RSS
 

Posts Tagged ‘vjc’

Status: It’s complicated

15 Oct

Bus rides can be really really complicated affairs.

If you’re lucky, you begin the ride by taking a seat. The problem is, our buses have that really huge sign above a row of seats with the taboo word “reserved” etched upon them. If you take the seat it’s almost as if you’re branding yourself with a large tattoo on your forehead that spells “bad bring-up”.

But there isn’t anyone pregnant, or handicapped, or remotely old who needs the seat. And your bag is really killing your back. No harm in taking the seat, right?

So you sit. You dig into your bag to get your earphones out and spends about 5 really embarrassing minutes trying to disentangle them INSIDE your bag so no one can see. You swear you’d buy that little rubber thingy which you can coil your earphones around.

When you’ve finally gotten comfortable with Nicki Minaj blasting into your ears, you see this woman who looks like she might be pregnant getting on board.

Since you’re sitting on the reserved seat, you have a moral responsibility to give up your seat as a well-brought up teenager would. But the problem is, you can’t always discern if someone is pregnant. (I mean, that’s why they have pregnancy test kits right??) What if, that person isn’t pregnant, just yknow, a little more, rotund? Wouldn’t it be completely embarrassing and not to mention, insulting if you stood up like a valiant, chivalrous knight, and proclaimed, “M’am, would you like my seat?”, when the woman in question isn’t pregnant?

THAT, would be absolutely nightmarish. So, what do you do? You pretend to fall asleep. It’s the proverbial ”ignorance is bliss” tactic; if you don’t know about the potentially pregnant woman walking near you, you don’t have to give up your seat.

And you say you hate it when people pretend to sleep so they don’t have to give up their seats.

Attached Files:

 
No Comments

Posted in Happenings Around School

 

A Security Guard Dude tribute

02 Oct

(SGD= Security Guard Dude)

To The Tune Of Amy Winehouse’s “Rehab”:

(verse 1)I’m aint no Lit student, I dont know oh oh

How to say goodbye to SGD, in good pro-oh-ohse.

But,

I ain’t got the time

and if my econsstudentbrain thinks its fi-ne

i’ll just type my SGD tribute in google chro-oh-ome

 

(verse 2)I’d rather be at the school gate

To see the guard post, chief-of-state

For there’s no courtesy, Civics cant teach me

That i cant learn from Mr. SGD

 

(Verse 3)Didn’t get a lot of friends..

But with SGD, looks like i can make amends……..

 

(Repeat Verse 1)

I’m aint no Lit student, I dont know oh oh

How to say goodbye to SGD, in good pro-oh-ohse.

But,

I ain’t got the time

and if my econsstudentbrain thinks its fi-ne

i’ll just type my SGD tribute in google chro-oh-ome

 

Aside from the (lame) sentiments exhibited above, this writer would really like to extend her appreciation to SGD for the following:

1) Being there, rain or shine, weekdays or weekends, giving students a sense of familiarity as they trudge into school

2) For chatting with students. This student remembers her chat with SGD regarding places of residence.

3) For turning a blind eye to students who walked into school in slippers on Saturdays ;)

We hope that you are in some really cool SGD place now! Or a really happy and fulfilling Other Profession Dude (OFD) place.

 

 
No Comments

Posted in Random Musings

 

The last lap

23 Sep

We run many last laps in our lives. At this stage, we would have completed the runs that are kindergarden, primary school, secondary school and for the J1s, promos. #YESWEDIDIT!

The last lap, is a pretty amazing one in my opinion. The easiest laps are obviously, the first few. In 2.4 terms, that would be the first 100m (when the muscle/chest/hand/ear/eye aches are still in check) In school life terms, that would probably be the first few weeks of school where everyone is so motivated to do even better than they already have.

And then we hit what i would like to call, the iWannagiveup laps. In 2.4 terms, that would be when a little voice in your head keeps telling you to stop, or to pretend to faint, or to give in and resign because 6 rounds are frankly just too much. You convince yourself that you don’t need to run 2.4 well to excel in life. You want to give up. In school life terms, that would be when everything starts coming together, in a really bad way. When the teachers decide the 8 essays would be the best entertainment for the weekend, when promos are in 3 weeks and you have barely touched your revision and all you think of is. I wanna give up.

Then the phase passes. You start running the last lap. Amazingly, you are able to muster some form of energy from some obscure place in your legs to run a little faster because, the finishing line is just *this* faraway. All thoughts of iwannagiveup gives way for i-worked-this-hard-i’m-NOT-going-to-give-up-now. You get an adrenaline that helps you stay up at night revising all the crazy handouts that pile up like a mini Everest on your table. The last lap is very much like the volta in a sonnet, (please check this up) where there is a “shift” of some sorts in the poem. When you get to the last lap, the little voice in your head that pestered you to give up is usurped by another that tells you despite how tired, how totally breathless you are, you’re nearly there.

