Eight Days In Tokyo

2008-06-24T22:05:00.002+08:00

Hey all..

I simply LOVE Japan..It rocks..how i wished that i could go again..

I just want to say..Thank You to all organizing teachers to allow me to go on this trip..

it really was worth the while and money going..

I had alot of fun and the experience of seeing Mount Fuji with my own eyes was

certainly a sight to behold..

I realli liked Japan and interacting with the students there.

The students were so friendly and enthusiastic about seeing us and making new friends..

unlike some of us Teck Whyeans who doesnt know how to welcome guests or visitors in our school..

I hope that Teck Whyeans like me and you can improve and show to the public what change Teck Whye has gone through to change what they used to think about us..

Lastly..THANK YOU once again to all organising teachers of this trip..I had an enjoyable time with everyone..

Signing off,

Rebecca, 3A

Tokyo

2008-06-23T13:32:00.002+08:00

I LOOOOVE Japan!!!! Thank you to the organizing teachers who have planned the trip. I appreciate the opportunity to visit such a gret country. I apologize for not being of much assistance in the trip. I honestly do not know HOW i can assist... It certainly looked like the organizing teachers had a trying time keeping everything running smoothly. Your effort is appreciated.

It was a wonderful learning experience. I learnt a lot from attending the briefing on the Yasukuni shrine. It is wonderful what a combination of knowledge form differnet people, a change in perspective and some thought can do to bring about realisation.

The Mount Fuji visit was certainly the most enjoyable part of the trip and it was such a lovely sight to behold. I really enjoy looking at the Japanese lifestyle and practices and learning that there is more than one way in which a life can be lived; just look at their grace in public and their considerations for everybody's needs!

Japan was a great eye-opener, (so many Calpis flavours!) and I sincerely hope that students have also come to realize that the world is bigger than just Teck Whye and Lot 1 and open their minds to experiences beyond the Singapore shores.

Japan was great. Thank you for the experience everybody.

Ms Nurjannah

东京游游东京

2008-06-19T23:26:00.003+08:00

旅游是快乐的。每一段旅程，都是一种全新的体验以及知识的增长。

八天的日本之旅，不但让我见识了东京的先进与繁华，更叫我有幸一瞥富士山的美丽……

第一天的东京是灰色的。尽管六月的日本原是暖和的夏季，却因台风过境，因此从早到晚雨下个不停。穿着夏天的衣裳在秋天的东京街头游走，只觉冷冷的，湿湿的，灰蒙蒙的。

第二天一早，温暖的阳光洒遍大地。东京还原了它夏天的面貌，开始展现无限活力，我的心情也随之亮丽起来！日本科学未来馆（Miraikan）内先进互动的展品让我看得目瞪口呆，电玩、动漫天堂秋叶原街头偶然邂逅三三两两的cosplay也让我的眼球累坏。再加上精致的日本料理......噢，我已开始享受东京！

接下来的几天，老天继续作美，我也尽情地以欢快的心情参观学校、游湖、登山……

就在我完全放松身心，全情投入之际，八天美好的时光转眼即逝。这趟旅程，确是满载而归的。点算一下，除了满袋的“战利品”、异地的人事物带给我的无限惊喜和震撼之外，记忆里也留下了与同校师生把臂同游的珍贵回忆。这一切，有照片为证，也有我们同行39人的共同回忆为证。

谢谢你们！

By Mdm Wong

Wonderful Japan!!

2008-06-19T17:04:00.002+08:00

Hi all,

It's been a while since we came from Japan. Still feels like yesterday...
A BIIIIIIIIIGGGG THANK YOU to the ORGANISERS ( they know who they are) ;D for giving us the opportunity to visit this WONDERFUL country JAPAN, Land of the Rising Sun, breath-taking sceneries, hot baths, and glorious food.... This trip has been so fruitful with memories and we learnt so much within only a few days...

As much as I can remember, Day one : Changi Airport in the evening. ..Farewell to the parents and relatives and friends (with careful reminders to bring back japanese souvenirs for them)..Photo-taking as if we were Hollywood actors and actresses on the Red carpet at the Academy Awards...Some teachers from TWSS came to say BON VOYAGE. ..Some were quite emotional, but who can blame them..? We knew it was going to be an exciting trip awaiting...

It was raining at Narita Airport the first day when we stepped on the Japanese soil... Outside was pouring and very windy and some of us did forget to bring an umbrella, ellah, ellah...eh eh..so they had to buy one at the convenient store. It was not so much of summer during the first 2-3 days..For those who never experienced the cold before, they got served...:)
We got to know our tour guide , Tammy-san and chauffeur Yamada-san who were very kind to us throughout this trip. of course, no one can forget Tammy-san GREAT sense of humour, especially with Mr Miso Soup...LOL
The first day was indeed a very tiring day for all of us. Some students barely slept on the plane and apparently, it was uncomfortable and cold for others. Some were dying to take a refreshing bath at the hotel and eat something consistent...They couldn't believe when they were told that it was only in the late evening that we all checked-in the hotel. Nevertheless, we spent a wonderful day in the City area, visiting the Disaster Prevention Centre (check out the gargantuan architectural aspect...), RAINBOW bridge ( by which we passed many times), ate ice-cream in the cold weather (Ronald's inspiration), Bugis look-alike street leading to the temple...(sorry can't recall the name..)...etc, etc...busy busy day indeed.

OMG! We went to so many places really out-of -this world. But the cherry on the cake was the day we went to Mount Fuji... It was AMAZING, INCREDIBLY beautiful..!!! I remember everytime our bus did the contours and at every sight of the summit, we all went: "' Aaahh!!...oohhh" in awe. And here goes the flash of cameras again. I bet Mount Fuji likes to be taken in photo. Tammy-san said she is even more beautiful in winter, all covered with fresh coats of snow...Picture this using your imagination, it's a priceless vision to be treasured!!! One day, maybe we can all pay her a visit when she is all dressed in white...This wouldn't be interesting enough if Chiang Tek "thought" he lost it when he realised his camera was "missing".....haha Lesson learnt. Thanks to the sensitivity of his belly.

We also witnessed a traditional Japanese ceremony, all dressed up so beautifully.. It's indeed a fascinating culture where everything should be perfection.. Even the food was presented in a very ZEN way..It reminded me of some Feng Shui style, so neat and clean and properly executed. I do hope people learn when they come to Japan, they don't mess around with the environment...And first impression SHOULD always be a GOOD one.

Tokyo and Japanese country-sides are so different, in another words, worlds apart. It's always rejuvenating and peaceful be be in touch with nature (I love the way they trim and "style" the leaves on trees; they look like green mushrooms). The traditional houses are magnificent and I bet living in these areas must be an everyday joy, no worries, embracing freedom with Nature. Oh and the flowers were so aromatherapeutic, especially the lavender!!! If only I can bring some home...

Oh oh!! The Sulphur mountains!! What a blast!! The wind was so strong that some of us couldn't stand still; it was literally pushing us back slowly..Then we climbed the steps up, fighting against the extreme cold (I love it by the way!!!) and wind. It's interesting t know that even in such a cold place, the sulphur liquid can be 100 degrees Centigrade!!!..It reminded me of some horror movies like Hills have eyes..or The Fog.. I can't imagine this place at night and in winter!!..You must be kidding..hahaha

Gotemba!!! Shopping frenzy!!..Can we go there again!? It's clearly a request. MAybe we can bring along sleeping bags and plenty of cash and credit cards. Anything I missed?

