Tuesday 28 February 2017

Miracle to Start the Radical

Aster H’ng

In true Dalat tradition, the way MEW has been scheduled for at least the past five years is to have a guest speaker come and do chapel-like sessions. But this year, MEW started off with a shout (literally).

On Monday, February 20th, MEW began with a spectacular worship night led by local artist, Josh Yeoh. Now, firstly, who is Josh Yeoh? Josh is the founder and director of the Penang House of Prayer. Josh has also written, produced, and released two worship albums so far. He travels globally to help others set up a House of Prayer in their regions, speaks at conferences, and tours for his albums.

Now why did Josh Yeoh come to Dalat to lead a worship night? Well, it’s a rather miraculous story. A couple months back, Dalat’s spiritual life director, Mr. Ronzheimer, felt the prompting to have a worship night at Dalat during MEW to change things up a little. He recalled Mr. Allen, the Spanish teacher, telling him about this artist named Josh Yeoh and went to talk to him about it.

Now, at the same time, Mrs. Allen, Media Literature and Bible teacher, had also received the idea of a worship night being held in Dalat. During a mentoring session with a student, Allen asked her what God wanted to do in Dalat. The student immediately replied saying that she had received a vision of a worship night. With this confirmation, Mrs. Allen picked up the phone and messaged Josh Yeoh. Yeoh replied to Mrs. Allen by informing her that he had received a message from a Dalat parent that same morning who felt he needed to come to Dalat to do a worship night.

With all of these signs, Mrs. Allen rushed to meet Mr. Ronzheimer to tell him that Josh Yeoh needed to come and do a worship night, only to find that Mr. Ronzheimer was looking for her to say the very same thing. Mr. Ronzheimer then brought the idea to the administration team to be approved, but he was met with some doubt. But in the very end, Mr. Ronzheimer sent it home with these words, “I know that God wants us to do this, so we are going to do it.” And with that, the idea was approved and the schedule for MEW was changed and the worship night was set in stone.

It was finally time, and the chapel was buzzing with excitement. All the chairs had been removed and yet the whole room was packed with people from the front to the back. Without any further delay, Josh Yeoh and his team launched straight into worship and led the room into a time of ground-breaking worship.

Explained perfectly by student Emmett Balzer, “The room was packed, but when we sang it felt like we were singing to an audience of one in equal broken unity.”

Truly, it was a night to go down in Dalat history; and, hopefully, it’s the first of many more to come.

Monday 27 February 2017

Pain[t]ball, the Friendly War

Emmett Balzer

Large, red circles of pure pain that last for weeks. Sweat that soaks every piece of clothing from the inside out. Dirt that clings to damp skin like a disease. And to think that people pay upwards of RM 60 for this “treatment” is preposterous. On 25 February 2017, thirty-eight seniors and three senior class sponsors dove into the jungle arena, armed with one-hundred paint pellets and no more than a mask for body armor. Divided into two teams—about twenty on a side—they fought for every inch as they relentlessly engaged each other.

Rushing up behind cover, I led the right flank, pressing towards the enemy base. It would be a difficult task, for their base was on top of a large hill of tree roots—they had the high ground. While my team sat back and exchanged fire from long distance, a poor waste of ammunition, I pressed on, jumping from cover to cover, piles of tires and empty barrels. Lying flush against the tree roots and barrels, at least five “enemies” pelted my location, but their attempts were futile. Peeking around a tree, I engaged the first target in a single duel. After several rounds splashed off the tree and whizzed past my head, I managed to nail him right in the stomach. You’ll still feel that one next week, I thought silently. As he retreated, I turned and saw another enemy who had advanced past me and failed to notice me. An easy shot it would have been for either of us. But I saw him first and dished out some cold punishment.

Dashing behind the next line of cover, I caught someone advancing out in the open. Seeing her imminent demise as I focused my fire, she (who I later learned to be Mersades) quickly lay down into a sniping position. Despite my best attempts, the thick grass and long distance prevented me from overwhelming her, and she pinned me down in that location for the remainder of the round.