So. Congratulations to all of you who have finished running the race that is exams. And for those who are struggling or who have entered the last lap, you’re nearly there. :)


 
No Comments

Posted in Random Musings

 

Victorians: Outperforming

03 Jun

Don’t let the title mislead you. Victorians are ALL Outstanding, Outperforming and Out Having Fun :D This is a series of blog posts by Subjectif to encapsulate what makes a Victorian.

In this second edition, we’re here to dole out some tips on how to make full use of your June holidays to avoid sacrificing our grades when it comes to CT2s or Midyears. Outperforming indeed!

First off, a word of encouragement to the seniors who’ll be facing that daunting challenges of CT2s/Prelims/A levels in quick succession in the next term. We’ve come so far, so don’t let this last chance slip by. Work hard and have no regrets.

To the juniors, Midyears are just the first in a series of tests and exams you’ll face, but don’t be fooled by the ‘deflated’ grades that your seniors might have gotten in their J1 year, only to return with beaming smiles and straight As. Fight on, and you will be rewarded. Nothing without labour.

20110523-043812.jpg

Photo Credit

Now on to some study tips I’d like to share:

1. Get ORGANISED.

You can’t study when your study table looks more like a dumpster/warzone than well, the table. No, seriously, if you can’t tell what the original colour of your table is, it means you have some decent clearing up to do. But what to do with that half-done tutorial you never got round to finishing? Or that stack of readings you were supposed to complete? Oh… So that’s where all the CT compilation books were!

If your revelation sounds anything like mine, I suggest that you take about 30 minutes to just GET ORGANISED. Put papers you no longer need into a recycling pile; stray stationery back into their place; paperclip or staple loose leafs. I like to put all the stuff I’ve got into little organised piles on the floor by subject, so nothing gets lost and I can find stuff easily for revision.

2. Get YOUR GAME PLAN.

20110523-042902.jpg

Photo Credit

Find out which topics are tested for your exams (most teachers would have emailed you a list, along with your exam time and venues).

You might want to do a To Do list, or a weekly schedule. A calendar will definitely come in handy at this point, and be sure to block out any dates you’ve already planned for stuff you’ve signed up for like interview workshops, career talks, meeting friends or tuition. Don’t forget some ‘me’ time as well. I like to keep my weekends free for that.

When you’re done planning a revision timetable, don’t forget to stick to it!

3. Get RID OF DISTRACTIONS.

This is the not-so-fun part where you get rid of everything that has procrastination-causing potential. What am I talking about? The computer, your iPhone, television and for some reason, children’s storybooks (every holiday, I end up reading Harry Potter for stress relief… Don’t judge.).

I’ve discovered a wonderful piece of technology that can help combat the lure of the Internet. Google Chrome extension StayFocusd^ is free and totally works in boosting productivity, especially if you claim to be doing research on some paper you’re supposed to be writing, but end up reading FML like there’s no tomorrow… Just install it in your Chrome browser, activate it and plug in websites that you frequently waste time on. Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr are notorious time-wasting sites. Trust me, I’ve been there. You can change settings to allow yourself to spend anything from 1 minute to 1 hour on all these websites for the entire day- but no more.*

^StayFocusd is a Chrome extension that works only well duh, on Google Chrome. There is no shortlink for the application, so Google to get it!

For Mac users, Self Control available for free at:

http://visitsteve.com/made/selfcontrol/

*If you plan on using StayFocusd temporarily, do not activate the function that doesn’t allow you to switch settings unless you type a scathing, 100 word-long paragraph about how procrastination is a sin without making a single mistake. And it knows about cut and paste. You’ve been warned!

So there you have it, this author’s 2 cents on study tips. May the force be with you in your efforts!

Attached Files:

 
No Comments

Posted in Fun Stuff

 

Victorians: Outstanding

25 May

Don’t let the title mislead you. Victorians are ALL Outstanding, Outperforming and Out Having Fun :D This is a series of blog posts by Subjectif to encapsulate what makes a Victorian.

This term has been the most hectic of my entire VJ life, and one of the most amazing!

Yesterday, our soccer girls and guys competed in their finals against SAJC and MJC respectively, wrapping up the sports season along with the other sports team who’ve ended earlier to a rousing finish. We’ve scored countless goals, played our best and cheered our hearts out at match support- not just for the soccer teams but also all the other sportsmen.

