Umm. Due to CTs next week I shall try my best to KISS.
This camp felt very rushed to me, like how I felt that the O'levels and prelims before that and CTs now were just way too sudden and there wasn't enough preparation, and I feared the worst. But luckily even though I only got to know certain things on the day itself/ a day before, things ran pretty smoothly and it concluded pretty well.
I was a slacker who was only in War Games comm(ittee), whereas others had to be in several: Station Games, Fright Night, morning PT, et cetera. And I wasn't and am not in the exco and so had far more slacktime. But anyway.
I got to know a few new J1s, even though I still don't know about 10+ girls (being in bass, the guys were physically closer and there was less of a guy-girl gap) and hence didn't fulfil my objective of at least saying "Hi" and recognising which girl was whom. And I had to get high for the sake of stirring up convos within the group because I was the group leader and my fellow GL wasn't around most of the time due to being stuck in two comms. (The energy died out by Day 2, though).
Something that was a blotch marring the perfect scenery of the camp was the fact that I had at least two not-so-participative guys in my group, which lead to great frustration at times. Hopefully they'll open up a little more. One of them said that he doesn't talk much due to a throat problem, but still joined Chorale because he liked the secondary school version (Raffles Voices) - In that case, how can someone who likes Chorale so much not speak up and interact with others? For a choir is made up of individual people and interaction, synchrony is key; how can these be achieved if one simply sits at a corner and retreats into his own shell while others play games and sing together? But I was quite delighted that a former Red Cross boy had decided to join us because he liked to sing. That, and the fact that he interacted more with the girls. But I was slightly miffed at his action (or rather, lack thereof) during the second day, as said below:
Now, the J1s bring in their own atmosphere and all. Each batch is slightly different; my batch is more musical, reserved (though I lack the former and am too much of the latter), but the new J1s are more rowdy, excitable, less mature (in a way), but absolutely charismatic, in the sense that they bonded together very well and did stuff together. On the second day after station games, we were waiting for results (then the J2s prepared for a performance while they did Finale games - explained below) when dear Dexter C. and S. started playing the piano. All the pop songs came out: Viva La Vida, Adele's songs, etc. Then they danced to Viva La Vida: Dexter C. and W.Y lead the dance, while S. played the piano. From a few girls sitting in the front row swaying to the rythm, to girls forming a line and trying (and failing) to alternately stand and squat, to Viva La Vida where virtually everyone went down and acted out the music - it was a snowballing effect and most J1s were compelled to join in the fun and at least stand on the "dance floor" and jam it out. From this, I could also tell who the future leaders of the choir - Sectional leaders, non-music exco- were liable to be: Dexter C., S. , W.Y., and a girl, K. . I bet I'll be proved right after elections in the coming few months.
And of course, there were those who refused to go and mingle with their fellow J1s, including the aboveforementioned Red Cross dude in my group. He crossed his arms and refused to budge when I nudged him, saying that he was fine where he was, there was inertia to not move, that he could feel the atmosphere where he was. I gave up eventually. Well, those who don't really partcipate are those who don't feel a strong connection to Chorale - If you don't give, you won't receive, and the more you give, the more comes back. So that explains my slight moodiness.
The J1s however were really bonded as I said, from the jamming in LT4, and when they came together as a batch after chorale was over for a batch dinner. They even decided to treat the J2s, something my batch didn't do, to pizza - though this left many of us feeling extremely awkward. This is why I love their batch. So many are participative, and this makes for a Chorale with an extremely strong spirit, shining brightly. It's a really good start.
However, that also got me thinking. Already, it's March. Chorale camp's over. Once elections have concluded, the J1s would be taking over the mantle from our batch. And Chorale would be theirs alone once the J2s officially left.
One and a half years... Life seems to have passed by so quickly. To form bonds as a group, only to tear them apart when we have just fully bonded... Isn't life a little too cruel sometimes?
I know for sure that when the time comes for handover, I will cry or at the very least, tear. It'll be waving goodbye to another small slice of my past life and moving on to new things - hopefully, bigger, better, allowing me to soar ever higher than the doldrums I seem to be mired in right now.
