Monday, July 9, 2007
CAMP NUEVE 07!
Spent the last week at camp. It's really fun and memorable!
Day 1
We spent the morning settling down in our rooms. We're all going to be staying in Hall 7 which is quite near to the CBE building but the most detached hall in NTU. This is followed by ice-breaker games and teaching of cheers. After lunch, we had orientation games around NTU to familiarise ourselves to the different places like the SRC, Yunan Garden, Library, Canteens etc.
The highlight of the day however is the Initiation Night! It's supposed to be the worst of the camp and apparently, people tend to leave after that night's activities. Initiation Night turned out to be us being blindfolded and led around the school to do various activities. Unfortunately, i'm having my uncomfortable time of the month and so i had to skip some stations =( Those that i skipped involved very dirty and wet things like sliding down a slope into a puddle of muddy water while being led to think that you are sliding into the Nanyang Lake. Another involved being trapped in the toilet and getting thrown at with sauces, flour, eggs and the like such that when you come out, you're totally unrecognisable..lol=) Hai.though it's like dirty and all, i hoped that i could have joined in la..then it would have been more fun. Another station that i skipped is one that they played tug of war and we are made to fall into mud. Despite missing all these, the night is memorable for me as i got to join in the drain station. This is my first time walking in a drain at night and in pitch black darkness. The whole group of us (21) had to walk into the drain with only 2 candles provided. The candles are like super small and thus will have a time limit before it dies off. We're supposed to go single file and follow each other down the path, turning left at a fork in the middle of the journey. The ceiling of the tunnel also gets lower and lower the further we went in. At the end of the tunnel, there's a 2+ metre high wall. We must climb over this in order to exit the tunnel. This is impossible for the gals to do it alone and so the guys had to aid us up.If they had been there alone, i'm sure they would have cleared the wall easily given their army training. Anyways, i am really amazed that they can find such a tunnel and drain. Oh my! but i think it's a great station and experience that all NTU students should go through. We slept at around 3 plus that night..
Day 2
The morning is spent playing pool games and then i had to missed all the fun again=( This is really sian. However, i had fun cheering them on. The games is really exciting too. There's one in which you have to keep diving to collect cards. Thirteen each for each group and then the GL will play Daidee to decide who wins..haha. Another is also about luck in which we have to cross the pool in a float to try to unlock the locks over at the other end. The finale is one in which they throw ping pong balls in and we have to try to use the numbers on the balls to form the final figure wanted together with certain restrictions like using the same numbers or how many balls. Omaha which has lost so many of the games miraculously won 2 games. haha. This sort of cheered all of us up. After lunch, we played games against other groups. They had lots of interesting games. I really wonder how the programmers come up with all these ideas. One of them is like the table soccer. Players must tie their legs together and jump about to defend or kick the ball around. It's like kind of difficult to make sure everyone keep to the rules and all but i think it's kind of interesting. That night, we're gathered in the CBE lecture theatre for a "Lab Safety Briefing" which turned out to be the start of Fright Night!
I must really emphasise that it's really Fright Night at it's peak! The actors and actresses are amazing! They're really good. The plot is also wonderful and it gives space for thinking and is stretchable like there're loop holes etc for us to try to come up with different views. Fright Night consists of different stations. Some interactive, some not but all containing clues needed to investigate the death of AnQi. The gal who will "die" every year in the SCBE camp. Some is really spooky. The first stop for my sub-group with 3 people is like a toilet in which there's a gal with mental condition. The moment i stepped in, she dragged me over to comb her hair. i'm super shock la but i just followed her instructions. Her acting is so real. While under shock, we're supposed to ask her questions. End up, one of my friends mistook her identity and it sort of flared her up and she grabbed me and all. Her acting skills is like so good that i'm kind of afraid of her all of a sudden when she turned around to glare at me. When we exited, I realised one of my friend actually cried as she was too afraid. I guess it's shock la. I don't think it's that scary cos her station is the one in which some random ghost appeared. In between stations, there're holding areas where you can discuss what you have uncovered and try to piece the puzzle but they are usually very short, just enough to clam down and then it's on to the next. There's a stop in which we had to visit Anqi at her funeral and one of us had to go flip the white cloth covering her body and then she'll wake up suddenly and grab you. When she start screaming for us to leave, i was the first one to exit as i was nearest and then i got a shock! There's like 2 "ghosts" there to await me. "God!" Just when i thought the stations like over. Aiyo. Another station is one in which there's a dangki and we get the chance to rouse one of the spirits. We're made to kneel before the table and hold hands screaming "Anqi!" as loud as we can and they really make us scream and he will shake the bells (the one you use to rouse spirits in reality). It all seems so real. The settings that create it. The whole atmosphere and all. That's why i say it's really fascinating how well they planned. Another scene, there's a drunkard. They say he drank a can of beer everytime a group went in and that means 12 cans the whole night! They're really dead serious. So serious and so good was the fright night that they said one gal fainted at one of the stations and i saw one gal really traumatised that she's staring into space and jumps everytime someone sort of speaks too loudly and startle her. I guess you really have to experience it in order to really understand. We slept around 3 plus again.
