maniAC: An ACJC site

Our Song by Taylor Swift

By BERliN

I was riding shotgun with my hair undone in the front seat of his car
He’s got a one-hand feel on the steering wheel
The other on my heart
I look around, turn the radio down
He says baby is something wrong?

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Good Day by Click 5

By BERliN

Woke up early in my hotel room
Wait for my alarm to go
I think about the things I’ve gotta do
Damn my mind is gonna blow

I’m freaking out about what’s ahead
Maybe I’ll just stay in bed
Cause it’s no fun to be the one
Going out of my head
So I tell it to myself again

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Seasons of Love From Rent

By BERliN

525,600 minutes, 525,000 moments so dear. 525,600 minutes – how do you measure, measure a year? In daylight, in sunsets, in midnights, in cups of coffee.
In inches, in miles, in laughter, in strife. In 525,600 minutes -
How do you measure a year in the life?
How about love? How about love? How about love?
Measure in love.
Seasons of love.

How can you measure
the life of a woman or man?
In truths that she learned, or in times that he cried.
In bridges he burned, or
The way that she died.

It’s time now to sing out, tho the story never ends let’s celebrate remember a year in the life of friends. Remember
the love! Measure in love. Seasons of love!

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The World is a Circle by Burt Bacharach

by BERliN

The World is a Circle without a beginning,
And nobody knows where it really ends.
Everything depends on where you
Are in the circle that never begins.
Nobody knows where the circle ends.
La la la la la la.

And just because you think you’re small,
That doesn’t mean that you’re small at all.
And just the way a tiny branch is like a tree to a twig,
To someone else you are big.

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Better Man By Robbie Williams

by BERliN
 

Give me endless summer
Lord I fear the cold
Feel I’m getting old
Before my time

As my soul heals the shame
I will grow through this pain
Lord I’m doing all I can
To be a better man

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Love Song by Sarah Bareilles

By BERliN

Love Song (kid version) – Sarah Bareilles

Head under water
And they tell me to breathe easy for a while
The breathing gets harder, even I know that
You made room for me, but it’s too soon to see
If I’m happy in your hands
I’m unusually hard to hold on to
Blank stares at blank pages
No easy way to say this
You mean well, but you make this hard on me

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Right Here, Right Now from High School Musical 3

by BERliN

Can you imagine?
What would happen?
If we could have any dream
I’d wish this moment
Was ours to own it
And that it would never leave
Then I would thank that star
That made our wish come true (come true) oh yeah
‘Cause he knows that where you are
Is where I should be too

Right here, right now
I’m looking at you and my heart loves the view
‘Cause you mean everything

Right here, I promise you somehow
That tomorrow can wait for some other day to be (to be)
But right now there’s you and me

If this was forever what could be better?
We already proved it was
But in 2,123 hours a bend in the universe
Is gonna make everything
In our whole world change (it’s our change, yeah)
And you know that where we are
Will never be the same oh no

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Do You Hear the People Sing from Les Miserable

By BERliN

Do you hear the people sing?
Singing a song of angry men?
It is the music of a people
Who will not be slaves again!
When the beating of your heart
Echoes the beating of the drums
There is a life about to start
When tomorrow comes!

Will you join in our crusade?
Who will be strong and stand with me?
Beyond the barricade
Is there a world you long to see?

Then join in the fight
That will give you the right to be free!

Will you give all you can give
So that our banner may advance
Some will fall and some will live
Will you stand up and take your chance?
The blood of the martyrs
Will water the meadows of France!

Do you hear the people sing?
Singing a song of angry men?
It is the music of a people
Who will not be slaves again!
When the beating of your heart
Echoes the beating of the drums
There is a life about to start
When tomorrow comes!

IF you didn’t already know, our Swimmers came in 2nd, our Track and Field team 4th; our Soccer boys are in the Semi-finals, our Choir got gold with honours, our Chinese Orchestra got Gold, our Guitar got gold and we are in the Rugby Finals. Do you hear the people sing? I can honestly say that I wasn’t at the SYFs to hear the music but I definitely saw beyond the barricade during the swimming finals, and heard the echoes of the drums in the Rugby field.

