“Hatemaster”

I actually didn’t hate him at all :D.

He was our high school’s headmaster.  Not sure how old he was, but he looked old to me two decades ago.  He was fat, bald, average height, slow, looked damn unhealthy but fierce.   Honestly, I have never seen him smile before.  I wonder how could a person pull a long face 24 hours, wouldn’t he feel tired?

I was just an average student in my high school. Not outstanding at all. A bit rebellious but still reasonable (hmm… wasn’t that normal? :D).  I didn’t like our headmaster.  Since he didn’t mark our papers, I also didn’t give a damn :D

1990, that particular year was our final year in high school and all final year students have to sit for the Unified Exam  that was carried out only in Chinese independent schools (actually until now I still couldn’t figure out what’s the certificate for and I’m not sure whether I have passed that exam … hmm…).  

Our class – SM3S2 (高三理二) consisted of different types of “smart students”:

1. Played hard but didn’t study hard – must be someone complained that SM3S2 students played volley ball every day after school (I was one of them); 
2. Very business minded – provided tuition service to juniors in order to make some pocket money (I was one of them too ;p);
3. and the best was a particular student who used his entrepreneurial skill to recruit a group of senior students who were good in different subjects to tutor the juniors who have different needs and obviously he earned commission from there (unfortunately I wasn’t him, otherwise I believe I’d have my own tuition centers and colleges today).

SM3S2, 1990 - a bunch of "very smart" students ;p

SM3S2 was all the while blacklisted but so what?  We didn’t freaking care ;p.  Until one fine day, something unusual happened….  

It was a bright sunny day, things were as usual, we played volley ball, we tutored the juniors while the entrepreneur continued with both his tutors and juniors recruitment.  Out of a sudden, we heard  the broadcast from the speaker in classroom, “ALL STUDENTS FROM SM3S2, PROCEED TO HEADMASTER'S OFFICE IMMEDIATELY!!”.  That was a very weird time to have such an abnormal broadcasting like that and whoever the announcer was, he didn’t even have the courtesy to say “PLEASE”!!  

We looked at each other wondering what’s going on…. It sounded really serious…. Someone must have done something really wrong.  

On the way to the headmaster’s office, we could sense that all eyes were on us.  I even felt that students from other classes were laughing and waiting to watch the drama unfolding.  Did the school management have the right to embarrass students like that??!!  My heart was already very “beh song” during that point of time.

Once the office door opened, I could see the headmaster’s long black unfriendly face with his big fat body sitting on his chair.  We quietly stepped inside his office.   Standing in front with my two arms folding together, I was still quite cool but I believed the  colour on my face could counter his black face at that point of time (he must be thinking “what an arrogant student” ;p).  Fat man started talking (perhaps “scolding” would be a more proper term to use)….. honestly, I didn’t really listen and digest what he was talking about (:D) coz my inner fire started burning once I heard his voice.  I managed to pick up some points such as “Unified Exam is around the corner  but our class was not serious about it.” “Always play volley ball after school.” “Heard many of us giving tuition to juniors and didn’t want to spend more time on our study.” Bla… bla… bla… He ended his “scolding” by saying, “I want each of you to commit to study hard and do well in your Unified Exam.  One by one say it in front of me.  Start from the monitors!”

Leading the team, our monitor, Kheng Soon “read” the statement with his monotone, “Headmaster, I promise I’ll study hard and do well in my Unified Exam.”  Being assistant monitor in the class, I was the second one to repeat the same shit… but I have been holding on for so long and my eyes were burning with fire!! I stepped out and suddenly BANG my hand on his table (did I bang the table?? I couldn’t remember but all my witnesses said I did ;p), I “challenged” him, “HEADMASTER, WHAT’S WRONG WITH GIVING TUITION?”  I remember my dialogue was long but I couldn’t remember exactly what l said to that fat man. My mind was actually blank at that moment :D.

My unexpected statement shocked the fat man.  There was a total silent and there were many “dropping jaws” and “shocking eyes" staring at two of us.  The fat man’s face turned pale and slowly pointed  his quivering fore finger  at me, “YOU…YOU… YOU... WHAT’S YOU NAME?” He continued, “ I want you to commit you will do exceptionally well in your Unified Exam.” I some more dared to answer, “My name is Chan Wai Fong, I’ll study hard and I’ll do well in my exam but I still don’t think that we have done anything wrong!!”  (I think all my friends were sweating for me at that point of time :D)  The fat man wrote down my name on a piece of paper, looked me into my eyes and said, “Okay, I’ll check on you.  Next!”  I walked out of his office while the rest of my classmates repeated the shitty statement.

I cried after the incident, not regretting of my high-handed behavior, I cried because l was too angry and felt insulted for our class.  I didn’t like my high school life because of the insensitivity of the school management.

The incident became the talk of the town after that and I became an instant “heroin” of our class.  My classmates were happy that someone actually stood out for them.  

Days passed by, the sun still shines brightly, we still played volley ball, tuitions were still going on, but of course we did make some effort to reduce the number of games and tuitions since we promised the headmaster to study hard :D

A few months later, we graduated.  I got my Unified Exam result… didn’t bother to look at it twice coz I didn’t study hard at all, obviously it was not good :D.  Headmaster didn’t call me at all, perhaps half way through he just gave up and felt hopeless on this stubborn and arrogant student. ;p ;p

This was "unique" - the lab was our classroom (not enough classroom woh...)

We were good at sports too (of course lah, played volley ball everyday woh ;p)

 

P/s: My ex-classmate, Douglas must be happy to see this post coz after two decades, he still laughs at my “heroin” behavior whenever he sees me :D