It's Friday, Friday.....

It was Friday morning, and I wasn't looking forward to the weekend yet because I knew Friday would be so fun :).

It was the fifth day that we took classes, and I have to be honest. I can't stop myself from dozing off in some classes which I will not name, but there are some in which I couldn't really sleep either because the teacher is “fierce” or the teacher is very funny and accommodating. I like those classes, but they weren't the highlight of my Friday.

Ferdie, Zyra, Jeks, Bianchi, Renzo, and Sam (L-R) eating
oh-so-delicious ice cream at Island Creamery.

As exchange students, we're supposed to live the life of a Hwa Chong student. One aspect of that is where they hang out. If Pisay students have Trinoma, SM North Edsa and others, Hwa Chong students have a variety of places they can go to. They can have ice cream at Udders or Island Creamery. They can go flower shopping at Far East Flora. They can have meals at LeWu or Adam/Hawker Food Centre. Everything in the comfort of very short rides and walking. The places they hang out are cool and even comfortable to study in, but, unfortunately, not the highlight of my fun, fun Friday :).

The cast and crew of the play,"Dead Man's Cellphone".

Did my fellow exchange students mention anything about extra-curricular activities? Well, here they have lots of them and are very much supported. I'm not saying that ours are not supported, but our school focuses more on the sciences and mathematics, so it's a bit understandable. Anyway, we saw the product of their activities in the form of a stage play entitled “Dead Man's Cellphone”. I just have to say they were great. There was not a dull moment during the performance. The acting was good that they never fail to catch the audience's attention. The transition was smooth and fluid. The props were good. Everything was nicely done. I had so much fun that it came close to becoming the highlight of my Friday.

Pisay delegates with Gordon (Greg Ng) of the Dead Man's Cellphone. 

You must be wondering what the highlight of my Friday is. Do you really want to know? Well, it's none other than the sleepover at Sophie's house. From the first moment I laid eyes on her house, I was already in awe, but for privacy's sake, I won't describe the interior of the house (I don't care if you hate me for not describing the house). The sleepover was so fun. Well, we mostly played cards. We stayed up until about 4 am. To tell you the truth, this was the first sleepover (not that I recall any other sleepover) I have joined, so I'm happy that it was that fun.

This was my fun, fun Friday. Now, I'm really looking forward to the weekend to have more fun. I'm so excited. :))

by: Ferdinand Sta Ana

Singapore's unity amidst diversity.

As I woke up again from my comfortable sleep, I feel a brand new form of excitement. Such an excitement that woke me up at 5:00 am. We took the bus to the school, and saw the wonderful facade of Hwa Chong Institution. The class benches, the clean surrounding, and the bright and hopeful faces of student were gleaming as we passed by.

I had to change clothes for my first PE class in HCI. From what I've heard, Singapore boasts its athletes and most of its students who not only excel academically, but also physically. They didn't disappoint! They were so fast and so physically fit. In fact, they were able to finish 12 laps at the sides of the basketball court in just 8 seconds! Their long jumps also reached as far as 300were able cm, and they to jump about a height of more than 2 feet continuously across 10 barricades.

I was breathless and my buddy, Dennis even said that they were not in their best form yet. As we changed & went to our next class, I could really see the discipline honed in each and every one of Singapore's students. They greeted their teachers with much respect and bowed to them halfway.

It was a chemistry tutorial which means that the teacher will discuss their problems with the assignments given to them. Although the topic was too advanced for my level, I was able to somewhat understand the lesson because the teacher explained the mechanisms quite well which paved the way for my understanding. In fact, he was very friendly to all of us and I really learned a lot from him in just a short period of time.

The Bugis Street

It's already lunch time and all of the Filipino students and their buddies gathered and went to the canteen. We ordered our food and ate a part of their culture. We were able to taste the various flavors of the world which highlights Singapore's unity amidst diversity.

