria Street too. To which I say "That's the same school I went to!". Turns out it didn't quite register when I said IJ (Toa Payoh) and also she informed me that they always called it the Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus, or CHIJ at the very least. I think she was even quite distressed that we shortened the name that much. She had graduated in 1962 and from what I can tell, it was a very different school back then. But one thing doesn't appear to have changed - the pride we felt for the school when we talked about it.

I never thought that I would like IJ, let alone love it. I was receipt of the ASEAN Secondary Scholarship, picked by the Ministry of Education in Singapore and left home for the first time when I was 14. Went to live in this hostel and was placed in a single-sex school. Life was vastly different from what I was used to. Attending my first day of school, I remember thinking: I have never seen so many girls in one place before.

And I was convinced I was going to hate it.

But far from it. I loved every minute of it, the friends I made, the laughter we shared and the memories which would last forever. I am extremely proud to be an IJ girl.

So back to my story with Rosemary. It's funny, once the IJ bond was established, it didn't matter that we were years apart and only knew each other for al of five minutes. We exchanged numbers and promised to keep in touch. It is funny that after working at RBF for a year, I meet a fellow IJ girl (woman) in my final week there, on the same day I was reminiscing about my younger days!

So calling out to any old IJ friends out there - if any of you are reading this, leave a comment and tell me your favourite IJ memory!

The IJ Spirit's living on,
It's stretching far and far beyond,
It's never gonna die it's gonna live in each of us.
And we will keep it burning burning strong,
The flame of zest lies in us all along,
Always inspiring us, to go on.