Hello!

This month is a very special month. It is February! This month is named after the latin "februum", which means purification. This is the shortest of all months and has an extra day every leap year.

Despite this, February is still important to me.

Today is 元宵节, known as the Chinese Lantern Fastival.

The 15th day of the first lunar month is the Chinese Lantern Festival. The 15th day is the first night to see a full moon. According to the Chinese tradition, at the very beginning of a new year, when there is a bright full moon in the sky, there should be thousands of colorful lanterns hung out for people to appreciate. At this time, people will try to solve the puzzles on the lanterns and eat 元宵 , or glutinous rice balls and get all their families united in the joyful atmosphere.

Happy Chinese Lantern Festival, and happy Lunar New Year.

On to other facts about "Fantastic February", on the second day in United States and Canada, it is Groundhog Day. According to folklore, if a groundhog emerges from the ground, and does not see its shadow, it will leave its burrow, meaning that winter will end shortly. However, if it does see its shadow, it will hide back into its burrow, sadly meaning that winter should end in approximately 6 weeks. I feel that using this idea of groundhogs to predict the coming of spring is very innovative, but it could be inaccurate as there is no scientific proof that groundhogs really could tell the changing of seasons. Still, it is a fun event and if it were held in Singapore, I would really love to see a groundhog.

Meanwhile, I only have this picture of a groundhog.



Another "Fun Feb Fact" is that every four years, Febuary has 29 days. Which means the Earth takes 365 and one quarter days to revolve round the Earth. I bet you did not know that! Also, years that are not divisible by 400 (e.g. 1700, 1900), will not be a leap year. Another point is I myself know someone who is born on this special day. He was born in year 1996, and celebrates his birthday on the 28th. Think about it, it would sound awkward to consider him 3 years old today!

Finally, the "'Fav' of Feb" is none other than the 14th of Febuary, Valentine's Day. It is celebrated mostly by Westerners, who present gifts and cards to their lovers, showing their appreciation towards them. This day is so popular, about one billion of valentines are sent every year!

Valentine's Day to me is something more. You show how much you care and love someone. I am not directly applying to a love relationship. I would also think that we should show our concern to our family and friends, as they themselves deserve something too. That is in the spirit of Valentine's Day. So, please do not forget to present something to everyone you know. Every thought counts. It does not matter if you give a small card, or a box of chocolates, or a dozen roses. I am sure anyone who recieves gifts from you will be elated.

Valentine's Day is in 5 days. However, do not simply show love and care on that day. This day should be reflected upon everyone and they should learn to show appreciation to everyone, every day.

Finally, here's a video on Valentine's Day by Stuart. Stuart is a production by Mad TV, similar to Miss Swan. Therefore, if you enjoyed my previous video, you will surely love this!

Stuart's Valentine's Day

Happy Groundhog Day, Leap Year and Valentine's Day!

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Puppy Love
Left: Neighbour's dog, Cookie
Right: My dog, Lie-En

Happy Lunar New Year!

I know this seems as a VERY late post, or maybe not. Well, this is because the Lunar New Year celebrations should have been held on the first few days, but today is the 14th day, and some people are still celebrating! It is about my Lunar New Year Celebrations.

Starting off with school, I did not think the celebration this year was a success. The main problem lies with the sound system. You could not hear what the emcees were saying, as if they had a ping-pong ball in their mouth, or in other words, they sounded muffled and soft. Also, there were a few squeaky sounds in the system. I think the old folks, who were the invited guests, were not too satisfied. When the sound system was finally fixed, was the old folks' turn to present to us. They sang Lunar New Year songs.

Well, their singing was remarkable. I also admire their courage to go on stage to perform. Even though I am in the school choir, I still get nervous. I was impressed! Well, I (secretly) took other pictures (with my phone). You can view it here:



A captivating performance by Victoria School's own Chinese Orchestra!



The CHAMPIONS of the first ever Science Buskers Festival - Joejyn, Bok Woon and Jia Peng, performing up on stage! Here, they are performing their fizzy juice experiment on Mr Chia.



A play by the CLDDS, about how parents raise their children in their own perspective.

Now for the real celebrations. Day one, my family stayed at home in the morning. My godsister and her family came over. Woohoo! My first red packets! After that, we took some family photographs! I looked so handsome in my new clothes! Pity that I'm not able to upload them. =(

Next, was my grandparents place! We had a reunion dinner, eating my grandmother's famous dishes! She woke up at 3 a.m. and started preparing. She must really be tired! Still, you can taste the sweat and blood she put in (that was a figure of speech).

Well, other than that, we spent the rest of the day visting our other relatives.

Next day was even better! It started after lunch. I went to my (this will sound complicated) uncle's father's place to watch some lion dancing. This reminds me of my childhood when I always wanted to see the lion dance about. I (sometimes) went up to the lion and pull parts of the costume. You cannot blame me, I was just a young boy!

If you missed any lion (or dragon) dance this year, how about viewing some pictures I took with my phone?



Started out with the dragon dance, where the dragon chases a spinning ball, following its direction, speed and path.



