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By Annabelle
2010 has certainly been a “new” year in many respects. I’m in a new school with new friends and I’m wearing a new uniform. But the thing that has most definitely changed the most is the voice in my head, and no I am not a maniac (pun intended). It is not a voice which asks me to do sinister things but is instead a voice which allows me to have monologues within my head.
By Vanessa
It’s a new year, new beginnings, and of course, new friends. It’s time to adapt to all the new people around you, to understand them and to build friendships with them. I find it a little weird making new friends because you have to be more wary, in a way, about the things you say to them, and, just because you don’t know them that well, you can’t be yourself, the way you normally act. As for me, I’m usually my lame self in front of my old friends but in front of new people I have met, I am afraid of portraying that self to them because you lose that sense of strong familiarity you get normally when you hang out with your old friends. There’s an invisible barrier between two totally different people when you first get to know each other, and that barrier can only be broken down with time.
By Sophie and Daphne
These 2 writers from Maniac had the golden opportunity to participate in this ACJC Overseas Community Involvement Programme to Cambodia from the 13th to the 22nd of December. There were altogether 18 students and 2 teachers who went on this trip. I’ll start by describing what we did in Cambodia, and later in this post Daphne will reflect on the interesting insights she has taken away from this OCIP.
By Lala
Last Wednesday, the ACJC Harp Ensemble had its last CCA meeting of the year before the JC1 promotional exams. While most CCAs had already stopped, we had one more meeting, as we needed to catch up on lessons.
A countdown of 10 places I’d rather be.
10. Home
More specifically in my bed hiding from the very thought of being graded on my notoriously poor experimental skills.
By Lala
Health week 2009 was held from 3rd to 6th August. It was the first “Health Week” of my life (my secondary school didn’t do this) and was a rather interesting experience. There was this whole air of “health awareness” around the candeck; this is where you can buy lollipops to encourage your friends. (Buy how exacly are lollipops ‘healthful’ or ‘helpful’?)
By – Obsession
It’s that time of year, when geeks from all over emerge from the musty darkness of their parents’ basement and gather together at the San Diego Convention Centre. To the uninitiated, the convention centre played host to a myriad of monsters and aliens last weekend, but we geeks can differentiate at a glance the trekies, whonatics, galatica fans, star wars fans and well, the fans of any kind of science fiction series there are.
By – Obsession
If you happen to be like me, you are already counting the days until our next long weekend and I need not inform you that our next break will come almost a month from today in the form of Singapore’s National Day. And though most of us have not been able to obtain tickets to the parade this year, many of our television sets will be tuned to local channels so that we too can catch the action live. You need not be too disappointed about that, lounging on a couch with snacks and pizza is a brilliant (and more comfortable way) to spend the afternoon. Trust me; you will not be missing that much in the goodie-bag department either. I’m here to tell you exactly what you will and won’t be missing out on, and of course tips for those who will be seated at the Marina Bay.
by Christy
You might assume that this writer is going to talk about anything and everything tech-related, seeing the title for today. But no, today the topic is anything but. To tell the truth, this writer is an absolute idiot in anything related to the world of technology. I’d be the last person you’d want to ask for help when it comes to repairing your computer or running a new application. So what is the point of writing an article title like that, you may ask. Well, what I would like to talk about would be the absolute obsession guys have with their computers and whatever other gizmos they have. It might be the case that guys can serve as handy technicians when it comes to teaching you how to manoeuvre around an application’s kinks, and if they’re patient enough they might even be good enough teachers to guide you in playing a computer game. But when it comes to trying to convince them to tear themselves away for even just a nanosecond to do something else when they are fixated with their new “baby”, it is almost impossible, if not a totally lost cause.
It’s not often that newspapers actually make people smile. In fact, lately, the news has been more depressing than anything else, what with Jon & Kate’s divorce (I actually lost sleep over this) and Michael Jackson’s death. But today, I chanced on the Huffington Post online and a huge grin spread across my face.
