EIGHTERS' YEARBOOK

EVENTS DIRECTOR
Claire Lim
Kia Hwee
Coming into Hall 8, I have always heard
about this strong and unique “Hall culture”
that people always talked about. I really
wanted to feel the pulse of Hall life, have fun
and really play a part in giving back to this
Hall. I wanted to shape experiences for people
to walk away with fond memories of this
Hall and with that, I decided to run for Events
Director.
Concluding this journey, I would say that
sadly, I no longer feel the same faith as I did
when I ran for the position. The hardest lesson
for me was in managing people’s expectations.
There were times I had to give to
one while depriving another, times I had to
struggle between refusing requests and then
grappling with the emotional reactions that
would be directed.
It was a difficult lesson to learn and I am indebted
to my roomie and the friends who
listened, supported and advised me. Without
your patience and understanding, I would
never have made it this far without giving up.
Looking back, I can now clearly see the two
obstacles that stood in such staunch opposition
against our common desire of a stronger
Hall 8 family. First, tradition or change.
Tradition precedes culture but it can also
obstruct change. There were many times we
settled for less in order to maintain tradition.
In my view, traditions are important and
should be kept but it should make way for
changes which are better suited for today’s
needs. An unworkable idea in the past may
bring about different reactions today.
As this realisation hits me, I really want to
thank each and everyone of the 26th JCRC.
Thank you for being a dependable pillar of
support, the dedication and unfading determination
you all have is really what keeps me
going.
The second obstacle, Hall first? or self? Laying
tiles on a road is a hellish task to do alone.
Bring in 50 people, 100 people and you can
get it done easily, even enjoyably within a day.
But the bigger question is, would you voluntarily
sacrifice your personal time to lay that
tile? Will the greater good be worth more
than the personal cost?
I am thankful to have a group of Subcommers
who supported and guided me in running
Hall
events. I am really grateful to have you all and
my events experience would never have been
as vibrant without the energy you all bring.
For those who were not in events Subcomm
but still took on responsibilities like events
setup and rallying people to come down (y’all
know who you are), I’m truly touched and inspired
by your efforts. Ultimately, if everyone
lays a tile for Hall 8 today, we can all run on
a smoother road tomorrow. Question is will
you do it?