Obstacle Journey, 19th September

Hi Guides!

For Friday's 集合, it was an Obstacle Journey (OJ)! 

The theme of this OJ: This is the current dystopian country, where a zombie apocalypse has occurred. Being the only survivors, the Guides are to find an antidote to save themselves. But in order to find the antidote, they are to find out the person holding on to that antidote. That antidote is the key to everyone's survival and the only way to put an end to this zombie apocalypse. So the Guides are to set off on their journey to find clues as to who may be holding on to the antidote. Every station that they complete, a clue will be handed to them. At the very end, the Guides would have to piece the clues up together to find out who has the antidote.

Firstly, the Guides were given 10 minutes to take their logistics. Then, they set off for their respective station in pairs of patrols.

Station 1: Electric Fence Station

The Guides were given 12 minutes to make their way through the electric fence. Only one person was allowed to pass through at any point of time and they were only allowed to take one post it per person. The Guides had to transport all their logistics and claim all the 6 post-its pasted throughout the electric fence. The rest of the patrol was to do a circuit of 3 minutes leg raise and 3 minutes girls’ style pumping position. The Guides had to decipher all the Guides’ notes and Guides codes within these 12 minutes.

The second part of the station was to make a water filter and find or build a structure that could hide 6 patrol members within 8 minutes. 

Thoughts from a Year 2...

We had difficulty finding the stuffs but we managed to complete the station. From this station, our things got taken by the seniors and we were slow in doing the PT given. Hence, I think we can improved by taking better care of our things and have better sense of urgency.

Station 2: Firelighting

The patrol was given 10 minutes to build a signal fire, and create 2 distress signals for “Need food and water” and “safe to land” and also source for the right plant for consumption. While starting the signal fire, one patrol member was to go out every one minute to answer questions on survival skills.

For part 2 of this station, each patrol had to start one fire with solid fuel, and fry one egg per patrol. The Guides were given 6 minutes to fry and eat the egg.

Thoughts from a Year 2...

From this part, we learnt that we must damp the kindlings in order to create smoke and set the bricks further apart, such that the fire will be bigger. We have learnt the tips on how to light a fire quickly from the seniors and will do so in the future.

Thoughts from a Year 2...

Our firelighting technique on the solid fuel was not correct, we did not manage to get it lighted up even after many many tries. We wasted a lot of matchsticks too. We should have waited for the yuanzila to catch fire before letting go of the match. Alternatively, we could have used a lighter instead. For this station, we could have 报时 a lot more and also cheered more and we should have done things faster and taken note more of the small details.

Station 3: Roman Chariot

The Patrol had to build a roman chariot and transport one person from the start to the end. They had to complete this entire task within 11 minutes.However, one pair had to go out to do PT continuously.

For the second part of the station. the patrol had to decode the words and find the casualty. Thereafter, they had to treat the casualty.

Thoughts from a Year 2...

Overall for this station our sense of urgency was extremely low and we didn't involve our year ones as well.

Thoughts from a Year 1...

I learnt some First Aid during this station as well as how to build a proper Roman Chariot. I hope that we will work faster in the future!

Station 4: 夜里行军

The Patrols had to make their way through the classroom blindfolded and afterwards, they were tested on their First Aid skills.

Thoughts from a Year 2...

Our patrol managed to make our way through the whole course within the given time limit. However, there was a lack of communication between the Patrol Leader and the patrol members hence the back people lag a little. After that we were tested on our first aid skills, which we managed to do all. However, we could have better manpower allocation instead of just one person treating a casualty.

Station 5: Gadgeting

The Patrols had 20 minutes to build a creative gadget and do orienteering to obtain the necessary logistics. 12 minutes into the activity, they were informed that they had 1 casualty to treat. Afterwards, they had to use their creative gadget to shoot paper balls into the drain to show that it was effective. For this, the suggested solution was a catapult.

For the bonus activity, the patrols had to treat a snake bite and light a fire using kindlings and a lighter.

Thoughts from a Year 2...

We should have listened to our Year 1s as they had built a catapult during their Skills Training. Thus, from this, we have learnt the importance of involving everyone in our patrol, including the Year 1s so that we can build better structures.

Thoughts from a Year 1...

