These past two years of IGCSE has been the best 2 years of my life so far, with many learnings, friends and memories made.
As we look ahead to our upcoming two years in IB, it would be great to have some sort of ideas as well as goals to guide our way through the rigorous course. (rigorous because that’s the collective thoughts I have heard from my seniors)
Academic Goals:
Like any student, to do well and score as high as possible in my academics! Though I have not really decided what I want to study…
I really hope that I will be able to get along with my new classmates as I almost share none of my classes with my friends! I see a few people that I have the chance to get along (more like stick/cling to them! (n >.< n))
Service Goals – (0WES):
I am aiming to be the chairman of the service because I want to really start focusing on 0WES image.
During my summer internship at Dentsu, I managed to read about the creative materials regarding posters, hero stories (90-sec vid with narration) and micro-stories (no narration and fast cut style). I believe that we should focus on promoting 0WES to not only those who use the crockeries but also to students to persuade them to join
I hope that it would look professional and clear. Perhaps there could be a team on this, where every 2 sessions they could update us on the progress
A document with notes I took about branding and some guidelines
I have also noticed that the 0WES portfolio doesn’t have a lot of reflection content and has not updated since December, thus neglecting some of 0WES biggest events like the Pasir Ris Fair and the Family Festival. What I would like to do for next year is to have discussions on we can consistently keep the portfolio updated as well as implement a dedicated team
Activity Goals – (Badminton):
To improve my lobs so that I can lob from backhand to backhand by training my arms
I also plan to run every day (see Fitness goals) to build-up stamina and speed.
To play first singles! That means I have to work much harder than Vamakshi and potential single players!
To maintain the same culture as last year, which is a team that supports each other by cheering for each other during matches and gets along well
Activity Goals – (Fitness):
To run every day if possible!
5km at speed of 10+km/hr in the gym or…
15 rounds of running at a constant pace around the pool (~6.5km)
Participate in the weekly family running activity (within my household) at Bedok Reservoir every Saturday morning (~4.3km)
After a run, at least do 3 sets of: 40 tricep weight lifting, 25 rowing, 20 sets of lifting above shoulder
Activity Goals – (Drawing/Craft):
To have a mini art project completed every 2 months
Hopefully, create something useful as maybe a birthday gift
Activity Goals – (Piano):
To score/pass my piano exam in November!
Also to start learning some Disney songs like “Colours of the Wind” and some anime songs like perhaps “This Game” in No Game No Life 🙂
It has been quite a time gap between January and my recent posts regarding the internship.
[Sigh] Well, it really couldn’t be helped since it was pretty busy for me, Tee Hee!
Still, let’s just kind of summarize my 5 months of inactiveness, shall we?
February
This month is when things start to pick up its pace, as awareness of exam
March
This month is definitely one of the highlights of the year as the badminton season came for us.
There has definitely been some ups and downs. With one of the major drama being the team’s lineup for SEASAC. Since the beginning of the season, there were two possible lineups established for us:
Position
Potential lineup 1
Potential lineup 2
Singles 1
Yukta
Yukta
S2
Xuan Ru
Xuan Ru
S3
Vamakshi
Kylie
Doubles 1
Kylie & Sara
Vamakshi & Sara
D2
Khantey & Eileen
Khantey & Eileen
Reserve
Judy
Judy
Kylie had always been playing and training as a singles player ever since she’s been in the team. With her in third singles, it’s a sure winning point for us. Plus, as she is graduating this year, it would be best if we respect her wishes to give her a great final year.
Vamakshi without a doubt is a singles player, something I can definitely attest to since I have played doubles with her before. Training her to be a doubles play will be difficult, especially since all the players in the team are right-handed, which means that it is harder for her potential partners to get used to a left-hander in a short time span.
Fortunately, as we are the host for 2019’s SEASAC Badminton, we still had time to change our line up, so we decided to drag it out as long as possible.
However, during our Bangkok, we found out that Khantey and Sara worked really well together. Khantey was a strong front player, tapping all the front shots down and “killing” them. Sara, on the other hand, was a strong back player, constantly retrieving the shots with her strong forehand lobs.
And that puts us in another predicament. We want to change our first doubles.
So it came down to another 2 potential lineups for us.
