The Life of a VSCB member ( please mark )

VSCB stands for Victoria School Concert Band. I am a member and I would like to share my experience. My reason of joining VSCB was because I wanted to make music. I am in saxophone section and I play the alto saxophone. I like my instrument as I think that it has the best sound among the other instruments. I wouldn't say that I'm a pro but I am quite good.


Now, I will tell you about life in VSCB. Unlike other CCAs, I think that VSCB is special. What's so special you ask, well, VSCB is a student-orientated CCA which means that students organise everything without the help of teachers. To me, this CCA is not only for accumilating CCA points but it is also to have a second life. Most members are really dedicated and are willing to spend hours practicing and chatting with other members. We also come to school at 7 a.m. on Mondays and Fridays to play the National and Victorian Anthem.

The practicing days are on Friday and Saturday but I also practice on Tuesday and Thursday. As the saying goes, 'practice makes perfect'. Eventhough I have a tight schedule, I can cope with school, homework, VSCB and my personal life. I have organised my time wisely to prevent overstress. VSCB also helps to produce a leadership skill in every member because when we become seniors, we have to teach and guide our juniours.

We also have camps and overseas performances. We practice extra hard when there are performances coming. This year, we are going to play at Musical World and The Istana which the president will be watching and next year we will play for SYF. Our goal to get a gold medal. I want my parents and the school to be proud of us for sacrificing hours to play well. You should really appreciate our hardwork. I also hope to be a musicianin the future.

Sec 1 Orientation Camp ( please mark )

Sec 1 orientation camp, the first and probably the worst camp I ever experienced. I did not get a list of things to bring during the orientation because I was on a holiday in New Zealand. I randomly wrote my own list of items to bring. I did not realise that I forgot to bring an old pair of shoes, slippers, toothbrush and most importantly my towel. I would honestly say that the camp was complete waste of thirty dollars.

The first day of the camp, I assembled at the hall and realised that I was the only one without a smile on my face. The campsite was at at Jalan Bahtera and I didn't even know that. My classmates and I rode on a bus to the campsite. During the ride, I realised that there was a cemetery near the campsite and I began to feel scared.

When we reached ther, there was a briefing of activities that we were going to have. The first day, I had flying fox and rock-climbing. I had never tried any of these activities before. I first tried the flying fox. Filled curiosity, I quickly put on my helmet and harnass and climbed up the ladder. It was spine-chilling when I looked to the ground. With one gust of courage, I leaped off and slided down. I was wrong to have thought that it was scary. It was the most, and the only, fun activity in the camp. I wanted to go again.

The next activity was rock-climbing and I quickly ran to the rock wall. To my depression, it started to rain and the activity was cancelled. I hope that I will get to try it in the sec 3 camp. After the rain stopped, it was dinner and the food served was unappetising. After eating, I was still hungry and I had no choice but to endure it. I decided to take a bath but I realised that I forgot to bring a towel. So I slept with my smelly odour but that was not the problem. I could not sleep the whole night because my teacher, Mr Gabriel, told scary stories which sent shivers down my spine. I was filled with discomfort as the bunk was open to the nature and there were dogs barking continuously.


I was relieved to see the light of a new day and quickly got ready for my next activity which is kayaking. I forgot to bring my slippers and so, I had to use my brand new shoes. They got wet and I was scared that my mum will scold me. When I was kayaking, someone from another kayak knocked my spectacles with his paddle and it fell into the water. With my lightning fast reaction, I grabbed it and was relieved not to go blind for two days. The next activity was the worst thing I had ever done, nature rumble. I had to go into a totally black pool of mud which smelled like garbage. After coming out, my new shoes, socks,shorts and shirt was totally black and everyone smelled like garbage. But my case was the worst as I could not bathe. With no other choice, I had to bathe with my clothes on. At least being wet is better than smelling like garbage.

That night, everyone sang campfire songs around the roaring fire. I manage to sleep properly that night as I have endured two whole days of pain and misery. The next day, there was a 2.4 km run and I became very exhausted. To replenish, I drank like about 3 litres of water. A few minutes later, I vomitted out water. I guess I drank too much. The bus back to school had arrived and I started to smile for the first time in three days. I'm glad to be out of that predicament. I now realise how good a life I have at home. That was really a life changing experience. I'm not lying. This seriously happened to me.

My Holiday In New Zealand ( please mark )

It was the december holidays in the year 2006 and my family has planned to spend two weeks in New Zealand. I was filled with excitement and I quickly packed my bag. The flight to New Zealand took nine hours and I played my PSP toher with my family kill the time. The flight was very uncomfortable as I was not seating together with my family and there was a lightning storm and turbulence that worried me.

When we reached New Zealand, I was surprised of the temperature. It was cold eventhough it was in the summer season. Luckily we brought our jackets. Instead of having a tour, we decided to be adventurous and rented a campervan. Our journey started at Auckland. I was thrilled as I can no longer feel the heat of Singapore and can inhale the fresh air. To be honest, i have to say that New Zealand was the cleanest country that I had ever visited. Ther were no litter in sight.

The first day, we went sight-seeing in Auckland. It was very fun. Time flies and the day turned to darkness. My mother cooked some food in the campervan and I ate it like a hungry wolf because I haven't eaten the whole day. We could not buy food because we were muslims and the food there were non-halal. Luckily we brought some food like instant noodles, bread and alternatives. After eating, we went to sleep. I could not sleep as I was too excited about the trip.

The following days were fun. We went sight-seeing, bungee jumping, shopping and cycling. I even got to finally touch my favourite animal the penguin. As the days passed, I have adapted to the coldness of New Zealand. I was really sad that the holiday was almost over and we drove back to Auckland Airport. On the whole of the trip, we literally went one round around North New Zealand, from Auckland to Wellington to Ninety-mile Beach and back in Auckland.

Before we took the flight home, we bought some souvenirs to remind us of the trip. I slept for the whole nine-hour flight and was back in Singapore before I knew it. After getting of the plane, I felt very hot but it was odd as I was in an air-conditioned room. I was glad to be back safe in Singapore. That was the most exciting holiday ever.