Monday, July 21, 2008
FUCHUN SECONDARY SCHOOL 16-18 JULY 2008
so that was it. my last camp ever. even though i keep saying that, somewhere deep in my heart, all i wanna do is to have another camp, and another camp, and another, and another.
this is my second year doing fuchun secondary. i can't remember much about the camp last year, except that both my mirror and i got so mad that we walked away from the class at one point, which was the main reason why i was so reluctant to do the camp. but seeing my ex-campers coming back as student leaders in the camp this year meant a lot to me, and the camp didnt turn out as bad as i prepared myself for.
the kids were all mixed from different classes (just a side-note, i just realised that none of my camps this year was done on class level! sucky.) my group was very quiet, all they did was to smile at me, which was why they were named smiley =)
it isn't the most enjoyable camp i've had, but it probably is the camp that i see the most changes in the kids. and at the end of the day, that's what that matters the most to me. when they cried during the last debrief, i felt that they truly saw the changes in them, and i felt that i have truly grown as a person.
so, tadah. this should be the end.
so that was it. my last camp ever. even though i keep saying that, somewhere deep in my heart, all i wanna do is to have another camp, and another camp, and another, and another.
this is my second year doing fuchun secondary. i can't remember much about the camp last year, except that both my mirror and i got so mad that we walked away from the class at one point, which was the main reason why i was so reluctant to do the camp. but seeing my ex-campers coming back as student leaders in the camp this year meant a lot to me, and the camp didnt turn out as bad as i prepared myself for.
the kids were all mixed from different classes (just a side-note, i just realised that none of my camps this year was done on class level! sucky.) my group was very quiet, all they did was to smile at me, which was why they were named smiley =)
it isn't the most enjoyable camp i've had, but it probably is the camp that i see the most changes in the kids. and at the end of the day, that's what that matters the most to me. when they cried during the last debrief, i felt that they truly saw the changes in them, and i felt that i have truly grown as a person.
so, tadah. this should be the end.
Labels: camp
blossom. 11:10 PM
Tuesday, July 08, 2008
TAMPINES SECONDARY SCHOOL (SEC 2) 2-4 JUNE 2008
andrew's last camp. i shared a group with kim, and we mirrored rendall and horheh. it was fun with them around, sabo-ing horheh by naming the group horheh when he wasnt around. hahha ;) but the camp was still quite low, probably because they had four instructors who didnt dare to communicate to work with each other. or at least, that was what i felt. it was really a pity - we could have done so much more. we should have done so much more, for andrew, and for rendall.
when andrew broke down during the campfire, i finally realised how much all these meant to him. despite his ahbeng exterior, despite his crude language and bochap attitude, he loves what he's doing. when rendall broke down too, four of us just hugged and cried. even though its long overdued, i wish these two all the best in whatever they go on to ;)
i can hardly remember anything from the camp since im blogging so long after it happened. but i know very clearly that no matter how cui that camp was, i have at least made a difference in someone's life.
ITE COLLEGE EAST (STUDENT COUNCIL) 23-25 JUNE 2008
i was very reluctant to take on this camp at first, due to the bad memories from my ITE camp last year. but we can't always stay where we are - we need to constantly challenge ourselves to reach greater heights.
i had a very strong leader in my group. hes always there to lead the group - in cheers, amazing race, kidnapped, campfire performance, blahblahblah. it was obvious that the group was very disunited, simply following the leader that they do not acknowledge.
things got much better after gladiator on the second day. we had a team talk where everyone thrashed everything out. the words were harsh, there was no face given. but everyone took it with an open heart, and worked towards a stronger team. our campfire performance was great! it was really heart-warming and encouraging to see people who have not spoke up before volunteer for roles in the performance. it made me feel that my effort have not gone to waste, thank you ;)
a leader has to:
1. get the job done
2. keep the team together
3. motivate the team
4. groom others to be leaders
and the fourth is always the hardest, no?
SILING PRIMARY SCHOOL (P4) 26-27 JUNE 2008
felt weird to take a primary school right after an ITE camp. it was a 180 degrees switch - from taking a mentor role to a control freak. you always need to be there, you cant let them out of sight for more than three seconds, you need to instruct, basically, you need to be in control. probably my worst camp ever.
day one: pampered spoilt brats
day two: pampered spoilt brats (who are slightly more aware of people around them)
yup. thats all for them.
