MFLD

This post is gonna be a little different. Just read on if you're looking for something to entertain your boredom.

Yesterday. Where do I even begin?? Have been trying to get my thoughts organised. I scroll through my call catalogue (latest to earliest for yesterday) and I see this:

Unknown
*music assistant*
*year 2 senior*
*Teddy Bear*
*Teddy Bear* (outgoing)
Daddy (outgoing)
Unknown
*music assistant*
Unknown
*music assistant's office* (outgoing)
*music assistant's office* (missed)

That's yesterday's call catalogue. Yup.

Yesterday was a big day for me. At this stage in life. I woke up and thought to myself, "I'm just gonna take my time today, shower, do my long tones, pack my turtle shell (credits to Mr. EW for the nickname), then slowly get to school and take some time to 'chill' (kinda impossible in my school environment, but yeah), rehearse with my accompanist (maybe not the whole programme), then 'chill' again and warm up shortly before I have to go in.

BUT.

I received a call (we're working our way up from the bottom of the list). Which I was unable to answer. So I called back...and was told that I have outstanding fees.

It's school policy that anyone with outstanding fees will be disallowed to take the final exam. My final and most important exam was scheduled for yesterday, 1540hrs. There's no way I was going to be disallowed from taking it. That would mean I would have to retake the whole academic year. Another school policy.

I'm not complaining about school policy here. In fact, I think the policies are fair. What I'm getting at is that they told me I have outstanding fees. Nothing against the Music Assistant, he was just the messenger. The thing about me is, I don't want to pay extra school fees. It's $187.50 per extra credit. So I make sure I stay within the 20 credit limit so that I don't have to pay extra. I checked and double checked and triple checked before I signed up for this additional module. I was pretty darn sure that I stayed within 20 credits even with this module in.

Instead of berating the MA, I decided to go in and speak to the finance officers in person. So I finished my long tones, and rushed everything else, skyped Dad to tell him what happened, and rushed down to school. Having gone offline right after I typed in the skype chat, Dad called me as I was on my way to school. It was a big, big day for me, and I was to have my Principal Study exam. No joking matter. It's the deciding factor whether I go on to Year 2 or retake Year 1. And believe me when I say that going through Year 1 once is enough. For any module.

Daddy called again as I was walking from the MRT station to school. He said he phoned up the Finance Department and had a 'nice little chat' with them. Not his words, mine. Haha. Then MA called again, apologising for the whole thing and said that Finance called him after receiving my Dad's call. Haha. I got to the Finance Department and they had this printout with the amount I had outstanding. And they got three people to explain to me that I had $187.50 outstanding and that it was more than 120 days overdue and I was actually supposed to be disallowed from taking my final exam but that they were being gracious (not their words, mine) and letting me take the exam. They were obviously (this is a borrowed analogy) being like ostriches, sticking their heads in the ground, refusing to see the point I was trying to make. I was saying that it's impossible that I have outstanding fees because I stayed within the 20 credit cap. Even if I did and it was more than 120 days overdue, shouldn't I have received a notification/warning letter? Hmm??? And did I receive any letter of the sort? Nope. Absolutely nothing. But they kept telling me that I still had $187.50 outstanding but they were being nice and letting me take the exam. They even threw in a free lecture about the school policy of students being disallowed from taking to exam should the student have any outstanding fees. WHEE!!!!!!

You could probably imagine my frustration at this point with three people talking to me, telling me the same thing as if I didn't understand what they were saying. If I could multiply myself, I would have told them in three persons through loudhailers that it's impossible that I would have had outstanding fees because I stayed within the 20 credit limit. I got frustrated and it was hard to continue being polite to them, so I told them I was going to take my exam and then come back and settle the whole thing.

I got to my campus, booked a room, and MA walked past. He saw me and laughed, saying I looked like I was ready to kill someone. He showed me the email they sent to him and told me it must have been a mistake. We had a laugh about the idiocy of the whole situation then I went to the practice room. From there, I called Dad, told him what had happened. Dad heard me out, told me some stuff and then prayed for me. Then I tried calling Teddy Bear. Who didn't pick up his phone. He called me back, and I asked if he had to pay extra fees for the extra credit he took (same number of credits as mine) and he said no, because he stayed within the 20 credit cap. Which he said should be the same for me. I had the confirmation I needed. If Teddy Bear didn't have to pay extra then mine was obviously a mistake. But Finance insisted they were right and that they were going to check with IT if it was a technical fault, and they told me that I could come back and make the payment after my exam.

Then Year 2 Senior called, saying Lao Shi wants to take us out for dinner after his exam (Y2S's exam was scheduled for 1800hrs). I said yes, of course. Just a side note: Lao Shi is just awesome la.

I had this whole thing bugging me. And I had to take my exam. And to add to that, Ed's not in such a good condition. I feel for the guy, I really do. But there's nothing I can do to help him :(

Rehearsed with my accompanist, then went in for the exam. Two on the panel, GC and EY. Excerpts and then repertoire...exam didn't go as great as I wanted it to, and I'm just going to leave it at that. On a brighter note, it would mean that I have even more room for improvement. Let's hope I'll be the most improved student next semester. Lol. So much to do during this 3-month break. Which is good. Coz it'll keep me busy...and my neighbours possibly annoyed for the 2 months I'm back home.

After my exam, I put my turtle shell in one of the rooms, and headed to Finance again, ready to let off the pent up steam. When I got there, it was a different person at the counter, and she, being more sensible than the other three earlier, called the department with which I took the module and let me talk to the person on the line. It was quickly cleared up then. The whole thing turned out to be a mis-entry. So that cleared, I thanked the person on the line, and thanked the staff who had the sense to settle this whole issue in a much more civilised manner, and went back to my campus. MA called, telling me that he had just received a call from Finance, saying it was all a mistake, and that it was such a mafan issue. For it to have happened on my exam day...LOL. Then I chilled in one of the bigger rooms with the rest of the Flute Family, waiting for Y2S to finish his exam. Texted Daddy and told him what had happened.

Later, as we were walking to the cafe to meet Lao Shi, Daddy called and I talked to him for a while, told him how everything went...the whole tirade and then the exam and how the issue settled. Then told Daddy that Lao Shi was gonna treat us to dinner at one of his favourite little cafes near school. One of his colleagues, a clarinetist, joined us, and it was a lovely dinner and great fellowship.

Then I headed home. Bumped into KH on the way and walked with him to the MRT station, took the same MRT, he got off one stop before me, then I got home around 2230hrs. Took a nice long shower, finalised arrangements to visit EC's mum and then skyped home. Talked to Sis for a brief moment, then to Mum and Dad, Dad prayed for me and then we talked some more about HIM. Other Sis came on and told me about her day with OrPeS. And Seloka Cak Kun Cak, our 'favourite' song. Haha. Then she called back to ask a theory question.

Shot some important emails out, got a couple of replies, then got ready for bed and went to sleep.

SO. I THANK GOD THAT EVERYTHING WORKED OUT IN THE END. And that the first academic year is over and I'm still alive. Lol.

So that was My First Last Day. In case you guys haven't figured it out :)