A Taste of Love.

A Taste of Love

I'll admit it. I really didn't felt like going for love letter making this morning when I got home late (as usual) from CCA last night. I wasn't in the mood for slaving over a hot tiny stove to fold and roll the fragile little pancakes and stuff slips of paper inside them. The only thing that dragged me out of my bed this morning was the fact that I'd promised a few people that I would go for it.

Even so, I arrived around 15 minutes late, entering a canteen with many people crowding around a table, watching the "expert" on how to make those simple snacks. Teachers, students and children alike were ready and waiting to start the long, arduous process.

I started working with Jia Teck on one of the pancake makers, and the first batch came out pretty badly, with most of the pancake being stuck to the, well, pan. We then spent another five minutes on scraping off the charred remains and reoiling the pan with a few swipes.

We worked a little faster on the second batch, quickly throwing the folded paper onto the letter and immediately folding them with both hands and chopsticks. It took us some time, but we got it done. I felt a little proud of my first creation. It may have not been professional, but hey, the paper was safe inside, and the letter itself was not unfolding.

A few songs (Obviously including the Happy Working Song) later, Sara, Shuqi, Jia Teck and I were getting used to the cycle - Pour batter, close, wait, put paper, fold, rinse and repeat. The only things breaking the monotony was us singing to whatever song that came up, and simple chats with everyone else.

The teachers were strategically crowded around the table near the television, as they wanted to watch a pretty exciting match for the Australian Open, and thus depriving me and Jia Teck of Pokemon, but then again we really didn't mind.

I also saw Mr Lim coming in his army uniform, and found out he actually came all the way back to the hostel from re-service just to offer a hand to help out in making the love letters. He declared that although he helped in the previous year, he has no recollection on how anything is done. No matter, as a few minutes later he was folding the delicate snacks as skillfully as any other one in the canteen.

Mr Yeo was interacting quite alot with the children, and also enlisted their help with the "project". They soon turned themselves into deliverymen and letter counters, making sure each class had enough. They seemed to be enthusiastic, and always were rewarded with multiple thanks and smiles. I looked at them, and wondered whether they ever though of growing up to be a Dunmanian.

I got some time to talk to Liang Wei and the Year Two guys who made much progress with the help of Mr Siva. I rarely talk to the Year Twos, but was glad that I was able to get a short albeit fun exchange with them.

Around some time, we saw one of the cleaners looking into the canteen, seemingly curious about what we were doing. Jia Teck thought of giving him some of the love letters, and he was very grateful, thanking us and promising to share with his colleagues. We also gave away some to any hostel people who dared to ask.

Mrs Theng came in halfway and was shocked to see what our love letters looked like so far, complaining it was too thick. Apparently, her method of making the love letters required half the amount of batter we'd been using for the past 2 hours, and we were quite surprised ourselves.

We also saw Mr Sng making time to bring his family down to help out for a while. His presence alone was greatly encouraging, and we saw yet again how humble a principal we had. He wasn't afraid to ask us anything - When the love letter he was folding crumbled, he gave me a look, somewhat meaning "What now?" I gave a little laugh saying "Don't worry, you can eat it."

The process of making these love letters were filled with warmth, a little from the pans, but so much more from the atmosphere of everyone spreading the new year cheer through this simple snack. I really didn't regret going for this, as I got a look at how much the teachers loved their students, and the effort they put in to give us this little bit of emotion - After all, these letters are all packed with an important ingredient - love.

Vocabulary

Vocabulary

Gasp. Throughout all my posts so far, the language I've been using is near perfect english, and I try my best to not include any of the *ugh* emoticons into my posts, unless I'm feeling the monotony, or to make a effect (See post on how to relieve exam stress, sometime last year before EOYs, the first tip). I pride myself on being able to express my thoughts clearly, but the recent days with many, many friends have shown me many new interesting words and that there are many words that could have more than one meaning and then some.

Disclaimer: There is a very high chance that some of you will not understand the following words, but just have a look at it.

zOr: A word to express the slightest bit of surprise and awe at someone/something's ability e.g. "zOr" Yes, it's more suitable in one word.

Big big one: Although it can be taken literally, the lesser known meaning could be using it to replace the word "Jinx". Especially when you point at a friend's head while saying it e.g. "Big big one! (Point at friend's head frantically)"

差不多: According to CME teacher 许老师, the meaning of the word could mean describing a range around 20 years e.g. "我的分数和你的差不多，只少几十分而已."

Caffiene biscuit: The term for describing caffiene when it has hardened around the bottom of the evaporating dish e.g. "We were able to pick up the caffiene biscuit after Xue Xun broke the evaporating dish."

Abit: This word is meant to be taken sarcastically, emphasizing on a certain point e.g. "School is abit tiring. ABIT ONLY."

Muga no Kyouchi: Literally, "State of Self-Actualization". When someone attains this level of psychology, he is virtually unstoppable in anything he does e.g. "Han Ping is working hard to achieve Muga no Kyouchi."

Are/is: These two words are actually interchangable, and would thus create a unique effect in your sentence structure. More grammar mistakes are often found in the same sentence this structure is used. Why would anybody want to use it is still a mystery e.g. "I are speak no english."



