Patrol Activity, 23rd January

Hello Guides! :-) Last Friday, we had Patrol Activity, where various patrols carried out their own activities. Here are some reflections from the Year 3s entailing what they did, as well as their thoughts on the activities!

Thoughts from a Year 3 from Patrol 1…

During today's Patrol Activity, my patrol built a kitchen table. First, we were given around 7 minutes to carry 10 红木, 6 青木 and 2 白木 from the backstore as well as 麻绳, dome tent and kitchen table to the area near the general science lab. Afterwards, we were given 50 minutes to build the structure. Eventually, we finished the structures on time, but most of the lashes were loose. This could be dangerous if we were really going to use the kitchen table for an extended period of time as the whole structure might fall apart. I also felt that we could have had a greater sense of urgency as we took quite long just to finish tying the first two tripods. We could also have taken care of our belongings better so that we would not waste manpower in completing the physical training given because our belongings were taken away by our seniors. However, I felt that our patrol morale was quite high as we constantly cheered. 

Thoughts from a Year 3 from Patrol 2…

Our patrol was given 6 minutes to take the logistics needed to build 3 emergency shelters and a kitchen table. Regretfully, we 过时-ed by 3 mins and thus had to do a forfeit of running to 孔子and back to the GSL in 30 seconds. However, we 过时-ed again. We were then given 3 minutes to build 3 emergency shelters. I have to confess that I had already forgotten how to build an emergency shelter and was thus unsure on what to do and how to instruct the year 2s. In the end, it turned out that most of us had forgotten how to build an emergency shelter and in our panic to try and figure it out, we 过时-ed yet again. We were then given 1 minute to 拆掉 everything and place them neatly. We failed to do both. The seniors then had to give us a demonstration on how to build an emergency shelter. I feel that this should not have happened at all. Being year 2s and 3s who have gone through ATC, this was not the first time we were tying an emergency shelter, and hence we should have been clearer on how to build it. We also would not have 过时-ed so many times if we 报时-ed more often and asked for time extensions sooner. Overall, we could have worked faster if we had communicated more to ensure everyone was sure with what they were doing and cheered more often as well to help boost patrol morale.

Thoughts from a Year 3 from Patrol 3…

For Monday's Patrol Activity, we had to build both a baggage rack and an indoor fire altar for the 2nd time during a PA session. This time, we were sure of the steps to build these two gadgets, which is an improvement. However, I feel that our performance was far from satisfactory.  We had to rebuild these two structures thrice with time limits of 25 minutes, 20 minutes and 18 minutes respectively. The first mistake was that our lashes were really loose and not up to standard to a point where the 木 could easily be slid out. We need to improve on this as a patrol as it is dangerous if the baggage rack and fire altar fall apart with bags and fire on them respectively. Next, our belongings were often being taken away from us due to our negligence. The moment we turned our back, our logistics would be gone. This is a learning point and it teaches us to how take good care of our logistics as during camps such as PLTC, we would not have any more belongings to work with, should ours get taken away. We also overran our time limits, and I think that this can be solved though better communication and a greater sense of urgency. Seeing how this Patrol Activity went quite unexpectedly bad and I was the Patrol Leader for a while, getting scolded a whole lot was rather demoralising. However, in the end, all that we've gone through will only help us become a better guide and prepare us for PLTC.

Thoughts from a Year 3 from Patrol 4…

Overall, the Patrol Leader and Patrol Second could have stepped up a lot more to give clearer instructions. We (Year 3s) should have also delegated manpower more efficiently and improve on our sense of urgency as well as communication. Some of the mistakes we made were that we did not measure height of tripod lashes, did not tie 顶脚s, nor did we measure the base for tripods, and all these are crucial details when building structures. Furthermore, for the structure we came up with, the ponchos and groundsheets did not really serve their purposes of protecting one from rain as there were many holes. We should have been more creative and discussed more effectively when we were given the chance to brainstorm about our idea. Our failure to do so resulted in a lot of time wasted throughout the activity. Next, for Inspection, our sense of urgency was very low initially, and we did not laying out things in clear and distinct rows. Since many of us were allocated “injuries” which meant that we could not more either our hand or our leg, there were only a few able people and I feel that they could have worked faster when laying out the logistics. Yet on the bright side, we received feedback that we did improve with every try.

