Hey guides!

Here are some pictures taken by Mrs Poh during ball room dancing !

Dear guides:)

Here's a post regarding ballroom dancing initiatives by a year2:)

On Monday, the year 1s and year 2s had ballroom dancing as initiatives!

Before the initiative starts, the dance teacher gave us a brief introduction on ballroom dancing and some interesting facts. Then, we started doing the basic steps of the dance, Cha-cha. We then paired up with someone of compatible height and split into the left and right teams, doing the male and female role respectively. The left team is known as the "leaders" as they usually lead the dance. After practicing the basic steps, we danced to the music. As we have to dance at a much faster pace, we got very confused after a while because we are still not very familiar with the steps.

Next, we learnt the New York steps, whereby we had to do a 90 degrees turn. We then learnt the shoulder-to-shoulder steps, turning 45 degrees. After practicing the 3 steps, we put them together to form a dance, 4 basic steps, 4 shoulder-to-shoulder steps, 4 basic steps again and end off with 4 New York steps. The right team then had to learn how to turn at the 3rd New York step to a new partner. As it was rather simple to just turn, we did not have much practice on it.

To make the lesson more fun, the teacher made us form a circle, the left team forming the inner circle while the right team forms the outer one. After every set of dance, the right team had to turn to the next partner in anti-clockwise direction and dance with their new partner. It was very fun but at the same time confusing as the right team did not turn fast enough and we did not count consistently. We tried a second time and it was much better as we remembered to count consistently. The second part of the lessons was very enjoyable as we got to know one another better.

Hope we have another session like this! (:

Love Guides!

Dear guides, we had clean up on 9nov followed by initiatives!

Here's a post by a year3 who went for paintball initiatives:)

Clean-up for ATC ended quickly and we had our initiatives! The y3s were going to experience Paintball for the first time and we were all excited about it. :)

Upon arrival, we had a safety briefing and also watched a video on speed paintball which we would not get to try as we were still beginners at that time. Despite so, we enjoyed the video and even had to contain our excitement while listening to the instructors.

We were shocked when the instructor accidentally fired off an empty shot during the briefing but he told us it was okay and jokingly asked if we were scared. Honestly, some of us grew afraid but we all bravely experienced our first try of Paintball in the end.

Even though we had to compete in teams to attain the objectives of each round, all of us were happy that we got to experience something new and it was so fun that we didn’t want it to end so quickly.

Initiatives allowed us to end this year’s activities on a good note and hope all of you guides have enjoyed yourselves as much as the y3s did.

Have a good break before activities resume in December! :)

Love Guides! :)

ATC y1 n 2

Hi guides, below are the posts about ATC by a y1 and y2:

y1:

On 29th November, it’s time for Pre-Camp Inspection. As a Year One, we could not imagine what inspection would be like, how it would be carried out, yet we knew that it would be a serious event, thus making us feel more nervous, excited, but more of the spirit to help the seniors. We knew we have to be very prepared for this event. Through this Pre-camp Inspection, it let us, juniors who are new to ATC, to get how ATC would be like, and how important it is to prepare everything. Also, we knew that we have to keep up our patrol’s spirit throughout the whole ATC, because ATC would be a whole lot tougher than the Inspection, but we knew with constant cheering, we could persevere even more, through these hard times.

Day1
Finally, the big day had arrived. We jihed at 7.30a.m. Everyone was very excited on the way there.

The first event was Camp D. Each patrol was supposed to pitch 2 tents. Many of us were clueless as to what to do when we had to pitch tents, we should work on this skill. However, we still helped the seniors carry the canvas sheets etc. After that, we started pitching the tents or building their kitchen shelter. As a Year One, we are quite unsure of how to build all these structures, but I realized it was also important that we should never stand around and do nothing. We can always help our seniors by asking them what to do, and also helping them tie simple lashes. We can also help bao-shi and cheer.

Through Camp D, I realized that time management and man power allocation is a very important for camp D. We should also always move and act fast.

After dinner, we had Night PT. Although it was tough, we tried our best and persevered till the end. Although we were tired out after Camp D, we tried our best so it was something encouraging.

Day 2
On the second day, we had our flag raising ceremony. After that was inspection. Inspection was a rush and we exceeded time limit, because we were a bit slow in laying out our items. The Year Ones struggled with it too because we were new to in camp inspection. But the seniors gave us instruction and we managed to pass through the inspection! Through this, I learnt that inspection is also about communicating within your patrol and others.

After inspection, we cleared up and it was time for outdoor cooking. We first prepared the food at the dining hall while the others start the fire. Starting and sustaining fire are skills that we have yet to master, but I learnt a lot from my seniors through this outdoor cooking. We settled down and enjoyed the food that we had cooked ourselves! It was indeed a fun experience.

Finally, it was time for OJ. The OJ was rather different from what we had experienced in school. Thus, we got to encounter different kinds of situation that we would face in the campsite that were not possible to carry out in school. Also, this OJ required not only our physical ability but also our ability to adapt to changes and using your knowledge and apply it into good use. For example, one of the station required us to transport our items across the imaginary river using the A jia that was provided for us. We thus needed to use our knowledge of using lashes to secure our item and transporting them. We also must be practical and the methods used must be feasible. It often requires us to think through and plan properly, before we proceed into carrying out anything. Hence, we could say that it was a brand new experience, with a lot of valuable lessons learnt.

After all the activities, it was the long awaited Campfire. Te song leaders led the songs and we followed in a merry and joyous mood, while the campfire was burning. We watched different patrols displayed the campfire item that they had prepared for a long time and enjoyed ourselves to the fullest. Campfire was indeed an event for us to relax and also to bond as a company.

After the campfire, it was supper time! We had barbecue. After that, it was time to sleep. At around 1 plus, there was a Fire drill. Many of us were caught unprepared and some of us were flustered. Hence, we got a scolding and had to pump. However, this taught us a lesson to always stay alert to your surroundings. Also, in times of emergency, always help the people in need instead of just caring about yourself. We should always help the patrol mates who were injured because they indeed need more help than us. Through this, we would be more alert.

Day 3

The last day of the camp. We woke up early for breakfast and strike camp. After that, it was time for company games! That was a time to relax and really have fun. The fun we had chased away the tired feeling we had. After company games, it was time to head back to school.