Position
Potential lineup 3
Potential lineup 4
Singles 1
Yukta
Yukta
S2
Xuan Ru
Xuan Ru
S3
Vamakshi
Kylie
Doubles 1
Khantey & Sara
Khantey & Sara
D2
Kylie & Eileen
Vamakshi & Eileen
Reserve
Judy
Judy
However, as we were discussing between ourselves (teammates), our coach began to feel like we were drifting apart and that we were hiding something between us.
So on Monday before SEASAC, we as a team had an emotional and final talk about the lineup and trust, ending with some of our members feeling worried and guilty about the fact that our coach had cried.
It was hard coming to terms with it as a team. I remember talking with Khantey about it. It went something along the lines of this:
K – I feel so guilty.
X – Why? Coach made her choice on what she thought best. Why should you be guilty? I’m not. We have to accept it.
K – You aren’t the one who’s involved in the change, of course, you aren’t guilty.
Thankfully, the tense atmosphere within the team wore off, with this as our final lineup.
Position
Potential lineup 4
Singles 1
Yukta
S2
Xuan Ru
S3
Kylie
Doubles 1
Khantey & Sara
D2
Vamakshi & Eileen
Reserve
Judy
The day came
I am really proud of my team this year, as we truly bond together throughout the season. The amount of encouragement and support we had for each other really pushed our team far!
Our growth as a team was truly amazing.
A photo of us celebrating as our first doubles, Khantey and Sara, secure a position for us in the finals. Truly one of the best moments of the season as we won our counterpart, Dover. That’s Yukta jump hugging Khantey, who’s holding the racket, with Kai En running towards them. On the right, there’s Coach Wei Yin fist pumping.
What came in soon was the Grade 12s’ graduation Grand Walk.
This year, I had many dear friends in the Grand Walk, all from the badminton team and the 0WES committee. I made them each a card (which I really didn’t have time to take a picture of) with feelings that I attempt to convey.
There was this indescribable feeling when I watch the Grade 12s’ go… Two more years and that will be me there…
April and May were studying months.
Study, study, study.
I dropped badminton and piano to catch up on my studies which I have been neglecting during March for badminton… (Not an honour student…)
I did lots of past papers for each subject and I have to say, my efforts paid off as I am feeling very confident with no regrets during my tests.
Now we have to wait till 13 August for the results.
We also prepared farewell gifts for my two best friends Adam and Haruki, who are moving back to England and Japan respectively. We both 2 footballs for Haruki, one signed with all of our friends’ signature and one to actually play with, while we got a Warhammer figurine for Adam, which Iman and I painted.
Izzy organised the dinner at PS cafe Martin Rd on 14 June for the farewell dinner.
It’s funny how time just flies. Sooner or later, I will be graduating, living a life that I might not be able to predict.
I had a great time these 2 years, in fact, they are currently the best 2 years of my life.
I hope that even if we (friends) drift apart, we will reconnect again and still be friends.
Through the case study of The Girl in the River, we can see the evidence of the ongoing debate about whether human rights should be universal or culturally relative.
Although I do agree that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) should be universal as its name suggest, it can never be. Why do I say so? Because everybody’s interpretation of the UDHR is subjective.
Here’s an example: A farmer’s land was decided to be used to build a facility, but the farmer refused. Naturally, if we look at this from the farmer’s perspective, we may think the man behind the project is in the wrong. But what if it was a public recreational facility for the people of the area to enjoy. What if the person was genuinely wanting to help the community.
But if we were to follow the UDHR strictly, this man has just violated Article 17.2, (2) No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his property.
Another one is Article 18 and 19, which is about the freedom of speech. It just can’t help, that everybody is not only unique but has their own thoughts and opinions. Everyone can get hurt from what the other’s are saying. Not only that, because of the usage of the term ‘freedom of speech’, unnecessary conflicts can occur. For example, nowadays, young people all around the globe connect with each other using the power of the Internet and social media to spread reverse racism. Now this has become quite a huge topic, with no one knowing which party is in the right and which is not. A recent news article about the issue would be about the Starbucks incident. Perhaps I am wrong, but I feel that the two victimised men were glorified for their accusation to Starbucks of their arrest for idling around the cafe without buying anything as an act of racism.
Universal Declaration of Human Rights is idealistic, but it has yet to prove whether its violations are right or wrong in some cases. After all, we would still need to check and balance it.
In conclusion, the UDHR should be culturally relative.
