Skills Training, 18 January

Hello Guides!

On 18 January, we had our first official 集合 after CCA Exhibitions! As the Year 1s would not join us until 15 February, the 集合s until then will be focusing on brushing up the Year 2s and 3s’ skills after the long rest! For this 集合, we had lash training, followed by a game of Running Man.

Lash Training

Here is the description of the activity:

The Year 2s and 3s will attempt to tie 5 consecutive tight square and diagonal lashes (must be unable to twist out the lash/no overlaps on the lash) within the time limit and their Patrol Leaders(PLs) will check their lashes. If they succeed, they will start building the baggage rack, flagpole and emergency shelter. If not, they will have to take out their lashes and continue trying. If any one of them is unable to tie any standard lashes within 15 minutes of the start of the activity, her PL will teach her how to tie the lash and ensure that she understands completely. Similarly, the Patrol Seconds(PSs) will oversee the building of the baggage racks and ensure that the whole structure is built to the standards. If there are any loose lashes, the PS will ask the Guide who tied the lash to retie that lash until it has reached the standards. Patrols who fail to finish building standard baggage racks, emergency shelters and/or flagpoles will perform a song with actions of their choice in front of the 团 at the end of this activity.

Reflection by Year 3s:

The lash training and the building of basic structures at the start of 集合 was useful and a good reminder that we not only have to perfect soft skills but must have solid hard skills as well. It also allowed us to reflect as a 团, especially the Year 2s, whose lashes were easily twisted out by the seniors. It was an awakening to how standards were dropping drastically in the current Year 2 batch and I hope that through this experience, we can all learn to improve ourselves.

For the first 集合 of the year, we started off with lash training and we had to tie three good square lashes and three good diagonal lashes consecutively. I think that to tie better, tighter lashes, I should 抽 and hold tension better. I think we could have done better with more sense of urgency. I feel that we could have tied our lashes faster and tighter so we would be able to build all the structures within the given time so we would not have to redo the lashes as that would be wasting time. We also need to 照顾好东西 more as the seniors managed to kap a lot of our stuff and also our manpower, which is very important when building structures. We were also not quite sure on how to build structures so we should go and recap on those.

For Friday's 集合, we did lash training. I feel like I learnt a lot through this activity, as to how to make my lashes better and tighter and of standard. My first lash was rather loose, but by the final lash, I had improved by a lot - my lashes were tighter, to begin with. Though we 过时-ed a lot and a lot of our items and manpower got kapped, I still feel that this was a good experience for me, and a great platform to improve my skills. After that, we played running man. It was rather intense and fun at the same time. I realised that I haven't been looking through the guides notes and trekking signs, since we had to decode them in this game. It was also rather interesting solving the riddles with my patrolmates. In general, I enjoyed myself in the game and learnt a lot from this 集合.

During 集合, we trained our lash-tying skills by each tying 5 standard square and diagonal lashes within the standard time, 3 minutes, which were then passed to our PLs who ensured they met expectations, such as tightness and not overlapping. However, we soon found it challenging as us Year Threes were not allowed to speak or communicate verbally with our Year Twos. Another difficulty we faced was taking good care of our logistics so as not to not get them kapped by seniors. This helped us to learn to 照顾好东西 and 照顾好人 and keep our logistics close to us and where we were working. As time was tight, we also had to 报时 as often as we could to make sure everyone was aware of how much time had passed and to increase our sense of urgency to work faster to complete it within the given time. As we had worked too slowly, we were unable to complete the tasks despite bring given time extensions. In the future, we will take note of 照顾好人/东西 and have a better sense of urgency and work quickly.

I feel that the lash training is quite useful as many of us have not done gadgeting for some time and thus our skills may have deteriorated. I appreciated this lash training session as I was given the chance to refresh my memory on how to build certain gadgets. It was also a chance for our seniors to give us feedback on areas for improvement so that we will be ready to welcome and teach our new Year 1s with higher standards.

