Exams are finally over for Sec 1s to Sec 3s
Woots!!!!
So now it's time to let our hair down and allow the boys to have a well-deserved break.
Today it was Inter-Class games
Here we see our Sec 1s playing Floorball as part of the Inter-Class competitions.
Today, VS visited Gongshan Primary for their 'P6 to Sec1' presentation. Many schools were present to introduce themselves to the graduating batch of P6 students from Gongshan Primary. VS was honored to be there
Today with me were boys from the RSP and AEP classes, impressed the parents and P6 students alike with their clear articulation and passionate delivery of what it means to be a Victorian:
But the one who captured the most attention was soccer player Faris from Sec 2E. To show that Victorians are well-rounded individuals, excelling both on and off the field, we had a sports challenge where students who could juggle the sepak takraw ball were given a prize.
This proved to be a hit with the P6 students- especially with the infectious humor and agile skill demonstrated by Faris:
We hope to be back next year to share more about Victoria School with students from Gongshan Primary!
Here is a video that we did not get to see on Graduation Day due to time constraints.
Again, it is another Serious PE Production from the bunch of horrigible but 'swee' boys in Sec 4B.
Where the previous video made many of us howl with laughter; this one nearly made me cry. Serious.
Why? It made me proud to be a teacher in 4B. D@mn proud.
See it and see what the 4B Serious PE boys are seriously capable of doing.
Some people subscribe to the belief that sportsmen are not academically inclined.
Some people feel that sportsmen themselves do not believe they are capable of academic excellence.
But the teachers in VS have always believed in you and after watching the pride you have exhibited as Victorians in this video, we know you believe in yourselves too!
I believe you boys, I know you will value-add and give us "SWEEEEEEEE" results
Har le, boys...; Har le
Some of you have been requesting for footage of the Graduation Day presentations and videos.
As I only have those from 4B, I'll post them here.
Here is the brilliant spoof done by Jeremy
Must say that Jeremy and gang fooled us all with your 'fake' interview; but it was indeed the most hilarious video I saw and each time I watch it, I can't help laughing.
Fri 9th Oct was Class of 2009's Sec 4 Graduation Ceremony and Farewell Dinner.
The ceremony began in the auditorium with Mr Low's address to the cohort.
Next came the various prize presentations for academic excellence and improvement.
The Serious PE Class of 4B was proud to annouce Jaren Thun as our best student:
Next came the CCA awards for achievement and service:
Our Victorians showed us that they had class as well as they celebrated their achievements in song. And it is heart-warming to see that your talents span both academic, literary, musical and sporting pursuits!
With the ceremony over, we proceeded to the hall for a formal sit-down dinner.
After 2 years of nagging, it was with a sense of pride as we sat down formally as a cohort of teachers and students for the last time to toast our triumphs in overcoming all our adversities:
It was a great-time for photos and I will cherish the memories of your batch. See my first batch of Serious PE students graduate fills me with strange sense of emotion. No less heart-warming are the handshakes, photos, hugs and thanks from the scholars, the student leaders and various other students that I have had the chance to come in contact with.
Stay strong and focused boys- we will finish this race together!
Revision schedule for GCE PE (UPDATED)
Thu 8 Oct: 1.40pm to 3.00pm
Sat 10 Oct: 4.00pm to 6.00pm (Desmond to confirm if session on)
Mon 12 Oct: Need to reschedule, will update
Tue 13 Oct: 3.00pm - 5.00pm
Wed 14 Oct: 3.00pm - 5.00pm
Thu 15 Oct: 3.00pm - 5.00pm
Mon 19th Oct (Deepavali Holiday): 10.00am - 12.00pm
Tue 20th Oct: 6.00pm - 8.00pm
Schedules here will be subject to change depending on turn-out.
If there is any confusion or queries, call me boys.
Push on ok? Couple more weeks left.
Push On With Excellent Results: POWER !!!!
After 20 years, Games Workshop finally released an updated version of the minature boardgame, Space Hulk. I loved the game as a kid and it was what got me hooked on the Warhammer 40,000 Universe.
The Warhammer franchise is basically a minature table-top gaming series which allows collectors to build their own army of minature figurines and then to battle it out on various terrains modelled on table-top (kinda like a diorama) The Warhammer 40,000 story line is one of the few flagship titles from Games Workshop- they've got minature games for Lord of the Rings, Warhammer fantasy (set in medieval times), Epic battles, etc.
See here for their official website
So when I first heard that Space Hulk would be re-released, I was estatic- a blast from the past. However, the website said that all stocks world-wide had already been pre-ordered! Luckily, I managed to secure a set from the great guys at Paradigm Games in Orchard.
Here's a link to Games Workshop's intro on Space Hulk and you can see why we Gen-X fanboys are so hooked on it. Click here for Space Hulk: First Contact
Well, one of the best but most tedious part of minature gaming is having to paint your own army-- sure you can play with it unpainted, but where's the fun in that?
So here I started with the models still unassembled:
These are the Space Marines 'Blood Angels' models. You can see that on the left, I've just coated all the pieces with Bone White primer and on the right I've started to lay a foundation of Blood Red to the pieces.
Here,I'm starting to paint the more difficult pieces in smally details as well as to use paints that are mixed in batches. For the weapons, I mixed silver, with foundation of Chaos Black as well as Badab Black wash to give it a dull metallic glint so that the weapons look more aged.
Since I was a relative newbie to minature painting, I decided to start with the alien Tyranids first (after all if I mess up, I can always claim that this is how the aliens look :P)
So with a coat of black primer laid down, I proceeded to give a base coat of Leviathan purple
I then proceeded to fill in the highlights and detailing. Here is the work in progress for the 'Boss' Tyranid, the Brood Lord:
I washed the model with various shades of blue and purple to create a ripplied effect. I did the same with the skulls- originally they were all bleached white but that did not give them any depth, so i washed them with sepia to make them look aged. I liked that effect more.
This is my finished Brood Lord
The new edition box set has much improved models compared to the original I play as a kid- you've now got tyranid aliens in various poses: emerging from the floor, scuttling down the walls, etc.
With some experience with the Tyranids, I proceeded to paint the Space Marine 'Blood Angels'
The detailing here was more complicated since each marine was outfitted with different gear and many had specific heraldry and insignia to be painted.
The various shoulder pads, banners, skulls, amulets to be painted required me to work out a scheme. Basically, what I did was paint all the armour Red, then all the weapons, then all the skulls on each model-- in that way, I worked through methodically from color to color and touching up each model as I assembled it towards the end.
I had problems with the Bone White primer as it gave a powdery finish, but it worked well for the skulls as the powdery texture made them look more organic as opposed to the smoother surfaces of the marines armour. More of a chance happening than by intention.
However, my two personal favourite models in terms of their moulding and painting, were the 2 I had saved for last. By this time, I seemed to get the hang of things and my hand was more sure in coloring.
So here's the Dead Marine on Throne and the Blood Angels Librarian:
It was an enjoybale experience painting these during the last 2 weeks as it help me to unwind and destress after the series of mock exams and prelims for the students.
Now, back to the grind to prepare the graduating class for their final O-Levels and finish up for planning for Veloci-T Camp in Nov.
Will update samples of Space Hulk game play for interested readers. Hope this entry sheds some light on what I do and enjoy in my free time as well as to give some of you boys an insight into a fascinating hobby to take up during the holidays :)
