maniAC: An ACJC site

Studying in School: 7 Ways to Survive

By Lala

It’s the holidays, yet I go back to school every free day I have. Those days that I’m not free, I’m probably at school anyway. Why do I go back to school when I’m free? For a simple reason that Paul brought up previously: I cannot study at home. If asked if I was the type who cannot study at home in the daytime, my hand will shoot right up, like a reflex action. This episode of self-discovery came during my sec 4 years, during our “study break”. At first I thought, “Cool! For once I don’t have to wake up early and don my uniform to go to school, and I can study at my own pace, not simply going through test paper after test paper.” That initial excitement soon faded when I realized I had wasted my whole day at home doing everything…but studying.

Afraid of repeating the same mistake as I did in the past, I decided to go to school to study. Be it the void deck, or the library (since the weather can be rather insanely warm), school is the place I find the most productive.

For those who think that studying in school is boring and a waste of time; or for those who want to try out studying in school but are afraid of being bored to death (after all, if school supposedly has no distractions, how can any one study form 9-3, six hours non-stop?), here are 7 (very cheap) things to do while taking a break from studying:

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Forfeiting Football

The Twelfth Man

If I ever needed further reminders that the holidays are quickly ending and that the real crazy work is going to crash in, I got one when I woke up a few days ago. Despite verbally agreeing to it in the past, I nevertheless still received a rude shock when I discovered, much to my horror, that I couldn’t watch the replay of the Euro U-21 match. My sports channels had all been totally cut off; my weekly fix of watching football is over. And that means I’m going to miss the first half of the upcoming football season.

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Overheard – How to apply the Production Possibility Curve in Real Life

Madam R : I’m expecting this whole class to get As & Bs for term exams!

[amidst unanimous groaning]

N. Salim : That’s outside the PPC Madam! (refer to point D)

Picture from http://www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/servicerpt/eppats/images/prodcurve.gif

Twittin’ Teens

By Junny aka JT

Whenever I’m out, I’ll always take time to look around. Perhaps at a certain corner, amongst pillars, near benches, across a particular street, or simply stare at the grass, and I will (very likely) see groups of teenagers. It amazes me how one group is always different from another – the way the dress, the way they speak, the lingo they use, and even the things they do.

For example, one group could be decked out in skin-tight clothing,

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Can I get an enCOre?

By Tan Lay Cheng

Perhaps to many, “EnCOre” was just one of the annual concerts put up by a performing arts CCA in the school, but it meant a lot more to the graduating J2 batch. One common thought that probably ran through our minds was that this could possibly be our last time performing on stage as a student or even in our lifetime. Hence, with a determination to make this last performance an unforgettable one, we set out in hard preparation during the first two weeks of the June Holidays. This was an even greater sacrifice on the J2’s part since we are supposed to take the opportunity to revise our long-forgotten J1 work which has been collecting dust since we last touched it eons ago. Continue Reading…

Who said I can’t be Superman?

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.

Watch Osen!

By Daphne Lee

While surfing the Net one day, this cute-looking picture caught my eye. I found that it is a drama series about authentic traditional Japanese food. Though a bit apprehensive of the plot, I decided that any drama with food in it could not go too terribly wrong. I was more than right.

The 10-episode drama unfolds with a Channel News Asia-ish clip, an anonymous voice speaks of life in modern Japan where the pace of life is fast: food outlets and restaurants are found everywhere, and pre-packed food are easily obtainable from supermarkets – the words ‘quickness, wealth, convenience: they’ve got everything here in Japan’ reverberate as pictures of used plastic utensils and discarded containers fill the screen, with mucic providing the much-needed tension. Almost immediately, the tension eases with the introduction of slower music as we are introduced to a long-standing restaurant, Isshouan, known throughout Tokyo to be incredibly traditional, to the extent of being seen as backward.

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Shoot For The Stars: Shooting Camp 2009

by Christy

Over the weekend, this writer took a break from shooting down the opposite gender for the various shortcomings they have and instead had a 3-day intensive camp ‘with’ shooting targets. Yes, this writer is talking about none other than Shooting Camp 2009, and did I have a good time there! However, having fun was not the only mission we had, as we also had to select our 2009/2010 exco. We had also to survive a few very unpredictable surprises which our seniors threw at us.