Day 3
It's the amazing race! We left off early in morning to play. Starting with searching for marbles in the field. It's really a test on our eye sight! Haha. i managed to find 3! Yay! We came in second and sort of had a head start. Unfortunately, we got entangled too much at Chinese Garden and was the last to leave the stop. Hence, we spent the rest of the day like trying yo catch up to the rest. It's quite fun. We had stops at taka, army market, commonwealth, Je and then back to SRC where we're made to go round the tracks with our legs tied up singing songs like nursery rhymes.haha. so fun! The spare time before campfire that night was spent rehearsing our skit and also with games like " hmm-ci-ci-hmm-ci" and "Bang!" which started from out group. By the end of the camp, all the GLs were crazy with the games and the "Bang!" game even evolved overnight to have knives, grenades and atomic bombs i think.. Haha. It became altogether a camp nueve game. The campfire wasn't really good as it's only just skits after the bbq. It's not like we used to have games and then community singing and also the campfire songs and people running round the campfire. However, that night, we came up with a cheer of our own! Haha. so happy!
Day 4
Beach Games! I think i really enjoyed day 4! cos it's the only time when i can really join in without too much of considerations.haha. We had the usual volleyball, frisbee, dodgeball etc. and telematches that involved water bombs, piggy-back, swimming and all. Although Omaha still lost for most of the games, we had fun! I think this is what i really like the group for. Our group is not result oriented. We like to enjoy ourselves the most. We would rather enjoy the process than the result. Anyway, that afternoon, we had a lot of fun. Playing together as a group. Even at the finale, when we knew that we are losing. We didn't give up. We just continued chiong-ing and chiong all the way to the end.
After showering, it's SP night. The night that all the Seniors have been emphasising etc. Personally, i thought all that emphasis has sort of made it like an entertainment for the GLs but i guess all camps have that and so it's just usual. Anyway, we drove for very long until we reach Changi. The seniors had sort of rented a bungalow there for the night. We were made to wear a mask and then had to find our SPs who will be wearing the same pair of mask. It's kind of funny cos i already saw him liao so did the rest but we just refused to move over until they came. haha. but nonetheless, we met up and went to join the queue to go in. Before we are allowed to pass in, we had to complete tasks which must be done for the whole stretch of road that lead to the bunglalow and while waiting in line for our turn they will make you hold hands and everything. Hai. After finally gaining entry and sitting down, he went to get dinner and i sat waiting for the other pair to arrive. They're named "Will Turner" and "Elizabeth Swan". Haha. When they did arrive, the guy left to get food while i tried to talk to the gal but she left immediately to look for friends. So, i'm alone again. This fact that she left to look for friends kept me puzzled and true enough there's a reason for she's a GL...arghh..luckily we didn't have negative comments about the camp when she asked.haha=)
While having dinner, there's games like 7 wonders and also chances to grab some vouchers.haha. and then it's after dinner activities. Playing with sparklers..and clubbing. They started with mambo and then there's free flow of drinks..all the vodka started floating around and people started going in to dance.haha. but since we both don't drink, we pulled up a chair somewhere and we just sat down to chat. The group eventually grew bigger, consisting of Omaha and Pota pple mostly.haha.hence, SP night didn't turn out too badly.Luckily!
Day 5
Since we only slept around 5 plus yesterday, i woke up in a zombie state. haha. However, since it's the last day of camp, it's ok! There's supposed to be a cheering competition and a last finale game before we break camp. yup. The cheering competition kind of turned out to be some kbox singing la. Many of the groups have cheers that are like songs...haha. Athena won with their medley of cheers and we proceeded to the finale game at the field. As usual for finale games we always have alliances.haha. Originally, our ally is Kanza and thus we always go "O...o.." and they will go "K...k.." and together we're OK! lol=) Now in order to include Pota, we're called KPO. lol. a bit lame la.
That game's quite complicated in the sense that there's a lot of boundaries and then only gals can throw the water bombs at the bases. We also have to tie our legs to our partner and thus it's kind of difficult to run at will.haha. Luckily, i partnered with my SP and thus as least we can communicate. haha. Anyway, we won! Finally, Omaha won something significant..yEah! After some prize presentation and phototaking, we break camp to go JP for some good food! haha.Pizza Hut.Lao Ta decided to treat all of us...haha.so nice of him! I didn't get to stay with the group totally as i left with woon ling and yewee to go see Jas off. We barely made it in time la.Didn't get to chat with her properly=( and it's so sad to see her leaving alone for Australia and her crying as she said her goodbyes! I really admire her for her courage to study overseas...(not that i ever can afford it..lol). All the best, Jas!
Thus, i reached home at about 8 plus..hai.super shack la...haha.
Xiu Min @ 9:11 AM
