~JcZw

Every St. John farewell brings back specific memories of that particular batch, whether it was guiding them (this case talking bout juniors) through some particularly painful tekan session, a game, a talk or whatever. Squad 1'04, or Squad 4 '07, has their own special place.

The memorable first day, where I wound up next to Wong Li Ting, Wei lun and I were bugging Wei Quan to tell us who his cousin was.

Vanessa and XuanMing remarking that at least 4 nursings looked almost identical on their PD forms (I can't remember who the four are already)

Welcome party where I sat next to Sihan and tried to make him feel at ease (hey, no mean feat when you're supposed to be the second most fierce person in the division haha)

PE, when Crystal and Luhuan would run past me

Clarice and Yeo LiTing at Lavender MRT

Jacinthia, Wen Bin (who joined St. John on a dark and stormy afternoon) and Sabrina whom I got to know during HP, and it was with the latter and Adeline whom I walked the torturous 3 km back from ECP from to Kembangan MRT

James and team whom I had the honour to train last year, and it was also through them that my interest in medicine was piqued further.

The batch which cheered me up during O-levels by talking to me online (and my parents wonder how I got into VJ while taking my O-levels in the midst of severe St. John withdrawal symptoms)

The group of people whom I can still remember, probably more than the average member, as their nervous sec 1 selves, softly uttering their names during the intro of the first day, the ones whom XuanMing, Vanessa and I were struggling to look out for during our promotion to Corporal.

I still have the video clip of their "Upside Down" dance during my farewell somewhere around.. The excitement and sheer enjoyment combined with an overwhelming sense of emptiness at the close of our journey as members of the active division. I think it was one of the closest Sec. 1 - Sec. 4 relationships any two squads could have.

And so now, they who were once inexperienced and needing guidance carved their way through their 4 years, as cadets, as NCOs, as competitors, as instructors, as public first aiders, and having sent off 3 prior batches, finally got their own farewell, amid the performances, gifts and wishes.

That ends my annual post dedicated to the graduating squad. To me, they'll always be the Squad 1s of the division I once had the pleasure of commanding, but a bunch who have grown up so much since then =)