Through this ATC, it definitely trained me to be a faster, stronger person, and also to adapt to the different problems faced. I learnt that the patrol spirit is everything. With a good and high patrol spirit, everything would be all right after all. Last but not least, thank you counselors, thank you Guiders, for the incessant support and encouragement you all had given us in the 3 days. Even though this was the first year that I had attended ATC, but it brought back good memories.


y2:

Pre-camp inspection
On 29th of November, we had pre-camp inspection. The year one and year two guides had a rehearsal on the day before to prepare for the inspection. We had to lay out all of our items that we needed to bring to camp for our seniors to check. This is to ensure that we were ready for camp and that all items were present. The inspection turned out to be quite smooth because we managed to stick to the time our seniors gave us and we had most of the items needed for camp. After inspection, the seniors briefed us about our overall performance on that day and told us to be prepared for ATC.

Annual Training Camp

Day 1
We reported to school at 7.30am and set off to Sarimbun Camp not long after. We started the day with Camp Development, and we were given 45 minutes to build a tent as well as a kitchen shelter, to be shared among 2 patrols. The tent was different from what we built in last year’s ATC, hence we were required to improvise and figure out on how to build the tent. Unfortunately, we were unable to finish it in time and thus, we had to ask for time extension. Through the first part of Camp D, we learnt that having a sense of urgency is important and also, teamwork and cooperation is required to work well with our patrol mates too.

After that, we had our lunch before continuing on the second part of Camp D, which is building our gadgets.

The second part of Camp D required us to build shoe racks, a baggage rack and a dustbin. It tested on our lashes as they had to be tight in order for the gadgets to be stable. Again, we had to constantly 报时 to ensure that we were in time. We had to work as quickly as possible in order to finish all the gadgets.

Camp D lasted until dinner time and I believe all of the trainees had benefitted a lot from it. It taught us to have a sense of urgency and to listen to the PL’s instructions clearly. Communication within the patrol is also a vital point that we learnt during Camp D too.

After we had our dinner, it was night PT. There were a total of 6 stations, and through night PT, we improved our perseverance level. All of us also cheered loudly to keep the patrol morale high. As the night PT was tough, each of us needed to spur our patrol mates on in order to get through the night PT. From this, we improved our mental and physical ability. It was certainly an enriching experience for the trainees.

As it started to rain heavily after that, we were unable to carry out the night games. We had been looking forward to it throughout the whole day and it was quite a pity that we could not carry it out. We went to sleep at the multi-purpose hall instead.


Day 2

We had morning warmup and then we went to have our breakfast. After that, we had inspection. This time, we had to bring all of our baggage as well as our Styrofoam boxes to lay out. Again, we had to act fast and lay out our items as neat as possible. Then, we proceeded to outdoor cooking.

Starting the fire was not easy because many of us had to try multiple times in order to sustain the fire. Outdoor cooking was fun because we get to cook our own food. We were given chicken, mushrooms and soup to cook for our own patrol, which would be our lunch. It turned out to be extremely delicious and we all ate our lunch heartily.

In the afternoon, we had OJ. This OJ we had was very different from the normal OJs as it required us to think more and make use of whatever we had with us. Once again, to carry out the task, we were required to communicate within the patrol and listen to our patrol mates’ suggestions. This OJ was a very memorable one because the situations we faced were totally unexpected and hence, we had to be prepared and work together as a patrol. The PL’s instructions were also very important as they had to be clear so that the patrol mates could carry them out. Thus, this OJ was very beneficial to the trainees.

At night, we had the most exciting event in the camp, which was Campfire! It was the time for us to relax and enjoy ourselves thoroughly after all the strenuous activities. Campfire was very fun and interesting because the songleaders were very entertaining, singing many songs for the audience. Some of us were also given the chance to participate in the campfire. It was a wonderful night because we sang our hearts out and felt very happy during the campfire.

After that, we had barbeque for supper. We had marshmallows, hot dogs and crabmeat to eat. We enjoyed a scrumptious supper before going to sleep.

About 1am in the morning, there was a sudden firedrill. It was assumed that there was a fire and hence, all the trainees had to run away from the fire, as far as possible. We were not supposed to take any of our baggage because in case of an actual fire, we had to ensure that safety comes first. Through this firedrill, we learnt that knowing how to act fast in emergency situations is important. Also, we need to stay calm and not panic as we need to be in a clear state of mind should there be any problems we need to deal with.


Day 3
It was the last day of our camp and in the morning, all we did was to strike camp. We brought down our tents and took everything back to the back store. Then we had our final clean-up on the campsite to ensure that the campsite was clean, without any litter on the floor. After that, we had company games. It was very exciting because we played many games and we could bond with our company too. Then, we left the campsite in the afternoon to return back to school. We had the prize presentation. Even though some of us did not manage to get into the top 3 positions, I believe that all of us had done well in the camp and through it, we have certainly become a better guide. For the year ones, they had learnt many new skills and at the same time, they improved themselves too. For the year twos, we learnt how to lead our patrol better and also, take care of them. This camp experience is an unforgettable one and I believe that what we have learnt during camp would stay with us forever.

Hello guides, our annual training camp has come to an end.

We hope that it has opened you up to more possibilities and allowed you to know yourselves better. All of us are work in progress and are constantly learning and changing, it is never too late to change your attitude and amend your mistakes!

Here is a blog post regarding ATC by a year3;

Hello guides :)

3 November marked the end of ATC 10. Through this 3-day camp, we hope that all of the trainees have learnt something not only new but also valuable from this camp and will apply them during future jihes.

This year, the camp was held in Sarimbun Camp and it is the first time the year 1s, 2s and also the 3s are camping there. The year 2s, being the ones to lead, were worried as the surroundings were unfamiliar to them. First, we jihe in school and the trainees had to bring all their logistics down to the foyer. There was lack of sense of urgency and the trainees guo shi. Next was goal setting in the respective patrols. We hope that you have achieved your goals at the end of the camp!

On the way to Sarimbun Camp, the bus was filled with excitement; most of the guides were most probably discussing how it would be like there, or perhaps already discussing about the activities and manpower allocation.

