Footprints Winter 2008

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Back in October, the final cast of Fame was announced in the drama room. Cheers were audible from the hallway as students received the roles of their desired characters. Al- though some left with a hint of dis- appointment due to getting less im- portant roles, everyone got to be a part of the production. Despite the excitement of making the musical, what lay ahead of the students was a long road to be paved with de- termination, grit and a readiness to withstand the criticism of all who were about to experience the final performance. Such enthusiasm was lost during the early Saturday morning rehearsals as half of the cast arrived late or not at all. Not much could be expected of us but a lethargic perform- ance with a pocket swallowing one hand and a script in the other. After all, high school students weren’t physically built to wake up at a normal school hour on a Sat- urday and for a month or so the cast of Fame was liv- ing a 6 day week. Professional sound techni- cians were hired to organize the microphones and amplification of the Act, though “a few glitches here and there” was an under- statement compared to what was really going on. Truth be told, the OFS audi- torium wasn’t built with the proper acoustics to hold such a musical event. An atmosphere of worry arose as the musicians, actors and dancers struggled to perform in harmony. But, the feeling of anxiety slowly turned into excitement as the final per- formance drew close. Technical prob- lems were gradually taken care of, the directors worked hard to perfect the fluidity of the act and the cast became more and more committed to their parts and took the respon- sibility to por- tray the true essence of their characters. The production was also made possible with the help of friends, family and teachers who put endless amounts of work into making this musical a great success. As the final evening perform- ance passed before our eyes, one could only say “Bring on Tomorrow”! The exciting tunes and catchy lyrics have left a majority of us “Dancin’ on the Sidewalk”. True commit- ment and a positive attitude drove Fame to become an amazing expe- rience, but all in all none of it would have been possible without “Hard Work”! -Mary Ma ~FAME ~ “HARD WORK” PAYS OFF! I S S U E # 2 2 0 0 8 W I N T E R E D I T I O N Whats Installed for You this Season! in_school -Dig Up A Story -Are You Resistant to Resis- tance? -‘Like War for Chocolaarts+hobbies -What do you mean you’re Seventeen and Still Play with Dolls?! -OFS Unplugged review=bites world=+ politics -A Festive Season -A Utopia for humans, but Dystopia for cats? -Wau - Malaysian Kites model united nations ...And much more!

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Transcript of Footprints Winter 2008

Page 1: Footprints Winter 2008

Back in October, the final cast of Fame was announced in the drama room. Cheers were audible from the hallway as students received the roles of their desired characters. Al-though some left with a hint of dis-appointment due to getting less im-portant roles, everyone got to be a part of the production. Despite the excitement of making the musical, what lay ahead of the students was a long road to be paved with de-termination, grit and a readiness to withstand the criticism of all who were about to experience the final performance. Such enthusiasm was lost during the early Saturday morning rehearsals as half of the cast arrived late or not at all. Not much could be expected of us but a lethargic perform-ance with a pocket swallowing one hand and a script in the other. After all, high school students weren’t physically built to wake up at a normal school hour on a Sat-urday and for a month or so the cast of Fame was liv-ing a 6 day week.

Professional sound techni-cians were hired to organize the microphones and amplification of the Act, though “a few glitches here and there” was an under-statement compared to what was really going on. Truth be told, the OFS audi-torium wasn’t built with the proper acoustics to hold such a musical event. An atmosphere of worry arose as the musicians, actors and dancers struggled to perform in harmony.

But, the feeling of anxiety slowly turned into excitement as the final per-formance drew close. Technical prob-lems were gradually taken care of, the directors worked hard to perfect the

fluidity of the act and the cast became more and more committed to their parts and took the respon-sibility to por-tray the true essence of their characters.

The production was also made possible with the help of friends, family and teachers who put endless amounts of work into making this musical a great success. As the final evening perform-ance passed before our eyes, one could only say “Bring on Tomorrow”! The

exciting tunes and catchy lyrics have left a majority of us “Dancin’ on the Sidewalk”. True commit-ment and a positive attitude drove Fame to become an amazing expe-rience, but all in all none of it would have been possible without “Hard Work”! -Mary Ma

~FAME ~ “HARD WORK” PAYS OFF!

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪

I S S U E # 2 2 0 0 8 W I N T E R E D I T I O N

What’s Installed

for You this Season!

in_school-Dig Up A Story

-Are You Resistant to Resis-tance?-‘Like Water for Chocolate’

arts+hobbies-What do you mean you’re Seventeen and Still Play with Dolls?!-OFS Unplugged

review=bitesworld=+politics

-A Festive Season-A Utopia for humans, but

Dystopia for cats?-Wau - Malaysian Kites

modelunitednations

...And much more!

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The world’s greatest fearFind out how to get rid of that fear of public speaking with some simple tips.

