Deep Vibes

Bijay Rana

You've had those moments when you ask yourself, where did I come from? Why am I here? What is my purpose in life? You've been searching for answers for these questions deep into your consciousness, and you become lost in thought.  Your thoughts become undirected as you try looking for the meaning in life, searching deep into the crevices of your soul. When we are deep in thought, we become tangled with different ideas, which makes us motivated to search even further.

Aaron Kelly said, "One thing I've wondered about life is what if God only allowed us to suffer for our whole lives and only gave us His Son as a sacrifice and nothing else? What if He never gave us encouragement or guidance during our life except for in the knowledge that Christ saved us, and we have a home with Him? Even if the rest of our lives were bitter suffering, would the fact that God saved us still make Him infinitely loving and gracious? Could we rest in that if we had nothing else to rest on, not even scientific evidence of His existence?"

"A common theme for me would revolve around the mysteries of nature, such as ‘are those sparkles in the sky actually stars, or are they galaxies?’ Or, ‘why are cookies baked, and bacon cooked?’ And finally, ‘if tomato is a fruit, then is ketchup a jam?’ Many things motivate me to ponder these thoughts, but they mostly stem from my innate curiosity of all things deep," said Kai Fraser (12).

For seconds, minutes, hours, days, months, and years, you think; but that one question or idea haunts you continuously.  In the ocean of thoughts, you may look at the shallow side and not dive into the deep. But what is holding you back? 

Busy, busy, busy…

Noel Teng

The students of Dalat are bombarded with assignments once again as the school year approaches its cyclical finish line. Projects, tests, quizzes, and assignments appear united on the schedules of every student’s agenda. With fine arts, AP exams, and other major events in the horizon, stress manifests itself in a new light; it brings a new ray of despair into the monotonous lives of the students of this fine facility.

The week is packed with weight bearing obligations, and it is not forgetting to restrict breathing during the weekends as well. AP test takers are quite ready for the end.

And drama students participating in the school play have already payed the deposits for their metaphorical houses in the faraway mountains. A whole Saturday flies by as the drama llamas spend the entire day slaving away at their lines. From the crack of dawn to the heat of the afternoon, lines are repeated again and again until it has been ingrained in the brains of these drama students.

Above all this madness, college applications loom in the horizon. Sarah Tan (12), a busy student, says, “this is definitely one the busiest times of the year, balancing APs, ExCom, and college decisions, and it's been extremely easy to lose motivation, but as Mr. Mahoney advises, we all need to focus on ‘finishing well.’”

It has really been a tough and stressful week. With their noses stuck in their books, the students of Dalat will be trapped in the storm of stress until the end of the semester. 

Battling it out on the Court

Brian Hiew  

Sounds of joyful screams and shoes screeching against the court floor echoed through the gym as teams battled it out in pick-up games during an open gym session. Students from different schools in Penang come over to Dalat to take part in open gym sessions every week. Kids ranging from elementary to high school take time off the daily stresses of school to play the game they love: basketball.

“Playing in open gyms allow us to interact with guys from different schools as well as play against or alongside them,” says Sheldon Ang (11).

Before starting pick-up games, Dalat coaches begin with drills that primarily focus on basketball fundamentals, such as dribbling, shooting, and passing. In addition, players also participate in drills that put their basketball IQ and footwork to the test, such as playing mini games of 2-on-2.

            “I’m open!” screams Calvin Thompson (12) repeatedly, as he cuts past his defender and heads towards the hoop for an open look. Catching the ball with both hands, Thompson springs from the ground and lays the ball into the hoop, giving his team a one point advantage. With a point left to score, Thompson bullet passes it to Shawn Lim (12), where he takes a wide-open three-pointer to win the game. “Who’s got next?” asks Lim as his shot smoothly went through the hoop, winning his team the game.

Pick-up games proved to be fun, but competitive, during open gym sessions.

