We Like To Dedicate This Next Song To The Class of 98

All About The Benjamins [Shot-Caller Rock Remix] - Puff Daddy, Lil' Kim, The Lox, The Notorious B.I.G., The Foo Fighters

On my way to work this morning, I was staring out the window of the bus when the iPod shuffled to Aaliyah’s “Are You That Somebody” and my thoughts drifted back in time. Something about hearing that song in early June . . .

It was 1998. I’d just gone through the most strenuous examination schedule of my life [grr, IB]. Tra and I were studying for Provincial exams at my house . . . with the TV set on BET. I heard the song for the very first time when the video came on. Dirty South, can y’all really feel me.

It was the post-Tupac era when Puff Daddy and the Bad Boy Family dominated our school dances . . . but because it was Juice Productions and Mo was our DJ, the playlist always included Van Morrison’s “Brown-Eyed Girl” and UB40’s “Red Red Wine.” But it was also the year Usher Made Us Wanna, Next’s Butta Love was Too Close, Boyz II Men had 4 Seasons Of Loneliness, and The Boy Was Brandy’s AND Monica’s. Britney was still an innocent school girl who got hit several times.

It was pre-campus renovation. It was pitching tents on the South Field and camping out on school grounds. It was going to the beach in the middle of the night, shovelling sand into the back of an SUV and creating Bulldog Beach on the front lawn of our school – complete with beach chairs and umbrellas. It was egging [and in some cases, toothpasting] every car visible at DT, Hamber, Magee, and Killarney. It was running through the halls on the last day of school while Blur’s “Song 2” blared through the PA system.

It was multiple formal dances. It was skipping winter formal to go to the Bad Boy concert. It was a parade of cars getting speeding tickets on Oak Street.

It was the summer of weekly karaoke, my first car accident, and countless nights at Hot Shots, Snooker City, Kamikaze, Rush, Jack's Loft, No. 9, Hong Lok Yuen. Oh gawd. It was Alex To confessing that he feels so sorry and asking his girl please don't go.

June 5th was the date of our grad formal. It was skipping class in the afternoon to get ready. It was limos and QE Park. It was Hotel Vancouver.

And on June 6th, we after-partied until the sunrise. It was fun times. Here’s to our 10.