When people hear the phrase ‘the world’s greatest fear’ they assume you are talking about things like claustrophobia, arachnophobia or acrophobia. Unfortunately this particular fear doesn’t have a very fancy name with a ‘phobia’ attached to it. This fear is called 'public speaking'. This is one of the most common fears

that people tend to forget, but when you’re up in front of an audience, it’s the only thing that you can remember.

Everyone wants to know how to get rid of this fear. Well, you have two options - practice speaking in front of people so much that you forget you have a fear of public speaking or hide your fear with a big smile. Many people go for the second option, just because it is easier. Start your speech by introducing yourself so that you get used to facing the audience. Before getting into the official content of the speech, pause and smile. Toastmaster International suggests that you ‘transform your nervous en-ergy into enthusiasm’. Make sure that you don’t focus on what can go wrong, instead concentrate on what you are speaking about and the people you are speaking to. You have to be interested in what you are talking about otherwise the message will not be

effectively communicated.

However, as intimidating as it may sound, the satisfaction you get when the crowd claps after your speech is very rewarding. So, gather your confidence and speak up when you get the opportunity because as they say ‘opportunity comes only once in a while’. -Malvika Unnithan

It’s that time of the year again!It’s year-end and the holidays are on every student’s mind in Overseas Family School. The minds take

a short trip to the luxurious beaches of the Maldives or the snow laden peaks of Switzerland in between classes, at break and lunchtime – perhaps even in classes when the teacher’s not looking.

But alas, it’s just the end of the middle of the school year and exams are still ahead. Eek! In less than a month, frantic studying will soon begin, with people juggling to finish homework and assignments, complete their CAS or ECA requirements and trying to make time to study in their hectic schedules. Pressure can run high for some before the exams, and it is essential that we stay calm and collected to retain what we know for the exam. Papers are never well written with a nervous mind! It’ll give you no answers and you’ll be

Mostly Doubtless

Dig Up A Story Are you interested in hunting for great stories and events to write about? Do you want to share your work and let it be appreciated? Well, if your answer to these questions is 'yes', then I think we've found just 'the club' for you!

The Journalism club is a newly formed ECA or CAS activity. This club allows stu-dents to voice opinions and ideas on things that happen on a day-to-day basis at school, such as behind the scenes stories about concerts or special event days. You also have the opportunity to dig up a story. This means finding a story in school that is important for all high school students to know about. This club is not only for writers or reporters- there’s plenty of room for cartoonists, critics (movie reviews or music reviews), interviewers and photographers. So there’s a job for everyone.

The year 2008 is the first time in the school’s existence that a student-run newspa-per is being published. This is a great opportunity to meet new people and to get to know them through their writing. As in any club, a lot of commitment and dedication is required to be a member of this club. However, commitment and dedication only develop as long as you enjoy the activity. So come along and let the creativ-ity flow! -Malvika Unnithan

Everything from School Tips to this Season’s Events!

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jumpy throughout. To avoid nerve wrecking situations and noisy nerv-ous breakdown encounters, begin to study little by little every day. Half an hour of studying should be more than enough to begin with and then slowly increase the time as you pro-gress. Do your other work as well though. Sleep is essential as well! Make sure you get at least seven hours of sleep! Many will find that music and deep breaths calm them down. Smiling and saying positive things to yourself help a great deal before and after the exams. Best of luck!

As the exams creep to a finish, you’ll see the sun beginning to rise over the horizon! Three weeks of a delightful Christmas vacation. But the icing on the cake is what we do after the ex-ams! An exciting Winter Dance awaits our indulgence. Then we can let our hair down and release the exam anxiety that has bottled up in-side us. -Natasha Chainani

Finally! It’s LUNCH!

3... 2.... 1... Triiiiiing... There goes the bell. Its 1.25 p.m and the classroom doors are flung open and students pour out into the corridors. The OFS hallways spring back to life for perhaps a few minutes before they go back to sleep. Yes, five min-utes later, everyone can be seen in the canteen or at the picnic tables, enjoying their food or watching the games played on the basketball courts.

Students queue up to get their food, while teachers keep vigil for anyone

cutting lines. Once back at their lunch tables, its time to relax before the next class begins. Stu-dents are

seen having a good laugh and shriek-ing at jokes and unbelievable com-ments. But there are others who have yet to finish their mound of home-work. Some gobble down food and head back into the HS building to the computer labs or the library to com-plete their homework.

Faces frowning in concentration on the computer screen compete with faces smiling at their friends and chatting whilst doing homework. Students and teachers can be seen running around the corridor looking for others and meeting deadlines af-ter a good lunch. At times, one or two people run off to detention with weary looks on their faces.

