My Game of Life

Friday, February 20, 2009

It's been two weeks since we've been separated from our OGs and sorted into our CTs, yet it seems the trend is still prevalent: Be it on MSN, Facebook or face-to-face chats, people are still going "I miss my OG, my CT sucks bawww... D:" This shall hereby be termed the "OG Nostalgia Syndrome".

There's actually nothing wrong with being nostalgic over our OGs in principle (despite having been separated a mere couple of weeks ago, aww.) I too, miss my OG (OG! <3) and would like to relive all the experiences we shared together, if I had the chance to. But the problem arises when people begin to cling to their OG too much, refusing to let go, and as a result affecting their perception to their CT and the proper functioning of the CT as a result. It's people with this attitude what I'm targetting in this post - though no one in particular, please take note - and hopefully that can change in time to come.

Causes - What's with the draw of the OG?

What makes us miss our OGs so much anyway, after a mere one week of orientation together? Let's presume that it's the people in the OG that we bond with in that short time who make it such a memorable experience. From my observations, it's generally the people who are enthusiastic, fun and hyped-up that help to lighten the mood, raising the spirits of everyone in the OGs and allow everyone to have such an unforgettable time. Let's term this group of people as "X" (because they have the X-factor, yo.)

Assuming these people that belong to X don't have a split personality and remain that way even as we're separated into our CTs, they should also similarly be able to cheer up their CTs by carrying on with their fun-loving ways, thus making the CT seem "fun". Now logically, X would be randomly sorted into CTs, resulting in quite a spread across all CTs. Consequently, you would expect some people to be unsatisfied with their CT, because they unfortunately ended up in a class with less of X as compared to their OGs. On the flip side, there should thus be people who are happy about their CTs, because if there's less of X in some CTs, then obviously some other CT should have more of X. As such, you'd see some CTs with less of X and some others with more of X, and people would be according satisfied with their CT or otherwise.

Yet, it still seems nearly everyone is still complaining about how unenthusiastic their CTs are, how the CTs pale in comparison to their OGs, etc. There is obviously a discrepancy here. There has to be some people who are more than happy with their CTs, because if everyone is that unhappy, then where did X go? That group of people can't have disappeared into thin air, can they?

So after rambling for so long and going in a giant loop, we can finally go back to disprove our earlier presumption to say that in fact, it's not the people who make the OG that memorable. So what exactly makes us want to cling to our OGs that much anyway? I've thought of a couple of possible answers to that:

1) Those in our OGs are the first people we get to know in an unfamiliar environment, and we get to know our OG better first before advancing to our CT;
2) The fun activities we get to enjoy while in our OG, namely OG games.

1. We get to know our OGs first before anything else.
Being thrown into an unfamiliar environment, we'd be more willing to want to quickly make friends in order to make the community seem less foreign and perhaps even hostile. As such, this aids in the bonding of the OG.

Having made these new friends, we'd be unwilling to leave them and have to repeat the process all over again with our CTs. Some even refuse to participate in opportunities for getting to know the CT better, since they already enter with the closed mindset that "My OG is still the best while my CT is so boring, why bother?" Instead of bonding with the people whom you're going to spend the next two years with, they instead prefer to dwell in the past one week, mulling over the fun times they've had with their OG, and letting that get in the way of bonding with the CT. Which brings me to my next point:

2. OG Activities
Perhaps it's not the people that make it all that memorable after all, but rather the activities that you participate in with them. The OG games were admittedly much more fun than the CT games, and the only really thrilling game we played with our CTs was the war games, which wasn't as much of a class effort as compared to working together as a faculty anyway.

If we had the chance to have as much fun with our CTs, I think it would have helped out much more with bonding. But unfortunately we don't, which leaves people yearning for their OG, and mainly for the fun that came along with it. We remember our OG so well, not just for the crowd but more so for the good times, which left us with a pleasant impression of the OG. In contrast, the CT might seem dull, not because of the people, but because of the lack of fun and wild activities, which is partly due to the fact that we were to be gearing up for studying mode already.

Problems

Like I already mentioned, missing your OG is not a problem per se, but only when it begins to impinge upon your CT life. Going out for OG outings/meals is fine and all, but when you start to spend more time with your OG than your CT, leaving no room for interaction with the latter, then the problem arises. Why are you sticking with people you've known for a week instead of those who will directly influence two years of your life, and whom you will depend on for academic help in the first place?

The worst part is, it's not just that person him/herself who will be affected by such an attitude, but the entire CT as well. And this is what I have the biggest issue with (and I think many others too, except they don't quite voice it out as openly.) If you're going to go emo over your long-lost OG, keep it to yourself and not drag the mood of the whole CT down with you. Worse still, don't start being a wet blanket and spoiling the atmosphere by making cynical remarks about how "sian" the CT is, or how things aren't meeting your expectations. With people clutching to their OGs and not giving the CTs a chance, how are we honestly going to bond well?

Solutions - Making the future two years more awesome than anything.

Let's face it - people come and go, friends are lost and found, and yes the world is forever changing. Sure, I'd like to go through that one week of pure fun with my OG again, cheering our hearts out, trying to climb slippery slope and lying down at night in the central plaza gazing at stars, but we all have to accept the harsh reality that orientation has ended and that the fun and games are over. Perhaps CTs would be more interesting after all if those still afflicted by the "OG Nostalgia Syndrome" would also start facing up to reality and having a more open mindset towards CTs. After all, it's no use reminiscing about the past while neglecting the future.

Of course, it's good to stay mutual friends with your OG mates, and in fact I would most strongly encourage you to not lose contact with them, but don't let that prevent you from making new friends in your CT. Do you honestly want to come off as unapproachable and unfriendly to your CT, leaving behind a negative first impression, just because you can't let go of your OG? It's time to forge new friendships that will last you for the next two years at least, whether you like it or not.

I know the feelings of attachment to one's OG would die down soon enough after a couple of months, but if the week of orientation with the CT and the first week of lessons is anything to go by, it's already caused enough damage as it is. I you're still reminiscing about your OG, please just let the thoughts slide and allow yourself to integrate into your CT. Learn to let go. Give your CT mates a chance, for they might just be the X you're looking for after all.

The message is simple: Instead of clinging to the past, get your priorities right and focus on creating strong bonds with your CT. All we can do right now is to make the best of what life throws at us, and make these two years the best years of our lives.

If you know of anyone who's still down from the "OG Nostalgia Syndrome", please pass on this message for the sake of you, me and everyone else. Tell them not to let their nostalgia govern their life, and instead look towards a (hopefully) happy future. If things don't turn out, well, so be it, but at least give it a shot first.

'Twas teh winnar at 11:10 pm.