JSB: Dungeons, Dragons, and Dates

Evan Chinn

            Arm in arm, Jonathan Lafferty (11) and Angelene Woo (12) sauntered down the street lined with parents and students, all eager to see and photograph the dates. Various couples stopped along the road to take a quick picture, showing off their best smiles. Just minutes earlier, the Chapel heaved with high schoolers and teachers, all eager to finally discover the theme for the night. As the shock of the fake Star Wars’ theme subsided, out walked two knights in shining armour, causing laughter, applause, and surprised looks among the crowd. Indeed, it was apparent that JSB would be a night to remember.

            Upon arriving at the hotel, guests were given a warm welcome and a glimpse into the room so many hours of work had gone into. As seniors and sponsors strolled down the red carpet, their names being called over the microphone in a very proper medieval accent, photographer Jonathon Stephen captured some of the best pictures of the night. With all seated comfortably inside the room, the decorations became the primary focus of most. A huge, red dragon head, complete with claws and teeth, lay in one corner. A detailed castle wall, one of the primary photo props of the night, lay in another. As the guests soaked in their surroundings, junior class president, Jarrod Chang (11), extended his welcome on behalf of the junior class to the senior class members.

            Throughout the course of the night, guests were treated with music, food, and games. Old English music resonated around the room for the majority of the night, while crowds of people waited in line for food or chatted at their tables. The room erupted in laughter as embarrassing photos of seniors filled the projector screen. Juniors stood behind the podium to honor a senior with a short note of kind words and encouragement for the future; afterwards, they knighted their respective seniors and gifted them with a small sword. Between tributes and slide shows for seniors and sponsors, various games were played, such as “Guess Who”, foam sword fencing, and arm wrestling.

          As the night drew to a close, photography clasped the room in a vice-like grip. People scrambling from one group photo to another skittered across the room. Groups of friends huddled tightly together for pictures, while others searched the room for their next picture partner. As worn out students and teachers walked back to the buses and slumped in their seats, a wave of tiredness swept over the buses. Some fell victim to sleep, while others lightly chatted to their partner and reminisced over the unforgettable night they had just experienced.

2016 Original: Mushu Murderers

Boyie Chin

On April 16th, 2016, the day after the Junior Senior Banquet, the senior class prepared and performed their last entertaining night.

At 9:30 in the morning, the senior class dragged their bums from their cozy beds to meet in the chapel to plan a night to thank the juniors for their hard work. During the after-JSB dinner, the seniors brainstormed ideas to spoof the theme from JSB. As the theme for this year’s JSB was Dragon Slayers (based in Britain), it was appropriate that the spoof was Mushu-murderers (based in China).

The seniors promptly separated into committees they would like to be a part of. They separated into gifts, decorations, entertainment, and food committee. After working closely together for two years, the senior class easily worked through the day in order to make the night perfect.

At around 6PM, the juniors were invited into the chapel. As they walked in, the seniors applauded them, showing thankfulness for their hard work for putting on an amazing night at JSB. The chapel was surrounded by the Great Wall of China, along with modern graffiti. Alexis Zimbulis (12) opened the night by giving a short welcome speech and saying,“I know you’re hungry but you can’t eat yet,” which started the skit. As the curtains opened, the crowd burst out laughing as Andy Ewe (12) sat on a makeshift throne as an emperor.

            As the night went on, the interrogation of King Arthur, Merida, and Thor was conducted by the Emperor, and his three trusted advisors, to see who was the murderer of Mushu. Between the skits of the main storyline, some jokes happened. Aaron Kelley (12) spoofed on how Aaron Chand (11) was on the JSB night with obvious riddles and a thumb wrestling war. A few “tributes”’ were given to the juniors, such as Emma Hofer (12) to Sam Hofer (12); and Joshua Moon (12) to Anson Chin (11).

