Today marks the final day of our VS SOAS School Twinning program.
Yesterday, the boys had an informal 'Popiah Party' where they wrapped their own spring rolls and ate Mee Siam before students from both schools had a gift exchange:
Today, it was farewell at Changi Airport where we saw our friends off. Although, the time has passed by quickly, it has left an indelible impression on us all and I am sure the memories will be with us all for a long time.
So amidst the fond farewells, we made promises to see each other again--- after all Brunei and Singapore are not so far apart:) Many of the boys will be heading to Temburong for their NS, who knows where we might all meet again.
Today, Mr Low formally welcomed Pg Zahari, Principal of SOAS College to Victoria School. Principal Zahari came to join his students and teachers here later on the 26th Mar
Both principals were on hand to give out the prizes for the joint group projects that were done. The boys created electronic greeting cards to celebrate International Friendship Day.
When we were in Brunei, our SOAS counterparts gave us a fascinating demonstration of Jawi calligraphy. Today, it was our turn to return the favour by having some of our talented PRC scholars give them a demonstration of Chinese Calligraphy.
Here we see Miss Jenny Tan with a couplet presented to her by Mr Wang Jun and our PRC scholar, Jing Xing. It reads "海内存知己，天涯若比邻"- meaning, that as long as when we have achieved true friendship and understanding, even though we are separated by distance, we will be close together in heart and mind.
Indeed, it is apparent from the close ties that are developing between VS and SOAS college that we will be embarking on more common journies ahead.
"The Mom" song, sung to the William Tell Overture, by Anita Renfroe. What a mom says in 24 hours, condensed into 2 minutes and 55 seconds!
Lyrics for "The Mom Song" is given below. (Thank you BelleFlower15!)
"The Mom Song"
Get up now Get up now Get up out of bed Wash your face Brush your teeth Comb your sleepyhead Here's your clothes and your shoes Hear the words I said Get up now! Get up and make your bed Are you hot? Are you cold? Are you wearing that? Where's your books and your lunch and your homework at? Grab your coat and gloves and your scarf and hat Don't forget! You gotta feed the cat Eat your breakfast, the experts tell us it's the most important meal of all Take your vitamins so you will grow up one day to be big and tall Please remember the orthodontist will be seeing you at 3 today Don't forget your piano lesson is this afternoon so you must play Don't shovel Chew slowly But hurry The bus is here Be careful Come back here Did you wash behind your ears? Play outside, don't play rough, will you just play fair? Be polite, make a friend, don't forget to share Work it out, wait your turn, never take a dare Get along! Don't make me come down there Clean your room, fold your clothes, put your stuff away Make your bed, do it now, do we have all day? Were you born in a barn? Would you like some hay? Can you even hear a word I say? Answer the phone! Get off the phone! Don't sit so close, turn it down, no texting at the table No more computer time tonight! Your iPod's my iPod if you don't listen up Where are you going and with whom and what time do you think you're coming home? Saying thank you, please, excuse me makes you welcome everywhere you roam You'll appreciate my wisdom someday when you're older and you're grown Can't wait till you have a couple little children of your own You'll thank me for the counsel I gave you so willingly But right now I thank you not to roll your eyes at me Close your mouth when you chew, would appreciate Take a bite maybe two of the stuff you hate Use your fork, do not burp or I'll set you straight Eat the food I put upon your plate Get an A, get the door, don't get smart with me Get a grip, get in here, I'll count to three Get a job, get a life, get a PHD Get a dose of, "I don't care who started it! You're grounded until you're 36" Get your story straight and tell the truth for once, for heaven's sake And if all your friends jumped off a cliff would you jump, too? If I've said it once, I've said at least a thousand times before That you're too old to act this way It must be your father's DNA Look at me when I am talking Stand up straighter when you walk A place for everything and everything must be in place Stop crying or I'll give you something real to cry about Oh! Brush your teeth, wash your face, put your PJs on Get in bed, get a hug, say a prayer with mom Don't forget, I love you And tomorrow we will do this all again because a mom's work never ends You don't need the reason why Because, because, because, because I said so, I said so, I said so, I said so I'm the mom, the mom, the mom, the mom, the mom!! Ta da!!! (less)
Today the boys from SOAS joined Sec 1D in a morning game of Futsal. We can see that our SOAS boys definitely have some great Futsal skills. Our Sec 1 boys, although younger and smaller were definitely not to be outdone and played a hard fought game!