Running Man

For this game, the Guides will be split into their patrols and given a piece of duct tape each. Once the game starts, the Guides will have to rip the masking tape of a member of the other patrols while ensuring that their masking tapes are not ripped. If their masking tape is ripped, they will have to sit out of the game unless they complete a forfeit of their choice. The patrol with the least people standing will perform a dance, Chek Chek Goleh, at the end of this activity.

Reflection by Year 3s:

The second part of 集合 was used to play running man. The play area was quite unsuitable as it had just rained and the ground was very but we had fun nonetheless. I think this game really encourages patrol bonding because we have to try our best to protect our patrolmates from others. It forces us to stick together and help one another when in need. However, one hindrance we faced along the way was the impracticality of the use of duct tape. Due to the running around, most of us were sweaty and as a result, the duct tape did not stick well to our shirt and ended up falling off, which caused quite a bit of frustration for some patrols. Despite all that, the purpose of the game was to teach us to take care and look after the well-being of one another. It showed that there is a higher chance of success if you stick together.

During the next running man activity, we played a game where we tried to tear off the masking tape tags on others’ shirts and ensure ours would not get torn off. We had a lot of fun working in our patrols to keep each other “safe” and trying to tear others’ masking tapes and we had learnt to look out for each other. We were also tested on our trekking signs from the guides notes as there were post its around GSL that would help us in scoring better in the game. Although my patrol was in last place and we had to dance chek chek goleh together in front of everyone, we were glad that we had fun and bonded during the game.

Reflection by a Year 3 on the overall 集合:
During our first 集合 last Friday, we had lash training and running man. For lash training, we were supposed to tie five consecutive square lashes and diagonal lashes before going on to build a baggage rack, emergency shelter and flag pole. Initially, I thought tying five tight diagonal and square lashes will be easy because I usually 抽 very tightly. However, in the end, most of my 木 were able to be twisted out even after I 重抽 or 重打. Therefore, I was a little frustrated and impatient because I wanted to get it done and over with to help my patrol with the structures. When building or tying lashes, I feel that I could have 照顾好东西 better as we had many gadget poles and even our flag pole kapped. When playing running man, Elizabeth and I were quite violent and rough and when we were attacked by P4 and P5, we fought rather harshly against them to prevent our duct tape from being removed. Overall, I found the game very fun but I feel that I should have been more aware of my own safety and that of others. Also I need to familiarise myself with my guides notes to answer the questions on the post its. As a whole, I had learned a lot from this 集合, firstly to have a greater sense of urgency in whatever we are doing, secondly, to improve in my hard skills and lastly, to be more aware of my surroundings for safety and to ensure our things are not kapped.

Hope that everyone had fun during this 集合!

Published by:

Hoong Yu Ning

50th Batch Secretary

Year One CCA Exhibition, 12th January

Hello Guides!

Just like the previous years, we began 2018 with our Year One Orientation on the 12th of January! Every year, the Guides would work together with the Scouts to prepare for this day. Before the CCA Exhibition, we had multiple Orientation Preparation(OP) dates, and much effort was put into ensuring everything ran smoothly for this event! There are a total of 7 committees which involved the Guides and they are: Gateway, Kitchen Shelter, Gadgets and Games, Outdoor Cooking, Decoration, Fireman’s Ladder and 绳桥 (“Monkey Climb”).

Before the event started, the Guides and Scouts put the final touches on the structures and practised for the performances. After that, we changed into our Guides’ uniform and had flag raising.

When the Year 1s finally arrived, it was time to showcase all the hard work that we put into this event. To start off the exhibition, there were performaces by the 4 Uniformed Groups, including those from our Fireman’s Ladder and 绳桥 committees!

Afterwards, the Year 1s were free to roam around the area to visit the various structures and booths.

Here are some thoughts by a few Year 2s and 3s on their experience during OP and the exhibition.

