Activities

Yesterday was my son's graduation day. Graduating from secondary school or high school. This graduation ceremony is a recent invention. During my time there were no such thing as a graduation day. On the final day of our exams, we will just walk quietly away as we are not allowed to make any noise, and that was it. Very muted. Very anti climatic. Reminds me of a scene on History of the World Part 1, when the cavemen mourned the loss of one of their own, they just tossed them outside to be scavenged by wild animals. That's what it felt like, being thrown away and underappreciated, like last weeks' socks. So having a graduation ceremony helps to make things better and feeling appreciated.

History of the World Part 1

I was in awe of these children, who are great all-rounders. I was never an all-rounder, my academic results were average at best, while I did win awards when I was in primary school, but secondary school? The competition was fiercer, I guess. But I did participate in a few things. I was a Student Librarian, I was in St John Ambulance, Career Guidance Club, Students' Islamic Society, Bahasa Malaysia Club, Literary Association, Drama Club, Chess Club, Photographic Society and a member of the Editorial Board for a Schools Championship Bulletin. And for a very short stint, I was a Prefect, topping off a varied and colourful school days. Oh yes, for a short while I was in Tae Kwon Do as well.

Unfortunately, my children are more homebodies unlike their mama and I. Their mama was in the debate team, silat, literature club and quite adept in sports. We did try them in Police Cadet, Karate, Culture Club, but the only one that stuck for my son was computer club and STEM (Science Technology and Mathematics). He participated in some competition, and he won. But it did not sustain over the Covid period so by the time it was graduation, he sort of lost interest getting stressed over Chemistry and Additional Maths, facing difficult teachers in the beginning. He just couldn't grasp the principles while still managing to get A for Mathematics repeatedly without even trying. During the trial exam, he secured 3As without even studying, unfortunately his Chemistry and Add Maths dragged him down. The rest were all mainly Cs and one D I think, for Islamic Studies.

He is just like me. I get utterly perturbed when I get lousy teachers. Although it doesn't explain my history results. I had a great teacher, but I was unnerved that morning because my mother took ill and had to be rushed to the hospital. When I sat for the rest of my exam, she was in hospital. Her friends sent me to school for me to sit for my exams. The problem then was doctors had no clue what was ailing my mother. She continued to be ill throughout my studies, from A Levels to my time in United Kingdom. It was a little later when finally, after all these years they could finally pinpoint what ails her. It was many things that started when she fell off a vaulting horse and hit her neck when she was a teenager. Yes, my mother was training to be a gymnast. And she had even taken up ballet.

So, at that time, she was really ill and I really thought that I would lose her that day when I sat for my exams. So, I wasn't concentrating. But praise to Allah, I managed to scrape through to further my studies. Somebody later said that my extra-curricular activities helped to push me over the line. Besides being involved in these societies and activities, I was also an office bearer for a few of the societies and club. So that helped a little.

I do hope that my children will get more involved in activities in school for the girl, and college for the boy. Those are the best years of our lives, learning from all these various activities and making friends, stories to be told over and over again. Every friend of mine, we have stories to tell. Not about school, college or work, but about the activities we were in.

I was in a First Aiders Competition, where they had First Aid as a few of the events, of course, stretcher drill and foot drill. I organised a food sale in school, wrote a silly sketch for a drama competition in school and college. Participated in tug-o-war. Performed on stage. Acted. Interviewed star athletes and the list goes on.

So, I really hope that they will immerse themselves in the school and college life, while juggling with lectures, lessons, tutorials, assignments, homeworks, coursework and so on and so forth. Life in school and college! What a life!

Also like me, my son doesn't seem to have any affairs of the heart in school. Neither did I, even in college and university. Hence why in 2023, I am still talking about SPM for my first born, while my friends are talking about grandchildren and some of them probably soon, great grandchildren. Well, plenty of time for that. Anyway, because of how late I got married, there are various people who points to me when asked why they aren't married in their late 20s and early 30s. Yes, I am to be blamed for the significant drop in marriage statistics.

For now, like me he's growing to be a couch potato, but unlike me he's got his online world with friends all over the world. Anyway, his mama already has plans for him. He won't be idle for very long. I wasn't really a couch potato, not really. I took guitar lessons, I took introductory computer programming where I learnt all about BASIC, COBOL and FORTRAN. I even helped my father to man his office whenever I was available.