Mr McAuley and Ms Harvey, the Academic Advisors, usher people in to visiting university presentations and sometimes even convince those unwilling to go. As the clock strikes 2.15 pm, the OFS corridors are swarming and buzzing again as we head back to the last class of the day. Some of us filled to the brim and dreaming about the end of the school day. Others have anxious looks on their faces because they have to meet homework deadlines and have skipped a hearty meal. The OFS lun-chtime is buzzing with activity and is a blend of emotions. Just look around and you’ll begin to notice all that goes on at lunch... -Natasha Chainani

P.T. on the P.P.Mr.Edward shares his ‘personal

thoughts’ and insight on the Personal Projects.

Q: Why is the Personal Project im-portant? Mr. Edwards: It is the final step in the MYP program and is important for research and writing skills. It also prepares the students for the Ex-tended Essay in Grade 12.

Q: How do the supervi-sors help the students? Mr. E: Su-pervisors are there to provide guidance and sup-port to the students. They give feed-back on the project and help improve it.

Q: Which projects caught your eye? Mr. E: They were projects on envi-ronmental architecture and DNA. Also, there was a project on psychol-ogy, where the student conducted the psychological tests.

Q: According to you, how much ef-fort is required to do the Personal project? Mr. E: A lot of effort! But the most important skill is time man-agement. It is not possible to leave everything to the end and make a good project.

Q: Is it not difficult for the students to make the project and along with that manage the other school work?Mr .E: To make it easier, 6 months are given which include the summer holidays. If the students develop their time and plan well, then it is not very difficult. In the end it all depends on how well they manage their time.

Q: What kind of projects do you want to see next year?Mr. E: There is no particular type of projects that I want to see. The only thing is stu-dents should be passionate about the topic they choose.

Q: How are the projects graded?Mr. E: There are MYP criteria that are followed during the marking. First, the supervisors mark the pro-ject and then a different teacher marks it. Finally, all the grades come to me and I check them. A sample is also given to the IBO.

Q: Are the students’ grades affected if they do not do well in the Personal Project?Mr. E: No, the grades are not di-rectly affected and it won’t stop the graduation or anything. But, in the semester report, there will be a comments box about the project. Every student doing the PP will get a MYP Record of Achievement from

the IBO.

Q: Any other message for the stu-dents?Mr. E: Yes, two things. Firstly, the reflection and evaluation of the pro-ject are very important and the stu-dent should link the project to one area of interaction. Secondly, time management is essential for a good project.

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ARE YOU RESISTANT TO RESISTANCE?

The Physics Service Group, which may sound very academically oriented, proves to be a truly fasci-nating service activity, even to those students not studying the subject. Several interesting activities take place within this club, from making connecting wires, to creating an electrical circuit, to building up resis-tance boards.

The students taking part in this activity clearly enjoy themselves, as they are able to talk about whatever they like, mostly topics unrelated to Phys-ics, while simultaneously performing the tasks given to them as well. For example, during one session, the students had to fix crocodile clips on the ends of wires, so that electrical circuits could be made by other classes within the high school science de-partment.

The students had to use pliers and screw-drivers, to first take off some of the insulation from the end of the wire using the pliers, and then push the naked wire into the end of a crocodile clip and then use a screwdriver to put in a screw to keep the wire in place. Students worked as a team, helping each other complete the task, the stronger students helping the others to create the entire wire.

Another activity that was carried out was creating re-sistance boards. The students had to use hot glue guns, to glue long pieces of wood, to the side of the boards, in order to elevate it from the table, so that the resistance wires would be able to pass through the elevated area. Using the hot glue guns was an enjoy-able moment for the students, as the long rolls of glue had to be inserted at the back of the gun, and the trig-ger of the gun had to be pulled several times before the boiling hot glue came out in a straight line. After the gun had been used, it had to be stood up in a particular upright position on a white tile, so that the dripping glue would not touch the work benches, as the glue was very power-ful and difficult to remove, if it touched the work ta-bles. Hence using the hot glue guns proved to be quite an experience for the students!

-Shweta Ramkumar

Like Water for Chocolate Are you looking for a book with culture, romance,

passion and recipes? Well, ‘Like water for Chocolate’ or ‘Como Agua Para Chocolate’ by Laura Esquivel is

the book for you!

“Like Water for Chocolate” is a story set in Mexico during the 1910 revolution. It is a story about a girl called Tita who spends most of her life in the kitchen and develops an emotional connection with the food that she makes. She has to follow a family tradition which states that the she, as the youngest daughter of the family cannot marry, and hence, she dedicates her life to taking care of her mother. This puts a full-stop to her love story with a young gentle-

man called Pedro. In order to keep Tita close to him, he decides to marry Tita’s older sister Rosaura. The story continues with various unusual and magical happenings.

I personally think this book is a very good read as it gives the reader great insight into Mexican culture - one of the biggest plus points of the book. As a reader you

are exposed to a different writing style which is quite creative. This book really intrigues you with its amaz-ing plot and range of characters. Everyone will be able to connect with this book in one way or another which is what makes it possible for everyone to thor-oughly enjoy it.