And of course, I'll always come back for a visit to see how they have fared.
This camp felt very rushed to me, like how I felt that the O'levels and prelims before that and CTs now were just way too sudden and there wasn't enough preparation, and I feared the worst. But luckily even though I only got to know certain things on the day itself/ a day before, things ran pretty smoothly and it concluded pretty well.
I was a slacker who was only in War Games comm(ittee), whereas others had to be in several: Station Games, Fright Night, morning PT, et cetera. And I wasn't and am not in the exco and so had far more slacktime. But anyway.
I got to know a few new J1s, even though I still don't know about 10+ girls (being in bass, the guys were physically closer and there was less of a guy-girl gap) and hence didn't fulfil my objective of at least saying "Hi" and recognising which girl was whom. And I had to get high for the sake of stirring up convos within the group because I was the group leader and my fellow GL wasn't around most of the time due to being stuck in two comms. (The energy died out by Day 2, though).
Something that was a blotch marring the perfect scenery of the camp was the fact that I had at least two not-so-participative guys in my group, which lead to great frustration at times. Hopefully they'll open up a little more. One of them said that he doesn't talk much due to a throat problem, but still joined Chorale because he liked the secondary school version (Raffles Voices) - In that case, how can someone who likes Chorale so much not speak up and interact with others? For a choir is made up of individual people and interaction, synchrony is key; how can these be achieved if one simply sits at a corner and retreats into his own shell while others play games and sing together? But I was quite delighted that a former Red Cross boy had decided to join us because he liked to sing. That, and the fact that he interacted more with the girls. But I was slightly miffed at his action (or rather, lack thereof) during the second day, as said below:
Now, the J1s bring in their own atmosphere and all. Each batch is slightly different; my batch is more musical, reserved (though I lack the former and am too much of the latter), but the new J1s are more rowdy, excitable, less mature (in a way), but absolutely charismatic, in the sense that they bonded together very well and did stuff together. On the second day after station games, we were waiting for results (then the J2s prepared for a performance while they did Finale games - explained below) when dear Dexter C. and S. started playing the piano. All the pop songs came out: Viva La Vida, Adele's songs, etc. Then they danced to Viva La Vida: Dexter C. and W.Y lead the dance, while S. played the piano. From a few girls sitting in the front row swaying to the rythm, to girls forming a line and trying (and failing) to alternately stand and squat, to Viva La Vida where virtually everyone went down and acted out the music - it was a snowballing effect and most J1s were compelled to join in the fun and at least stand on the "dance floor" and jam it out. From this, I could also tell who the future leaders of the choir - Sectional leaders, non-music exco- were liable to be: Dexter C., S. , W.Y., and a girl, K. . I bet I'll be proved right after elections in the coming few months.
And of course, there were those who refused to go and mingle with their fellow J1s, including the aboveforementioned Red Cross dude in my group. He crossed his arms and refused to budge when I nudged him, saying that he was fine where he was, there was inertia to not move, that he could feel the atmosphere where he was. I gave up eventually. Well, those who don't really partcipate are those who don't feel a strong connection to Chorale - If you don't give, you won't receive, and the more you give, the more comes back. So that explains my slight moodiness.
The J1s however were really bonded as I said, from the jamming in LT4, and when they came together as a batch after chorale was over for a batch dinner. They even decided to treat the J2s, something my batch didn't do, to pizza - though this left many of us feeling extremely awkward. This is why I love their batch. So many are participative, and this makes for a Chorale with an extremely strong spirit, shining brightly. It's a really good start.
However, that also got me thinking. Already, it's March. Chorale camp's over. Once elections have concluded, the J1s would be taking over the mantle from our batch. And Chorale would be theirs alone once the J2s officially left.
One and a half years... Life seems to have passed by so quickly. To form bonds as a group, only to tear them apart when we have just fully bonded... Isn't life a little too cruel sometimes?
I know for sure that when the time comes for handover, I will cry or at the very least, tear. It'll be waving goodbye to another small slice of my past life and moving on to new things - hopefully, bigger, better, allowing me to soar ever higher than the doldrums I seem to be mired in right now.
And of course, I'll always come back for a visit to see how they have fared.
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