Thoughts by a Year 3 from 绳桥:

This was my second year being in 绳桥, and I am glad to say that I have definitely improved tremendously from last year. I was happy for myself and the whole of 绳桥 that all of us were able to turn in into the hole successfully for both performances, as our hard work for all those sessions had paid off well. However, this journey was not smooth throughout. Nearing the performance date, we faced a manpower crisis due to injuries and illnesses. Also, sometimes some of us were not alert while supporting the structure, resulting in hazards for our members and the people near the structure. This year, I am able to familiarise myself more on the building of the structure. I hope to improve by ensuring that I am faster for my overall timing, especially for my timing for turning into the hole. I also hope to be able to increase the percentage of my successful climbs, including those during practices. Lastly, I hope that all of us can help one another to be better and faster.

Thoughts by a Year 2 and Year 3 from Fireman’s Ladder:

As it was my first year getting involved in Orientation Preparation, I was actually quite worried at first when I knew that I was in Fireman's Ladder. As I had not tried Fireman's Ladder before, I was scared that I would not be able to flip well. However, after the first few preparations, I started to get a gist of it with the help of our ICs and seniors. I learnt many new things and we increased our standards during the process. I had improved on my lashes and most importantly, had gotten more bonded with my batch. During the first few dry runs, we did not perform up to standard but with the help of our seniors and after countless times of practice, we performed better each time. After experiencing Fireman's Ladder, I felt that it is a very fun committee and would definitely want to join it again. Overall, OP is a fun and fulfilling experience for me filled with ups and downs.

For OP I was in the Fireman’s Ladder committee. Most of us had to overcome our fears of heights and doubts of flipping, and we managed to be able to go over the top 木 after not too long a time. During OP practices, we were not really able to get a full attendance for some of the practices and so some of us took more time than others to be able to flip better. I feel that it was fun and we tried our best for the sessions, and improved our teamwork. I felt satisfied when I was able to do it correctly and quickly. We bonded better with our committee members and got to know the Scouts better. As a performance committee, we needed to brush up on our alerts and I think our 礼节 is better than before OP. I feel OP was a good experience overall thanks to the hard work of all of us especially the I/C as she made the practices enjoyable as well as help us a lot in the training to be better for flipping. I hope to improve more on my lash skills so they would last longer when flipping.

Thoughts by a Year 2 and Year 3 from the Gateway committee:

2019’s OP was the first Guides OP that I experienced. I was assigned to the Gateway Committee. At first I was unsure of how the structure would look like and was nervous. I was worried that my lashes would be too loose and cause the gateway to 跨. Unfortunately, I missed the first OP session and thus was confused when we were building the gateway in the second session. Thankfully, the seniors were very helpful and guided me when building the gateway. However, over the next few OP sessions, I became clearer of what to do and was able to carry out the the task with less reliance from the ICs and seniors. We had to make minor adjustments to the structure of the gateway over the few OPs to make it more stable and safe. On the day of the CCA exhibition, I felt a sense of satisfaction and happiness when I saw that the gateway was successfully built. This Orientation Preparation made me realise the amount of preparation and effort put in to prepare for the CCA exhibition. Over the various OP sessions, I had the opportunity to make new friends from other UGs as well as strengthen the bonds between my batchmates and patrolmates. Overall, I feel that this OP has allowed me to improve my lash tying skills and I am very grateful to the ICs for their guidance.

I was glad that I got allocated to the Gateway committee because I really took pride in being able to build a stable enough gateway that the Y1s would feel comfortable with climbing. Although at the start, I was hesitant and afraid to climb up the ladder or gateway to tie the structure due to my fear of heights, I was able to slowly overcome this by starting off with tying lashes standing on the table and made progress over time. At the end of Orientation Prep, I was able to confidently volunteer to tie the lashes on the gateway and I found it really heartening that we were able to stand on such a structure by trusting our fellow committee members and their lashes to support us. However, one area I could have improved on was to consistently ask our ICs for tasks to do whenever i'm free in order to fully maximise our manpower. At the end of the day, looking at the gateway that we managed to build from lashes and bonds with one another, it was all worthwhile.