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Far From the Home I <3 by Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick

By BERliN

Far From The Home I Love
How Can I Hope To Make You Understand
Why I Do What I Do,
Why I Must Travel To A Distant Land,
Far From The Home I Love.
Once I Was Happily Content To Be
As I Was, Where I Was,
Close To The People Who Are Close To Me,
Here In The Home I Love.
Who Could See That A Man Could Come
Who Would Change The Shape Of My Dreams.
Helpless Now I Stand With Him,
Watching Older Dreams Grow Dim.
Oh, What A Melancholy Choice This Is,
Wanting Home, Wanting Him,
Closing My Heart To Ev’ry Hope But His
Leaving The Home I Love,
There Where My Heart Has Settled Long Ago
I Must Go, I Must Go, I Must Go,
Who Could Imagine I’d Be Wand’ring So
Far From The Home I Love
Yet There With My Love, I’m Home.

I honestly didn’t know what to write about this week. The school has been so divided. On one hand you have people who are on the way to the finals and they are celebrating. On the other hand you have the people whose seasons are already over. I couldn’t write about persevering because some people don’t need to, I couldn’t write about adventures because some people’s journeys have already ended. But as I was searching today, I found something that almost everyone has in common. People don’t want to go home.

Seasons have been culminating and teachers have been getting calls from concerned parents who wonder where their children are. Well of course they are in school. School, contrary to popular belief, is more than just an academic institution but a CCA one as well. Students stay in school for all sorts of reasons. But how can I hope to make you understand, why I do what I do, why I must travel to a distant land (especially if you live in east like I know some of you do) far from the home I love.

Once I was happy and content to be as I was, where I was. Close to the people who are close to me, Here in the home I love. But who could see that a school would come and change the shape of my dreams. When we were younger than we are, it was hard to imagine ourselves being anywhere beyond our parents’ watchful eye. But JC life is proclaimed to be different. You aren’t normal unless you go home at 6 (at least).

I feel sad for parents as they don’t get to see us as often as they want to. But what is even sadder is that it may not be a melancholy choice. We don’t want home. We have already closed our hearts to every hope but that of JC, leaving the home we love.

Where had our hearts settled long ago? I don’t know if we know any more. How sad is that? If there is no place like home, then maybe there really isn’t a place called home. But how can that be true? I don’t think it’s true.

If love resides in the heart, and the heart is where the home is, then there with my Love, I’m home wherever and whatever love may be.

p.s. The song is from the musical “Fiddler On The Roof”. It’s old but, if you ever get a chance to, listen to it. The melody is wonderful. The poster below, from the original 1964 Broadway production, evokes Marc Chagall, whose paintings of fiddlers inspired the musical’s name.

Image from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiddler_on_the_Roof

With A Little Help From My Friends by The Beatles

By BERliN

What would you think if I sang out of tune,
Would you stand up and walk out on me.
Lend me your ears and I’ll sing you a song,
And I’ll try not to sing out of key.
I want somebody to love.

I get by with a little help from my friends,
I get high with a little help from my friends,
I’m gonna try with a little help from my friends.

What do I do when my love is away.
(Does it worry you to be alone)
How do I feel by the end of the day
(Are you sad because you’re on your own)

No I get by with a little help from my friends,
I get high with a little help from my friends,
Oh, I’m gonna try with a little help from my friends.

Do you need anybody,
I need somebody to love.
Could it be anybody
I want somebody to love.

Do you believe in love at first sight,
Yes I’m certain that it happens all the time.
What do you see when you turn out the light,
I can’t tell you, but I know it’s mine.

Oh I get by with a little help from my friends.
I get high with a little help from my friends,
Oh I’m gonna try with a little help from my friends.

Do you need anybody,
I just need somebody to love,
Could it be anybody

I’ve heard that life is a journey, best travelled with a companion. School life is a journey that doesn’t promise to be easy but it does give you friends who will travel alongside you, to make the way bearable. It’s the middle of April and the competitive season is reaching its peak; to many it is impossible to get by without a little help from a friend.

On Tuesday, I was at the Dance SYF showcase. For the SYF dance, the dancers became man-made handicapped creatures. Each girl only had one arm and each boy only had one leg. How are you supposed to dance like that? It seems impossible to dance ‘normally’ with their ‘handicap’; yet not only did they dance but they even did lifts. In one part of the dance, the boys have to lift the girls up into the air using only one leg, one crutch, and two hands. I’ve heard that these dangerous lifts don’t just require strength on the boy’s part, but are a combination of the girl and boy working together in perfect coodination. It is only when they help each other that it is possible. To me that is a real example of how it is sad if you’re on your own because we only get high with a little help from our friends.

