LO1 – Identifying your own strengths and develop areas for personal growth
LO4 – Show commitment to and perseverance in you CAS experiences
Video Link – as usual, highly recommended to just read the notes below 🙂
Summary
Start the new year with a tournament at Dover!
Played against Dover, and two other local school (who are both on a whole different level! It is quite a learning watching how they play – how to replicate it though is gonna be hard)
Lost to Dover –> Coach said it was a good thing as we previously won against them so it teaches us not to be “too complacent”
Season 3 tryouts!
Lost to Vamakshi — though in 3 sets so close!
A little disappointed but glad to see her improvement and growth (big picture about the team’s future + lots of potential)
Doesn’t mean I’m gonna stop though! GOAL: TO TRAIN AND WIN VAMAKSHI BEFORE I GRADUATE!
Having a goal you can measure is actually motivating.
Due to COVID-19, can only play matches with Dover
Played against Aarini – lost to her ultimately but really proud that it was a neck to neck battle! (well until I ran out of stamina in the 3rd set)
Current situation in COVID 19 world
Still exercising – just less intensity – going out to the park almost every evening.
I can include a couple videos of my match if need be…. 🙂
LO2 – Demonstrate that you have undertaken, developing new skills in the process
LO5 – Demonstrate the skills and recognize the benefits of working collaboratively
LINK to video – recommend you read the summary again cuz it’s 500++mb again – hehe
Summary
It was really a new experience – first time on stage and dancing even!
There’s really a beauty in group dances – honestly just dancing by myself in front of the mirror is like really odd, but as a group, it’s just so cool!
I didn’t really expect myself to walk away with more friends! Not only people from my dance group but also other groups as well!
I have developed an admiration for people who have to stay back for performance practice! It is really draining despite really only appearing in the show for 10 minutes max!
I have also developed a respect for myself for being able to balance my life, especially during that timing when one of my parents was away
I think this was really a new side for me, as to quote my badminton coach – “It was quite refreshing to see you do something other than badminton – to dance as well!” me too, coach. Me too 😛
After the December break, planning for project week was very rushed and last minute as the deadline was 2 weeks away
We all had to take on the role of a logistic officer
I handled the budget and schedule, which I can say proudly that it is one of the best things about Project Week ever
Mapping was also fun! It helped a lot in terms of scheduling where and when to eat as such –> Sample
Lots of contacting and interactions
* A learning that I think I didn’t mention: I think I learned to be more toleratable to things not going my way, especially with scheduling as there were many variables and opinions needed to be taken into consideration.
Regarding collaborating with group members, I think that
COVID 19 impact on Project Week
Good: I don’t need to worry about project week deadlines anymore
Bad: I’m pretty sure I am missing out on something here
It’s been almost 7 months since we have started CASing (that should be a word) and it comes to a time when tired and groggy students start wondering whether the program has affected us positively.
In my opinion, CAS does have its plus sides, after all, I managed to convince my parents to let me take on activities that I didn’t dare or never thought of taking like the Memory Project, Swimming with Hougang Care Center and Kahaani. And that has been very rewarding, making me feel like I am making at least a difference in peoples’ lives
In terms of physical wellness, I feel that CAS is pushing me. Whether it’s a little too much, I haven’t clarified that yet. I already do badminton throughout the year, 3 times a week in the current season. I used to do a quick 30 minutes run after school as a family activity. However with the IB program, and the additional activities I do now, I found it hard to motivate myself to do extra running.
From a mental standpoint, CAS initially made me feel like the activities I love has become a chore, with the need to reflect and all. However progressively, I find myself getting used to reflecting internally, so that really is something that is beneficial. (not the writing part though! That is still a pain)
LO1 – Identifying your own strengths and develop areas for personal growth
LO4 – Show commitment to and perseverance in you CAS experiences
Season 2 has started, which meant that I have an additional of 2 badminton sessions in a week, Tuesday and Thursday. Although initially, we had them at 18:00 – 19:30. However, due to a large number of students (~35) coming to pre-season training, the coach decided to hold morning training sessions for potential members for A team badminton in order to not only reduce the pressure on the space there was but also to provide more rigorous training to make sure that we are up to shape by Season 3.
I think that somehow, maybe because there are fewer people, I got a lot close to my potential teammates. Together, we lament about how early it is in the morning as well as exchange some skills (like Alysha is very good at saving smashes) and motivations.