Anyway, I'm happy to be part of this trip and the opportunity to open my eyes to a new culture. I hope the students enjoyed this experience as much as I did. Of course, THANK God we were not around the area where the human-stabbing spree happened.. It was scary to hear that. We were blessed.

We haven't seen the rest of Japan yet....and there is so much more to see, smell, taste and enjoy!!It's not Sayonara Japan. Hope to visit you again!!

Arigato.
By Jennifer sensei.

2008-06-19T10:50:00.001+08:00

Educational and informative Learning Journey to Japan

2008-06-18T03:16:00.002+08:00

Kudus to the four organisers, Khai Ming, Yen Peng, Surmani and Shu Wen. Really appreciate for including us in the learning journey. They are really committed in ensuring the journey is informative and educationally. They stayed up late to ensure students do their scrap book and reflection, either electronically or on paper. The students' and our welfare and safety was well taken care of by them.

Our students were generally well-behaved and excited over the 8 days. Really felt that they are really on a learning journey. Hope that they will be able to implement some of the good habits and practices in the school and be able to influence our Teck Whyeans in the learning culture and attitude of the Japanese to the rest of the Teck Whyeans.

My main objective to join this learning journey was to find out more about the food culture of Japan, really fascinated by the colours and the effort put in the presentation of the food. I did not find any obese students and adult in Japan, it may be due to their diet and tea consumption. Most of their food are usually boiled, steamed and grilled. Every meal, there is miso soup. One of our students, Ravin from 3D like it so much that the his nickname given by the agent, was Mr Miso Soup.

I was very impressed by the cleanliness and tidiness of the street in Japan despite the absence of the dustbin. Japanese will keep their rubbish till they are able to found a recycling dustbin. Really embrassed that our school compund was littered despite dusbins placed nearby. Hope our participants will be able to convey such good habit and culture in TWSS, to get students to throw in the dustbin rather litter the place. At designated places, there are two types of dustbin, combustible and non-combustible items. Hope the school will also implement such environmental friendly dustbins around the school compound rather than just the canteen area.

We were fortunate to be able to see Mt Fuji at the 4th and 5th step to the majestic Mt Fuji. However, not able to see it at the foot of Mt Fuji or at the Peace Garden. Really wish to go back to climb Mt Fuji in July or August in the future years, likely after I left or retire from teaching, hope not too old to conquer Mt Fuji and to enjoy the juicy and sweet peaches.

I also enjoy the flora in Japan. Took a lot of photos of the wild flowers along the streets and the residential gardens in Japan. The Japanese housewives really take pride in ensuring the flowers are colourfully bloomed in their garden. Too bad, June is not the sukura blooming season.

As for the school visit, I found that students are more focused and eager to learn in Japan despite the smaller classroom and furniture. The teachers uses softer tone and chalk and talk during lesson. Was it due to the culture or the air-conditioned environment ? I wonder .....Hope to be on a work attachment to teach in Japan.... fat Hope !?...Possible ?!

However, cost of living is petty high in Japan Y750 (S$10) for a bowl of "tantan" noodles. Y360 (S$4.80) for 2 train stops. I heard that cost of accomodation is also pretty high.

I believe the stress faced by students to do well in Japan for the University entrance exam is pretty high based on the recent rampage and stabbing by pickup driver at one the busiest street in Tokyo which we had shopped at 2 days before the incident. Felt lucky that we were not at the place during the rampages.

Really enjoy this learning journey.

Beautiful moments

2008-06-17T23:57:00.003+08:00

东京之旅结束一个星期多了。但看来大家对于东京的思念还在延续。
很高兴看到大家对于这次旅程都那么满意，我也和大家一样非常享受整个过程。

能够和学生们共同体验八天的旅程是特别的经验，就在此记录一些动人的时刻：

1. 现代人习惯了运用电脑，所以对于提笔书写越来越陌生，但我还是觉得亲笔写下的东西是最珍贵的。好几个晚上，看到学生们坐在酒店走廊专心地设计自己的剪贴簿，认真地写下自己的心情，我的确被感动了。

2. 看到富士山是我在这次旅行中最激动的时刻。一生人当中能有这样的机会，看到神圣的富士山就近在眼前，是多么幸福的事呢。还记得我们都冲下巴士抓紧机会欣赏富士山，大家忘情地惊叹、拼命地拍照.... 所有人的心在那一刻仿佛都因为同样的一件事而联系起来了......

3. 离开东京的那一天，大家似乎都依依不舍。人总是有感情的，原本只是陌生人的Mr Tammy经过这八天的相处后也变得像亲人一般了。在成田机场，看到一些男生临走前与Mr Tammy拥抱道别，我也忽然有点伤感了。我很喜欢学生这些真挚的情感表现，我们这些大人有时反而很难做到。

每个旅程总有结束的时候，最重要的是当中有许多美好时刻留在我们的记忆中。
很高兴参与了这次的旅行，这八天的点点滴滴，将是属于我们专有的共同回忆。

-- By Miss Lai

The AWESOMMERR Japan Trip

2008-06-16T11:26:00.009+08:00

WAZZZZUUP!

Greetings to all those AWESOMMERR Teck Whyeans and Japan Fans. It is me, the AWESOMMERR Nicholas, posting this entry. Hope you'll not get bored out (Like that would ever happen) of this post :D

I felt that the Japan Trip was awesome [YEAH!] and really really really really FUN!* Except for the punishments :(

I mean we're like humans right? Everyone makes mistakes. But still, we accept our punishments. That's the most dreaded word to hear ANYWHERE. However, we still respect out teachers nevertheless. Their loving and caring attitude really makes people say, wow we have such GREAT teachers .

And the way that they presented Yasukuni Shrine, which was a shrine to commemorate the war dead in Japan during the world war II (Which happened in Singapore when the Japanese invaded). Although it is from the Japanese perspective, our teachers presented it in a way such that there was a deeper meaning to be known. And that helped us in our humanities. The facts are all the same, it is just the different ways that it is presented (opinions).

I felt that the HIGHLIGHT of the trip was MOUNT FUJI. The view of the mountain is like SO cool.And its like FREEZING cold up there but nevertheless i enjoyed it ALOT! The school visits were also memorable as we got to interact with the Japanese students and got to know a bit about their daily lifestyles.

I have learnt alot from the Japanese. Their cultures , etiquette , and history. I give my utmost gratitude to all the teachers who made the trip possible. YOU ROCK MAN!

Well, that's the end of my post. Hope you really enjoyed it!

Nicholas Ong 3Diophantus

Last day in Japan

2008-06-15T22:01:00.021+08:00

Last day in japan... the saddest day for most of us... some of us didn't even realise it was the last day till we were told to pack our things up for our departure... Well now were back in Singapore, we could only see photos taken there to remind us of our days spent there.

Time: between 7-9+am
Location: Wishton Hotel Yukari

We woke up, bath, brought our luggage down to the lobby and had our breakfast.

Outside view from the hotel(view from Faizal's hotel room)

Time: between 10am-2pm+
Location: Wishton Hotel Yukari/ a shopping center opposite the hotel

Shopping... Eat.... Shopping... We spent our time during this period shopping and ate our lunch there... Most of us go to the arcade while the rest hang out at MacDonald.

