We went to school together. Then our paths diverged. But precious memories are now returning: that my childhood was made happier by Jason's friendship.
Jason, when I first met you I was so captured by your eloquence, your smile and your friendly disposition. Will miss you. ❤️
Denyse Tan We all met in 2010 when we all met in Arts camp, and I must say those were the best years of Uni. We all got along well and we decided to go on a broke ass students trip to Langkawi.
Daniel Lim R house and Tembusu College in NUS, those days were filled with so much fun, laughter and memories. I hope you find peace my friend…
Jason, I’ve always remembered our time in Basic Military Training very fondly; your presence, as well as your dry humour and ability to laugh at the absurd realities of military life, have always made my weeks go by faster. I have this memory of us on our field camp; by that point, we had been in the same uniform for five days (!), we were constipa...
Jazlyn Chua We first met in Arts Camp when Jason was assigned to my OG. We remained in touch in Tembusu college and more on social media after graduation as we were both teachers. Jason was brilliant in so many ways - from his amazing dress sense, to his eloquent writing and wit, to his passion for teaching. Jason, you will be missed.
Denyse Tan And we all couldn’t get enough of each other and decided to go to Bali together. Somehow Bali held an awe of mysticism for you, the rest of us were in it for the sun sand and food. I still remember you and your Eat Pray Love obsession. You just had to go visit Ketut Liyer. We drove quite a few hours and ended up hopelessly lost and we tried to tell you countless time to just stop wasting time and that he would end up to be a demented old man. But you were relentless and insisted that you had to meet him, then when we finally found him and you got to meet him he turned out to be just that, a demented old man. We all had a great laugh at it. Somehow I remember this memory more than the other things we did. You will be remembered old friend.
Melody Bay Back when our paths converged again and we had both returned to our alma mater to teach, albeit via different routes.
Melody Bay Fulfilled his dream of studying Comparative Literature at King's College London
Jolene Lai We first met in 2010 as Arts Camp OG mates. You were really one of kind- smart, adventurous , eloquent, and with impeccable taste. We did quite abit of travelling together- from our shenanigans in Bali to climbing through underground cave systems in Budapest. We didn't meetup much after graduation but I constantly followed your life through social media, etc. You did good! Passionate, brave, inspiring and sometimes too cheem for a layperson like me. Haha. I'll see you when I see you! Till next time! xoxo
Finna Y Jason, you were one of a kind. Thank you for the years of friendship. I'll always remember your laughter, your wit and your great sense of fashion. You will be dearly missed, my friend.
Wei Ling Goh I cannot remember when we first met, but it was probably when we were both on exchange in the UK as English Lit students, and then magically, miraculously, everything took off from there. What a wonderful decade (almost) of friendship we shared - we were truly a raucous, petty duo, the quintessential l'enfants terrible. I respected you tremendously for your intelligence and your way with words (and how you would call out my b*lls*it, no questions asked). You read so voraciously and with such crystalline judgement, I could never keep up. You were my confidante who always had my back regardless of what cruel (!) unfairness (!!) the world deign (!!!) to throw at me. I have no choice but to keep our, ahem, incriminating conversations secret forever, since you are no longer here for me to blackmail you with them. Finally, I know you loathe Borges, so I quote him here to be petty one last time: "If space is infinite, we may be at any point in space. If time is infinite, we may be at any point in time." I will miss you my irreplaceable, inimitable, literati friend. It's funny how our lives braided together, as if it was all meant to be. May we meet again as men of leisure, in another time and in another world, where we will talk about books and art and awful people again. Rest easy, amongst the stars and the cosmos above.
Melody Bay Jason – who would have thought, when we first sat beside each other in a dusty canteen at the tender age of fourteen, that we would be sailing the Italian Riviera eleven years after? Do you remember how late my train was because of the strike, and how we ate cold pizza sitting on the steps facing the sea in the dark after you had waited for me for hours in Vernazza? The high, sweet singing voice of the girl who was strumming a guitar at sunset one immortal day? And do you remember walking the alleyways of Monterosso together, exploring the ruins in Portovenere, eating fresh pasta against the backdrop of bright oleanders and an endless blue horizon? You mentioned that Cinque Terre was the place you mentally revisited whenever life was too much to bear. That was the case for me, too. I hope that wherever you are, things are just as delightful, Jason. I'll miss you so much.
Regina Boon I cannot put loss into words as my heart hurts. The Gods have not been kind. I will always fondly remember your wicked sense of humour, your immaculately tailored shirts and your love for Zhen Huan Zhuan (how you would spontaneously burst into a quote from the show in a bid to convince us that it’s the best drama ever). And those Pokémon Go days! Maybe one day, long after, I will be able to banter with you once again. 花开花落终有时，缘起缘灭无穷尽。一路好走。
小熊 记 When the sun goes down And the band won't play I'll always remember us this way.
