Monday 31 March 2008

Back to Blog

Back from Westwood few days back and i sould say it was a camp which i had nt given my best. I thought maybe i am just too old to continue camps as an instructor... Its one of my worst camp i believe, not because of the students but myself. Old not as age, but i think my limit of doing camps is almost reaching... Westwood was a camp that i had not given my best and as i was recflacting on my own doings for the whole camp in the carpark of JBAC during dinner, there was one thing i told myself, i've been such a gonner in the camp already, i must really give a good shot during campfire. and indeed i gave my best for campfire... Spoke to some instructors abt it and they disagree abt what i feel and instead agreed that it was coz of another reason... ohwells... i have yet to find out the reason people. but at least after campfire, when i had a chat with veron, i found out that at least i have a difference from the actual camp and the campfire. at least someone sees the difference.

I also told myself that since i've done by best for campfire, why not let me just give it all out on the last day. no harm though... and i believe that it was a good area cleaning on my side for the campfire pit, no doubt its my best place and favrioute place to clean...

Anyway people, i will be seen in the scene lesser as i have found another job somewhere in town...

I've made times for the following camps:

9-11 Apr - Tanglin Secondary School (MUST DO!!! So far my best school in my Camp HA life)

14-16 Apr - Nan Hua Primary School (First Aider... Save Lives!)

24-26 Apr - CHIJ Saint Nicholas Girls' School (Fore see a power pack camp)

Oh people gimme one veron clap! *Clap* ROAR!!!!

Signing Off

Instructor Alfred

PS I just realised that this entry is only updated half way.. many more happenings... Will update them again... Late for Work!@!!!

Saturday 29 March 2008

Chong Boon Sec...

Chong Boon Sec was one great camp i should say... the B-I-M-B-Os and One Fat boy was my highlight of the camp...

First day of camp, I WAS LATE!! and did not have a chance to eat my breakfast. asked instructor K to buy macs as he was riding into JBAC...
On the bus this fat boy (i shall call him S)... He started scolding the malay guys in his group pratically all the vulgarities that he knew and stuff... was just surprised that teachers said dun bother... reminds me of my secondary school days though... When we reached jbac i spoke to S and he was quite reluctant to be in this group coz he was seperated from his clique.. oh wells, usual same stuff... suddenly this 5 girls i call them the B-I-M-B-Os.. they started to get crazy when i teach them cheers.. bla bla bla first day ended after their night study... While i was doing my rounds at night, my knees went jelly and i sprained my ankle.. total sianded..
2nd day was just kayaking, cfp, zipline and NE.. Kayaking was still alright nothing much... CFP came when everyone was just trying to think of somehting and in the end this 5 boys came out with the soulja boy dance... and i added some adverts to it... and definately ended with my an noh neh cheer! was NE, when we were supposed to go out to conduct and in the end it was raining... i was trying to bring the story of the 2nd world war to them and one by one they started having war with mr zhou.. (a guy who everyone meets in their dream) so i decided to do station activities and do some trevias until it was clear from rain.. as i always say, rain keeps my students bonded somehow, just like hougang sec..
while it was raining, CAT I status was cleared and my girls did the zipline eventhough it was raining.. omg, zipline in the rain is really shiok lah!

Campfire! instructor J and Y came down in their subaru! haha.. My students were dying for J to come down coz she took them last year.. they were like where is intructor bunny!! i asked them to buy duracell battries first if not she come also cannot work..
luckily i bought my duracell battries, when she came in she helped me to push my ankle somehow... by end of day 2 it was as big as a pig's trotter... oh did i just forgot, centre manager cooked supper for us and i told her if she needed pig's trotter can look for me.. i was hopping and limping around on the 2nd day...
by day 3 it got well abit and oh yeah i did area cleaning in the dining hall... in my life in HA i only did area cleaning in at the campfire pit, never do dining hall before!!! in the end asked instructor YS and Instructor I to join me facilitate the cleaning, since they dint have anything on also... cleaning session became dance session and inspection failed! its always idiots like me in camp which makes the centre manager's blood boil... but luckily missy S was there and she told me abt the expectations of the dining hall... Chief I was so shocked to see the sudden chance within 10 minutes... haha!!
Had lunch with the rest and went for mj session with instructor K, instructor I and Instructor YS... oh had instructor WJ with us for mj also.. need one reserve to be there if not someone will start to sleep on the mj table already.. haha..
Here are some photos during CBSS..