Besides the literal marks this event left behind on all of us as we engaged in exhilarating and adrenaline-packed combat, this event brought the class together in a completely different way as we shared stories of our own victories and misfortunes of the battle on the journey home. As Mr. Horton said, "It didn't hurt too bad, but it sure left a good mark." This quote captured the atmosphere of the event: a little bit of pain for a wonderful memory.

A Rainbow (of Pain

Kimberly Horton

As the instructor rattled off instructions for the upcoming battle, both teams fidgeted on either side of the courtyard--some of nervousness, others of eager anticipation. A group of over thirty seniors of the Class of 2017 were listening to directions in preparation for a friendly game of all-out paintball annihilation.

“... and to fire the gun, you pull the trigger like this.” Pop!

A small cry rose from the back--every girl present whipped around to make some sort of sympathetic cooing noise at Baby Isaac, who whimpered at the sudden gunshot. Babies weren’t cut out for paintball, it seemed.

As for the rest of the seniors present, paintball was assuredly the only thing on their minds. Many had played the game many times before; but others still had never shot any sort of gun, much less one of the paintball variety.

When asked for their best paintball advice for a beginner, Alan Luchtenburg (12), Josiah Brake (12), and David Unruh (12) replied simultaneously from the back seat of the van, “Don’t get hit.” This incredibly informative and insightful advice was taken to heart by everyone participating as the teams waged colorful war between jungle trees, old tires, and dented barrels.

“Aaron and I will push center,” Luchtenburg instructed his teammates as they gazed down the slope from the high ground. “A few people need to flank left while others push right.”

“Offense is the best defense,” chimed Emmett Balzer (12) as the teams sought to strategize the best way to defeat their opponents.

The opposite team also seemed to have a similar strategy to Balzer’s. One of the most memorable moments in the heat of battle was Sheldon Ang’s (12) daring approach of his opponent's’ base from behind, using a tree for cover when all six classmates in the base saw his approach and simultaneously opened fire.

“Why were there six people in the base?!?” Ang wondered aloud after the round was over and he—miraculously--escaped unscathed.

“How did you not get shot?!?” wondered everyone else.

The two rounds (and bonus six-on-six at the end) created many colorful--no pun intended--memories for all the participants. From class sponsor Jon Horton’s massive paintball bruise thanks to Luchtenburg--which he has no qualms about showing off to anyone who asks--to Dominic Fitzgerald’s (12) enthusiastic accounts about his suicide push uphill to victory, the afternoon brought with it sweat, muscle pain, more than a few bruises, and a treasure of memories.

It’s no surprise that, at the following Senior Class ExCom meeting, a cry was raised: “Let’s do paintball again!”

It seems the Class of 2017, against all human nature, indeed looks forward to the next time they might face what some call “a rainbow of pain”.

The Plunge of the Painful Paintballs

Keito Watanabe
“Boom!” Gunshots were fired as students and teachers scurried throughout the arena and scoured spots to take cover. A moment of silence broke out before a barrage of yellow pellets flew across the map. The raging war between the eagles and the hawks was about to begin.
On Saturday, 25 February, over half of the Class of 2017 and their sponsors gathered at the Penang War Museum, located at a spooky hill near the local airport. At noon, Class President Jarrod Chang (12) gathered the students and divided them into two teams: white and red. The instructor then gave them clear details on the usage of the paintball gun and the rules. The opposing group leaders, Jerald Lim (12) and Dominic Fitzgerald (12), decided the location of their base, and the troops put on their gear and stepped onto the field. Each team gathered at their base as the team leaders devised careful strategies to clear their main objective—stealing the flag from the opposing team.
As soon as the referee shouted, “Go,” the vicious war began. Some students scattered across the field and hid behind the barricades while others, who were ready to snipe their opponents from afar, stayed at the base. As troops ventured forwards to catch the flag, they were stopped by the members of the impregnable defense team. Although attackers Emmett Balzer (12) and In Ha Kim (12) charged forward, the tight defenses from each team lead to a long stalemate, ending the game in a draw.
Disappointed with the results, the teams fought once again. Troops once again scrambled throughout the battlefield as the referee gave the signal to battle. Using the experience from their last match, the students did not stay at the barricades for long; they relentlessly charged forwards to capture the enemy flag. But of course, they did so with the risk of getting shot. Countless troops had to retreat back to their base after getting shot from the enemies.
The white team, with a more strategic plan, took the lead as they blitzed through the center of the field. They were successfully able to eliminate the dispersed red team; however, they countered this ingenious plan by attacking them from the sides. Shooting down most of the white team members, the red team ferociously plunged through the battlefield. With the red team at a major advantage, Sheldon Ang (12), a member of the red team, used this chance to force the troops at their base to surrender and successfully steal the flag. The 2-hour long game finally came to a conclusion.
Heading away from the field, the red team members continued to congratulate Sheldon with his courage and fearlessness to steal the flag. Looking back on his achievement, Sheldon exclaimed, “It was satisfying when I shot Emmett in the head right before I captured the flag.”
This event, with tons of bloodshed and laughter, was a precious bonding experience that the seniors will remember after they leave Dalat. 