Thoughts by a Year 2 and Year 3 from the Kitchen Shelter committee:

OP had been a really memorable event for me. Although my committee was not sure of the structure at the start which caused our progress to be slow, we got faster and faster. At first, I wanted to stay in my comfort zone, which is to tie lashes on ground floor, as I was a little afraid of heights. However, as I sometimes had to tie lashes on the second floor, I would pluck up my courage and give my best. Though OP was tiring, I enjoyed it and learnt lots from it. My lashes were tighter at the end of OP. Nonetheless, I feel that I did not try my best to finish tasks as fast as I can which made my ICs stressed out because our progress was not ideal. Hence, I would like to improve on my speed. Lastly, I enjoyed OP as everyone was friendly, funny and encouraging. We would crack jokes and try our best to help one another, which made OP an awesome experience. I am really happy to be part of KS’s big family and I really miss our time together. My biggest reward from OP was the bonds of friendship made.

All in all, OP have once again been an eye opening experience for me. Since this is my second year in KS, I was familiar with most of the steps to building a KS. During the first few OPs, our committee was quite unmotivated and we were moving very slowly. It could be due to the fact that we were unfamiliar with each other yet. Not knowing each other’s names yet, we found it difficult to ask for help from the others when we needed 结绳 or other types of assistance. However, we had a better sense of urgency during the next few OPs. We were much more familiar with each other and were able to communicate better, which allowed us to build the KS faster. This year, we managed to measure the floorboards more accurately than last year and so our floorboards did not overlap as much as last year. One of the many challenges that we faced was the shortage of manpower. Even though we had around 18 people in KS, including the ICs, we would only be left with around 4 people during the dry runs. Most of the people from KS were either ushers or were from lion dance. Hence, whenever there is a dry run, we were forced to stop tying temporarily and wait for the rest to return as we were unable to do anything with only 4 people. Even though it was only 10 minutes, but that delayed the whole process of building the KS. This made me realise how important teamwork and each and everyone of us were. In conclusion, I feel that KS became more bonded after the OP sessions which allowed us to successfully build the KS, with the help of seniors.

Thoughts by a Year 2 and Year 3 from the Gadgets and Games committee:

During these few sessions of OP, I have definitely learned a lot. As I was in the Gadgets and Games committee, I learned how to build many structures and gadgets such as the kitchen rack, swing, as well as the seesaw. The challenge my committee and I faced was that our lashes were not tight enough so the Year 4 seniors had to call us out and train us on our lashes. Through this, I managed to practice on my lashes and the seniors also helped me out by telling me how I can improve on my different lashes. Another challenge was that we often did not have enough time to complete building the structures within the time limit given. I hope that we would be able to work on how we can resolve this problem, such as reminding each other of how much time has passed. In my opinion, even though it was a really tiring experience, each and everyone of us have definitely built a closer bond with one another and picked up many things that we initially did not know of.

OP started off in late December on a Thursday and initially I was reluctant as I was trying to enjoy the last few days of the holidays. I was placed in Gadget and Games committee (G.A.G.) and the first few OPs were spent mainly familiarizing ourselves with the structures to be built on the actual day itself. It was the most tiring part as we had to constantly run around to get our logistics as well as put them back during 拆掉. However, there was always a sense of satisfaction after completing the structures for that day and my reluctance disappeared quickly. Nearing the actual date, the building of the structures became more rushed as every committee scrambled to finish what they had set out to do. When the Y1s came, I was excited to show off what we had painstaking built. It was fun and a good bonding experience for the whole 团 as we had one common goal, to show the Y1s what we were capable of. After orientation was over, we had 拆掉 the next day. It was uneventful and quite bittersweet to untie all the structures we had worked so hard to build but I was also glad that OP was finally over. Overall I thought OP was a very meaningful experience for me as, looking at our structures, I felt a great sense of pride for myself and for Guides.