my group


B-I-M-B-Os and Fat Boy


Anyone seen chief sebas?
Signing off
Instructor Alfred




Sunday 16 March 2008

ITE Tampines Camp

Hougang campfire was good, everyone was superb... after that, i had to leave JBAC... some students tried to be funny going against us when we were just trying to get them to sleep... They just need to get it from me and i gave them a warning. after several warnings, they still did the same thing, making noise and stuff, i was so pissed off that i had to make them out of the huts and scare them abit. FIRST TIME in my career that i had to do this. After everything was done, wanted to get a cab to get out and prepare for ITE camp... and guess what, NO CAB!!! wth, no cab on a bloody thursday night... had no choice bt to ask the centre manager to give me a lift home... He was nice enough that he sent me all the way back home.. Thanks Dude!

Reached home at abt 3 plus and managed to wash and pack my stuff by 4, went to sleep and woke up at 6am to meet the instructors by 7.30... (Thats how Instructors live their lives...)
Was the senior of the school plus an instructor, which made things easier for me, as i know people from both sides. First day was rather dry and tiring in the head coz i was raining while the whole day was mostly soft skills stuff... 2 Instructors came in for passion in the night... Both are my disciples, K and U came down and they helped out for the whole 2nd day...

Belaying, Nature Rumble, MLC, Trolley Party, Campfire were some things that the instructors had to do on the 2nd day... By 6pm, there were more than 30 instructors with less than 70 campers... The instructors made a major ourselves... It was a pretty long but fun campfire i thought. Then instructors went out of the campsite after campfire to celebrate yx's bday.. It was damn funny to see them do stuff that i only do during seconday school... Then i drove out, sending the instructor out... Most of them walking, while i used my car to give them light while walking out.. P hopped onto my bonet while i drive and i sprayed my wiper water at him.. It was a damn hilarious sight... After that, sent K to buy nasi lemak for the instructors and sent R and Z to SP to wait for Z's uncle...

Went back and 2 chiefs gave the 5 odd instructors of us to do brain storming... LOL!!! it was a damn funny session though i dun like people to do stuff like this...

After we broke camp, went on to CCK for lunch and then to Re's place to play MJ... seems that his leg is getting bigger and bigger.. haas... the bandage got bigger lahs... Shared my tiles with K, but i was sleeping for almost 2 hours during the first 2 rounds of the games and we lost 12 bucks... haha at least it was 6 for each of us... K woke me up for pizza, Re's mom ordered pizza hut for us and we continued the 3rd round, i lost again!!! haha.. but it was more for the fun of it i believe...

Today is gonna be another day i see my camp friends... Meeting R and Z for lunch and shopping for the Genting trip... PCB for chong boon camp will be on later too..

OMG i am coughing super badly, think i need the doctor soon... Shall see if i've got time later to see a doctor...

In the mean time,

Gonna sign off...

Signing off,
Instructor Alfred

Wednesday 12 March 2008

Instructor drenched in JBAC

Its has been raining cats and dogs and chickens and ducks... whatever you call it... it was really that bad that any animals will suit the phrase.

Imagine doing only wet weather activities for the whole day, and abt half of my campfire item. Had a great mirror, but i think i would need to let her do more things tomorrow... She was saying that she felt useless when i was conducting the activities.. Think i havent done camps for damn long and coz i miss camps so much that i tend to do everything myself...

Overall, i think this camp has been damn good without 2 people.. I think i most of my campers will know why...

Will go into details when i break camp...

Yesha!!

Signing Off

Instructor Alfred

Monday 10 March 2008

Instructor Visits a Burnt Instructor..

The day which was long but fast.

Woke up at 8am to send my mom to work while i took the car to do my stuff. Supposed to do my poly admissions at SP and NP. Since i was going to meet a friend to go NP, i decided to go SP in the morning first. After enquiring my stuff at SP, i realised that she was STILL SLEEPING! So since she lives near newton, i decided to ask M for breakfast. So we went to River Valley... Shortly after that, she came and started talking to M abt tennis.

Sent M back to Newton Suites and headed to NP... She sattled her stuff while i sattle mine and we had nothing to do. So i decided to go down to SRC to collect my bowling ball and after that we had abit of a car ride looking at houses... AND SHE KNOWS TOMMY GOH's CHILD!!! FYI, Tommy Goh is like my idol who actually started a engineering company named, Just In Time (JIT). after getting it done, he sold it to Flextronics for 640 Million. OMG! And his house is damn big with his 5 cars. i really admire him and hes really my idol.