Note to future readers: If you’re up for a challenge try reading it in Spanish, the language it was origi-nally written in. -Malavika Unnithan

..And all those little kids It is 3:30 p.m.. You're exhausted from all your studying at school. Now you must deal with a mind boggling myriad of munchkins – and you think, 'No – I want to go home!'.

But not the Elementary School Helpers club – a bunch of dedicated, hard working individuals that enhance the school life of the Elementary School, a part of our OFS community. What’s more, they enjoy every bit of the experience! Various days after school, 2 to 3 high school students meet to help the Elementary School librarian manage the younger children before they go off to their ECAs. They intend to read to them, teach them to draw, take care of them and ensure they do not talk too loud. But they often end up laughing and playing with the children. Still sound like an odious ordeal? Elementary School helpers is actually a great way to end the day – with a light heart, a few laughs, a colourful drawing or two as an expression of grati-tude from the little children who demand your return. You finish the day feeling that you've served the OFS community in a satisfying way. -Diya Malhotra

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What do you mean you’re Seventeen and Still Play with Dolls?!

Ball-jointed dolls are increasingly popular in Singa-pore, yet not many people are aware of this odd and

fascinating hobby.

Many little girls grew up playing with dolls but, to be honest, I was not quite one of them. Al-ways preferring dinosaur figurines and war games, it amused my fam-ily members when I first ventured playing with dolls at the age of fif-teen, dwelling in the world of ball-jointed dolls.

The term ‘ball jointed doll’ today, refers to polyu-rethane resin dolls that are articu-lated by a ball-and-socket system which makes them posable and highly customizable. There are several companies making these dolls, each offering a variety of dolls with different face sculpts, but the customizability doesn’t stop there. Not only can you choose their clothes and treat them as fashion dolls, you can also change their

eyes, hair, and even repaint their faces – giving your doll a unique look.

The height of these dolls range from the pocket-sized 11 cm to a massive 90 cm, with the 60 cm range being the most popular. And they’re not actually as frag-ile as they look – I can say this out of my own personal experi-ence. Of course, this does not mean you can go around throw-ing the dolls about.

You’d be amazed at how expressive these dolls can be, especially in photos - the wig, eyes and dressing all factor in the image of the doll, but so does the pho-tography. The lighting and the angles you take the shot at could change the mood and looks of these dolls completely. People buy these dolls for different reasons – for collection, for writing stories, for pho-tography, for their customization, for their love, for their sheer cuteness... But, whatever it is, this hobby promised hours of endless fun, where only your crea-tivity is the limit. -Jessica Iskandarsjah

Curious about this hobby? Or do you have an odd hobby to share? E-mail inquiries and ideas to [email protected]!

Arts & Hobbies

Art is but a Fusion of Illusions

Pavement artist Julian Beever does not specialise in realism, but his drawings are as real as it gets.

Nope, neither that giant coke bottle nor that globe is real. Julian Beever may not be the next Picasso, but when it comes to drawing on the pavement, UK-born Julian Beever is the next big thing. Known as "ana-morphic illusions", Beever has been pavement drawing for over ten years, and is often paid to do so.

However, the drawings only look to be three dimensional from a certain

angle and it is a pain-staking process to carry out. By placing a camera at the right angle, he has to constantly move back and forth between his drawing and the camera to make sure that it turns out right.

No mistakes can be made and unsur-prisingly his finesse in these unique illusions had not gone unnoticed. Ranging from company advertise-ments to 'just for fun' type drawings, Beever's art has taken him all over the world. Though he may not yet be a global hit, such innovation surely serves as artistic inspiration for all those who come (or walk) across his pavement drawings. Julian Beever has also done several great wall murals and oil paintings, but no doubt his putting of the chalk to pavement is his biggest talent. -David Sim

Ever-present and never failing to surprise or inspire.

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OFS Unplugged!On the 11th November, OFS unleashed its dazzling array of musical talents in “OFS unplugged”. However, for all those people who missed out on all the fun and all the effort that went into pulling off their performances, here’s your inside scoop.

The action started on 8thNovember when students came for their auditions, starting from 9 to 1:30 in the afternoon. Many students came for the audition and even auditioned for multiple performances, amazing us with their beautiful voices or their radical guitar skills. The performers who made it to the final list of 16 performances were definitely happy, but had a lot on their plate. With only about 4 days to go before Un-plugged, they raced against time to find time for practice and schoolwork.

Just a few minutes before the performers were on stage, they were asked about how their pre-gig nerves were. While many of the seniors and frequent performers were extremely confident and felt like they were “Super-man” wearing red towels as capes, some of high school’s freshmen were nervous about performing in front of their friends and family.