By the way, feel free to request for any words that you want to add in here, whether I know it or not. There's a thing called "Blogger's impression".

Orientation outing suggestions

Orientation Outings

A week after orientation, we're already thinking of when we can meet up as a committee together for our much looked-forward to outing. Yet there's always a possibility that we'll end up like the DHShine Committee, when they had to wait for a whole year just so that everyone could make it.

No, I do not want to wait a year. Although we cannot decide on the date, it doesn't hurt to plan out what we can do at any point of time. So here comes yet another stupid list blogpost, brought to you proudly by stopping2think.

January:
Go on an all out shopping spree for strictly red coloured clothes in preparation of February activity.

February:
Invite all committee members to each other's houses. Include relatives' homes if possible. Split Angpao money after all are collected.

March:
Celebrate my birthday.

April:
Mass audition for Campus Superstar. Cheer like mad if somebody actually makes it through. Leave him/her to worry about how he's going to tell his parents.

May:
Meet up to brainstorm about DHSOlympics 2009. AT KALLANG MACS.

June:
Busiest time of the year. Go Orchard Road, stop suddenly, point at the floor as if there was something blocking your way. Step over cautiously. Avoid eye contact.

July:
Spend 2 hours trying to help the Busker at the underpass get $100. Rob if you have to.

August:
Use every single neighbour, friend or relative's IC number to assemble 13 NDP tickets. Rob if you have to.

September:
If no outing till then, write petition for DHS Orientation Committee Day - Where committee gets one day off and a $200 budget for their outing.

October:
Skip school on October 1st for outing. If asked for reason of absence, explain clearly that it is Children's Day, and since we're unable to work due to "Child Labour", we are definitely Children.

November:
We should have many opportunities to go out. One usually does when you get expelled by skipping school and coming up with stupid excuses.

December:
Go door to door carolling. Ask for Red Packets. Get thrown out.
for myself: cry that i'm not in the committee =(

DHSOlympics 2008//Aftermath

DHSOlympics 2008
(Editted 7 Jan, thanks to Sara for reminder of some details... Editted parts in red.)

This is one post where I have no idea how and where to start. A blogpost longer than "Life in Review" can't do justice to something so significant in my life. I know I won't be satisfied with what I've posted even if I edit it a million times, but at least there'll be something here to remind me of all that I've went through.

Okay, before we really start, I've done this blogpost 3 times over so far, first one with random memories, second with day by day reflections, third with overall reflection. I wasn't happy with a single one of them. So right now, I'll go along with no plans, no structure and no idea what I'm talking about at all.

Let's start with the preparation. Most of my time was spent on doing the banner while pretending that I'm actually very busy. The banner started off looking quite simple. I thought it was really quite okay then, and so did a few people I asked. Ms Tiong only requested me to make a few changes, but I ended up experimenting even more with the design and changed more stuff. 7 more versions later, we finally have the end product that hangs proudly in the wall. That is, until Monday when we take it down. I feel a little sad now, seeing $400 go to waste after all this, but like all the SFs, it has done its job.

The prepartion, be it for my own or other events, were something that I'd a love-hate relationship with. Everyday would be a day with mixed feelings, knowing that I will probably be spending the whole day doing the strangest things, lugging things from the SC room to the canteen, from Parkway to School, colouring using half dry markers, or cutting up strips of paper for not-even-He-knows-what. People who have the slightest hint of sanity in their minds would not do this for their holiday.



Yet we knew ourselves that one thing could keep us going. These boring and tiring tasks were made enjoyable by the friends that I knew I will be meeting, and thus each day our sense of togetherness. We worked hard to support each other regardless of our event, and didn't even think of getting anything in return. I don't get many chance to feel the sense of teamwork, but this has truly been a great opportunity.

The short break somewhat organised by Mr Yeo was definitely needed. We went to Suntec to watch Enchanted. Still remember when some guy who tried to sell fake charity tickets had tried to follow me from City Hall to Suntec, talking and walking faster than me. The movie was great, and turned into a talking point for us who went on that day, and two crazy people set up a certain fan club. I'm not posting any names, since there are another three equally insane people who joined the club a little later. Or maybe we were all just drunk.

The mentors helped immensely with our proposals, easily pointing out potential flaws. Yet their helping hands even extended to the execution of the events on the Orientation dates, and they were always ready with moral support and advice. The Orientation would definitely not have gone so well if it wasn't for their hard work, so kudos to them too for all their help!

Teachers, of course, deserve a large portion of their credit too. They put up with our tardiness and indecisive attitudes (well, maybe just mine), and never hestitated to correct us. We looked to them for support in a few crucial moments, but they never led us the "wrong" way by spoon feeding us. They threw us into the deep end of the pool - But that was only because they knew we could swim. And what if we didn't? We learnt.



The first day past quite uneventfully, but I guess we all seen at the debrief that most of us needed to step up to every challenge that faced us. If there were none in our way, then do what I just mentioned that we've been doing that makes us a committee - we support each other again.