Tuesday 21 February 2017

Let’s Go Eagles

 Woo Young Chung

Tape on glasses, shirts tucked in, and pants worn high on the waist. Many students, determined to express their spirit for the school, dressed up as nerds. It was fascinating to see how students interpreted the stereotypical term of nerd in numerous ways, yet some components in what they wore were significantly similar. The past Student Council brought out the idea of ‘Spirit Week,’ with the prime purpose of allowing the student body to enjoy wearing outfits, other than the school uniform, with a specific theme and, at the same time, express their support and spirit for their school. This annual Spirit Week had a special twist and was different from any other one done in the past: ACSC was held here in Penang, Malaysia.

The ACSC boys’ basketball tournament occurred over the past four days, creating an opportunity to display to other schools how passionate we are for the school. The basketball games were intense, and we could witness the gym being packed when it was our turn to play. The support for the boys was not only through outfits but also through our lungs. Every pass and shot was a ‘nightmare’ that triggered the crowd to cheer even louder. The atmosphere was utter pandemonium, led by a section from the stands that howled chants with their entire hearts. Some of the players from other schools confessed that they had never seen and heard fans this passionate. By the end of the day, our voices were left behind the gym and nothing but carbon dioxide came out of our mouths. “We lost our voices, but it was worth it,” Jarrod Chang (12) exclaimed in a raspy tone.

 Thursday was a notable day for me, the theme for the day was twin day, where we dressed up identical to a friend or friends. It was a day that reminded me the importance of a friend. Matching shirts and pants symbolized friendship but, for me, it was a code of loyalty.

Friday was the ultimate day, and the purpose of Spirit Week came about. Blue and gold, the trademark colors of Dalat International School, were worn by students who were proud to represent the school.

Throughout this week, other schools acknowledged the students’ passion and engagement. As the Public Relation for StuCo, I have to admit that it was the most exciting Spirit Week I have experienced in my whole school career.

Monday 20 February 2017

We Lost Our Voices, But It Was Worth It

Anson Chin

“We lost our voices, but it was worth it, we lost our voices, but it was worth it…” The chant resonated throughout the stadium, along with the audience's applause, as the home team bowed in appreciation to the crowd after their loss to Morrison Academy which took them out of the 2017 Boys’ ACSC Basketball Competition.

In every game that the Dalat Eagles played in, our group of boys was always the loudest in the gym, leading cheers they came up with to encourage and support the home team, and provide an amazing atmosphere to play in. A few examples of the chants that were heard include “Adrian Nonis is on fire, your defense is terrified!”, “He plays on the left, he plays on the right, Sam Huang, he will score all night.” and “Jeremy, Jeremy Jeremy, Jeremy Jeremy, Jeremy Jeremy Worten! Aaron, Aaron Aaron, Aaron Aaron, Aaron Aaron Worten,” when both the brothers were on the court together. These are only a few of the chants that the varsity football team came up with during a meeting the day before ACSC started.