Time: 3pm+
Location: Wishton Hotel Yukari/ Bus/ Narita Airport

We took a different bus then the normal one which we usually take. Its so small... luckily we could fit inside... Then we depart from the hotel to Narita Airport. In the bus, our tour guide, Mr Tammy, shared some news and jokes with us during our journey there.When we reach Narita Airport, we took some photos with Mr Tammy before bidding him farewell(some of the students cried.. but of course secretly but we saw them crying)... After that we waited for about 1hr before boarding the plane... we got back to Singapore at about 1am.

In the bus....

Tammy-san talking about the news about the rampage at Akihabara....

At Narita Airport....

Done by: Herniati, Li Ching, Caroline, Jeremy, Zhi Yi, Faizal

Teck Whye Sec Heads For Japan!

2008-06-15T21:42:00.009+08:00

Ohayo Gozaimasu.

Hi to all Teck Whyeans and Japan lovers....It's me, Pearry, the one and only, keeping you company for the next few mins or so....

Let me summarised our Japan trip. Overall the trip was really good and fun (and not forgetting to mention our scoldings by our teachers).

We're teenagers right?....so I'm sure everyone would like to venture around... unfortunately for us, our (mis)adventure at Ginza's crossroad junction took us a little bit off course and we wondered off a little further than we expected. And that's where we got our desserts = "PUNISHMENT"...Yup. The last word we all love to hear, especially during a trip. Anyway, really appreciate the love and care from our beloved teachers throughout the trip.

And also their guidance and teaching about the difference in the modern day Japan and the past Imperial Japan when we visited the controversial Yasukuni Shrine. We learnt about different perspectives regarding the Japanese loyalty to modern Japan and Imperialism, the different countries' perspectives of Yusukuni Shrine which I think it helped us in our humanities. =p

The hotspots on our "got-to-go" list were.... Lake Kawaguchi (this place has a great scenery).... Shibuya (Darn! the boys had to babysit the girls here...and HEY WHERE'S MY PAY?)...Shibuya Makuhari High School (missed interacting with the friendly students there)...Mt. Fuji 5th Station (simply love the cool weather in the higher altitudes)....and many other places (most of which I can't remember because of the difficult Japanese names)

We learnt a lot of different Japanese words and phrases, culture and history from the tour guide and from the students there in Japan. Most of the boys took the time in the schools doing "girl-watching". our dearest RAVIN was staring at the girls with his saliva drueling all over the place..YUCKS!

I wanna just take this chance to thank all the teachers who organized this trip. I'm sure all the students really enjoyed the trip because I sure did. Mr Ong, Miss Ng, Miss Teo, Mdm Sumarni and the other teacher participants, a big THANK YOU from me.

And with that comes to the end of my sharing.

By:Pearry Artiaga (3C)

5 days since we are back

2008-06-15T13:56:00.006+08:00

5 days have passed since we came back from Japan. Still misses those days in Japan..the weather, the people, the schools, the fun, the nights where i was so tired and yet had to walk around like zombie doing room checks... all in all...these are memories and experiences i missed dearly...

The organisers: Well, what can i say, they are great (i'm not saying i'm great though i'm one of them). Miss Teo and Mr Ong did a lot for this trip and i'm glad that everything went well...Well Done!.. Somehow, they taught me the "sentimental" part which resides in them more than in me! Being always practical and efficient, somehow, i will always question their work- What are the objectives? What are the desired outcomes? What can be done less to yield the same results? Why must we do these? Can it be done the other way round? Why? Why? Why? They were always patient (trying to be)... haha... to show me the other side of the story.

As Mr Ong will say to me at times "STOP being so efficient!" haha... think it make senses somehow when i see the joy in the kids when they were doing their scrapbooks, printing photos late at night along the corridors of our hotel room. I never heard a single complaint from them even though it was already late, and they were tired after a long day.

The accompany teachers - They were EVEN GREATER!! Really appreciate their patience and the ability to tolerate!

Patience with us - i remembered so clearly what Mrs Ong said when i told her that they can move off to shop around instead of following us around Chinatown looking for Bentos - "Don't worry, We understand". Something so comforting at the moment when 30 hungry students were roaming with us searching for Bentos.

Tolerated us - they were so accommodating to sudden changes in plan, and most importantly, tolerated the noises made by the kids along the corridor outside their hotel room!! Thank you... thank you.

The Students - They are a wonderful lot of students. What can i say- ALWAYS ON TIME. MY GOD... hopefully they are also always this punctual to school... haha... well.. very cooperative, very obedient lot. I really hope they will spread the things they learnt in Japan to fellow Teckwhyeans. Yizhen, pls do not say you will migrate to Japan and study there... instead, ask yourself what can we do, to make Teck Whye as enjoyable a place to study as it is in Japan. :)

One funny encounter i had with these group of students i don't teach-
1. MY SEAT BELT- Day 1... on the flight - I sat down next to one student and the first question he said me was - "TEACHER, LATER IF I WANT TO GO TOILET, WILL YOU SCOLD ME??" --- I had a lot of question marks from his QUESTION, and when i said YES... he literally took it in... :)
Then, when i wanted to fasten my seat belt, i could not find the other half of it...guess what...the student took mine and fasten to his..leaving me with one side of the belt...i have no choice but to yell ..." XXX, u took my seat belt!!''

One touching one
1. Saw two students with a plastic bag of food after our shopping trip at Shibuya. When questioned who is it for?
"Is for the driver, he is so poor thing, have to drive, no dinner" replied the students.
I was impressed with their thoughtful act. Keep up the good work!!

This trip, shares with me some nice and wonderful memories that made my third time in Japan still exciting as if it was the first time ........
Thank you all for making these possible. :)

Cheers,
Ms Ng

this is missing from our learning experience (luckily)

2008-06-14T20:04:00.004+08:00

Earthquake rocks northern Japan

At least four people have been killed and about 60 hurt by a 7.2-magnitude earthquake which struck the north of Japan's main island.

The epicentre was in Akita prefecture, 100km (60 miles) north of the city of Sendai, at a depth of 10km (6.2 miles), according to the US Geological Survey.

The tremor rattled buildings in nearby towns and in the capital, Tokyo, 390km (240 miles) to the south.

All high-speed bullet trains in the area were automatically shut down.

Click here to read more

changteck, oh careless changteck

2008-06-13T23:49:00.003+08:00

let me blog about my forgetfulness, carelessness of me during the japan trip.

the most serious was the camera, which was pretty dumb, but nevertheless, i shall give details about it.

the thing started when i realised i LOST my camera =/. i was devastated as it carried memories in there. the teachers - Mr Ong , Miss Teo , Miss Ng and Tammy-San, were very very helpful. for 30 minutes before i realised the camera was in my sweater, they searched everywhere with me because i told them that a man took a picture with my camera and ran off after taking the picture (P.S i ran off to look for the others ) . after i realised my foolishness, i apologized to everyone. But this embarassessment will be etched in my mind :(. i will be more careful and more RESPONSIBLE in the future, and i will change now.

lost and found

-chang teck , Mr Careless. :(

JAPAN rocks ! :D

2008-06-13T20:16:00.009+08:00

Hmm,

I must thank the teachers who organised this trip for us! I really enjoyed a lot, a lot, a lot! Guess everyone of us enjoyed the trip! It was really a fun trip, although we had some scoldings from teachers when we did something wrong. Overall the trip was a good one! At first all of us were so excited 'bout this trip, and now we missed Japan!

Yeah, and i guess i won't forget the times we had in Japan, it was super duper fun. All of us didn't really want to leave Japan, but we had no choice ): haha. The Tour guide - Tammy-san was really a funny guy. I guess all of us will remember what he always said "Oh my Goodness! You must be kidding me! Oh come on ~" haha. He always crack funny jokes, stories and etc.