On arrival, we could see that most of the trainees were quite blur. Very soon, the first activity started and as usual, it is camp D. The tents we were supposed to pitch were somewhat different from what we usually pitch, and many of the guides were unsure of what to do. However, we worked together and overcame this problem. Communication is definitely something very important.

If unsure of anything, you can always approach the year 3s or seniors. Do not be afraid as the camp is for you to learn new things. Of course, certain things we expect you to know by the camp and you should not be over reliant on your seniors. You will have to learn to adapt to changes and put your skills in use! :)

Meanwhile, some of the trainees were putting up the kitchen tents. The help of the seniors were required and this should not be so. For things like this, you should know at the back of your hand and come to the camp prepared. Many of the kitchen tents were extremely unstable and the canvas was sagging. The year 3s were worrying that should there be heavy rain, your kitchen tent would just collapse. The seniors and year 3s even helped to adjust your kitchen tents.

We could see that some of your gadgets such as shoe racks were quite creative, and the other gadgets were rather stable too. Good job! However, some of the flagpoles were not stable and the ma sheng was not taut at all so time was wasted to re-tie the flagpoles. Do take note that you are supposed to wrap your flag around the pole using the la sheng, if not it would be considered as sheng ban qi.

At night was night PT. We could see many of you pia-ing and giving your best although you were tired. However, there were also some who gave up easily. We hope that all of you will not give up so easily next time. All of you are going through this together. Constantly cheer each other on to boost your morale! After night PT, it was supposed to be night games. Unfortunately, it started raining heavily and night games could not be carried out :(

On the second morning, we had morning warm up and then flag raising. Afterwards it was inspection. Many things were kupped and even a pei bei and first aid kit were kupped! These two things are very important and you should take care of them. Of course, every other thing is important as well and you must take care of them! We could see that many things were not standardized such as the direction your items were facing. Other than that, your overall layout is more or less neat :)

Next was outdoor cooking. This time, the kitchen dresser was not built hence preparation of food was at the dining hall. When transporting the food or other things from the dining hall to the kitchen tents, we could see that some of you were walking. We hope to see a sense of urgency in everything that you do. Do take note to cover your food while cooking, if not you will be eating ash for lunch :) the food was tasty and we hope you enjoyed the process and bonded with your patrol during that time.

After outdoor cooking and lunch was OJ. This time, OJ is very different from the typical OJs. We wanted the trainees to be able to adapt to change and put in use your skills. This OJ required the trainees to think out of the box and make use of your skills learnt. If you know your skills well enough, you would not fluster and you would be able to go through this OJ smoothly. Many of you were unsure of how to build a signal. This is very important and although ATC is over, we hope that you will still look through your notes and take note of these important things.

Then it was flag lowering and then dinner. Later on at night, it was campfire! The performances put up by the patrols were all very entertaining :) This year for campfire, we had something different, which was the fashion showcase. Every patrol had their own dress code and they were all unique and interesting :) The yarn was given by Yiting and Nicholette, it definitely spoke to us a lot and we hope that all of you will remember it and apply it into every that you do too!

Following campfire was supper and we had a mini barbeque. Sadly, almost all of the patrols did not clear up. Remember that it is a camp and you do not have servants to clean up after you!

Soon, the trainees fell asleep after a long and tiring day. At 1.08am, fire drill started. Some of the year 3s were at the campsite, shouting: “Fire, fire!” All if not many of the trainees were blur, confused and did not know what to do. It took at total of 8 minutes for all the trainees to evacuate the campsite and get to the main field. If there was a real fire, the consequences would be dire if you actually took such a long time to evacuate. What we hoped to see is that you could help one another and wake each other up. Some of you just ran out of the tents without waking up your other patrol mates, not even to say the other patrols. Many of you also ignored the “casualties” who were shouting for help. We hope that through this fire drill, you have learnt something valuable: do not just think about your own safety, but also remember that other lives are just as important!

Day 3 morning started with strike camp and clearing up of the campsite. Next was company games to celebrate almost the end of ATC. We hope that all of you had fun and bonded with the company!

We then carried all the logistics up the bus and headed back to school. Many of us were tired and fast fell asleep on the bus. We hope that this is a sign that all of you have pia-ed hard during the camp! Back at school, we had lunch. Then it was mystery games.

Overall, we hope that all the guides, be it year 1, 2 or 3 have learnt something from this camp and will continue to improve! It does not matter whether your patrol came in first or last, what matters most is that you have really done your best and sincerely helped each other. There have been tears but also bonds which have been forged. We hope to see the spirit of guiding to continue to grow in all of you!

Love guides!

Hey guides! From 1Nov to 3Nov will be our Annual Training Camp!

It's the point in time where the year2s take a big step towards leading a patrol :)

Everyone have worked hard together to prepare for the upcoming camp.

Rest well this weekend and give it your best shot!

Love guides:)

Hello guides !

Recently, Nicholette Li, ex-patrol leader of p8 sunflower attained the president guide award :)

This award is the most prestigious award a guide can get as a recognition to her dedication to the guide movement, skills and character.

Congratulations, Nicholette! :)

Hello guides!

All the best for the up coming examinations :)

Do your best for the examinations and finish them with no regrets!

It is also a good chance to get to bond with fellow sister guides and friends by organizing study groups to revise for eoys together :)

Also, just a little tip from us, exercising can bust stress! Do not use studying as an excuse to get flabby! :)

Love guides,

jiayou!

EDD 2010

Hi guides,
here are the posts from last week's EDD. (:

a post by a year 1:
Last Saturday was East Division Day. It was a day where certain schools met together to compete in certain competitions. I took part in Mascot making. This was a competition where we had to dress up people, and make them into out mascot, with the theme “Igniting the flame”. We had a total of 45 minutes to make our mascot. We made use of our creativity and used all kinds of materials – from trash bags to leaves – to design out mascot. Although my group did not win, we were all proud of the effort we had put in. On the other hand, coy 2 won a 3rd place. I felt happy for them. After the competition, we watched the dance competition which our school hosted. Watching the guides and brownies dance with the various songs, I can feel the time and effort put in by them. However, I felt that the most commendable group was from our school. As Mrs Poh stated, they had put in a lot of effort even though they knew they could not win. A round of applause for all the Dunman High Guides for the effort they put into this East Division Day.


a post by a year 2:
Guides blog post- EDD
On 18 of September, we went to Bedok View secondary for EDD. :D We jihe-ed in coy tee and guides skirt outside the general office of Bedok View at 8am. Then, we went to the hall where we were briefed of that day’s activities. After briefing us, we were dispatched to the different locations to take part in the competitions. There were many competitions, like cheerleading, recycled craft making, gadgeting and many others.

