For CAS adivsor/supervisor/Miss Ling: As to how to access this blog, just find the tags at the left side of the blog.

I'm going to create:

1) Creativity tag for guzheng and World Gourmet

2) Action tag for Archery and the PE module

3) Service tag for the LIFE tutoring (for now).

Anymore add-ons and I will specify in this post so that you will be able to find it easily.
( Read for more information! (Meant for outsiders) )

The actual postings of C.A.S. activities begin at the 2nd post and later. This is just a 'disclaimer' post.

This time fencing feels more fun because we have learned how to properly fence, and have gone up against one another, trying to 'poke' each other to score. It really was a fun experience, especially changing partners means the opponent's fighting style will change according to whoever it is. It may be that the skills that everyone use is something that everyone knows and learns together, but when these skills are applied in the actual fencing competitions, where opponents are up against each other, everyone's fighting styles will be different.

I once encountered someone who charges forward too much, and therefore does not bother about defense. "Defense is also a form of offense," they say.

Also, there are 8 ways for us to parry, but we only learn 4. The most important concept is to keep the sword out of your way, so when you parry you actually hit the sword away.

Footwork is important, and so is watching your opponent's movements. Coordinations are of utmost importance in order to have the advantage of the fight.

However, after going through all these lessons, no one has ever taken the 'fights' seriously. We were also told not to injure anybody, although the swords are made of plastic. We must take precaution not to fight to hurt people.

Of all these lessons, with coordination comes victory. If you could strategize, plan and organize properly, no matter what things come your way you would be able to handle it.

After going through quite a few lessons in archery, I realized that this skill is not easy to grasp.

By saying 'this skill', I mean learning how to shoot properly. It really isn't an easy thing. First, you must watch your own pose. You have to stand properly, and the bow has to be angled properly. Keeping your eye on the target also matters, and no one should be distracted.

There is of course another factor, like the wind. Sometimes because of how strong the wind is, it is much harder to aim properly and hit the target. Therefore, we need to place the strength of the wind into consideration when aiming.

And especially once, we saw someone playing rugby and ran across the field where we were still shooting arrows. The coach then had to whistle and signal for us to stop shooting so as to not endanger the person running across the field. This is an important precautionary measure because even though the bows that are kept in school may be relatively weak, but there are also instances that we can mis-aim and anyone who gets close enough can be shot. Then, there are the students who are in the 'advanced' stage, and are using professional arrows. They can shoot as far as almost to the end of the field.

Holding the bow is like holding a weapon, and all the more it should not be misused to cause harm to anyone. Practicing this is almost like an art, a new skill, but definitely not a skill to be used to kill or harm others in any way.

Today, we had our first lesson of fencing, and to be honest, this is entirely new to me.

It's a rather...'picky' sport though. I always thought that sports were brash and just outright 'big', with movements and all. However, this sport seemed more like it's precise, in a way graceful, and there were so many step-by-step movements.

There is lunging forward, similar to charging, but not running forward involved. Instead you just push yourself and your right leg forward, almost like extending your arm and body together to get a bigger range. And of course, when there's offense, there's always defense. There are also different ways to parry according to where which attack comes from.

Each move you make when taking this sport almost has a name. I think it's a little complicated, but yet at the same time it gets simpler once there is practice involved.

I really look forward to what else is in store for us for the next lesson! (And perhaps a duel between one of my friends too.)

The last night of the actual performance is over! And it definitely was a blast. The actual performance felt a lot more exciting than the rehearsals itself, and it was relatively challenging for all of us to work together, especially because we must NOT be seen by the audience.

I think we handled that part really well by stopping ourselves from shaking the curtains, and by moving quietly. We were also a lot more coordinated compared to our first time rehearsing. Ever since the roles of what each crew member had to do had been assigned, everyone has been diligently doing them and paying attention to it. We were glad that we worked as a great team, and it overall improved our relationships with one another.

It was quite tough really, trying to convey messages to the cast, especially since they have microphones that can easily pick sounds up, we really had to resort to quite a bit of hand signs in the end to shoo them away if they were in our way. This really tested our patience, as there were restrictions in communications.

Overall, Grease was a wonderful production and it was great to be part of it! The musical really would not have been successful without the cast, us the crew and the audience who watched it. I am thankful that through this musical, values and attitudes have been developed, most especially teamwork, and it was a wonderful bunch of people I was working with!