See Tammy-san! found that i have a pic of him. haha!

At Ghilbli Musuem !

Over there, we tried a lot of different food, and seen a lot of different things. We have learnt a lot. It was quite a memorable trip for us :D & especially this place that we went - Yasukuni Shrine - a place where Japanese goes to honour their ww2 soldiers. It was quiet there. Learnt quite a lot that night as Mr Ong and other teachers discussed with us about the ww2 and the controversy surrounding that shrine. It was quite interesting to me, as the place felt so scary to me! haha. & so we got to know what happen etc etc, and its like we're having history class!

At Mt Fuji was quite fun too. We get to experience the cold up there. Oh & the Sulphur emitting volcano! The smell ... gosh, it's sooo like bird egg smell! Stinks man. & i'm soooo happy to know some Japanese friends during the school visits! they're sooo friendly and cheerful. ok guess i'll stop here, no idea what to write already... just take a look at my pictures and share my joy.

See the teachers having FUN too! :D

See all of us waving BYEs to the Narita airport ! aww. really missed Japan alot alot.

& some of us like Me Jiaxin Yizhen Brenda Delicia, have decided that we must MUST go back to Japan when we have the money! of course that is when we work. & i didn't get to see Cherry Blossom! ):

LITING:D
Always love JAPAN ! :D

2008-06-13T19:22:00.040+08:00

TWSS JAPAN TRIP ' 08 ROCKS :D

To all teacher-organizers:

THK YOU SO MUCH FOR ORGANISING THIS TRIP FOR US!

We had a very FABULOUS, FANTASTIC and EXCELLENT experience there!
I'm sure all of us have enjoyed a lot a lot a lot in Japan.

FYI, this is my first time going overseas, & that really made a BIG diff to me!
It was seriously GREAT to have the opportunity to be on this expedition to Japan! I had been waiting for a chance to go overseas since i was young!

This trip which included many NICE ppl had really made me cried out of joy.
The teachers were simply KAWAII NEH! they're not them exactly?! hahaha :p
I truly enjoyed the memorable days 020608 - 090608 in Japan.

Some of the places & things we did and learnt during the last few days of the trip! ^^

Gotemba.

Lake Kawaguchi + Flower Garden.

Fuji Visitor Centre.

Mount Fuji 5th Station.

Ms Teo being knocked hardly & blessed! Actually all of us did ><>

Mount Fuji.

Peace Memorial Park - for commemorating end of ww2

We den headed to Hakone for a boat ride to view this crater lake

Luckily we made it in time, its the last boat of the day :p

Owakudani [smelly mountains! sulphur dioxide stinks?!!!!!!]

Meiji Shrine.

These are pics of weddings of Japanese culture we took there.

Harajuku.!

We saw sth!

its HER ~ &

- - -

Shashin onegai.! :p

[ COSPLAY ]

All of us den went to looked out for things tt are good for an upcoming bazaar in sch!

Students & teachers are warmly welcomed to buy anything we sell ; coming up v soon. (:

Went to Shibuya on Day 7, window-shopped for a boring 3 hrs (EXPENSIVE STUFFS) :x

I was quite sad, cos that's the teen pop culture industry but i bought nth :/

Last ride on Yamadasa's coach with Tammy-san ): He shared a lot of their values and history.

Last time taking the cOoL lift in Wishton Hotel Yukari ><

Ms Teo& Ms Ng giving out last briefing b4 we reach Narita Airport.

I was rather sad at tt moment ):

JAPAN'S FUN! ^^

JIAXIN HERE ; ENJOYD SUPER LOTS :D

BTs in Japan

2008-06-13T17:40:00.004+08:00

Dear friends,

2 days after we came back from Japan. How is everyone? Although the trip has ended, but I'm satisfied with all the memories and surprises.

Wanna thank you all for giving me such a great journey. The trip is so exciting because of you. And you guys still have to take care of me other than the students, haha.

I also wanna say.. Congratulations, i think you guys had done a great job. I like the idea of this learning journey so much, the things that you want the students to learn, the ways that you want the students to experience the trip (scrap book, blog..). If I could organize a learning trip, I also want it to be this way. And more importantly, you can work with good partners who share similar thinking! hehe.

I'm happy that I can join you all in this trip. Maybe next time we shall go on trip on our own!

Yanfang =)

the similarities

2008-06-12T19:33:00.003+08:00

+ =

We're back!

2008-06-10T03:15:00.004+08:00

It has been an exciting journey. There are so many stories to tell.

I must apologize to readers who regularly visit our blog for updates. We had a really packed itinerary, the travelling took quite some time as well, the kids are tired and more importantly the teachers felt that giving the students time at night to do their scrapbook is more important, hence the irregular updates. Certainly the lack of free internet connection in certain hotels did not help.

The students will update on our trip soon.

Friends, do come back and read if you are keen.

Day Six

2008-06-08T00:20:00.020+08:00

Meiji Shrine

Tori of Meiji Shrine & Barrels of Sake

After our morning breakfast in our hotel, we went to Meiji Shrine. As it was a Saturday, they were many people of all walks of lives. We went touring around the Shrine after taking a group photo under the Tori of Meiji Shrine.

We were told to spot a Japanese wedding in the Shrine. And we have to be observant enough to find one. We were lucky. There were many wedding ceremony going on in the Shrine. Everybody was excited and started taking photos. Mr. Ong told us that if we noticed carefully, the children who attended the wedding ceremony wore their school uniform to the ceremony. This is because they feel that it is much more appropriate to wear their school uniform.

Wishes written by visitors of Meiji Shrine & A Japanese Wedding at the shrine.

Harajuku
After touring Meiji Shine, we went to Harajuku. We were given a sum of money and had to shop for the upcoming bazaar. look at all these ‘aunties’ buying the stuff :DDD

Yasukuni Shrine
Yasukuni Shrine is a place where Japanese goes to honor their World War 2 soldiers. You wouldn’t be surprise if you can’t find any Chinese or Korean tourist. That night, the teachers and us had discussed about the WW2 and the different perspective the Japanese and the Chinese, Korean had felt. We did not take any pictures as they did not allow photo taking in there.

Shibuya

That evening, we went to Shibuya to shop. Shibuya is popular shopping district among teenagers. To our surprise, we found the things there very expensive. In the end, we did not buy as much items as the teachers. Too bad...So sad...*sigh*

Although the things there are kinda expensive, Shermaine still can’t resist it!
She had NEEDED to buy something cause all are so KAWAII!
Finally, she saw something she liked…
A hat (sort of)
Here it is!

Our meeting place.......Arena & Shermaine.......Jia Xin & Shermaine

Done by: Group D. Shermaine(3A), Yi Da(3A), Fu Ping(3F), Wei Ling(3B), Cai Yun(3E), Ravin(3D)! :D (:

Day Five

2008-06-07T00:17:00.016+08:00

Konichiwa people! We are here to update you what we did Day 5 of the Japan Trip :D
Went to Lake Kawaguchi in the morning. The weather wasn't as warm as compare to yesterday. We were allowed to walk around the Lake Kawaguchi. There were even people there fishing! The lake was really quite clean.