It was time for my afternoon class and afterwards, we would go to Bugis for shopping. Of course everyone loves shopping. But shopping becomes even more meaningful and special when you give it to someone you love.

All of us circled and ventured the Bugis market in search of "pasalubongs" or gifts to give when we're back in the Philippines. We met Mr. Jayson Bingcang who came from Singapore Botanical Garden. We were able to buy various items such as clothes, tees, bags, keychains, shoes, and other novelty items Singapore has to offer.

The delegates and hosts at a coffee shop near Bugis
before eating dinner.

We ate dinner in a Chinese restaurant where we learned and tasted its unique dishes. We then went around some more and felt at home.

The Singaporeans were very nice to all of us. They showed us respect and care, even if we're only tourists here in Singapore. I admire their concern, discipline, loyalty to work and social skills. And I do think, this is what we Filipinos lack nowadays. We must strive to be the very best and I know that there is still hope for us. If Singapore can do it, so can we.

And as I close my eyes and went to sleep, I could imagine a new day ahead of us; full of hope, full of life, full of love

by: Alejandro Renzo Lim

The Night Zafari Experience

Today was tiring but really, really fun.

Hwa Chong Institute Flag Ceremony

We were formally introduced to the Hwa Chong Institution community. A flag raising event was held in the central plaza to welcome and introduce us to the HCI students and teachers. They welcomed us to their beautiful and impressive school, and we were really thankful for their warm hospitality.  

Afterwards, we attended classes, which they refer to as lectures and tutorials. Hwa Chong’s learning system was different from ours, but was good as well.

Lecture Hall

Classrooms

A lecture is a one way discussion from one speaker to students of around 200 in number. Students just listen to the speaker, take down notes, but may not yet ask questions. After the lecture, students go to their respective subject teachers for tutorials to further discuss the lesson, answer exercises and ask certain question that they have. We got a chance to understand new topics and experiences the Hwa Chong way.

At the Singapore Zoo Entrance
(L-R) Zyra, Sam, Bianchi, Ferdie, Jeks, Renzo

At around four, we left for the Singapore Zoo while Mr. Jayson Bingcang, together with the two Japanese teachers, went to the Asian Civilizations Museum.

The zoo has a great variety of species. It was really big, fun, and interesting. We saw animals like snakes, elephants, lions, otters, really big turtles, giraffes, zebras, baboons, tigers, monkeys, flamingos and other wild animals.

After visiting the zoo, we went to the Night Safari. While eating dinner, we watched a very cool presentation where men played with fire. He did a lot of tricks with the fire such as throwing it up high in the air and catching it again. When he blows the fire, an amazing effect was created.

Also, we took the Leopard Trail inside the Night Safari and it was an experience similar to a horror movie as we followed a path through the forest to view an exhibit of nocturnal animals. We passed by the wooden bridge and it was really cool because we scared each other by jumping, which made the bridge shaky.

Then, we went to watch another presentation entitled “Creatures of the Night” which showed some of the tricks done by nocturnal animals such as owls, binturongs and civets. After the presentation, we rode a tram for the safari experience. We followed a path that cut through the forest. Left and right, we saw animals up close, in their natural habitat.

The safari was composed of a similar but smaller version of eight geographical locations in the world. These regions included India, Africa, Himalayas, South America, Asian forests and others.

They displayed the unique animals to be found in that region. Animals we saw included lions, elephants, hyenas, flamingos, rhinoceros, hippopotamus and bears. A few unique ones were the Malaysian tapir, gaur, markor, bharal, babirusa, red dhole, giant anteater, capibara and different kinds of deer such as the serval, thamin and barasingha. 

The zoo and the safari serve as a sanctuary to these endangered species and as a place for people to appreciate them. Seeing these animals sparked hope in each one of us that we could strive for a better world, not just for us humans, but for every organism here on Earth.

by: Samantha Fusingan

Tour around HCI and Marina Bay Area

Both Sam (my companion) and I felt the effects of walking around till 11PM after our stint at Jurong Point Mall last Sunday, March 27, 2011. We were both very tired even before we reached Sophie's home. Both of us fell asleep almost immediately after changing into our sleepwear. 

