The missing pieces

What's in a building that makes someone feels attached to it? The concrete, the tiles, the painting or the design? My primary school's current campus is already done with its closing ceremony, it'll move into the newly retrofitted former Monk's Hill Secondary School campus next year. Although it's not a totally newly built from stretch campus, it's still going to be greater than this current campus in many ways. So what keeps a person feels attached to a building? I guess it's the people that you spent time with in that building. Through these interaction, sites and sounds starts to leave memorable marks in our lives, creating an attached feeling to a building.

Therefore, no matter how many pictures I try to capture, there are still missing pieces that only memories can fill.


I think I read from somewhere, this current campus was also a retrofitted one. The school moved into this sparkling new campus in 1985, officially opened in 1986, to date it has been 23 years.



I was sent here in 1992, spent 7 years in total. No, I wasn't retained for a single year. During that year, a program for kids aged 6 was set up and thus I spent my 'K2' here as well.



If there's a need to figure out the differences and changes that I've witness since my first day until now. I would say not much had changed, every bit still looks and feels similar to what I once knew. Of course the more noticeable changes is the paint, after all, how can a school in today's context not been painted for 20 over years? There was a time where every level has its own colours, then everything became grey, and finally blue. The sun shades to the Auditorium was changed, and the covered walkway only came at a later date.



Classrooms, once they look and feel really huge, but today it seems so tiny. Where were the chairs and tables I was once familiar with? Those fans and lighting were not positioned this way. Who says there was projector in every classroom back then? Having a Television only came when I was in Primary 4, but it's only found in every alternate classroom, and my classroom happened to the fortunate one. Whiteboards? There were no whiteboard during my time there. Blackboards were so much fun. Curtains, what are they? But overall, what makes it still so recognisable, must be the pillars and columns.



Back then there was no paved running mini track, it was a sandy playing field. The current enhancement only came in when I was in Primary 4 or 5, I can't really remember.


These stairs, when I was in Primary 2, my class had the privileged to use it everyday as long as there's lessons. Because I've no idea why, but our classroom is the only classroom happened to be located at the level this stairs lead to. Whenever there's a need to swap classroom due to changes of classrooms to examination venues, my class never had the chance, as our classroom was too isolated for being an examination venue.



Facing the windows of the classroom block at one end there was once a garden. It was eventually removed and replaced by a hydro plant thingy, and finally just a flat piece of land. What's left was the science pond. Both I had the opportunity to enter and the experience varies, especially the science pond, there were tadpoles, frogs and turtles.


The canteen where hunger was met. I believe some of these canteen stall holders has been there even before I was there. But I've no idea would they be holding stalls in the new campus as from what I know, the school has decided to tender it to a catering company. Maybe it's time for these current stall holders to retire after so many years... Oh ya, look at the floor, during one year, I had the chance to sit on the floor to enjoy the Founder's Day Ceremony on a huge screen. We were told that the floor would be mopped clean for us to sit...but... never mind, it's still an experience.

Above this canteen is the foyer cum Staff room, followed by the library and lastly the Shaw Auditorium.

Foyer used to have no fans, but it was later installed and remedial classes was held here too as there were no more empty classrooms for such classes due to increasing number of classes.

Staff room used to be spacious, but due to increasing number of staff, it has since started to have a over crowding feel since I was in Primary 5.

The Auditorium has not change much, it still has the spacious feel, timber flooring. The Bible verses are still on the wall. But sadly I did not capture any as the kids were having their usual CCA practices that day.

Alright, no matter how much I type, there's still the missing pieces, some of which I can't even really remember. After all, it has been 10 years since I graduated in 1998.

Lastly, what's the fate of this current campus I've totally no idea. According to Master Plan 2008, the site is zoned as reserve site. But from my guess, it should stay for quite sometime and maybe some international school would take over? After all it's quite common these days for old school buildings to be converted into other uses.

Finally, I think my attempt to add a vintage feel to these photos kinda failed...



Month Taken: November 2008
Time Taken: Afternoon
Photo Size Above: Normal(375x500)