The lights dimmed, the doors closed and the entertainment started. The talent displayed was stupefying. The night commenced with Jessica Aman and Maria Gonzalez as the MCs of the night, presenting their first act, an electrifying song called Cookie Jar performed by Archi, Luis and Vivek, which was fol-lowed by a self-written song by Viviana June, called Journey composed as part of her Personal Project. This song brought many in the audience close to tears, with its deep meaningful lyrics. In the next performance, Finlay and Bérengère Sim changed the conventional way of boys’ and girls’ octaves through the popular song I’m Yours.

Mary Ma then performed a guitar vocal solo on the Man who can’t be moved, but she didn’t leave immediately; she accompanied the next performer, Sebastian in his semi self created song, Amillia as well as Jessica Hung with the song Strawberry Fields For-ever. The next performance was the time for Jessica to stay a bit longer when she and Viktor Hammarberg performed a duet on Self-Conclusion after which the ninth graders made an entry with Karina, Frederikke and Mary Claire performing the song Don’t Ever by Missy Higgins.

The next performance was by Karina, Daran and Daniel on Sidewinder. In the middle of the song there was an unexpected surprise for Daniel, when his guitar string broke off, but that didn’t keep Daniel from performing for his hungry audience.

The brother/sister duo of Adam and Rebecca Pardey were up performing the next song Other side of the World, followed by their accompaniment of Amber Katz on the song Waiting for the World To Change. Johanna Martendal per-formed the song Chances accompanied by Adam Pardey on the guitar. 10th grad-ers, Vishwa Bhuta and Sarah Khursheed then performed the popular song Real-ise by Colby Caillat, after Sarah, Tamsin, Jessica Aman and Nadine performed Modern Nature.

Miss O’Hara bedazzled us through the song Baby One More Time by Britney Spears, accompanied by Mr Stipek. For the final performance, Bethany Tennant, Mysha Didi, Sarah Niesel and Danielle Cortes finished off that night’s range of performances with their version of I’m Yours.

Those who performed in Unplugged or watched it definitely loved that night. Did you miss it? Take a head start and start preparing your song, for an event a whole 365 days away or simply wait for more events to come like the winter dance, the spring musical, the Christmas concert and not to forget, the battle of the bands.

-Malavika Nair

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Review BitesPink + Purple +

Anime = ?Are you hungry? Thirsty? Come and join us at Waro-eng 613! This translates to

Kiosk 613. Rating: 4/5

The food here is juicili-cious and the drinks are thirst quenching, especially in the middle of a hot day.

It is located at Concorde Shopping Center #02-69. It is just above the hair salon, Sizzors, next to the E-donut shop. So - you can pamper yourself in the salon, and then treat your taste buds with Indonesian food, such as fried chicken, nasi uduk, chicken satay, char-grilled fish, and many more. You can also bor-row comic books, maga-zines, and, for those people who are looking for news you can read the newspa-pers in the restaurant.

My personal experience there was very pleasant. The place was calming, with music softly playing in the background as I read my favourite Betty and Veronica comics. I or-dered ayam panggang, and so far it's my favourite dish. As I'm writing this article, I'm actually craving one! As for the drink, I ordered Es Kacang Hijau; ice green bean. It is boiled green bean with Mallacan sugar for fragrance, and I found several slices of fresh coconut meat in it as well. I forgot to mention that every meal comes with a free dessert, and this des-sert changes - it could be watermelon, pudding, melon. I spent $8.50 in total. What a bargain! -Victoria Eddy

Extraordinary Delicacies from a Pâtisserie

ChocolateriePastry and chocolate res-

taurant Canelé may be somewhat pricey, but a

little indulgence can go a long way.

Location: Shaw Centre, Paragon, Raffles CityRecommended: For sweet-tooths or small social gath-eringsFavourites: Violette Maca-ron, Lvad

From the rich Raspberry Frambola to the earl grey tea flavored chocolate, Canelé is a four year old restaurant that offers a wide selec-tion of treats that do not just sound exotic and de-lightfully sweet, but also live up to their names. Set in a chic ambience of black furniture coupled with seats of red velvet and lu-minous white lights, it is well known for its sweet delicacies and cosy atmos-phere. While only a hand-ful of people can be seated at a time due to its lack of space, the place is still spa-cious enough for one to settle comfortably into.

It was founded by well-acclaimed Pastry Chef Pang Kok Keong, who has

since earned various awards. The restaurant also offers crepes, pastas and sand-wiches amongst an assort-ment of other choices, but one of its main highlights is its French pastry - par-ticularly its macarons.

With a variety of flavors available to suit anyone's tastes, each visit is a new experience for those daring to try chocolates such as the Lvad (a black pepper and cinnamon mix) or the sugar-packed caramel macaron. Those who do not feel so adventurous could settle for the Choco-late Classique or even a simple "Sweet Meadows" tea of egyptian chamomile and lemon mystle. While a small block of chocolate in

Canelé fetches a price of $2.50, the moment's luxury may just be what is needed before or even after the mounting stress of exams. -David Sim

Green Frogs Anybody?