Ohwells, den after everything, went home to bring my sister for training while i had to send my friend to another school to sattle her stuff. It was all planned last minute and timing turned out quite well... Oh Did i just forgot abt my friend and i went to Island Creamy... FAVRIOUTE LA!!! She treated me to a single scoop and it was damn shiok... Did many other stuff and after that went over to meet the rest of the instructors with Z... We met up in pasir ris to visit R in Seng Kang...
Apprantly, R got himself burnt in GESS Campfire.. 2nd degree burn which was pretty bad though... Hang around until 12 plus...
Oh, and not forgetting that i now have a list of instructors who i can trust, telling my stuff.. For now its one Guy and one Girl... they both are really trusted people and have yet to lose it....
Yeah...@

Signing Off
Instructor Alfred

Friday 7 March 2008

Instructor with P3 Kids in Sentosa...

It has been quite sometime since i last went to sentosa. Yesterday was a day event there.



Instructor C woke me up at 5.30am and told me she has left home to meet at JE mrt at 6am. I was still in a daze when i reached lakeside mrt waiting for the train, realising that it was already 6.05am.. haha.. LATE!

Met the rest at JE Mrt, Big Clock and went towards woodlands when M came on at CCK. Luckily we were not late when we reached woodlands. Met the other instructors. Walked down to this primary school in woodlands.



When i stepped into the school, Chief I told me that i would need to be an instructor instead of being a runner coz one instructor still sleeping. WTF!!! i had never met an instructor who PS at 6.30 am! Everyone started calling her for damn super many times, i think we called a total of 80 over miss calls. Wonder why the phone din't explode.



I had no choice bt to suck thumb and become a PRIMARY SCHOOL INSTRUCTOR. Most people know i cannot take primary school students. In the end i told my mirror instructor that she will run the show and i will take care of the discipline. So in a sense, we both take 40 students, she will do the programmes and i will handle the discipline stuff like scolding kids, making sure they do things the right way and stuff, while i also help the logistics stuff.

At 2 plus, a kid got a heat stroke and i had to call the ambulance. for 8 years my phone that i used, first time i called the ambulance with it.. shortly after that police called.. -.-///

ohwells.. overall the camp was quite good, on that i had to sattle t-shirts and food at the last part. oh i almost forgot to tell you, we had old chang kee curry puff for tea.. shiok eh....
---------------------------------------------------

today rot at home the whole day and decided to go down to wellington for campfire. picked Z, N and A up from yishun and went down to the school... the whole night was damn cool lahs... especially after supper, when all the helpers were having fun and of cause sharing.

hmm... spoke to C quite abit today, after long time. ohwells, dun think they did well in their As... bt come on instructors, its not the end of the world. be positive, i had my failure too, it was even worse when my only road was just ITE... make the best out of yourself yeah... T, C, YS, MQ, J, J, C.. All of you are positive people... come on go find your calling!

all the best people...

Signing off

Instructor Alfred

Wednesday 5 March 2008

Ignorance is Bliss...

Supposed to be studying for my final paper next week. Finally i am going to graduate. Its been forever and that forever is gonna be over next week.

Got woke up bt H's call at 7 plus asking me if i am going into JBAC for Fajar sec. I was quite alright with it, since i have no lessons today. Went back to sleep until Z called me at 9 plus telling me to save her. Shes been suffering in there AGAIN. So i was like okay. Was supposed to have lunch with H at balestier Beef Hor Fan with him. But went in earlier. Den at 11 plus, yue xing started to call me already. Even more things to go in for. So i decided to head in as early as possible. Had my grandpa to send me in and i decided to walk in from the main road. Raining, wearing my gore-tex jacket and walk in. super hot in the jacket and super wet in my shoes. When i reached JBAC, remember the first few things i heard was, rumours abt me and Z. Come on people, i've been ignoring this, just for the follow facts:

1. If i really liked her and trying to tackle her, i wouldn't have done it so obviously to show everyone.
2. I am treating her so well coz shes appriciative and i believe some others are not. if u think you are, think again. i know who should i be good to.
3. This is just too childish for me to bother. I think only childish people will do this and to the person who is behind this, i don't think you are fit to be an instructor coz you are just too childish to start this kind of stuff.

Oh but anyways, spoke to Z and N over it and we've decided that indeed the people who started it were just too childish and they've got nothing must better to do. and we've decided to ignore there comments, which i've been saying, 'ignorance is bliss'

Went on to help yue xing with the campfire. in the end coz i've only done campfire the camelot way, i just did that way and W took it the other way, let him say me until he song already den i decided to let me take over. Since he likes to suan people, let him be. Still the same old thing, ignorance is bliss. only listen to the good stuff. But after seeing them build, i've more or less learnt the easier way of fire ball. oh yeah...