Lake Kawaguchi

After walking around, went back to assembly & headed to Mt Fuji Visitor Information Centre. Arrived at Mt Fuji Visitor Information Centre to watch a video on the geographical formation of the volcano & our favourite activity – Stamp collecting + Souvenir Shopping (:

Mt Fuji

@ Mt Fuji Visitor Information Centre watching a video on the geographical formation of the volcano & our fave touristy activity - Stamp collecting + Souvenir shopping

@ Mt Fuji (5th Station)

Experiencing the food culture of Japan! Juicy Squid + Takoyaki!!

Food Again!

More Food!!

Headed down to Mt Fuji (5th Station). Before we alight our tour guide, Tammy-San said “Please wear your jacket as outside is a little chilly” (1 of his favourite sentence) His sentence was right! The moment we alight the bus, we were all freezing cold! Brrr … It’s so cold till you cannot imagine! Even when you are talking there is smoke coming out from your mouth! You will not get to experience such weather in Singapore for sure. Once again, we were allowed to shop around that area. If you got the chance to go to Mt. Fuji, you must try the food! You must go & experience the food culture of Japan! The Juicy Squid + Takoyaki & lot more others food! Oshi ! 1 funny incident happened when we are all enjoying our food & shopping. It’s about careless Chang Teck! I will tell you in details what have happened! The whole thing started when Chang Teck realized he lost his camera! He was so devastated & he was really on the verge of tears! He was so so so worried when he realized that he lost his camera! As what he said, it carried a lot of memories in his camera so it is really sad if he lost his camera! The best part was that Aliff, Ravin & all his friends were going to the various tour buses to help Chang Teck to search for his camera! They are just going around looking for a balding man in 40s in brown jacket! Not long after, he realized that his camera was in his jacket! Every single one was so worried for him but was glad that he did not lost his camera! In the end, he apologized to everyone & learnt to be more careful & to be more responsible in the future! Chang Teck, You must be more careful the next time!

Hakone Peace Memorial Park

After our lunch, went to Hakone Peace Memorial Park. We were given around 45 minutes to walk around the park. In order for us to see more things, we have to climb 1 slope up! Tiring but it’s worth it! We are able to see Mt. Fuji from there too. There are some lion statue, bell & playground too! The picture of the bell is shown at the picture below, quite a big bell de. The lion statue was great too! The playground there was fun, there is a see-saw which can sit up to 8 people! It’s so fun & you will never get to see it in Singapore for sure :D At the entrance there, there is 1 whole row of vending machines which you will never get to see in Singapore too (:

Lake Ashi

Went for a 10 minutes boat ride @ Lake Ashi. It’s so cold there as you can feel the wind. Although it is not as cold as when we were at Mt. Fuji but it is still cold! All of us was having fun climbing up & down as we did not really get a chance to ride it in Singapore? Your hair will be flying if you were there so this is how strong the wind is (:

Boat ride @ Lake Ashi (Crater lake)

Owakudani

Headed down to Owakudani after our boat ride. There is the sulphur emitting volcano! Today we went to all the cold & windy places so this is also 1 of the cold & windy place. When we alight the bus, we can smell the stinky sulphur dioxide and hydrogen sulphide gases! It’s so stinky & freezing cold there. All of us have to climb up the place when we alight. It’s so freezing cold & we have to climb up the place. Brr ... All of us keep our hand in our pocket so that we will not be so cold. It is also a experience for us to go there. Oh yeah, heard from Mdm Sumarni that it is not good to breathe in too much of the gases there. So we can only go there for a while. The wind there is also very strong! It is so strong that when you jump you will be blow backward. Even when there is a bird flying in the sky, the bird will also have a hard time flying. This shows that the wind is super super strong!

Sulphur emitting volcano! Stinky sulphur dioxide and hydrogen sulphide gases

Headed to our hotel & was forced to drink our water once again :D It's to prevent us from getting sick. So thanks you teacher ! Before we ended, Group E would like to said a BIG thanks to all 9 teachers who went with us to Japan. THANKS ! Arigato!

By: Nicholas, Yizhen, JiaXin, Ronald, Wee Ting & Kia Shiang ( Group E )

Day Four

2008-06-06T11:00:00.014+08:00

Yo people! Here is your long awaited update of day 4 on the japan trip :D:D

And yeah, group C would like to thank the teachers for coming out with this japan trip. We enjoyed it a lot mans!
Headed down to the Imperial Palace in the morning. It was kind of warm even though it was in the morning. We could only view the imperial palace from the outside as there were guards guarding the place.We saw the Nijubashi bridge outside the palace which is one of the most well known bridges in Japan. The pathway to the palace were covered with rocks and pebbles which was commonly used in the past to track if there were any assassins coming by hearing the sounds made by the movement made.

Nijubashi bridge also known as the Double bridge outside Imperial Palace

Chinatown
The place where we bought our bentos :D:DChinatown had many different types of food such as buns. The buildings are special and it looks like we are in some sight of China in the past. There are many school students there too :D:D

after buying our bentos :D:D

Yamashita Park
Nice and lovely place to relax your minds.
Good place to enjoy your bentos and even sketch out the beautiful scenery.
Most of us had our bentos under a tree!! :D:D

Experiencing the Bento culture at Yamashita Park

we were supposed to sketch the coast of yamashita park but due to the time constrain, we only ate our bentos.

Yokohama Senior High School of International Studies

The school also known as Y.I.S for short is located in Yokohama and has about more than 300 students. Everyday students would have to climb up the slope to reach the school and comments heard from the principal was that students do not complain even if they were tired which shows how much they love their school(:

The school campus was quite big and they have friendly students too! In their school, student would also participate in activities such as the band, cheerleading and more. We were showed around the school and even got a chance to interact with the students. It was really a great time there.

Group Photo with Yokohama Senior High Students

Interaction time

Exchanging contacts & Getting autographs

Fu Bing sparring Kendo with Vice Principal of Yokohama Senior High

Gotemba outlet

Many shops such as Nike and addidas could be found there and one day might not even be enough for some to complete shopping. The place is most recommended to shop for sport apparels such as sport shoes. The prices that you could find here are even cheaper or even half of the price that you could find in Singapore!

Mt Fuji from Gotemba

Japanese-Style Dinner @ hotel

Photo Log + Journal Writing

Students serious in their work....

Students were forced to drink water at night by the teachers to prevent us from getting sick.

By Group C: Aliff , Pearry, Shuyun, Delicia, Brenda, Arena

Day Three

2008-06-05T21:34:00.014+08:00

The 3rd day of our Japan trip :

We woke up at 4.15 this morning, it was cold and already very bright at this time; it looked like 7 am in Singapore. We were heading for Tsukiji Fish Market this morning. We wasted half an hour waiting for Nicholas and Ravin because they overslept and refused to wake up. It was a good experience for us to go to the Tsukiji Fish Market, but it was a pity that we missed the auction of the fishes due to them. The Fish Market was huge and quite dangerous as there were many special and unique battery-operated lorries, which are not found in Singapore, used for transporting the really BIG tuna. We saw many things that we've not seen in Singapore. There are many kinds of seafood, ranging from different kind of fish to octopuses and other shellfish.

Mode of transport in the busy Tsukiji Market & the BIG tuna

Fresh seafood at Tsukiji Market

After visiting the fish market, we went back to the hotel to have our breakfast and changed into our school uniform. It was time for the much-awaited school visit - Shibuya Makuhari International School.