Grease is the word!

We had a full dress rehearsal today and it was very fun, watching the casts getting 'dolled' up for their respective characters. It added a lot more feel to the musical now, so sorta helped me get more into the musical too.

So there are a lot more things to move about now, like the burger bar, which is properly attached now. Previously, the burger bar seats and the bar itself were separated, but now it's much easier to move it.

Even things like the bed (for the girls in the bedroom scene), the proper curtains (for us and the cast) and most of the things have already come in. We're glad that the progress of this is going very fast. I guess that no one really does panic until the very last moment.

For our part as backstage crew, it was even better as we were beginning to become even more organized than before and we knew who was going where and carrying what next, so we could coordinate ourselves better.

So far, everything has been going very well! Looking forward to the actual performances tomorrow, Friday and Saturday!

I joined Grease as backstage crew and realized the job was not as easy as I'd thought it would be. During the first rehearsal, almost everything was a mess. We were extremely confused about where the props went and when they came on. We were worried about it, but luckily Ms Marrisa was around to help and guide us where things went.

The first rehearsal was still pretty good. Since we didn't have much to move about yet, we just watched most of the scenes run to allow us to familiarize with which scenes were about what. Then gradually, by second rehearsal, we were very satisfied with ourselves because a few more props came in, and we hardly messed up the timings during the first rehearsal.

The weekend rehearsal was even better because most of the big props have been moved onto the stage, and it was looking more and more like a Grease setting for the musical. We were really happy that things turned out well during the first three rehearsals in a week. It was tiring, but overall we enjoyed ourselves. It's even more so for me because it was my first time helping out as a backstage crew.

We could work more on teamwork though, but it definitely will come out well when all the props are prepared.

I am looking forward to next week's rehearsal, but we have to stay back in school everyday till 11pm rehearsing...

After playing zither with this teacher of mine for over 4 years, I think I have learned a lot of songs and definitely, my skills have been improving along the way.

I feel I have the sense of rhythm, and when I play I am able to bring out the feeling of the song. If it was a sad song, the keys would sound deep and the feeling it gives resonate deep within my ears, and heart. If it was a happy song, the keys would be light and combined with a little jump to each sound, almost like a skipping motion.

Now that I look back, it took me 4 years to get to a grade 7, and coming this long way was not easy. I owe a lot to my teacher, who used a lot of patience to teach me. I should kick away that habit of mine (laziness) and practice more often.

The song book for all grades are all traditional songs. So, the next time I try, I shall buy the song book that has pop songs, and attempt to play a new style. To prove that I will definitely buy a song book that has pop songs, I shall record it down next time and put it here as proof!

This is the first time I have actually read to a bunch of children. I read "The Shoemaker" to them, and they sat down, just listening so intently to what I was reading. Two of my friends who were with me took turns to read as well, and they were really attentive.

It just made me realize that teaching children is not that hard, getting them to listen to you is not that difficult too. There are of course, two things that need to be equipped with you before they can listen to you. First is to catch their interest. Whatever you are saying has to be interesting so that they will listen. Like the stories we read out to them, it has to be read out with emotion and not too quickly.

Second is to have patience. Sometimes they may get distracted and in order to pull them back, you will have to learn how to control your temper, and again, be able to be interesting for them to turn their attention back to you.

Of course, having a positive attitude is really good because it helps to drive you on, and coupled with the above two, it should not be too tough to tutor children anymore.

However, I am still amateur and still learning how to handle them.

Today was the last day as many of us worked together to do the mural painting, and we managed to do up to 3 rooms. All of them were properly done, each room had different themes. One was filled with heart-shaped balloons, the other with stars, moon, sun and the clouds, and the last one with bubbles. We all felt a sense of achievement and were very proud of our own work, especially as there were no teachers around to watch over us. I was amazed at our behavior. And when the people over at the orphanage thanked us personally for the work done, it felt really amazing. This indescribable feeling was so overwhelming that I felt I have truly done a good deed and made someone happy.


(Overview of a nearly completed room, the 'star, moon, sun and clouds' room.)

Last 3 days of work was an awful lot, and it seemed never ending to me. However, as I worked with the others, I began to feel happy and started to get more into the games and helping out to carry out the duties we were assigned. It was something new to me, and I think I may like to do more of this in the future.