For the recycled craft making competition, we had to make a trophy related to the theme, using recycled materials. Coy 1 designed a globe while Coy 2 designed a phoenix. When we were all ready, the competition started. We started pasting and cutting out the shapes of the trophy. It was so fun! It was a great experience for us as many of us did not make any trophies before using recycled materials. It was a great time for us to bond too and we could apply our art techniques. After one and a half hours, we had to hand in our trophies and our write-up.

In the classroom, there were many other beautiful trophies from other schools. We could see that everyone put in their effort to make the trophies.

Then, we went back to the hall to watch the dance competition which our school was hosting. First were the brownies. The brownies came up to show their dance performance and we could see that many of them are talented in dancing. They could do cartwheels, somersaults and splits. Their dances were very cute. Then, it was the time for the guides to show their dances. The different schools had interesting outfits and nice dances. We could see that they put in a lot of effort for the dances and they spent a lot of time practicing. Our school’s dance performance was great too and we know that they put in a lot of effort in the dance.

Then, there was prize giving. We won many trophies but it’s not all about the winning but the experience and joy that we get from the competitions. After we sang taps, we jihe-ed and took a company picture. Then, we were dismissed.

From this EDD, all of us really enjoyed ourselves and we have memories that will stay with us for a long time to come. All of us put in a lot of effort for the competitions and the joy that we had during the competitions is precious. :D

Love guides

Hi guides! here is a post on the annual hike by one of our year2s :)

Our day started at 7.30a.m., when we all arrive at school and assembled outside the auditorium. All of us were very excited, eagerly waiting for the unfurling of the events to come. It was our first time participating in a hike organized by the company. We tumbled aboard the bus, and chatting and slapping on sunscreen.

We were walking along, when Mrs. Poh told us to run. It was not a very brief distance, but we still had our store of energy full. I guess it was akin to a warm-up run, but nevertheless, many of us arrived breathless. Then, our hike officially started. Our aims for the day were: happiness, excellence, resilience and determination, and the first letter of these four words form the word “herd”. I think that, within this word itself, it is also full of meaning, as a company and patrol is like a mini herd and we take care of each other.

Our first station was just a short distance away, on the event lawn. There, we took a Kung fu pose jump shot, and “competed” against patrol 9 in a game of dog and bone. The “bones” were foodstuff and scrapbook materials and the patrol that got the item gets to keep it, to be used or eaten during the hike. There was a twist to the game, as there were multiple choices and the person with the number corresponding to the correct answer had to do ten jumping jacks before running out to grab the bone. It was very funny and everyone was trying to jump as fast as humanly possible.

In between the two stations, we were trying to complete the tasks given, such as navigating the maze, finding out that the red, blue, yellow and green objects were recycling bins, taking a picture of the garden house and searching for a flower in the flora walk. Out of those activities, the one with the most learning points is the maze. Each of us held on to a section of the hemispherical football and tries to control the tiny ball that is within the maze, guiding it towards the centre. It was vexing at first, as we were not very successful and the tiny ball had a mind of its own. However, through patience and perseverance, we finally managed to coax the ball into the centre of the maze. Teamwork was important, because if one of us were not of the same mind as the others, the ball would not go in the direction that we wanted. We also learnt not to be too agitated and form a strategy first, before proceeding calmly; slowly but surely.

As we were overambitious and tried to complete all of the tasks given, we did not arrive in time to go through the 2^nd station. Despite running part of the way there, we still did not arrive at station 2 in time and could only complete a part of the station. We learnt that we should prioritize, and also, though it is a hike, but we should not stroll either, but move faster. Still, this did not dampen our spirits, but we continued the hike.

At station 2, we were given a map and told to find the shortest route from point A to B. it was deceptively easy, so much so that we suspected a trick at first. After we had arrived, we had to answer some questions that required us to think out of the box, a.k.a. 欠扁问答题s.

At station 3, the activity requires us to stand in a line and hold crushed paper balls in between our shoulders. There were questions to be answered and the correct answer merits 2 steps forward while the wrong answer earns us a step back. It was difficult, as there were paper balls on both our left and right, thus, if the paper ball on the right is dropping, one cannot move to narrow the grip on the paper ball, since doing so will cause the paper ball on the left to drop. This game requires teamwork and helping each other, as one person also cannot hold on to any of the paper balls.

At the fourth station, we were given a large piece of newspaper, and the whole patrol had to step on it; not feet are allowed to touch the ground outside of the newspaper. There were slips of paper scattered around us and we were to reach for them. On each piece of paper is a question number corresponding to a question. The newspaper would be folded for every two questions answered wrongly.

At the last station along the southern ridges, there were several tasks to be completed and our patrol split into three different groups. One pair went off to take photographs of different objects using different camera settings, another pair had to answer questions put forth by the station master. The rest of us searched for a plastic bag that belongs to our group; it contains slips of paper that with the steps for developing negatives. We rotated the jobs and after we found the plastic bag, we had to rearrange the slips of paper in the correct order.

The end of the 5^th station means the end of our rural hike. Before continuing on our way to Vivo City, we took many photographs that were in the mobile task booklet

Upon arriving at Vivo City, we finished some more photography tasks and almost did not see the hike I.C.s when we went to the assembly area at the fountain. After we had eaten our lunch, we stayed at Long John Silver’s for awhile to do our scrapbook.

We assembled and was dismissed for a shortened version of activities in vivocity.

