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No Darren ... Just because I don't display my emotions publicly or in front of you guys doesn't mean I don't and won't miss any of you or any of my students.

If you only had a glimpse of what thoughts and emotions I've been carrying these past 2 weeks you'd understand. But in my capacity as a teacher, in front of a lot of strong-willed sportsmen who've been driven so hard by me, I cannot cry. It's not because it's not right or 'unmanly'; it's because there is strength in managing one's emotions and knowing what to do with them rather then to let them control you. And it's always been about strength of character that I've been trying to teach all of you.

I'm managing my emotions ... every night. And yes Joel, I'm managing my emotions. I'll miss you too. Thanks but try not to be at the airport. I'll still need to manage my emotions and it'll be easier if there are lesser people.

No Bernice, I'm not trying to leave you or the class in the lurch. I'd like to see all of you through this and the next year, even through the exams. And in so many ways I feel responsible for your batch - at so many levels, intellectual, emotional, or otherwise. But I can't ... And it's simply because I need to move on with life - or I will never. The cards have fallen into place so I take it as a sign, divine or otherwise, that it is time. I'm sorry nevertheless. I truly am.

... I'm not dead. But it is true that 'parting' is a synonym for 'death'.