THE sun was bright. People swarmed the place. I just love it, to be among the crowds, to be entangled, to be lost. You felt the pace, you just moved with the crowds.
First day at NUS. The feeling of ecstasy was almost complete. First day at school after 2.5 years in the army. What a joy! You saw familiar faces, you saw strange faces, you saw beautiful faces and you saw yourself smiling at yourself. You wondered if life could have been better. You marvelled at the new found freedom where you can wear jeans and slippers and you marvelled at those well-dressed girls, as if parading in a fashion show.
But there was no time to be wasted. NUS shifted into gear. The pressure cooking started. The first lesson - MATHS came as a shock. Such furious pace, everybody scribbling to out-write each other. Nobody stopped to listen to the mumbling of the lecturer. You emerged from the lecture theatre dazed. What have you learnt?
Amidst the confusion you were jostled to life.
"Oi, seow eh.... you are also here."
"Tan Chong Lee, you also in engine?"
"Ya, did you see the smiling tiger?"
"You mean that chinese helicopter tiger?"
"Ya lah, who else?"
"No, never see him. He should be in second year what."
"You are wrong. I saw him in our class. Apparently he repeated."
"Wow, is it?"
"What for I bluff you."
"Shiok man, see how yaya can he be here."
"Oi, I make a move first. Going to get computer account."
"How to get?"
"Aiya, if you want just follow me. Heard from my brother it is quite fun..."
The day ended. I was tired to the bones. One day of lectures and shuttling around was no joke. There were just too many people. There wasn't enough oxygen to go around. Just crazy, the first day in campus.
5.15 pm. I hurried down the stairs. Wah, so many people at the bus stop. How to go back? I leaned against the wall, watching the buses come and go. Suddenly a feeling overcame me. I felt so lost among the crowds, I felt so lonely. People came and went and none really stayed. 5.30 pm. The place was still as crowded as ever. The sun was still strong. I did not know where I was heading, my legs carried me up the stairs and into the terminal room.
It was fairly crowded but I managed to get a terminal. Took me quite a while to locate the switch (this one different from the one I tried earlier in the day). I struggled along with the printout I had earlier. Nothing seemed to be right. Nothing worked. I looked around, hoping to find familiar faces. There was none. But I found something else. Two girls were sitting behind me. One was so so but the other one was pretty. I turned my head slightly. They were giggling. I looked at them again. Their VDUs flickered, raindrop-like characters fell across their screens. I stood up and watched in bewilderment. The prettier one turned and gave me a smile.
"Err... what are you two doing?"
"Yakking lor..."
"How do you do that?"
"I send you the EXECs. Just receive them."
"How to receive?"
"Aiya, you real sotong. I do it for you."
I did not know what she was doing. She pressed a few keys here and there and...
"Ok, just type ZP41 then PRESS PF2 to signon..."
My world somewhat changed. I never knew such a world existed. A seemingly crazy world. I never knew I could talk so much, I never knew myself capable of indulging in such conversation. Yet all those were my words. In P41 I seemed a different being, I became bold and outrageous, so unlike me. I talked to complete strangers in ease. And I got to know two gals. How a perfect start to a new phase of my life. NUS was great, I thought. Sarah was so pretty and Christina was friendly. I forgot about dinner.
8pm. We decided to go home. 216 came and we got up the bus. They sat in front of me. They talked and talked. I could see them better now. Sarah with her long flowing hair was unbelievably pretty. Christina was average but she dressed sexily. I did not have much time to dream. Sarah stood up and smiled at me. She alighted. I saw her, dragging her hair behind her, disappearing slowly. The bus moved along. Christina turned around and talked to me. I looked at her but my thoughts were with Sarah. The bus powered along. The night was young and I wondered at the days ahead.
The days moved on furiously. There were simply very little time to rest. Lectures just moved on and in no time the notes piled up to a frightening height. It was crazy to study engineering.
Friday evening and just finished the stupid lab. Just could not understand what that lab supervisor was saying. All the nonsense. So many readings to take, so many tables to fill up, so many graphs to plot. Shit. And that was my formal report! I headed straight for the terminal room.
My day somewhat brightened. I saw Sarah. And of course, Christina was there too.
"Hi..."
"Hi Soon Meng.. so long no see you around."
"Ya very busy with work."
"Engine really so terok huh?"
"Ya."
