Goodbye....And Thank You

Well, its time for me to go. I'll miss all of you. Although I have no regrets about leaving, I can't help but feel sad about leaving my colleagues and students.

School takes up such a big part of one's life so there's no way I can leave without feeling anything.

If there is one regret that I have, its that I didn't get to know some of you very well - me being the strong and silent type and all that :)

I want to thank all the wonderful teachers in the English and Social Studies departments, as well as the students of 4P2, 3V6, and the Drama Club gang. I hope that all the good things in life will come to you.

Take care my friends.

Thomas

Pioneer Oi!

Exams are over, the holidays have arrived and everyone should be having the time of their life! The Sec3 serve students had ended their Headstart Programme so look like everyone is feeling great, yeah? haa..

This Headstart Programme for Sec3 SERVE and 4SEEK students had helped us to have a better start next year. It is an advantage for us as we can have an earlier start of revision. We can also prepare ourselves for next year which we all know it's an important year and a crucial one too. The word, O LEVELs sends chill down my spine. Oh well, perhaps this few holidays, i have to work on regaining my confidence so as to do better next year. So now, the majority of Pioneer students and teachers are waiting for a special celebration called ''Pioneer Day'' on the 19th November which are held in Republic Polytechnic. This celebration is a special occasion for the Pioneer Community. It is a day when prizes and awards for the deserving students are given out. It is also a showcase of Pioneer students who involved in performing arts such as drama, harmonica, guzheng assemble, dance and choir. These performers have to come back to school during the holidays, practicng their skills to give out the best performance during this special occasions. Their effort will certainly be appreciated by many of us here.

As my CCA is choir, i shall talk a little about it. The choir has lot of practices that we need to attend and i know we are not the only CCA that have to got through this. Therefore, we are not alone. We have to sing tow songs again and again to make it perfect and nice to be heard. For hours of singing the same two songs again and again, it's definitely tiring. However, i usually tell my members to persevere and remember he audience that are going to hear us and supporting us. From there, we get the strength to move on.

Yesterday, 14thNovember was the rehearsel and i'm proud to say that all performers were great. haa.. Everything was so beautiful. It worth to watch. haa.

So, those who are going for the Pioneer Day performance, i will tell you that this performers from all perfoming art group are giving their best to give a special performance for you. So do enjoy! haa.

HOLIDAY ARRIVAL...

The year has finally come to an end. It has been only awhile since the November and December break started. I suddenly feel that the days seem to be passing very slowly. I feel that though it's already the second week of the holiday or so, when it's just the first week of school break. A class of 41 has been decreased to an enrolment of 39 when Yi Wen transferred school at the beginning of the year and Stefan migrated to Canada on October this year. And now, it will be decreasing to 34 pupils in total for our class next year apparently; as four of our classmates were demoted to the Normal Acadamic level while one more is being retained. It is quite sad though, as our bond together as a class has always been very strong. But hopefully, these five of our classmates will be able to work hard and strive for good results still. DON'T EVER GIVE UP!! =D This goes for my classmates of 4V5 next year too!!! As for now,next year's 4 serve and 5 seek classes are having the Head start program to prepare us well fo rnext year's O'level. Overall,do make good use of the holiday! HAPPY HOLIDAY TO ALL!=D

DEEPAVALI

Hello everyone. Tomorrow is Deepavali. I found this article on the internet, and thought that you might like to read it if you want to know more about this festival. I would like to wish all our Hindu teachers and students 'Happy Deepavali'.

Introduction

Deepavali also known as Diwali, literally means "row or garland of lights". Locally, it has been called "The Festival of Lights". It is symbolic of victory of good over evil, celebrated by most Hindus the world over. It highlights the victory of Lord Krishna, one of the deities of the Hindu pantheon, over the Demon King, Narakasura. It usually falls around late October or early November on the new moon day. Deepavali also known as Diwali, literally means "row or garland of lights". Locally, it has been called "The Festival of Lights". It is symbolic of victory of good over evil, celebrated by most Hindus the world over. It highlights the victory of Lord Krishna, one of the deities of the Hindu pantheon, over the Demon King, Narakasura. It usually falls around late October or early November on the new moon day.

Legend

Legend has it that Narakasura, the king of demons, had tortured the common folk. After many years of hardship, the people, unable to bear the suffering, appealed to Lord Krishna who then declared war against the demon king. As he lay dying, the demon king begged for mercy from Lord Krishna and he asked that the people rejoice and be merry at the anniversary of his death as a reminder that ultimately evil will never triumph. Little clay lamps were then lighted as a sign of gratitude to Lord Krishna.Some Hindus believe that Deepavali is celebrated to mark the return of Rama, his wife Sita and brother Lakshmana after being banished from Ayodhya by his stepmother for a period of 14 years. An important reminder is that Deepavali is not the Indian or Hindu new year. The Tamil New Year falls on either 13 or 14 April every year.

Preparations

Preparations start weeks before with the spring cleaning of the home. New clothes are bought and women take great pains to make cakes, sweetmeats and other tidbits, the favourite being murukku. Hindus also believe that departed souls return during this time. So, favourite foods of the departed along with new clothes are placed on banana leaves before the photographs of the departed and prayers done.

Deepavali

Early in the morning, the Hindus will have the traditional oil bath. The body is rubbed and massaged from head to toe with gingelly oil (aka sesame oil) that is extracted from fermented sesame seeds. When all the members have had their bath and don their new clothes, special prayers are held at the family altar. Decorative designs or rice flour paintings (aka rangoli)with intricate designs usually done by womenfolk on the floor at the entrances of homes. Hindus also make it a point to visit temples early in the morning to receive the blessings of Lord Krishna and the Goddess of Wealth. Then it is time for either visiting friends or receiving them. At night, children play with sparklers and are allowed to light clay lamps and display them along the window ledges or doorways.

Author: Rakunathan Narayanan

hmm, well, just showing you guys a cute video that will just tickles you. So, have fun!




Well, baby sure will brighten up your day isn't it? However, my mum disagree. She said, ''they sure are cute but are sure tough to take care''. haa.. Maybe she's referring to me..hmm..