(Me in the process of painting the star.)

The sense of achievement I felt was unbelieveably strong, as I continued through these days and began to like what is Jogjakarta, began to like this village and its people. They were really nice and hospitable, and really welcomed us with their hearts. I also learned that simplicity is also perhaps the way to leading a fun life, seeing as this is how they live. They are still enjoying themselves, though living in such conditions unacceptable to a lot of us. To them, it is already at its best, but we should do so much more, and I am glad to have come here to provide them what they really need.

Global Value:

"Learning is for Everyone" is the program L.I.F.E. and I participate in it. When I first saw the program, I thought that the vision was really meaningful. I teach at their program and felt that it was even something that stretched beyond just our place, to all over the world. These children need education, and we taught them things that all should know. They are all full of potential, the only thing is that they do not have the chance, so I feel we should provide them the chance. They are also poor and need our help, and all the more we should help them since we are the privileged ones.

Perseverance & Commitment:

All of us persevered through this trip, and nobody gave up. I did not feel like giving up because it was just never a part of me. I finish what I start, and tried to commit myself to this trip, and I say I have done pretty well, especially in the painting part. Painting to me is pretty much like a new skill, and to be able to produce something nice is really through commitment. I even thought I would not last a few days there, but I went through it telling myself to not give up.

Working Collaboratively:

I was never a team person, and half the time tried to do many things alone. Now I find myself discussing more and suggesting things to each other so we could make things work. Our team also worked well with each other through the teaching discussion and activity (with other groups as well), and improved our understanding and relationship with each other. We could then properly allocate roles suitable for the particular member to increase efficiency. All of us have come a long way here, and we really worked hard.

Planning & Initiating:

We planned and managed to coordinate our own members. I also attempted to lead the group in certain areas so that they can work on other areas according to their strengths. In groups we gave each other suggestions and support so that we would be confident in ourselves and our work. Overall, I believe I can lead small projects, and within a group, but not as an overall leader, though the qualities of being one can be developed.

Develop New Skills:

I learned how to properly apply paint for mural painting, and teaching for a big class was difficult. Handling so many things at one go was also not something I have done before, and this was a good learning experience. Teaching made me realize that being a teacher is truly difficult, even more so for us as we have language barriers. Teaching requires a lot of patience to teach the students. It has taught me to become much more confident in my speech and being in front of people.

New Challenges:

This trip itself is already a big challenge. I thought of this trip as a too 'demanding' trip and worried over things too much. It was 'demanding' as we were expected to live their way, and expected to do things their way, which was something difficult (almost unacceptable) for all of us. I also thought of finding a way out of this trip, but accepted it and went for it anyway. Throughout this journey, the activities, place and environment, relationships etc are all part of the challenge. Getting used to the place and people was difficult and I felt that it was 'hell', but I realized that in the end, it was fun, and this trip was a worthy challenge. If any of this trips happen in the future, I think it will not be too hard anymore.

Ethical Implications:

The cultural difference here is very big, and girls were prohibited to wear shorts shorter then knee length. It is somethng that we should respect, and we should obey. After learning about the difference, it did not affect much anyway because I rarely wear those kind of shorts, but it was something we learned regarding their culture. Another one was not to point your foot at anybody because the foot was considered to be 'dirty', and to point it at anybody was being disrespectful. We also had to make it a point not to mention/donate anything that had pig or dog in them, because it was an issue in their culture. (We accidentally drew a picture of a pig on their wall, and it appalled our teachers, so we had it quickly removed.)

Strengths & Weaknesses:

I think I am stronger in team cooperation and planning as I can look for backup plans and communicating with one another. I can also help with carrying out the work, but just not leading alone as I may not seem that charismatic, and I do not have good leadership capabilities. Perhaps I could develop on that part, and may be able to lead in the future. I also cannot do impromptu items/activities, unless someone lead the team, and then I could follow. I can communicate with these people with very limited knowledge of Bahasa, thus I can still manage a little.

Overall, these few days out of Singapore in a new environment and new life has changed me in many ways, and has allowed me to develop myself and my values.

Today was so much better because so many things are properly planned, and there were areas that we improved on, so we agreed that it was a fun day at the end.


