january 23. btc 2007 has just concluded on sunday, when the j1s were dismissed from changi ferry point terminal, after being made to squeeze in a corner while awaiting the logs to be completely accounted for. the bus ride back to school that day seemed a little more gloomy, with the sudden attack of rain along the TPE, with the j2s' bags crammed up along the aisle of the bus, a reminder to the days of JEX.

come full circle; those three words have popped up so many times over the past few weeks, all referring to 22's journey in the club in some way. cliched or not, it is undoubtedly true, that the days of our club is running short. as the days pass, as we the 22nd batch of raffles odacians struggle to sieve and pick out what would hopefully be a great batch of j1s to form the 23s, a batch that would hopefully bring the club to greater heights, a batch that would enjoy and experience all the fun and shit that 22 went through. i sincerely hope that we will, by heaven's grace most possibly, select the right people to live the life of odacians, people who will learn to admire His creations across the span of a year as we have. interviews for the j1s was held just yesterday, yet my underlying concern was that we would fail to select the right mix of people, depriving the more deserving a chance to experience a cca that is so different and unique, that it becomes a way of life for us, especially since the number of people the club is accepting this year is so so limited. but i trust everyone. i trust the odacians, the teachers, the exco, i trust Him, that we will find the right amounts of leadership, skills, fun and laughter, to make the batch an exceptional one.

i remember this time of the year in 2006, when i too was put through the stringent interview of wanting to get into the club, under the snake eyes of some members of the exco. i knew my chances were very slim, because i missed orientation and btc (what the hell). as they put me to the test in that room, all i could mutter most of the time was that i really loved the stuff that i know they do - kayaking, climbing, hiking etc. but at the same time i didnt know what to expect out of all that, because o was afraid that they might think im just lying my way through. but thankfully, i was given the chance to be part of the club, to be part of something greater than i would have ever imagined.

tomorrow is btc storewash, possibly the last one i will ever have. storewash had always been something looked forward to after every trip. last year after the btc which i did not attend, i somehow found myself at its storewash. yet i experienced no barriers when i went to look for my group, and that idiot zikai. i still managed to have fun with my group, consisting of val, boonkiat, wanling, chihung, beifen, ruth, and many more whose names escape my mind at the moment. somehow there was acceptance in that place.

as the end of our stint in the club draws closer to an end, i know i will miss the shit that we do as a whole. but i know that the same faces will still brighten up my days in school. i will go to the "og" we term affectionately as z'odac. i will be reminded of the whole experience everytime i pass by the odac room. the pe teachers that went on expeditions with us will also be missed. they were really someone we could call friend, like in the tv adverts of "joining teaching as a career".

Odac Song
Odac
adventures are where we go together
reaching for the greatest goals in life
over highest mountains we will scale (eoy ex)
across widest oceans we will never fail (jex)
marching forward never rest until we reach our best

odac the one, we have fun
just like one big family
in sorrows we care, in joy we share
odacians we are, always true from the heart
with one voice we say we are one

day by day, our spirits forge us closer
helping one another in our stride
through the years there'll be ups and downs
but we'll never feel despair, we'll never frown
no matter what may come, united we'll never be outdone

odac the one we have fun
just like one big family
in sorrows we care, in joy we share
odacians we arem always true from the heart
with one voice we say we are one

odacians we are, our spirits never wane
with one voice we say....
WE ARE ONE

punched at
;10:55 pm

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