We had set both our cellphone's alarm clocks for 5:30AM, but every single time one phone or the other rang to wake us up, one of us would press the snooze button. Thus, it was only around 6:00 AM when we actually decided to get dressed and prepare for our first day at Hwa Chong Institution.

We arrived at HCI at around 7AM, courtesy of Sophie's father who drove us there. There was little to no traffic at all on our way to the school, which surprised me since compared to Singapore, traffic is very common in Quezon City in the mornings, especially on school days. The other Filipino delegates (Renzo, Jeks, Ferdie) were already at the Council benches by the time we arrived. We waited a few more minutes for Zyra while Mr. Jayson Bingcang, our chaperon, is with some Singaporean teachers who already visited the Philippines. Our delegation then began updating each other on what had happened to each of us since we parted ways at the Jurong Train Station the previous night. 

General Assembly was called at around 7:50AM. We went down with our buddies to HCI's large track and field to witness our first morning assembly, which teachers of both the Junior College and Secondary School as well as all the students in both levels attended. Everyone was very disciplined and stood at attention for most of the assembly. What amazed me most was that during flag raising, both Singapore's national anthem and the school hymn would be played a live band composed of students from both JC and SS, compared to the use of recordings back in Pisay for Monday morning assemblies.

After the GA, we had an orientation on the nature of our trip as well as a quick presentation on what HCI was and what it does for its students Our group was joined by two other groups: one was from a high school in Tsukuba, Japan and the other group from Taipei, Taiwan. Both were composed of boys and girls. The Japanese group were also staying with host families while in Singapore. On the other hand, since the Taiwanese group was very large, they stayed at HCI's dorms.

We began our tour of the school with a visit to HCI's museum, wherein we viewed several items and exhibits related to the school's history along with the various exchange programs that it had joined. We also got to see the trophy cases housing most, if not all of the awards and prizes HCI has gathered in the competitions it has joined.

Our next destination was the Art Gallery, which was, for me, one of the highlights of our tour around Hwa Chong. There were several pieces which amazed me due to their out-of-the-box nature and sheer creativity, while there were also some that didn't capture my interest at all. I believe we spent the longest time here, since our all of our group's members wanted to see the pieces showcased in the gallery. 

Afterwards, we visited the school's research labs. Many of our group's members were impressed with the facilities and equipment, and took several pictures to show to our teachers back at Pisay when we got home. However, we were unable to visit all of the labs, as the Physics research department staff were out having their break during our tour. 

Our excursion around HCI had us visiting the Jing Xian Library next. Armed with new editions of several science books, high tech computers, roomy discussion areas, well-ventilated study areas as well as a hospitable library staff, Hwa Chong's Jing Xian Library can be considered a haven for the diligent student. Zyra became friends with several of the Chinese students while she was inside the library. She introduced them to us later on, as we were leaving for lunch.

*On a side note, there were "condemned" or outdated books being sold inside the library. One of our group's members, Renzo, took a liking to several of the books (which cost $1.00 each) but in the end, only bought one that had to do with geometry. I eventually bought one myself too.

We had sumptuous lunch, hosted by HCI, with the other delegations following our trip around the campus. Sam, Zyra and I were able to meet several of the girls from the Taiwanese school and get their contact details (i.e. Facebook) so that we could talk to each other even after the trip was over. One of the girls even gave Zyra (or Sam?) a gift as a sort of thanks for being able to meet them.

All of us decided to go with our buddies to their classes after lunch. The first class Sam and I went to was Chemistry, wherein Sophie and her classmates had a practical lab "test". It was actually more of an exercise, with the required and graded output being a plan for determining the identity of each of five unknown compounds using qualitative analysis along with the results of the "test". This was followed by a discussion on the nature of acid-base reactions.