In the first station, each of us had to come out and imitate the person or object that is given to us. It is a game that is unlike taboo or charades, as we could talk, but we had to become the given person or object. There were guiders and leaders of the company and other rather random objects such as staplers, and carrot. Next, we were given 15 minutes to go and source for the objects, or anything that can represent the object, and take a photograph as proof. We went into Daiso and used our creativity and what we could find there, coming up with connections that were slightly stretched, such as a pen that looks like an ostrich wearing a tutu, to represent ballerina, an eraser that looks like a stapler, etc.

We were then given a clue to the next station, which was in front of the Food Republic, and is all about food. This time, we played “taboo” and all the words were foodstuff. This station tests our communication skills and how we communicate as a patrol. Then, according to another clue, we had to find a kind of snack, buy it and eat it in front of the station master. Another bonus required us to memorize a little poem that is part of an advertisement.

After these two stations, we assembled for company games!

We played all the games in an outdoor pool, with the water barely reaching our knees. The first game we played, all of us were given an identity, either a duck or a cow. Then, closing our eyes, we had to find others of the same type. Once the game started, there was a cacophony of moos and quacks, as each of us tried to find a match. When the game ended and we opened our eyes once more, we saw that all of us we standing in little groups. Through this simple game, we realize that strategy is important, and the point of the game was not to try and outdo each other with the moos and quacks. Instead, we should get only one person from each group to call out at a time, so that it is much more organized.

The second game played was blow wind blow. However, there was an alteration to the game, instead of being people, we were cars and each round, and there were conditions to be met, before we could settle into our new places. There were situations like: a flat tire and we had to roll on the ground for ten seconds before running back; ERP gateways and we had to go to the centre of the circle to get monopoly money; car wash and we had to submerge ourselves in the water before running to a new place. Needless to say, most, if not all of us, were wet before the game ended. Mostly, it was from well-meaning friends who wanted to help each other cool down, there were even a bucket and cups floating around. It was fun.

The final game that we played was musical box. There were a number of things being passed around and the music was provided by us, as we sang guides’ songs. There were different rounds, with a different thing being passed around each time, like ice cubes, rice grains and half a banana. The people who were lucky enough to be holding on to the item when the music stopped had to go to the centre of the circle and do their forfeit.

Then, it was prize giving and then we were dismissed. Though our patrol was not part of the top three, we had tremendous fun throughout the day. We learnt many things, such as perseverance and determination, and we tried our best to achieve the four values of HERD. We also came up with a new patrol song!

Love guides!:)

sept hike10

Dear guides, here's a blogpost by a year 1 on our annual hike!

It’s Saturday, 4 September! Excited and geared up, we went to school on a happy note. All the year1s were really excited about the hike despite the uncertainty as this is our first hike.

For rural hike along the southern ridges, we had to grin broadly for one minute, I thought we looked kind of foolish as a patrol grinning so widely together, but it was fun as I felt the patrol togetherness through this activityJ

Then, we had to compete with another patrol for dog and bone. We were supposed to answer different questions, and the first person from each patrol who managed to finish 10 jumping jacks would be able to grab attractive prizes. It was a joy to see everybody trying their best to complete the jumping jacks as soon as possible to get prizes for the patrol!

Then, it was time for patrol scrapbook!

We then quickly kept everything and moved on to the next station when time was up. As it was quite a long distance, we completed different mobile tasks on our way to the next station. We were exposed to Nature too- we even spotted a hummingbird!

On our way there, there were times where we got lost and forgot how to head to the next station. We gathered together as a patrol and tried to find out what was the correct route to the next station. WE cheered along the way and kept our patrol spirit high.

Finally, we figured our way to the 2^nd station! It was the maze and we have to solve it. After we solved it, we had to climb up using the way that we drew on the paper while the rest of the patrol mates had to remain downstairs to answer different questions. I was the one that was “kidnapped” with my year two senior and so we ran up and remained in girl style pumping position. Even though there were only two of us, we continued to cheer. Cheers do boost our spirit, we pushed ourselves all the way till our patrol mates “came to our rescue”

We headed off to the 3^rd station, not forgetting to complete our mobile tasks along the way!

The 3^rd station was something like putting balls of crushed papers in between your shoulders and moved forward and backward together as a patrol to prevent the papers balls from dropping. We had to answer questions regarding waters correctly to take a step front. It was a test about our unity as a patrol and also our common knowledge. We successfully completed the task! It was indeed an achievement because there were difficulties but we overcame them as a patrol.

The 4^th station was to squeeze together and stand on a piece of newspapers and answer questions about lands. It was quite fun, to squeeze with your patrol and answer questions. Some of the questions were really foreign to me. I guessed there is a need for me to brush up my knowledge of Singapore!

The last station was to sing a song loudly to grab the attention of a station master. We had to answer questions about photography while the rest of patrol mates had to find plastic bags and take a picture of 10 different things. In the meantime, we collected some objects from nature that can be used for our scrapbook, for example, fallen flowers.

Finally, we headed off to Vivocity! We had our lunch and worked on the scrapbook. It turned out to be really pretty! After that, it was urban hike. We had to play taboo in our first station. I found some difficulty trying to disseminate information to my patrol members because there were some things that I could not say. This is a good way to train your communication skills

Next station is about architecture. We had to go around to take photos of different types of buildings. As vivocity is known to have unique structures around the mall, it was definitely an eye opener. Through this activity, I learnt to appreciate beautiful architecture. They are all around us, just that I did not pay much attention to them. We had to devise a proposal that is similar one of the building that we took picture of. I thought that we managed to think of different things that were very cool and unique, yet useful at the same time. Some could even be implemented in our Guides’ gadgets! Overall, I thought that that was a very wonderful experience.

We then completed our urban mobile tasks and it was time for Company Games!

Everybody was excited about going into water. We splashed water at each other and laughed. We attracted much attention, especially visitors, and most of them took photos of us having fun. I thought that we left an impression on the visitors that we, indeed, knew how to have times at sometimes and were not as restricted as we seemed. Overall, I thought that the Company Games were a very good chance for us to bond as a company, to get to know each other well through fun experiences. I believed this is a good experience that I would ever have.

With this, we ended our hike. Although some patrols did not emerge in the top 3 patrols, we definitely think that the most important thing was the lessons learnt from the hike. We bonded, overcame difficulties together and became closer as a patrol. Even though it was an inter patrol competition, we never failed to help one another when they needed help. We appreciated nature and arts that were around us. Lastly, we persevered through the hike, not only as a patrol, but as one company, because we were all in this together.

