Finally got Flickr!

I finally got a Yahoo! email account, which grants me access to Flickr. Above is my Photostream, with the photos from my AAP Photomontage, so enjoy! (The photos were taken by me and a friend around the HCI Campus)(Some of the photos are from my Resorts World Sentosa visit - Not sure how to organize the photos)

Week- In Review

This is another week in review...

Performance @ HCI by Ms Chisato Kusunoki.

We had a performance by a renowned pianist, Ms Chisato Kusunoki. She was in Singapore to perform at the Victoria Concert Hall on Thursday, 7.30 pm. The performance was called "From Russia with love". She was featured in Monday's Life!, part of the Straits Times. The article was " 20th Century, here I come" by Christa Yeo. The article featured an 8 Questions interview with Ms Chisato Kusunoki.

She performed for the Sec 1s during the Sec 1 Assembly. She performed several short pieces, including:

1. Rachmaninoff, Six moments musicaux
2. Scriabin, Sonata no. 3
3. Tchaikovsky, The seasons
4. Liapunov, Etudes d' exécution transcendante

A Grand Piano was set up on the stage for the performance. I must admit that it was the first time I saw a grand piano being played... The music sounded wonderful. Ms Chisato Kusunoki was also quoted as being "One was the most talented pianist (sic) of her generation" by The Oxford Times, which gave her five stars (*****).

Other News -

Facebook

I finally set up a Facebook account, after receiving numerous invitations from my friends. I started receiving these emails as early as 2008, but did nothing about it. I am actually, to a small extent, rather narrow minded. These are some examples:

1. Refusing to believe that the NDS (Nintendo Dual Screen) was good. I in fact believed that it had "Too many features for its own good" and I ignored the reviews about it and insisted it was "feature - overloaded" I hung on to this believe for 2 years before succumbing. I am now the proud owner of one NDS and about 6 games for it, excluding GBA (Gameboy Advance) games which are also compatible. I am planning to get more games... (Like Pokemon Heartgold and Soulsilver, As well as Pokemon Black and White.


2. Being a rejector of Windows Vista. I disliked it from the start, without even using it. I was convinced that XP (operating system) was still the best, etc, etc... I finally gave in when the XP computer at home wen Kaput. At the time, all computers (desktop or laptop) for sale were loaded with Windows Vista. I currently use a Desktop with Vista. Although it acts up sometimes, it is better than XP in term of convenience. For Example, the quick search box (in the start menu) helps me find programs and files more quickly, which was troublesome when the Start menu got cluttered in XP. I am now convinced that Vista is the best thing since sliced bread.

3. I finally gave in and set up Facebook. I did not like it at first because I thought that:

1. It's too Addictive.
2. If you meet your friends daily, why would you need to talk to them on FB?
3. It's Useless.
4. Having 500 friends on FB meant that you had none in Real Life...
5. Etc.

However, I am now a FB Convert. While it is true that it is all of the above, to some extent, it's not that bad. I currently play some games on it, Including -- Mafia Wars, Petville (my sister forced me to join), Cafe World, Mousehunt (Doesn't Everyone), Ghost Trappers, and Backyard Monsters (My Fav!). I now have something in common with my friends, such as the FB games. Also, I use it to keep in touch with my CCA, SJAB and my friends from other schools. My class also has a FB group to keep in touch about... Homework...


I have a Flickr account for my IS ePortfolio


I now have a Flickr photostream @ http://www.flickr.com/photos/ng_jonathan_sy/ . It contains all my Campus Photos of Hwa Chong! It is also part of the ePortfolio assignment for IS, which is also meant to help us learn about embedding new media. 

Eye Infections

Lastly, I got an eye infection. My eye kept producing a sort of whitish liquid, which had the consistency of slime. When I went to sleep and woke up, my eyes were glued together!! The liquid had evaporated, leaving a residue on my eyelids which "fused' them together. It was a bit painful pulling it off. I got an MC from the Doctor. My eye infection was so bad that I had to miss the HCINY CSM... (Hwa Chong - Nanyang Combined Sports Meet) :(

That's all for this week!