Thoughts from a Year 3 from Patrol 5…

Patrol Activity on Monday required us to build a kitchen table using two tripods. I was the Patrol Leader for this PA. For me, it was the first time I was building a kitchen table so I was quite nervous initially. For the first 15 minutes or so, things were moving along quite slowly but after that, we had a better sense of urgency and was able to complete the structure (after some time extensions). I feel that this PA taught me what it means to look at the bigger picture and how to allocate different roles as well as oversee the whole process of the building of the kitchen table. After the entire process, I felt rather proud of our patrol as I thought we did quite a good job and it was stable. I am definitely looking forward to more PAs in the future that are as fulfilling as the one this time!

Thoughts from a Year 3 from Patrol 6…

Firstly, Patrol Activity started off with an attire check. However, not everyone came in standard attire and we had to do a forfeit, which was running 5 rounds around level 2 of the GSL. All of us cheered as loud as we could and was constantly 报时-ing, which was a good improvement for our patrol morale. Next, we were required to build a Kitchen Shelter (KS) as part of our Patrol Activity session. We were given 5 minutes to retrieve all logistics for a KS and 集合 at the field, but we were off to a rocky start. The 深蓝木 was placed at a high position and we could not reach it. Furthermore, the frontier was locked, which made it impossible to get a canvas sheet. We ultimately 过时-ed and had to ask for a time extension. After that, we were given 35 minutes to build the KS. I was assigned as the PS for this activity and I tried my best to instruct all Year 2s to do something instead of slacking off. However, it soon became clear that we were not very sure of the building of a KS. We made multiple mistakes along the way and this led to time wastage. We had to keep 倒-ing and 起-ing the structure. What made things more unfortunate was our low patrol morale. We were feeling low thus the seniors had to keep reminding us to 报时 and cheer. We were running short of time so as we were about to secure the 麻绳 to the arthurs, the seniors gave us instructions to 倒 the KS. Since we could not complete the structure, we had to carry out a forfeit and run 2 rounds around the field in 4 minutes. It went well initially but some of us did not notice that others were lagging behind and thus did not wait for everyone to catch up. Due to our inability to 等人 and cheer loudly, we had to do 10 pumpings as forfeit as well. I felt extremely disappointed that we did not manage to finish the KS but we received a few pointers on how to build a KS, from our seniors, which was a good thing. Overall, this PA session had been rather enriching and I hope that I can succeed in building a KS one day.

Published by:

Chen Wei

48th Batch Secretary

Skills Training, 20th January

Hi Guides! On Monday, we had skills training, where we had a short drill practice for the upcoming Thinking Day before having Physical Training (PT).

For the PT session, which was the highlight of this 集合, there were 6 stations in total which are named after the various patrols, and every patrol was required to move around the stations in rotational order. There were several rules for this PT as well. Since Guides 不是跑就是飞, if PT ICs/ the Company Leader/ the Assistant Company Leader catches anyone who walks, the rest of the patrol will carry the guide (who walked) on a stretcher and transport her to the station after the current station that they were heading to.

Prior to the start of PT, the guides mass changed into their PT-kit and did warm ups. Once everyone was warmed up and well-informed, the PT session commenced! Here are some more details and reflections from the Year 3s on each station.

Station Bougainvillea (Station 1):

At any point in time, 2 patrol members will 站马 while playing 5 stones on a table. Concurrently, the rest of the patrol members will start off buy doing side planks in a circle and write “I love Girl Guides” at the same time. The markers provided have 白绳 attached at different angles. The patrol members are allowed to change to full body planking, 站马 and leg raise every 1 minute. As for the 2 patrol members playing 5 stones, they will only be given a maximum of 3 minutes to complete the game. Otherwise, other patrol members will take over and switch the PT, and the cycle continues with rotation of roles until 17 minutes is up. If all the names of the patrol members have been spelt, patrol can proceed to spell other words.