AI TONG SCHOOL (P5) 30 JUNE - 2 JULY 2008
did belaying for the school. being a belayer is both slack and tiring. such an irony, but isnt life about ironies? three sessions of three hours of belaying, i swear i would have fell asleep while belaying if i were wearing sunglasses. loved the slacking part where we all enjoyed the aircon in the learning room and played stupid games and watch stupid shows that we could find on teckkoon's laptop. got to know a few instructors better, they are really great people ;)
SILING PRIMARY SCHOOL (P5) 2-4 JULY 2008
horrible first day, fantastic second day. everyone was shagged out by the back-to-backs - no one bothered helping anyone else. things got much better after the motivating talk by mojo ;) thanks mojo for taking the song session and sentry and whatever shit that comes along despite your bad leg so that we can rest. esriously, thanks.
day one: selfish spoilt brats
day two: less selfish spoilt brats
day three: a boy who willingly cleaned the toilet and picked up the grossest stuff ;)
things didnt start out well at all. i was thrown with 40 kids, luckily there was zul to help out, even though he didnt know much about camp business. we didnt have time to break the ice, it rained the whole day, the kids had no sense of urgency at all.
i dont really know how to describe this group. there were times when they showed visible improvement - a sincere will to do things not just for themselves, but for others. we asked them if they were willing to help another group with their dinner duty, we got a resounding 'YES!!!' i was pleasantly surprised and was really glad. imagine a super big box of food which would require two of me to carry. imagine super crazy slopes. imagine just eleven-year-olds. sometimes, the human spirit never fails to surprise me ;)
despite all the goodness, i was sorely disappointed during the last debrief. they couldnt gather as a group by themselves - i had to go to their dorms to get them. after the debrief, we gave them a bottle of sprite as a reward. sharing it amongst themselves was so difficult, it was painful to watch.
the next day, while i read the reflection booklets, i wasnt expecting much. but most of them gave me non-textbook answers. i nearly cried after reading one of them. this boy, he wrote: "my personal goal is to make my instructors happy." something so simple, yet so meaningful.
everything feels different from last year. even though i was inexperienced and didnt know what to do, i connected with the kids. i guess all the additional pressure i put on myself has made me draw the instructor-camper line too clearly. now that my last camp is nearing, xinyi is gonna go all out and find the girl she was last year.
there is no secret ingredient, just belief.
andrew's last camp. i shared a group with kim, and we mirrored rendall and horheh. it was fun with them around, sabo-ing horheh by naming the group horheh when he wasnt around. hahha ;) but the camp was still quite low, probably because they had four instructors who didnt dare to communicate to work with each other. or at least, that was what i felt. it was really a pity - we could have done so much more. we should have done so much more, for andrew, and for rendall.
when andrew broke down during the campfire, i finally realised how much all these meant to him. despite his ahbeng exterior, despite his crude language and bochap attitude, he loves what he's doing. when rendall broke down too, four of us just hugged and cried. even though its long overdued, i wish these two all the best in whatever they go on to ;)
i can hardly remember anything from the camp since im blogging so long after it happened. but i know very clearly that no matter how cui that camp was, i have at least made a difference in someone's life.
ITE COLLEGE EAST (STUDENT COUNCIL) 23-25 JUNE 2008
i was very reluctant to take on this camp at first, due to the bad memories from my ITE camp last year. but we can't always stay where we are - we need to constantly challenge ourselves to reach greater heights.
i had a very strong leader in my group. hes always there to lead the group - in cheers, amazing race, kidnapped, campfire performance, blahblahblah. it was obvious that the group was very disunited, simply following the leader that they do not acknowledge.
things got much better after gladiator on the second day. we had a team talk where everyone thrashed everything out. the words were harsh, there was no face given. but everyone took it with an open heart, and worked towards a stronger team. our campfire performance was great! it was really heart-warming and encouraging to see people who have not spoke up before volunteer for roles in the performance. it made me feel that my effort have not gone to waste, thank you ;)
a leader has to:
1. get the job done
2. keep the team together
3. motivate the team
4. groom others to be leaders
and the fourth is always the hardest, no?