I think that we should have spoken up more if we had ideas and we also could have had a better sense of urgency. We should also cheer and 报时 constantly without prompting by our seniors. 

Overall

The Patrols had been given some clues after each station which they had to piece together to reveal who had the antidote. In the end, all the Patrols managed to solve the clues and realise that Ms Sim held the antidotes (the drinks given to the Patrols)!

1st Place: P1 and P9

2nd Place: P2 and P8

3rd Place: P5 and P7

Consolation: P4 and P10, P3 and P6

Thoughts from a Year 2...

Overall I feel that what could be improved on was our sense of urgency and also our patrol morale. Our patrol morale was quite low as we always had to be prompted to cheer and also to 报时. We also moved around slowly and did not really work fast enough or up to standard. I think we did well in our OC station as we were very efficient in lighting the kindlings up and also cooking the egg. We also read up on our notes and were able to answer most of the questions that were asked and also to administer first aid onto "casualties".

Thoughts from a Year 2...

I feel that we had an improvement from the last OJ. Also, although our morale was not very high at first, it became better as we went through the different OJ stations. However, I feel that I could have stepped up more to lead especially when I was the PL.

Thoughts from a Year 2...

For this entire OJ, there were many things we could improve on. One being 报时 and cheering. Constant prompting from our seniors were required and yet we still did not do it very often, And most of the time, the Year 2s were the one 报时ing. As for cheering, we only cheered when we weren't busy. Instead we should make it a point to keep cheering so as to boost our morale. Also, our lashes can be improved as most were considerably loose and this made the structure a little shaky. We should also brush up on our survival skills and first aid so as to be completely familiar with it and not just roughly knowing. Decoding of Guides code should also be practiced because we did take a rather long time to do it. PLs should give much clearer instructions and everyone should be involved as inter batch communication was indeed lacking. We cannot be complacent and we should continuously seek ways for improvement as the best is yet to be.

Good job to all the patrols! :)

Patrol Activity, 1st September

Hi Guides!

During this Patrol Activity, the patrols in COY 1 had their separate activities, while the patrols in COY 2 went through an Obstacle Journey (OJ)!

Patrol 1

They had to build an eight men tent, a baggage rack, a shoe rack, and a basha (emergency shelter). Firstly, they were given 7 minutes to get all the logistics needed from 团部. Next, they were then given 30 minutes to build an eight men tent. The second segment was to build a baggage rack, basha and shoe rack in forty two minutes. Lastly, they were given an overall debrief.

All these structures are important structures to take note of because they are the standard structures required for our Annual Training Camp (ATC), hence this PA was a good opportunity for the Year 1s and 2s to brush up on their skills and recall the structures before ATC. Overall, the performance was not up to standard and many things were kupped. Hopefully, the Year 1s and 2s have learnt a lot from this PA, and will improve on the aspects they are lacking in. Also, with this PA, they should be more prepared for ATC.

Thoughts from a Year 2...

We forgot to take two 中短木 and had to be reminded. We should be more aware of the exact quantity of our logistics next time round. For the eight men tent, we took a very long time to get the main metal poles up because there was not enough effective communication. As the Patrol Leader, I should have spoken louder and given clearer instructions to my patrol mates and juniors. Another thing we lacked in was 报时and cheering. We could have cheered more to boost our morale. Moreover, we did not take note of minor details like the angle of the tent pecks and also the pacings. In addition, we should have a much better sense of urgency next time and also take note of the standard timings to make sure that our personal standards are up to standard. The outcome of the baggage rack was quite pathetic. It was extremely unstable and the lashes were loose. Overall, there are many, many things we could have improved on and personally I felt that we did very poorly that day. 

Patrol 2

Patrol 2 did a baggage rack and also 8-man tent for this PA. The Year 1s and 2s had the chance to practise on what to do during boar and hornet attack. After that, they were to finish building the baggage rack, and for every 5 白绳 they needed, they had to pump 5 times. 

After that, they built an 8-men tent. While building 8-men tent, they were told to give the box of 白绳 to the Year 3s and to retrieve the amount of  白绳 needed, they had to run one round around the General Science Lab so that each patrol member could get 3 白绳 each. In the end, the Year 1s and 2s decided to run 2 rounds. Also. they were initially unsure of the steps, and had to clarify their doubts. However, the Year 3s kupped our logistics a few times, meaning that they need to learn to better take care of their patrol logistics.

