It was a dance so groovy, they named it twice. It rivalled the slightly inelegant Chicken Dance which we honoured every Children's Day. Looking back now, it was possibly the most insipid routine on Planet Earth. What was It?

Enter the Chinese Indian Malay Others-Chinese Indian Malay Others, popularised in its catchy abbreviated form, CIMO CIMO (ingeniously pronounced see-moh see-moh). Now THAT'S some rustic, home-brewed culture for you.

We were hapless 15 year old RI boys and RGS girls, exiled to NAYTI camp by the powers-that-were for some leadership-building and experiential learning. My own motives were far more banal - to have fun and to meet boys (though I realised shortly after the gates closed behind me that THOSE boys weren't really the kinds I'd wanted to know).

On the programme were mind-numbingly boring lectures on subjects better left forgotten. The first of the (only two) saving graces of the week was listening to our fellow coursemates' presentations.

There is one that I remember with particular fascination. Dear Michelle, who was making bold strides ahead in the use of literary devices, titillated us with a most sobering talk on "Trust is like an egg". I wasn't completely in the know about the motivations for it, but remain adamant that there was some intrigue amiss, as she had gone through some lengths to procure a real chicken egg as symbol of vanitas .

The second positive sliver was that enigmatic, race-transcending, foot-stompting, truly marketable skill that I strove to master. With a shuffle of the right foot, swung back and forth, stamp right, stamp left ... and over again ... it has surely served me well.