(Using flash cards, asking them to answer in Bahasa, and then into English.)

First, we started off with teaching the children at the school (picture above), Bantul, and we were not really very positive towards this, and we were worried about the activities we set for them. Luckily, these children were very smart and managed to follow us. However, we needed Pahl (friend and translator) to help us do a lot of translation to the children and for us. Language was still a problem in the end, but we enjoyed ourselves as they were so interactive and learned a lot of things, and in the process, I also learned a little Bahasa while teaching them.


(Origami-folding with a few of the girls.)

Then, we moved on to play some games with them, and I found the childrean very keen on following whatever we did. I taught some of them how to fold a panda (origami, picture above) and they were all involved, though it was hard to coordinate. In the end, I used the easy phrases in Bahasa to praise and instruct them, so it went a lot faster, better and much easier then before. I was afraid to use it because I have never taken Malay before, and only learned from the Indonesian maids I had. It turned out, as I slowly recalled those words, that the words were correct, and that posed another problem for me: more Bahasa! It actually made me think of learning more Bahasa and their culture. I also didn't like children, but this activity made me change my viewpoint.


(Touching up on mural painting.)

Finally, we did painting, and we were glad to be able to clean out the dust and finish touching up. This made us feel even more accomplished compared to our second day. We were more effective as we managed to allocate people their work.

Overall, it was a lot more eventful compared to yesterday.

Today was a lot more eventful than day 1, since we actually began our service. It was very hot, but we bore it and went ahead with our project, to paint the walls of school. From this, we wanted to draw them numerous different animals of shapes and sizes, but they voiced their disagreement. We were rather indignant at their choice, since wew had already added on the drawings onto the walls, and had to erase everything else off and start over. However, we respected their decision as we knew that we came here to provide them service, thus we had to be mindful of what they wanted. In the end, the drawings came out looking pretty good, and some of the base colors were already added on.


(Trying to get the paint to be thicker.)

After that was the painting in the orphanage (picture above), Amanah, and we managed a lot. However, we realized that we needed a few more rollers and went out to buy a lot more, which we encountered a language barrier with the locals. We were lucky though, that Ryan (Indonesian) was with us and helped us communicate with them. This enhances the drive to learn their language and be able to communicate with them. The shopkeepers were very nice people, and we felt welcome, even though we repeatedly changed our choices.

Last activity was the dishwashing, which we realized was not the most pleasant thing to do. Much to our surprise (shock or horror?!), we found out that there aren't actually rags/sponges to wash the dishes, but only plastic (big black bags, usually used for rubbish). This was something that was really unusual, not to mention amusing for us, but we realized that they had to make do with what they had. After that, we brainstormed with group 1 with what they actually taught the children at the school as they were the first bunch up to start.


(Brainstorming with group 1 regarding teaching, and sharing experiences.)

Overall, our teamwork has been rather strong, only that we needed much more communication so that things can be made much more effective, and this is the most important to improve.

(Reflections done during the trip itself and transferred here.)

I felt today would be a terrible day that would be unmemorable. Also, since after seeing the conditions it was something that I absolutely would not accept, I became even more rejecting towards this trip and its events.


(Upon arriving, they welcomed us warmly.)

However, after feeling the joy and warmness coming from these Javanese, I feel welcomed too. Sure, it may be difficult right now for us to get adapted to, but we feel accepted and thus, we would be able to get used to it. Though the conditions are very different from what we are used to in Singapore, sooner or later we would get used to it.


(Putting up our rooms, which resembled the way they live.)

The simplicity of their life is also to be admired, as they can keep things simple and easy, whereas in our lives back in modern cities, we are unable to maintain the simplicity within. Their hospitability is also to be admired. Their kindness should be brought into our values and culture and practiced a lot more often.

Overall, this first day has been eventful, and not as bad as I though. However, I still need some time to adjust to the conditions.

(Reflections done during trip itself and transferred to journal.)


(Group photo! Our whole ACS team and some of the orphans there.)

When we were told to have a service trip, I was honestly appalled. I never liked (and perhaps never will like) service trips, but I will do this anyway. That was what I thought before I began the pre-trip preparation.

We began to have meetings (Mariska and Joshua being the facilitators of this trip) to plan out the scheme of work for our trip, like what we were going to provide them. I was still not in to this 'service trip thing', and just without a care randomly joined in discussions, and sometimes drowning out the information given to me.

