The vibrancy of JC life

Only 1 full week of official Junior College lessons with official timetables. And it feels like a gale—activities occurring one after another, of lessons and CCAs each in succession of one another, interspersed, confusing… more like a cranky old-fashioned car with a steamy bonnet and a choking pipe—exhaustive. Albeit fast-moving, it is paradoxically slow-moving overall: each activity passed very quickly because it was exciting and enriching, but due to the multitude of varied activities, it felt as if I’ve done so many different things throughout the week, making it the longest week ever. The transition from sec school was by no means difficult, as I finally convinced myself to keep up with the curriculum instead of lagging behind a bit to accommodate commitments for piano and rugby, then catching up in the end. This will not, and cannot happen anymore, as the curriculum is much more rigorous and compact (naturally), and that tutorials are based on lectures, and that if you lag you may never catch up in the end.

The lecture-tutorial system: a superior system to lessons. Lectures and tutorials are usually taught by different teachers, so the pace of teaching is standardized throughout the level. This is a check and balance to ensure that objectives for the week be upheld and procrastination almost impossible. This makes lessons all the more interesting as real teaching is done. So far, I’ve learnt at least a new thing per lecture/ tutorial. That is in and of itself incredible.

CCAs: the plethora of clubs which you can join is immense. Most are slack, some are not; you would just have to go for club orientations and check them out: the people, their organization and synergy. I’m hoping to contribute to some of the clubs… will reveal details later.

School activities: Interhouse activities, activities organized by council, activities organized by clubs such as law society, performances by the performing arts people, external speakers coming in for talks… almost anything under the sun. It is teetering on the edge before it overflows its confines to the label I call “too much”. But I don’t mind “too much”, though it might be too much. It just gives me more choices on how to spend my time. To all RJ people, What’s Up This Week (WUTW) would be crucial in being informed of all that is happening. Keep on the lookout and go for the best thing possible, keeping in mind the next best alternative forgone :)

Programmes: Special programmes on Monday’s protected time. Some programmes are held after school. MOE also has programmes like SRP etc for J1s, which are both a boon and a bane.

Admin matters: communication via emails is especially prevalent in JC. Any information disseminated is most likely going to your mailbox, accessible with a click of the mouse, eliminating any excuse that you might not have received it. I’m now checking and replying to mails very, very frequently. Not that it’s bad though; I get to know what is happening everywhere. I’m never at sea again.

Your OG and class: a few OGs are still active; most are descending towards a slow and painful demise as the context and excuse for outings and meetings diminishes. My OG, O’rh Horr, still meets before assembly, and we mug and talk about life. My class (CT group) eats together during common free blocks, but past the first week of lectures (aka real JC orientation), we don’t play games or go out. Planning to organize class CIP to increase bonding :)

So take heed, JC is going to be fast and furious. You’ll not be checked. You’ll pretty much be left alone, so self-motivation is important. I’m going to chart my JC life my own way. I’m going to attend many many activites and work hard for good results at the same time. What about you?



Just for laughs: