Ending's Beginning.

Hello. I'm blogging today as Interact Club SMK Seafield's Secretary. I'll be logging in my personal experience as both a newbie and a seasoned board member. I hope you all can excuse my....formalities, for this post will be only once. This is the beginning of a new line of order, but the end of the last. Hence, my title. Then, let the post commence.

I'll start from my very initial experience as an Interactor. It was in form 3. I was an Interactor in form 1 but heck, I wasn't active. The only thing I truly remembered then was the board. But that's all. Form 3's my real breakout. Yeah, I wasn't an Interactor in form 2. So, form 3. As green as I am, I decided to re-join Interact, for I had virtually nothing else to involve myself in. And, with 'motivation' from Datin about the extra curricular activities being taken in account along with the academic results, I pushed myself to join something. Interact was the only thing in mind. Yup. So, goes my great voyage of signing up again. It feels awkward, cause, among the new members, the form 1s and 2s maybe, sits me, a form 3. I'm like the biggest kid. Get what I mean? Yeah.
That's okay I thought, as long as I work hard as a member right? Yeah.

Okay, so I kinda vowed to myself that I'll work my way up Interact. That time, getting into the board did not cross my mind at all. I just wanted to be reknown so that my report card can look pretty, if you know what I mean. With that in mind, I was an Interactor. So then came the first opportunity for me to fulfill my vow. Around 3 weeks or so after joining the club, the school is organising the 'gotong-royong' project. Every club had gotta clean up their premise and yeah, that's pretty much. So, I decided, yeah, this is it, let's help out. On that fine Saturday morning, I went to school just to do that. Mind you, I wasn't living in USJ 2 then. I was still staying at USJ 6, which was pretty far from school. My mom pretty much had to bring me there in the wee hours of morning and I felt bad about having to bother her Saturday rest. Ah, aside with that and on with the topic. And so, I went. Funny enough, there was no one at the Interact garden. That's the place Interact's supposed to clean. Only some of the board members were there. I remember Harold, Siew Ying, and probably the most important person I've met, my stepping stone to my future successes, Chiew Nee. So, they were there and they were pretty surprised that I turned up. Kinda happy too. So, the 4 of us started cleaning the garden. I got the chance to talk to them a little bit and it was all I needed. At one moment, I felt compelled to ask Chiew Nee a question. That question was, "Hey, is it possible to get into the board? I'm now form 3 and do you think I still stand a chance?". I asked that. She replied an answer that gave me hope but I wasn't hoping on it coz I don't think that anyone would see any potential in me. So I went on sweeping the leaves.......

What I didn't know was how much that little interaction and that question affected my chance to boardship. A little while after that day, around a week or so? The grandpa we all know of today, Shaun, came to see me. I was kinda bewildered because Shaun never looks for me. He looks for Brenda and the more active people. So, this time, he came for a reason. A reason that'll change my course in the club forever. He came to inform me that I'm part of the I.U committee. I was gonna be Vice Secretary of that year's joint I.U! It took some time for me to digest that. This was the first time I was part of something so major. It was the first time I had a post of somesort, may it be big or not. Yeah, that was the start of my 'trials'. I learnt a freaking lot from the tai ko's and tai che's during that period of time. I attended a whole lot of meetings with them, wrote the minutes, listened to their conversations, and yeah, those sort of thing. So it's like an exposure to what being a board member is. There will be fights, there will be disagreements, there will be compromise. Yeah. And being so newbish, I didn't really understand too much. Yue Mei, Shaun and Chiew Nee was taking care of everything it seems. Heh.

In a blink of an eye, I.U was over. Apparently, it wasn't so good. I wasn't sure about that coz I never went for any other I.U. See that lack of experience? Heh. Then, after that few months of 'training' with Shaun, it was the time of reckoning. They told me it was the time they chose new assistants. What? It all happened so fast for me. I only joined like....half a year ago! To be honest, I was kinda scared. I was afraid, after all these months of hardwork, it might all end here. I was afraid I would not be one of the assistants. I was afraid I would scrape by the sidelines, forever. I didn't know what to think. Then on that day, alot of people showed up. I wasn't the only one who's wanting to get in. I had competitors. But thankfully, Shaun managed to nominate me somehow. I was like the last name in the nomination list out of 30 or so candidates. I was so scared during that process. I was scared that my name would not appear there. My heart was thumping if I remember correctly. But hey, I guess it's my luck. Knowing your seniors well helps sometimes eh? Yeah, it definitely does.

What's next for me? Interview. Finally, this was the time. I was only part of the I.U board. That was temporary. Now this, is something different. In this board, it's permanent. You either get in or you don't. To make it short, it was kinda nerve-wrecking for me. During that few days towards the interview, I've already imagined the interview a thousand times. I imagined all the possible scenarios it might end up in. I might do really well, or I might just screw myself up. Who knows. But during that time, I thought of a few lines to say to the interviewers. I repeated the lines so much I kinda got sick of it. But one of the most memorable ones and one of the most cheesy ones too was......the answer that was meant for the question "Why do you want to become a board member?". The answer I thought of was, "I want to help the club return to its former glory. I want to get rid of the bureaucracy that is now in the club and change it for the better. And as a board member, I think I would be able to do that.". That's what I thought of. Kinda stupid isn't it? Well, I didn't really use that in the interview, I went for more straight forward answers, didn't want to screw my chances in case they think I was psycho or something. But hey, whaddaya know? It went pretty well. I was first to be interviewed, and first to leave of course. And I left with a hope in mind and a vision. I was pretty sure I was in. Not to boast or anything, but I thought I stood a good chance.

After a few weeks, they were announcing the Assistants. It was another nerve-wrecking day. I had to stay back just to find out. I was not used to staying back but I did it anyway. It was that important to me. And funny enough, I was kinda late for the meeting, for I had to arrange with my mom when to fetch me and things like that. But when I almost got there, Joanne came to me and said, "Why're you late?". I said I was very sorry and asked her if they already announced the assistants. I felt so bad for being late. It's like being late on your first day at work. Then she said, "Yeah, they announced. You had a post but since you're late, we canceled your name.". I was crushed, but then she said she was joking. -_- So, I went into the class where they had the meeting and oh my, wasn't shocked to see my name on the board already. I was assigned to the Assistant Secretary post. What happened next wasn't important. All I knew from that point onwards was that I have a responsibility now and yes, I will be known for my work, not my popularity. I was gonna be a true Interactor.

True enough, the days of me being Assistant was enjoyable. They weren't entirely that of course. I had my share of frustration, stress, pressure and all that. The most annoying thing would be learning the ropes. I was clueless in everything. I had to depend on the guidance of a few people and they would be Shaun and Sara inititally. They provided me with all I needed to start off well. Shaun especially, being an ex-board and all that, still managed to find time to guide me. I'm forever grateful. So, as time flies, it's already half a year after I've been an assistant. It's incredible how much you learn in such a short time. I wrote countless minutes, countless approval letters, and yeah, you get the idea. I was pretty seasoned already at that point. I knew what I was doing at least. Oh yeah, the Secretarial File. Ah, this little object spawned enough memories of both good and bad for me. It was given to me by Sara and I just filed in everything. Everything was to be kept tidy, organized and sort out. I spent so much time with it that I kinda bonded with that little file. At one point, it went MIA. You wouldn't know how worried sick I was. But thank god, it was found eventually and boy, wasn't I relieved.

So, after 6 months of being assistant, I had another half year to go. Yup. My assistantship is like split into two periods. One is the first six months, the second is the other six months. The first six months would be like the kinda soft period. That's where I just learn, learn, learn, and ocassionally do the important stuff. Even so, I'll need help from my seniors. So, it's basically a training period of somesort. I didn't do too much, it's just more of learning the basics. Ah, then the second period. This is where I truly get transformed into what I am. This is where I turn into something different. Why? Mostly because of I.U I guess. Not just any I.U, it was Anne Marie's I.U. You wouldn't believe how early she had us make preparations. It was as early as December. So, from December until March, we were working non-stop. For me, it was countless of letters. I wrote all kinds of approval letters, from the approval of an event to the approval of an object. Something like that. In that period, I wrote at least 10 or more letters, all carefully planned so that it would be approved without objections. The pressure was, the things I needed to prepare was usually needed in very short notice. Knowing how Anne Marie is, she means what she says. So, I had to cope with studies, while finding time to write all these letters, not mentioning the minutes. So, it was very limit-pushing. One of the days, I couldn't take it anymore and I actually broke down. I almost cried. But oh well, that's the process to becoming something better. And yeah, true enough, I have. I have now become a full fledged Secretary or something. Heh.

From the point where I met Chiew Nee till today, many many many things have happened. But it all boils down to that little spark, which might be just a question. ;) I'm still grateful that I asked her that question. If not, I would not be here, typing this. Coz I wouldn't have the memories. So, in this paragraph, I would like to express my gratitiude to the ones who have brought me up to this stage where I stand today. If it was not for you all, I wouldn't be me. I wouldn't be in the board, working with all of you. I would've been sacked. So, here are the people I would like to thank, very much:-

Shaun Liew, for everything from the letter formats, to the advice and reassurance. You have given me what I needed, when I needed. You were always there. If it wasn't for you actually, I wouldn't even be an assistant in the first place. Thank you so much Shaun, you will always be my grandpa, my mentor, my friend. From now till the end of time.

Anne Marie, for everything also. During the preparations for I.U, I had the most problems. It was like a giant obstacle course. Not only that, I also had to organize stuff. It was hell for me. But you were there to pull me through hell itself. During the times when I totally had no idea how to write a letter, you were there to teach me, during the times when I needed to know how to run things, you were there to explain. But most importantly, during the times when I had to break down, you were there, you were family. I cannot tell in words how much I am grateful for you. But there is something I would always be sure of, you would always be my senior, my guardian angel. You would always be my dear Ah Jie. Thanks from the bottom of my heart.

Chiew Nee. Eventhough you would probably not read this but hey, I would still need to thank you. Well, thanks for having that confidence in me. It was you who recommended me to Shaun for the I.U board and I'm forever grateful for that decision. Thanks. Without that, I wouldn't be who I am today.

Sara, for being my senior. Eventhough the people always say you are this and you are that but to me, you are not. Yes, I have been doing alot of your work, maybe all of it, but I know it wasn't how you wanted it to be. You had other responsibilities. But hey, who says you haven't been doing anything? You were there for me at countless ocassions. Saving me from trouble in one way or another. No matter what they say about you jie, you are still my senior, and I'm grateful to have you. Thanks jie, you will be missed.

Apart from them, I would also want to express my thanks to the Assistant Board and the Main Board. You have played a role in my days as an Assistant, may it be small or big or whatever. Without you all, being an Interactor would be meaningless. There would be nothing to look forward to. So, thanks for lighting up the meetings and the lame jokes that you always tell. Thanks alot.

Having said all that, it was like the summary of my life as an Interactor. I may not have loved all of it, but I loved most it. And now that I'm in the Main Board, I believe things just going to get better. With the other board members and a future cast of assistants, I'm sure things would be great. Wow, just look at the length of this post. Have you ever seen one as long? Well, I haven't, what more write one? No matter what, words won't be able to tell truly how these memories were. But it will forever be in my mind. No doubt about that. Thanks once again to the people who has been by my side all these times. You'll always be in my mind. Unforgotten. With that said, I would like to end this post. I hope future times as the Secretary brings good tidings for me. This is the Secretary of Interact Club SMK Seafield, logging out.

Yours Truly,

INT. MOK HAN JOE
(SECRETARY 06'/07')