SILING PRIMARY SCHOOL (P4) 26-27 JUNE 2008
felt weird to take a primary school right after an ITE camp. it was a 180 degrees switch - from taking a mentor role to a control freak. you always need to be there, you cant let them out of sight for more than three seconds, you need to instruct, basically, you need to be in control. probably my worst camp ever.
day one: pampered spoilt brats
day two: pampered spoilt brats (who are slightly more aware of people around them)
yup. thats all for them.
AI TONG SCHOOL (P5) 30 JUNE - 2 JULY 2008
did belaying for the school. being a belayer is both slack and tiring. such an irony, but isnt life about ironies? three sessions of three hours of belaying, i swear i would have fell asleep while belaying if i were wearing sunglasses. loved the slacking part where we all enjoyed the aircon in the learning room and played stupid games and watch stupid shows that we could find on teckkoon's laptop. got to know a few instructors better, they are really great people ;)
SILING PRIMARY SCHOOL (P5) 2-4 JULY 2008
horrible first day, fantastic second day. everyone was shagged out by the back-to-backs - no one bothered helping anyone else. things got much better after the motivating talk by mojo ;) thanks mojo for taking the song session and sentry and whatever shit that comes along despite your bad leg so that we can rest. esriously, thanks.
day one: selfish spoilt brats
day two: less selfish spoilt brats
day three: a boy who willingly cleaned the toilet and picked up the grossest stuff ;)
things didnt start out well at all. i was thrown with 40 kids, luckily there was zul to help out, even though he didnt know much about camp business. we didnt have time to break the ice, it rained the whole day, the kids had no sense of urgency at all.
i dont really know how to describe this group. there were times when they showed visible improvement - a sincere will to do things not just for themselves, but for others. we asked them if they were willing to help another group with their dinner duty, we got a resounding 'YES!!!' i was pleasantly surprised and was really glad. imagine a super big box of food which would require two of me to carry. imagine super crazy slopes. imagine just eleven-year-olds. sometimes, the human spirit never fails to surprise me ;)
despite all the goodness, i was sorely disappointed during the last debrief. they couldnt gather as a group by themselves - i had to go to their dorms to get them. after the debrief, we gave them a bottle of sprite as a reward. sharing it amongst themselves was so difficult, it was painful to watch.
the next day, while i read the reflection booklets, i wasnt expecting much. but most of them gave me non-textbook answers. i nearly cried after reading one of them. this boy, he wrote: "my personal goal is to make my instructors happy." something so simple, yet so meaningful.
everything feels different from last year. even though i was inexperienced and didnt know what to do, i connected with the kids. i guess all the additional pressure i put on myself has made me draw the instructor-camper line too clearly. now that my last camp is nearing, xinyi is gonna go all out and find the girl she was last year.
there is no secret ingredient, just belief.
Labels: camp
blossom. 2:13 AM
Sunday, June 08, 2008
another camp post, yawn for the rest of the world.
GAN ENG SENG PRIMARY SCHOOL 29-31 MAY 2008
the first time ive been to the labrador campsite. i quite like it actually, it is smaller than jbac, which means less walking, which means less tiring! only thing its lacking is hot water, damn.
we went to sentosa, and my group made it to mt imbiah! unbeatables 7!
campfire prep was crazy, cos we weren't given time for it and the teachers expect some super zai performance. but we did it in the end, using the short time we had while we did our dinner duty. even though i was super stressed out, i have to admit that i had lots of fun with them, laughing at all the stupid things they did even though that meant slowing down the progress of the performance. i say boom chica boom! seriously, i loved the performance ;) it has to be one of my best!
on the whole, my group isnt exceptionally bonded or crazy, but for some reason, i miss them quite a bit. maybe because they're super sweet - they're the first bunch of kids that made me cry, for good reasons ;) especially my two malay boys, hilmi and aidil. despite being so young, they touched my heart and brought smiles to my face. its a camp that i'll always remember, for the genuine smiles and their sincerity towards one another.