Elizabeth Cutter Dear Jason, Thank you for being part of our NIE class. I’m sure each and every one of us in our class have fond memories of all of us laughing together over Bak Chor Mee in the NIE canteen, complaining about Poh, or taking very long breaks from class to go browse the Popular bookstore for snacks. I have a very vivid memory of you being super competitive when we were playing Bananagrams heh. Rest in peace Jason, and enjoy your earl grey madeleines. “We shall not cease from exploration And the end of all our exploring Will be to arrive where we started And know the place for the first time. Through the unknown, remembered gate When the last of earth left to discover Is that which was the beginning; At the source of the longest river The voice of the hidden waterfall And the children in the apple-tree Not known, because not looked for But heard, half-heard, in the stillness Between two waves of the sea.” - T.S. Eliot
Sarah Ow We made this in class and showed it to you on your way out after your lesson ended. I don’t think you laughed but you came back a few minutes later, made joke about it and walked back out. It’s been 5 years and we still talk about how hard it made us laugh that day.
Xiyu Zhang Dear Jason, Thank you for being such a fun friend in hall - it was really great knowing you. I was supposed to help you kope some of these tote bags with ‘KCL duah duah’ for you but I never got the chance to pass mine to you after coming back… hope you are somewhere with as many KCL bags to carry around as you wish!!! Hope we meet again some day!!
Dear Mr Yan, Thank you for making my Y1 days. I’ll always remember the Kahoot quiz about your socks and the funny comments you left on my worksheets. Your lessons were the best and I always looked forward to them even after a long day at school. While I may not have been the best student, I am truly thankful for your guidance.
Melody Bay We'd been celebrating 13 years of friendship at this point. 4E3 '05
Hey Jason, I keep coming back to this memory of frequently running into you at SWF 2017 - the one I really, really, really enjoyed and attended so many sessions of. (Subsequent SWFs never burned quite so brightly in my memory as that one.) We were both (mostly) alone and furiously attending many talks and panel discussions, and you were my compan...
Jerome Lau Jason was one of my first friends in NUS. We were in the same Orientation Group. We spent a lot of time together between and after classes, hanging out, doing silly things, studying. Jason helped me to find my way around the new place and time of my life. He was part of some of my happiest memories from NUS. Though not often, we kept in touch after university. He was there for me at my lowest point. In 2017, we traveled to Sri Lanka together. We took epic train rides through Hill Country, witnessed with wonder elephants in a national park, and marvelled at blue whales in the Indian Ocean. I remember it as a beautiful, lovely trip. Thank you, Jason, for being my friend. Until we meet again.
Hi Mr Yan, you were my literature teacher back in 2018 and although literature wasn’t my forte, i still thoroughly enjoyed your lessons (it was fun analysing your socks + listening to your witty jokes). i remember there was one time i went up to the whiteboard to write my answer and you asked me whether you should call me by my name or my nickname....
dear mr yan, it was a pleasure to have been able to be taught by you. you were always so invested in teaching us and making literature such a fun subject to study. i remember scoring horribly for one of my essays just before eyas, yet you continued to encourage me and guide me towards the right path. thanks to you, literature has become a subject i...
Mr Yan, thank you for being my teacher and for your guidance and support. Thank you for making me feel comfortable during my first year in RGS, not only helping to smooth the transition to a totally new subject, but for making Literature so much fun to study. I remember looking forward to Literature lessons, trying to see what socks you were wearin...
lara tan Mr Yan, thank you for always being such an inspiring mentor who encouraged me almost 4 years ago now to continue writing, dreaming, and feeling deeply. I still remember meeting you at SWF 2019 and the cordiality you greeted me with, despite never having taught me in school before. Your words will always linger in my memories of a wonderful time in a happy place, exploring myself and finding my creative voice. Rest in power Mr Yan ❤️
Eugene Tan Jason, here’s one of you and those sunglasses which, yes, you do have an unhealthy fixation with. But your signature outfits just like yourself has left an indelible mark in our memories. Just like the many literal adventures all over the world from Japan to China, India and Russia over the years, where you pushed us to take a different path and see the beauty of the world despite the irony of also doing so for the ‘gram. You always were the traveller, and I hope that you still are now. Take care my friend, happy travels!