Day 2 brought up everyone's moods, with Olympics going through relatively smoothly. I felt very touched to see that both SFs and students were truly having a good time, giving it their all in every single game that they play. The morale reached a new peak that day, and we all had fun at the different activities on that day, so it ended of pretty smoothly except for the shirt collection. Which thankfully got setteled the next day.

I scrambled around on Day 3, either getting stuff from the SC room, giving out shirts or moving around the canteen. I was frantic then, even trying to figure out what I was doing sometimes. But I'm very glad that it all fell together with MAJOR help from many people such as Mdm Loh and the year 4s. Concert definitely fun too, and I couldn't care less about getting muscle aches on my legs from At the Beginning, so I jumped like a madman through the choruses.

The hard part was cleaning up. But although most of us were really tired on that day, we got everything into the rubbish bags quickly. I swear, if Xingqi hadn't started playing the Happy Working Song during Dinner decoration or clean-up, I would've lost my mind completely.

In short, the orientation was amazingly fun, albeit tiring and long. But I'm definitely proud to say that I've been through one of the biggest events that happens in DHS, and will remember this for a long time to come.

Sara:
You were a great IC from the start of planning till now! Thank you very much for all the hard work, and ending up with the white hair and pimples xD . Don't kill me just because people have read about it here. But our job's not done yet! There's still an outing to plan...

Gillian:
Hey fellow aI/C! It's been fun working together for the orientation. You did a great job for concert and ended off the whole thing nicely. Don't forget the loooong walk from the 48 bus stop and the other crazy times that you went through during orientation. Hope you had a great mini birthday celebration at school that day!

Joyce:
I didn't actually do much for Dinner, but Joyce did a scarily amazing job on the proposal from scratch. So many thanks to you if you read this!!! It was quite hard to pull through on the day itself, but I'm glad we were able to settle everything on that day to set the right tone for the Year 1s for the rest of the night.

Xin Tian:
I have alot to thank you and apologise for in this orientation! The booklet reprint, the shirt editting and more, all these are things that I really must say sorry for, but it has been great to have your help, and very fun too! Haha photoshop is a great tool for any event!

Iris:
Thank God you came in to join the committee. I may be able to use photoshop, but hand me a paper and pencil and I'll ask for a computer. You did amazingly well for the video and logos, so many thanks once again for the enthusiasm and humour your provided time to time!

Tong Wei:
The drunkard. You put in a lot of effort into your telematch, and we could all see on the day itself that everything had paid off. And I always thought you were the too-cool-for-you type. And like how you thought I was serious and quiet, we both got proven wrong. Badly.

Shuqi:
The crazy auntie who guards the SC Room. I've seen you running everywhere on all three days passing things around, and helping out in anything that needs an extra hand. Thanks for the large amount of effort put into this, and sorry for making you worry about the SC Room key when you pass it to me =X

Cheryl:
Icebreakers was really really fun on the first day! Clearly could see that the Year 1s loved the games that you've prepared, and you deserve much of the credit for helping them make the first step to know each other better. School tour was pretty good too, as the Year 1s got warmed up rather quickly for that.

Cynthia:
Great job for school tour! It obviously worked very well since most of the Year 1s got to know the school easily, as I asked a few people on the second day whether they wanted someone to bring them to their classrooms, but surprisingly not a single one needed me to usher them. You've stayed pretty cool and calm unlike most of us through the orientation too, which is something I should learn some time.

Kiat Shing:
The only other boy with me that went through the whole thing together. I guess we got to know each other pretty well after all this hectic planning and execution, and you surprised me quite a bit with the success from each of your events. We gotta watch I Am Legend ASAP!

Su Mei:
Olympics 1 was very very fun! The students got hyped through the rest of the day. Also saw you bringing up the mood of the students during both the opening ceremony and the telematch itself. Just remember to stop saying that you screwed up, because you absolutely didn't.

Joshua:
Although you weren't in the committee yet during the planning stages, you helped out alot for Concert, and also in your attached class. Many thanks for the effort put into this event!









































Aftermath

Who says that post ends here?

It's saturday, and I just opened my eyes with the sun shining into my room already. I wondered to myself just how long I've slept. 10 hours? Maybe even 11? I slept at 12.30 the night before, so I could just get up and prepare for lunch already. I felt quite energetic after a seemingly long sleep, and put on my glasses to look at the clock. Holy...

9.38 am. That's not right. I've used up more energy than I ever needed for 2 weeks in one day and I wake up to discover I just needed a measly 9 hours of sleep to make up for it? My body clock should get repaired sometime.

Then I walk over to my phone and check for messages, which is a habit I developed over the planning days. Then it hit me that I do not need to make sure that there're no meetings for that day, on or offline, and nobody will ask me to change the colour of the running man on the banner or shift the words of the shirt back.

The rest of the day just felt so boring. I lazed at home, watching tv, bathing, watching tv, eating, watching tv, playing... Did I forget watching tv? Something just felt so wrong here, and I knew the asnwer to that myself. I had not done my homwork I miss orientation.

I'm hoping I'll be given the chance to continue the race next year, despite all the screw ups I caused. Till then, I'll keep this wonderful memories deep in my heart. And screw up another year at school!