Well done, Samurais.

...and with Samurai, the juniors are now officially juniors with KYUEM credentials. This year, Fez, Hann, Ren and Ala were seen around, with swirling rumours that a Tasha and a Payau were operating incognito amidst the milling juniors.

SIMILARITIES: The yell-scream tradition was adhered to - everyone received a vile dosage of it before their Samurai. For the uninitiated, it involves getting eager students (for THIS batch, a WEE bit too eager)'s hands to dart in the air as they survey how many students were top of their academic, sporting, etc. fields and THEN scream mercilessly at them for being arrogant. Good tradition, that - KYUEM is the great leveller, where straight As and hard work are not curios.

Samurai - same story. Same set of movements, same ending, induction week group spearheaded by Anwar passed on the mantle of Samurai to the group led by a Dickson Low. Now that's a honour, junior, being featured in Veritas Online, so sleep tight.

DIFFERENCES: The great Firdaus gave Aaron a run for his money, mixing his characteristic menacing tones with some intimidating whispers. New costume, darker and more Dark Side-ish.

A notable change - the SC members are world class practitioners of the ancient art of torture. They let them go on and on, then Mr Zaidi steps in to - uncharacteristically - tell them "You can quit. This is not important. Watch your bodies." The ever irreverent P.E. even mentioned "This is not going to affect your A-Level results", unconsciously, perhaps, revealing a glimmer of the nature of our batch.

Samurai dragged itself out pretty well, with juniors being pushed to the brink before Nic-O stepped in to yell timings. Seniors reported the cheering wasn't as raucous as ours - perhaps related to the more punishing Induction Week schedule.

Dining hall cliques are already forming - this batch seems intent to make fast friends fast. A remarkably English-speaking batch, with a larger proportion of day-school kids, the nature of the college is yet to be ascertained, but change will be inevitable.

Anecdote: Ibrahim, Mara medic, Topaz, during Key Values: stepped up to the podium and told all his first priority was to "get into Cambridge"...idealists shall inherit the world...then sent everyone into stitches with his declaration that he would "get married during his housemanship" and then "go to the Royal College of Surgeons to do surgery research.

Ibrahim, if you're reading this, hats off to you. KYUEM is where you dare to dream. Maybe because you can ACTUALLY see the stars in the night sky here, midst Malaysia's verdant jungle.