Has it already been 5 years? Then here's to the end of one P's "reign," whilst we await the beginning of another. The P's been in the business nearly the whole of my lifetime. That's a lot of memory to recap in the couple of hours the college spent in a tribute concert to her this evening.

Not sure how many other Ps get a send-off like this one, but there are lots of people who have fond memories of her, so I suppose this concert's for them too, to express their gratitude and honour her contribution in the service of education.

The P probably wants to be most remembered for her passion in promoting Chinese culture in a society that seems to be fast forgetting its roots. That our multi-ethnic department put together a Chinese-y item that actually looked well-rehearsed and one that we didn't play for laughs like we usually do must have tickled her a bit, at least. 10 EL Dept tutors bashing away on Chinese drums in unison to a Chinese beat, shows that even we (many of whom claim to be the bane of our Chinese teachers' lives) can find something good about Chinese culture to train in and put up for public display.

Let me register my appreciation to the 2 Pugi kids who coached us, and to my 9 colleagues who kept rehearsals fun and lighthearted even though we were all stressed out learning the rhythms on top of everything else we had to juggle over the last couple of weeks. You're the best!

But the most heartfelt sincerity must have come from CL Dept's GML who made an unexpected, unscheduled appearance right at the end of the concert. GML only returned from Taiwan late today and rushed down from Changi just in time before the closing item of the concert. She presented the P with a gift from the students and staff involved in the Taiwan expedition, then became all teary as she and the P shared a parting embrace. The P, after all, had been GML's teacher way back when.

So farewell, Mrs H! Knowing you, I doubt you're just going to fade away into the background, but you'll find new challenges to conquer in your post-retirement. Just like our previous P before you did and is still doing today.