            At the end of the night, King Arthur declared that all three of them killed the Emperor’s beloved Mushu together. As soon as Emperor Ewe heard this, he sent his three advisors, who were also skilled at martial arts, to kill the three imbeciles who killed his dragon. At the conclusion of the skit, Peter Lee (12) started singing “Hello” by Adele, making fun of the juniors who had sung “Goodbye” the night before.

It was a great and memorable night for the juniors. Kimberly Horton (11) praised, “The dinner was awesome! My favorite part was the seniors spoofing our song about goodbyes with Adele's "Hello" (smile emoticon). I loved the churros for dessert, and the ang paos we received with personal notes inside were really thoughtful.”

This night was memorable for the seniors as well as the juniors. “It was the first time I've ever done any sort of acting, but it was a really fun experience,” Andy Ewe stated.

That night, the senior class came to full circle. They started with a small project based in the chapel at the beginning of their 11th grade year with the After-Sneak dinner. They ended with a small project in the chapel at the homestretch of their 12th grade year. This night was the beginning of the end for the seniors. On that night the seniors left a legacy for the juniors.

The Giving and Receiving of JSB

Joshua Moon

Walking down the red carpet, the seniors dressed in suits and dresses were celebrated by the teachers and students of Dalat International School. As people settled in and took their seats, the event began and the emotional and nostalgic night for the seniors took off.

The JSB started with a joyful skit from the juniors, dressed in medieval period armors and dresses. Their unique accents and great energy spread throughout the room. They used creative mediums, such as videos, to add more flavor to their play. Their effort and practice were clearly seen through the flawlessness and confidence in their presentation. This opening skit immediately set the tone for the rest of the evening; the seniors had smiles on their faces and knew that it was going to be a special event.

            After the guests were sent to grab an array of delicious appetizers, the main event of the night started. On a massive screen on center stage, seniors’ baby photos were presented on a slideshow with emotional music. This invoked a lot of laughs and grins from the crowd as the funny and cute photos of the seniors grabbed everyone’s attention. Then, a junior walked up on stage, a senior standing across from him, and started reading his tribute. Every single tribute was intimate and special to both the reader and the listener. All the audience, especially the seniors, cherished every word, sentence, and moment of the tributes that they received.

            As the night was coming to a close, the seniors were wanting more and were disappointed at how the time flew by. The event was special to them not only because of the excellent hosting or heart-felt tributes, but also because they understood the time and effort poured in by the juniors in planning the wonderful night that is JSB. As Peter Lee, a senior, said, “Tonight was a reflective night. I was able to enjoy and appreciate the night the juniors put together for us, because I have done the same for the seniors last year.”

JSB: A Night to Remember

Robert Kilgo

On the night of April 15th, the juniors, sophomores and seniors congregated in the chapel to discover the theme for this year's JSB. The room was buzzing with excitement as Jarrod Chang (11) came up to the front to announce the beginning of JSB. After a short-lived rabbit trail, the theme seemed to revolve around King Arthur and Medieval times, but the truth was yet to be seen.

Once we walked up the chapel stairs and past the mandatory pictures, we got into buses arranged by grade. The buses took us the long way to our destination hotel, St. Giles Wembley, ironically across the street from the hotel we did our JSB last year. As we were ushered in the hall, pair by pair, we already felt a sense of importance and gratitude towards the juniors. Even people who went alone felt a sense of importance. "I felt like a superstar walking down the aisle alone; I don't need a girl," said Bijay Rana (12).

The night then consisted of small skits revolving around King Arthur and his friends regarding who killed the dragon. In between skits, we had a fabulous dinner, and the senior tributes were given out. This year they were shorter than before, speeding up the process quite a lot. All of the tributes were well-written and well-received by the seniors, especially Anson Chin's (11) tribute for Joshua Moon (12).

The dessert consisted of a pig cake (it was pretty great) and a variety of smaller treats. We also had the chance to take pictures with all the well-built props that the juniors made, including the dragon. Pictures have always been a crucial part of banquets at Dalat, so the props are of high importance. Overall, the night was a splendid time spent with friends and dates alike, and we even got little swords to take home with us to remind us of our wonderful class of juniors. Hopefully they'll experience the same honor we felt this year when they're seniors themselves.  

Who Slays the Dragon?

Jethro Lee

On the 15^th of April, seniors, staff and sophomores, and obviously juniors and seniors, were invited to the Junior Senior Banquet to enjoy the evening. JSB is a tradition of the Dalat international school, where juniors work hard to prepare a banquet for seniors to honor them.

Junior Senior Banquet started at 5 pm at the chapel with juniors officially inviting seniors to the banquet and leading them to the bus. JSB was held at The Wembley-St Giles hotel in Georgetown, Penang. After juniors, sophomores, and staff entered first, seniors were called by the host to enter with great applause.

The theme of this year's JSB was 'Dragon Slayer,' which involved 5 different clans arguing with each other about who actually slayed the dragon. Juniors served the appetizers first to the guests, and they performed short plays to introduce the theme and story of the banquet. After that, they had a time to tribute each senior with sincere love and thankfulness. A few interesting games were played with every class, including staffs, to keep entertaining the guests. Since the juniors worked hard to decorate the place, both students and staff were able to take pictures with magnificent backgrounds. The banquet ended with short plays so that each clan’s leader understood each other's power and strength.

For seniors, it was a great night in which all class members were able to be honored by juniors. Alwyn Tan, one of the senior at Dalat, said, "The foods, decorations and the performances were great, but the most impressive thing was their effort in showing their gratitude."

For juniors, that night was the fruit of their huge effort of preparation. All their hard work, of about six months, shined throughout night, and it was good enough to impress all the guests.

Last but not least, for sophomores, it was a great chance to see how the current juniors prepared the night, and to get an idea of how to prepare next year's JSB to honor the seniors. 

StuCo: Lessons and Memories For Li

Wen Chi Chen 

What does one get out of working in StuCo?

This is the question people often ask me. When students enter high school, they are given a variety of extracurricular activities to participate in, and most people become part of sports teams, forensics, or drama according to their personal interests and hobbies. Meanwhile, the thought of standing up in front of the entire class (or in the case of the StuCo executive community elections, in front of the whole high school) is nerve-wrecking and makes StuCo all of a sudden unappealing. 

However, as a senior counting down the days till graduation, I find that being part of the Student Council has been the most enriching experience of my high school career. Unlike Junior or Senior class, StuCo is an entirely student-led committee, and that is what makes it such a unique experience. We didn’t have teachers making sure we were following the agenda or helping us get the things we didn’t finish on time done. Instead, we had to make sure that the work was done and that we achieved what we wanted to achieve. This year, StuCo worked on trying out new things and coming up with new ideas, such as having a flashmob to start off CB. We were also really intentional about bonding together as a group because we didn’t just work with people in our own class but with people from all grades—a dream for extroverts, a nightmare for introverts. Amanda Goh, a current StuCo excomm member, gives her thoughts on this year’s StuCo: “What I like about StuCo this year is that we all encourage other! We put our hearts into making the events enjoyable for the student body. Being STUCO's AA has given me the opportunity to work with such wonderful people.”

Yet, regardless of whether you are an introvert or extrovert, being part of StuCo makes you learn how to deal with frustrations and work around things that are out of your control. I often felt frustrated and annoyed. Yet, it was through these annoyances that I learnt lessons about life that classrooms and textbooks will never teach me—and what it’s like to stay up late at night with my excomm members trying to iron out last minute details for the event the next day, even though I had an AP Biology unit test the next day.

Nonetheless, it is these moments when I really learnt endurance; and as Mr. Brewster said during chapel, it’s the hard things that are worth doing. It is through these hard things, you realize how much stronger you are, and the feeling that you’ve done something hard is just beyond incredible. 