Singaporean painter, Danny Raven Tan showcasing his paintings in his home art gallery, Tiffin Gallery Photo: Joy Fang, 11 February 2016
“Even the darkest night will end, and the sun will rise”, somewhere, in some time, I have heard this quote being said. One might be sceptical of this quote as I was before, but there is a living proof of this saying to prove us wrong. And that would be this man, Danny Raven Tan, a 50 years old local Singaporean painter who has quit his job to not only pursue his artistic dreams but to take care of his mother who is diagnosed with dementia.
Moreover, he is a pancreatic cancer fighter and survivor of 8 years.
The Battler of Cancer
“I have 6 tubes stuck in my body when I woke up.” Danny recounted his experience of his first diagnostic of pancreatic cancer in a talk he was giving in the East campus of the United World College of South East Asia. I didn’t know what was happening, he said
In his talk, he had revealed that he did not let both of his parents know about his condition, narrating the one time when he had to drag an empty luggage bag to the lift with the excuse of going away to another country for work, when in actuality, he was going away for his chemotherapy.
Later on in the talk, one of my classmates had asked whether he had, in the end, told his parents of his situation. Shaking his head furiously, he retorted, “Why not? They will only worry!” Despite not telling his parents, he has stated that his strength of living had come from his wish of not wanting his parents to worry.
When his father had passed on due to respiratory failure, Danny fell into depression. It was like an “emotional rollercoaster”, according to him. On the December of the same year, he had even decided to stop his chemotherapy.
Doctors had shown concern for him, telling him that his decision might cause his death. But in response, he answered, “I’m already half dead.” What’s the point? Who wants to live like that?
He’s not alone
There are many like Danny Raven Tan who is going through the same mixture of cancer and depression.
A depressed cancer patient looking out of window Photo: 2017 HealthDay
With the total of 14.5 million people living beyond their cancer diagnostic in 2014 in the United States, about 15 to 20 percent of them have depression. In comparison with the general population of the U.S, the number is about 2 to 3 times higher, according to the United States National Cancer Institute.A depressed cancer patient looking out of a window
To further support this finding, research done at the University Hospital Cancer Center in Newark, New Jersey, had 400 cancer patients that were treated in between 2013 and 2016 with the age ranging from 20 to 86 assessed for depression. The study had shown that around 40 percent of the patients do have depression, with 3 of every 4 never diagnosed nor treated for it.
So why isn’t aren’t they diagnosed in the first place?
The reason why depression goes under the radar for cancer patients is, unfortunately, many. One of them is that health professionals may mistake it as shock and sadness from receiving such news on their health condition. Because of the belief that if the roles were to be reversed, they too, would feel the same way, depression is considered as a normal response and would not be diagnosed.
Another presumption is that all people with cancer are depressed. This belief causes people to see little of the signs of depression and the impact the mental condition will have on the patients’ quality of life. This promotes the underdiagnosis and undertreatment of depression in cancer patients.
An additional reason for why depression is undiagnosed is due to the difficulty of differentiating the physical symptoms of depression from being caused by the illness or its treatment. Examples of such problems arising are the loss of appetite due to chemotherapy, fatigue could be caused by cancer, lack of sleep due to the unrelieved pain. Despite the 2 reasons above having some factors, this is primarily the reason why there are underdiagnosis and undertreatment of depression in cancer patients.
Depression can be treated*
Despite the difficulty in distinguishing depression from the side effects of cancer, it can be prevented, with diagnosis and treatment being the key.Photo credit Matthias Zomer
“These efforts are particularly important for patients in urban centres, those who are female and those who are unable to work because of their disease,” Jason Domogauer, an M.D./Ph.D. student at Rutgers University New Jersey Medical School, referred to his previous finding in the survey conducted.
Family and friends support is also crucial and is found that patients with more social support tend to feel less anxious or depressed and is reported to have a better quality of life.
As a family member or friend, you could gently invite the patient to talk about their fears and concerns, though keeping in mind that if the patient is not ready to talk, you do not force them to. When listening, do not judge the patient’s feelings or your own, but it is okay to point out and disagree with the self-defeating thoughts. To distract the patients, you could engage them in the activities that they enjoy. If the patient starts to take antidepressants, encourage them to continue treatment until symptoms improve (which may take 2 to 4 weeks).
When Danny felt depressed, he decided to get a tattoo in order to believe that the scar on his body would go away due to it being a constant reminder of his nightmare. But his friends told him that instead of hiding it away, he should proudly show it while giving Danny a photoshoot to document his battling body. This helped lift him up from the shadows of depression and allow him to pursue his dreams of being an artist.
