I was getting kind of emotional when Mr. Toh sang the Chinese song 且行且珍惜. It was such a beautiful yet melancholic poem, and I could feel what Mr. Toh felt about this farewell. I could feel the tears in my eyes. Honestly, I hate such occasions. I hate the moment when we have to say goodbye. Four years ago, I did once, and I was more curious than upset. Now, I’ve changed. We’ve all changed. Part of me is eager to leave for vacation and college, while part of me never wants to leave high school, which has been particularly long and meaningful to me. I’m afraid that once we leave here, we’ll never be able to have those intellectual, or not so intellectual, conversations during meals together. I’m afraid that once we part from each other, we’ll never be able to go shopping or eating or having fun BBQ at the beach together. I’m afraid that once we start our life anew, we’ll never be able to recall the good old times when we got lost in NUS or on some random streets and joked and laughed all the way.

This afternoon, both Mr. Toh and Mr. Ricardo sang better than Jeff Chang and Kelly Clarkson did, and I shall never forget the voices of the two, both of whom have been important persons in my life. It’s inevitable that we’ll part and leave here when the time comes, but we shall remember those important persons and those important moments in our life and cherish them with gratitude.

The Farewell Assembly for the Year 6 only lasted for an hour. Everyone received a graduation token designed by me; I feel proud about this more than I do about my Olympiad medals as no one will care about my winnings in science Olympiads but everyone will carry a key that embodies part of my heart which will make everyone remember our good times together.

Today is Oct 26. Exactly one month from today, on Nov 26, we’ll have our convocation.

For those who’re curious about my design, please read the emcees’ description written by me.

This key adopts the style of a traditional skeleton key. The school logo and the class year are printed on the two sides of the key bow. Our school’s mission: “Pioneers, Achievers, Thinkers & Humanitarians”, are engraved around the cylindrical shank. On one side of the blade, there is the name of the student. On the opposite side, our school motto: Experiment, Explore, Excel, forms an exponential term with the initial letter “e” as the base and the following letters, starting with a big “x”, as the exponent. Above the school motto, there is a simple planetary system model, representing the boundless knowledge of science and universe. Below the school motto, there is an amalgam of various geometric shapes, displaying the beauty of mathematics and the complexity of our world. The key itself symbolizes the knowledge we have gained and the bond we have forged during our four years’ study in NUS High.