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Archive for the ‘Happenings Around School’ Category

The week in review

17 May

On 13th May 2011, Friday, VJC Badminton girls took part in the semi-finals against Hwa Chong Instituition and won! In the evening, VJC Guitar Ensemble held their concert, Perfect Fifth, in VJC Performance Theatre.

On 14th May 2011, Saturday, VIP Admission Test was held in school. The last batch of our future juniors for the integrated programme came to take the English and Mathematics Admission Test. It lasted from 1.30pm to 5pm. Volunteers from the IP classes came down to help out with the registration and ushering. There was an overwhelming number of students from different schools and their different-coloured uniforms stood out from the beige vj uniform.

From 1.30pm to 2.30pm, registration was on-going. From 2.30pm to 3.30pm, the students had their English Admission Test. They had a half an hour break, before continuing with the Mathematics Admission Test for another hour.

On 16th May 2011, Monday, VJC Badminton girls took part in the finals against Raffles Junior College and won 2nd place. They put in tremendous effort and hard work in achieving such wonderful results, meeting strong opponents and thrashing them with finely honed skills. Congratulations VJC Badminton girls you have done our school proud!

17th May 2011, Tuesday, is Vesak Day so enjoy your holiday!

 
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VIP Open House 2011

06 May

The VIP Open House 2011 Wide I’d Wonder has ended on the 30th April 2011. This is the last ever open house for integrated programme students as the system would have changed next year. All the IP students put in their best effort to make it the best open house ever.

About 1300 students signed up for the open house. However, as it was a long weekend with a public holiday in lieu of labour day, not as much people turned up. Our IP students still performed their roles of being presenters, ushers, people in charge of logistics or registration or any other roles dutifully and served the public politely.

The students were given a booklet and gummies upon registration. The principal Mr Chan, then addressed them, talking to them about life as a VIPer. They then proceeded to various venues in the school to attend different sharing sessions on the different subjects and electives.

There were students from various schools such as Victoria School, Anglican High School, St Nicholas Girls’ School, Cedar Girls’ Secondary School, Dunman High School, Chung Cheng High School (main), Tanjong Katong Girls’ School and others. They were interested in the education that the VIP provided and listened attentively to the presenters of various subjects and electives.

At the end of the open house, the IP students gathered at the concourse and celebrated the success of the open house with the traditional mass dance that every Victorian knows. It was a really great day for the public and of course our IP pupils. We wish all applicants good luck for their admission tests and interviews and that they would become our future juniors.

 
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String Ensemble SYF

29 Apr

Today was VJC’s very own string ensemble’s SYF Central Judging competition! It was held at the Republic Polytechnic in Woodlands and our string ensemble has clinched the gold award!

They would not have made it if not for sheer determination and hard work. Countless of practices and coaching has made them fully prepared for this biennial competition. They were faced with strong competitors like Hwa Chong Institution and Raffles Instituition.

They played two pieces for the competition and under the guidance of their conductor, they did the school proud. Fiddling their bows fiercely and swaying to the music, all effort was put in into making the songs perfect. The combination of volins, violas, cellos and basses produced harmonious music to the ears.

Congratulations String Ensemble and continue to work hard for the upcoming performances in the future! Your effort put in will be rewarded fruitfully.

 
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Wide ‘I’d Wonder

13 Apr

You won't regret it.

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Arts Day (2)

10 Apr

Among the activities at this year’s Art’s Day was a private movie screening at Plaza Singapura, of this movie, directed by Wee Li Lin, who was yesterday described as “the most groundbreaking female director in Singapore” by a local radio station

Notable in this movie was the artistry in its imagery: one scene depicted the female protagonist’s deep desire to be with the male lead by depicting sequences of how he appeared in her mind: marching band, lively music, light wind, all on a cheery road.With the interest of avoiding spoilers, the balloons and suitcases strategically placed in the last scene also added an element of cinematic beauty to the story’s end.

It must be said that the reaction of Victorians to the movie was strong – for indeed, it was difficult to comprehend the lengths to which the female protagonist would go for the attached man she was in love with, among other things. Perhaps this was intentional on the part of the writer-cum-director of Forever: in her Q and A session, she explained that many of her personal inspirations were that of female characters that went off the beaten track.

