Chingay Parade Rehearsal/Singing Practice

The performers walking behind the float. (From other schools)



-The Float (Wonderland of Dreams)


Today I had a Chingay Singing Practice, in which we went to the People's Association, which was somewhere near Kallang, to practice singing the theme song for my float and dance moves for the song. The float was themed "Wonderland of Dreams" in which people's dreams come true. My role during the parade was not to follow at the back at the float, instead it was to walk down the grandstand stairs singing, dancing, and giving out gifts to people we walk pass. My class is in charge of dancing and cheering at the rows CLOSEST to the V.I.P.s, which means we will be performing near the ministers and the leaders of the country, adding another reason we must do a good job.
The day started with the usual lessons we had every wednesday. The people who were going for the chingay parade later in the day stayed back to help out with the class decorations. Mr Koh drew an ox while the others cut the red packets to paste them on the ox. Mr Koh sure has an artistic talent! After decorating, we went to the foyer to gather. Most of the students have arrived by the time we got there. We then took a bus to our destination.
Upon reaching our destination, we registered at the counter and received a blue bag with a file. The file contained the songs and other details of the parade. We moved to a small auditorium , where the people in charge briefed us about the actual parade and thought us the theme song, 'Reach for the stars'. Here is the lyrics for the theme song:

When the world leaves you feeling blue,
You can count on me, I will be there for you.
When it seems all your hopes and dreams,
Are a million miles away, I will reassure you.

We've got to all stick together,
good friends are there for each other,
Never ever forget that
I've got you and you got me, so...

REACH for the stars,
Climb every mountain higher.
REACH for the stars,
Follow your heart's desire,
REACH for the stars,
And when that rainbow's shining over you,
That's when your dreams will all come true.

There's a place waiting just for you,
Is a special place where your dreams all come true
Fly away, swim the ocean blue
Drive that open road, leave the past behind you
Don't stop gotta keep moving
Your hopes have gotta keep building
Never ever forget that
I've got you and you've got me, so...

REACH for the stars,
Climb every mountain higher.
REACH for the stars,
Follow your heart's desire,
REACH for the stars,
And when that rainbow's shining over you,
That's when your dreams will all come true.
That's when your dreams will all come true.
----
This is the original song by S Club 7. The song we are singing will be slightly slower.

Reach_for_the_Stars - S Club 7

Whenever "REACH" is sung, we must enthusiastically and happily jump up with our hands raised. During the song practice, I was the only one that jumped. Mustaqim, Nicholas and the others only raised their hands. But I still have to give it to the scout boys from a primary school. They did a demo on the actions and they really jumped HAPPILY and ENTHUSIASTICALLY, like it was very fun. That actually inspired me to start jumping.

After the song practice, we went out to have our dinner, which was extremely delicious. We then saw our float go past, with the performers doing their stuff. Then, we practiced with music, in which we just had to stand up, sing and dance. After that practice, we left for Kallang Mass Rapid Train Station and went home.

Victoria School =D

For the first post of my Blog Assignment, I shall talk about my first year in Victoria School! A year has passed and many unforgettable memories of Secondary 1 life are now engraved deep in my mind. Just one year, and I have made 41 new friends. Just one year, and I have espoused a priceless love for my school. I still remembered the day I stepped into class, surrounded by strangers of my age. However, this feeling changed after the Secondary 1 Orientation Camp. The fun bonding activities, for example, canoeing and nature rumble, has made us as close as family, in just two days! From then on, I started my Secondary 1 life with all my new buddies.

Throughout the year, many things happened to our class. There were some joyous occasions, and some sad ones. There was a case of bullying in our class in the first semester. Jonathan was mentally and verbally bullying Jun Xuan, who was also known as "obscene" at that time. Although most of my class have already stopped teasing him after a week or two, Jonathan continued for MONTHS. Unable to continue looking at his friend getting bullied, someone (who shall not be named) told the form teacher about the case. This resulted in a teacher with class talk about behaviour in Victoria School. But Jonathan's hot temper and playfulness was not as easy as it seems to control. One morning before morning assembly, Tyler, who was famous for his dandruff, sat on Jonathan's table. When Jonathan found out, he screamed angrily, "TYLER!!! HOW DARE YOU SIT ON MY TABLE?!" Jonathan flared up, and was about to throw dangerous things at Tyler. Fortunately, the class managed to stop him, and cool him down. Everything that happened simply tells us that we must think before we act and put ourselves in another one's shoe, thinking about how he feels when we do this or that to him.

Other than all these sad events, there also times in which we had a lot of fun and competitions. For example, the class outing and the inter class competitions. For the inter class competitions, the class formed two teams of volunteers to participate in the soccer and floorball inter class competitions. However, we did not manage to clinch first place in any of the competitions. But looking on the bright side, everyone had fun and enjoyed the day. For the class outing, we were unable to book a good location, which caused the class a 35 minute walk to arrive at the barbecue pit from school. Many people were able to attend it, including our PSLs and our teachers. The high attendance resulted in a memorable dinner by the beach. It was surely well worth the tiring walk from school.

With that I end my post first post with the victorian anthem.

