Wednesday 12 October 2016

Bangkok International Choir Festival 2016

Khai Yi Khor

On October 6th, Thursday, all the choir students gathered around in the choir room after school, before leaving to the airport to participate in the Bangkok International Choir Festival 2016 (BICF), which was held at International School of Bangkok (ISB).

The next morning at 7:30am, Dalat’s choir students departed to ISB. It took approximately an hour to reach the destination. Inside the ISB campus, workers were driving golf carts and giving ISB students rides to school. Each of Dalat’s choir students was given a nametag to help other schools recognize and differentiate students from schools all over the world. There was a total of 400 choir students from various schools that gathered in a chevron theater to do their rehearsals. The schools who participated in this year’s BICF consisted of ISB, Dalat, Grace International School (GIS), Seoul International School (SIS), Bangkok Patana School (BPS), British School Jakarta (BSJ), NIST International School, Ruamrudee International School (RIS), Thai-Chinese International School (TCIS), and St. Andrews International School of Bangkok (St. Andrews).

Moreover, all 400 choir students stood and sang for ten hours or so, rehearsing for the next day’s festival concert. For two days in a row, the choir students did the same routine over and over again. The festival concert on October 8th, Saturday, was a success; the harmony of the High School Mixed Choir reverberated across the chevron theater, its notes knitted with confidence. The songs that were sang throughout that day were “Dance Today With Joy,” “The World of Our Dreams,” “Ride in the Chariot,” “Ritmo,” and “I Am a Song”; they were directed by the Male Ensemble Northwest (M.E.N.) from the United States. The individual workshops, also led by the members of M.E.N., made all the choir students feel at ease, while showing them how to have fun and to be passionate about achieving musical excellence. Without the members of M.E.N., the festive concert wouldn’t have turned out as well. Throughout the two days in ISB, Khai Yi Khor (12) made friends with Beryl Hsu, Mable Ye, and Yae Rim Park, who were juniors from BPS.

When Dalat choir students were asked about their overall experience in BICF 2016, Aster H’ng (12) stated, “It was very scary, but also very amazing as it was a once in a lifetime experience. So if you have the chance, you should go because I can’t think of any other time that you can do something as cool as this.”


Although all the choir students were exhausted after singing and standing continuously for hours, BICF 2016 was an amazing experience to all; and it will forever be engraved in each and every one of the choir students’ memories.

From left to right: Mable Ye, Beryl Hsu, Khai Yi Khor (12), Yae Rim Park

Dalat Choir students [missing out Jerald Ooi (11), who was unable to attend BICF 2016]
All 400 Choir Students, members of Male Ensemble Northwest, and each school’s directors together



Tuesday 11 October 2016

Gotta Catch 'Em All

Woo Young Chung
“Welcome to the 2016 StuCo event, PokéOlympics!” With a thunderous voice, the StuCo president, Andrew Kim (12), alerted the participants about the commencement of the event.

This event was composed of two themes, Pokémon and the Olympics. For weeks, StuCo members put their heads together and thoroughly organized this event. From creating promotional videos to decorating cardboard boxes, many hours were put into making this event one to remember. Even with many students missing the event due to the choir trip to Bangkok and the volleyball team playing a game, StuCo pulled off some exciting moments.

Various stations were set-up by StuCo members, and the goal was to collect as many gold medals as one could, similar to the Olympics.

Struggling to get a grasp, Jarrod Chang (12), Darby Kendrick (12), Hannah Burh (12), Christy Cho (12) and Peter Kim (11), managed to hold each other up on a minuscule surface area of the tarp that was folded in half—six times. The tarp game, managed by Chan Woong Won (11), explained the rules of the game with great detail and provided some good tips in order to succeed in this game. With that advice, many groups were able to accomplish five folds with ease, but it was Jarrod’s group that managed to get six folds, which is the current record. It was pure joy to watch dimples appearing on various faces, which eventually emerged into smiles.

The purpose of different station games? Earn the golden ticket, or seven gold medals, to enter the glorious final stage.

The final stage of the event, also the highlight of the event, was the face-off between Miss Grad and other competitors in dodgeball. Those that beat her were able to advance to the championship face-off. One of the biggest matches was when Miss Grad met Joseph Hsu (12), who won the first match, lost the second, and came back for a rematch. With Miss Grad fully analyzed, Joseph managed to read her movements and throws. His dodges could be described as art; it was phenomenal. Yet, Miss Grad stepped up her game, ending his progress from proceeding to the championship face off yet again.  