Maybe you feel dejected because for some reason you’re the one singing out of tune. Well if you sing me a song I’ll lend you my ears because if you need anybody, I just need somebody to love.

So Young by the Corrs

By BERliN

Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah
Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah
We are taking it easy
Bright and breezy, yeah
We are living it up
Just fine and dandy, yeah

And it really doesn’t matter that we don’t eat
And it really doesn’t matter if we never sleep
No it really doesn’t matter, really doesn’t matter at all

Coz we are so young now, we are so young, so young now
And when tommorow comes, we can do it all again

We are chasin’ the moon
Just running wild and free
We are following through
Every dream and every need

And it really doesn’t matter that we don’t eat
And it really doesn’t matter if we never sleep
No it really doesn’t matter, really doesn’t matter at all

Coz we are so young now, we are so young, so young now
And when tommorow comes, we can do it all again
Yeah, we are so young now, we are so young, so young now
And when tommorow comes, we’ll just do it all again
All again, all again, yeah, all again, all again…, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah
So young now, we are so young, so young now
And when tommorow comes, we’ll just do it all again
Yeah, we are so young now, we are so young, so young now
And when tommorow comes, we’ll just do it all again
We are so young… (Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah-ie Yeah)
We are so young… (Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah-ie Yeah)

This week I am going to focus on the amazing abilities of young people in society.

This term is supposed to be and ‘notorious’ for being the worst term in our academic careers. But I think the reason why it is possible for us to even go through it is because we are so young. To say that we are taking it easy, bright and breezy may not be true . I must acknowledge that most of us live under constant stress and feel the pressure to perform both academically and non-academically. We are chasing the moon, just running wild and free, we are following through every dream and need. In the face of this expectation, we swallow our tiredness and cope because it really doesn’t matter that we don’t eat, and it really doesn’t matter that we never sleep because we are so young now, we are so young, and when tomorrow comes, we’ll just do it all again.

However just like suffering, youth is also temporary and with time, we will not be so young forever. And when we are not so young anymore, our ability to appear superhuman will disappear as we give in to the inevitable aging process. When we are older, it will matter that we haven’t slept and or ate but for now, enjoy yourself. Enjoy whatever you are doing no matter how stressful and unending they seem because we are only so young once.

The Impossible Dream by Mitch Leigh and Joe Darion

By BERliN

To dream the impossible dream
To fight the unbeatable foe
To bear the unbearable sorrow
To run where the brave dare not go

To right the unrightable wrong
To be better far than you are
To try when your arms are too weary
To reach the unreachable star

This is my quest, to follow that star
No matter how hopeless,
No matter how far
To fight for the right
Without question or pause
To be willing to march into hell
For a heavenly cause

And I know if I’ll only be true
To this glorious quest
That my heart will be peaceful and calm
When I’m laid to my rest

And the world would be better for this
That one man scorned and covered with scars
Still strove with his last ounce of courage
To reach the unreachable star

Season has started and as far as I know, Soccer won 7-0 and Rugby won 114-0. I don’t know about shooting but I’m sure that they had an equally good start too. When we win prelim rounds like this we may think, how difficult can winning the championship be? However, every sportsman or woman will tell you that winning Nationals really isn’t as easy as it looks. I’ve asked around and many people tell me that going to the finals will be like a dream, the impossible dream.

I know that we ACSians like to think that we are the best in the world, or rather we are too good for it. This confidence has made us able to follow that star no matter how hopeless, no matter how far. However there also seems to be enough common sense in us that tells us, RI(JC) will always be first because they DSA all the best people and that the best we can hope for is 3rd or 4th Place. It saddens me to think that we think we are the best of the mediocre.

To prevent our hearts from breaking we don’t make promises of grandeur and success. We humbly state that we hope to go to the finals or that the most we can do is break. But I think that inside each and every one of our hearts, whether we want it or not, lies a dream, a dream to fight the unbeatable foe, to run where the brave dare not go.

I don’t think it’s wrong to be realistic. Life isn’t about winning all the time (though most of the time it is). If we lose I’ll tell you about how losing isn’t an unique experience but for now try when your arms are too weary, to fight for the right without question or pause, to be willing to march into hell for a heavenly cause, not because the world will be better for this, but because you will be.

p.s This song was written for the musical Man of La Mancha,

was sung by Elvis Presley once

and will be sung by one of our drama students for his Individual Skill Based Exam. Look Out!