When asked about the chants, Woo Young merely said, “Our cheers give you chills.” which is an accurate example of the chants and atmosphere during the games. There was a moment when the Eagles were going head to head with ICSHK in the fourth quarter. Both teams were making shots and the lead was switching back and forth. Everyone in the gym was standing and cheering at their peak capacity and the gym echoed with noise and passion. The chants echoed throughout the stadium, spurring the Eagles on with encouragement. In the end, they defeated ICSHK by 6 points with a clutch three by Jeremy Worten.

The Eagles would go on to play Faith, which they lost to, and finally Morrison, who knocked them out of the tournament to finish in 5th place. The cheering caused the varsity football team, and everyone else in the gym, to lose their voices. But it was worth it. 

The Life Behind the Scenes

Benjamin Mauger

As ACSC boys basketball came to Penang, Mr. Edman set up a team to live stream every game for the parents back home. The tournament took place from Wednesday, February 15 to Saturday, February 18. A total of eighteen different people broadcasted the twenty-six games. Some of these games took place during school and some after the final bell. The team was willing to give up class time and free time to help broadcast.
There are multiple jobs that we did. We had the overseer producer, the focused camera man, and the talkative announcer. The producer’s main job was to set everything up online and to make sure that everything was running smoothly. Gloria Kim liked producing the games because she felt like she was helping people around the world to witness what is going on in Dalat’s gym.
The camera man’s job was to follow the action on the screen so that people back home would be able to see what was going on. We had the camera up in the stands for logistical purposes. Hyun Ji said, “It was nice being in the center of the crowd where you could see the entire game and cheer along, although it could be nerve wrecking at times trying not to make any mistakes.”
The announcer’s job is the easiest to understand but might be the hardest to do. Watching the action and describing it is hard enough, but there is also people from different schools playing. Noah Graves, who announced eleven games, said, “The hardest thing about announcing was memorizing all the names in just a few minutes."
All of these jobs contributed to the live stream. Although everyone was focused on the teams and refs, not many people knew what was going on behind the scenes. But this hidden action is just as important as everything else. The only difference is that it doesn’t get recognized as much.  

ACSC Boys’ Basketball: Brothers to the End

Sam Huang

The Dalat boys’ basketball team had an exciting, yet heartbreaking week as they played in their first ever ACSC held on their home ground of Penang. The ACSC, Asia Christian Schools Conference, is the biggest tournament that Dalat varsity teams participate in. Dalat athletes train hard to compete against Gyeonggi Suwon International School and Yongsan International School from Korea, Grace International School from Thailand, Faith Academy from the Philippines, Morrison Academy from Taiwan, International Christian School of Hong Kong, and St. Paul Christian School from Guam.

The tournament kicked off with fireworks during the opening ceremony on Tuesday, February 14. Our Dalat boys felt confident they’d well in the tournament at first. However, on the next day, during their first game as the entire school cheered them on, it was inevitable that they felt the pressure and nervousness. In the end, they psyched themselves out. The boys got tense and played like a weaker team, which resulted in a 34-61 loss with up to twenty-five turnovers against Grace International School, who ended the tournament in second place. The boys gathered for a team meeting to reflect on what had happened during the previous game to wake themselves up from a potential nightmare.

During their next game, the second of the day, with nerves out of the way, our Dalat team finally showed their true potential as they won 58-46 against Yongsan International School with three of the starting five players, Sheldon Ang (12), Adrian Nonis (11), and Jeremy Worton (10), all scoring double digits. The boys regained their confidence going into the second day of the tournament.

On the early morning of Feb. 16th, the Dalat boys took another 52-48 win over Morrison Academy in the last game of their pool play, finishing as the second seed of the pool. With the pool play over, the boys knew that the real tournament was starting. ACSC is a double elimination tournament in which a team is eliminated after losing twice in the playoffs.

The next morning, the Dalat boys took on the International Christian School of Hong Kong in the first round of the playoffs. In Dalat basketball history, the boys’ team has never made it past the first round of the playoffs; nevertheless, this year, the boys made an improvement and advanced to the quarterfinals with a 42-35 win against the International Christian School of Hong Kong.