Week In Review - iSpark 18

This week, several things will be happening (or have happened). This is a "week in review" update of my blog.

IT problems

"My computer has epic problems. Google Chrome can't connect to the Internet, so I'm stuck with IE... Also, Norton Internet Security disappeared off my taskbar, and when I run it, a tiny window pop ups." - Post from last week.

Good News!! The problems are fixed. I uninstalled and reinstalled Chrome, but to no avail. Then, I uninstalled and reinstalled Norton. It worked. After that, I reinstalled Chrome, finally, it worked, allowing me to use Chrome again.

Sabbatical bidding for Term 2

Round 1&2 of Sabbatical bidding have been completed. I am not sure what my allocated course is, but I succeeded in the first round!

Maths Test and Other Tests

Maths results have come back... I got 31/40. The test was about Indices and Binary numerical System.

Also, the dreaded Chinese Results have arrived... I passed barely with 53/100...

AAP Photomontage presentation

Me and my partner presented our AAP photomontage in class. "Identity of a Hwa Chong Boy" It was quite good. Another group also presented "Game Over" (Theme: Conflict). It was hilarious and left the class in stitches.

That's all for now...

Week In Review - iSpark18

This week, several things will be happening (or have happened). This is a "week in review" update of my blog.

IT problems

Firstly, the most prominent thing - My computer has epic problems. Google Chrome can't connect to the Internet, so I'm stuck with IE... Also, Norton Internet Security disappeared off my taskbar, and when I run it, a tiny window pop ups. The window cannot be expanded, but can be moved around and closed. I ended up uninstalling Google Chrome, but I can't reinstall, since Norton Firewall is blocking it AND I can't run Norton to disable the firewall... Also, my favourite Online dictionary is down!! Woe is Me.

Sabbatical bidding for Term 2

Sabbatical bidding started yesterday. Our Sabbatical for Term 1 was the Annual Sec 1 Camp as well as the Research Studies Programme. However, for Term 2, we get a five day course on a topic of our selection. The courses including things like "Science Eureka", "Intro to fencing", etc... However, we had "bidding points" to bid. We would start with 1000 points. Points can be carried to the next year, and points are credited for lower MSGs, while Points would be subtracted for each demerit point - 1 demerit point - Subtract 100 Bidding points.
There are two rounds of bidding. If you still do not get a course after that, you will be placed in Sabbaticals with vacancies.

AAP lesson... Something different

We had our AAP Lesson in Space today (IT block). It was a departure from the AAP classes which are usually in class. While in Space, there were three activities we had to do (or games we had to play, if you want to be frank):

1. 
   A sort of Musical Chairs, but different - Each of us we assigned a Fruit Name (Mango, Jackfruit, Durian, and One more which I can't remember). There would be 23 Chairs for 24 people. Thus, the standing person would yell a fruit, or "Fruit Salad" which required all the fruits to get up. The learning point of the game was that Volume is important when speaking, especially when in a big room. (This game resembles "Blow Wind Blow")
2. 
   Broken Telephone Read the link. (The learning point was that when speaking, you have to be more articulate, and do not giggle or make noises when talking)
3. 
   Lying. We took turns to stand in front of the class and tell 2 lies and one truth. It was quite fun, and our teacher said that we were harder to decipher when we were lying - Most people fidget only during the lie and not during the truth, but we fidgeted all way through... (Learning point - Body Language is important)

That's all for now...

P.S 1i3 had a Math's test today... More details Later...

Resort World Sentosa - Visit

Actually, this is kinda old news... but my blog was not being updated for awhile because I was very busy. However, the Star Awards 2010, which will be partially held at Resorts World Sentosa reminded me about my visit to RWS shortly ago. My Parents had went to RWS before, and they liked it a lot. Thus, they decided to bring me on the weekend.

However, the morning was used for Homework, so we only had the night to explore the area. My parents made a reservation at Chilli's and then we left for RWS. The first thing that will strike you is the fact that the area is huge. Even the carpark is gigantic. A good way to explain it is that you could throw 1000 people in, and they could walk around and probably not see each other at all. After leaving the carpark, the next time you would see is The Globe (Apart from the REALLY long and high escalator). I am referring to the Globe which is Universal Studio's symbol. It is huge, and you can see mist around it from mist spraying nozzles.