Thoughts by a Year 2 and Year 3 from the Outdoor Cooking committee:

I was in the outdoor cooking commitee during OP. The structures that we have to build are KS and fire altar which are generally easier than most of the structures other committees have to build such as kitchen table and gateway. We build these two structures repeatedly for almost every session which actually, allows us to become more familiar with the steps, lashes and cautions to note when building them. I also learnt to start a fire. Outdoor cooking was actually quite fun, we can prepare and cook our own food and try them. However, we also face some challenges as we tried to produce tasty food for the Y1s. For example, for the first few sessions, our pancake looks and tastes so bad that it just cannot be presented to the Y1s. As we cannot really control the fire, the pancakes were always overcooked or undercooked. Sometimes, it might even stick onto the frying pan. However, the seniors keep on trying to find new ways to improve on our pancakes. We tried changing the pan to an non-sticking one and we also change the amount of nutella that we add into the batter to make it thicker. Their perseverance inspired me. On the actual day, we were so glad and proud to see our nicely cooked pancakes. One thing that can be improved on is our time managment skills. I think we can work faster next time. Overall, I felt fulfilled after all these OP sessions.

This is the second year I am involved in OP and I am still in outdoor cooking this year and so I was mostly confident of doing things the 'right' way. However, I realised that coming to OP as a Year 3 is very different from that of a Year 2 as we have more responsibilities and we should step up more to alleviate some of the responsibilities of our ICs. The first OP session I attended was really substandard as we worked very slowly, did not 报时 constantly and just had no sense of urgency in general. Also, due to being unfamiliar with the procedures and a couple of unforseen mishaps, we did not manage to complete the tasks given to us and I was quite disappointed with myself as I believe that we should have done better. However, as we came for more and more sessions, we started to work better and faster as we were more familiar with our work scope and what we should take note of during our activities from building a KS to starting a fire, I believe that we improved in many aspects. At the end, during the actual day of OP, we managed to complete all our dishes and serve them in time when the first batch of Year Ones came and that is a testament of how we managed to work taste and I was more or less happy with our results. Overall, OP was a really fulfilling experience for me with many learning and bonding opportunities.

Thoughts by a Year 2 and Year 3 from the Decoration committee:

I was happy to be a part of OP. I was assigned to the Decoration committee for this year’s OP. We did the banners, paper flowers, souvenirs etc. to make the structures more attractive. Although CCA hours were long, the time spent in the committee was memorable. I got to make friends with the Scouts and my seniors from other patrols. One challenge that I faced is not being able to meet up to my senior’s expectations. I am not an artistic person by nature, thus I struggle to make the banner presentable. Another challenge that I faced is that I took a long time to complete a banner, as I didn’t have a greater sense of urgency. I tried to work faster and actually managed to complete it in a shorter time while maintaining the quality of the decorations. From 2019 OP, I learnt to have a greater sense of urgency and my art skills definitely improved. I can improve by being more focus, as I tend to get distracted by the people around me. I believe that with more focus, I will definitely be able to complete the banner in a faster time and it will definitely be a higher quality.

In the Decoration committee, we basically prepared the decorations to be put up around our structures to make them look more enticing. We painted boards, folded paper flowers and prepared buntings to be strung up. It was rather different from our usual activities in Guides, but I enjoyed myself nonetheless. I also bonded with the guides and scouts in the committee more, and got to know them better. As Year Threes, we were also given the opportunity to step up and lead, such as giving instructions to others, and planning on where to put our decorations. Overall, my time in the committee was an enriching one that allowed me to bond more and learn new skills at the same time.

We hope that everyone enjoyed their OP experience, and that the Year 1s had fun during the CCA Exhibition!

Published by:

Hoong Yu Ning

50th Batch Secretary