As the heat remained, Miss Grad was on a killing spree, until she met a tall white competitor with a pink hat and a name of Emmett Balzer (12). He was the warrior who was resolute to beat the gym possessor, Miss Grad. Out of all the devastators, Emmett becomes the gym champion, bringing back home a Pokeball trophy designed by Grace Moon (9).

“I was feeling down, but after this event, I’m feeling hyped now,” Jarrod Chang (12) expressed his opinion about the overall feeling of the event.

Personally, it was fun to watch different grades cooperating and assisting each other out to accomplish some challenging activities. 

Friday Fire Photoshoot

Ning Kang Chia
Armed with a tripod and a camera, Matthias Maurin (12) tread down the shoreline in search for the best spot for a late night photo shoot. Jessie Ross (12) and Ning Kang Chia (12) followed him silently, marveling at the mesmerizing waves and soothing sand.

It was a Friday night and the PokéOlympics were still going on. Matthias had decided earlier that the theme of the photo shoot would be “fire.” With that in mind, his bag was filled with goodies—flammable ones. He took out a bundle of steel wool and squeezed it into a whisk tied to a long wire.  Matthias proceeded to light the contraption on fire and started spinning it, much like how a cowboy would lasso. A brightening cone of light formed and sparks began spewing all over the place. Jessie and Ning were both awed at the beautiful sight.

They learnt how to do this trick soon after, and the photo shoot officially began. Matthias provided clear instructions to the modelling duo as they scrambled to strike the perfect pose. It was mostly a series of trial-and-error, as getting the perfect lighting was not an easy task. Ning’s camera proved to be the solution to this dilemma with its blinding flash. At one point in the shoot, Jessie spun the burning whisk at Ning while he blocked the molten iron with a store-bought umbrella. His pants nearly caught on fire.

The highlight of the night approached when Matthias lit a stick on fire, creating a gigantic torch. He wrapped a stick with cloth, doused it with gasoline, and a little spark was all it took to make it burst into flames. Jessie and Ning tried their best to stay still in the photo while flailing the torch around, creating an illusion that they were painting in the air with fire. Jessie was particularly impressed by this and said, “Never have still images had so much life in them.”

By then the PokéOlympics were over, and Keito Watanabe (12) joined the pyromaniacs. For the others, it was a photoshoot; but for Keito, it was an opportunity to relieve some of his pent-up stress. He (given permission) grabbed the blazing torch and began whipping it in the air. Coupled with the deafening “whoosh” of the flames, Keito felt he had immense power and enjoyed himself. When asked by Ning about this intense sight, Matthias responded with, “it’s not being childish; it’s being childlike.”

Playing with fire brings out the wild kids that always reside in us, suppressed by expectations from society. Fire makes people feel young again and rekindles their spirit to achieve. 


Dalat Eagles Take Gold

Neehar Kantimahanti                                                                  
The Dalat boys’ varsity soccer team was jubilant as they lifted the PSAC Tournament trophy on Saturday, 8th October, at College General. With the grass finally trimmed and new nets installed, the pitch looked the best it ever had.

Dalat opened the tournament against Pelita, who were playing on their home ground. The game started off quite slowly, with neither team creating many chances. However, as the game wore on, Dalat’s hard work started to pay off. Controversy was in the air when Ben Finley (12) managed to prod the ball into the net but it was ruled out for being offside. The breakthrough finally came when Woo Young Chung (12) dribbled past a defender before setting up Jesse Lohman (11), who struck a powerful shot out of the goalkeeper’s reach. After the first goal, Dalat gained confidence and added to its tally with goals from Woo Young Chung, Jeremy Worten (10), and Benjamin Finley.

Buzzing from their previous win, Dalat continued where they left off against Uplands B when Woo Young Chung curled a left-footed effort into the top corner. Jesse Lohman had an outstanding game as he scored a brilliant hat-trick with Benjamin Mauger (12) adding the fifth and final goal. Satisfied with their morning's effort, the team went to eat lunch at Tesco together. While the path to the final might have been relatively easy, the final encounter with Uplands A was a different beast altogether.

A crowd had gathered that was absent from the previous games. The stage was set for the much-anticipated final. Dalat and Uplands, fierce rivals, were going to go head-to-head yet again. The teams had met twice before already this season, with Dalat winning both by a two-goal margin. The game once again started relatively quietly with not much action either way. Not to be outdone again, the Uplands players worked extra hard to contain the Dalat offense. The fans tried cheering the players on every time they got the ball but to no avail.

