Author: osul92336@gapps.uwcsea.edu.sg

Surfaid HS 2

This year I have continued my journey with Surfaid as I loved the community that I had found and I loved being part of a team that was helping a global concern.However this year I have found it more difficult than in grade 1 to attend due to the commitment that grade 12 requires. My work load has been a lot higher and I have wanted to attend the sessions however I have not been able to go to as many events as I wanted to however I have attended activities such as the shower building scenario however despite my willing engagement. Time has not been on my side which is why I have found it difficult despite still having friends in the GC and a global concern that I am still passionate about.

7. An experience that will involve consideration of ethical implications

Surfaid HS 1

Today’s lunch time marked my very first meeting for my new global concern called surf-aid. I feel a lot more comfortable in this new GC as it I have more friends here and I understand the goals and the mission aim of this GC.The experience was very enjoyable and some goals I aim to achieve by doing this activity are that I would like to help the surfed cause by participating in all external fundraisers for the GC and aiming to share information about the cause to me peers. I also aim to gain more knowledge about the area that my GC is aiming to help, I have a rudimentary understanding of what the cause is about, however, I hope to develop this in the future.

One thing I noticed is that most members of the group actively participate in the swim team, despite this they made me feel very welcome and they were all very kind.The environment was very laid back, although I believe this is because it was the first meeting.We all had to complete ice breakers and a give a brief description as to why we wanted to do this GC and mine was that I thought that It would be beneficial for me to make new friends at this new school and also that I had never been in a Global concern before and I was intrigued as to how It all worked.My goals for the first session was to simply greet new people and show that I was engaged and someone who had the capacity to be committed.I achieved this by showing up punctual and not being shy by participating in most of the conversations. My aim for next time is to develop further knowledge about my GC.

6. Involvement with international projects

Surfaid HS 2

I really enjoyed participating in Surf-aid last year which is a large reason for me wanting to join this year, however, I know that with this being my last year it is my last opportunity to commit to a project like this in school and I hope that I can develop interpersonal skills when it comes to talking about serious matters and planning and organising. If I continue to work within this project and I can develop my skills in working in a group and also with people I am comfortable around and I also feel that if I continue to work at the same rate that I did last year with Surf-aid then I will be very happy with the way I have conducted myself within this  Global concern. I’m good friends with everyone in the service so I think that attending will be fun and pretty similar to last year however I feel that it could be difficult as giving up my lunchtimes will be difficult considering that my free time is limited with the workload that I now have to take on, however, I’m looking very optimistic to what the future of me Participating in Surf-aid looks like and I think that I can make a real difference this year and participate to continue working with my friends for a goal that I care a lot about.

Royal Hunt of the sun

Tuesday 4th September – First production meeting

Today also marked the first day of the production I was accepted into called “The royal hunt of the sun” I was quite nervous going in as I had only been in one production prior to this.  A goal for this task was simply to try to throw myself into it and really embrace this opportunity to aid my acting skills. I had initially signed up as I felt that it would be quite beneficial for me because I’m taking HL Theatre and my drama teacher thought that all those who were doing her class should at least audition for one of the productions.

Once arriving at the drama room I was greeted by Ms.Parr who would be directing the play and she seemed very nice so I was looking forward to participating in the production and working with the group. One of my initial observations was that Ms. Parr kept pointing me out and explaining things about how school productions work to me specifically. At first I was worried that she thought that I wasn’t paying attention however she then explained to me that it was actually because I was the only new student

After that things got a lot easier once I understood, one thing I do remember is that she said that 150 people audition for the productions and out of that only 22 got into our production! On top of that I was the only ‘new student’ to get into the play which I saw as a great privilege.This product is extremely important to me and I hope that in the future I can develop my fundamental acting skills in the long run however my short term goal is that I research my character and understand most things about the play by this time next session.However I would say that today was very successful and I achieved my goals of getting to know everyone as best I could and show that I am committed.

5. A group experience where you will collaborate with others

HS DJ Club

I have found that throughout the seasons of doing that I have developed as a performer and an artist as I am amazed as to how fast I have picked it up.When I first started I never thought that I would be this passionate about it however as I practice more and more I find myself wanting to get better and improve this skill. This practice has allowed me to spend more time with like minded musicians and gain knowledge about this art form that I would not have gained without the hands on help from my peers. This activity has allowed me to be more creative and spend time with friends sharing what we can do and I love the culture behind the DJing and I will be attending every session till it ends and continue practicing during lunch and after school.

