superwoman

there's so many things to blog about.. i've been procrastinating again. but class outing to go watch fireworks will have to wait. this entry is dedicated to an extraordinary lady.

tribute to ms goh gek kwee.


a dear teacher of mine passed away recently. she was diagonosed with cancer few years back. my memories of her were bittersweet.. but she played a significant part in my life.

ms goh taught me chemistry back in mgs during sec 3 to 4. she was acclaimed best chemistry teacher in mg.. only problem was, she's also the fiercest. but i still counted myself lucky to have her teach me chemistry in preparation for O's.

she was a small woman.. but had an extremely strong character, not to mention a really loud voice too. when she scolds.. it's hell! you'll be scared even if you're not the one she's scolding. i had that many times.. (i'm refering to the scoldings). probably because i'm one of the weak ones. once it was so bad that i cried. i waited for her to leave before i let it all out. seriously, for that whole week.. i was more hateful than afraid of her.. but this is the worst it ever got. i would usually spend alot of time reflecting after her 'lectures'.. and it has helped me. she still felt for us.. after every scolding, there'll be words to encourage.. but you'll have to read between the ultra-thin lines.

she's the first teacher who've won my respect. respect as in love, not intimidation. sometimes she'll share her 'funny' stories with us in class. most of which were suppose to convict us to work harder. and listening to them did inspire me.. it also showed another side of ms goh. cute woman she was.. the way she spoke, her gestures.

she caused a love and passion for chemistry to grow within me. despite me failing.. yes, i still had dreams of becoming a biochemist then. i wanted to get an A1 so badly during my O's.. but i only managed a B3. she said that was enough.. but i really wanted to do it for her. she's partly the reason why i continued with chemistry in JC. she made me want to persue it.. i could never imagine myself doing it but.. well, i'm still sticking to it now.

i went to her wake today morning.. together with huihui. it's held at Church of Our Lady of Lourdes.. near bugis. we said a prayer for her.. and then her sister asked if we would like to take a final look at her. ugh... when i saw ms goh, there was such strong emotions going on inside of me. she looked different from how i remembered her. she was really bloated.. and according to huihui, it's because of the steroids she had been taking. she did look peaceful.. there was a gentle smile on her. thank God she got baptised last year.. at least i know she'll be in heaven. there's a whole other story about ms goh and her views on religion, especially christianity.. but i won't have time for that. 2 of her sisters were there.. they looked so much like ms goh! gosh.. when i was talking to one of them.. i kept wanting to address her as ms goh. (well, they're all 'ms goh's but you know what i mean.. she's now mrs thach). my deepest condolences to the gohs.

thank you ms goh.. for your unconditional love and determination towards the class of 4B5. everything that you've taught me, i still remember.. ("hong,hong,hong".. playing with units.. doing titration the right way). thanks for the extra remedials on saturdays.. and the nasi lemak. thanks for being so brave, for all the times when you were tired but wouldn't show it. thanks for hanging in there with us. thanks for telling me that a B3 was good enough. (: