Annual Cross Country 2010

On 3 Sep, school did not function according to usual curriculum. This is because it was the day of the annual cross country. So instead of assembling at the netball court, we gathered at Bedok Reservoir for the event. Students and teachers were dressed in comfortable running outfits and shoes.

The event started off with the staff race. After that, it was time for the lower secondary to run. As it was during the fasting month, I was unsure wheter I should run or not. I was worried if I would get too tired and thirsty and end up breaking my fast. So at the starting point, I decided to brisk-walk the distance with my friends. When the starting whistle sounded, the students started running. In the frenzy of people, I started running too, much to my surprise.

I did not realize that I was actually jogging. I started out slow but suddenly became competitive and started running. Afterall, my friends were rather far behind me and it would be weird to walk alone while the others are jogging around me. Even so, I did not want to tire myself out so I finally decided to ‘half run, half jog’ meaning that I would only run a distance and jog the rest.

At the 2km mark, I was already panting and almost out of breath so I stopped running and jogged instead. The others who were near me would sometimes suddenly speed up and run ahead, but would stop in front, only to have me speed up and overtake them instead. It was rather comical actually.

Well, I continued running and jogging and although I was already very thirsty, I did not stop. My mindset at that time was just to finish the distance as soon as possible and take a rest after that. So finally, I reached the finishing line at the 21st position. I was very surprised actually, because I thought I would end up 50th or later. During last year’s run, I got the 62nd position, so I felt rather proud of my big improvement.

The event ended with the prize presentation ceremony for the top 15 boys and 15 girls for each level. Although I did not win the prize, I still felt glad that I completed the race even though I was fasting. I even felt happier because I put up with my thirst all the way until the time to break fast.

For both the cross country events that I have attended, I was burdened by the thought that I would not be able to put up with my thirst after running. The fact that the events were held during the fasting month was rather unfair to the Muslim students as many of us wanted to run, but were worried to. Nevertheless, I could still feel proud of myself for the big jump in positions when I was in secondary 1 to secondary 2.

Myths & Legends

Since young, I have enjoyed reading Greek myths & legends. I remembered that the first time I read a Greek tale was when I explored the children’s section. I think it was ‘Pandora’s Box’. As you know, it ended with all the negative things escaping from the box and polluting the world. I wasn’t happy with the ending. But I found the story interesting and so from then on, I started reading Greek myths & legends.

Once, I borrowed a huge read-aloud book of legends from different countries like Greece and Rome. There were a lot of tales in the book, but I liked the Greek ones the most. By reading that book, I discovered stories likes ‘The Twelve Labours of Hercules’, ‘Jason and the Argonauts’ and ‘Demeter and Persephone’.

Personally, I like reading Greek legends because I feel that they have a gentle mix of good values and lessons in them. For example, The Twelve Labours of Hercules tells about the 12 seemingly impossible tasks that the Greek hero Hercules had to complete as punishment. Although almost all of the tasks require the great strength of Hercules, some of them required him to think of a way to accomplish them. For example, Hercules devised a way to clean the filthy Augean stables – by breaking the dam of a nearby river so that the water flows into the stables and wash them out. The tale taught me that practically everything can be done if we use our brains and think hard enough. We must also put in effort in our work in order to achieve the best results.

One of my favourite Greek tales is ‘The Trojan Horse’. It is basically about the Greeks who built a giant horse storing their soldiers in order to get into their enemy, the Trojans’, city. The greeks sent a representative to pretend that he has been abandoned by them and that the horse is a peace offering to the war goddess Athena. The Trojans were naïve enough to believe their enemy and allowed the horse to be brought in. But they were fooled and as soon as the soldiers inside the horse knew they were in the city, they jumped out of the horse and started attacking the Trojans.

The tale taught me not to believe my enemies easily. The whole of Trojan was too gullible. They also did not heed the advice of two respected people, who discouraged them from bringing the horse in. The downfall of the Trojans could have been prevented. On the other hand, I learnt that even the smartest of people can be deceived if the trick is done properly. Odysseus, who first came up with the plan of the Trojan horse, was smart and crafty. He knew that no way could the Greeks enter the Trojan city easily. That is why I also like to read other tales of Odysseus.

In my opinion, everyone should try reading Greek or even other myths& legends. They have good moral-of-the-stories. I am sure many will enjoy reading the many tales of wisdom, wit and strength. Although some of the tales may seem rather exaggerated, they always have bombastic endings. For once, history is exciting.

'Greening My School' Project

The ‘Greening my School’ Project is a CIP for 2A. First, we were put into groups to grow our own plants. We had to discuss and decide as a group about the types of plants suitable to grow in our plots, which are located near the canteen. After deciding, we obtained the seeds and started to plant them into separate pots first. After planting them, we had to water them regularly and pull out the weeds that might have grown in the pots.

When our individual plants have grown into seedlings, we transferred them to our groups’ plots. We arranged them in neat rows and patterns and watered them regularly. At this stage, many weeds will grow so we have to pluck them out. Weeds are growths that fight with our plants for nutrients and sunlight. Our plants might die if we do not pluck out the weeds.

This project is a new experience for me as I have never did much gardening at home, except to water the plants. It taught me to be responsible and tend to my plants and plot in order to keep them looking nice and green. It will be a waste if they are not managed properly, because we have to discard them and grow new ones all over again.

Although the soil made our hands dirty contained lots of critters like earthworms, I had fun managing the plots with my friends. We found out new ways to rearrange the plants in our plot to make it look more presentable. Oh, and I also found out that I’m rather good at gardening. Maybe I should make it my hobby? (:

Leadership Training Camp 2010

During the June holidays, I attended the 4-day Leadership Training Camp. It was held at Dunman Secondary School on the first day and at Jalan Bahtera Adventure Camp for the next 3 days.

On the first day, we had to do duties and help out in the Financial Literacy Carnival. There were duties such as ushers and game masters. I was the game master for one of the games. Together with 3 other LTC members, we had to give instructions and record points scored by the visitors for our games. It was rather hectic when the groups came in and we had to work fast. The primary school children were excited about the game so it was not that difficult to get them to co-operate. I felt glad when the children told me they liked the game.

The next day, we got to the campsite by bus. Each group is assigned one bus each. On our way to the campsite, we sang cheers and got ourselves hyped up for the rest of the day. After everyone assembled, we brought our bags to our respective huts, the place where we will be sleeping in at night. My friend was surprised when she saw that there were no rugs or mats provided for us to sleep on. After arranging our bags, we then reassembled at the gathering hall. Then we were ready to start the camp.

The Land and Sea Activities and High Elements were awesome too. Both kayaking and rock-climbing were muscle-straining and required us to persevere in order to complete them. During the rock climbing, I got past the first few rocks easily but got stuck in the middle as I could not reach the far-placed rocks. I felt like giving up as my arms were already tired from all the pulling but my friends cheered me on. Finally, I went to another spot and managed to climb to the top.
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Kayaking made my arms painful too. We had to wear the life jacket tightly and I think I almost suffocated in mine. But as we went into the sea for warm-ups, I got used to the tightness.
Overall, I enjoyed the kayak as I like the feeling of floating on the sea. My partner and were also synchronized in our paddling. As for High Elements, we had to cross ropes tied very high above ground level. Of course we were buckled safely first and wore helmets. It was scary having to slowly cross the rope to get to the other side. We had to concentrate getting past the obstacles in order not to fall. The flying fox was the best of the High Elements. Although it made me scream, I enjoyed it thoroughly as it was very exhilarating when I jumped off the platform.

My friend Syafiq from 2F and I were the emcees for the Campfire Night. I felt very nervous about the whole event as my script was not completed and I had to host some parts spontaneously. Luckily, my senior helped me out with some parts and relieved some of my stress. The group performances were interesting. Some were funny and interactive and some were rather messy. But what i know is that my group’s performance was successful. We danced to Iyaz’s ‘Solo’ and we got everyone to dance with us during the ending part. We were even happier when our friends from other groups told us that they liked our performance the best.