Then, an eerie silence filled the ground - Uplands had scored. Dalat’s worst fear had come true: Uplands was leading with just six minutes to go in this crucial encounter. The Dalat players looked dejected, but they knew they had to push themselves for the last few minutes. After the goal, Dalat played with a new sense of urgency, and this pressure led to Uplands conceding a penalty for a foul on Benjamin Finley. Tension filled the ground as something big was about to happen. “My legs were shaking as I stepped up to take the penalty,” Finley said after the game. However, he made no mistakes and converted the penalty. Not satisfied with getting on level terms, Dalat searched for the winner. Woo Young Chung put a fantastic cross into the area which led to a scramble between Levi Hawk (8) and Jeremy Worten, with the latter managing to get the ball to go into the net via a deflection off an Uplands defender.

Jarrod Chang, one of the captains of the team, said after the game, “It feels great to finally beat Uplands to PSAC gold after finishing behind them for the last three years.” After a long Saturday that started at about 6:30 A.M. for most, Dalat won all their games in route to the championship. At the end of the day, everyone went home with a sense of accomplishment.

Tuesday 4 October 2016

“It’s Only Thunder and Lightning Bolts in Here!”


Dominic Fitzgerald

After school, students and teachers congregate to the weight room to get strong, ripped and “wrecked” (in a good way).

As Friday ends, the average person would go home, grab a bag of chips, kick back and binge-watch The Walking Dead, or some other cult TV series. However, a small group of seniors do not do this. These select few of the Class of 2017 make the journey across campus to pump iron and pound heavy metal. If you were to walk up the steps to the weight-room during this time with them, you would hear what Mr. Penland calls the sounds of “thunder and lightning-bolts.” When walking through the doors, you would then be greeted by the sight of various Bicep Society members such as Wei Sing Goh (12), Ning Kang Chia (12), and Sheldon Ang (12), as well as various underclassmen and teachers pounding iron and "building the bodies."

Normally, the first person in the weight room is Dominic Fitzgerald (12), spearheading the assault with a running warm-up. While chasing aestheticism and athleticism, he is also the weight room DJ, blasting a variety of songs ranging from bone-crushing heavy metal and hardcore punk (i.e. Austrian Death Machine, Trivium and Hatebreed) to cheesy eighties tracks (i.e. Stan Bush).

After Fitzgerald, staff members like Mr. Kilgo and Mr. Anderson show up to do CrossFit; they are later followed by Mr. Arnold and Mr. Penland who come to maintain their Herculean strength for basketball. Like these coaches, the previously mentioned members of the fabled Bicep Society come to train for sporting events, such as the ACSC tournaments—along with enhancing the size of their majestic biceps

Apart from them, you would also find Mr. Fraser, and his sons Shion (11) and Kai (Alumnus of 2016), imparting their coveted knowledge and secrets to juniors and underclassmen, like Chia Hoong Ewe (11) and Gavin Zimmer (9). If Shion and Chia Hoong aren’t lifting, they are hanging on the bars outside, climbing and trying to “tag” each other. They are sometimes joined by Kai or by some of the underclassmen.

As the day draws to a close, whoever stays in the weight-room the latest has to lock up. By then, most of these amazing people would have made their way home to cool down, eat a post-workout meal, and fix a delicious whey protein shake (well, delicious to us bodybuilders). Our bodies may take a severe beating, but that does not stop us from coming in the next day, and the day after, and the day after that, literally running back for more. We don’t do this just because we’re chasing goals, but because we love it; we’re trying to manifest the inner strength God gave us. God gave us our bodies, so why shouldn’t we look after them like gold? Again, these are the reasons why students and teachers congregate to the weight room after school—to get strong, ripped, and “wrecked’ (in a good way).




Spike and Strike: Go Eagles!

Anson Chin

The crowd goes wild as Dalat Eagles win their game against Heng Ee. The whole stadium was filled with joy and had an amazing atmosphere to it. But without the help of Benjamin Finlay’s (12) and Woo Young Chung’s (12) amazing cheering, the stadium’s atmosphere would have been really different.

The varsity team won the first set against Heng Ee with a comfortable 10 point lead against them. The team was elated at this first set win. They went into the second set with a confident mindset. Hasung Cho (12) said, “After the first set they walked onto the court pumped and confident.”

The second set, however, was not the same story. The Heng Ee team, boosted by a pep talk by their coach, upped their game against the boys. Both teams traded points against each other, but in the end, Heng Ee pulled out a lead and won the second set by 6 points. Understandably, the team was frustrated and dejected at the loss.

In the period before the third set, the varsity boys’ coach, Mr. Roylance, motivated the team by saying, “Reset, and let's get the third set and win this one.” However, it was the crowd that truly motivated the boys. Ben and Woo Young, seeing the boys look unmotivated, started to lead the crowd by initiating cheers.