"no one is stupid, everyone is clever in their hearts." -hilmi
TAMPINES SECONDARY SCHOOL 2-4 JUNE 2008
andrew's last. rendall's last. horheh's last in a long while. could be my last too. i dont know ;(
took 2T1 with kimbob, rendall and horheh. group name?
group 15 = hor
group 16 = heh
together, we're HORHEH!
we started out fun, everything looked promising. i dunno why it fell apart. and more importantly, i dunno why i watched it fall apart. okay maybe it wasnt that bad, but i could have done more. i should have done more.
as you can see, every camp i do something new. so for this camp, i did nature rumble for the first time! hiphiphooray! photos up later, when i have them ;) but basically, nature rumble is just rolling yourself and everyone else in black mud. yupp.
if there's a word to describe this campfire, it would be crazy. there were tons of instructors around, it was as though as there was more red (instructors) than yellow (campers). campfire was like a celebration, for every song, you see so many people dancing, singing along, or just clapping to the beat. its like i've finally seen how a campfire should be, feeling the actual warmth and happiness of it. and at the end of it, it was emo-land. when i saw andrew cry, i controlled my tears. when i saw rendall cry, that was when the tears started rolling. i cried really hard. i cried fro andrew, i cried for rendall, i cried for campha, for the loss of two brilliant souls. sighh.
even though we say its not goodbye, and that we'll meet up and yadayada, but i guess that was probably the last time i'll be seeing the two of them. so whatever happens, all the best you two!
GAN ENG SENG PRIMARY SCHOOL 29-31 MAY 2008
the first time ive been to the labrador campsite. i quite like it actually, it is smaller than jbac, which means less walking, which means less tiring! only thing its lacking is hot water, damn.
we went to sentosa, and my group made it to mt imbiah! unbeatables 7!
campfire prep was crazy, cos we weren't given time for it and the teachers expect some super zai performance. but we did it in the end, using the short time we had while we did our dinner duty. even though i was super stressed out, i have to admit that i had lots of fun with them, laughing at all the stupid things they did even though that meant slowing down the progress of the performance. i say boom chica boom! seriously, i loved the performance ;) it has to be one of my best!
on the whole, my group isnt exceptionally bonded or crazy, but for some reason, i miss them quite a bit. maybe because they're super sweet - they're the first bunch of kids that made me cry, for good reasons ;) especially my two malay boys, hilmi and aidil. despite being so young, they touched my heart and brought smiles to my face. its a camp that i'll always remember, for the genuine smiles and their sincerity towards one another.
"no one is stupid, everyone is clever in their hearts." -hilmi
TAMPINES SECONDARY SCHOOL 2-4 JUNE 2008
andrew's last. rendall's last. horheh's last in a long while. could be my last too. i dont know ;(
took 2T1 with kimbob, rendall and horheh. group name?
group 15 = hor
group 16 = heh
together, we're HORHEH!
we started out fun, everything looked promising. i dunno why it fell apart. and more importantly, i dunno why i watched it fall apart. okay maybe it wasnt that bad, but i could have done more. i should have done more.
as you can see, every camp i do something new. so for this camp, i did nature rumble for the first time! hiphiphooray! photos up later, when i have them ;) but basically, nature rumble is just rolling yourself and everyone else in black mud. yupp.
if there's a word to describe this campfire, it would be crazy. there were tons of instructors around, it was as though as there was more red (instructors) than yellow (campers). campfire was like a celebration, for every song, you see so many people dancing, singing along, or just clapping to the beat. its like i've finally seen how a campfire should be, feeling the actual warmth and happiness of it. and at the end of it, it was emo-land. when i saw andrew cry, i controlled my tears. when i saw rendall cry, that was when the tears started rolling. i cried really hard. i cried fro andrew, i cried for rendall, i cried for campha, for the loss of two brilliant souls. sighh.
even though we say its not goodbye, and that we'll meet up and yadayada, but i guess that was probably the last time i'll be seeing the two of them. so whatever happens, all the best you two!