If you are hungry and would like to enjoy a good

bargain then join me at Sakae Sushi! Rating: 4/5

For an all-you-can-eat sushi buffet people be-tween the age 13 to 21 need only to pay S$13.90++. Recently it was Sakae Sushi's 11th birthday. And to celebrate

its birthday, it decided to introduce a new menu. One of their new addition is the Sakura Ebi Maki, which I have tried recently. Outside, it is surrounded with fried shrimp, and en-closed in it is a seaweed and lobster salad, fla-voured with a hint of wasabi, to wake you up, and jolt you a little bit.

I would also recommend the Sunshine Maki, which is prawn tempura wrapped in mangoes and salmon roe. It gives a sweet yet salty taste that will perk up your taste buds. For those eel lovers, you may want to try the Golden Maki, it is shaped like little huts, with eggs as the roof and eels in inside. And for those who prefer fish, I'd strongly recommend the Hamachi Kama Shioyaki, it is the cheek of the yel-low tail fish, and is grilled with salt, to preserve the taste of the freshness. It cost S$8.99, and it is guar-anteed to be worth your money. -Victoria Eddy

Reviews of restaurants with food that may be just what you needed!

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World & PoliticsA Festive Season

Winters nowadays are associated with Christmas, which, as you would already know, is a Christian celebration. However, the Christians aren’t the only ones celebrating this season, there’re plenty of other celebrations, so check these ones out:

Bodhi DayAlso known as Joudou-e in Japanese; a Buddhist holiday celebrating the day the historical Buddha reached enlightment. Celebrated on December 8th

St. Basil’s DayA Christian Orthodox holiday celebrating St. Basil the Great – he’s portrayed much like St. Nicholas in Greece, giving out presents every January 1st.

Navratri A Hindi festival that celebrates the wor-ship of female divin-ity. Celebrated in November or Octo-ber.

Groundhog DayAn American and Canadian holiday, in which a group would observe a groundhog emerging from its bur-row, and making predictions on how long the winter would last based on the Groundhog’s actions.

HannukahA Jewish holiday, also known as the Festival of Lights. It lasts for eight days and start on 25th day of Kislev according to the Jewish calendar, various days in November and December in the calendar we’re used to.

MatarikiIn New Zealand, winter is not at the end of the calen-dar, but in the middle of it. This Maori New Year is usually celebrated in early June

KwanzaaAn African-American holiday to honor African heritage. It is quite new, created in 1966, but is now observed by many in the United States from De-cember 26th to January 1st.

-Jessica Iskandarsjah

A Utopia for humans, but Dysto-pia for cats?

Filled with feline lovers, Japan's cat cafes prove to be very popular, but too much attention may not be such a good thing for the cats.

Who can resist the doleful eyes of a kit-ten? Unlike dog cafes where people bring their own dogs, cat cafes in Japan are al-ready filled with cats! Located all over the country such cafes are even popular in the bustling Tokyo city,

where many go to relax and take a break from the hectic city life. Most cafes charge on an hourly basis, where for a few dollars one could mingle with cats and simply relax. A great place for couples; feline lovers who do not have the time; or those who are not allowed to have pets at home, it comes as no surprise that the cats are often greeted by tons of visitors each day.

However, this has lead to many of the older cats growing desensitized to hu-man contact, often ignoring or unwilling to play with humans, with a few even disliking humans approach-ing them. This is particularly true in the main shop-ping areas of Tokyo where there are cat 'cafes' located in shopping malls charging a one-time fee for entry. In such places it is not uncommon to be unable to find a cat that is not occupied by someone else. Mistreat-ment by children or even adults who are sometimes unaware of how to handle cats properly are also not uncommon. Sure, everything has its pros and cons. In a chance conversation a visiting foreigner pointed out that he "liked and owned cats back home, but could not bring them over.". Whether that is worth nine lives is ultimately left to the cafe owners to decide. -David Sim

Reaching out to the corners of the globe - all things ‘international‘ or politically inclined

Page 9: Footprints Winter 2008

Thanksgiving!

This is a traditional American holi-day, which is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States. This year, it turns out to be on the 27th of November. Thanksgiving is a type of harvest festival, which is celebrated in ap-preciation of people's possessions and earnings over the year. This holiday is celebrated with family and friends, usually over a Thanks-giving dinner, where people con-tinuously thank and wish their loved ones well for the future.

Before dinner is served, people usually say a prayer to thank God, for all that he has given them, and to ask for his blessings for the years to come. Thanksgiving dinner, in the US, usually consists of a variety of delicious food, such as baked and roasted turkey, stuffing, mashed po-tatoes, sweet potatoes and cranberry sauce, corn, other fall vegetables, and pumpkin pie for dessert. I am sure you have already built up an appetite!