Hopefully, this PA taught them a lot and also helped to prepare them for ATC!

Thoughts from a Year 2...

We learnt a lot through this 集合 like sense of urgency, 报时 and the importance of cheering more frequently. We can definitely improve from this PA!

Patrol 3

For this PA, Patrol 3 had gadgeting and outdoor cooking. Firstly, they were given a few minutes to take all needed logistics from 团部. After they had taken everything, they had 30 minutes to build a flagpole and a fire altar. Afterwards, they were ready for outdoor cooking! The Year 3s gave them a time limit to sustain two fires and limited the number of matches they could use too. However, most of their kindlings was wet and hence they had difficulty sustaining the fire after lighting it. Thus, they had to spend a long time trying to sustain the fire, mainly by adding more 木麻黄 and palm leaves to allow the fire to burn more quickly and then adding thin twigs. In the end. the Year 1s and 2s also used more matches than necessary, indicating that they have improve on our firelighting skills.

After a while, they managed to sustain the fire long enough to boil water and cook food. The food they made was marshmallows covered with Nutella and placed in bread. They then sat down and finished the food they cooked. 

Thoughts from a Year 2...

From this PA, we learnt that we should have a sense of urgency at all times, even though this Guides activity was more relaxed than usual. Plus, we should always dry our kindling beforehand, and there are tips and techniques on firelighting skills that we should familiarised ourselves with! All in all, it was a fun PA. :)

Patrol 4

Patrol 4 did gadgeting and were also tested on their knowledge of trekking signs. In the end, they managed to answer 5 out of 6 of the trekking signs and their kitchen dresser was relatively stable. However, they were also quite unsure about the kitchen dresser initially, showing that they need to familiarise themselves with this structure. 

Hopefully, they have improved on their soft skills and hard skills after this PA and have taken note of the areas they need to work on. Since ATC is nearing, they have to brush up on lashes and other skills quickly! 

Thoughts from a Year 2...

We did our best to 报时 and cheer regularly. However, we were very slow and careless. We got a 长木, half bamboo and all our 白绳 kupped. Also, we took about 36分 to 起 2 tripods. If we were a lot faster, we could have finished the kitchen dresser in 45mins instead of 1h15mins, like our PL said, despite the fact that there was only 3 of us. On top of that, we had weak, irregular, 报时 and cheering. We also did not have much communication, not only between the Patrol Leader and Patrol Second, but also between junior and seniors. Worst of all, we had to ask for the proposal for kitchen dresser, as we had not memorised the structure completely.

Patrol 5 

This Monday, they built a flagpole, baggage rack and basha. First, the Year 3s had to teach the Year 1s and 2s how to build a flagpole as they were not very sure of the procedure. Then, they were given 12 minutes to build the flagpole. The flagpole wasn't up to standards, so this was a good opportunity for the Year 1s and 2s to learn and improve before ATC. Afterwards, they had to 拆 the flagpole and were given 9 minutes this time to complete it. 

After that, they had 30 minutes to build a baggage rack. In the end, they managed to complete the baggage rack within the time limit although the netting wasn't very tight and some sagged after a while. Despite this, the baggage rack was relatively stable as a whole. Next, they had to build a basha after the baggage rack in 5 minutes. They were quite messy and 过时 by a lot.

From this, they learnt from their mistakes and took note of the areas for improvement.

Thoughts from a Year 2...

I was the Patrol Leader for the flagpole. It was quite scary as I did not know how to tell people what to do and I didn't speak up enough. Also, we had a lack of sense of urgency which made the whole process quite slow and we had to ask for a 2 minutes time extension. Overall, I hope that we can improve on our sense of urgency and constant 报时 and cheering. We also need to speak up more when it comes to telling our juniors what to do. What I think we did well in was that our lashes were quite tight which is good and we also learnt how to build a baggage rack and flagpole properly! 

COY 2 OJ Station 1

This station was the acid river station. The Year 1s and 2s were supposed to build a structure to help them cross the acid river while building two bashas at the same time. Some patrols wanted to build a tripod and attempt to throw the tripod across. 

