15 Oct 09: Clearing up some items in My Documents, so i jus post here

Poly Orientation

Day 1 (7/4/08) [13 00 – 17 00]

We were to report to our poly at 1pm. Hui Min and I arranged to meet at 12.25 p.m. at Dover MRT Station. I told myself that I must leave home at 11.20am latest. But I still started travelling at around 11.35am. I waited for the bus for about 15mins, thinking that I would be late for our appointment at 12.25pm.

Halfway on the bus, I saw Kelvin & Chin Kiat (sec 4 classmates) went up the upper deck, same bus as mine. I’m not sure if they had seen me. When I reached Boon Lay bus interchange, I walked very fast out of the bus and went inside the MRT Station. The MRT was already there, and I went inside to sit. Then happened a thing which I feared of, that is the 2 boys boarded the same train as me, and we were on the same cartridge! They stood and did not face me, so I suppose they did not notice me. (However, I got the feeling that Kelvin had long ago noticed me since he boarded the bus with Chin Kiat.) When CK noticed me, the train had already started moving, if I remember correctly. Well, I felt more relaxed when I knew that both of them had already found out I’m on the same train with them.

When I/we reached Dover, it was only 12.15pm. So, I’m not late for meeting Hui Min, and she had not arrived yet. The moment after I tapped my card, I was quite shocked to see lots of people outside, supposedly waiting for their friends, etc. I just stood there to wait for Hui Min. After quite a long time, she came. Perhaps I was engrossed in thinking about sth, I didn’t notice HM had tapped card until she walked in front of me. Before that, I saw Hoe Khang and greeted him and told him that Kelvin & CK are already inside. I also saw Yiting, but I don’t think she saw me. Anyway, she just walked passed me w/o smiling/greeting me.

HM and I went inside (to go inside SP). I saw some of my schoolmates/classmate (Min Er, Jessica, Sandy, Eric, blah x3) but did not greet/talk to them at all.
HM’s meeting place is at the convention centre, while mine is at the auditorium. They are also quite near to each other. I need to go down the stairs, but hers is on the same level. Since it was still early (about 25min before 1pm), we stood outside together first. We looked like we were waiting for friends, but in fact, we were waiting for time to pass by. After a while, HM’s friends came, and soon HM and I separated. And I made my way to the auditorium.

Oh my god, I’m so alone and I’m not sure what to do! Another set of stairs down, there were some SP students/staff, but I’m not sure whether I need to go down and register. Of course there’s no one I can ask. Eh, even if there was, I’m sure I don’t dare to ask. I saw some schoolmates I know, but they don’t know me. Well, I’m also not sure if they know. I just stood there for quite a long time for further instructions. There also were some girls who were alone. I wanted to approach them, but of course I don’t dare to do so. Stood beside me was a girl who looked quite friendly, but I don’t dare to start talking to her either. Shrugs, no use! So I just continued to stand there. Time seemed to pass by very slowly! After some time, I saw Stephanie Ger, Huang Ying and Mei Ling (from 4E2), and greeted and talked to them. I felt disappointed when they told me they do not belong here, that means their assembly area was not same as me. They walked away.
I thought of SMSing HM but SMSed to Jia Yi instead. Her orientation started on that day too, much much much earlier than me!


Finally, 1 o’clock! or 1 plus pm. There were movements. I’m not really sure what to do though. But I think they were queuing up. There were three lines, and I think different courses (total: 5 courses) must stand in different rows. Whew, a person approached me and asked for my course, and she told me that mine was in the second line. There were people who were not sure where to line up. Finally, all (or almost) settled down, I mean stood. I was quite behind in line, perhaps in the middle. I saw the people in front getting a file and a small piece of paper. I wonder what that is. After getting those things, we needed to go into a room, but I think most of the people in front did not know that. (I dun really know too!) When it was my turn, I showed the person the Student Pass, and then I got the file and the small piece of paper. The paper showed the block/room where we were supposed to have our SPICE training the next day, but actually we already knew it. It also showed where we were supposed to go to do the Flag Day on the 10th (April). Mine’s Yishun. First reaction of mine: Omg, so far away! Need to reach there by 7.30am sia!...

Then I went inside the room (theatre bah…). The people (later know that they are from SMIT, whatever that is) immediately asked for our course to let us know where we were going to sit. [My course is DBIT.] I suppose I said BIT, and the person heard as DIT, which is another course. So I sat at the wrong place unknowingly. *No wonder I got a weird feeling.* I realized so when I saw the person sitting beside me taking the small paper saying DIT. Ahh, don’t know what to do again, whether to remain seated or stand up and asked for directions. When a guy was near me, I stood up and asked him, and I was led to the place where the DBIT students were. Phew, finally I sat at the correct seat. Perhaps I “xin li zuo yong”, but I felt more comfortable.

The people in my row sat alternatively (1 person, 1 space, 1 person, 1 space, 1 person [me], spaces………… 1 person). Soon, the programme started. During the whole programme (about 4 hours), I did not talk at all. The programmes were mainly games, performances, talks and briefings. Well, I don’t really enjoy the performances much coz they were quite boring.