R Lu Dear Mr Yan, You were one of my favourite teachers in RGS. I really miss your presence in class, in the school corridors, or wherever I might happen to bump into you (I did once at Singapore Writers' Festival; sorry that I wasn't brave enough to say more than a timid hello). Thank you for being my Literature teacher for Year One and Two. Thank you for introducing me to Animal Farm and teaching us about irony and the Irony Iron. I remember the cute piggy drawings you put in your Animal Farm slides which I took numerous screenshots of. Thank you for meeting me outside the staff room for every AA draft I asked for comments for, and for your insight into writing and poetry. Thank you for being there for me when I called you outside the staffroom because the Lit EYA paper was the next day and I was clueless and panicking about poetry. Thank you for checking in on me when I was feeling down for a rather prolonged period of time in 2019. And thank you for replying to my email in which I shared my poems; I was really touched that you replied. I will miss you, Mr Yan. I hope you are in a better place now. Rest in power. Regards, R. L.
Dear Mr Yan, thank you for being such an engaging English teacher to 303'19, for all your dry humour in your day-to-day lessons, and for helping me grow my passion for English as a whole. Thank you for being one of the teachers whose lessons I enjoyed attending the most in my time in RGS, and for being so encouraging and humourous every lesson. Re...
Mr Yan taught me English a few years back. My most vivid memory of him was after I gave what I thought was a subpar GK presentation in class. However, he seemed impressed. I remember how encouraging he was and I also remember being so determined to work hard at English just so I could make him proud. I miss EL lessons with you Mr Yan, rest well!
Shuang Ning Ling Jason, I don't think anyone took dress-up day during EL Week as seriously as you did. I believe that you planned weeks in advance, and thoroughly enjoyed the process. Thank you for being a fantastic example of living out the pedagogies we taught, and reminding me to spend time on this fun too even when things are crazy.
We were drinking. And I was like "hey you look good; let me take a picture." And I did. And we both looked at it and agreed it didn't capture how good you actually looked. So you made me delete it. Now I don't have a picture of you but I do have some memories. And the dubious honor of being one of your few drinking buddies. You were understated yet...
Dear Mr Yan, I don’t think I was a very memorable student but you were definitely my favourite English teacher. I never really liked English as a subject and was always fairing poorly…until you taught me in Year 3 and I attained my first 4.0 for English. That was the first time I felt like hey, my English isn’t that bad! A small achievement really ...
NG GEOK HWEE CYNTHIA RICE 2019 with batch ‘21
Melody Bay Travelled to Bhutan
dear mr yan, you were the teacher who made me assured of my passion and love for literature, and i know i can ever thank you enough for that. truth be told, i didn’t think that i was very good at the subject the first year i was in rgs - though i enjoyed writing creatively, i couldn’t seem to grasp how to write an essay, or interpret poetic lines a...
dear mr yan, thank you for believing in me when no one else would. thank you for helping me through the worst period of my life. within the classroom, you were, unique in the most entertaining, and educational way possible. from the time you ran around the classroom and jumped around, to the emoji slides you would include in your lessons, to the wi...
Dear Mr Yan, Thank you for inspiring me with your wittiness when teaching, your diligent attitude when it comes to anything at all and your warmth that u displayed through ur actions, u are genuinely the best teacher ive ever had, and im proud to be your student. I hope you are basking under heaven's warm sunshine, free of every kind of suffering ...
Thank you, Mr Yan. When the world was crumbling around me, your Literature lessons were my escape. You made me feel safe when it felt like I was on my own and I cannot begin to express how much that means to me. Thank you for sharing your endless love for Literature, it is with this passion I continue to find meaning in life, this language and the ...
Mr Yan, you didn't teach me personally, but I saw your Google Classroom posts when I was preparing for CAP 2020, and I emailed you once asking about my portfolio and your response was really encouraging. Thank you for being such a great teacher and I wish I had the chance to be taught by you. Rest in peace, we'll miss you.
I believe that without your teaching - making us run around the classroom on our first lesson, recaps with emojis and much more, I would have never realised my love for literature. After all, your teaching brought so much more meaning to the words I read. Thank you Mr Yan, may you rest in peace.
Dear Mr Yan, Words cannot describe how absolutely devastated I was to hear about your passing at 8.20a.m on a Thursday morning, especially on my 16th birthday. Although it has been 2 years since you have taught us, your words have made a deep impression on me. I can't believe we'll never be able to hear another iconic "That's that!" again, nor see...