Overall, the Year 1s and 2s did not communicate clearly and some did not listen to the suggestions by the Year 1s. They should have better involved their patrol members. For some, even their 配备 was kupped. This is a very bad mistake because without the 配备, they would not be able to complete the station without the necessities such as 白绳 and 麻绳. From this, they have to learn how to better take care of their patrol logistics.

Station 2

The second station was 夜里行军 and gas room. For some patrols, communication was lacking. This led to the patrols being unable to complete the station. In the end, only half of some patrols managed to cross the room, leaving half the patrol behind. Some patrol members were also kupped, indicating that the patrols did not take care of their patrol members.

Thoughts from a Year 2... 

Our patrol morale was also very low. Even if we were blindfolded, we could have at least cheered. We were also in a mess. Manpower was also not allocated properly. There were too many people focused on decoding the message and not enough to help us carry the victim out of the gas room. We can definitely improve on these things.

Station 3

For this station, the Year 1s and 2s were required to build a dome tent while being blindfolded. However, they were generally unsure of how to build a dome tent. Hence, many patrols got the steps wrong. From this, they learnt the standard way of building a dome tent, and should remember the steps because it would be useful in the future. 

Overall sentiments

Thoughts from a Year 1...
I didn't really know what to do during most of the stations, so this OJ was quite confusing. However, I think I've learnt quite a lot from this OJ. We made many mistakes but we will improve during future PAs and 集合s. 

Thoughts from a Year 2... 

The recent OJ COY 2 had this monday was pretty challenging for me as it was the first time we got the chance to step up and lead. I think that I should have been more confident and clear when giving instructions. Moreover, I should also come to future 集合s more prepared.

Thoughts from a Year 2...

All in all, this Obstacle Journey was an opportunity to push us out of our comfort zone and really step us as seniors to lead our Year 1s. This also made us understand the importance of trekking signs and first aid skills. I hope that we can improve ourselves after realizing these mistakes during this obstacle journey.

Initiatives, 29th August

Hi Guides!

For this 集合, the Guides had the opportunity to do more initiatives! The two COYs split up again, with COY 1 sewing a drawstring pouch and COY 2 doing string art and making their very own photo frames!

COY 1 

The Guides were asked to bring cloth and decorative materials such as ribbons and sequins etc. The Year 3s in charge gave out the instructions and then, the rest of the Guides started sewing. Whilst the Guides were sewing, they had the opportunity to talk within their patrols, which was a prime time for them to bond! Many of them enjoyed the initiatives because they got to bring home hand- sewn pouches as well as many memories of this initiatives. :)

Thoughts from a Year 1...

When we first heard how to make the drawstring pouches, it was confusing and we all thought that it was complicated. However, when we started making it, it was not as difficult as it look. It was pretty easy actually! We were able to practise our sewing skills and at the same time able to bond with the patrol :) Although we could not finish sewing the pouches, it is definitely an enriching experience :D

Thoughts from a Year 2...

I found these initiatives quite useful, because a drawstring pouch can be used to contain many different things and hence is quite practical. It was still a fun experience to make our own pouch and it would be an item we are proud of! During the time we sewed our pouch, our patrol mates also shared stories and chatted together. Overall, these initiatives were interesting and allowed patrols to talk more, since we do not often have time to chat during usual Guides activities, besides Patrol Corner. I enjoyed the initiatives and hope there will be more in the future! 

COY 2

For COY 2, they did string art and a photo frame. Likewise, COY 2 had this opportunity to bond within the patrol. The juniors and seniors chatted whilst doing the activities, making the initiatives even more enjoyable! Many Guides really loved the end products and were thankful for the opportunity to learn stuff outside of Guides activities. 

Thoughts from a Year 1...

Yesterday’s initiatives were rather fun. Firstly, doing the string art proved harder than expected!  When I tried to do the string art, I guess maybe I did not hold the string firmly enough, so it unraveled a few times. However, I managed to finish it eventually! :) Secondly, we did the photo frame. However, I was unable to finish it on time because I took a longer time for my string art. Nonetheless, I'm really glad I tried my best to complete both tasks! I feel that although initiatives are usually very simple, but they really help us bond with our seniors! Overall, I really enjoy all the initiatives and I look forward to new and fun initiatives that are to come! :)

Hopefully, all the Guides really enjoyed these activities and they can definitely try these crafts again in the future!