Our camp was supposed to start at 9am on 3 June because some JC1s were late, our seniors signalled their disappointment in our attitude and made all of us run two rounds around the track. Sigh, what a way to start camp…

Things got better however, and we had great fun bonding with one another through playing water games and icebreakers with our seniors. One of the games I found particularly meaningful was TrustFall.. we had to stand from a height and our teammates from the rifle or pistol team would link hands to form a bridge and catch us when we fall. It was no easy feat, even more so for those who are afraid of heights. The only thought running through my head when I finally found the courage to lean back was what was going to happen to me if my teammates let go the moment I land because I am too heavy. Thank goodness that didn’t happen, and I am very grateful that they caught me, or I probably wouldn’t be here writing about this.

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Overheard: Our nightlife

Mrs K: What are some examples that show Singapore has a vibrant nightlife?

P. Chuan: MUSTAFA!!!

Picture: http://www.pladesco.com/mustafa-01.jpg

Lol

The way people talk and express themselves has always held a certain curious appeal to me. Undoubtedly, how we speak inevitably changes as we age, and is also influenced by our surroundings. With SMSing being a crucial mode of communication for many of us today, there is a well-documented rise of the use of abbreviations within our textual conversations. Short-forms such as ‘Lol’ or ‘Brb’ are widely used together with the frequent use of emoticons.

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American Fall TV Line-Up

By – Obsession

A quick guide for TV fans who want to know what’s coming up this Fall over in the USA!

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MUSE – A Night to Remember

Can’t get enough of our annual concert, Muse, at Esplanade? Join us for another night of fun and music!

The Anglo-Chinese Junior College Concert Band is proud to present to you..

MUSE – A Night to Remember

Date: Saturday, 20th June 2009

Time: 7.30PM

Venue: Victoria Concert Hall

Tickets are priced at $12 for stall seats and $15 for circle seats.

Highlights of the concert include ‘Ghost Train’ by Eric Whitacre, themes from Japanese anime series, ‘Spaceship Yamato’ by Hiroshi Miyagawa, ‘Satchmo!’, a tribute to Louis Armstrong, by Ted Ricketts and various ensemble performances by members of the Band.

The Anglo-Chinese School Wind Orchestra, the Alumni wing of the Band, will also be performing for the evening.

For further queries, please contact Shermaine at 90488967.

We hope to see you there!

Dancing through Life by Stephen Schwartz (from ‘Wicked’)

By BERliN

The trouble with schools is
They always try to teach the wrong lesson
Believe me, I’ve been kicked out
Of enough of them to know
They want you to become less callow
Less shallow
But I say: why invite stress in?
Stop studying strife
And learn to live “the unexamined life”…

Dancing through life
Skimming the surface
Gliding where turf is smooth
Life’s more painless
For the brainless
Why think too hard?
When it’s so soothing
Dancing through life
No need to tough it
When you can sluff it off as I do
Nothing matters
But knowing nothing matters
It’s just life
So keep dancing through…

Dancing through life
Swaying and sweeping
And always keeping cool
Life is fraughtless
When you’re thoughtless
Those who don’t try
Never look foolish
Dancing through life
Mindless and careless
Make sure you’re where less
Trouble is rife
Woes are fleeting
Blows are glancing
When you’re dancing
Through life…

We’re supposed to be on Vacation, but then why is it that so many of us are in school studying, at home studying, in the library studying and basically somewhere studying? My only answer to that question is that we aren’t dancing through life.

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Cheering Season – a Councillor’s reflections

By A Councillor

For Councillors, after Rugby on Friday and Soccer the next day, our cheering season was over. Cheering is something that we do for the people that trusted us enough to let us be their Students’ Council. I had often thought that cheering was part of our job, that we had to do it. I thought so because it’s called a ‘duty’ and we are rostered for it. However, after going through one whole cheering season, my feelings have changed.

At the beginning of the season, we weren’t very good, or at least we didn’t think so and kept trying to push ourselves to that level of greatness we wanted to reach. I think, at the end of everything, we came to the understanding that for cheering to be good, we had to cheer loudly and at the right times. However for cheering to be great, it had to come from the heart and from the sincere and genuine desire to make the people on the court or field feel supported.

Cheering isn’t just about shouting but about channeling the AC Spirit in a very tangible way.

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