Our floorball, softball, cricket, Wushu, Taekwondo, sailing, basketball, badminton, tennis and other teams (apologies if I’ve forgotten) have won medals all worthy of our praise, but most admiration is given to their dedication to training and keeping to the values of sportsmanship and the VJ spirit. I will always remember how the floorball guys gave their all in the finals to try to win the title in a 5-4 finish. Despite being 1st runner-ups, that kind of perseverance is truly inspirational.

At the soccer finals yesterday, us Victorians really showed the stadium what we were made of. Steel. Kidding!

We didn’t lose hope and we didn’t degenerate into sore losers. And at the end of it all, we were the true winners. Soccer girls beat SAJC’s team 3-1, and our soccer boys finished 2nd in the A div 1-0 against MJC. Viva la Victoria!

Our performing arts groups have also done VJ proud! Our Gold-with-honours choir held its annual Symphony of Voices yesterday at the Esplanade to an appreciative audience amid the match support, while Symphonic Band will be holding theirs next Tuesday also at the Esplanade.

At SYF this year, our Guitar, String, IP Dance and Guzheng ensembles clinched the Gold award despite fierce competition, and IP Drama, Dance, Harmonica, Chinese Orchestra and Band all clinched a respectable silver. The hours the respective actors, dancers and musicians put into honing their craft is nothing to be sneezed at either.

With SYF as a biennial affair, these artists have really achieved deserving awards. And the audiences at their concerts were similarly impressed by their pieces.

Take for example, the fact that only 2 pieces are required for the SYF Central Judging and many many more constitute an entire concert program, and the amount of time they had to practice for concert after their SYF! I know for a fact that the Guitar ensemble managed to learn 3 entirely new, challenging SYF-worthy pieces within 1 and a half weeks! That’s 3 days to perfect each piece! I have no doubt that similar situations also happened for the other performing arts groups.

Truly, the performers deserve our applause.

And so with that, I bid Term 2 and it’s craziness goodbye, as our juniors step up to take the helm of CCAs in a rite of passage beginning with CLIC Camp in June. Subjectif will also be changing hands, so we will strive to continue to be the voice of the Victorian community.

Stay tuned for Part II of this series!

 
1 Comment

Posted in Fun Stuff

 

June Hols are coming!

23 May

All right, so we’re finally onto our last lap of the school term! This week we’ve got Floorball finals today, Soccer finals for both girls AND boys Tuesday, Feeling Fab Wednesday and a half day on Friday! Phew, and that’s on top of rushed lectures and extended tutorials as we try to complete our syllabus in time. Fear not, our patience will be duly rewarded, with JUNE HOLIDAYYSSSS!

Oh and of course, the first issue of this year’s INBOXED! by Subjectif e-newsletter will be sent out too, so keep checking your VJ mail for that.

On another unrelated note, we here at Subjectif will continue to keep you updated with live coverage of the finals happening today and tomorrow on Twitter- your first source of information! Thanks to our followers (more than 370 now!) for interacting with us with your retweets, @replies and own tweets for us to retweet hehe. That’s right, keep following @VJCSubjectif.

Our blog will be having some new updates soon, with a scheduled post on study tips and planning for CT2s/Midyears to make your June hols a productive one!

Till then, NIL SINE LABORE.

 
No Comments

Posted in Fun Stuff

 

Wide ‘I’d Wonder

13 Apr

You won't regret it.

Attached Files:

 
No Comments

Posted in Happenings Around School

 

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.)

Attached Files:

 
No Comments

Posted in Happenings Around School

 

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!

 
No Comments

Posted in Happenings Around School

 

Project Work

08 Apr

Today, Project Work results were released. The trepidation leading up to this was evident clearly from the sentiment on Twitter and in the school hallways. For the most part, PW is arguably one of the subjects that we have put our sweat, blood and tears into most directly, and seen tangible results in the form of brain-cracking for ideas in our PI, draft after draft of WR, countless rehearsals for OP.

We expected much, because we put in so much.

So when the results today were released, many were visibly disappointed. I saw my friends’ expressions morph into disappointment when they saw their grades. I saw the shattering of confidence that broke some of the strongest people I knew. Hardworking, diligent students who would no doubt get their 4 or 5 As next year. By then, the PW grade would have shrunk in significance- just as H1 Mother Tongue or Higher MT has for some of us.

Of course, there were plenty of people whose As sparked a gleeful smile for the rest of the day. They sought to comfort those who did not attain their expected grades, but remained sensitive and thoughtful. After all, barely half the battle has been won in our A-level journey. There’s more to come, and life goes on.

Victorians are resilient people. I still recall the scores of seniors who had ranted to me about their PW-induced woes- both in the process and the release of results. Subsequently, they’ve moved on and attained outstanding grades. PW is just one of many challenges we face, and I am confident that when Friday comes around again, we’ll be shouting Full Day like our old selves.

 
No Comments

Posted in Random Musings

 
« Older Entries