I was not interested in talking to Christina. I looked at Sarah. She was just wearing a jean and tee-shirt but gosh, she looked so lovely. Just wanted to rush forward to give her a hug. But how could I?
I got onto P41.
Anybody going for jam and hop tonight? - <**Chris** > Where? -Aiya, where else. Forum lor .. - - - - -> B O O M <- - - - Hi ALL - <(.:*SM:*.) > Hello Ah Meng - <.Sarah.... > Meng: *smooch smooch* - <**Chris** > SM: Hello - Hello Seow Meng!! - What's the topic today? - <(.:*SM*:.) > Seowboy: you then seow - <(.:*SM*:.) > Meng: Talking about the Jam & Hop tonight - <**Chris** > Meng: Talking about the Ah Meng in the Zoo, donno NUS - got one also .. Hee Hee - Sarah: Are you going? If you go I go... Hey hey - Jam & Hop? So sian.. Never like jam only like butter & - <(.:*SM*:.) > I also donno how to hop hop - <(.:*SM*:.) > Seowboy: Ya I am going with chris.. you really going? - <.Sarah.... > Ya lor.. I only like JAZZ ... no jazz no go - Meng: Aiya go lah.. we two gals go so sian - <**Chris** > Chris: Donno how to dance leh.. - <(.:*SM*:.) > Meng: No problem lah.. chris and me there wat - <.Sarah.... > Meng: Hee hee go lor.. we two guys they two gals - .....
It was crazy. The first time I was going to a jam & hop. There were so many people and there wasn't any place to sit. We jostled around, snaking in and out The music was already thunderous.
"Hey Chris... Peter they all are there."
"Yahoo let's join them... at least got place to sit."
So we pushed and shoved our way in, towards the stairs.
"Hey Peter, got seats for us or not?"
"Hi Sarah... we got four seats for Margaret they all... but they nowhere to be seen."
"Aiya, just nice for us... we take first lah."
"Ok lor..."
At last my tired legs had a rest. Beside Peter there were two other guys and a gal. But I wasn't in the least bit interested in making friends. I just focused my attention on Sarah. Sigh, she seemed out of reach. She was just too pretty for me. The way she talked to Peter, she never talked to me like that before: whispering in his ears now and then, giggling and laughing without restraint. Oh shit! I was dreaming again.
The hours passed tortuously slow. All this while Sarah was pretty occupied with Peter. Jazzman disappeared long ago. And Christina? She was crazy: waving and clapping to the rhythm of the music, screaming and shouting too. Now and then she would talk to me, telling me about this piece of music and that piece of music. I felt a bit lost. I did not know what I was doing. I just followed what she did. She screamed I screamed too, she threw paper aeroplanes I threw too. She talked to me and I talked back. The hours dragged along.
It was already 10pm. I told Christina I was going back but she wouldn't allow. She said that the hop would begin soon. Sarah turned and gave me a smile, she too asked me to stay. Somehow my heart melted.
The hop barely started and the dance area was already swarming with people. I was led, Christina was holding my hands as she pulled me towards the dance area. I turned around. Sarah was still there, whispering to Peter. My world blackened.
I was never a good dancer but Christina was terrific. Gyrating to the rhythm of the music, she seemed to have boundless energy. Her long spiral hair flying aimlessly, she looked every inch a dancer. I forgot about Sarah for the moment. I was mesmerised. I was in a trance. I did not know what I was doing. I moved with her. I really forgot about Sarah. Even when she was dancing next to us with Peter I did not feel anything. I was perspiring madly and somehow the sweat washed away everything.
We danced almost non-stop. The hours seemed to pass too fast. I was getting the hang of it and yet the thunderous music stopped. They started to play slow numbers. And people just withered away. I stood there like a fool. I turned and found that Christina was looking at me. I found myself blushing. Peter and Sarah was holding each other tightly. My heart stopped for a moment. Christina held my hands and put it round her. I held her lightly as we danced to the tune. I could feel her warm body against mine. The feeling was inexplicable. The sensation was paralysing. My palms were wet. In all my life I had never been so close to a girl before. She was killing me.
We danced and danced. Her hands were on my neck and mine on her waist. We held each other closer and closer. Her whole body was against mine. Her breast firmed against me. I found myself going nuts. The music stopped. I was awakened. She smiled at me.
... to be continued