After that, we headed to Chilli's, where about 6 people were in front of us. So we decided to explore more. We saw the Resorts World Gift Shop, A popcorn shop (I have never seen so many types of popcorn), and a Chocolate hershey's shop. The Hershey's Shop had Giant Plushy Hershey Kisses, Giant Kisses Coin Banks, Chocolate Sauce, Chocolate bars, and every other Chocolate related item you can think of. There were even Singing Chocolate dishes!!

Then, we headed back to Chilli's, where they were still 4 people in front of us. This time, we gave up and decided to go somewhere else to eat. We found a western Restaurant serving Burgers, etc, where we ate. After that, we headed back to Chilli's, just to find out what happened (They were meant to call us when the seat was available). In the end, the personnel there said that they called us already, although we didn't receive their call. Anyway, we then went to look at other shops and other attractions.

We had a look at the hotels around RWS, and some of the shops. We also stood outside the Casino. We also saw another RWS gift shop. It had all sorts of things, including umbrellas, golf balls, Chocolate poker cards (To eat???) and even a set of bejeweled boxes.

Finally, before we left, we heard that they was going to be a pyrotechnics show. It was really fascinating to see the two performers spinning and twirling (sticks on) fire. They had various implements, including fans(of the type that open up), Long Sticks, etc. They would take turns and while one performer performed, another would prepare another implement before coming to perform, while the other performer prepared another implement. There was even one point where one of the performers created many sparks from an implement.

At the end of the performance, the audience gave the performers a standing ovation.

Have you went to Resorts World Sentosa? Share your experiences in the Comments Box.

Track and Field Finals, as well as other News

Track and Field Finals

The 100 plus Track and Field Finals were held at Choa Chu Kang Stadium on Wednesday, 14 April. Our Class (and 7 others) were chosen to support Hwa Chong there. Some of the councillors were in charge of leading the cheers.

Although it was a bit boring at first, the competition soon heated up when the running started. Soon, we were directed to "Squeeze" in the middle of the space which Hwa Chong was allocated, where cheers were started. At first, several people were not cheering, but soon, everyone was cheering at the top of their voices.

Finally, Hwa Chong won the B and C boys titles. (An achievement held for 10 and 20 years). The activity was very fun as we do not always get the chance to support our school at a sporting event. (We also supported Hwa Chong during the Water Polo Finals). The school spirit was almost tangible...

There was also a 100 plus man, (like the Milo Van at HCI Cross Country) there were about 3 of them, walking about with large 100 plus tanks on their backs. They would actually hand out cups of 100 plus while walking around the stadium.

Also, I saw some of my other friends from RI.

However, most of us reached home very late, as we were dismissed at about 7.20, and those who took the bus back to Hwa Chong, (like me) generally reached home at 2100.

We also got a half day on Friday, where school ended at 11 am. Yay!

SJAB Promotion Parade

We had a SJAB Promotion Parade today. Since Sec 1s do not take part in the Parade, we simply stayed in "Senang Diri" (At ease) position. It was a interesting experience as I had never seen a promotion parade. After the parade, there was a reception, and there was photo taking. Finally, we headed back to the Cadets Room to collect our Uniform parts, before being dismissed.

Lost something at school...

Disclaimer: Strictly Speaking, this isn't related to LA...

Anyway, I lost a cardboard sheet at school. Normally, this wouldn't be a problem, but the cardboard sheet had three newspaper articles pasted on it. The cardboard/poster was being used for Projects Day Prelim one Presentation. Also, the articles were important and vital to our project.

If you see it, post a comment here. (I also posted a message on the HS_lost message board)

Thanks!

Jonathan

P.S Sorry for not posting for so long...

PPS The link to my IS blog is: http://jonathan1i317-isblog.blogspot.com/ It contains all the IS and tech related stuff. (We have a new IS teacher, Mr Cheong, as we are now learning HTML)

(Update!!)

Someone returned the board to my class a few days after I posted on the SMB. Thanks to the Good Samaritan who took it back to my class.