However, this meant that the boys had to go head-to-head with the undefeated Faith Academy to stay in the winners’ bracket. The game against Faith Academy was a tough one. They had the tallest player in the entire tournament, along with four other guys who could drain the “three ball” all day long. The Dalat boys fought with everything they had, even closing the gap to a two point game at one point, but they fell to Faith Academy in a 46-66 loss.

The Dalat boys had their backs against the wall as they went into the last day of the tournament. Our boys could still have won it all, but that would mean they had to win four consecutive games against the top notch teams in the tournament. With that in mind, our boys took on Morrison Academy again to advance into the semifinals. However, this time, the game ended differently from the last time the two teams clashed. The Dalat boys were being out rebounded and the point guard from Morrison Academy was shooting surprisingly well, draining five three-pointers to lead his team to a 56-44 victory.

It was a devastating loss for the Dalat boys. The crowd was heartbroken to see their home team eliminated. But amidst the pain and sorrow, the one thing that grew stronger was the bond between the Dalat boys. From the beginning to the end, they bled, sweat, and wept together. No matter how tough the opponent or the situation was, they always picked each other up and fought through it together.

Through the wins and the losses, it had become more than just a basketball game. The Dalat varsity basketball team is no longer just a team of guys playing a sport; the brotherhood that developed is something that will last a lifetime for the boys. The boys have no reason to stay depressed. They have learned much from the games. Also, as Coach Arnold says, “I just want to say how proud I am of each one of you for competing at the highest level. Every coach made an effort to say how fun you guys were to watch because of your brute toughness and physicality. They all said you were the toughest opponent.”

Tuesday 14 February 2017

OHANA

Chloe Castro
“Okay guys, there are eight weeks till JSB. So we need to work hard and make some progress,” preached Areeya Kunawaradisai, the vice president of the junior class’ ExCom. The beginning of second semester always holds many worries for juniors and seniors. Seniors look ahead to the uncertain future. Juniors look ahead to a couple of busy and tiring months in preparation for JSB. All eyes look ahead to the April 27 and wonder what it will hold.
Every day from 3:10 to 4:30, the juniors work by making shakes and selling snacks to hungry customers. Some work with happy faces and enthused attitudes, while others serve with a more diffused and tired attitude. Every junior experiences good days and bad days. Sometimes it's hard to serve when you can't stop thinking about all the homework you have plus extracurricular activities before dinner. Sometimes it's difficult to be patient with fellow workers whom you don't get along with. Sometimes you just hate having to wash up and clean for closing time. Every school day, numerous juniors work in the store to make a profit and then proceed to wake up on Saturdays and work again.
Furthermore, the juniors have normal store work days and Saturday work days, but they also participate in sports tournaments and school events by selling delicious food and drinks. For instance, this year’s junior class has split into three committees. When there is a tournament over the weekends, one of the committees sells while the other two meet and plan. This is a very organized way to participate in school events and get work done for JSB.
And, of course, this class had to go above and beyond all junior class norms. They open the store and sell every morning before school starts. The available commodities include some of the following: coffee, tea, juice boxes, Milo, granola bars.
All in all, the juniors work extremely hard to make a profit and put on a memorable JSB. Problems, misunderstandings, and disagreements intertwine the next few weeks for the juniors, but on THE NIGHT, it’s all worth it.  

Spartan Sprint Saturdays

Alan Luchtenburg
           
We’ve all heard stories about the Dalat Spartan students and teachers who went on to triumph over the Spartan Super event last spring. But little do people understand how much work goes into each participant's success on the course. Last year Keegan Oppenheim cleared the 13 KM, 20+ obstacle Spartan Super in an astonishing 1 hour, 46 minutes, and 22 seconds.
This year, principle Brewster gathered a new group of students, teachers, and parents to participate in the Spartan Sprint which will be held next month in Kuala Lumpur. The Spartan Sprint is a 5KM race featuring 20+ obstacles. But training began in January so that these racers will cross the finish line of the race without falling over and dying.

