and everyone has pretty much said everything that there is to be said about the camp, the people, the programme... pretty much everything.

credits aplenty and much kudos have been offered to OGLs, the FOC Main Committee, the seniors who came in to help, and the freshies themselves, for their enthusiastic and open participation as well.

BUT! after reading everything, i guess there is one perspective that hasn't been spoken from yet... and that would be mine, i guess.

My perspective is:

Participant (Freshie) --> Main Committee Member - Programmer (Year 2) --> Senior Attached (Year 3)

And i must say, though few currently share this perspective with me, I am extremely glad that I have lived through this experience.

The privilege of going through the amazing (and yes, annual! woohoo! i can't believe ANY senior who has been through CS FOC would ever want to miss any subsequent years') phenomenon of The CS FOC as a freshman participant; the opportunity of creating the brilliant experience of one of the days for the next batch of freshmen, and the fulfillment from working behind the scenes and witnessing the fruition of immensely hard labour and effort; and finally, the time and non-obligatory leisure to interact with the freshmen themselves... to get to know them, to teach them my complete repertoire of silly and crazy camp games (and songs and lame jokes even :D).

Yes, I am extremely proud to acknowledge being the first person to teach the (legendary HAHAHA) "You eat, I eat, Lobster and Shit" game to the camp, who started spreading the Hai Dai game (although certainly no one does it better than Johnson!!), and the lesser-known ammunition game. :D Also, the other games that us seniors passed on, like "I have Never", the Heads-up game, the unofficially-named Traffic Light game, and several others.

Of course, there were the slightly-less successfully passed on ones like the chinese knives game that marcus refreshed my memory on, the string game and all the other Amazing Race games that we played in my year.

Sad to say, due to my nightly absences, I also missed out on all the GTKY sessions, and now there are apparently HTHTs (Heart-to-Heart Talks) as well. Damn why didn't i stay over every night and just pay camp fees!!! haha. And there, I have sadly missed out on really getting to know the freshies as well as i wish i could've.

Not to mention all the cheers! I didn't expect to, but in the end we managed to pass on our banana cheer and our EXTREMELY SUCCESSFULLY PULLED-OFF 'peeping through the window' song as well. Indeed, somehow, the MTM spirit lives on. :D too pleased for that. :))

and even though bocelli wasn't really able to learn the hokkien cheer in time, at least they got a wee taste of it, heh. ;) appreciate the effort in trying, though, guys! :D

Okay all those things aside, now it is time for me to comment on the nature and the spirit of the camp this year.

The person the anus theory guy dubbed as the Shoe is really right... this year's camp is really different. Different in a spirited, energetic, enthusiastic, FRIENDLY and sporting way that makes me really really proud and happy :))
there is no bitterness or resentment between the OGs, especially after Wednesday, and i'm so happy the cats were fed to their fill. :D i'm also secretly happy to have very briefly and in a very small way helped to keep the feeders' spirits up, in spite of my not being around camp all the way (ok i couldn't decide what smiley to put, :) because i was able to help or :( for not being at camp, so i will put both: :):( hahaha.).

in fact, i am somewhat pleased that the male-female ratio has balanced out much more this year too! Indeed, to the sadness and disappointment of many of the guys, freshie and single senior (or unavailable seniors who are STRUGGLING haha) alike, but all things considered, i think it's a pretty good change for our course. we need more guys in the media! hehhehhahahoho.

that said, i'm also really glad i convinced some of my friends to participate in FOC, and got to know other acquaintances better as well. :)

Ron, Mark, Wallace, Ivan and Jeremy, I'm glad to have heard how much you have all enjoyed yourselves (except from ivan, but i'm sure you have as well, and i also doubt you'll read this so nevermind lol.)... your comments and feelings that you've shared with me remind me so much of mine when I went through my FOC. :) I really hope to see you guys perhaps helping out in next year's too yeah. Keep the spirit alive and push the standards even higher than this year's team has done. (:

and i guess i'm saying that to all you freshmen who might have come across this (oh woe, me. haha). Bocelli, I am so glad to have been a part of your FOC experience. Thank you for accepting me so wholeheartedly and warmly, even though i wasn't there in the evenings and missed the sentosa afternoon... Thank you for humouring my silly games and playing them with me everytime i asked haha. I was doubtful about you guys initially, but the five days have completely changed my mind. I love you guys, even though your SSN performance was... well... a little too mature for everyone's tastes hoho :p But still, a marvellous effort on all your part! Thank you for your enthusiastic participation in the games, for eventually warming up to cheering loudly =D and for all the wonderful times and experiences you guys have given me. I now know how much i missed out on as a programmer last year... and I do regret it, although I am glad that i had the chance to create part of the FOC experience as well. :)

I also hope to see you guys joining the FOC Main Committee, and sharing the excitement and as Kai would put it, "awesomeness" of your FOC experience with your future incoming batch of juniors next year.... because trust me, I WILL BE THERE, without a doubt. :)

A brief word to the FOC Main Comm: I must admit, we seniors were initially worried about you guys. you all started off on your own, and never turned to us for help or asked us any questions... I remember relying so much on my senior FN programmer, Daphne, for advice during the course of my planning FN, and i was really worried about the programmers, especially Sarah (when i found out that my junior was her.), and her progress.

Nonetheless, you guys have pulled through it, and even topped us by about a thousand notches. I am honestly in awe of what you guys have achieved, and i'm so proud of all of you (if i am permitted to be haha.) :)) honestly. true, we helped you guys a little where we could, but this camp was your camp. and you guys have certainly made it your own.

Certainly, I will also not forget the little quiet helpers of the main committee. The unsung heroes of the Year 2 batch who quietly "bao-ke-liao"ed everything that wasn't done, who took the initiative to cover up the gaps, and who took it upon themselves to offer their help wherever it was needed, even though it wasn't their job, and the people who should be doing it were not. There are certainly more than the ones I am able to name, but you guys are truly brilliant. It is you guys whom i respect and admire.

To the only person whom i will recognise as the fiercest (Read: most actively-involved and enthu) senior in our batch, teh ping: Though you had many pairs of shoes to wear at the same time during this camp, I think you have done it very well. your spirit of involvement, and commitment to making FOC 09 a success, was infectious and is the only reason why I decided to commit myself to that end as well. For that, thank you. :)

And of course, the tribute to MG, the big guy who shall not name anyone in his blog and who calls me LG for reasons ridiculous and which i still reject (okay at least not ATG -.- SERIOUSLY.).

You may not have heard what I said because all the funny stuff from jac made everyone applaud and laugh so loudly that my quote got drowned out :( , but I just wanted to say that you've made a difference to so many hundreds of lives and FOC experiences, that i'm sure they number beyond your comprehension. you may not remember as many people as those who remember you, but that doesn't matter. The thing i admire most would be your pledge to always come back to help any junior batch that asks for it, and even though i wasn't involved in FOC directly this year, save for my extra-ness in feeding the cats and attaching myself to Bocelli, I would like to sincerely thank you, once again, for your invaluable voice of experience and advice. For helping me last year, for choosing me to be the first person to introduce your Anus Theory to, and for teaching me the games that we sadly were unable to pass on to other freshies/seniors hehheh.

we shall try again next year!

but anyhoo, i need to go off... so i will end my not-so-brief thoughts about this year's FOC here.

But you can be sure i'll be back next year, with my thoughts on that, again! :D

Ciao :)