Our Story

Our Story
by Jian Hao

在你左右
还有多久
怎么样才能让时间倒流
每一分每一秒都珍重

握紧的手
不愿放松
十点半的飞机它在等候
不要再让自己的眼泪流
我必须要走

要记得~~~

我们的故事真难忘
太多的回忆和希望
不管它有多疯狂
我愿意一生收藏

我们的故事不能忘
太多的情节要发展
不要放弃
因为有一天
缘份会继续

在你左右
还有多久
怎么样才能让时间倒流
每一分每一秒都珍重

握紧的手
不愿放松
十点半的飞机它在等候
不要再让自己的眼泪流
我必须要走

要记得~~~

我们的故事真难忘
太多的回忆和希望
不管它有多疯狂
我愿意一生收藏

我们的故事不能忘
太多的情节要发展
不要放弃
因为有一天缘份会继续

我知道你寂寞
一个人确实好难过
思念是一种痛
没有你叫我怎么活
身边充满诱惑
不坚定就容易犯错
你是否能看见
未来的收穫
你愿意在耐心等候

我们的故事真难忘
太多的回忆和希望
不管它有多疯狂
我愿意一生收藏

我们的故事不能忘
太多的情节要发展
不要放弃
因为有一天缘份会继续

让我们一起演完

It is amazing what a song, with all the right lyrics and the appropriate mood set up by the music, can do to people’s lives. Indeed, “Our Story” by Chinese R&B group TENSION has aptly captured the experiences of a group of Singaporean and Chinese participants of the 4th Sino-Singapore Undergraduate Exchange Programme. Since it gained its status as the unofficial theme song of the Programme, “Our Story” has never failed to stir nostalgia in the participants. More importantly, it has added a magical touch of surrealism to the entire “Sino-Sing” experience, and transformed memories of the Programme into an endearing story in itself.

The song made its ‘debut’ on the farewell dinner night for the PRC participants. On 23rd March 2007, the Singaporean participants performed an item that combined mambo dance movements with the singing of the song “Our Story”. Many of the Chinese students have heard of this song before and were moved by the parallels drawn between the plot of the song and the emotions they were facing on their last night in Singapore after a 2-week exchange programme. In fact, Chen Jie, one of the participants from Zhongshan University in Guangzhou, personally told me that he really loved the song and thanked me sincerely for choosing to perform that particular piece for the farewell.

The China leg of the programme was a memorable experience for everyone who went on the trip. But it was especially memorable for most of us because of that one song, “Our Story”. When we were in China, not only was the song played for some of the presentations during our official visits to each of the four universities (Yunan University, Zhongshan University, Xiamen University and Zhejiang University), it was also mentioned several times in the notes of well wishes exchanged between the student participants from both countries. It also became a staple during our KTV sessions with the students!

For me especially, the song held a very special meaning. Prior to the performance in Singapore, I mentioned to the audience that memories are very important things in our lives, that behind each memory is a story, and that this – the “Sino-Sing” experience – is our story. In retrospect, I meant for the words to be a well-weaved introduction to the song that we were going to sing for our friends from China. However, at a little video presentation of the students’ experiences in Singapore at Zhejiang University, one of the participants, Wen Biao, quoted my words in his video, and that really moved me. I never felt the emotions invested in those words till he stirred them up with the video.

Indeed, looking back now, the hasty decision to perform at the farewell dinner, the rather ad hoc choice of a song and the rehearsal that almost never happened all contributed to an excellent bonding tool that brought friends from Singapore and China a lot closer than we thought.

To many of us now, “Our Story” is no longer just a song. It has become a metaphor – the crystallization of our collective experiences and memories from both the Singapore and China legs of the 4th Sino-Singapore Undergraduate Exchange Programme. And with this metaphor, we have weaved numerous unforgettable and endearing stories telling of the many special moments that both the Singaporean and Chinese participants had. The “Sino-Sing” experience is now a story to be told and retold, one to be remembered or even mythicized, as we begin, passionately, to exaggerate and distort our memories with the passing of time. More importantly, “Our Story” remains unconcluded – an open invitation for everyone featured in this magical narrative to pen down the next chapter of experiences, memories and the continuation of friendships.