Despite the questions thrown at her, some of which were not easy to answer, Director Wee handled the questions commendably and articulated her perspective as a director in Singapore well. Joanna Dong, the student-described “super-chio” lead actress in Forever was also present: she offered insight into what led her into acting and excited 11A15 students (she is an ex-VJ TSD student who was also in our school choir).

All in all, students who went for this activity definitely did get a good allocation. ^^

 

(On the related topic of movies, if the Rebecca Black viral video was indeed a publicity stunt for a movie, this writer feels it is highly doubtful that this movie will achieve the 96 Million hits that it got on youtube.

This writer does not believe that the manipulation of millions of people into collective mockery is a legitimate way of publicizing a movie. In fact, it  might be an insult to the intelligence of the modern human race, and it feels like the media industry has entered territory it should not be proud of.)

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glossolalia

10 Apr

and unsurpisingly, lizardlolita thought of lipgloss. Especially those coconut-scented ones.

Nothing much, really. Considering that it was held at six on a friday night when there are more pleasurable activities to do (i.e. go home), no one -save writers’ circle members and a few teachers lizardlolita didn’t recognise – turned up.

It was all very conventional. No, really. Some were better writers, other weren’t as good, and sadly, it was all in English, which kind of defeats the meaning of the event. Glossolalia, more commonly known as ‘the gift of tongues’ in the Christian bible and ‘gibberish, a mishmash of words’, is, well – gibberish. All members were woefully articulate and coherent, and lizardlolita is sad to observe no mental breakdowns or flashes of (divine or otherwise) inspiration/ revelations, not unlike the mental state before the infamous Social Studies O Level Paper.

There is only so much one can say on “Edge”, and frankly, with adolescent minds and large egos (here lizardlolita is referring to herself), if often boils down to the big L. Love, not Loser.

Seriously, what is up with that? Love is great, love is good (right now I’m not going to bother to launch and argumentative on the vicissitudes of love and its glory since no-one wants to read that on such an informal podium). Yes, lizardlolita’s mentor once told her in a cancer-smoke fumed park that sometimes the most common, the most simple of words have the most power. However, repeat that enough in one sitting, in one book, heck, page after page, and it loses its significance. What exactly is our obsession with love? Are we in love with the idea of being in love?

There are many fine, neglected emotions out there that’s woefully lonely, so why not show it some love (bad pun, I know) and cease and desist the lovey-dovey sentiments.

Well,

Thank Chocolate there’s no sexually-charged scenes. Or corny platitude. Sexy corn. Hmm. I wonder how it’s packaged. Perhaps the cob would be p-orbital shaped.  Did you know corn is not a vegetable but a grain? You do? Well, I did. Hopefully this has gotten y’all curious enough to ask your Writers’ Circle classmates to loan you their copy of glosso works.

For lack of anything to say since my brain is pleasantly empty, I shall end with ggo nvdkabsjafgjkadsls vvdfaljs 3WAB .

/*

Now THAT, my friends, is Glossolalia at its finest.

*nods in satisfaction*

Truly a work of art. (It’s up to you whether you want to interpret this as sardonic). My apologies for being unfunny.

 
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I solemnly swear

09 Apr

So, my lovely,

I solemnly that I am up to no good. (What, you actually believed that?)

Being the horrendously dull yet irrefutably most annoying person on this face of the screen (what vanity!), I shall tell you that my class and I played the most glorious, stupendous, hilarious prank ever in the history of pranksters.

Now, you ask with an incredulous eyebrow arched to the heavens, now who the heck are you to make such a ludicrous claim? (I do like the word ludicrous. Ludi-ludicrrrous.  Ludicrous! Ludicrousludicrousludicrous. If you say it enough times it ceases to be a word. Isn’t that magical?)

(No, I don’t have a screw loose. I have several bolts short and am low on nuts. Specifically those almonds, almonds are good for the skin you know. Now where was I?)

Right.

It was a dark and decidedly un-stormy morn. (Curse you, weather, for not cooperating with me!). Trying to be as quiet as possible while ninja hopping and tip toeing when you’re about as graceful as a drunk ape is not a good idea. Doing it under lack of adequate sleep is a Very Bad Idea.

Discovered that no, infrared rays in burglar alarms are not red in colour and that movies lie. Spent fifteen minutes in room sulking. Attempt #1 at pranking failed. Foiled by the alarm!

RECONNAISSANCE:

Snuck down when alarm is off. Grabbed salt shaker, snuck back up and sprinkled over sister’s toothbrush bristles. Replaced shaker and hid in corner while watching sister pick up the toothbrush…and wash it.

