[Part I, Part II, Continued]
One evening, I received a phone call from someone from ICT Club. I did not use a mobile phone then, so it should be a phone-call to my house. I was not sure who he was, though he sounded Chinese. “So you’re coming for the camp?” he said. After a short pause, I replied “Err… yes?”. “Please come for the [camp] briefing on the …” He sounded like he had been making similar calls like that earlier on, and had few more to go. Not wanting to waste too much of his time, I confirmed “Okay.” “Its where you came for enrollment.” And he continued “Have you paid?” “Yes. Yes.” I replied quickly. Then he closed by saying “Okay, see you in the camp!” “Bye” I put down the phone.
For a minute, I have made a major decision for my life in Singapore Polytechnic, a decision added value to my Polytechnic life later.
I was still confused though. Firstly, what the heck is ICT Club? Is it a student group under the School (it shared it’s name with School of ICT)? Is it a branch of the Prefect-style Student’s Union (both which shared the same corridor during the Enrollment Exercise)? I was more convinced by the former, since only that can explain why the camp is compulsory. I compared that with the system in my secondary school and they seems alike. Secondly, do I really have to attend the camp? My priority at that time was my course, a vision I adopted since my ‘O’ Levels. Plus, I never believed in student society. Having a CCA housed in a small room with all the on-the-paper power struggle, seems foolish.
I favored uniform groups more, which explained why I joined them during my primary school and secondary school. There was this NCC (Sea), which I didn’t join. The “Sea” sounds foreign to me, like the way I despised “Navy”. Also, I was wondering if it was the NCC’s equivalent of SAFRA; probably just another society of talkers.
Days after days, what kept me enthusiastic about was surprisingly not the approaching of the camp, but the starting of my course. In fact, I felt the camp like a rock which I had to climb over to reach my starting point.
At that time, I was still working. One can imagine how I felt having to take leave to attend a briefing for a camp which I have no motivation to attend. I was then more pissed when the “briefing” turns out to be a mini-game session. I admit I wasn’t as happy as the others when I finally left the place; it became a complete waste of my time.
Maybe not all were wasted though, at the last five minute of the entire afternoon, I finally got hold of the camp details which was lost inside my enrollment package. On the piece of paper, I got to know an online forum set up specially for us freshies — the ICT Club Freshmen Orientation 05/06 Forum.
Finally, there was a place for me to release my unhappiness. To my surprised, I wasn’t alone — I found posts and replies which answered my concerns. I found out the nature of the club — it was more loosely afiliated with the School as compared to those clubs in secondary school. Signing up for the camp was not compulsory, as much as the School was concerned.
“Now you tell me these after I reluctantly paid the [non-refundable] camp fees, and after weeks of uncertainty.” A feeling of betray. Indeed 10 dollars are no big deal (at least not as big deal as for me to write to MP), but I was quite particular about integrity. The approach was wrong, I hope people already learned their lesson.
It is not hard to imagine the kind of ‘respect’ I had for the Organizers at that time. I simply I can’t feel their warm welcome in that state of mind. I still remembered how nasty I was while writing into the online forum at that time. Those were the days of ignorance…
[To be Continued>>>]