Dear Mr Yan, Thank you for being such a wonderful, witty and encouraging English teacher to me in 203’20. I will always remember your love for bubble tea (HEYTEA or chicha), emojis, colourful socks, creative outfits during EL Week and most importantly your love for teaching and the craft of English. I am very grateful that you became my teacher ...
dear Mr Yan, Thank you for the meaningful memories we had with you. I sincerely miss your lessons (alas emojis are amazing tools for explanation isn’t it?), your love for lana del rey (i am listening to her music as i type this), your patience and understanding, and giving me the chance to be able to speak up for my opinions and ideas. you were an...
Dear Mr Yan, Thank you for everything you have done. You will always be remembered not only for your stylistic fashion and amazing socks (and you deservedly win the best dressed teacher annually), your love and dedication to books, but also for your passion, in everything that you do. Thank you for being my cmps mentor, and for watching over my cm...
Aliah Binte Mohamed Shariff The two winning CmPS champs with a trip to nowhere! What a ride it would have been had we set foot on US/NYC! #nothankscovid. Miss you and the RGS-HQ shenanigans you promised me 😢 Keep dancing the Dance of Joy on the other side ❤️
I ran into you in the school corridor and you asked me, "You're taking literature, right?" And I said, no. I was never the best student or particularly good at literature as a subject but I loved the lessons because of you. I've never seen a teacher with such a distinct fashion sense or such an impressionable personality. I'll always remember you, ...
hi mr yan, thank you for being a really amazing teacher in y3. your lessons were so well planned and interesting and looking back i really regret not fully paying attention. i will never forget how your socks are always so fun and eccentric. rest in peace mr yan 🙏
Dear Mr Yan, Thank you for being one of my favourite teachers. I remember struggling with English in year 1 and when you came in it really did help us so much. Despite not being able to get the grades I wanted, you encouraged me and taught us that failure isn't everything, and all of us can succeed as long as we work hard. I loved your socks and y...
You brought happiness, laughter and fun to our lives with your signature dry wit. You will be sorely missed.
Dear Jason, absolutely gutted. I will always remember you as one of the brightest stars, your talent, your jokes, and just how honest and authentic you always were. Was always in awe of your spirit every time you posted something, but now relooking once again through your writings to see that you’ve achieved so much of what you wanted, I know you’v...
dear mr yan, thank you for everything - your patience, your passion, and your guidance. your eloquence and wit never ceases to amaze me, especially in your instagram captions and goodreads reviews. we will miss those sorely, and miss you even more. rest in peace. i hope heaven has funky socks and all the editions of M&M.
Mr Yan, We last heard from you a couple of months ago – you conveyed your congratulations & and your best wishes to our graduating batch, ending off your email with a (decontextualized) quote from F. Scott Fitzgerald; and I remember thinking that nothing has changed, even over the last three years (when your absence from school had left us missing...
Hi Mr Yan, it has been a few years but I still remember you and your lessons back in y1! Thank you for teaching 103’17 and it’s such an honour to have been taught by you! Your passion and dedication towards teaching english and literature really inspires us! You will be deeply missed by everyone! Keeping you and your family in prayer!
Mr Yan on our first english lesson with you, you brought in a bag of strawberry mentos and went "I'm like a strawberry mentos sweet on the outside n dead on the inside"; for some reason I've never been able to forget that moment, even after 6 years. Thank you for being my teacher, who single handedly swooped in to save 103's English grade after our...
Mr Yan, thank you for being one of the most genuine, wittiest, intelligent, eloquent, nicest, and funniest teachers i have ever had the pleasure to be taught by. your screen full of descriptive emojis and your colourful socks and your wit always make my day. you’ve always urged us to be the best version of ourselves, to not let anyone dull our shi...
Dear Jason, How my heart aches. Not because I didn't get to say goodbye to you but because the world is dimmer without your brilliance. Your love for life and people. The willingness to stop and listen to the tiniest grouses, and the sincere warmth now gone. Thank you for making my life brighter and warmer. Go venture forth. I'll want to hear all ...
Mr Yan, Your lessons were always a joy. Every time, I would constantly find myself anticipating what would happen next, what more would I get to learn. You were the most eloquent, the nicest, and the best english teacher a student could ask for. I still remember the colourful socks and the emoji slides every lesson. I will miss your lessons, your g...
Mr. Yan, this news came to me so unexpectedly and devastatingly, and I am sending my wishes from halfway across the globe. In my time at Singapore/RGS, English was my weakest and bleakest subject. I grew up surrounded by books, but my mediocre papers and nonexistent analytical skills always bogged me down. But your expertise and appreciation for E...
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Jason's sojourn on Earth was brief, but well-lived – an adventurer at heart, he explored all the world has to offer. Let's share our memories of him on this timeline to celebrate his life. We'll always miss you, Jason. You left too soon. The world has lost a great explorer and writer; and we, a dear friend.
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