Reflection from a Year 3…

During the first station, 4 out of 6 of our patrol mates had to write 'I love girl guides' on a piece of paper while doing things such as planking. But here's the catch: we could not touch the pen. 4 白绳s were tied to the pen and we could only manoeuvre the pen by pulling and releasing each of our 白绳. It may sound simple in the beginning, but it actually took a lot of patience and teamwork to get the job done. Those who were not doing the writing had to 站马 for a minute while playing five stones, a game which requires lots of patience and concentration. After completing the drawing, we had to do PT together. Doing PT as a patrol is usually easier as we all have each other’s support, and the cheering really helped to boost our morale. Overall, the station was very enjoyable.

Station Ixora (Station 2):

(There are a total of 69 Guides in the entire company.) At this station, the guides will touch 69 trees around the entire school campus. In every 3 consecutive trees to be touched, no two trees will be the same tree. While running around to touch trees, the patrol members will have to count the numbers out loud so that the station masters will be aware of the no. of trees that the patrol has touched. The station masters will follow the patrols around as they run. After touching 69 trees, the guides will gather back at the original PT station location.

Reflection from a Year 3…

For this station, we were required to run around and find 69 different trees in the school compound, as a symbol for the 69 guides in the company. It was rather interesting and we had a lot of fun running around and cheering. However, after a while, we began to feel tired and started slowing down. Some of our patrol mates even started walking, despite the rule about no walking. The patrol morale was also diminishing as we were too concentrated on the task. In the end, we got caught walking and was punished multiple times despite countless reminders about the rules. Overall, I feel that I could have done a better job as a senior to ensure that everyone was not walking and to wait for everyone to catch up, instead of running ahead and focusing purely on the task only. The patrol morale should also have been higher and I could have taken the initiative to cheer and raise everyone's spirits. Regardless of this incident, we managed to find more than 69 trees within the given time and it was a rather enjoyable station.

Station Jasmine (Station 3):

This station is somewhat like a photo-taking booth. Guides will imitate photos of “cute” yoga poses that involve intense muscle work. While in the positions, the station masters will take their patrol photos. Each yoga pose is to be held for 2 minutes.

Reflection from a Year 3…

For this station, our PL assigned positions for everyone quickly so that less time was wasted on discussion. It was a really fun station as we had to stay in the same position for 2 minutes and it was amusing to see everyone in their positions. I felt that my patrol did considerably well in terms of 报时 and cheering, and the patrol morale was relatively high as we were all encouraging our patrol mates to hang in there, especially the ones in uncomfortable positions. In the end, we managed to complete most of the poses and I also got to bond more with my patrol mates through this fun experience.

Station Orchid (Station 4):

A piece of paper containing all the prime numbers from 1-100 will be given to the Patrol Leaders. The patrol has to complete 3 rounds of 100 counts, where for every normal number, the guides will be doing jumping jacks and for every prime number, the guides will do burpees. At every 2 minute interval, 1 guide will be called out to learn how to do vertical rope climbing. After she has been taught how to do vertical rope climbing, she will plank for 1 minute first, before returning to do PT with her patrol. The target for all patrols is to complete a total of 300 counts or repeat the cycle until 17 minutes is up.

Reflection from a Year 3…

At Station 4, the first thing that registered in my mind was that there was a rope secured to the railing on the second floor and a huge mattress underneath it. Also, there were two helmets on the mattress which led me to regard the whole setup with some apprehension. We were instructed to do sets of hundreds, whereby we did a jumping jack for every number which was not a prime number, and a burpee when it was a prime number. At the same time, 1 patrol member would try to climb up the rope. Regretfully, most of us were unable to climb the rope at all. Also, when we were doing the jumping jacks and burpees, it was quite tiring as we had to stop and start again while we contemplated which numbers were prime numbers and which were not. I also felt that we could have made an effort to count the numbers together while we did the PT. Although we were unable to complete our goal of three sets, I felt that we all tried our best and hopefully, we would do better next time.