For the past few weeks, Mr. Brewster has been holding 2-hour Spartan training sessions every Saturday morning, beginning at 8 AM. Each training session features a mixture of running and lifting, including 20 workouts that resemble obstacles from the race and a lap between each one. Some workouts include the following: pull-ups, sled pulling, running with weights, lunging with a slosh tube, farmer carries.

 The lap isn’t the standard track team lap; every Spartan lap begins with a single spear throw, which is actually a 2-meter long stick, aimed at the target, which in our case is a trash can. If the person misses, they have to do ten burpees later in the lap but only five if they hit it. The Spartans start running from the front of the gym towards the Castle building and around to the playground, which is where they must do their burpees, and then proceed to the road past the two dorms and down the chapel stairs. Once they get down, they have to clear a 7-foot wall. Finally, they continue back up the chapel stairs and then to the front of the gym to do their next obstacles.

Serious Spartan race competitors, like Noah Graves (12), work hard at training, saying that “Spartan training is a great workout and great way to start your day. Mr. Brewster always makes sure that we push ourselves to the max, so that we can have our best possible performance during the real race.” 

You can imagine that after 20 workouts and 20 Spartan laps, you’d be pretty exhausted.

Whether students and teachers enjoy waking up on a Saturday morning to do 2 hours of exhausting workouts, it pays off. Some of the participants have never done some of the workouts before. Nevertheless, their effort and willingness to try out new things will be rewarded after they cross the finish line this March. The grind is real; their hard work, dedication, and long Saturday mornings will pay off.

The Privileged Planet

Kevin Kim
What are the chances that there would be a planet that has the same conditions as Earth? Surely, in this expanding universe filled with thousands of galaxies that also harbor a myriad of planets and suns, there would be a similar planet like Earth; but, do they have the same exact conditions as Earth?

Recently, during B-Block Senior Apologetics class, Mr. Brewster has shown the class a video called, The Privileged Planet. This documentary is about how finding a planet that sustains life like Earth is almost impossible because there are so many factors that need to be taken into consideration. For example, there is a certain distance away from the sun that is just right for life to exist on a planet. What the video astounded most people is that Earth happens to be placed where we are able to observe distant stars and galaxies; Earth is located perfectly in the Milky Way Galaxy as it isn’t too near to the core of the galaxy or too distant from the core of the galaxy.

“I think it’s pretty cool because I believe in God and that makes it special – special in a way that God has provided a world just for us,” remarked Jonathan Lafferty (12), an avid listener in Mr. Brewster’s Apologetics class.

Another surprising factor is that changing one value in Earth’s gravity could result in a catastrophic disorder. This change in natural gravity could affect the way particles behave – all the bonds between protons and electrons would change and result in instability. Changing one value would likely hinder life on Earth as it directly affects other constants that are seen and used on Earth.

“I actually never knew that one value would result in the hindrance of sustaining life on a planet; I see these kinds of values in science classes, but I never realize that they are crucial in cultivating life on Earth,” said Jerome Ramirez (12).

With all these factors taken into place, especially considering that the Earth seems like it has been perfectly designed and placed at the right location in space, it certainly does feel as if Earth truly is the privileged planet, being different from the other planets we know of. For skeptics, this could point to supernatural being that is capable of perfectly designing the universe we now live in.

Tuesday 7 February 2017

Rat Island Camp-Out

David Unruh

During CNY break, the clean air smelled of salt. The day was bright with no clouds in sight. All the boys gathered around the kayaks for one last inspection of the equipment and food. After prayer, and final goodbyes, the intrepid adventurers pushed the kayaks out onto the dancing waves for an unforgettable endeavor.

The eleven boys had been planning this trip for a whole semester; with preparations involving food coordination, personnel coordination, and weather reading, Scott Poulter (the assistant dorm parent) was the backbone of the whole operation. He had agreed to chaperone the group of rowdy students. He also coordinated the use of the Boy Scout sleeping mats, tarps, and the first aid kit. Poulter, being an alumnus of Dalat, is a veteran rat island explorer and has valuable experience in survival on the island.