The 'me' now, after going through and really hearing the information of the situation over there, really wanted to get into this service trip and do whatever I can to fulfill what they truly needed. I was not excited and not happy about this trip before, but because I realized that they desperately needed our help, I decided that I couldn't be an ignorant person anymore.

The teachers over at the school we would be funding and donating to, only earned about US$13 per month, and for us, that is not even enough to support us for even half a day, much less a month. Yet these teachers are still willing to give their all for the children who were willing to learn, so what about us? That gave me a wake-up call, that we were more privileged, but yet what were we doing, just sitting about and planning? It was time we get into action. Thus ideas about collecting the items ourselves from the neighborhood around was a great idea, and we all set to do it when the trip was nearing.

We all set out with determination to collect items so that we could get it done and properly sorted the next day. Our collection really went well and we were overwhelmed with good-hearted peoples' donation items. Our teams transported a lot of them back to our school and we slowly sorted a lot of them out.

Some of the donation items, however, we must properly check thoroughly before we give it to them. For example, the clothes. They must not be revealing because they are, after all, a Muslim country and we must respect their religion. Their religion restricts that they reveal anything above their knee, so even if we donate skirts to the girls, they must be at knee-length or lower. We must consider this fact, and respect it before we began the clothes sorting.

All in all, all of us gave a lot of effort to collect these items and in the midst of it worked together well, and thus wasted almost no time. I was honestly impressed at how much I could do with other people if I really put myself into it, and I'm glad I did. It is time to make a difference for other people.

Our stall, ACS INK was set up on 23rd of May on a Saturday for a carnival held once every two years in our school, Celefest.

As a whole class 5W, we had a lot of fun working together making this work. Our preparation was a little slip-shod at first, but as time neared we worked and hurried ourselves to make that happen. We wanted others and ourselves to have fun.

The stall, ACS INK was prepared to do airbrush tattoo as the main attraction, while hairspray and henna were the 'extras'. We decided on this because it will make us some money, and afterall, who doesn't want a painless tattoo?

We kept watch of the stall in turns to make sure it ran properly. Our preparation consisted of banner-making and poster-making.


(Above is the big banner we did for the stall that says "ACS INK")

Everyone was working very hard to make sure this worked.

Our work though, was not that much (not as much as the Haunted House) but we still wanted to make it seem nice and everyone was enthusiastic, hoping that a lot of people would come on the day itself. And many did, and came to get tattoos. There were some with the intricate designs that attracted many people, though we didn't get a long queue. Also, we got a few people who did hairsprays.

What we did not get that much was the henna, because we only had two people who was able enough to produce proper henna, and it was literally hidden by the main attraction. If we were to do any business, we 'take out what we have' and show them to customers. This was something that I learned and realized as I watched the people line up at our stall. Only a few realized and saw what was going on more to the back of the stall.

Our location was also at a slight disadvantage because it was loud (right beside the stage) and it was a hot day. Some people prefer to be eating/resting at the cooler rooms. Thankfully, we were near the canteen, so there were still a considerably large amount of people who dropped by.

All in all, we did rather well in our preparation, and the end-results were rather promising. Though I was not told how much we made, I presume it was quite a bit.

I really do not know how to teach this child. I tried, but still it really hurts a lot to try to teach an insensitive child.

What she keeps thinking is that I keep insulting her for no apparent reason, and that she keeps going on and giving me the feel that she doesn't want to be tutored by me. I even told her that it was fine if she wanted to quit for the moment or ask one of the workers/volunteers over there to continue teaching her, but it's as if like she contradicts herself.

I do not enjoy teaching students who are like this.

I even know that because, because she is a child, therefore whatever she says I do not have to really mind, but I just can't. I don't have a weak heart, no, but I'm human. I can feel. The insensitive one is her.

I told her nicely, that if there is anything she does not really understand, please ask. And she has got her friend's copy of homework (all was done and marked) and she wanted to copy. Really, that was fine with me since when we were younger, if we kept missing lessons, we'd have to do corrections, or just copy from someone. I only said to try to understand why the answers were like that, and then her response was rude, it was something along the lines of, "You think I'm stupid? I don't need to try to understand that and you don't tell me what to do."