This hike is definitely a fruitful experience for each and every one!

Arrow scouts campfire

On Saturday, some of us attended the arrow scouts campfire :)

It was an eye-opening experience and got to experience the different culture of the other schools, especially the arrow scouts troop :)

We also got to interact with other brothers and sisters and sing new songs that we dont usually sing :)

We thank arrow scouts troop for the invitation and warm hospitality :)

Ms Sim with Amelia and Jieying:)

Hi guides!

Singapore Youth Olympic Games has drawn to a close but the memories yog has left will be in our hearts for a very long time :)

Most of our year3s were actively involved in YOG as volunteers both in the world culture village and kids sports challenge.

The experience of being volunteers at the events are truly beneficial as we got to interact with people outside the people we know in school :) We got a peek into the lives of others and understand more about them :) The youth olympians are really just like any other youths behind their sports talents, they love to have fun and are just as chatty :) While talking to the other volunteers, we got to know more about working adults and students from other institutions as well :)

We exchanged opinions about school and work and hear about the life stories of those who have been through what we are going through.

These people may only be acquaintances but the friendships have enriched us and we are really proud to be part of the first inaugural youth olympic games.

The only down point is that the volunteers have missed out on a lot of school but we are thankful that the guiders allow us to make time off CCA on Fridays to have makeup lessons with our teachers :)

We also want to thank our teacher in charge, Mrs Poh, Ms Tang, Ms Sim, Mdm Tan for being with us at the various events and giving us the chance to be a volunteer at this very special event :)

Love guides and YOG!

Pionering Course

Hi guides (:

Last Saturday, a team of 6 guides took part in the pioneering course organised by our school's Scouts troop. We have decided to share our experience with you.

During the first part of the course, we attented a lecture on some basic but important pioneering skills conducted by the ventures. We were thought how to handle a pioneering project successfully as well as some basic lashing and structures of a pioneering project.

Following that, we went on to build a tower which we had designed a few days beforehand with the help of the rovers. We started off by tying the main component of our tower, the two yellow spar tripods. After that, the most challenging was the interlocking of the two spar tripod to make an hourglass shape as can be seen in the photos below. Despite that, with the help of the rovers, we managed to get the principle structure of the tower up. Thereafter, we added on other parts to our tower, including a platform and rope ladder, which we had much fun constructing.

After 5 hours, our tower was finally completed. Although there were many flaws and improvements that could have been made on the tower, we were all proud of the tower as it was our first time handling and leading a pioneering project (:

Reflections from the y2s who attended the course:

Through this Pioneering Course, I feel that we have really benefitted a lot and learnt many new skills normal 集合-s cannot teach us. Firstly, during the lecture, I learnt that triangular structures are more stable than other structures, therefore I will be able to apply this concept to structures tied using gadget poles in the future. Also I learnt how to hit Arthurs into the ground at the correct angle, so that the spars will not be given any chance to ‘fly’ and hit anyone.

From the Rovers, I learnt that sometimes, when we have suggestions or comments for improvements, we should not keep them to ourselves but voice them out so that we can all learn fro each other. If we do not raise our comments to the ones tying the lashings or doing other things, they may have to redo what they have spent much effort doing after realising their mistakes or realising there could have been a better way to do what they have done. Flexibility is also very vital and we should openly accept criticism or new ideas. When things go wrong, it does not matter if we change ideas to salvage the situation. This is similar to how we improvise things during集合-s.

I trust that all six fortunate Guides have learnt many new skills today and that those skills will aid them in their future endeavours. The Rovers should really be thanked for their patient and kind teachings and help given to the construction of our hourglass tower. They have also provided us Guides with filling lunch, cold drinks and even dinner! Today has indeed been a fruitful day and I do not regret taking part in this meaningful course.

Below are some photos:

Our tower design

In the lecture theatre

DHS scouts' competition piece

Swing by scouts

Our completed tower

The y3s feel that this has been a great exposure and experience for us, especially since it will come into use during future pioneering activities as well as ideas for our juniors' activities.

We have learnt about having situation awareness as pioneering requires much flexibility and observance to surroundings, to successfully create and build a structure. We had to think on the spot frequently and improvise on certain items, such as the platform, to build the tower. During the spand of building the structure, we also learnt many hard skills, such as using arthurs to stabilize our structure and building a good rope ladder.

The y3s are proud of the y2s as well, in being cooperative and ready to learn during the course of pioneering as this is in fact, a brand new activity to them. We have seen how things are possible if we believe in ourselves. Despite the structure being challenging and difficult to build, we managed it in the end. The y3s hope that all guides will have a similar mindset for hike, ATC and all guides activities to come. Impossible is nothing! (:

Lastly, we would all like to thank the following people:

Guiders and Scouters, for giving us the chance to take part in this course;

Rovers, Wei Xuan, Rui Yang and Hua Zhou for their guidance and suggestions before and during the course of pioneering;

Scouts QMs, Ming Quan and Thomas, for helping us with our logistics;

Scouts PLs, Yu Hao and Beng Haun, for their suggestions and help with the tower design

Obstacle Journey

A post by a y2 about last week's OJ:

Hi Guides!

Last Friday, we had our first OJ where the year twos will lead the year ones before ATC.

We exceeded the 13minutes allocated to us for mass change. This is a reminder to us all that we should take note of the time limit and not exceed it. A time limit is there for a purpose, it is there to make sure that everything goes on smoothly according to the timetable on proposal, so there will not be delays in the planned activities. One for all and all for one. Should one guide be late, everyone will also be detained.

For my patrol, our first station was at the red tile area. We were instructed to set up as many emergency shelters as possible in 3 minutes. We spent a lot of time discussing what to do. In the end, we hurriedly draped our ponchos over benches. It was not ideal, because rain still can enter it, and that will defeat the purpose of a shelter. We should learn to communicate faster the next time, and have constant baoshi. Next we did caterpillar walk with alternate people blindfolded. We were supposed to follow the trekking signs around. Although I was blindfolded, I felt that I could have helped to raise the morale by cheering. Also, being blindfolded also let me learn to trust in my patrol mates in leading us along.