A picture of the Grade 11s in the morning training. (Fr left to right: Maxine, Sara, Me, Alysha)
Sadly, I didn’t manage to follow up with my plans from my first post because I was exhausted with not only my activities like piano exams but also the incoming waves of IB like IAs, project week etc. Nevertheless, I somehow manage to get back to shape again, which may be thanks to the fact that I really always try to push myself each session.
Though I still need to improve my stamina, as proved when I lost against a player due to being tired out from a match before hers. That’s why I will be trying to fit some exercises into my schedule this “winter” break, especially since training is basically halted during holidays.
There is a tournament in the weekend before school starts, hosted by the coaching company our school employs, Alpha Academy, as well as our rival and friend, UWCSEA Dover campus. This will definitely be an exciting opportunity to see where I am against others and have a gauge of how much I need to improve on before the main season.
LO6 – Demonstrate engagement with issues of global significance
LO7 – Recognise and consider the ethics of your choices and actions
All of us were excited when Project Week was finally formally introduced to us. However, needless to say, as it was the week before the October break, we let it slipped our mind. Fast forward to the 4th week after the holiday, after 3 weeks with not a single word about Project Week, which we were all of the sudden, without any realization, plunged into the fast-paced schedule of Project Week planning.
I was initially planning on going diving with friends while working together with a GC called Gili Eco Trust. However, due to my lack of interest in diving, the fact that I have never dived as well as the high cost of learning how to dive, I decided to leave the group in search of something else.
I approached my friends Izzy and Riya, who plans to go to where Izzy’s GC is, Chumkriel Language School, to teach them circus as well as to bike around Cambodia. Since I have had past experiences with the GC, I decided that it would be a good idea for me to join their group.
However, after I had joined their group and we submitted our proposal, the plans to teach the students there circus tricks had to be reconsidered, when Vasu, the key role to this idea, was pulled to join a group who is going to Blue Dragon as a following up of a recent collaboration between the school’s circus club and the GC. In return, we had 2 other members, Colin and Eric, joined us due to their interest in cycling.
An E-mail informing us of the addition of two new members
The reshuffling of roles as well the size of the group of 7 meant that I have changed roles from being the minutes’ taker to sharing the role of a first aider and action leader with Colin. I really needed time to get used to not taking over the current minutes’ taker’s role as I am just so used to doing it whether it is because I am the secretary of 0WES or that I always end up in that role during group projects. It is hilarious though whenever Riya or Izzy caught me taking minutes instead of Eric.
I also felt that despite the short time period of working together, I have learned quite a lot on how to manage my thinking and attitude. I tend to be the type of person who is a perfectionist, someone that likes to get things done early in order to provide a foundation to further build on if there is time to spare. So imagine my anxiety when I see that some of my peers weren’t using the time allocated for project week appropriately. I have a strong fear of being last minute. Along with the awareness of the tight schedule we had, I was extremely anxious. However, after talking to my mentor as well as friends I managed to understand and learn a lot about myself as well as how to interact.
I have learned that when working, although I may not personally like them, I have to at least set aside our differences in working and work with professionalism. Similarly, different people have different methods which suit them. If there are differences, then we should at least trust them that they will complete the task because after all, we all have a common goal that we want to work towards.
In addition, I really feel very fortunate to have Ms Yacou as our supervisor. Not only was she very objective, but she also got us on track again, as we lay out what we have done and what we still needed to do.
Asking Ms Yacou to be our project week supervisor
Although this has been a little too bumpy of a start to my liking, I think that this is a very good experience and I am looking forward to how we move onwards.
LO1 – Identifying your own strengths and develop areas for personal growth
LO4 – Show commitment to and perseverance in you CAS experiences
Recording for reflection
Notes for convenience
Season 1 – signed up for Sunday competitive training with East Badminton Club
Background with badminton
– Started in Grade 6, start formally training in Grade 7
– In SEASAC A team as singles last year
Took a break from badminton for 1 month
– Drastically impacted performance
– Season 1 only started 4 weeks into school, which means 4 weeks of no training since I train with the school club
– Yet to adjust to balancing IB life and others, thus lack exercising
After training
– Tired and demotivated
– A 5 minutes video of my 11 point match with Coach Alvin
– Typical game length 10 minutes,
– Laughing at ambitiousgoals from end of IGCSE (and actually start of IB?!)
So what is my plan?
– Gradually increasing training days
– Fitness
– Planks (normal and side-on) – currently 45 seconds, increase 5 seconds every week
– Calf lift 50 times each leg, every other day
– Tricep dips 30 times, to increase elevation
