Gareth

Gareth came to us when he was in Sec One. (This was how he look like) I heard he didn't do quite well for his PSLE and his self esteem hit a new low after that. When I first met Gareth, he was looking down most of time, quietly sitting at one corner eating his whipped potato from KFC. I would try to break the ice but failed at least half a year. And he would have that same whipped potato week after week before his tuition class. Finally one day he offered to share his little weekly prized possession with me. Thats when he started to open his little world to us.

He is actually quite a funny guy. Like his favourite pastime is actually counting money. And there was this day when he asked me who gives us our signature ??!! So I asked him who he thought would actually gives us OUR signature. Gareth says its the government because they gave us our identity card, so therefore they would give us our unique signature as well. Interesting analysis .... Gareth also thinks Singapore Pools Pte Ltd is in charge of the chorine, the life guards and the cleaniness of our swimming pools.

Once he asked me to photocopy this paper which I thought was a school programme sheet for some school function thing. When it was done, he was reluctant to get it back. It was only when I read the content of that programme sheet then I realised that he was one of the prize winner for the school speech day. Gareth had came in tops for Maths for the entire Sec 1 that year.

Come June 04 and he will be leaving for Australia to continue his Sec 3. Why? Cos his parents thought he would be more independent and more mature if he stays there on his own. I hope they are right.

He's a real sweet kid.

We will all miss him. So will his tuition buddy Samuel Lee.