Labels: camp
blossom. 12:21 AM
Sunday, May 18, 2008
DUNMAN HIGH SCHOOL 13-16 MAY 2008 ;)
my first prestigious school, my first veron camp, my first time as runner, my first camp in st johns island, my first camp in a long while. the camp of many firsts.
the first camp that i remembered all the instructors' names:
weiyen, farhana (chiongster minah!), joel, cherie, elaine, dave (muthu curry!), baoyun, weijie, rendallkohweiren, huiqi, izzat, alvin (and the chipmunks), jestyn, joy, rashid (yeahyeah!), shelly, kelvinphua (owns dead ants!), kailee, amelia, ruilongnabeh and candice ;) and the black shirts too, veron, kokkok and timtang ;)
i think im a lousy runner, so no more runner for me. and i miss having my own group, the emptiness is overwhelming, especially when i see the look of excitement on the kids' faces during major cheers, when i see them cry after the campfire and when i see them waving goodbye reluctantly to their intructors. I WANT MY OWN GROUP! /stomps foot
phototime!
nabeh!
my runner mirror, candice! dunno what i'll do without you to keep me sane, or rather, insane ;)
no group take photo with us, we take ourselves! group 21!
crazy-ass instructors!
dhs instructors oei!
my first prestigious school, my first veron camp, my first time as runner, my first camp in st johns island, my first camp in a long while. the camp of many firsts.
the first camp that i remembered all the instructors' names:
weiyen, farhana (chiongster minah!), joel, cherie, elaine, dave (muthu curry!), baoyun, weijie, rendallkohweiren, huiqi, izzat, alvin (and the chipmunks), jestyn, joy, rashid (yeahyeah!), shelly, kelvinphua (owns dead ants!), kailee, amelia, ruilongnabeh and candice ;) and the black shirts too, veron, kokkok and timtang ;)
i think im a lousy runner, so no more runner for me. and i miss having my own group, the emptiness is overwhelming, especially when i see the look of excitement on the kids' faces during major cheers, when i see them cry after the campfire and when i see them waving goodbye reluctantly to their intructors. I WANT MY OWN GROUP! /stomps foot
phototime!
nabeh!
my runner mirror, candice! dunno what i'll do without you to keep me sane, or rather, insane ;)
no group take photo with us, we take ourselves! group 21!
crazy-ass instructors!
dhs instructors oei!
Labels: camp
blossom. 8:12 AM
Sunday, August 05, 2007
bowen sec, kranji pri, ite college east, chongfu pri, westwood sec. 5 camps in a row, i feel like superwoman. and i love 3I westwood sec! my best camp ever ;) so no regrets.
i lost my camera, damn. my phone's screwed up, so i got a new one. but i have to key in all the numbers, gee. ive missed three days of hall camp already, and im totally not in the mood of socialising. im voiceless, coughing and lethargic. and school's starting, lets all groan.
i lost my camera, damn. my phone's screwed up, so i got a new one. but i have to key in all the numbers, gee. ive missed three days of hall camp already, and im totally not in the mood of socialising. im voiceless, coughing and lethargic. and school's starting, lets all groan.
Labels: camp
blossom. 12:58 AM
Sunday, July 22, 2007
hey, havent updated in awhile. well, went for two camps, union camp and bowen camp.
UNION CAMP
super cui. oh well. but i met a few funky people, who would actually do this with me:
and i met someone very special - my first camp mirror! haha, he's the idiot who taught me the super retarded nanana crap. having him around in union camp was probably one of the perks. its always a warm feeling when someone 'xinyi oei' me. hahaha. im a camp freak now.
anyway, something random here. im in rocky, and rocky rocks.
BOWEN CAMP
my group flag! fishmallows, how about that. and it even has some link to my name, even though its tenuous. xinyi leads to fresh fish which leads to fishmallows cos some of them love marshmallows. hahaha.
lightstick flowers! so pretty.
here's my mirror, andrey alif ong jian long. the super long name boy who's just as crazy over lightstick flowers. hahahha!
and this is 2E6 of BOWEN SEC! happy campers and happy instructors ;)
and happy me!
im kinda into mambo now, under the influence of all the mambo kings and queens in campHA. will definitely head down one day, but i need time!
was just thinking about this, joining campHA really opened my eyes quite a bit. ive heard so many people wanting to chase their dreams, but never finding the courage to do so. but in campHA, i actually see people taking the plunge and i really respect them for that. and then i look at myself, sigh.
two more camps, make it good!