I'm there to tutor her and guide her along, and I definitely do not think that anybody is stupid at all. Why does she say such hurtful words? Doesn't she realize that saying such things are really painful, and what if I said the same things to her? How would she feel?

My tolerance level, I decided, has to be much higher than today's.

These few days I worked hard with Joshua Poh to come up with a wonderful duty roster that (hopefully) everybody will follow, and I think we did a great job. We managed to come up with one in about an hour or so, with slots perfectly placed.

The thing that really annoyed us was that many people did not bother to write their workshops down so we didn't really know their timings at all, and so we found it extremely hard to even allocate them a time-slot. Otherwise, our people were alright, so we were still able to get the stuff done.

So we slowly pieced everything together, from constantly reminding people regarding their work to making sure materials are made properly so we can report it to our advisers. It was a long process, but we had come a long way indeed to the day itself, where everything actually worked out really well.

It was interesting, watching the number of people flood to the origami section and just started picking up the instruction sheets to begin folding. We stationed someone who could fold really well to stay there for about 2 hours teaching many people to do them.

Besides that, in the process of searching and doing up a little powerpoint ourselves, we began to see how Japan was really like, and especially the history. I felt that as I take Japanese as a subject, I should know at least the most basic things about Japan, and I learnt. Joshua and I did extra stuffs like more pictures and history to make sure that we came up with a rather decent powerpoint, and we realized that the modern age of Japan is really very different, and things/cultures that existed long time ago have disappeared along the way.

Overall, all the planning and time we took to coordinate really paid off. However, perhaps we should have done a lot more of the things much earlier because there would be miscommunications here and there, and so as to stop that from happening, we, as leaders, should always get things done way before the actual thing.

Okay, so I had about 1.5 hours of World Gourmet today, and made Tom Yam soup. This is my first time making Tom Yam soup...I was a little jittery about it, but nonetheless made it. Of course, everyone knows that tom yam soup originates from Thailand, and their most important ingredient in tom yam soup is lemongrass.

It's interesting, really, having fish and prawn added at the very last so that they won't overcook. I cooked the smallest portion because I didn't need to bring that home, plus if I did, it would be rather messy since it's soup.

Tried my best to slice the fish into smaller pieces, and managed to do so, except they weren't that equal in size, which was rather depressing for me, in a way. I guess when I get home, I'll have to help my mom with the food in the future to practice. I got a friend to help me with some stuff, and cut up some things while he taught me how to do certain stuffs.

And prawns were surprisingly easy to cut and all that, because once you have the head gone, the rest like pulling off the shell is easy.

Today's revelation was also that the shells actually gave the soup the redness, and chilli padi for me was rather little really. Mdm MacDonald complained that it was a little too hot, but well, perhaps I'm too used to chilli!

Just to show my end results, I have taken a picture...



Inside has assorted stuffs, like crushed hot red chillies (chilli padi), lemongrass, galangal, little onion, tomatoes, kaffir lime leaves (they smell really good), some lime juice, some fish sauce (I don't know what that is, it's just seasoning...) and some coriander.

In the end it tasted alright, but it may not have been spicy or sour enough, and I was too lazy to add anymore sooo...

That's all for a Monday class!

I had my second capoeira today and it was really exhausting. However, there are new moves that have been taught to us!

Really, so far capoeira had been very interesting. I am starting to appreciate it since I never appreciated dance in any form at all, but I am starting to feel capoeira. I like the music, with its drums and all, and the wonderful rhythm they use to create the atmosphere of sometimes slight anxiety, and also the control within yourself. The reason why it is not so 'explosive' is because capoeira is like a form of 'fight', but it is a controlled type of violence. It (sort of) teaches you how to control your violent self, and transform them into moves suitable for dance.

Also, co-ordination is required for anybody taking dance. Their step moves really are not too difficult, but it becomes much harder along the way, and everyone taking this knows that too. I had trouble with the feet part, especially the 'scissoring' action (with our legs) that we are supposed to learn. It really is not easy coping with this and practice is required. Many of us, though, stared in awe at the Brazillian instructor (I forgot his name!) as he demonstrated the moves to us. We could tell he managed to grasp the art and what capoeira really is, and is very good at it too.

It may be a rather difficult dance to master and understand, but it is worth the challenge. I don't regret what I have signed up for, and will continue to persevere!