Station Sunflower (Station 5):

At this station, patrols were required to do different types of PT according to the song “She’ll be coming round the mountain”

- Verse 1 “She’ll be coming round the mountain”: Do squats to the beat

- Chorus: Hop to the beat

- Verse 2 “She’ll be riding 6 White Horses”: Do lunges to the beat and hand actions

- Chorus: Hop to the beat

- Verse 3 “She’ll be eating kacang putih”: Do squats while doing Buddha claps to the beat

- Chorus: Hop to the beat

The song will be sung twice. After completing the song, patrols will run around the track until the last 50m (marked). Then, the guides will line up and do Kallang Wave burpees and planking. After the first Guide finishes her burpees, she will go the back of the line and plank until her turn to do burpees comes again. The cycle will continue but during the second cycle, instead of planking while waiting for her turn, she will do leg raises. Patrols are to repeat this until 17 minutes is up.

Reflection from a Year 3…

I feel that this station was interesting as we had to do PT to the beat of the song. However, the singing was rather lacklustre and quiet as only the year 4s were singing loudly while the rest of the patrol just mumbled along. I think that this should not have been the case as we have sung the song during 集合before. The year 3s should have also stepped up to take the lead in singing. Furthermore, for the second part of the station, we aimed to complete 2 rounds but only did half a round, which was rather disappointing. Overall, we could have done more to boost patrol morale by cheering more, so that we can encourage each other to work faster.

Station Morning Glory (Station 6):

The patrol will be split into 2, where 1 group will be doing 站马, while the other will be planking. Patrol members who are in 站马 position will stack cups in a pyramid formation on the backs of those who are planking. The cups have to stay in the pyramid formation on the “plankers’ “ backs while those who were in 站马 position proceed to crab walk along the length of the corridor. After doing so, they can remove the cups on the plankers’ backs and the 2 groups will switch roles. The cycle will then repeat itself until 17 minutes is up.

Reflection from a Year 3…

Station 6 was the station where we had to stack cups on someone's back when they were planking, while the others crab walked. Being someone with a lack of physical stamina, I found this station quite challenging. Planking was really tough for me and pushed me to my physical limits, but what comforted me was really the support from everyone in the patrol. Everyone made sure they worked fast in order to ensure that no one had to plank for too long and we all cheered constantly. In the end, I am very proud to say that this station had really helped my patrol to bond together and despite the challenges we faced, it really helped us to boost our morale and encouraged to work even faster for the rest of the stations.

Published by:

Chen Wei

48th Batch Secretary

Year One CCA Exhibition, 14th January

Hello Guides!

Like previous years, we kicked start 2017 our Year-One Orientation last Saturday! During the December holidays in 2016, many of us as well as our brother scouts came back to school on various dates to practice and prepare for this big day! There were a total of 5 Orientation Preparation (OP) dates before this, and much effort was put into ensuring everything went well. There are 8 committees in total which involved the guides and they are: Outdoor cooking, Decoration, Mini Games, Gadgets, Kitchen Shelter, Gateway, Fireman’s Ladder and 绳桥 (“Monkey Climbing”).

On the actual day, we 集合-ed at 7.15am early in the morning and after attire check, we proceeded to 集合 with the scouts. After we were broken off, we then went to finish up the last details and decorations for each committee. A while later, we gathered together again and had flag-raising.

When the Year Ones arrived, it was finally the time to show the efforts we have put in all this while! First, there were performances put up by the 4 Uniform Groups. This is inclusive of our very own Fireman’s Ladder and 绳桥 teams! Afterwards, the Year Ones were free to roam about and visit the various areas where we have prepared structures and food for them.

Here are some thoughts from a few Year 3s about what they have gathered from the entire OP experience.

