Memoirs Of A Brat

    My teacher hinted me to write something for the school magazine, and so, here I am, sitting in front of the computer in the middle of the night thinking of what to write, and so again, nothing comes to my mind. Let’s start off with some self introduction. I am at my 17^th year as a human. I am attractive, and charming, and still single so, watch out ladies …! I am also the chairman of the Volleyball Club, the Vice-president of the History and Geography society, the assistant secretary of the Badminton club, one of the group leaders in the Prefectorial Board and the captain of the Blue house. That sounds like a bag full of responsibilities which makes me extremely busy during sports week. My free time is occupied during recess and I am sometimes forced to skipped classes just to carry out these responsibilities and commitments. But standing where I am now makes me wonder where I have walked through in the distant past (not very distant actually) that makes me the man I am now.

    When I first entered SMJK Yu Hua I was still a kid who knew nothing. Given the code number “19363” made me feel like I was a cadet in the police academy, “19363, REPORTING FOR DUTY, SIR!”  Something like that. Having to wear a name tag on the school uniform made me feel like a fool. I felt like I was walking around announcing my name, “Hey you guys, I’m Chia Yi Herng, how is it going? See my name tag? See!?” That green shorts looked weird, so I decided to enroll in the Prefectorial Board. After some interviews and tests, I got through the first test and became a prefect on trial. Given the blue necktie after a few months of trial, I was officially a member of the Prefectorial Board of Yu Hua School. I wan dedicated, giving it all I’ve got, checking EVERY student’s nails, examining EVERY student’s hair, inspecting EVERY physical appearance of the students in Yu Hua.no one escaped my sight.

    I was dedicated in perfecting all those responsibilities that I half-ignored my studies. As a result, I transcended in my career as a prefect but I hit the ground hard in my studies. I received numerous complaints from my teachers, excessive mumbles from my mother and family, urging me to balance up my work and study time. And that was how I proceeded into my second year of being a student in Yu Hua School. The second year started a little bit different from the first. I got used to awkward name tags and was no longer unfamiliar with the green pants. I also had a different goal. I wanted to do good in exams, get good results and free myself from my parents’ nagging. Skipping the part on how I worked hard, I managed to improve my grades a little but I failed to maintain the level of prefect I was the year before which costed my dearly! I was told by many people to be “meant to be” a committee of the Prefectorial Board but in the end… In the very end … I ended up with nothing! I wasn’t a committee member, I wasn’t the best prefect, and that was a SHOCK! I expected so much from being a prefect and … OH MY GOD!!!

Thank you SO MUCH for letting all of these happen to me. Thank you SO MUCH!

    So I was a failure as a school prefect. Later, I tried to be the best I could in my studies but the best seemed not enough for me. My results still did not satisfy every parent’s demand for good academic achievements and most importantly, my demand for good results. And so again, it was as if I had entered the dark ages, nothing guide me, absence of a purpose to study or to do whatsoever.

    So much had happened in two short years, and then it was the third. Oh boy, this was a tough year; I would face my PMR, the exam that would be deciding what I would be focusing when I got to higher secondary level. Just like the year before, I was still taking a plunge in the pool of depression and playing around the Garden of Eden of my own. The only good thing that happened to me before the PMR exam was me being the second runner-up in the district badminton tournament to that was it. This was also the year I learned crisis that was faced by my family, threatening to break it apart. This was also the second year of Yang Amat Berhormat Dato’ Seri Abdullah bin Haji Ahmad Badawi being the Prime minister of Malaysia, tough time for him too. The months counted down very fast as time flew swiftly without us even noticing it. It was finally time for the PMR exam.

    Surprisingly, I actually studied for the exam, I guessed I was getting scared of it. Having too much free time, I took some extra class and tuition to save me at the last minutes and even conducted a group study with some friends from other schools. The group study was fun and effective. Until the day of the exam, the first days of PMR, hell to all form three students. The air in the school was as cold as it could get. Serious looks were around unlike the usual faces I used to know. I guessed they all switched into gear D in their brain.

    One loooooonnnnnngggggg week had finally ended and we were all at enjoy. It seemed that we had forgotten that we actually needed to take results sometime later, but … it did not matter to us at that time. WE WERE FREE!!!

    We had fun after PMR, LOADS of fun, all kinds of activities were organized just for us. YEEPEE!!! But our “YAAHOOO” days were soon over when the day to collect the results finally stepped right in front of us. Friends after friends, all brought good news, with big and wide smiles on their faces. I wished I could tear one of the off and stick it onto mine. I confronted every fear, moved forward step by step following the rate of the heart beat until I reached the table. My teacher took out my paper, and congratulated me, “good work, you got 7 As ”. HUH?!WOW!!

    Together with the result slip I went to a corner where there were no happy faces. For a brief moment I clinched my hands and clinched them so hard, my nails deep marks on my palm. I was not sure what I felt. I just remembered many different that popped out in my mind. Things I did before the exam. What you sow, is what you reap, that is SO true!

    The kid that was naughty is now higher secondary student. Assigned to the class 4B e would experience something remarkable. If you think I am really a kid or a brat that you think I am, well, you have to come see this class for yourself. My new classmates. My new classmates in 4B and 5B. They are all RASCALS!!! Naughtier than me! Nosier than me! More playful than me! They are just bunch of kids in disguise of higher secondary students. IRONICALLY, the teachers LOVE THEM!!! They are happy all the time, boys and girls, young and not so young (old isn’t very appropriate), and the teachers enjoy teaching and guiding them. They are all active, outgoing, friendly group teenagers. The one thing that I would learn from them is their concept of “if you cannot escape life, live it is happy as you can” and I’m really glad I am in the same class as them because there are no other friends and classmates like them in entire world. This is dedicated to you people in 5B, YOU GUYS AND GIRLS ROCK!!! No regrets being with you all. Never!!!

    This last section is specially reserved for all teachers and friends that have been through everything in this school with not just me, but every student in Yu Hua. On behalf of all students, WE THANK YOU ALL. I would like to thank, Pn. Ma Song Ming – our beloved class teacher and the opposite (guru yang PALING baik dan sebaliknya) – Pn Maisarah. Mathematics genius – Pn Tan Yee Va. The scientists – Cik Chow Khin Wai, Pn Sang Fay Lee and Pn. Raziah. The very very very polite – Pn. Nur Zamiah. The VERY kind and thoughtful motherly figure – Pn. Nor’ aini bt. Mahat, the respected and cute – Pn Kamzira, and the cool PJ cool teachers – En. Farid and Pn. Wong Soo Yeng. These are the teachers who really have contributed a lot to the forming and strengthening of our class 5B. I would also like to personally thank Pn. Faridah Yasmin – my Blue House teacher-in-charge and my mentor. En. Ng tong Hua – teacher-in-charge of the Volleyball Club, En. Chiew Kiang Keng – teacher-in-charge of Badminton Club, Pn. Nor” aini bt. Mahat – teacher-in-charge of the History and Geography Society and all the discipline teachers. All these teachers have helped me and guided me when I was a committee member in the club or society.

    Although there is not much time left for me to be with the school, with these such amazing people, they have left me with such great and unforgettable memories. Memories of friendship, memories of students and teachers and, memories of brothers and sisters … Memories of A Brat.

Chia Yi Herng