And then came the last day of camp. We had orienteering on that day. We had to travel to the game stations located all around Singapore. The orienteering was inspired by Monopoly, and we got to ‘buy’ the places that we passed and completed the tasks. It was very tiring as we had to walk in the hot weather, bringing all the things we had brought for LTC along with us. It was important that we drank lots and lots of water throughout the orienteering.

Finally, we travelled back to Dunman Secondary School for our last debrief. It was a sad occasion for some of us because we had forged such close bonds during the last 4 days. Everyone was glad that they got to know each other and promised to stay in touch with their respective group facilitators. Then, we went to the netball court and had a photo taking session. We then bade our final farewells.

In all, I enjoyed the LTC very much. I got to experience new activities like the flying fox, and visit places like the Hort Park during the orienteering. I also made new friends who were very nice and enthusiastic. It is probably going the the last adventure camp in a while, for me. I totally didn’t regret attending the camp because it was fun-filled and very exciting. I also learnt some lessons throughout the camp. One of the things that I have learnt is to work together with my team members and to co-operate. Without cooperation, we cannot get things done correctly. It is also very essential to always contribute our ideas. Our group performance would not have been successful if we did not plan and discuss among ourselves. Lastly, I also learnt that we have to be determined and work hard to complete our tasks. If my group just gave up during orienteering and the other activities, we would not have enjoyed ourselves as much as we did.

If given the opportunity, I would like to help out in next year’s Leadership Training Camp. I would like to see what goes on behind the scenes of the great camp.

Drama Club

In this entry, i am going to talk about my CCA which is the Drama Club!

   At the end of last year, i quitted my first CCA which was Band. One of the major reasons why i decided to quit was because i just have no more interest in it. I couldn't memorise the notes by heart because i wasn't given time to practice it on my instrument. So i decided to join Drama Club instead, because Syaffana and Shabana told me it is really fun. Furthermore, i had experience emcee-ing several concerts and performing in a play in primary school.

   When i first joined Drama Club, i thought that it would be difficult to fit in, since i was not a member last year. Surprisingly though, i felt welcomed because my schoolmates and seniors were so warm and friendly towards me. I also did not find trouble in doing the physical and voice warm-ups because of my stint in primary school. I gained back my confidence of performing and decided to audition for a role in Drama Club's public performance, 'Dragon's Teeth Gate'.

  Imagine how elated i was when i got the role! We started the rehearsals and we had training till late at about 6pm three days per week. Although rehearsals ended late, i had fun laughing at jokes, funny incidents and mostly practising with my castmates. Luckily, the performance went on smoothly and was a success.

  I really did not regret my decision to change CCAs. Not only have i gained more experience as a stage performer but i also managed to carve a niche area for myself in performing arts. I really hope that Drama Club would go from a Silver Award during last year's SYF to a Gold Award for next year's. In that way, we can do everyone proud.

Stories of the Elder

   One day, i decided to sit down with my grandmother and listen to her tell stories. She was watching television at that time but there seemed to be no interesting show on. So after i requested her to talk about her childhood days, she agreed.

   One of the stories she told was about her when she was young. It was during the Japanese Occupation in Singapore. She was around 6 years old then. She told me that she was too young to understand all the violence that was happening around her. She explained that she was terrified of the Japanese soldiers that were aways patrolling around the neighbourhood.

   Her parents discouraged her older siblings from going out because they feared that the Japanese will harm them. Her neighbours, who were Chinese, were even more terrified of the soldiers because they know that the Japanese hated the Chinese. Fortunately, her neighbours were an elderly couple and so would not be in great risk of losing their lives.

  My grandmother related an incident when she was once slapped by a Japanese soldier because she did not bow to him. Apparently the soldiers did not care if she was just a child and did not know anything yet. I was shocked when she told me that. It must have been really traumatising for her to suffer the blow at such a young age.

  As my grandmother narrated her story, i couldn't help but think about the plight of Singaporeans during that time. Having learnt about the Japanese Occupation in History lessons, i realised that books cannot properly evoke the real emotions and feelings of the Singaporeans. Although they provide more general information about the war, it is best to hear first-hand (or ear) from someone who has experienced it himself.

  My grandmother also taught me through her stories that we cannot just depend on others to protect us; it must be done ourselves. The war would not have ended if Singaporeans continue to live in fear and if nobody stepped out to lead the troops. I also listened in admiration as my grandmother told me about the bravery of the soldiers who continued to fight on despite being outnumbered by the Japanese soldiers. It is truly patriotic of them to defend Singapore till their deaths. If they died, they died in honour.

  After she has finished her stories, she ended with a "You young people must always defend Singapore. If not, all the sacrifices that the people of my generation have made will go to waste."

Dialogue In The Dark

   On Monday the 13th of September, all Stage Artisans went for a trip to 'Dialogue In The Dark' held at Ngee Ann Poly. It is actually an exhibition. We were briefed upon what we could expect during the exhibition. It was supposedly an exhibiton where we could not see anything and could only feel our way through. It sounded rather scary to some of us.

   When we reached the exhibition, we were told to separate into groups of 8 and to only bring along less than $5 inside the exhibition. Our bags were stored in lockers and we had to keep all light-emitting devices such as our handphones and digital watches. Before we went in, we were given walking sticks to help feel our way through the exhibition. They were the same kind of walking sticks used by blind people. My group members and i really did not know what more to expect than going into a dark room. We thought, if we could not see the exhibition, then what is the real purpose of it?

   When we entered the room and the door closed behind us, we started screaming as it was totally pitch black. We could not see anything, anything at all so we got panicked and broke out into a mini hysteria. Luckily, the Ngee Ann poly staff calmed us down and told us that we are going to be guided by a visually-impaired person. When we heard that, we felt rather worried because we were scared we would lose our way or get injured in the room.

   Our guide's name is Lily. When she came, she talked to us abit and reassured us that she was trained well enough and that we would have to listen carefully to her. Then, we started to walk. We walked in a single file and the first few steps wasn't smooth as some of us were still scared. Shabana, who was behind me, clenched really tightly to my sleeve. 

   Soon, we reached a stop. Lily told us to feel around the place and we slowly did. We got to feel leaves and the bark of a tree. We also heard birds chirping so we concluded that we should be at a 'park'. Then, we moved on and some of us yelped or gave a short scream out of shock when we accidentally bumped into something. We made a few stops where we had to use our senses except for our sight to guess our 'location'. Although we were scared during the first stop, we realised that the only way to benefit fully from the exhibition is to explore. Afterall, this was our only chance to really experience how it is like to be blind. One of the most memorable stops was on a 'boat at the Singapore River'. We sat on what seemed like a moving platform and suddenly, we felt a storng wind blow. We heard the sound of little waves. The best part was when the 'boat' we were on started to slowly move. maybe it was just vibrating slowly, but we could sense it was really moving and the engine is vibrating.

   The last stop was at a mini cafe where we bought cookies and drinks to be consumed. The cashier, who is a student of Ngee Ann poly, prepared the things we ordered. She knew how much money we paid her and gave the exact change by feeling the size of the notes and coins. We sat on a bench after buying our snacks. When i ate the cookie, i found out that i dropped lots of crumbs because i could not see where i was biting. I even had to request for Lily to tear the packet for me.

   When we finally got out, we were elated that we could finally see. Lily revealed herself to us and we instantly felt pitiful towards her. Her eyes were small and closed. We thanked her for the exciting tour and she smiled and went back into the dark exhibition room.

A visit to Dialogue in the Dark taught me one thing - never to take my sight for granted. I am sure it must have been very difficult for visually-impaired people to grow up normally. They cannot see the things and hazards around them and have the rely chiefly on their other senses. I wondered if they made friends and fit into the society without much difficulty. It is really depressing to only see black all around you and not know how beautiful the world is. I salute all visually-impaired people out there for having the will to go on with life despite their disadvantages.

Mrs Wee, i think you should give Dialogue in the Dark a visit someday. It was really an eye-opener (although were we're not able to see anything) for us, and i'm sure you will like it as much as we did.