Although providing support to the patient is valued, it is even vital for you to take care of your health, keeping in mind that caregivers too, can become depressed. This is important as the mood and atmosphere you bring in can affect the patient. So take time to care for yourself maybe even by spending time with friends or doing things you enjoy. You could perhaps also consider getting support through groups or one-on-one counselling.
On the other hand, as patients with cancer, you should not feel as though you have to control these feelings on your own. It is urgent for you to reach out and get help for your life and your health. You could talk about feelings and fears that you or family members have. It’s OK to feel sad, angry, and frustrated, but don’t take it out on those close to you. You could consider seeking help through counselling and support groups too. When given medicine, take all medicines as prescribed and do not suddenly stop taking them. Antidepressants take at least 2 to 4 weeks to work, so give it time.
It is normal to grieve the changes that cancer has brought. The future what was once so sure has now become uncertain. In fact, some dreams and plans may be lost forever. But stay strong and ask for the help you need to cope with these feelings.
As Danny Raven Tan has said, in life, we will face many challenges, “(but) God sends his best soldiers to fight the toughest war”
* These are assistance that is verified by The American Cancer Society medical and editorial content team that you can give to the patients.
I used to think…but now I think… OR I was expecting…but came to learn that…
Before the session, I thought that it was going to be about another story with a triumph over tragic (TOT) story. And this time I was right. Christina after sustaining a spinal injury in a car accident in 2005 in Malaysia which left her paralyzed neck down, fell into a deep depression due to herself feeling like she was a burden as she states “(When my parents visited me, it became) my first time seeing (them) tear up.”
After lifting herself up, she turned to art as a hobby and ping pong as a competitive hobby. It was great to see how much confidence she now has and what
Headlines
How a small pep talk from Danny Raven Tan changed my views
When faced with death, people can become either pessimistic, cynical, wiser or have courage. And Danny Raven Tan has them all as he shares some of his experience with us.
The push that he needed to be who he is today
In 2010 when Danny Raven Tan was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, cancer that is normally only detected at its final stages, he was devastated and had fallen into depression. But sometimes, it’s when you are at the darkest that you become the brightest.
Inquiry Factory
Why did you choose to draw instead of something else like singing? Ping pong instead of basketball
Why in the first place do you not spend time with your family?
What is the fine line of being rude and being concerned?
Would you considered ?
Some children/students are facing pressure from their parents to study subjects such as accounting like when you were younger. What advice would you have for them?
I am aware that there are such things as ‘filter bubbles’ and ‘cool hunting’, but I still think I am in control of what I believe to be ‘cool’. After all, people still have different preferences in what they like or not.
For example, there was the fidget spin craze. There were advertisements everywhere at one point and people ‘battling’ with their fidget spinners. There were people out there who have like a zillion fidget spinners, but there are also people out there who believes that it was not a necessity, thus not buying it.
If I have searched up the hunger games trilogy in my search engines, there would definitely be advertisements on it due to the existence of filter bubbles, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that I would be interested in buying them, after all, I might have just wanted a look at what it’s all about.
I believe that each person’s likes and dislikes are unique and that no two people are the same. And even if they are, they have them in a different ranking. I think that the ‘cool hunters’ are just a survey which gathers what majority of, in this case, teenagers’ believe is cool and would like to buy. So there is bound to be a minority that does not fall into the ‘category’
In conclusion, I still believe that I am in control what’s cool to me.
Shape of whom? (for when you meet writers and artists)
Today’s writer’s fortnight talk was given by the man known as ‘The Change Maker’ (according to his biography on his website), and a writer of 16 books, Mukul Deva. I felt like I got to know him due to his personality and language but also not so much as besides his brief introduction of his background, he did not explicitly state anything else.
So comparing with theEd Sheeran’s process of Shape of You, the talk about how to write stories is a more foreign territory despite previous lessons in English class for the past 4 years (Looking back, I feel quite dumb…). “Everybody is a storyteller,” he reasoned as he walks us through the process of how he writes his story “(and) I believe the best way to learn is by doing it”
He split the process into two: the art part and science part of how to write a story. The art part is where you have the plot, settings, characters and incident imagined into your head. I was expecting a session that leaves me with confusions of how to implement what has just be learned just before into my own writing. I was not expecting to have ideas filling my head.