We saw many interesting practices in Shibu Maku. Every student has two pairs of indoor shoes. One pair was used for lessons and the other pair was for gym. They have 10 mins break between lessons, and they do not need to lock the classes when they leave the classroom. It's amazing to see the kind of trust among students in Japanese schools which we lack of in Singapore. Some of us felt ashamed after witnessing the behaviour of the Japanese students - their politeness and consideration for others and friendliness.

During their break, we had fun interacting and getting to know the students from an English class and we even got some of their contacts. The students there are very friendly and cheerful, and photogenic.

After the school visit, the Japanese sent us to right up to the 'doorstep', they even waited for the bus to leave and waved goodbye. The students which were having lessons then also waved to us too when they saw us leaving.

Interaction with Shibuya Makuhari Students

We went for lunch after that, and we ate many kinds of dishes which Singapore doesn't serve. After lunch, we boarded the bus to the Studio Ghibli Museum, famous for creating animated movies. We waited for a short clip of My Neighbour Totoro. While waiting we wandered around and saw many exciting pictures at the different exhibits. The short movie was entertaining. After the movie, we were given some free time to roam around to get souvenirs and have some ice cream. Some of us went to the Dog Park nearby and saw how disciplined the dogs were.

My Neighbour Totoro & Castle in the Sky

After that we went to have our dinner and shopped around the shopping centre until 8pm. We went to see the rainbow bridge which was lighted up at night.

Night view of Rainbow Bridge

After dinner, we came back to the hotel and we were asked to drink half a bottle of water as we ate a lot of fried food during dinner and the teachers were concerned that we would fall sick.

We then went to pack our bags for tomorrow as we will be checking out of the hotel and head to Mount Fuji and now we are here blogging and about to turn in soon.

By:
Evelyn, Rebecca, Hafizah, Li Ting, Chang Teck and Derrick.

Konbanwa! Singapore

2008-06-04T22:29:00.008+08:00

dear faithful readers, sorry for the late updates...

it has been a long day for us... and we were not able to connect to the internet...

it's very late now, so we'll just update with pictures... lotsa funny things happened... we are all having fun here... rest assured we will update you with the details soon...

Day One

Asakusa Sensoji Temple

Students taking pictures of the Rainbow Bridge at Odaiba Deck

Day Two

At National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation

Asimo demonstration and Geocomet

Immersing themselves at the Tokyo Anime Centre and the latest technology of Japan at Akihabara

Faizal & his big gain

One of the fabulous Japanese lunch

Work Time!

today is the day.

2008-06-02T12:08:00.003+08:00

today is the trip to japan.
how many hours more? approximately 8 hours. looking forward to it :D.
lets wait patiently for the fun to come everyone

-changteck.

Surprises !!

2008-06-01T22:42:00.006+08:00

还有20小时，我们就可以踏上前往日本的旅程了。

直到近两天我才开始研究我们在日本的行程。

发现了两大惊喜，让我很像小歌迷即将与偶像会面般兴奋不已。

1. Lake Kawaguchi

经Miss Teo的提醒，我才知道这个地方原来就是河口湖。“河口湖”这个名字对我来说并不陌

生，而这次的旅程竟然有这一站，真是意想不到。由于某个美丽的原因，这个地方对我和Miss

Teo 来说是别具意义的..... (hehe).

无论如何，这会是一个非常美丽的地方，我们将会看到神圣的富士山。

2. Studio Ghibli Museum

查询了之后，这个博物馆叫做“三鹰之森吉卜力美术馆”。

嗯...单看名字还不知道它的内里乾坤，看了资料才知道它是展示宫崎骏动画世界的美术馆！

我不是日本动画迷，但还是很开心即将可以和龙猫见面~~

我想每一位参与这次旅行的老师和学生，现在的心情应该都是相似的。

希望这一次的旅游顺利愉快、丰富多彩！

期待ing......

what is this?

2008-06-01T00:24:00.002+08:00

this is sooo soooo soooooooo exciting!!! you are going to have fun playing with this gadget! guess what is this?

the planning process

2008-05-31T23:46:00.006+08:00

planning this japan trip has been a long and tiring process.

but we really want you to SEE the world. travelling really opens your eyes to many things which you can't learn, see and understand from your textbook and classrooms. even if you can't articulate your thoughts well, the FEELING and SEEING are intangible experiences which only you can understand.

we want all of you to enjoy the trip with many memories and will remember THE JAPAN TRIP, even 10 years on...

some interesting things during the planning process which we would like to share with you...

being forgetful procrastinators we all are, sensei ong's favourite line "write it down".

and this is the result of "write it down" when we plan this trip. your sensei do not have super power memory. this is how we remember things to do.

3 things that you are most likely to forget to bring

2008-05-31T23:40:00.003+08:00

from personal experience, these are 3 essential things that you are most likely to forget to pack (only to remember it at the airport)...

1. toothbrush (you still need it in the morning before you leave)
2. spectacles (for the contact lens users)
3. handphone charger!!!

so, please, have a final check before you leave your home for the airport! - ms teo...

去日本做什么？

2008-05-31T23:38:00.003+08:00

每一次去旅行，总是满怀期待的。
这一次还参杂异常的兴奋，因为我将踏足日本。

对于日本的美丽想象，应该是始于小叮当，然后是各种关于日本人创意无限的见闻，接着是让我们的年轻岁月痴迷的日剧......

对于日本却也同时存在疑惑和戒心，因为那段70年前残酷的历史，因为他们现今仍然鲜明表现出的强悍民族精神。

所以，这次到日本去，应该不像从前的旅游那样，只是吃东西买东西，只是走走看看拍照。
我们应该要更细腻地体会、更深入地思考。

去到日本要做什么呢？如果你明白我所说的，也许你可以参考我的建议：

1. 看
请同时运用我们的眼和心，去看看日本的每一个人、每一条街、每一个事物。这也是主办这次
japan trip的sensei们的最大用意吧。让我们看看日本小孩如何学习、日本人如何以礼待人、如
何维护环境、如何发挥无限可能、如何追求完美。

2. 听
我相信每到一个景点，导游总会为我们讲解它的故事和点滴。请用心聆听，那么在你结束这趟
旅程之后，你才会感觉自己有了最珍贵的收获。

3. 想
看了、听了之后，就应该开始用脑了。我相信每一个地点都有值得我们探索的意义，我个人最
期待的是参观靖国神社（Yasukuni Shrine）。当我亲身到了这个充满争议的地方，我会有怎样
的心情呢？它背负了一个沉重的历史包袱，也同时承载了一个历史教训。我最希望的是所有学
生在参观后都能对这段历史有更深入的了解。

4. 记
旅程中除了拍照留下纪念，也请大家动笔记录你的心情和收获吧。相信我，如果你能够亲自记
录自己在旅程中的所见所闻，你走过的路一定会更有价值！

之前讲的好像有点严肃，都不好玩。
当然，来旅行一定要有趣的。所以下列的事你也不能不做：

吃
我们对于日本餐并不陌生，但食物总是在它的原产地才最真实精彩。认真地品尝寿司、拉面，还有各种精致的食品吧。

买
我们肯定不用担心在日本找不到可爱有趣的东西，所以用心地为自己的家人朋友挑选最好的纪念品吧。

去日本要那么多事要做，请准备好你的体力和脑力！

--by Miss Lai (Chinese Sensei)

Japan Trip T shirt

2008-05-31T23:27:00.012+08:00

kudos to shermaine, arena and wei ling for their hard work. these girls have persevered to produce the design despite many demands from us. they even made the effort to source for vendors on their own.

well, of course, our dearest fu ping, for his prompt collection of payment.

~ms teo

my first polaroid instant camera

2008-05-31T16:38:00.008+08:00

I'm so excited about being able to take instant pictures wherever i go during this Japan Trip! Because I've finally got my polaroid camera!

Although it's kinda crazy to spend that kind of money for a piece of relic technology (you kids probably never heard of polaroid cameras or use it before, rite?), i simply can't resist it.

Teo sensei even described me as a dumb consumer.

Well, it's ok. At least i have the choice to be dumb for once. Life is all about being able to make choices!

I can't express why i can't resist the temptation to own one of this, but i think i share some of the sentiments posted by some of the Polaroid addicts who posted on the site, http://www.savepolaroid.com/, particularly the following...

"...Because watching the latent image appear in the tray or on the film is what got us addicted in the first place... Because there is joy in the simple, tactile experience... Because the process can sometimes be as important as the final result. Because digital isn’t the answer to everything... Because running across an old polaroid of your kids while searching for something in your dresser drawer floors you in a way that calling up digital files on your computer never will..."

I can't wait to use my polaroid camera! - mr ong...

My gift for my host family! =)

2008-05-31T15:53:00.009+08:00

Booklet Labour Pain

2008-05-30T15:55:00.009+08:00

after weeks of procrastinating... and discussion over the content, the layout, the booklet size, the colour coding...

we finally produced our little japan trip booklet...

Earthquake Survival Tips

2008-05-28T22:40:00.005+08:00

The Japanese archipelago is located in an area where several continental and oceanic plates meet. This is the cause for frequent earthquakes across Japan. Imagine living in a land with such uncertainty? How did they cope with this? Maybe you'll learn more from the interaction with the students there.

But before we learn more about how uncertainties in the natural environment have shaped their lifestyles, culture and development, let's us get familiarized with what to do in the event of an earthquake.

BASIC RULES TO REMEMBER!

Rule 1: Protect yourself and your friends!
The initial strong shakes of an earthquake last only for one minute or so.
Get yourself under a sturdy table, desk, etc. to protect your head from falling objects.

Rule 2: Avoid rushing out of your house/building!
It is dangerous to rush out of your house/building.
Carefully check the situation around you and try to act calmly.

Rule 3: Open the door to secure an exit!
Especially in a reinforced-concrete apartment, the door may be deformed by a strong earthquake and cannot be opened, confining you in the room. To avoid this, open the door quickly to secure a way out.

Rule 4: When outside, protect your head and keep away from dangerous objects！
If you experience an earthquake while outside, you should protect yourself from falling concrete block walls and falling objects, such as windowpanes and signboards. Take refuge in a safe building or an open space nearby.

Rule 5: If you are in a department store, theaters, or the like, follow the instructions of the staff!
In place where there are a large number of people, some may panic. Avoid being caught up in such panic and try to keep your head.

More tips found in your handbook. Do remember to read them.

One Point, Japanese - Photo Taking

2008-05-28T22:15:00.004+08:00

"One Point, Japanese"

Hmmm.... sounds ungrammatical.

If you are wondering about the title, let me take you through why we chose this ungrammatical sounding title... well... it's really not that uncommon to find Japanese using the phrase 'one point'.

The semantics of this phrase is rather difficult to explain. Simply put, 'One point' is similar to 'One-stop' as in 'One-stop solution'; so when we say "One Point, Japanese - Photo taking", it simply means this is all that you need to know about the Japanese language for photo taking!

Wakatta (Understand?)

Mr Ong

Important Advice to Muslim students

2008-05-28T17:31:00.000+08:00

Dear students concerned,

It is extremely important (in other words compulsory) that you bring some can food during the Japan trip. Canned tuna, chicken curry, cup noodles, instant noodles, small bottles of jam/peanut butter, biscuits etc.. are some examples of food you should bring along. Have about 5 to 8 cans of food, some instant noodles for the trip at least packed in your bag, in a separate bag or compartment for easy access in case you need to declare. Bread can be bought in Japan.

Beware the last day, we may have to eat out on our own before we take the flight home. So, in case we can't find any restaurants you only have your food pack!

Sayonara!

Madam Sumarni

One Point, Japanese - Manners

2008-05-25T18:56:00.004+08:00

Ice Breaker Sessions & Briefing for Parents (24 May 08)

2008-05-25T12:28:00.006+08:00

We had an ice-breaker session today; it began with some introduction games and followed by some team-building games.

After the introduction games, I noticed that everyone have some common goals, meeting new friends, getting to explore somewhere out of Singapore and many others. I also get to know some of my schoolmates better.

All those laughters really help everyone to bond a lot. I have learnt that in order for everyone to work as a team, we must have trust in one another. I do think that having trust in one another will help a team to work more efficiently and faster. Most importantly, I feel that the the last 2 games are the ones that help a lot. Those games need cooperation and trust from people, also like what Mdm Sumarni said, everyone has different thoughts therefore we must try to understand and trust one another. - Li Ching

A recount of the ice-breaker session by Chang Teck

2008-05-25T00:58:00.001+08:00

We had our icebreaker games yesterday which were conducted to bond the Japan Trip students together.

How exciting!!!

It began with a small group activity. We were separated first into groups of five and we were given a soft toy to pass around the members of the group. Members of the group were required to introduce themselves, and I can see some of the members were very nervous. =)

We were then ‘rounded up’ in a big circle; everyone had a chance to introduce themselves to students from other groups. It was exciting as a soft toy was thrown to choose the next student to introduce. I introduced myself as “Cool” Chang Teck from Secondary 3 Best.

After playing the introduction game, we stayed in our circle, and Jovinson and his fellow councilors introduced this game called “Do You Love your Neighbours?” The game was hilarious especially when Ravin was asked that question. He replied a “No”, and said he loved girls instead. Everyone had a great laugh as the girls had to rush to find a vacant seat so as not to be the one standing up.

We were divided into groups of 10 each just after that exciting game. Nobody expected more excitement to come when we were required to interlock our hands and tangle them up. We all had to rack our brains to untangle our hands. That was tremendous work.

We were the second group to untangle ourselves. The last group had to perform the “chicken dance” which was so funny.

After an awesome day, I can sense that everyone was looking forward to the trip.

One Point, Japanese - Greetings

2008-05-24T21:12:00.003+08:00

the original speech

2008-05-24T00:36:00.000+08:00

Trip Japan

B: Good Morning Teachers and fellow Teck Whyeans, I’m Pearry from 3C and I’m Ravin from 3D.

P: Are you people going anywhere this June holidays? I’m sure some of you will be going overseas this June holidays. Anyway, do you guys have any idea on what is going to happen during the June Holidays?

R: Yes! A group of 30 Sec 3 students will be going to Japan. We will be there from June 2 to 9.We intend to learn the cultures and traditions of the Japanese people there.

P: There will be a home-stay with the Japanese families there. We will also be taught the Japanese traditional practices such as Kendo which is a tea ceremony. Adding to that is………

R: Wait! Hold on partner….we can’t just tell them “everything”! We can’t just tell them all the details….remember?

P : Oh yeah, I remember….sorry, I got so excided that I nearly split the beans...Haha

R: Pardon my partner for his silliness…we actually have a “blog” in the school website all about the Japan trip if you want to know more.

P: You can get more details about the Japan trip by just logging in to the school website than click on the “Japan Trip blog” button that can be found bellow the “school cockpit”…

R: You can post comments and read the entries on the blog…..