Well, confound it!

Mission #2 failed.

Mission #3 -

thanks, fool!

 
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Seeing the school with new eyes

04 Apr

Skip lessons for half a day to immerse ourselves in another half day’s worth of an introductory course to photojournalism? It was certainly more than an equitable trade-off!

Sure, the course instructors didn’t deliver everything they promised—we never got to learn how to write captions and spent most of the time in a lecture about photography and taking pictures, around the school, no less, while some of the other students got to go on fieldtrips down the road less travelled, like Old Kallang Airport. But contrary to our expectations, the lecture didn’t really bore us out because it informed us about some information about cameras and photography we had always been curious about (for example—what’s the difference between an SLR and a DSLR?). For a moment, there was an excited buzz around the room when our course instructor mentioned that we could, if we had the capital for a $1500 camera specially for taking sport photography, snap and sell photos to publications for about $1000 a picture and we all realized we could pay off our university education fees as photographers. Well, why didn’t the higher education committee mention this? Who needs scholarships anymore? (I jest.)

Staying in school wasn’t a complete dampener. We were given a bit of time to wander about our school to snap some photographs of a chosen theme, such as those with lines, shadows, plants or frames around the subject. It was truly exciting for the amateur shutterbug, even one with an ordinary digital camera, to take a picture with this theme in mind and see it transform into something slightly closer to the product of professionals. Roaming the school with a camera in hand was pretty exciting too, especially for us graduating seniors who got to view the school in a new light with the objective of seeing something beautiful and snap-worthy in mind. Suddenly, the corridors we trod along towards the chemistry labs or the garden that we often ignored as we hurried towards the canteen to beat the queues were something we took a second look at and something that we decided was worthy of inclusion into the little collection we were amassing.

At the end of the course, I had on my mind the delicate lilac flower we almost missed out on seeing, an apt metaphor for the beauty in our school campus our eyes almost always pass over unseeingly as we hurry towards the ends of our timetables for the last period and the final hour of our CCA meetings. It was a tour around the school we had always known and now knew even deeper.

Some of the better pictures my group took:

Photojournalism was an activity at Arts Day. Tell us how yours went!

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Open Mic Night: Performers

27 Mar

You’ve seen the promotional video. You’ve heard all about it. And you might have even purchased a ticket already!

Now Subjectif presents… the performers for Open Mic Night 2011!

‎Josiah Ong (10A11) will sing What Are Words by Chris Medina, a song that expresses how we should always honor the words we say, and that they don’t only matter in good times when they’re easiest to say, but how we should pull through in keeping our words no matter what. Words mean a lot; they can build you up or they can tear you down. What matters most is saying the right things to build others up.

People always wonder, why is VJC such an exciting place all the time. Behold! The solution for our energy formula–It’s all BECAUSE OF YOU! Check out our whole new cover of this classic tune, with refreshing new tastes! Feed up your ears, Shiqi on vocals, Liang Ou on piano, bingqing on guitar, Yundi on flute, we rock all BECAUSE OF YOU!

Who is Jonathan Mark MacPherson (11S43)? Just think Kumar without the drag, and perhaps with twice the insult at all things Singaporean. Yup it’s Jon Mark, comedian inextraordinaire . Let him tickle you with upfront and outrageous patronage, making light of all things serious. Jokes and stereotypical stories galore, everything from Blondes to lawyers, Blondes, Marriage, Blondes, Religion, Blondes and many more!

Many a time the acts that catch our eyes are the visually stunning ones such as those put on by superstars like Lady Gaga and Katy Perry. Brenda Yik (11S43) feels that the songs that are truly worth listening to are those that speak directly to your soul. Keane is a British alternative band that produces mellow yet catchy songs, she’ll be singing “Somewhere Only We Know”.

Vanessa Neubronner (11A11) will be performing Moondance, a Van Morrison song popularised by Michael Buble on keyboard and vocals.

Richard’s band is a five man act showcasing nuanced acoustic renditions of popular music with a combination of acoustic and nylon stringed guitar arrangements, complimented by harmonizing vocals. It’s members are Jonathan (10V11) and Kurum on vocals with Richard, Darius and Daniel (10V14) on guitars. Our act is a mashup of Rocketeer by The Far East Movement and Grenade by Bruno Mars.

