It was that time of the year where the family gets together and children get money from their relatives. It was Chinese New Year!
As a Chinese , the first thing to do was to give oranges to my parents. You must be wondering why we give fruits to our parents. Well, in cantonese, orange is pronounced as "kam" which sounds similar to the word for gold.
(Above) My cousin offering oranges.
(Above) Me offering oranges.
Therefore, when we give oranges to our parents, it represents wishing them prosperity for the new year.
The next thing we were supposed to do was to visit my grandparents house. Unfortunately, since both of my grandparents were DEAD , we went to the temple to pay our respects to them.
Well, most people would host a reunion party but we took the extra effort of visiting ALL of our relatives. It was like driving around the whole of singapore TWICE.
Most of the relatives we visited were not very familiar to me but oddly enough , they remembered my name and even my age!
To tell you the truth , most of the visits were quite boring for me as the adults would start talking about their own matters, leaving me and my cousins alone. Most of my cousins are much older than me, some have even married! They too would start talking about their own things. With nothing much to do, I usually listen to my mp3 player or take a walk around the neighbourhood.
The last relative we had to visit was my first uncle . He's quite a friendly guy and pleasant to talk with. When we arrived at his place, his house was already packed with people so we had to sit outside. Our family must be really big because within 30 minutes , more guests arrived! I was surprised that we had so many relatives. It turns out that they were DISTANT relatives and couldn’t recognize most of our faces anyway.
After all the relatives had left, it was time for us to go for dinner. We stopped at a Peranakan restaurant and ordered Ayam Buahkeluak(Chicken) , Itek Sio(Duck) , Babi Ponteh(Pork) and a variety of delicious nyona favourites. After the meal, we say goodbye to my uncle and his family ( They came with us for dinner) and went our separate ways.
Back home when I finally opened all the hong paos I collected, I was amazed at how much money I received.
(Above) My Hong Paos!!!!!!
Having close to $300 was a good start to the year of the Ox! After a great and tiring night, the whole family gathered in the living room for the countdown to the year of the Ox.
To the reader , I wish you a very happy Chinese New Year!
Sometimes, words can trigger your mind to recall certain events or actions. When I hear the word "tiring" or "exhausting" , I think of last year's camp. I could still remember my first day in camp.
First , we assembled in the canteen and boarded the school bus to the camp. There were many new faces that time, which made me quite nervous. Once we had arrived at the camp we were assigned to our bunks first. My bunk number was 7. At about noon, we had our lunch , some kind of bean rice with asparagus and fish. In my opinion , it tasted horrible.
After we cleaned the tables unwillingly, it was time for our first activity, kayaking. At first it was difficult to row our boat but slowly we got the hang of it. In the middle of the sea, the instructor asked us to stand up on the kayaks. We managed to stand up for 2 seconds before plummeting down into the treacherous waters.
The instructor was extremely disappointed in us and those who had fallen in the water had to swim to shore. After kayaking, Mr. Khor had a "lesson" with us on what the symbols on the school flag represent. Though trying his best, Mr.Khor had FAILED to interest us in the lesson which lasted 2 hours long.
By the time we had finished, other classes were already half way through their dinner. We had no choice but to eat the leftovers. Once again, it tasted horrible but we were thankful as the peer leaders had nothing to eat!! I felt sorry for them and wondered why they came to the camp in the first place.
Well , I do hope that was everything that happened on the first day of camp as I can’t remember anything else! The Sec 1 camp was really tiring and some people even found it emotionally disturbing. However, the camp was useful as it helped us build up the stamina to study intensively for long hours and pay attention in class.
Therefore, I am grateful for those who organised the camp as well as the peer leaders for assisting us in……one way or another. That concludes my first day of the sec1 camp . I wonder what will happen in the sec 3 camp? I’ll just have to wait and see!
Apart from studies , co-curricular activities (CCA) are also part of a Victorian's life.
For me, my CCA is the Victoria School Concert Band (VSCB) .
The band was established in 1965 as the Victoria School Drum and Fife Band. Over the years, the band has changed from being a brass band , to a military band and finally, the band it is today. Not only does the band give us opportunities to make music together, but it also helps us build strong team spirit and leadership qualities.
The Band showcases the musical talents of its members and sets high standards for us ,this year we are aiming to get the Gold With Honours Award at the Singapore Youth Festival (SYF) Central Judging Of School Bands.