The grand finale of the dragon dance!



A TWIST to your normal dances. This photograph depicts the drummers, pounding the drums and made it seemed as if it were a song. Choreography was added, too!



Old school, if you would call it that. The well-knowned lion dance!



Within such a short amount of time, the "lion" was able to create these auspicious words, saying "牛年运旺", meaning "wishing you happiness and luck in the year of the ox"

Moving on, we went to my aunt's place to play! I played games such as Blackjack, Big 2, Charades (on movies) and Mahjong. I really enjoyed myself. Also, please do not worry about me playing Blackjack or Mahjong. We bet in small quanteties of money (10 cents). Therefore, there is no way we can get addicted, but at the same time, we come together as a family. Isn't that the purpose of the Lunar New Year?

I also played a game called "Winter Bells" on my cousin's computer. You should try it too. It is simple, yet fun! Can you beat my highscore of 1 564 210?

Winter Bells


This is how I celebrated my Lunar New Year. To you, it may seem quite short, but I think it is perfect.

Hello!

On the 28th of January, which was the day our principal declared the day off, our class of 2A went to Pasir Ris, E! Hub, for a bowling competition!

I must admit that I have not bowled for at least 4 months, ever since my father bought me my own bowling ball! Well, I've been praticing at home since my father says that bowling games are too expensive. To be honest, the game I play is free!

That is because I have a Nintendo Wii! Haha, got you! The Nintendo Wii is a game console that reacts with your movements while you play the game. That means I can exercise and play games at the same time!

Back to Wednesday, after watching the movie "Yes Man", my family and I rushed to E! Hub. While they had their lunch, I sprinted down to the bowling alley in anxiety, ready to bowl!

I was welcomed by Ms Shyamira at the entrance. Even without her there, I still could not miss it, as I could hear the crashing of pins and the dropping of bowling balls. I also could hear the cheering of bowlers when they got a spare or a strike. I dashed in and greeted my friends, before changing into bowling shoes.

After a while, the competition started! Consisting of my team was Tristen, Alvin, Pandiyan, Jason, Ms Shyamira and I. We started off and surprisingly, I had the most points of 104 in the first game! I was so proud of myself!

Later, during the second game, I was tired out and barely had strength left to throw my bowling ball. My score then dropped to 88, but winning is not everything! I felt glad for the winner, Joejyn, with a score of 135!

The game finally ended. Joejyn and Matthew were the best bowlers overall and Joejyn's and my team were the best team as a whole!

That day really make me think back of my childhood memories when I started bowling. I started merely with a 6 pound ball, and always had very low scores. However, after much praticing, the weight of the ball I carried increased and I managed to bowl properly. I could not have done it without my parents help and dedication. At the time, my family would go out every Sunday evening for a quick game. After each throw, my father would strictly coach me, (he being a bowler in University back then)and tell me how I can improve. My mother would then tell me to go for the spare (or strike) and encourage me to do my very best.

Of course, my brothers got better too, and we will always challenge each other in every game. Sure enough, my older brother would win. However, there are certain times where I won by a small margin!

Through a simple class gathering, I learnt a lot, especially on how to be a better Victorian, being a getleman, a proffesional and a sportsman. Hopefully there will be another bowling competition for 2A at the end of the year.

Before leaving, here are some extremly funny bowling bloopers! I can ensure that you laugh like a hyena!

Here it is:



Wasn't that video superb? I hope you enjoyed it!

Happy Chinese New Year!

Bad Day - Daniel Powter

Ahh.. that was one of Daniel Powter's most famous songs. Our class was told to write a recount about a bad day. Surely, the story I wrote was fictional, but what happened today was non-fiction!

Started off in the morning, I was woken up by my maid. You must wonder why a grown boy like me needs someone else to wake me. Well, I am immune to alarm clocks. You can put three of them beside me. The next day, either they won't wake me up, or I will just turn them off. After much pestering, I took a morning shower. The heater was not turn on. My maid must have forgottened to switched it on (again). Since it was the start of a new day, I held back my temper.

After eating breakfast, I got ready for school as my brother and I got into the car. Usually, I would take the front seat. As I reached for the door today, my brother immediately snatched it first. Sigh... Fighting over a seat. Quite contradictive to what I mentioned earlier about being a "grown boy"...

At school, the same old announcements were made (with prize presentation). Mundane, if I should say. During Chinese class, the person sitting next to me was a living alarm clock. He kept annoying me! He repeatedly took his metal ruler and ran it over the bottom of the table. All I heard was "Cling, clang!" throughout the whole lesson. This was not enough! He "shhh-ed" me back when I told him to keep quiet (politely). After many "shhh-s", the teacher reprimanded the nuisance and I. Talk about injustice!

During Physical Education, we played hockey. I thought, "Hey, maybe this could be fun!" Firstly, for no reason, I was appointed as goalkeeper. I cleared my throat. Being goalkeeper was as dangerous and standing on railway tracks! You can't stop the ball or train, if you have slow reaction! Sure enough, I ended up with three bruises, on my thigh, my chin and my ankle! Ouch...