Taking all things into consideration, the headline probably shouldn’t have made me so happy. It read, big, black and bold in caps: CHILD SURVIVES YEMENI PLANE CRASH. I’d hate to die in a plane crash and I’m sure you would too but that’s besides the point. The fact that the newspaper chose that as its headline, over something no more factual or newsworthy but more typical like X NUMBER DEAD IN X PLANE CRASH made my day by virtue of what it symbolised! The cliched but always heartwarming message of triumph over adversity, of the underdog beating the odds; of survival…. The impact of the headline also reminded me that our thoughts create our world. That is another cliche but we always have the choice to see the good in a situation, any situation, like the fact that once you’ve hit rock bottom there’s no way else but up or the fact that despite Tuesday being one of the longest school days, we can always get through it by stuffing ourselves with fried food (hello FFT! – Fried Food Thursdays!). So yes… Cliches are overused because above all, they almost always ring true. Your thoughts create your world. Choose your own headline.
Who said, who said I can’t be Superman?
I say, I say that I know I can
Who said, who said I won’t be President
I say, I say you ain’t seen nothin’ yet.
Who said, who said I can’t be worldwide
I say, I say time is on my side
Who said, who said I can’t be ten feet tall
I say, I say that I can have it all!
I know we’re all supposed to be too old for Hannah Montana. But my friend made me listen to this song awhile ago, and for lack of a better word, it is truly Awesome. Just look at those lyrics! Just wait for that IRRESISTIBLE HOOK IN THE CHORUS! That cliched but nonetheless inspiring message! Throw your embarrassment to the wind, LISTEN, sing along and BE LEGENDARY. Remember, you ain’t seen nothing yet.
by Sarah Wong
There are those born with the trait who will effusively deny it and then there are those who stand tall and proud and are willing to share it with the world. Some would call it a curse and others will call it a blessing a much appreciated gift, much like when someone offers you chewing gum when you are eating chicken rice. And as many different names there are to call it by, the most appropriate word that would describe this trait would be ‘klutziness’.
The topic of this week’s post was briefly brought up last week – selective hearing. For some reason there are people out there who have an inability to listen to a sentence without missing snippets of it- or maybe it is just that they decide not to remember it at all. That is why when you ask them “So, what do you think?” they seem to snap out of some self-induced trance and look at you blankly before giving you an incomprehensible answer which seems worlds apart from what you were discussing in the first place. Try to clarify matters and, more often than not, the reply one gets is “Since when did you talk about that?” Considering that you have been chattering about the exact same thing they are asking about for the past 15 minutes, you either feel like strangling them or doing them a favour by buying them a huge hearing aid so that they can hear properly and save many people from experiencing the same exasperation you always feel when talking to them.
by Tiny
Tiny is back to conclude The Art to Sleeping. In this article, we will cover the remaining 3 of the 5 skills that students need to master the Art of Sleeping. Last week we covered the Art of Sleeping Anywhere and the Art of Sleeping Anytime, so without further ado, let’s get on with the rest.
Skill 3: The Art of Sleeping Enough
Well, you readers are probably going “DUH! That’s the whole point!” right about now. The point of this skill lies in priorities. Of course Tiny understands the general Singaporean student population is nocturnal; in fact, studies have shown that teens actually start to get really sleepy around 1 or 2 a.m. which is probably when we all start to go to sleep, rather then the 10 p.m. at which parents (unreasonable creatures that they are) vainly hope we would hit the sack.
A great deal lies in good time management. Of course, since most of us are not clockwork automatons, the next best alternative lies in juggling priorities. The question the sleep deprived should ask themselves is “Is it more worth it to burn the midnight oil now and sleep in school the next day; or should I get some rest now and leave the work for tomorrow?” Of course you will have to consider whether you even have the luxury of breaks during the next day, and balance that against the fact that working late at night is likely to produce substandard results (unless you’re a bat and work better at night) and lead to an inability to focus during the next day’s lectures. The stupidest thing you could do is to not do the work, stay up late and still end up sleeping in school.