Pictures from www.art.com and www.astronode.de

1 Fine Wire by Colbie Caillat

By BERliN

I try so many times
But it’s not taking me
And it seems so long ago
That I used to believe
And I’m so lost inside of my head
And crazy
But I can’t get out of it
I’m just stumbling

And I’m juggling all the thoughts in my head
I’m juggling and my fears are on fire
But I’m listening as it evolved in my head
I’m balancing on one fine wire

And I remember the time my balance was fine
And I was just walking on one fine wire
And I remember the time my balance was fine
And I was just walking on one fine wire
And It’s frayed at both the ends
And I’m slow unraveling

Life plays such silly games inside of me
And I’ve felt some distant cries following
And they’re entwined between the night and sun beams
I wish I were free from this pain in me

And I’m juggling all the thoughts in my head
I’m juggling and my fears are on fire
But I’m listening as it evolved in my head
I’m balancing on one fine wire

And I remember the time my balance was fine
And I was just walking on one fine wire
And I remember the time my balance was fine
And I was just walking on one fine wire
And it’s frayed at both the ends
And I’m slow unraveling

Exams!  Can we remember a time when we didn’t feel the need to study for Exams or have this sinking fear that even studying and doing that revision package won’t really help us at all? I remember the time my balance was fine.

But now, at the Advanced level of ‘Examinating’ I’m so lost inside my head And crazy But I can’t get out of it. I’m just stumbling. There are so many facts and figures for everything; Chemistry, Biology, Geography, History and even Math.  I’ve felt some distant cries from some many coming into and outside of Exam Halls that I wish were they free from this pain. But I know it is not to be; sometimes what we need to grow up is how to balance on one fine wire; life is a balancing act after all.

We have to balance the demands of our school work and our CCA, balance our commitment to our family and our friends. What happens when everything is important? When things are smooth going, we can juggle everything and are able to keep everything up in the air (and hopefully have time to smile at the crowd looking on). However what happens when we lose focus? Everything crashes to the ground and we slowly unravel. What do we do after that? Well, do not despair, it’s only March and we have time to pick up the balls and start juggling again.  

For all the people who have not finished their term exams and those who are ‘finished’ for now, juggle all the thoughts in your head, all your fears on fire because together when we’re walking on fire wire we won’t fray at both ends.    

If I Didn’t Care By Jack Lawrence, originally recorded by the Ink Spots

By BERliN

I didn’t care more than words can say

If I didn’t care would I feel this way?

If this isn’t love then why do I thrill?

And what makes my head go ’round and ’round

While my heart stands still?

If I didn’t care would it be the same?

Would my ev’ry prayer begin and end with just your name?

And would I be sure that this is love beyond compare?

Would all this be true if I didn’t care for you?

I have heard that the opposite of love isn’t hate but indifference. To love something means to care about it, to want it to flourish, to worry about it, and to be scared when things don’t turn out right.

Terms are coming for the J2s, Season is coming for everyone and I think many of us wished we didn’t care.

Yesterday during the special assembly we pledged to train with discipline and tenacity, perform with pride and passion, compete with integrity and commitment, win with respect and humility, accept defeat with grace and dignity and exemplify espirit de corps and the ACSian Spirit.

I think that this is a tall order. To train with tenacity is to care about the end goal of winning, but to accept defeat with humility and pride means that no matter how much we care, we cannot let it bog us down and at the end of the day know that our head may go round and round while our hearts stand still. Our hearts have to stand still in the face of emotional trauma at the possibility of defeat.

But no matter what we do, it is hard not to care. It is hard not to feel this way especially when we are not sure about this is love beyond compare. Would all this be true if we didn’t care?

What is this truth we are yearning for? It is true that we need to work really hard to win and do well. It is also true, that no matter what we do, there is a possibility of failure. However, at the end of the day, the most important truth of all is that we care too much, more than words can say; so much that we wish we didn’t care

But take courage, put your heart on the line and pray, knowing that it will never be the same.

The Ink Spots

p.s. The song was recently featured in the movie Miss Pettigrew lives for a day and was sung by Amy Adams.

Photos from www.producersinc.com and www.filminfocus.com