Every year, we will hold a concert called "Musical World". These performances not only show the public our standard of performance, but also makes us reflect upon ourselves whether we have put in enough effort towards practicing.
Life in band is quite relaxed. We only need to practice for an hour everyday and there are only 2 sectional sessions per week. Band is fun as I get to play music with my friends everyday , almost like hanging out together on a daily basis. The only problem with band is that I have difficulty prioritizing between school work and practice. On one hand, I want to spend as much time as possible practicing in order to improve my musical standard but on the other hand, my studies should come first. I try to solve this problem by completing my homework first before practicing.
In my view , Band is a excellent CCA as it provides me with a unique experience and helps me to bond with my fellow peers.
Last week we had our Chinese New Year Celebrations!
Unfortunately, some things did not go as planned.
I had overslept because my alarm clock malfunctioned !! I had to rush to school for morning band practice (Playing National Anthem , etc) but when I arrived I was 15 minutes late. At least I didn't get punished!
Later during English lesson , I realized I had forgotten to do my Commonwealth Essay and I had to go for detention on Thursday immediately after school - the same time which my Maths Test starts! I blamed myself for being so forgetful . ( Well, I hit myself on the head actually. )
At 9am I was permitted to leave the class as I was asked to help out backstage for the Chinese New Year Concert. At around 9:30am we were briefed and assigned our tasks. We were quite relaxed, since the only thing we needed to do was to set up the chairs.
The Chinese New Year Concert was quite entertaining , although I wasn't paying much attention to it . It started off with the Chinese Orchestra playing two songs which I have never heard of.
The Chinese Orchestra performing (Above)
Next came the 3 Baskateers! From what I heard, they recently took part in a "Science Buskers" competition which they came in first! I was curious to see what they were doing but the stage curtains blocked my view.
After that , a pair of hip hop dancers came on stage. They were absolutely fantastic, sadly , just as one dancer was about to land his finishing move , he sprained his ankle and still had to finish the performance! With a quick bow he was rushed backstage, immediately crying in pain. Shortly after he was fetched to the clinic.
The second group of hip hop dancers (Above)
While the audience had no clue what was going on backstage, another group of hip hop dancers came up on stage. Their performance was , to put it politely , quite feminine.
When the dance ended, our school's CLDDS actors performed a sketch. I was not able to hear what they were saying but I assumed it was a comedy since the audience were laughing almost non stop.
The final item came as a surprise to all of us. Some guests from the old folks home came up on stage and started to sing some hokkien songs! Their voices were superb and I could even recognize some of the songs they sang! I guess the school really saved the best for last!
When the entire concert was over, I was ready to leave school. I had made plans with my old classmates to visit my primary school to wish all the teachers there a happy chinese new year. Unfortunately, just as I was about to leave school , my senior told me I had to stay back for band practice!! I wanted to ditch the practice but my senior said that if I don’t stay back , I won’t be able to perform for SYF! I stayed back reluctantly and sulked for hours. However, the school attendants saved me by closing the school at 4 pm.
What a confusing day that was. It seemed luck could never decide where it should go. Happy Chinese New Year everybody!
Want to know what games to play? Check out our list of the top 3 shooter games !
3 - Combat Arms
With over 1 million players registered, Combat Arms has proved to be one of the most popular games of the year.
In Combat Arms there is no storyline, instead the only goal in the game is to eliminate the enemy. Although there is no real objective to this game, its maps allows for different tatics to be employed, with multiple routes to travel by or hiding spots for your teammates to ambush the enemy.
While the graphics and the sound effects are impressive, the only downside to Combat Arms is its persistent economy. Scoring kills and winning rounds earns you money which you can use to aquire better weapons and equipment for future rounds. However, be careful on what you buy , two weapons of the same price may differ in accuracy and damage.
Overall, Combat Arms is a great game that you'll find yourself strangely addicted to if you like fast paced shooter games.
2 - Call of Duty 4 -Modern Warfare
Infinity Ward's Call of Duty 4:Modern Warfare takes you to a whole new world of chaos. This new version of a more gripping and intense shooter game brings you right into the heart of the action. With new enemies, deadlier weapons and amazing battle locations, Call of Duty 4:Modern Warfare will show you that war IS hell.