As for the games, I’m still okay with them. It’s quite scary (I mean I’m scared), coz they were asking for volunteers and most of the time, pulling people to go on stage. Luckily, I’m not being called. The first ‘game’ was beat-boxing and rapping. There were 1 Beat-boxer and a few rappers. They were to rap while the person does the beat-boxing. The ‘host’ was humorous coz he said they must wear the shirt in order to rap and to wear the “blink-blink” (some sort of necklace with a shiny ‘jade’) to have more power to rap. At the mention of the “blink-blink”, all (or most) of us would laugh. In the end, the loudness of the claps and applause determines the winner. The prize for the winner is to do one rap again. (diao!)

Another game is scavenger hunt, that is, the host read out a few things (one particular thing at a time la, not read out all and have a “memory game”) and we were to run down the stairs and go onto the stage. We were separated into 3 teams (actually the seats were already in 3 parts). The scores depend on sometimes, the largest number of people, sometimes the fastest group to send someone down. So actually this game doesn’t involve teamwork, just individual. For me, the things were not applicable, coz I don’t have them. I remembered one was a 10-cent coin which comes from 1998, but I check my purse, but all my 10-cent coins were from other years. In the end, my team scored the whole points, but of coz, no prizes. However, the host concluded that every team was a winner.

The last game (again, picking people to go onto stage) we had was “Guess It”, something like ‘charade’. Two people (1 boy, 1 girl) were asked from each group, this makes 10 people on stage. The words (and pictures) were shown on the screen, and 1 does the acting, while the other does the guessing (back-facing the screen of coz). The themes were actions, characters, celebrities, TV shows, etc. I’m not sure whether the host did it on purpose. The ‘it’ refers to what he said “Ok, let’s start the first word “drowning”. Opps, he already read out the word! but I don’t think the contestants heard it. In the end, he said it’s the trial round. To me, the host already made himself clear that one group one turn, but all the contestants acted together. In the end, the rule was changed, and became all groups do the actions together and see who guess it first. Whenever one got it (got the answer right), I got the feeling that they were cheating. Perhaps they mouthed the word to the person who was guessing. Well, we also don’t know if they were cheating. One group did not get any answer correct, but they were awarded 2 points for consolation. The host purposely kept asking for their current points. Whenever this group was asked, everybody laughed. The prizes for the winner group were stress balls and M&N chocolates. In the end, the two of them danced.
Hmm, I wonder why all the people who went on stage were all so daring and high, like not feeling shy at all!...

Wow, I wrote so many paragraphs (three) of the games we played. Eh, they were not played continuously la. I just wrote them together.

During the break, I remained inside and did not go outside. I don’t know what the real reason too, “perhaps” I’m lazy, not hungry, scared too troublesome. Should be scared will feel lost bah.

For the welcome addresses and briefings, I did not pay full attention to them. I was also not very sure what they were talking about. (During all these programmes, I SMSed to Hui Min and Jia Yi.)

The next biggest event was Flag Day, held 3 days later. There was a talk on it, of coz. Before that, a video, which was from last year, was shown to us. Everyone exclaimed and laughed when it showed an old auntie. She had many stickers (flags) on the plastic bag of hers. She said she saw the students working so hard, so she helped them, donating 10 or 20 cents. I suppose they donated coins to every student she saw.

When the programmes were ending, Hui Min SMSed me to ask me where I was and that she was at the Dover. Then, gang hao, it ended. I replied, telling her so and asked her if she had gone off or wanted to wait for me. Then she said she would wait for me. I headed to the MRT station. If I’m not so rushed, I might go and find my block, which I was supposed to go the next morning.

So we made our way to the platform. Full of people! Suddenly I turned and saw Phay Ching and her friends, but she did not see me. I did not go over and talk to her. We went inside the train, it was so crammed. When Jurong East was reaching (HM needed to alight the train), she asked me if I got a $10-note in exchange for 2 $5-notes as she needed to top up her card. As the train was moving and I had no support, I had much difficulty taking things and so on.

Then, HM alighted and I was alone on the train (I mean with no friends la), stood all the way. Dots. Then I took bus home. Dots. Dots. Dots.

There, a day of orientation in SP was over. It’s quite a boring, but tiring day. At night at home, I was feeling giddy. I beared with it till night. I felt better after I bathed, that was already quite late. At midnight at 12sth, I still on the TV, waiting to watch “100% Entertainment” (“Yu Le Bai Fen Bai), coz missed it during the afternoon. I doubt I can do this, when term starts. Surely will get busy and tired.

So on this day, I was alone, and did not make new friends yet. I hope the next day will be better.

Although this day was over for over 1 week (I wrote this on 13th/14th), I still remember the day quite clearly. Wrote this “blog” on Microsoft Word in my laptop, intend to post it on Bebo when I go online. If u are reading it, it is already on bebo of coz.

(2193 words, 24 paragraphs) :D

---

Poly Orientation

Day 2 (8/4/08)

I had to reach school by 9am for SPICE training (learning about using laptop). The discussion on the day before was that my father would drive me to school. My eyes opened at 6am, but I woke up at 6.15am (I suppose I slept back) when my father stood at my door and called me.
Normal routine: Washing up. Ate porridge. Changed clothes. (into normal outing clothes, special?! :P)

The starting time was at 9am. My father drove me to SP, my mum came along too (duno for wad….). One moment I think I will reach there early, another moment I was scared I would be late! Perhaps coz my mum kept repeating it, making me get more worried.