When the boys arrived on the island, they were immediately thrust into survival mode as the crew was attacked by a vicious serpent. Josiah Brake (12) stood guard on a nearby rock as Scott Poulter, with his quick thinking and reactive skills, dispatched with the deadly snake. Poulter recalls the experience saying, “My first priority was to keep the boys safe. I just had to do my job. Do I think I'm a hero for it? No, I was just protecting the lives of those boys.” Thankfully everyone survived the incident with no injuries. After an uneventful time setting up camp, the boys set to the task of making a three-course dinner. During this time, many different culinary tastes came out. Charcoal covered hot dogs and grilled fish skins were the first course of the meal. To wash it down, a scrumptious and generous amount of tomato soup was provided. Then came the fluffy pancakes, baked to a puffy, light brown perfection by Scott.

After the hearty meal, the crew went for a late night adventure to the top of the rocks to watch the Chinese New Year’s fireworks display. Finally, after an evening filled with conversation, the group headed to their respective areas for sleep. Some went to sleep in the lighthouse, some to the dock, others to their tents, and the rest spent the night in hammocks that they had previously strung up. Benjamin Mauger (12) recalls, “I didn't sleep very well. I kept waking up and falling asleep again. However, listening to the waves in the early morning was so beautiful and peaceful.”

After a rather chilly night, all the boys woke up to watch the sunrise before packing up. Each one of them with a new, unique perspective of Rat Island. After a thirty-minute camp cleanup, the boys were back on the calm water heading back to the hustle and rushed routine of school.  

Wednesday 1 February 2017

Long Live the Tradition

Darian Yeap

A tradition that lasted for centuries has now become a five-year tradition of our own. Chinese New Year has been a significant tradition for all Chinese around the world, but a group of us from the class of 2017 has set aside a day for our own reunion.

On the third day of CNY, an event has been hosted at Jarrod Chang’s (12) house since eighth grade. Now, we, the brothers of the class of 2017, have entered our senior year. This year, however, Jarrod’s brother, Jordan Chang (9), decided to bring along his friends to share the love. Freshman Grace Moon (9) was interviewed for a slim summary of the event and she screamed, "IT WAS FUNNNNN! FOOD, FOOD, FOOD, FOOD!" This year, we continued to make the best memories and hope these freshmen will resume this tradition of ours.

We met up in the afternoon and went straight to the table to play some cards. We chatted and had fun together knowing that this is the last of our CNY together. Mrs. Chang prepared the steamboat, and we rushed out because most of us had starved ourselves in preparation for this meal. We ate for well over an hour as more people, freshman and seniors, joined. We had a short break as everyone was full and watched some television.

The clock approaches 6pm and everyone was hyped for the main event of the year. Every year, Jarrod’s father would buy the red, long firecracker from Kuala Lumpur and bring it back for our event. Our tradition involves us laying it on the side of the road and making dumb decisions while lighting the short fuse. The radius in which the firecrackers fly is quite massive, which enhances the challenge.

This year, in respect to our new freshman, we decided to do one cooperatively. We sat ten tiles away from the strip and faced it while the freshman mirrored us. The final firecracker, the biggest one, flew straight to Jarrod and exploded around his left rib. Words are difficult to describe the feeling, but Woo Young (12) accurately said, “Mate, that hurt so much.” Well said, my friend, well said.

To conclude this Senior Scribble article, the man, the myth, and the legend himself, Jarrod Chang, would like to shed light on his thoughts: “It was a bittersweet moment. I'm going to miss the Chinese New Year traditions that I've always experienced growing up, but I'm glad I got to spend my last one with the people I love and care about.” His words truly brought me to tears for Jarrod himself holds a reason why some of us are united; he’s a true friend and a true brother for life. I wish our freshmen will resume this tradition we’ve started. LONG LIVE THE TRADITION! As for me, miss Celestine Teoh (9) quoted my personal summary of that day, “GAU TIAM!!!!!”