~ The Victorian Anthem~

My Favourite Past-Time => D.O.T.A.

D.O.T.A. , which also means the Defense Of The Ancients, is a game that is commonly played by teenagers. D.O.T.A. is just simply a game that requires Warcraft 3: The Frozen Throne to play. There are many heroes in D.O.T.A. , each having their main attribute. (Strength, Agility, Intelligence) Strength basically gives more health and health regeneration rate, while agility gives move speed and attack speed, and intelligence gives mana points and mana regeneration. D.O.T.A is basically a game of strategy and teamwork, which is very important if you want to win the match. From the wide range of 93 heroes (in the latest version), every player is able to choose the hero they are capable of playing well, or, interested in. A regular game of 5 players versus 5 players would usually last around 40 minutes to an hour.

I started playing the Defense of the Ancients when i was in primary 6, during the june holidays, after I was introduced to the game by my brother's friend. I didn't understand the game well at the start, so I ended up being the "food" for the other team. (Food means that the character you are playing getting killed by the enemy till they become very strong, and full of expensive and powerful items) I was scolded by my team mates for every game I played. After a few weeks, i gradually became better and better in the game.

After all the talk about the game, I must still say that this game has made many people addicted to it. Too much gaming will result in a drop in your academic results. Nevertheless, I still play D.O.T.A. as a form of relaxation during weekends. I shall end my entry by wishing everyone a happy new year.

Fan-made Video on Dota:

Note: Spelling error-Jyggernaut Corrected-Juggernaut

DotA - Basshunter
Dota song by a Basshunter.
Heres the english translation:

That’s the only thing you do all day long, you sit on that Ventrilo and play DotA
We’re sitting here in Ventrilo,
playing some DotA,
I hear you man
We’re sitting here in Ventrilo,
playing some DotA,
I feel you man
We’re sitting here in Ventrilo,
playing some DotA,
We push on and we’re owning,
With the opponents we’re toying,
We’re sitting here in Ventrilo,
playing some DotA,
Running around creeping,
The opponents we’re sleeping,
Let’s get it on
We’re sitting here in Ventrilo,
playing some DotA,
We push on and we’re owning,
With the opponents we’re toying,
We’re sitting here in Ventrilo,
playing some DotA,
Running around creeping,
The opponents we’re sleeping,
We’re sitting here in Ventrilo,
playing some DotA,
We push on and we’re owning,
With the opponents we’re toying,
We’re sitting here in Ventrilo,
playing some DotA,
Running around creeping,
The opponents we’re sleeping,
What’s happenin’?
DotA!
What’s happenin’?
Have one on the house
We’re sitting here in Ventrilo playing some DotA,I hear you man
We’re sitting here in Ventrilo playing some DotA,I feel you man
We’re sitting here in Ventrilo playing some DotA,Thats more like it!
We’re sitting here in Ventrilo playing some DotA,Excellent choice!
We’re sitting here in Ventrilo,
playing some DotA,
We push on and we’re owning,
With the opponents we’re toying,
We’re sitting here in Ventrilo,
playing some DotA,
Running around creeping,
The opponents we’re sleeping
Let’s get it on
We’re sitting here in Ventrilo,
playing some DotA,
We push on and we’re owning,
With the opponents we’re toying,
We’re sitting here in Ventrilo,
playing some DotA,
Running around creeping,
The opponents we’re sleeping
We’re sitting here in Ventrilo,
playing some DotA,
We push on and we’re owning,
With the opponents we’re toying,
We’re sitting here in Ventrilo,
playing some DotA,
Running around creeping,
The opponents we’re sleeping
What’s happenin’?!
DotA!
Don’t worry, be happy

Trip to Taiwan (December Holidays)

My family and I went to Taiwan last year, during the december holidays. Overall, it was a fun and tiring 8-day trip. On the first day of the trip, we visited Taipei 101, which was an eye candy to tourists. Although i didn't get to take the lift up to the 88th floor (which costs quite a lot of money), I could tell that my ears would hurt due to air pressure when I reach the top, just by looking at the height of the building. Later that day, we went to a place famous for its delicious local delicacies. The most famous shop there was "Ah Zhong Mian Xian". The shop is famous for its noodles that were sold in a bowl. Funny thing is, there is no tables and chairs!! Everyone was standing while they were enjoying their food in the small shop. When we are done eating the noodles, we are supposed to place the bowls into a basket outside the shop. Soon we took the tour bus to a hotel. This hotel was no ordinary one. It was a herbal spa resort with a jacuzzi in every room!! Furthermore, the view of the night sky was brilliant, and the bed was very comfy. Something funny also happened when i was trying the jacuzzi. I didn't read the operation manual properly and accidentally set the power of the water jets at MAX. The moment i switched it on, the toilet became a water-works show!! Water BLASTED in all directions, making the mirror, window, door, and not forgeting myself, wet.
After a few hours of sleep, the sun rosed high in the sky. I woke up fresh in the morning and had breakfast in the hotel restaurant. we then begin our travel around Taiwan.
THIS IS THE MAP OF TAIWAN. THE RED LINES AND CIRCLES IS THE ROUTE THE TOUR BUS TOOK US AROUND TAIWAN.