However, nowadays Thanksgiving is not only celebrated in the US, but also in other countries such as Can-ada and Grenada. This holiday is celebrated on the second Monday in October in Canada, and on the 25th of October in Grenada.

Thanksgiving is celebrated slightly differently in Grenada, in the sense that it is celebrated for a different reason. The celebration in Grenada signifies the day in history when the United States of America attacked and invaded the island, due to the execution of the Grenadan Prime Minister Maurice Bishop, which is quite a different reason to celebrate Thanksgiving. Nevertheless, Thanksgiving is a festival of joy, happiness, and of conveying one's appreciation firstly to God, and then to their loved ones. -Shweta Ramkumar

Santa Claus! Candy Canes!

December is fast approaching. Yes, that means exams, but on the bright side, Christmas is also coming up! Evidently, nobody can wait for the Christmas holidays, because it brings candy canes, Christmas trees, lights, Santa Claus, and presents. Christmas Eve and Christmas Day are Christian annual holidays but are now celebrated worldwide by people of other religions as well. A custom-ary tradition is for families to have Christmas trees, with lights, in their

houses, under which each family member places their gift for an-other member of their family. Children write letters to Santa Claus requesting certain pre-sents. It is usually the parents who buy these presents for their children, as they already know what their children want. On Christmas morning, the 25th of December, each family gathers to open their presents, the children

wishing that they get what they have been long desiring. Children enjoy spending the morning, surprising their friends with Christmas presents as well, to brighten up their day, and to show their love for each other.

Christmas lunch is usually a family reunion, whereby everyone within a family, from grandparents, to cous-ins, to aunts and uncles, all gather for a delicious meal of turkey, Brus-sels sprouts, and Christmas pudding. If families are not able to come to-gether for a Christmas lunch, friends are usually invited, as Christmas is a day of intense happiness and joy, which is not to be celebrated alone. Another specialty of Christmas is the availability of candy canes, in plenty, which is not sold at any other time of the year. Children enjoy sucking on these mouth – watering treats, while turning their tongues into different colours. Usual favour-ites include the rainbow candy canes and the peppermint flavoured candy canes. Guaranteed, none of us can wait until

Christmas, a festive mood filled with rejoicing, celebration, and en-tertainment! -Shweta Ramkuma

Wau – Malaysian Kites

There are a number of symbols that represent Malaysia, like the Petronas Twin Towers, the hibiscus and many more. One of these famous symbols is the ‘Wau’ (pronounced ‘wow’) which is the name given to kites in Malaysia. The name originates from an Arabic letter which has a similar shape to the wing of the kites. The ‘Wau’ can be made in many differ-ent shapes and designs. The shapes usually represent animals or other elements of nature, for example, Wau Kuching (cat kite), Wau Merak (peacock kite), Wau Bulan (moon kite). Each of these kites have a par-ticular significance. For example, the Wau Kuching has a hummer at-tached to it which is used to lull the kite fliers to sleep, to frighten away evil spirits, and to forecast the fol-lowing day’s weather. The wau kuching has all these functions?

The ‘Wau’ is a tradi-tion in-herent to the cul-ture of the peo-ple in the Eastern states in the Malayan Peninsula. Farmers used to fly the ‘Wau’ on levelled ground after the post-harvesting season. Today, the Wau is a major attraction to tourists, as well as the Malaysians who wish to expe-rience some of their culture. Cur-rently the ‘Wau’ tradition is still widely celebrated in Kelantan and Terengganu particularly during har-vest time. The ‘Wau’ is made very carefully using bamboo as a com-plex but lightweight frame for the kite. One layer of paper is fitted into the bamboo frame of the kite by making alterations accordingly to make sure the kite is structurally sound. Patterns are cut from rice-paper and are glued on forming in-tricate motifs. Each year there is a major kite competition held in Kelantan attracting participants from all over the region.

-Malavika Unnithan

Page 10: Footprints Winter 2008

Quantum LeapsMUNOFS: The idea is out. The

documents are signed. But can we really take another great worldly

step?

From resolution to resolu-tion and debate to debate, always anticipating what our next confer-ence holds in store for us – that is the way some of us “hard core MUN-ers” live. The energy, thrill and sheer glory of standing up on high podium clad in our formal at-tire with great panache, looking over everyone and voicing our thoughts about issues our world faces today is all a part and parcel of it. But for all you who have never considered be-ing a part of MUN, for whatever reason – "the work’s too much" or "speaking in front of an audience is not my cup of tea." – now is your opportunity! Our very own OFS MUN is in the making for next year!

Titled "Model United Nations Over-seas Family School" or MUNOFS in short, the conference is to be held around February 2009 and will cater to middle and high school students from both local and international schools all over Singapore. "Before the Christmas holidays" – that’s the deadline being set by the board for OFS to lay out the complete outline. There are invitations to be sent out; student officers to be selected; de-bate issues to be chosen; questions on food choices to be settled; room selection and the setting up of our school to resemble a proper confer-ence centre...the list goes on! The question is – have we simply dived off the deep end?