All in all, being a JC student means you will have to sacrifice some sleep. It’s better to accept that fact and adapt sooner rather then later.
Skill 4: The Forbidden Art of Sleeping Inconspicuously
Tiny knows this is probably the one skill you will want to learn in order to evade the watchful eyes of your teachers. This is probably the most difficult skill to master, and obviously sleeping in class is a last resort. Tiny is by no means skilled, but he will share some of his observations.
Don’t yawn. Unless you are asking for a scolding, yawning is a blaring alarm that screams “I’m bored, and next up is a snooze, catch me!” Not only will the insulted teacher reprimand you, they will also be watching you like a hawk henceforward. Also, don’t rest your head on the desk; this is also a surefire signal that you are in dreamland and not in the classroom. Some of the students who are better at sleeping inconspicuously support their heads on both arms or sleep behind a book.
Most likely you will find your own method. If you can sleep with eyes open, or can listen to teachers while half awake (neither of which is impossible), Tiny salutes you. If you get caught, as is most likely, then simply apologize and try to stay awake for the rest of the lesson (see skill 5). Anyway, sleeping in class is just plain unproductive. If you follow the other skills, it will be a rare occurrence. Hopefully teachers will realize that we are just humans (very, very, very sleep deprived ones at that) and forgive you as long as you don’t commit this offence too often.
Skill 5: The Art of Staying Awake
Drowsing away in class in a half wakeful state is actually very counter-productive. You are basically giving the impression of wakefulness, but you probably walked away learning nothing. It is better to force yourself awake than to choose to sleep and possibly get caught and face a reprimand. Tiny knows it’s a really difficult task at times; sleep is probably the one greatest urge, and the one we all succumb to, certainly greater then hunger.
Keeping high on caffeine is one established way, Tiny has seen students bring/drink coffee to/in school as a way to keep the spectres of sleep away. Tiny himself is a real caffeine addict and can’t survive without his cuppa (that’s right, you can buy Tiny’s loyalty with a good cup of coffee 
). This also works to varying degrees. Some people are resistant to coffee, so it doesn’t work well for them. One alternative to coffee many seem to prefer is Red Bull, Tiny would like to caution Red Bull fans that the drink only gives a momentary adrenaline rush which quickly dies down and leaves you drained. Also there are many possible adverse side effects linked to over-consumption of the beverage. So when in doubt, stick to good old coffee.
One of the more drastic measures is pinching yourself, which hurts and actually isn’t that effective (Tiny tried). A better way is to beg a friend to shake you awake when you are asleep, and if you know you are in an important class, get that friend to take notes, in case you miss something while in dreamland. This also applies to you if you notice a classmate counting sheep in their head; wake them, especially if you know they can’t afford to miss this lecture. If you are a true friend, better that you earn their momentary ire than let them be flamed by even more irate teachers when they get caught.
The most drastic measure is to stand up; this prevents you from falling asleep, unless you can sleep while standing (which is a fantastic skill to have). Obviously you can only do this in tutorials, and it might earn you a few looks, but it’s a tried and tested method, especially for recalcitrant snoozers (just ask T12M). If you really can’t stop yourself from snoozing, it’s better that you take the initiative and ask the teacher for permission to stand. After all, which is better: you stand on your own terms, or are scolded and asked to stand by your teacher? You choose.
Well, that concludes the 2 part series on the Art of Sleeping. Hopefully, these 5 skills will help you just that little bit more to survive JC. Anyway, sometimes, if you’ve got to hit the sack, just hit the sack. Sleep deprivation results in a lot of health problems now and later in life. It’s just not worth it giving up that extra hour of sleep. Speaking of sleep, it supposedly stimulates growth; maybe Tiny should go catch a few Zs himself…
Good Night,
Tiny
Images from:
god-is-gracious-.blogspot.com, aygee.net.au,
psychoyouthmin.blogspot.com, mcmawblog.blogspot.com,
http://www.frithstreetgallery.com/artists/works/cornelia_parker/2/the_maybe