Every point in the third set was cheered on enthusiastically by the crowd. Halfway through the third set, the boys were leading by two points. The boys continued to play hard and smart until it was game point. With a 4 point lead by Heng Ee, however, the boys lost focus…until Woo Young and Ben again led the crowd on with a football cheer. It was infectious and the whole stadium was soon following the cheer. The boys, inspired by this change of mood and atmosphere, played a phenomenal point to ultimately win against Heng Ee. 

Bouncing Balls and Devastating Defeats

Keito Watanabe

Suffering in anguish and humiliation, Noah Graves (12), Joseph Hsu (12), Daniel Munson (12), Keito Watanabe (12), Daniel Kim (11), Shion Fraser (11), and Teddy Zimmer (11) sat on the grass outside the Dalat gymnasium as they muttered quietly or simply stared into space. The boys’ varsity volleyball team faced a crushing defeat by Chung Ling, the second best team in the tournament.

It was the second day of the 4th Annual Spike & Strike Tournament, an event hosted by Dalat that consists of a volleyball and soccer tournament during two consecutive weekends. Despite it being a Saturday, hundreds of Dalat supporters came to watch and cheer the Dalat Eagles playing it out on the court. The volleyball team had won both games on Friday and had placed first on their group standings. Even with the loss of the captain Andrew Kim (12), and hitters Sam Huang (12) and Anson Chin (12), they were pumped up to defeat the other teams to win the tournament.

They, however, were not expecting what was about to happen next.

The team gathered around the sidelines as the head coach, Craig Roylance, gave some final advice. After a short prayer, Graves (12) shouted “Dalat!” as the fellow teammates responded by shouting back “Lah Wan!” which, when translated into Bahasa, meant, “to fight.” As the team finished off their chant with a loud “HA,” the starting members headed off to the court. The fateful match had finally begun.

As the match went on, disorders happened within the team. With the brand new line-up, consisting of new players and positions, the team was confused with each play that they dictated. Frustrated and stressed, the players started to blame both themselves and others for each mistake that the team made. The team was in complete disarray; and, as a result, they not only lost the match by a devastating 0-2, but also lost their ticket to the finals. Hsu (12) reflected on the terrible sets that his team just played: “Due to the new regulations and loss of starters from SAT, we had to change our playing style to one we’ve never practiced. These factors affected us mentally, and therefore we were not able to play our best”.

In the end, however, they placed 3rd in the tournament, winning medals for each player on the team. Huang (12) expressed his feelings for this tournament, “It was an exciting learning experience as we not only had fun playing volleyball but also noticed our areas of improvements to prepare ourselves to take the championship trophy home in the upcoming ASCS tournament.”


The volleyball teams fought hard, cried hard, and won hard during this tournament, and they are now all getting ready to conquer their final tournament of their season: the ASCS tournament.

SAT: Stress All the Time?

Sheldon Ang

For weeks, many students worked hard to complete their school work and do practice problems to, hopefully, get a decent score on the SAT test. The week right before the October 1st SAT test happened to be one of the most stressful for me. Here’s why:

I believe that the school system is a living being; it can “smell” stress. On weeks when a student has no other obligations, there happens to be no homework at all; however, on weeks when a student is stressing out about something important, suddenly three quizzes, two tests, and a million other homework assignments pop-up. Coincidence? I think not.  Welcome to my latest SAT experience.

Coping with school work is hard enough. Throwing in SAT practices makes it impossible to deal with. It is not easy sleeping at 2 in the morning and waking up at 7:45 every single day. Every morning when I shower, I literally have to say these two prayers out loud: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me,” and “this is the day that the Lord has made; I will rejoice and be glad in it.” I need this to keep motivated throughout the day. To me, the SAT was a huge burden. Every night when I finished my homework, I felt relief—until I realize that I still have to do an hour worth of SAT practice; and the moment I realized I had to practice was usually 1 in the morning.

Monday: English essay due and AP Calculus quiz, Tuesday: AP Statistics quiz, Wednesday: AP Chemistry test, Thursday: AP Statistics Test, Friday: AP Calculus practice problems. As soon as Friday came, I was pretty much sick and tired of doing SAT practice questions. I was so hyped and ready to get over with this standardized test.

Boom, Saturday came and the next thing was my friends and I are walking out of the exam hall with smiles on our faces. As soon as we gathered in our group, Darian Yeap (12) immediately said, “It is time for a celebration, where should we eat?” After deciding on a nearby Japanese restaurant, we happily made our ways to the cars.

Life is filled with challenges all the time. I believe it is up to each individual to push through the hardships and the stressful times.