Getting To Know Us (Part 1)

by Amanda Lee, Ryan Yoong, Chin Wye Mun & the Senior Prefects (as of 2014)

You're clutching your bottled orange juice tightly in your hand. Your gaze riveted to the floor as you walk up the staircase at a steady pace. Your hands feel clammy as you near the top, and you see a pair of legs clad in black pants. You twist your body slightly, hiding the bottle in your grasp from the suspicious prefect's glance. As you pass him, you breathe a sigh of relief, feeling victorious. But a loud 'ahem' brings your jubilation to a grinding halt. 

Ahh, so close. 

You grudgingly hand over the bottle to the prefect, who has seriousness and duty written all over his face. Yes we may be the gate keepers of the school, the upholders of the stringent law, the enforcers of rules and all things not fun. But deep down (very deep down..), there's much more to us than meets the eye.

Photo Credit : Encik Iqbal

To help our fellow Cheras counterparts get to know us better (as well as to let you know that we're not just scary people in black who you should avoid at all costs), we have decided to give you the lowdown on all the Form 5s and Junior 2s to be—hence the Part 1. Be it on how much Wye Mun has grown since her Standard 6 days, or the type of food Ryan eats—anything under the sun that moves.

Let's begin with our Head Prefect for 2014, Amanda Lee Yue Ping. I'm sure we all believe that she's extremely capable and lets nothing slip through her fingers. Wrong. While in figurative context, that might be the case, literally however, it's the exact opposite. Little do you all know, that she actually has sweaty palms (which I recommend not holding on to for too long). Nonetheless, her achievements have not slipped, and she was classed in an elite group of Cempakans who were accorded the CAS Platinum Award. What an exciting (and sweaty) process that must have been.

Next is the second chief-in-command, the loyal deputy, who makes me (Amanda) look taller than I actually am, especially when she stands beside me. Chin Wye Mun boasts a height of almost 150cm, missing the mark by just 0.5, her motto naturally being 'small is powerful'. And her goal? To be able to reach the top compartment of the bus to put her school bag in the morning. Though she's known as the happiest person on the board (she’s liable to burst into laughter at the most random moment), trust me you do not want to cross her when annoyed. Or sleepy. Or hungry. Or ever.

Following Wye Mun, we move on to Matthew Tang Tien Ping, especially since it's 10.00pm already—about the time he goes to sleep. Doppelgänger of Joseph Tay, the Cheras prefect, Matthew is the genius of our board who without fail can be seen reading the newspaper every morning in the car. He also has a liking for sandwiches as you can tell by his Facebook profile picture.

Woon Tyen Yee is the proud owner of a dazzling pair of electric blue Adidas shoes, one of her most prized possessions which also makes a debut appearance in her Facebook profile. (First sandwiches, then shoes, what next?) Straying away from the norm, she also enjoys watching horror movies (potential suitors beware!) but also has a soft side when it comes to romantic comedies; an inconsistent trend if you ask me.

Interesting facts about Linus Yam Lock Lai? Well for one, his favourite letter in the alphabet is the letter 'L'—no surprises there. He also doesn’t like to eat yams. An artist at heart, he would give anything to be able to draw hands properly.

Moving on, Vanisha Ann Victor is the renowned speaker and famed emcee of all our special assemblies. What we don't know? Well, she's also a renowned eater. Capable of eating various foods from all over the world, she has recently conquered the delight that is our king of fruits, the durian. Her words exactly, 'nastiest thing I've ever put in my mouth'. Finally, something she won't eat.

You know how we said that we're not scary people in black who you should avoid at all costs? Well, Ryan Yoong Ka Jun is that exception. Just kidding. (Or are we?) Though stern-looking on the outside, Ryan's true passion is baking cookies. Chocolate chip ones, with extra chips if he likes you. 

The biggest female football fan on our board is definitely Fiona See Jun Xuan, whose dream is to visit the Emirates stadium when she's older. Her ambition—to be one of the big names in football playing for her favourite team, Arsenal? (so they might finally win the UEFA Champions League?, she adds) Nope. She says becoming a veterinarian or dentist should suffice, though she’d be overjoyed it they did win of course.

When Nigel Choo leaves, we realize that Colin Yoong Shern Zian will be next up for the grand position of being the shortest guy on the board—congratulations! Don't take his height for granted though, as Colin is the MSSM star of our board, managing to score most of the handball goals by ducking under opponents' legs.   

Sharizah binti Mohamed Shihab is the established dancer of our board. If you are ever in a crowd and if you see someone dancing in the middle, that would definitely be her. She’s also notably known for playing the role of the 'wise ape' during our school's recent production of Tarzan. "You will not be judged on what you look like, you will be judged by your actions. Remember this, young one." Wise words Sharizah, wise words. As our new Social Head, she is definitely the friendliest person on the board you’ll meet, who will not only shake your hand enthusiastically but may also start dancing for joy. 

Netball, handball, rugby, badminton, tennis, basketball, football, water polo, frisbee. The Games Carnival sports roster? Nope. More like the sports Hana Zakirah binti Imran Hurst has played over the course of her time in Cempaka. With the exclusion of out-of-school sports ranging from archery to figure skating, without a doubt, she has played (and will continue to play) every sport known to man. More than half of which we have yet to even try.

Four years ago, you would have been convinced that Alif Ashraf bin Anuar was a sure-win for the shortest male prefect award. Well, how wrong you were. In four years, he shot up by an astonishing 25cm making him tower over (almost) everyone else now. His secret? We'll never know. Such a pity. I'm sure we all would like a tip or two. Besides being tall, he is also a dab hand at singing.

Need an expert on naming pets? Amirah Farhanah binti Zakaria is definitely the person to go to, with over 30 cats, and a whole load of names! From Skippy to Pearl, to Prada, to Gucci, to Channel, to Harry and to Potter—yes, those two are different. Out of the whole board, it's quite clear that Amirah is the motherly figure, and a very capable one at that!

“It’s really important to do these two things; Eat clean and workout,” says Annabelle Tam Yong Yan, who besides doing those things, also runs at least 3km a day! Though we can’t say the same for ourselves, we salute her.

The new generation of ushers will be led by a very capable Eugene Gan Hong Shean. Tall, fair and bespectacled (we had you there, didn't we?), with months of practice in the art of ushering, he is almost on par with the usher before him, Cheng Sheun Wern. Almost.

When we asked Zoena Raman Rao what her hobbies were, she replied in the most casual tone ‘Oh, you know, horse riding. My favourite horse’s name is Lake! And I also enjoy scuba diving!’ I guess it's really true that the days of mediocre stamp-collecting and catching butterflies are long gone.

Some people sing. Some people have deep thoughts. But what does Ezzamel Zarif bin Ahmed Zaharani do in the shower? He practices his football skills! Where has that gotten him? 8 stitches on his foot and a story he'll never forget. So remember kids, save the kicks and the Messi antics for the field.

 Photo Credit : Encik Iqbal

Dear reader, you know how people say 'this is just the tip of the iceberg?' Well, we've gone a little bit past the tip. Perhaps you may see the senior prefects in a whole new light, but nonetheless we are still the same people, who will no doubt be there to make sure you don’t bring any orange juice up. We've decided to feed you the information little by little in the hope that you won't be overwhelmed too quickly and too soon. 

Part 2 of Getting To Know You, by the Form 3 and Sophomore 2 prefects is out! Click here to read.