The next and last class for the day was Economics, which was taught by Mr. Foo, who is also 10S7E's (Sophie's section) civics tutor/homeroom advisor. During that period, it was a "tutorial"  session. There as a lecture on how to answer case studies in the best way possible by Mr. Foo, with short amounts of time allotted for letting the students ask questions and clarify certain ideas. 

[While at the onset of the class, I was disinterested, I slowly began to find what they were studying---Macroeconomics---interesting, since I began to understand it.]

We left for the Council benches right afterwards. As Zyra and Sam had forgotten their casual footwear at their host families' homes that day, the five us (that excluded Jeks) decided to remain in our school uniforms for our trip to Singapore Flyer, the giant 165 meter Ferris wheel that offers a panoramic view of Singapore. 

We were accompanied by Sally, as our other Singaporean buddies had responsibilities to attend to. We rode the bus to reach the station nearest the venue, and walked the rest of the way there. Along the way, we tasted Japanese takoyaki as well as the frozen yogurt offered by Yoguru, a brand found only in Singapore.

Jess Kabigting, one of the Pisay students who had hosted the Singaporeans during their stay in the Philippines, also tagged along with us. However, when we reached the venue of the Singapore Flyer, we found out that it was closed for maintenance. Thus, our group decided to work around the Marina Bay Sands (mall) instead. We also visited the Youth Olympics Park and the DNABridge. The former had a floating platform on which there was a soccer field, while the latter was a bridge made in the shape of the DNA double helix, with viewing decks for visitors.

Our group had dinner at Seoul Garden, accompanied by all of our Singaporean buddies and Sir Jayson Bingcang, our chaperon. We grilled our own food, in true shabu-shabu style. While at first almost of all of us ended up eating half-cooked food since we didn't know how to tell when the meat/prawn/fish ball was ready, we slowly learned and successfully began to pinpoint when the food was ready. We ate till we burst, with room to spare for chocolate-coated strawberries purchased from Esplanade, a restaurant located near Seoul Garden.

We parted ways after dinner. Sophie, Sam and I accompanied Jess to her hotel before leaving for Sophie's home. This led to a "kwentuhan" session while crossing streets, riding the bus and the MRT, and buying aloe vera bubble tea. We were able to successfully drop her off at her hotel; afterwards, we went home to Sophie's house via taxi cab.

All three of us were very tired when we arrived, so we all said good night, went to our rooms and got ready for bed. I still spent some time awake, fixing my things for our next day at HCI before bidding Singapore good night. 

by: Bianchi Dy

Looking Forward: Our First Day in Singapore

They say the longest of journeys starts with the first step (or something like that). The first step in our 11-day adventure in the country of Singapore, the plane ride and airport exploring, was actually quite pleasant. We are flying via Singapore Airline flight SQ909. The flight was short, and the line at the Immigrations(?) was even shorter. After a few minutes of picture-taking with our host families outside the Changi airport, we parted. My host family’s house (Yang Cheng’s family) was all the way on the other side of Singapore, so it took a bit time before I was able to get, if you will, home.

After the first step, there is logically a second stop. For the next day, we were brought around the Science Centre – a large complex filled with interactive exhibits about all things science. Although there were tons of great things to see, the best demonstration would have had to been the tesla coil situated in the center of the complex.

Afterwards, we were brought to Snow City, another part of the science centre. The name is self-explanatory, it’s a small space filled with artificial snow. People can play in the snow, take pictures, and slide down the simulated hill.

Afterwards (I’m tired and I can’t think of any more creative transition words),  we watched a movie and went around Jurong Point. Interesting factoid, because of Singapore’s position, the sun sets much later in the day. The sky is still quite bright at 7 pm.

We all went home at around 10 pm.

So far, the first few steps of our journey have already been quite enjoyable. We still have 9 more days to go however, and though it is tiring, I, and the rest of the delegates are surely to looking forward to the rest of the stay.

 by: Jeks Espina