A Year 3 from 绳桥 said…

The process of Orientation Preparation (OP) was a challenging one. Being in a performance committee, each OP session consisted of strenuous practices that pushed me physically and even mentally. We practiced relentlessly over the holidays and even after school to perfect our performance, ensuring that it would go without a hitch by the time it was the actual orientation performance when we would show it to the year 1s. There were even Physical Training sessions to further challenge us to go beyond our limits and increase our fitness for our performance item. Despite the ‘hardships’ we experienced through OP sessions, it was still enjoyable, and was filled with plenty of laughter thanks to the wonderful seniors, batch mates and juniors in my committee. Even if some may say that the 绳桥 may be one of the most tiring committees to be in, at the end of the day I feel that there’s no other committee I’d rather be in, because it’s through these strenuous activities where you build your resilience, create lasting friendships and make the most memorable memories. When you when you recall these memories, it really makes you think, “wow, I’m really glad to have been a part of that.” No matter how exhausted I was at times, being in a performance committee and OP in general was an enriching experience that truly challenged me to push myself, and it’s something that I am grateful to have been able to play a part in.

A Year 3 from Fireman’s Ladder said…

Overall, I really enjoyed OP and was very excited for it as I like being in my committee, Fireman’s Ladder. I think that every session of OP was extremely crucial for me as I made it a point to learn as much hard and soft skills from this year’s ICs since I am aiming to be an IC for Fireman’s Ladder next year. Throughout all the practices, I have learnt many things such as ensuring every lash is tight as it concerns the safety of the members of our team, as well as how to give constructive feedback when it is needed. Most importantly, I feel that OP had really helped my team members to bond with each other. As for 拆掉, I feel that we could have worked faster and had a better sense of urgency as we were quite slow during the first few OP sessions. Fortunately, there was improvement in our speed afterwards during the subsequent OPs. However, personally, I think I could still have a greater sense of urgency to 拆掉 the structures. All in all, OP'17 was really fulfilling and enjoyable!

A Year 3 from the Gateway Committee said…

The entire OP journey has been both stressful yet insightful at the same time, especially since PLTC is just round the corner. Being in gateway has really forced me to improve on my lashes as we cannot have a lash come loose while the Year 1s are walking across it. Being part of this committee has also trained my sense of urgency as the gateway was a massive structure and we could not afford to take our own sweet time to build it as we would then have to stay back to complete it. During the OP sessions, it was frustrating to have to take down the entire gateway after spending so much time and hard work building it, only to rebuild it again the next week. However, I eventually learnt the rationale behind it. It was to help us perfect our skills and ensure that the gateway is up to standard. This was important as the new Year 1s would see the gateway and it is supposed to serve as something that would wow them and encourage them to join guides. Having a sloppily built gateway would not portray guides very positively. Little details such as makings sure the length of the steps of the 木  were in ascending order were a little troublesome, but yet it contributes to the image of the gateway. Through this experience, I also learnt the importance of teamwork because as mentioned above, the gateway is a huge structure and it involves the cooperation and collaboration of everyone to ensure that the building process goes smoothy. Little acts such as helping one another stabilise the ladder while climbing up to prevent any accidents  also helped with the efficiency. All in all, being part of the Gateway committee has been a tiring but fruitful journey.

A Year 3 from the Kitchen Shelter committee said…

Building a Kitchen Shelter is not easy. The first few OPs, we only had half of our committee showing up which limited our ability to build the structure within a shorter time frame. Yet, with the help from the performance committees, we managed to complete our structure for all the OPs, which I personally felt was a miracle. Without the help of our ICs and from others, we would not have been able to complete it. Thus, I feel that Orientation Preparation was a fruitful experience. Through these few sessions of building structures, I have learnt more about working with other people such as the Scouts and Ventures in order to efficiently complete our structure. The OP sessions are also be very useful to me since I am a Year 3 and would have to work with the scouts during PLTC soon. On the day of the actual CCA Exhibition, I was quite nervous as to how the Year 1s would perceive Guides and Scouts. Being an usher, I was representing Girl Guides and would greatly affect whether or not they would choose to join Guides. Thankfully, all of our hard work did not go to waste. The Year 1s that I ushered generally gave me a positive response when I asked them if they wanted to join Guides or Scouts! OP was a success and I cannot wait to meet our new juniors.

