The Terendak Trip
Red carpet. Great singing from the College Choir. Wifi at the Balai Pelajar. Students allowed handphones. Students proficient in English. Those were few of the surprises I had today when I visited my former college.
I was honored to be invited to officiate a program there and spent slightly more than an hour at the rostrum, giving motivational talks and taking questions from the floor. It went very well. I had the chance to impart what knowhow I had to help them prepare for their exams and future.
I also got to meet my former teachers and visited my old dormitory. Some of the building had been renovated since I've last been to Terendak in 2009 - I was there for a career talk. The main one being Block F being built up to three floors - my batch were the first to use the old Block F back in 1985, and it was a double-story building.
The main cafeteria were also extended to accommodate the growing number of students. The playing fields also looked better maintained, compared to when I was there as a student.
I had a nice chat with the Principal as well. I was glad that he put plenty of emphasis on co-curricular activities rather than just all studies. The choir were definitely going strong. I remember how frustrated I was as a student when being told to just study, and the Principal then not giving a hoot about anything else. Something which I touched during my talk.
All in all, it had been a fruitful day. I was also approached to visit other MRSM as well. That would be at the mercy of my tight schedule though. Should I be invited again, I would definitely return in a heartbeat.