blubberings

am again back to my hobby of staring at empty word docs. this time, the empty space is reserved for the school profile. wtf am i supposed to say?

*checks online*

oh. i'm supposed to angkat my school so that it sounds more prestigious than Eton. the hell? now i have lost heart to write. i thought it would be the boring things about principal's name, #staff, #students, #classes, #clubs, #trees, #drains, #toilets, etc etc. the boring boring stuff.

but noooo... have to list school achievements too. as if they hadn't done enough trumpeting for themselves already. gosh. my high school is extremely good at self-advertising. blowing their own trumpet very very loudly. framing those certs for sekolah cemerlang whatever and plastering them over a very nice mural. putting rather ugly photos of old women to show off alumni. putting up graphs showing %passes and %A's. potted plants at the most aesthetically pleasing but most inconvenient places. painting the building a sickening yellow-brown colour. my my. they do try.

it's not a bad school though. the school spirit is there. it really is. it is, in essence, a very dignified school. refined. sophisticated. elegant. the very epitome of a grand old dame. the building speaks for itself. utilitarian design shows off the no-nonsense and practical side of the school. thick columns, heavy-looking facade, solid stone stairs show the importance placed on reliability and stolid will. little embellishments of remarkable beauty shows an understated sense of appreciation for art. the whole building speaks of grace and of learning.

but too bad. along the way, this grace, this elegance, has chipped away bit by bit. the school knows what it can be, but it just cannot be. garish graffiti on a few walls. hideous classroom decorations (which is, ironically, mandated by the school). yellowing articles on foam boards nailed to century-old brick. ridiculously modern-looking tiles contrasted against the smooth worn stone-flagged floor. modernity. at the price of elegance.

disclaimer for anybody who wants to flame me for being ungrateful: all i did was criticize the decor. go on, scroll up and reread. or rereread.

now. how am i supposed to make this fallen dame sound like she is at the prime of her life? i shall try. if i do a good enough job, Eton-lad may come over to court. heh. that will be the day.