Then, we proceeded to the second station – electric fence and fire lighting. One of the main problems we encountered was trying to bring our stuff along across without getting kupped. This taught us to be always on constant vigilance of our surroundings, and our belongings. For the firelighting, though we managed to set up a fire quickly, we forgot to wrap the handle with wet newspaper. This might lead to burns on our hands should we grab the metal handle after firelighting. This precaution is necessary and we must never repeat the mistake again.

The third station was along the linkway between the senior high and junior high blocks. Here, the focus was on first aid. Many of us could not build a standard stretcher and I feel that this is something we should work on before camp.

The fourth station was the pt station. Here, one main thing I realized was the power of cheering. In future when we are feeling down and tired, we should start cheering to raise our morale and spirit to urge us on.

This OJ gave us year twos a chance to lead the year ones before ATC. We hope that we will be able to lead the year ones better and make sure everyone is involved during ATC.

Jiayous!

Dear Guides, here is a blogpost by a year2 on last week's activity :)

Last Friday’s jihe was very interesting- we had PT-cum-firelighting, we were tested on some first aid skills and the guides code as well.

P8 was combined with P7. Although my patrol was outnumbered at the first station, we still tried our best to intercept the ball when we played. The game was strenuous, and it definitely required us to be alert, focused and we had t make sure everyone coordinated. After every 5 minutes, we had to stop the game immediately and do 5 pumpings on the spot. The fastest person will then proceed to answer a question about firelighting which was tested by the station masters. In the end, my team lost, but we still had lots of fun at that station, and I believe the questions asked really tested whether we studied and understood our notes.

Our second station was outside the 3H classroom. We had to zhan ma at one end, and each time, there will be people taking turns to run out to a station master at the other end, where we would pick out a maximum of 3 very random words(e.g. big twigs, giraffe, ATC etc.) we had to form a storey involving the words that we picked. After around 10 minutes, someone was to volunteer and go the other end again, and she would have to do leg-raise. The rest of us had to commando crawl to her. We were then told that she got burnt in a fire, and her watch(represented by a roll of masking tape) had melted on her hand. We had 2 minutes to think of a way to help her, and our patrol was at lost. I feel that this should not be the way- we should not have taken for granted and just studied firelighting- instead; we should have been clear on our first aid too.

We then proceeded to our third station, which was at the pltc 09’ campsite. I was the PL for this station, where I had to give certain instructions. In this station, we had to dig a pit for outdoor cooking. We started off with PT first, where we had to do kallang wave pumping until 100. During the firelighting part, we had to dig a pit. It was my second time doing this, but it was a first for the year1s.

For our fourth station, we had to run up to the fifth storey balcony. The station masters required us to set up a fire using yuan zi lu and yuan zi la. We had to boil water after that and we had to ask for time extension. As the newspaper were not entirely wet, when we were jihe-ing, both patrols’ newspapers caught fire. Fortunately, the fire was put out in no time. it was indeed a lesson learnt, and we promised to be more careful next time. then for PT, we had to ding leg raise 90 degrees, and after each minute, we had to ding in 45 degrees for 10 seconds before returning back to 90 degrees again. This was to be done within 10 minutes. At the same time as well, each pair would take turns to run one round around the level.

At last, at our fifth station, we had to set up a fire using kindlings. My juniors were responsible and they picked the really dry kindlings, much to our favour. Thanks to them, our fire got set up really quickly and it did not extinguish at all. We took turns to keep the fire going, at the same time, we had to boil an egg. In this station, we could really see the patrol spirit. Helping to blow the fire no matter how breathless we already were, or even when we were tearing. Although there were only 4 of us, we were told that our fire was the best, compared to all the other patrols. This definitely made us feel very proud and we were very glad that our efforts had paid off.

This jihe has been really memorable for us, as well seldom had a chance to practice firelighting on normal Friday’s jihe. Also, we were able to build up our stamina as we trained hard during the PT. I believe all of us learnt many firelighting skills, especially the year1s. We were given chances to lead too, as preparation for future OJs and for ATC. I feel that we should have been more careful from now onwards and must not repeat the same mistakes. What was most important throughout the jihe was the bonding of our patrol mates and the patrol spirit!

Dhscoy <3
Jiayou guides!:)

Orienteering cum PT

Hi guides, here's a post by a y2 about last friday's jihe:

Last Friday, it was the third time we jihe-ed with our new patrol.

It started off with an attire check. Although there was improvement from last jihe, many of our attires were still not up to standard. I feel that with the frequent introduction of attire check into our weekly jihes, this can instill a stronger feeling of discipline among us guides.

We had patrol corner next whereby our seniors went through with us about orientering
as well as how to use a street directory. After that, we were given a chance to clarify our doubts with them. I felt that it was a good oportunity as we were able to clarify our doubts and learn the skills that we were lacking in orientering in preparation of whatsoever that holds for us during the activity later. This gives us a chance to practice our newly learnt skills during the activity later and hence we will be able to commit the skills stronger to memory.

After patrol corner, we had PT-cum-Tracking Signs and Orientering. We were dispatched
into groups with another patrol and started out. Throughout the whole PT, we were regularly tested on tracking signs and orientering, and not to mention, the introduction of PT into the activity at the same time.

With every jihe, there will be no lack in difficulties we face. As we were paired with another patrol for this jihe, as well as being in relatively new patrols, we were not very bonded and had to be prompted by our seniors to cheer. At the same time, not everyone had a sense of urgency and we were constantly reminded by our seniors to动 作快一点 and 报时 more frequently. But in the end, everyone made it through.

I felt that this jihe has been very successful and meaningful as not only we are able to train and maintain our physique, we are also able to learn new skills. We should take note of the blunders we committed in this jihe and strive to improve on these points. And with more of these jihes are implemented into guides, I’m sure that
Dunman High Coy can definitely soar to greater heights.

加油女童军！PIA 到底！付出最大的努力，我们一定行！

yog opening ceremony 4th rehearsal

On 7/8, Saturday, some of our year3s attended yog opening ceremony 4th rehearsal.

