ACCI - 10 Years Later

It's kind of interesting but as I look back at my previous posts from 10 years ago (DAMN. 10 YEARS), I have a post thanking all the grads of 2005 from ACCI and all the friends I've met in those 4 years.

10 years later, and a lot of things have changed since high school. I was always told high school would be the best years of one's life. Whether it's meeting the one, or developing the greatest bonds with new friends, high school was pretty fun.

I remember while in elementary school, we had one of those counsellors come into our class and talk about transitioning to high school. The dude talked about how high school was a scary environment, and that grade 9 was the year that seniors would recruit students to do bad things like drugs. And become drug lords. Hearing that as a 13 year old was obviously kind of scary. So I remember my first week of high school, I was avoiding eye contact with pretty much everyone. I didn't want to become a drug lord.

But as the weeks and then years went by, it was all rubbish. It really depends what type of friends you end up making in the end. Thankfully high school at that time was pretty smooth. Most if not all the people I hung out with were part of the Music Department. It was like a big family. Everyone was always making jokes with each other, encouraging, helping, and inspiring one another. It was always a positive vibe, and the teachers made everyone feel welcome.

I still remember how after choosing the courses for the year, I ended up not choosing music (I can't remember why), and when people were telling me how fun the class was, I ended up switching my English course to Music before it became impossible to switch classes. It was the best decision I ever made, because that was where I met the best of friends. I played the flute back in elementary school so I figured I would play the flute in the high school band. And I remember the very first test piece that was in front of me. It was some complicated piece but everyone had to sight read the piece as part of a test. I remember screwing up but again, this was the very first class for me. This is my selective memory talking.

Music became my permanent course to take over the next 4 years. It was during these 4 years that I was also writing theory, and practical exams for piano on the side. I knew I wanted my ARCT diploma and strived for it before I entered university. But having high school music course on the side really helped to make things easier and more fun to learn about music. I remember it was very stressful, juggling all the piano exams and school exams. There was no summer. It was purely exams back to back. But it was all worth it in the end.

High school became the years of crushes and first relationships. There were smiley times, then there were tearful times. From spending lots of time together between classes and after school, to never speaking again. My parents were the type to tell me I could not date in high school, and wasn't allowed to until I graduated university. But of course I never listened. Because I felt by the time I graduated university, I would be an old hag. High school is the time to go on dates and develop relationships. It's always exciting to get that butterfly feeling. It's also a great opportunity to learn about different people. I learned about first break ups, the first time someone broke my heart, the first time someone cheated on me, and the first time I realized that person is not the one for me. I learned to see what I want in someone, and what I don't want. It shapes who you are and who you will become. It's a stepping stone to a life long journey of love.

I remember my brother teaching me when I was 11 or 12 years old, to plan ahead in taking courses in high school. Fast track some courses so that in senior year, I won't have many courses to take. So I took his advice (thanks bro!) and started planning my high school years around age 12. At first I had some interest in architecture, so my first year I took that, along with the other mandatory courses in first year. When I knew it wasn't for me, I turned to computer science in second year. Then I found it wasn't for me. At the same time I was taking the mandatory maths and science courses, but I knew biology was something I could understand better. So I fast tracked biology 11 in grade 10, and then biology 12 in grade 11. This left me the option to take other courses in grade 12 if I wanted to or just leave it as a spare. I eventually left it as a spare so I could focus on piano. The great thing about taking piano exams is that the marks can be used towards a high school credit. So instead of having 1 spare that year, I could get 2 spare periods, as I would graduate with enough credits. If everything is planned out early, it would work very well, and that was exactly what happened.

One of the ultimate fails ever was when I took physics 11 in first term, and didn't like the teacher. Dropped it and took it again in second term. And got the same teacher. The worst thing was she remembered my name. First term students ended up getting great marks. Second term not so great. Physics 12 I had the best physics teacher. Except sadly my brain just never understood the concepts well so I ended up dropping the class (plus I didn't need it for the pre-requisites for university).

If I had to choose a best year out of the 4 years, it would be senior year (or grade 12). Although it was bad to start senior year with a break up, the friendships that developed afterwards are still as strong as ever, 10 years later. It was also a sad year, because the friends you got to see everyday for 4 years will be departing to different schools, and some you won't see for a long time. So it was the year that everyone connected and had a strong bond with each other. The promises of always checking up on each other, and to encourage one another.

10 years later: quite a few people are already married or have kids. Some are climbing up the corporate ladder, or making a difference in the world. Some have moved to different cities/states/countries. And sadly, some have passed but will never be forgotten.

My friends vary from elementary to high school, but majority of them are from high school. 10 years later, we still talk and hang out. And that's when you know you've got yourself some great friends for many years to come. Cheers to the class of 2005!