Returning Fire

Isaac Chan

“And may the odds be ever in your favor!”

And thus the curtains were raised on StuCo’s final event.  It began with 13 districts and was played by over 100 people. The games started at 6:30p and ran until 9:30p. The games were quite interesting, due to the many mechanics that were in play. With multiple means of winning, people adopted various methods of strategy. There were the incredibly militant groups, which focused almost solely on getting tags. On the other end of the spectrum, there were the quieter groups that would run from groups that were simply strolling around, entirely fixated on getting points through finishing trials. However, one common trait through all of these groups was the desire to win. The active participation was almost 100 percent.

The games’ success can be attributed largely to the Student Council committee. Peter Lee (12), the public relations manager stated, “The event was well organized by our members as everyone participated during our event. We tried to keep it so everyone was doing something.” Amanda Goh (12), the administrative assistant, agreed saying, “I felt like during this event, Stuco was very organized, particularly in their activities, and making sure people didn't leave the game.” This opinion was further enhanced by Christina Kim, Vice President, who said, “I felt like our planning was organized, which made this event really work, and it was really fun watching everything fall together.” And finally, the announcer and business manager, Zachary Tan, states “it was a crazy event because it was something new and never done before. We had a 100+ something people running around and it was a ton of fun.”

The players also had a lot to say about the games. Joseph Leech (12), the winner of the games’ individual survival award commented, “The game was the best StuCo event I've been to. It was really fun getting to kill people, and ultimately win. I'm going to have a great time spending my gift at Chili’s.” Another player, Gloria Kim (12) stated, “I felt the intensity of the games, and I'm very thankful StuCo planned these games.” That statement perfectly sums up the condition of the games. There were alliances, broken treaties, and tears everywhere. This level of intensity has never before been seen in a StuCo event. In an odd turn, at the final hours of the games, District 8 decided to all commit suicide in order to elevate one member of their team; Chery Yeap (12), explains, “we were very loyal to each other, so we plotted to have a secret weapon named ESTHER, and she carried the team.”

Public opinion on this event seems unanimous. Everything from the frantic scramble for points, to the ragged breaths of players as they slaved away to redeem a life, even to the ludicrosity of the trials, made these games the best StuCo activity in years. The absolute love for this event beckons StuCo to bring it back next year. 

Future Freshmen Forget School and Face New Challenges

Joyce Oh

On Wednesday, April 6, the Dalat eighth graders gathered together early in the morning and took a three-hour bus trip up to Ipoh for their transition retreat. The students were chaperoned by Ms. Wood, Mr. Nguyen, and Mr. Roylance, who had a lot of exciting events planned for them for the next three days.

            The eighth graders were kept active during their retreat, participating in activities, such as caving, white water rafting, and climbing giant rocks, that helped them engage with nature, allowing them to take a break from the extensive screen-time they’re used to having on regular days.

            On the second day, the group went white water rafting after a mini-lesson from the instructor on how to go against a fast current in case they fall off. They also got to practice how to rescue their friends, such as throwing ropes correctly, and even how to jump into the deep water without losing control.

            After the energy-draining water activity, the group spent some time with the local children at the orphanage. As senior middle schoolers who’ve been around elementary and kindergarten kids back at school, the eighth graders took the initiative to play games with the children and build relationships with them.

            According to Gloria Kim (8), who was part of the activity-planning committee, the students and the children had a great time while making paper airplanes and throwing them, taking turns doing the jump rope, and playing simple games such as tag and duck-duck goose to break the ice and share laughter.

            After such an eventful second day, the students and the teachers looked forward to a restful evening; however, the students claimed that sleep was impossible when they’re busy having fun. The students were given two rooms total in Earth Camp, the place where they stayed, with one room for all the boys and the other for all the girls.