‎Rishvinder Singh. Myle Yan Tay. These two people have a lot to say. In fact, they have too much to say. About everything. And they’ll have to make these complaints hilarious, so that you don’t fall asleep. So that you, yes YOU, will laugh. If you don’t laugh, they’ll throw eggs at you. No they’re not doing stand-up comedy. They’re just being truthful. Blatantly truthful.

Zhao Zhiqing from 11V15 will be doing a Chinese dance called WIND.

Vincent Lum from 11S43 will be doing an acoustic version of ‘Creep’ by Radiohead.

Just a guy and his guitar, singing under a bridge for anyone who would pass by, anyone who would hopefully listen to him, even if it’s just for a second. Will you? Derong Ang will be singing Yellow – Coldplay and Yesterday – The Beatles

So what are you waiting for? Get your tickets from any Subjectif member right away!

Tickets: $5

The Living Room

30 March (Arts Day) 6.30-8.30pm

Open Mic Night 2011 is brought to you by Subjectif

 
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The Singapore Biennale 2011!

22 Mar

The Singapore Biennale has thrown its doors open to visitors once more between 13 March 2011 and 15 May 2011. Themed Open House, the Singapore Biennale 2011 is held at five different sites. Having spent much time during the March Holidays not only visiting some of the sites like Old Kallang Airport and Singapore Art Museum, I can say that there are quite a few treats in store for anyone who is willing to invest an afternoon and some cash, perhaps (five dollars for students at all sites except the free admission at Marina Bay and Old Kallang Airport).

One of the most talked about works is Tatsu Nishi’s The Merlion Hotel— a work that amalgamates the highly public profile of our national icon and the highly private and intimate setting of the hotel room. Nothing beats the enthrallment one feels of setting their eyes on the luxurious décor of the room when the staff on hand throws open the doors for visitors to enter, or of gazing upon the face of the Merlion at the Merlion Park and even being able to touch the 40 year old Shanghai plaster of the Merlion (don’t lean on it too hard though, or try to leave your indelible mark in ink on it!). It’s definitely a visit that one should make even if you are not interested in art to get up close and personal with the Merlion, even it is just for a few minutes. Those seeking to snuggle in bed under the gaping mouth of the statue just for $150 (complete with breakfast from the Fullerton) should hold their horses in disappointment, though—the hotel has been completely booked. Be prepared to wait outside for a while, for the hotel can only hold twenty at a time.

20110322-055531.jpg

Kyungah Ham’s Hiroshima Nagasaki at Old Kallang Airport promises an experience not only pleasing to the eye but also thought provoking—her embroideries hung on the walls of the galleries were commissioned by North Korean factories, containing images subject to the strict censorship of the reclusive North. As a South Korean, this work can be seen as an attempt to communicate across the barbed wires dividing the two nations, with words like ‘I’m Sorry’ and ‘I’m Hurt’, as well as an attempt to create a form of cultural transfer, like introducing South Korean contemporary slang terms to the North Koreans through commissioning the North Koreans to produce them on the embroideries. The work is certainly exquisite, with the burst of bright colours catching one’s eye and the almost photograph like embroideries of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings not only drawing one’s attention but also acting as a lasting reminder of the end of the World War that had precipitated the division of the two Koreas.

Another piece worth looking, in my opinion, is A Reasonable Man in a Box by Jill Magid. It is an entirely different experience, based on the controversial interrogation methods of Al Qaeda operatives by placing them in a confinement box after telling them they have placed a scorpion there. The mere mention of this spider can induce hysteria as the imagination of these detainees work frenziedly and furiously. The extent to which the scorpion could be (and in some cases was) a figment of the imagination is explored in this piece—the surprise comes when you visit the box with no preconception of what may happen. For those seeking a auditory delight, Frequency and Volume is a highly interactive work that allows one to tune into the different radio stations with the mere movement of their bodies, a comment on the intimate and immediate relationship we have with the constantly changing media.

There are a lot more out there—so if you’re looking for a rewarding weekend in the drudgery of the school year, head down to the Biennale sites before May 15! And if you want to be even more actively involved, the organizers are still seeking out volunteers to help them out at the sites so visit http://www.singaporebiennale.org/outreach.php for volunteer opportunities!

The Singapore Biennale is also one of the sites for the activities on Arts Day, 30 March at VJC. If you’re lucky enough to get a spot to visit the Old Airport exhibitions, leave us a comment!

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