P: (Interrupts) Much like the normal blog that we have.

R: (clears throat) Like I was saying….you can post comments, Read up on the entries and find out what’s going on.

P: We really hope you can support us by giving your comments…especially from June 2 to 9 as we will be in Japan updating the blog every night! Don’t worry because we’ll keep you posted.

R: Please do visit the website. The blog is open to both the teachers and students.

P: That’s pretty much we have to say, so (together)happy holidays and

B: Sayonara!

End

the amended speech

Trip Japan

P Good Morning Teachers and fellow Teck Whyeans. I’m Pearry from 3C.

R And I’m Ravin from 3D. Heh, Pearry, going overseas this June holidays?

P Yeah, I am going to Japan.

R Heh, me too. Do you mean you’ve been selected for the Japan Trip?

P Yeah. Eight Days In Tokyo (loud and clear). I heard that we will have school visits, home stay, attend kendo lessons and going to places like Kawaguchi, Akihabara, Shibuya, Ghibli Museum … (lost in thoughts)

R Choto mante!!! We can’t be telling them now what we are going to do during our Eight Days in Tokyo?

P Oh yeah. But I want to SHARE my experiences with fellow Teck Whyeans.

R Oh, don’t you know we have a blog that allows us to SHARE our Eight days in Tokyo experience?

P Really?!

R Yeah. You can find the quick link on our school website or log on to www.eightdaysintokyo.blogspot.com. The teachers and us will be sharing with the school on our pre-trip preparation, our daily activities while we are there. Teachers and students will get to read our daily updates and they can post their comments on the blog.

P Wah, that’s cool. We hope that you can support us by giving your comments…especially from June 2 to 9 as we will be in Japan updating the blog every night!

R Yes. Please do visit the website. The blog is open to both the teachers and students and we hope that you will enjoy the eight days in Tokyo with us.

P&R Thank you.

occupational obsessive compulsive behaviour of a teacher - to edit everything!

but kudos to pearry and ravin , for the original speech. =p

Flight Details

2008-05-21T22:35:00.001+08:00

Singapore - Narita SQ632 , 02 JUN 2030-0720
Narita - Singapore SQ 11 , 09 JUN 1910-0115

Who are going?

2008-05-21T22:32:00.005+08:00

Teacher Organisers:

Mr Ong Khai Ming
Ms Teo Yen Peng
Ms Ng Shu Wen
Mdm Sumarni Ismail

Teacher Participants:

Ms Lai Yin Fong
Mrs Ong Lee Choo
Ms Jennifer Lai
Mdm Wong
Ms Nurjannah

Student Participants :

Arena Poh Zhi Yun 3B
Artiaga Pearry Gene Diaz 3C
Caroline Brigritte Dass 3D
Cheong Wee Ting 3E
Chia Cai Yun Nur Dariah Bte K 3E
Chong Yi Da 3A
Chua Jia Xin 3C
Derrick Oh Wei Cong 3A
Evelyn Tan Sher Mei 3C
Faizal B Jasmuri 3B
Goh Chang Teck 3B
Jeremy Lim Kang Qi 3A
Khoo Fu Bing 3F
Ko Li Ching 3A
Koh Kia Hwee Rebecca 3A
Lee Sing Yee Brenda 3A
Lee Zhi Yi 3E
Liang Yi Zhen 3D
Lim Li Ting 3C
Muhd Aliff B Norshah 3A
Neo Shu Yun 3H
Nicholas Jude Ong Soon Teck 3D
Nurul Herniati Bte Moleya 3B
Nurulhafizah Bte Haron 3B
Ravinderpal Singh Gill 3D
Soon You Liang Ronald 3E
Shermaine Tan Wan Ting 3A
Tan Kia Shiang 3B
Tan Wei Ling 3B
Wong Yan Jing Delicia 3C

It all began from here (teachers' version)

2008-05-21T21:43:00.005+08:00

It all began from here. The three of us visited Kyushu (southern Japan) for a (social) science immersion programme. Being my first time in Japan, I was intrigued by little red bags, the vending machines and the limited express train.

During this trip, we visited elementary and high schools. Miss Ng and I were fascinated by their classroom seating arrangement, their orderly movement around the schools, their monotone greetings to their teachers and their colourful noticeboards that creates a sense of belonging. Do all these sound (un)familiar to you?

I guess the idea of 'visiting Japan' has a strong appeal to many of you. Last November, Mr Ong and I decided that we want our students to witness the clean streets without rubbish bins, the crowded orderly subway queues and perpetual polite greetings. These are their culture, what can you learn from them? You have heard of all these during assembly. Now you are going to verify those words with your own experiences. And of course, nothing beats seeing the world with your own eyes. Geography lessons on volcanoes will never be the same again when you have seen a volcano (Mount Fuji) yourself.

And we are off to Japan again this June holidays.

From the initial proposal to the tedious plannings every weekend, I think our hard work pays off when we saw the overwhelming responses. We are sorry to those students whom we did not select. We have to make choices. To compensate for that, we promise that our participants will update you with every bits and pieces of their encounters in Japan. You will get to enjoy eight days in Tokyo with us.

For the participants, I must have disappointed you when I showed you the list of "Things to do in Japan". I must repeat, "you are not going there with your families for sightseeing". However, we are quite pleased with you as you have been cooperative on our various requests. A big THANK YOU to the members in T-shirt comm and Blog comm. Your enthusiasm and effort to meet our high demands have been noted.

Thanks to technology, we live in this shrinking world. We hope that all of you will enjoy our eight days in Tokyo.

cheers =p
Miss Teo

p/s: we are really thankful to the people who have given us their support and guidance for this trip from their previous experiences. thank you. *green*

Our excitment

2008-05-20T21:33:00.000+08:00

At first, we were all wondering what was it about. But after the briefing during assembly, we all went crazy and were jumping with joy!

All of us were anxiously discussing about this Japan trip, leading us to conclude that it is a must-go-trip!

Hence, we decided to rush to register for the trip on Monday, which is the starting day of registration as according to Mr Ong and Ms Teo.

On the 28th April 2008, the results of who's going for the Japan trip came out. After school, we all rushed down to the staffroom to see the name list of who's going. To our shock, our names were not listed in the results. Our hearts sank as we saw the list. We went to find Ms Teo quite a few times after our CCAs, we told her that we wanted to go Japan very much, and hoped that she would consider adding our names into the list. After much discussions, the teachers then informed us that we had to pray hard that there would be students opting out for the trip.

But after a few weeks of arrangements, the requirements for entry to the Japan trip was altered, and those who went for other overseas trips with the school were not able to go for this trip.

And so, those on the waiting list, including us, managed to be part of the participants going for the Japan trip! We were overjoyed and were so looking forward for that day to come!

Therefore, we must thank the teachers involved in the trip to Japan for letting us having the chance to go to Japan and enjoy with all the other students and teachers! Thankyou so much! And we believe that we will definitely enjoy a lot during the trip! Bon Voyage to all :D

- Signing off,
Liting [ 3C ]
Jiaxin [ 3A ]
{ looking forward ! } ^^

Japan Trip Briefing

2008-04-01T21:03:00.001+08:00

Japan Trip Briefing Students

| View | Upload your own

SlideShare Link

Yokoso Japan!

2008-04-01T08:50:00.000+08:00

Credit: Japan National Tourism Organisation

It all began ...

2008-03-24T16:58:00.001+08:00

It all began when we first saw the posters pasted around the school after we came back from March holidays!