Went to JP to get stuff together with Y, P, and H. den rushed back, and i was just in time to talk to the instructors coz they have not have any good remarks for the past few days. Knocked them out and made sure they do a good campfire, indeed they did pretty well. Haha...

Instructor dance was quite fresh to me. No para para and i have not been bothered to learn accidently in love. Today was accidentally in love and xi shua shua. It was quite catchy, after i told myself that i have to really pick it up coz instructors really cannot learn para para nowadays. Funny thing was, Z has been practicing with her mirror, and during the actual performance she pulled me. She told me that that guy was just too blur and she hated his saggy big chest. N and i were laughing during dinner. Went to dance with her. Dint know most of the dance steps though. Xi shua shua was worst. seldom do it, so was quite blur. But i hope i had eventually smoked through. yeah!

Campfire was quite good and followed H's car home. Thanks dude for the ride.

Anyways gonna sign off.

Signing off

Instructor Alfred

Next Confirmed Camps for me, 7/3/2008 - Siling Pri / 12-14/3/2008 - Hougang Sec /
14 - 16 ITE tampines

Hope to work with my friends there.. YEAH!!

Sunday 2 March 2008

Suqun Secondary School; Normal Technical is NEVER useless..

Went down to Suqun Sec quite a few times... Well first when i sent Z in and that, when we reached, it was kidnapped already... and the first sight of the school was TERRIBLE! i capped the word terrible for a reason..



At that time i knew that definately my friend needs help along the way, but there was A at that moment so i left it to him since he has been with the group for the whole day... Went on to join my secondary school friends for mj... Next day, i was supposed to be studying for my exams on monday! bt i decided to go into jbac to check out if the camp was going alright. Stepped in, everything was pretty fine until when i stepped into the CRC! saw Z and remembered she giving me the face of, HELP! and i knew what was going on. I pulled her class to the huts and spoke to them... After talking for quite sometime, i suddenly realised some thing... 3 monkeys were missing! i was super duper pissed... shouted at them, and still give me that soft reply which made me boil even more. this time i raised my voice to the extend that i think even the poor soldiers outside JBAC could hear me. I think it was the time i not only scare the students, even the instructor beside me was scared also... and she claimed that she felt it funny shortly after that. Bt after the talk, i found out that they were better and i asked Z to lead them in their campfire item.. Indeed there were improvements... Went out to jurong with the rest in the night and i managed to go home to get my waterbottles for some instructors who i bought coke for... (Plus oreo...) haas.... went back shortly after that..



This day, a sunday i was stiill supposed to be studying! But i decided to go into JBAC again... c'mon people, you see the passion... Went in and it was raining but the activities were still on... The highlight for this was was not the activities, it was really more on the campfire. Initially it was like some other ordinary campfire, but in the end it turned out to be a unique one.

Like the older generation of instructors and chief always say, the campfire will be the time which reflacts on the camp. It ended up to be an emotional one for these 3 simple reasons:

1. The instructors really made a difference in the students' life

2. its a 4D3N camp. They will definately feel more attached from any other 3D2N

3. some BIMBOS just cry for the sake of crying which influenced the others to cry..

The song which you are listening to now in the background of this blog, i had never thought it was so meaningful until Chief J started singing it. Everyone started singing, while the rest started crying. how emotional the campfire was... I almost cried coz the group of 18 N(T) boys really touched me. Never seen a group of N(T) boys cry before. Looking at Z debriefing them both during the campfire and at the canteen, i could tell that she really loves the group of guys just for one simple reason, they are awesome! Joined them in the debrief in the canteen, i spoke to them on my life story being a screwed up student, leading screwed up life in back in my teenage years and eventually becoming the outstanding student of ITE and making it into the papers. I really hoped that they will be touched and really go for that extra mile to become successful.



Ohwells. anyway got to go now... Z is late for fajar sec, gonna send her there...



Final words to the Suqun boys i spoke to,

never give up, if a screwed up boy i was could turn out into an outstanding student in ITE, Bowling Champion in ITE for 3 years, Leaders' Chairman, Bowling captain for 4 years, having one of the best projects in ITE, being the best in whatever i do and not anyone or anything pull me down coz i am a N(T) student, i am sure you too can do it. All the best!



Final words to Z,

You have done very well in suqun sec. Keep it up! Thanks for letting me have sometime with this bunch of young man here...



Signing Off

Instructor Alfred