UNION CAMP
super cui. oh well. but i met a few funky people, who would actually do this with me:
and i met someone very special - my first camp mirror! haha, he's the idiot who taught me the super retarded nanana crap. having him around in union camp was probably one of the perks. its always a warm feeling when someone 'xinyi oei' me. hahaha. im a camp freak now.
anyway, something random here. im in rocky, and rocky rocks.
BOWEN CAMP
my group flag! fishmallows, how about that. and it even has some link to my name, even though its tenuous. xinyi leads to fresh fish which leads to fishmallows cos some of them love marshmallows. hahaha.
lightstick flowers! so pretty.
here's my mirror, andrey alif ong jian long. the super long name boy who's just as crazy over lightstick flowers. hahahha!
and this is 2E6 of BOWEN SEC! happy campers and happy instructors ;)
and happy me!
im kinda into mambo now, under the influence of all the mambo kings and queens in campHA. will definitely head down one day, but i need time!
was just thinking about this, joining campHA really opened my eyes quite a bit. ive heard so many people wanting to chase their dreams, but never finding the courage to do so. but in campHA, i actually see people taking the plunge and i really respect them for that. and then i look at myself, sigh.
two more camps, make it good!
Labels: camp, union camp
blossom. 9:15 PM
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
havent updated for such a long time! lets see, i did my third camp with jwss, i think im improving ;D
class 2E3, my favourite campers!
my group's flag, anarchy. the nicest flag i've gotten! ignoring the fact that this is the first camp i had to make flags. wahaha.
my mirror francis! we rock ;D
i wonder what were they doing, really.
headed down to sentosa after camp to hang out with 11o5, i think i was really crazy that day.
group photo yay!
and then i went for nus engin camp. this was how i look like just after the first afternoon. to think i actually forgot that someone drew on my face and walked around happily like there's nothing there.
the girls ;D
my very full og after 15 people shared 5 plates of food.
and this is our black pearl pose!
meet my secret pal! please stop commenting on my shirt, i did not know i was going to meet my sp, or that i am even going to have one!
this is my super withered rose, it didnt even made it past that night. but im gonna keep it anyway!
and the last photo of the night, with the freshies of blackpearl!
went to my ex-colleague evelyn's wedding on sunday. she looked so pretty, and everything was so sweet (even though her solemnization was kinda funny), it made me feel like getting married.
with the bride!
three ugly guests.
our favourite pose!
making up for our previously unglam pose:
the next two weeks are going to be busy, suddenly wished i didnt tried to fit so many things in, then i wont have to miss out on so many outings now. oh well. heading for camp tmr, so im gonna sleep early tonight.
class 2E3, my favourite campers!
my group's flag, anarchy. the nicest flag i've gotten! ignoring the fact that this is the first camp i had to make flags. wahaha.
my mirror francis! we rock ;D
i wonder what were they doing, really.
headed down to sentosa after camp to hang out with 11o5, i think i was really crazy that day.
group photo yay!
and then i went for nus engin camp. this was how i look like just after the first afternoon. to think i actually forgot that someone drew on my face and walked around happily like there's nothing there.
the girls ;D
my very full og after 15 people shared 5 plates of food.
and this is our black pearl pose!
meet my secret pal! please stop commenting on my shirt, i did not know i was going to meet my sp, or that i am even going to have one!
this is my super withered rose, it didnt even made it past that night. but im gonna keep it anyway!
and the last photo of the night, with the freshies of blackpearl!
went to my ex-colleague evelyn's wedding on sunday. she looked so pretty, and everything was so sweet (even though her solemnization was kinda funny), it made me feel like getting married.
with the bride!
three ugly guests.
our favourite pose!
making up for our previously unglam pose:
the next two weeks are going to be busy, suddenly wished i didnt tried to fit so many things in, then i wont have to miss out on so many outings now. oh well. heading for camp tmr, so im gonna sleep early tonight.
Labels: 11o5, camp, engin camp
blossom. 10:16 PM