At least after that was recess, where I thought I could sit down and relax over some food. In the end, I looked at the queue for the Chinese Roasts stall. It stretched all the way to the bookshop. My jaw dropped off. I decided on a drink, and then sped up to change to my school uniform.

The English and Literature lessons were not as boring as usual. In English we did comprehensions, and in Literature, we did an essay on "Why do we study Shakespeare?" Finally, Online Project Work!

To my luck, I sat beside a really uncooperative person (whose name I shall not mention). He actually slept during the lecture! At some points when I nudged him awake, he would say, "What? Pay attention lah!" He actually had the nerve to say such thing! My blood boiled, especially when he "pretended" to sleep by making distracting snoring sounds. Once in a while, he sang (and talked) to himself! I took a deep breathe to control my emotions. He also owed me 90 cents when he borrowed it to photocopy some documents. He gave me nine 10-cent coins! He had a dollar, while I had a ten-cent coins, but he claimed that "the dollar was shiny, and he did not want to waste it". Finally, I was free! Almost...

I still had to decorate the class. We were out of certain materials, so I was sent to Parkway Parade Popular to buy some tape, and other Chinese New Year related decorations. It was fun going there, but trust me, buying these materials with $28 is not enough (now that prices have shot up)!

Ok, school ended. As I walked home, the sky was already dark. So much for a whole day in school! At least I got home, and realised I had already missed my favourite TV drama on Channel 8. I hissed, and rushed for a "meeting" for Design and Technology on MSN.

1 day has flashed past so quickly. I learnt that time is important, and cannot be reversed. Therefore, we should treasure it.

I also learnt that "when life gives you lemons, you make lemonade"! That idiom means to make the best out of everything. Looking back, I figured out how to solve the little bugs:

1. Sleep early the previous night, so I won't feel tired in the morning.
2. Try to take the cold water. It saves electricity!
3. Prepared everything beforehand, so I can get the front seat!
4. Report to the teacher about anything which harms or disturbs me.
5. Say "NO!" to being the goalkeeper and stand up for myself!
6. Be more careful and constantly remind myself about something.
7. Tell the teacher again or confront the group leader.
8. Keep a list of things needed. It saves the needs for a shortage of cash!
9. Come home as quickly as possible!
10. The golden phrase.

Hello!

The Science Buskers Festival Busking Round ( semi-finals ), just ended yesterday. The thrill of getting into the finals was just superb! Tristen, Joseph and I formed a team, which we call Pyro-Cyro! Joejyn, Bok Woon and Jia Peng also entered the competition. Although this competition means a lot to us, we still want to play fairly, but mostly, have fun!

Our group entered a video with us acting in Medieval Times, about a cold-blooded wizard torturing innocent lives. It was really an interesting video, because we used chemicals and could change the colour of a burning fire, and also placed our arm above a flame, without burning or injuring ourselves. We named it "The Human Torch"!

Joejyn's group got in too, and we met again on the Audition Round. On that day, we performed a skit, where an innocent life was captured to serve an evil master. The master's servant, was tired of the cruel acts he was forced to do and thus, betrayed him by adding magic to his master's dessert, which reacts to water! We call this, Negative X. While performing, we were too nervous and could not remember our lines and the explanation for the experiment.

Still, we shall remain optimistic that we got in! Continuing, there was a meeting for all successful groups called a Crucible. Don't get the name mixed up with the play by Arthur Miller! It is a one day camp to help us to know about our fellow contestants and their ideas. This way, we can get inspiration and get along better during the Busking Round! We presented an idea we call the Nimbus 2001. The name was Harry Potter's broomstick's name in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. We cut a whole at the base of a bin and secure book wrapping around the mouth of the bin with tape. By hitting the wrap, we can force air out of the hole at the base and direct it at objects. It is fun and easy to make.

So for the Busking Round, we did the Nimbus 2001, Negative X, The Human Torch and something else, "The Polymer Ball"! Despite its simple and uninteresting name, it was the best experiment we did, getting the votes of many! Adding two chemicals together creates a rubber-like ball, which could be bounced as a toy. Children absolutely loved it!

We faced problems such as running out of chemicals, not allowed to do The Human Torch (due to safety reasons) and saddening the voters when we told them, "Sorry, we are out of Sodium Silicate..."

"Improvise!" We said. So we came up with an experiment, to replace the Polymer Ball, we call the "Magic Invisible Fire". It is so simple, a child could do it. Well, maybe not. The fire is invisible, which means you cannot see if the mixture is burning or not, hence if you are not careful and topple the plate over onto someone...... let's just say that it's not safe and should not be done at home.(Instead, do it at your friend's place - a little joke we came up with)

Votes were rather slow (for us) on Friday and Saturday, but it boomed on Sunday, with support and help from our parents, siblings and teachers.

Our group and Joejyn's group are preparing for Saturday, the 17th, which is the finals! We really need support from our peers and teachers. We will do our best to get that first place and make the school, our family and most importantly, ourselves, proud. Despite what happens on that day, we will enjoy ourselves and proove that Science is an interesting and educational subject!