            “We were all in bunk beds and couldn’t stop chatting. One person would laugh at something, and we all followed. I barely got any sleep because everyone was so hyper, but it was worth giving up sleep since we got to bond and know more about each other,” said Risa Sasada (8).

            Thankfully, Earth Camp provided delicious Malaysian food each meal, which gave them energy for the day that they did not receive from sleep.

            On their last day, the group was faced with the most challenging, yet the most fun, activity. They spent the whole morning at Mountain School, which is the equivalent of Escape in Penang.

            With lots of trees and giant rocks to climb, the students not only challenged themselves physically but also mentally, as they had to demonstrate perseverance and endurance during the tough course throughout the jungle.

            Once they had completed the last activity of the whole retreat, the students made their way back to Dalat, exhausted but renewed at the same time. This transition retreat was not one heavy with instruction lectures; by doing these activities, the students learned for themselves important things like friendship, maturity, growth, and perseverance.

            During small group discussions, they had the chance to reflect on their middle school years, allowing them to learn from their mistakes and healthily move on to have a successful start of high school in the upcoming year.

            Ultimately, the retreat taught them to cherish the time they have with one another, for the next four years of high school will go by faster than they would expect.

Softball in the Scorching Heat

Joseph Leech

The varsity boys’ softball team started warming up on the College General field early Saturday morning, for their first game of three total that they would play that day. Many of them were tired from their first game on Friday, of which the Eagles were victorious, and from the hours of nonstop action during Dalat's first Eagle Games.

During the Eagles first game, they gave it their all against their opponent ISKL and came out on top, making their streak 2-0. As the varsity boys left the field, the varsity girls and their opponents took the field. Many of the varsity boys found shade on the hill and ate sunflower seeds as the watched and cheered for the Lady Eagles. As the lady's game came to an end the Dalat boys took to the field again to play their third game, many of them were reluctant because of the scorching heat of the midday sun. Game three seemed to be a bad one for the boys as they let ISKL score nine straight runs early in the game. Towards the end, it seemed impossible for the Eagles to make it back, but somehow they were able to hold off ISKL and make enough runs to bring themselves ahead by two at the beginning of the last inning. All they needed was to keep ISKL from making any runs. Luckily for the Eagles, Joseph Sue (11) was on fire and caught three balls in a row, preventing ISKL from making any runs and sealing the deal for the Eagles, making the record 3-0.

Later in the day, after a good lunch, the Eagles once again took to the field for their fourth and final game against the Panthers. Many of the players, at this point, were exhausted from the unforgiving heat. Once again Dalat fell apart during an inning, making many mistakes that led to ISKL scoring six runs. The Dalat Eagles, however, were not ready to give up and wanted badly to sweep ISKL. They fought hard to catch up and, by the end of their last batting, they were two runs ahead of ISKL, making them again have to take to the field and hold the Panthers to lower than two point in order to win the game. Dalat quickly made two outs with the help of Tim Sasse’s (11) quick feet and fast, accurate throws to first. The Panthers now had two runners on base and a big hitter up to bat. The Eagles prepared themselves as Teddy Zimmer (10) began to pitch the ball. In order to win, they had to get the out and keep any of these runners from making it home. Teddy pitched the ball and the ISKL batter clobbered the ball. The softball went flying to left field and seemed to be way over the heads of the outfielders. It looked like it was going to be over and ISKL was going to make three runs. But at the last second, as the left outfielder [Joseph Leech (12)] chased after the ball, he reached out his arm and snagged the ball right before it hit the fence. This catch ended the game, making the Eagles 4-0 and completely sweeping ISKL.

Saturday was a success for the Dalat varsity boys as they won all four of their games. Many of the players struggled with the heat, but they enjoyed their time none the less. “It was an extremely hot day, but it was worth it and I enjoyed every second of it,” said Johnathan Park (12) after the end of the fourth game. The varsity boys are now just waiting to hear news about their next tournament, MSSPP, of which they plan to bring home a gold medal from it.