I really enjoyed his explanation and how he had chosen to answer when questions are asked. Like when someone asks who he admires in the writing world, he had answered with “Other than myself?”. That had got me laughing all the way. And in other times, he is as wise as an owl, stating that from his 16 and a half years of military, “(He was) taught that the gun does not solve any problems.”, that it hurts as much as the victim in front of him each time he pulls the trigger.
Headlines
The Art and Science of a story: Mukul Deva
“Everybody is a storyteller.” Mukul Deva begins as he introduced us to the art and science of writing a book whilst adding some humour to it.
How a boy dropped out at 16 became one of the best-selling authors
When Mukul Deva dropped out of school at the age of 16, one cannot have predicted that after his 16 and a half years of military service, he would rise and become one of the best-selling authors for thrillers and military action.
Inquiry Factory
As you have experience dropping out of school first-hand, would you encourage others to follow your footsteps too?
Who was there to support you as you advance through the stages in your life decisions?
When writing stories, what is the fine line between writing stories and getting yourself into a messy political situation?
How did you feel when you were quitting your 16 years of military service after rising up to a high position to start a company?
How did it feel when you had dropped out of school at the young age of 16?
I used to think…but now I think… OR I was expecting…but came to learn that…
When I saw the words building estate manager, artist and cancer, I was expecting a talk about how the illness has encouraged a new form of inspiration and bravery to pursue a dream ambition like Steve Dawson, except a more what I’d say heartfelt and motive made sensed one. But it was much deeper, with him talking about how he loves his parents, about how he was trying to find a job which he could love, that he had once fallen into depression, about his dementia mother and his battle with cancer.
I now think that when you are faced with death, you can become a little cynical, but I believe that it can also make people wiser and more insightful than ever while making people go for their dreams. “If I were to have a backup plan, I don’t think I will succeed.”
Headlines
How a small pep talk from Danny Raven Tan changed my views
When faced with death, people can become either pessimistic, cynical, wiser or have courage. And Danny Raven Tan has them all as he shares some of his experience with us.
The push that he needed to be who he is today
In 2010 when Danny Raven Tan was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, cancer that is normally only detected at its final stages, he was devastated and had fallen into depression. But sometimes, it’s when you are at the darkest that you become the brightest.
Inquiry Factory
What advice do you have for budding artists?
Do you think that there will be a day when you can finally keep no more secrets with your parents?
If you didn’t contract pancreatic cancer or any diseases, where do you think you would be?
You have mentioned that your mother was more ‘fun’ now as she takes selfies with you, but do you miss the times before she acquires dementia?
Some children/students are facing pressure from their parents to study subjects such as accounting like when you were younger. What advice would you have for them?
I used to think…but now I think… OR I was expecting…but came to learn that…
Truth to be told, when Mr Watson had asked the three students from my class to step out of the class to talk, I already knew who was talking what based on certain information I had once been told of.
I was expecting the first speaker, Calum, to talk about how scared he had felt, only to learn that he was only one year old at the time of the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami incident. The moment he had mentioned his age at that time, I suddenly wasn’t that excited anymore. What else could he talk about? And of course, there were lots. He talked about the locals, the unexisting guilt that makes sense as he has said ‘There’s not much we could have done’ and the fact that he was just one. Another thing that had surprised me was that Calum had voiced that if he was to experience the incident again at his current age, it would probably be much more chaotic. Normally people would think the opposite, but he had reasoned that when he was younger, there wouldn’t much complain nor add to the stress and tension the family was feeling at that time.
Headlines
Venture into the past when superstitions saved lives
Victoria’s great-grandmother, a Russian survivor of the horrific World War II manages to get her paralyzed husband back into shape when doctors claim there was no cure.
A natural disaster that did not have me, but my family scared
Calum was once involved in the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami in Malaysia. Despite having only certain memories of the event, he tells us about how he felt looking back.
Inquiry Factory
Most of the questions I have is directed to our third speaker, Zoe, whose headline was that ‘As a baby, I was abandoned in a box wrapped in a red blanket, a sign of good luck’, which I don’t really dare to ask despite her lax attitude when being asked questions about her past.
How did you feel when you found out you were adopted?
How do you feel about the recent abolishment of the one-child policy in China? (Following up with) Do you feel that it was unfair to you?
What do you think about the other children out there that haven’t been adopted yet?
How do you feel when one of your superstitions failed or did not work?
Photo credit Matthias Zomer