In June 2007, Victoria School visited the Sultan Omar Ali Saiffudien (SOAS) College in Brunei for our first school twinning program.
Our friends from Brunei have come over this year for their return visit. On Mon, during morning assembly, they were greeted by Mr Low and the entire Victorian family.
The SOAS delegation was comprised of 10 students and 2 teachers. The students are: Muhd Amirul Syafiq bin Noorazmi Hj Abd Azeez bin Hj Abd Salam Abdul Mu'izz bin Junaidi Nadzuan bin Narawi Muhd Nadhim bin Hj Othman Hj Abd Khaliq Ghaffari bin Hj Alias Bryan Boon Wu Chieh Andrew Lau Ming Sheng Geoffrey Vun Yong An Ahmadi bin Yusmin
They were led by the following teachers: Miss Jenny Tan Feng Ling Mr Muhd Azri bin Hj Sulaiman
Here we have Cikgu Muhd Azri giving addressing the school on behalf of SOAS College:
Our Bruneian friends came prepared to share their culture and heritage with us. Immediately after Cikgu Azri's opening address, the boys from Brunei entertained us with 2 dances.
The first dance was the 'Adai-Adai' dance. The 'Adai- Adai' dance has its origins amongst the fishing community. Dancers dressed in traditional fishermen garb dance to the beat of the rabana (drum) and show us a celebration of life amongst simpler times as people work together to make ends meet and join in song and dance to forget about their labours.
The next dance that was presented to us was the 'Alai Sikap'. This is a dance traditionally performed by the 'Puak' of Belait. With a pair of bamboo sticks in hand, the performers hit the sticks against the ground and each other to generate a percussive rhythm while the dancers skip, jump themselves over the opening and closing of the bamboo poles.
It is rare to see boys dancing and our friends from SOAS showed us that even all-boys schools like VS and SOAS can show a strong love for performance and the arts. Through this twinning program, I am sure that the boys from both schools will be able to inspire each other to be as comfortable battling on the field of sporting competition as well as performing on the gentle stage of artistic discovery.
The Sec 3 cohort had our annual Overseas Adventure Camp at KOREF: Kahang Organic Rice Eco Farm.
When we arrived at KOREF, some of the more adventurous teachers were led by our Senior Camp Operator for a small tour round the place. Frank was a rare breed, he was part of the first batch of officers in the Singapore Armed Forces and his knowledge of nature and field crat Here we are at beginning our tour of the various organic farm plots at KOREF:
Have you ever wondered how a dragon fruit is grown? Well, it's actually grown on a concrete post- see here:
We even got to see the ducks that were responsible for the 'organic' fertiliser used in farm:
You can find more about KOREF at Edu Outdoor's website by clicking here.
Having been on a number of overseas camps and trekked up a variety of mountains, I must say that the trek up Mount Lambak during this camp was one of the most challenging. Especially since I had to leave the camp late and had to catch up with everybody after they had already departed. It was quite unnerving climbing up alone and then realising that the path in front forks into two! Luckily for me, our Victorians made their presence felt even in the huge mountain and from their cheers and songs, I could easily locate them.
Here we are with 3A crossing a suspension bridge at the final stage of the descent:
My Form Class, Sec 3B was also bonding strongly. The raft building session was hilarious with our never say die attititude, as we attempted time after time to launch the rafts and stay afloat on them.
There were many great moments of teamwork and bonding in the camp amongst the students. Unbeknownst to many of you, we teachers, also had our own specific team-building and problem solving sessions.
Problem: How to get coconut from coconut tree The following video is not for the faint hearted. It shows our HOD of PE Mr Maran in a most compromising position, aided and abetted by the man with the serious demeanour Mr Tan Chong Kiat and Mr Su Rong Hua, our fresh new-comer of the year.
Problem: Got coconut already, now how to get coconut water Ever since I brought my military shovel to Mawaii for Veloci-T, I have been teased endlessly by Maran, Sng and gang.
Ah.... but without the shovel, we cannot get coconut water, you know. and Sng, no the shovel does not bounce back when you chop the coconut with it.