Many of the amazing tools of war are used in Call of Duty 4. You will man the weapons of the AC-130 Gunship which flies above battlefields, firing 105mm rounds right into the heart of your enemies on the grounds. You can also use a weapon from the wide variety in your arsenal, both light and heavy weaponry, along with a great range of scopes and augmentation to increase your accuracy. My personal favourite is the M4 Carbine with laser sights for added accuracy.
Unlike the previous versions of Call of Duty, Call of Duty 4 tells a continuous story from the perspective of the British S.A.S and also the US Marines, hopping from one point to another. The story itself revolves around stolen Russian nukes and Middle-Eastern terrorists bent on destroying you. There aren't much 'twists' in the storyline but quite a number of shocking moments in the story. You may find yourself in disbelief not only at some of the events that take place, but in the direct manner in which the most startling moments are often told.
The real difference with this game and its predecessors is in its combat. The intensity of this shooter game had me on the edge of my seat , mainly because there are a lot of enemies, with half of them carrying rocket launchers, and they were also able to adapt to their environment quickly, due to more refined Artificial Intelligence. Granted, there are some enemies just standing in the open waiting to be gunned down, but most of them know how to stay covered when in a heated battle and also know that YOU, a well-trained soldier, won't fight in the open. This is the precise reason why most of them have rocket launchers, and toss so many of those grenades to try and flush you out. Lucky for you, you can throw live grenades back at your enemies and let them have a taste of their own medicine.
All in all, Call of Duty 4 is a really awesome game which you should get, to experience the warfare, missions and weaponry.
1. Metal Gear Solid 4 : Guns Of The Patriots
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It was twenty-one years ago when the gaming world was first introduced to the legendary soldier of fortune , Solid Snake. While this game marks the end of the Metal Gear Solid series , it still boasts new and improved gameplay features, ensuring that the gamer is immersed in the game until the very last level . Indeed, Metal Gear Solid 4 : Guns Of The Patriots is a classic in the making , setting the standards that all stealth games should be judged by in the future.
Set six years in the future from the previous game, war and conflict are no longer around hot spots around the world. Instead, the entire planet has been morphed into a giant battlefield.
War has become its own industry, replacing the global economy with the contracts of private military companies , who offer their services to the highest bidder. In order to gain more contracts, these mercenaries constantly try to prove their effectiveness on the battlefield, causing more destruction into the already chaotic world. This is what Snake has been called out for, one final mission to eliminate one last threat.
Of course, in order to survive in the heat of battles , Snake has been given new equipment such as the Octocamo, a special body suit which is not only able to blend into the environment but is also capable of replicating extremely complex objects, such as a muscle mannequin. Snake has also been given the Metal Gear MkII , a miniature robot which aids Snake in stealth operations.
Not only does the game have new equipment, new or improved gameplay features have been added. For example, in previous Metal Gear Solid games, Snake would have to find his weapons scattered around “safe zones”. However in Metal Gear Solid 4, nanomachines restrict each soldier’s weapons to their ID code. As a result, Snake would need to rely on Drebin , a gun launderer who would remove these restrictions from the gun as well as supply Snake with weapons and ammunition. Not only can Snake instantly purchase new arms that can be instantly be used, he can also modify his weapons, adding everything from laser scopes to noise suppressors and grenade launchers.
Legends die hard. That’s why Metal Gear Solid 4 is such a ending for a legendary warrior like Snake. Not only does it sum up the entire Metal Gear Solid series, it’s depth and its complexity make it indeed one of the best games ever made.
PS: Sorry for the entire post being so messy. I'm not very good with formatting. D:
Done by: Aziz( Call Of Duty 4 Review ) Ming Ren ( Metal Gear Solid 4 and Combat Arms Review )
It has been 12 minutes since I started writing this post. Ever since the start of the year, I have been unable to express myself through words , it appears I have a total loss of english fluency. I have thought of several things to write , but only a limited range of words appear in my head. Since this is my first post, I might as well try to adapt to the idea of writing your deepest, darkest, innermost secrets on a site where anyone is free to read. Is the purpose of a blog to comfort the individual , acting as a friend to share his/her thoughts or is it a form of enlightment for the reader, providing valuable insights into a stranger's life? In my perspective, I find the blog as an upgraded version of the diary where you are able to customize it to suit your current mood or atmosphere. Right now I am feeling quite sleepy so I will stop writing here.