A Year 3 from the Gadgets committee said…

OP this year has really been a fruitful one as it was a journey where we all grew together. During the first OP we were all a little discouraged to have to come back to school during the holidays. Furthermore, it was the first time trying to tie the structures with insufficient manpower and I felt that it was very tough. There were many trial and errors during the building process and our ICs had to revamp a few of the structures whenever there were structural errors. Subsequent OPs were spent to polish our speed, efficiency and quality in tying all the gadgets. This time round, OP gave me a heightened insight as compared to when we were Year 2s last year, as I got to be more aware of how our Overall IC and Assistant IC came up with so many proposals and made OP possible. After all this, it was really satisfying when the structures we built turned out nicely and OP this year had really been a fun and enjoyable one. Despite how exhausting it was, I am glad everyone pulled through this together.

A Year 3 from the Mini Games committee said…

I was assigned to be in the mini games committee and I have really learnt much from this year's OP, which also gave me the opportunity to work on my lashes. In the beginning, it was rather frustrating as my committee was supposed to be a large one but only a few people showed up during the holiday trainings, which gave us more work to do. I felt extremely unmotivated as I was exhausted from waking up early and subsequently slowed down in tying my lashes. It was also discouraging to know that at the end of the day, all our structures will be 拆掉-ed. However, I reminded myself that this was a chance for me to work hard and improve on my skills for the actual OP. I've learnt to be more responsible and take the initiative to 报时, since I was one of the few with a black watch. One thing I hope to improve on is cheering, as my committee was a rather quiet committee, which resulted in us having a low morale which could have been the reason for us working slowly. However, I felt satisfied on the day of the orientation as it was clear that our structures had improved from the very first OP. Our lashes were much tighter and the structure was stable enough to support the weight of many people. Many Year Ones also mentioned that they were considering joining Guides or Scouts, which was proof that all the effort and hard work everyone had put in did not got to waste. Overall, OP has been memorable and I'm thankful for the seniors who guided us through this journey.

A Year 3 from the Outdoor Cooking committee said…

I feel that the 6 sessions of OP over the weeks really helped us to prepare adequately for the CCA exhibition. Outdoor cooking involves a lot of trial and error as well as experimentation. A few examples would be us trying out for the right amount of ingredients to produce our mac and cheese in large quantities as well as estimating the right amount of time we should put the smores and hash-browns in the embers so that they are not overcooked or undercooked. Our lashes and sense of urgency had also improved greatly over the sessions, and we went from asking for several time extensions to build three fire altars to being able to complete them under an hour. We also realised the importance of tying tight tripods in the first session, when we saw our zinc plate slanting to the point of falling. We also learnt how to improvise our structures, such as attaching bamboo poles to our fire altar so that the chicken can be cooked over the fire without needing someone to hold it constantly. The Year 1s coming to try the food we prepared enthusiastically on the actual day and praising our food was really heartwarming and made the hours we put into the preparation feel really worth it.

Last but not least, a Year 3 from the Decoration committee said…

I felt that OP was an interesting and meaningful experience. We were able to learn from each other and push ourselves to our limits to complete the tasks that were asked of us within the deadline. Being in this committee was really enjoyable for me since I like to do Arts and Crafts. However, there were still challenges that we had to face such as limited manpower (during the holidays) since most of our members were overseas. Also, some deadlines were very tight causing us to rush through many things while ensuring it was presentable. I feel that one thing that we could have improved on was our sense of urgency so that we could complete our tasks more efficiently. On the day of the Orientation itself, we were extremely busy as we had to put up quite a lot of decorations on the structures that had been built by the other committees the day before. Throughout this experience, we learnt to cooperate better and have better communication skills so that we could get our points across easily and finish putting up the decorations on time.

We are glad that the Year 3s had many takeaways from the OP sessions, and we hope that the Year Ones had a blast on the actual CCA Exhibition day! May the Year Ones be motivated to join us on our Guiding journey :-)

Published by:

Chen Wei

48th Batch Secretary