The 2nd day we did not had much activity, instead, it was more of travelling than fun. We were in the bus for about half of the day, as we went through the mountain roads and tunnels. At night, we reached our 2nd destination, Hualien. We went to a night market there. More local delicacies. Changed hotel again.
3rd day, we went further up into the mountains, to watch mountain sceneries. I also went to drink the water in the mountains. Somehow it is very refreshing, more refreshing than any other type of water I have drunk in my life. The cool water could be felt flowing down my gullet, cooling my inner body. It was SENSATIONAL. More travelling as we went down the mountains, heading to our next stop. Later that night, we reached a farm resort, and had our dinner there, we then joined a short party on a field, singing and dancing in a circle formed by tourists. We then use a big wooden hammer to hit sticky rice until it becomes a type of thick paste. The hosts then used the paste to quickly make many Mochi Balls, also known as "Mua Zi" with a large plate of smashed nuts beside it. I ate a few and then we slept in the farm resort.
4th day, woke up rather sleepy from the activities during the previous night. Walked around the farm to see what animals they rear and what plants their plant. We found many animals, like pigs, chickens, and a large bamboo plantation.



HERES A PICTURE OF ME WITH THE PIGS.


We soon left the farm and continued with our journey. We reached Tainan in the late afternoon. (Tainan is the lowest circle in the map shown earlier) We visited a seaside with a amazing view of the sea. But we did not have much time to explore, and quickly moved on to the next attraction. A mountain made out of ROCKS and SALT. I managed to capture a sunset at the summit of the small hill.



After buying some herb and spices from the shop at the foot of the hill, we went for dinner, and then, travelled to the next hotel to get some sleep. Oh and i almost forgot! The sky gets dark at 4.30pm in Taiwan, even though it has the same time as Singapore. The sunset was taken around 4.36pm.

The start of the fifth day soon came. Had breakfast, then drove up the mountains again. We went to Ah Li Shan, where they sold some royal jelly, made from bee's honey and other stuff, and were sold as tonics to improve immunity levels of a person and help cure diseases. We walked a pretty long distance, and reached a small port built on Sun Moon Lake (A lake on a dormant volcano). Although it has been dormant for many years, but it still has a risk of erupting!! Took a ferry around for sightseeing.



After alighting the ferry, we proceeded to our next destination, Taichung. On the way, we were guided to a crowded street with MORE LOCAL DELICACIES (MORE FRIED SQUIDS, MORE CAKE SHOPS) . Taiwan sure is full of local delicacies. We managed to walk the entire street before it was time for us to meet the tour guide. Had dinner, went to another night market, and finally, sleep.
Sixth day is more on temples and History of Taiwan, in which I learnt about World War 2's invasion to Taiwan. The Kamikaze Airplane Base was actually in Hualien!! We also visited a museum during the late afternoon and that pretty much made the day.
Seventh day, went to another temple in the morning. To think the temple was 2 times taller than Victoria School!! Check this out:

I wasn't even halfway up the temple!! After this we went to more historical sites and travelled all the way back to Taipei again. After we were left at the hotel entrance, we called a cab via the hotel counter and made our way to Ah Zhong Mian Xian stall!! Delicious noodles for the last night in Taiwan!!
Eighth day, packed up, ate breakfast, proceeded to airport. Left for Singapore at 2pm.

My CCA (NPCC)

Upon entering Victoria School, everyone has to join a CCA. I handed up my CCA selection form and waited for the results to be given out.

This was how I filled in my form:

1st choice: Chinese Orchestra

(I have placed C.O. as my first choice because many of my friends were joining it and there was one of my class PSLs who kept on encouraging us to join it. He said it will be fun and interesting)
2nd choice: Concert Band

(During my CCA trial, I tried out some instruments and found out that I was pretty good at it. So i decided to place concert band as my 2nd choice)

3rd choice: NPCC
(To train up my physical fitness and make many new friends)

After a few weeks, the results of the CCA selection came out. I was posted to NPCC while most of my friends were posted to Chinese Orchestra. I felt pretty sad at that time as I only had one primary school buddy with me. I wanted to quit NPCC and join C.O.. I made my way to the staff room at called Mr. Chan, the teacher that was in charge of NPCC. The moment that he heard my question, he answered with a quick no, and walked away. I felt very disheartened at that point of time, but little did I know that Mr. Chan helped me make the right decision. Through weeks of training with my squadmates and a bonding camp organised by our seniors, I became very close to my squadmates, and it felt very enjoyable to attend trainings weekly to train with them and play with them.

There would be NPCC training every week on Friday, for about 3 hours. We would go through physical training, drills, and play games weekly. As the saying goes, "All for one & One for all!" No matter whatever our squadmates do wrong, everyone must do the punishment, and we had to stick together whenever we were running. Although the punishments are harsh, we will never complain and do it willingly. The bond that was formed in those months was very strong, everyone was encourage those that were unable to keep up.

NPCC is a very fun CCA to be in, and I am also proud to be in it.