MINDS Tampines,Dance and Fitness Fun

I was recently elected as the chair of my service: Minds Tampines dance and fitness fun. This means that I will have to organise the sessions and show commitment to updating the portfolio. Attending meetings and such. My goal for this year is that I work really hard at this as I feel that with the effort we could really make a difference. So far we have not had any sessions however we have visited their centre and understood all the types of disabilities that they deal with and we have come to understand why there is a need for this service which made me feel even more connected to what we’re trying to do. I think that this role whilst being a lot of responsibility also ensures that I have a lot of fun and the more effort that we put in the better the sessions will be. I am really looking forward to developing as a group and being committed to this service.

4. An experience where you will show commitment and  perseverance

Mixed Martial Arts

I am really looking forward to continuing with my Martial Art journey, over the course of the coming years I would really like to continue the commitment that I have had despite the difficulty of increasing workload from school and the heavy amount of activities that I will have to do. I know that the I.B is a lot of work and hopefully having this duo destress me will do some good. For my mental wellbeing, I have always found MMA to help keep my mood upbeat, so long as doubt does not creep in about my ability it should be easy for me to want to continue to train. My goals for the year are to gain a couple of promotions in BJJ and also Muay Thai. I hope to have a couple more fights and that I continue to develop my love and passion for this sport. I hope that I can get my training certificate and then I can continue to eventually help teach people. I am very positive and looking forward to this year ahead in MMA.

3. An experience that you will initiate and plan

MINDS Tampines,Dance and Fitness Fun

This service means a lot to me and I have found that in the year that I have been a part of it that it has helped me develop my organizational skills and my administrative work. I think that I am better at organizing the activities in advance however I feel but now that I understand how to plan ahead and work with others to come up with solutions to problems that I might face. I had also discovered that it was a lot of work for this service as at times it was a little bit difficult to sort out. Once the sessions sort of started that’s when I felt that I was making a difference which made all of the work worth it. I feel as though I was very comfortable in my role as chair of the service and I’m very grateful for the opportunity that I was given and I have great gratitude for the people who voted and put the trust in me to organize and plan for the service. I have done things I never thought I would have for the Service which I’m very proud of such as attending several meetings and also creating a planner for sessions allowing me to become more organized, I have met with the service teams to organize our portfolio and I have worked with a large group of people to ensure that our goal of aiding the clients went well and that we were all still on track. Additionally, I feel as though as a group we have all come closer and the work that we are doing we all understand that it is of importance. Being in a leadership role has allowed me to take responsibility for something larger than myself and I’m really grateful for this as it is being a great achievement of mine and a very impactful experience and something that I will definitely take on after I finish service this year. It is still something that I’m going to continue to work on and then I am very thankful that I was given the opportunity to prove that I could take on a leadership role develop the service.

I recently concluded my first season of service in the surf aid GC, through this first season I have aided in ways I could never have imagined. I have participated in fundraisers such as the family fun day and Swimdonesia. Both of these I was a large part of where I learned how to collaborate in a group and ensure that I was doing my fair share of work in selling and talking to customers about our initiative. My goals for this service were to make new friends as I was new to the school and I feel that this global concern has been a great outlet for that, I now feel part of a team that works hard to raise awareness for Surfaid.

2. An experience that will be a challenge to you and where you will learn a new skill

HS DJ Club

I am really looking forward to learning how to DJ, as when I was younger I had bought decks for myself however I had never known how to use them, I spent months trying to figure out how to DJ. I hadn’t a clue what the task specifically required despite watching endless tutorials. However, I am confident that with the commitment I will be able to develop this skill and enhance my passion for music. I took Music for IGCSE and have been missing being able to have the facilities to create music ever since. It is an area that I am passionate about and one that I definitely want to stick with. My friend Victor teaches one of the sessions and I will be attending with him to make sure that I can get his guidance as at the high school hangout I found his set to be really impressive. I know that it will be challenging, however, I am willing to sacrifice free periods and lunchtimes to master this skill, I really hope that in the future I will feel confident playing infant of others an that I will be able to be confident in what I know about doing and how to do it.