It is an unique opportunity to view the performances at the marina bay float with fellow sister guides and their friends and family members :)

Here are some photos taken at the opening ceremony rehearsal,

The view from our seats :)

hello guides:)
here are the pictures from initiatives and outdoor cooking on 31st july, enjoy!

cleaning crew :D

love guides!:)

Hello guides! here's a post on last week's activity by a year1:)

Last saturday, we had outdoor cooking and initiatives.

Initially, we built structures called fire altars to hold the zinc plates and all the materials for outdoor cooking. The knots had to be tight or else the structures would not be stable.

When the fire altars were ready, we started cooking. The pots or woks or any cooking utensils could be placed on bricks, which had a fire burning between them. We prepared chicken, pizza and instant noodles.

After all the eating and clearing up, we had initiatives in LSP rooms. We learned to bake banana muffins, while the seniors cooked baked potato and the Hakka "abacus". We even learnt how to make ice cream as a patrol. It turned out to be a rather softened version of Macdonald's Mcflurry as out ice melted and it was not cold enough.After initiatives, we ate as a patrol to share what we have prepared.

Saturday was fun and enriching, as I learnt many things I never had the chance to learn.

love guides!:)

Dear guides, here is a post by year2 on saturday's activity:)

Last week, there was no jihe on Friday, but it was on Saturday instead. As the weather went well, Cooking Galore went ahead quite successfully.

We started off with attire check, making sure that we were all in our standard attire. This time, more people were in their standard attire compared to the previous time. We should always remember to come in standard attire as being in the proper attire shows respect for guides.

After that, we were split into three groups to build an indoor fire altar for each group. Throughout the whole process, there were different patrol leaders and patrol seconds assigned to take over the management of the building of the fire altar.

Throughout the building of fire altar, there was a pile of mu left by the side. We should always take the initiative, even to take care of the extra mu even though it may not be yours. After which we split the extra mu amongst the three groups to improvise and stabilize our fire altar.
I think that our attempt at the creative fire altar was quite successful as it was our first time building such a structure and it was quite stable.

We then went on with fire lighting. Our year threes also helped us whenever we encountered difficulties. Outdoor cooking went well and the food was really tasty.

After finishing the food and clearing up, we proceed to the LSP room to have initiatives. The year ones learned to bake banana muffins, year twos learnt to make potato salads and year threes tried on 算盘子. When everything is done, we gather in our patrols again to share the food we’ve made. We then started making our ice cream too. The food was delicious and even though my patrol’s ice cream did not really solidify entirely, we still enjoyed it.

Today was the year 2’s first time leading a patrol but many of us were indulged in our own work, and not making use of the patrol’s manpower well and teaching the year1s as we proceed with the activity. Through this activity, I learnt that we should involve the year ones more, to let them understand what we are doing so that they will gain more and learn more from the activity. Also, I learnt that the distribution of manpower and communication within the patrol is important.

This jihe is a memorable and enjoyable one, with delicious food and lessons learnt.

Jiayou dhscoy :)

Hi guides (:
The posts for friday's jihe are up:

a post by a y1:

Last Friday’s jihe was the first official jihe that we had with our new patrols. I felt both happy and sad. I was happy to know more guides but sad that I would be separated from my previous patrol mates.

After the year ones jihe and had our warm up, we went to jihe with the seniors. Then, we broke off for patrol corner. Patrol corner was a little quiet and awkward, as we did not know each other, but it was a good chance for us to start getting to know each other.

We jihe again and broke off for pt-cum-games. The activities were very fun and not that tiring. I like the blow-wind-blow and hula-hoop stations, as there was much laughter at these stations (: Yet, the morale was quite low throughout the activities, as there was little cheering. I have learnt that cheering is thus important in boosting our spirits.

After the pt-cum-games, the CL, ACLs and PLs, gave comments on the day’s activities. Then, we broke off for patrol corner again and reflected on the day’s activities too. We were also choosing what proficiency badge we want to achieve.


LOVE GUIDES! <3


a post by a y2:

During the last jihe, it was the first time we jihe-ed with our new patrol. Many of us were excited and eager to know our new patrol-mates. We had attire check after that. Most of our attires were not very standard, and many of us got pumped for it. We were reminded to have standard attire for the jihes, and also to 动作快一点. Next, we had patrol corner. We introduced ourselves to each other and we got to know our patrol more. After that, the year1s joined us, and we had another patrol corner. I felt that this was really a good time to know more about each other.

After patrol corner, we had PT-cum-Fun games. We went to 4 different stations throughout the activity. My first station was outside the Music Atrium, and we were given 12 minutes to pick the 木 for a kitchen dresser while the others ding-ed boys style pumping position. Here, we had to be faster, or the other patrol-mates would have to ding for a longer period of time.

Our next station was at the 6th level of Block G, where we took pictures. Firstly, we had to think of 8 poses to do, then after that, do a position that shows what we like about Guides. Lastly, we did a PT position that we like. My patrol chose to do star-jumps, and we did 20 star-jumps while pictures were taken. I felt that this station was really fun and creative.

The next station my patrol went to was at the pltc’09 campsite, where we played ‘Blow Wind Blow’ while doing Leg Raise. Although it was rather tiring at some point in time, we tried to persevere on and eventually it was over. I felt that this was a unique way of doing PT while having games. The last station was at the open space at the 5th floor of the yr3 / 4 block. There, we did circuits, consisting of 20 pumpings, 20 burpees, 20 jumping jacks, 20 sit-ups and 10 star-jumps as 1 circuit. This was a good chance for us to train our stamina.

After that, we proceeded back to the General Science Lab for de-briefing. We were reminded to cheer more to build patrol spirit to encourage others, to run even when we are given a water break instead of walking. This jihe was very meaningful to us as it was our first jihe with our new patrol and yr 3s leading us, and it was a good time to know our new patrol mates better, through having a fun PT.

Hello guides! here are some pictures taken from pdp!

Enjoy!

The beloved 41st batch:)

Patrol 1 Dove

Patrol 2 Orchid

Thank you year4s for the sweets! :D

Patrol 3 Sparrow

Patrol 4 Jasmine

Patrol 5 Kingfisher

Patrol 6 Ixora

Patrol 7 Oriole

Patrol 8 Sunflower

year4s!