“Well, we have some very dedicated and hard working people involved in MUNOFS," Sean Jones, an experi-enced MUNer, pointed out, "There is a lot of interest in the conference and I have every confidence that these people will make MUNOFS a great conference. With everyone working together I'm sure that OFS will have no problem keeping up with the workload.”

With every earthquake comes the aftermath. With every meaty resolu-

tion debated, comes an article. All MUN conferences have an official newspaper and MUNOFS is no exception. You can be sure that there will

be lots of bustling activity as jour-nalists and photographers will be working day in and day out, and with the introduction of our very own school newspaper ‘The Foot-print’ this semester, we are already making headway. On top of that, having just attended one of their planning sessions last Friday, the amount of work being put in to make this conference a success even at its budding stage can already be seen.

However, we are only at the begin-ning of the race and the countdown for MUNOFS has only just begun. Be sure not to miss out on the chance to be a part of the first MUN held in OFS! -Diya Malhotra

MEMOIRS OF A NEW MUN-ITE

Ever wondered what it would feel like to join MUN? How it would be for a newcomer? Here’s a complete

breakdown for you.

Sitting there in the drama studio as one of the new, inexperi-enced kids is pretty hard. Of course, the whole deal about a great univer-sity and trips to Beijing and Nether-lands sounds so attractive, even the most uninterested people showed up. But slowly, as the real meeting be-gan, we start to realise what MUN would actually be like.

In the beginning, it’s really hard to catch on. You can’t understand what is going on and you have to try and figure out what everyone else is do-ing or saying. And by the time you finally understand, the meeting’s already over.

But, it’s a huge place to meet a lot of new people or catch up with those you used to know before. Also, the kind of work you do helps you to have a decent conversation and you get to know more about what’s go-ing on in the world today. Despite sitting there watching people talk and feeling slightly small. It is as if the last thing you want to do is go up there and talk in front of all these self-assured people. But, the level of confidence you get from the experi-ence is inspiring.

The most important part of being a member of the MUN, however, is

the amount of work and dedication required. You can join for the uni-versities, the conferences and the people, but it is not all just fun and games.

The MUN requires a lot of work, but you will realise how much it pays off once you see the outcome of your hard work. And let me tell you - that feeling is amazing.

-Saoni Ghatak

Saturday treats!Who wouldn’t see Saturday

as the perfect day to relax and get into the holiday mood? Our MUN-ers of course! While everyone else was enjoying the Saturday bliss, our MUN-ers were hard at work devel-oping and building up their confer-ence skills. The tension is peaking steadily as the conference date gets nearer and nearer. Anyone who stepped into the computer lab on November 8th would’ve caught sight of a complete ‘MUN work-zone’. Elaborating research, writing resolu-tions, formatting them, drafting an accompanying speech, making al-terations, identifying flaws in the delegates’ knowledge on their as-signed country and the issues in their forum …there was seemingly no end to the number of things being done. With all these hard-working delegates, there was an air of enthu-siasm and a busy atmosphere at the MUN Saturday session. Our MUN-ers are now almost ready to face the upcoming conference, with a few finishing touches to add to their con-ference preparation before they fi-nally take off for THIMUN-Singapore.

But, we’ve all heard of the popular expression “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.”. Thus, dur-ing the short break in between the work session, the delegates caught up on their relaxation by warming themselves up with some coffee, before they set to work again!

The hard work that these students are putting in will definitely pay off at the conference won’t it? I cer-tainly think that it would! So let’s wish all our MUN-ers a successful conference experience!

-Harini Padmanabhan

Model United Nations

Page 11: Footprints Winter 2008

-Credits-All sources listed are as they have appeared in order.

Unless otherwise stated they are image sources.

~FAME ~ “HARD WORK” PAYS OFF!

Zarah Chowdry (First Photo)Sarah Mei Niesel (Last Two Photos)

Mostly DoubtlessDig Up A Story

http://lostinside31.deviantart.com/art/writing-down-my-memories-79527646

The world’s greatest fearhttp://alexmathers.deviantart.com/art/misunderstood-44240005

Finally! It’s LUNCH!http://thegreyphoenix.deviantart.com/art/1st-Bento-Lunch-68584560

P.T. on the P.P.Mary Ma

ARE YOU RESISTANT TO RESISTANCE? http://angel-for-a-dreamer.deviantart.com/art/Physics-29514068

Like Water for Chocolate http://images.dpchallenge.com/images_challenge/158/46363.jpg

Arts & Hobbies http://unheard-prayer.deviantart.com/art/Musical-Letters-103681175

http://razorblade00kiss.deviantart.com/art/Ville-Valo-Painting-7177358

What do you mean you’re Seventeen and Still Play with Dolls?!

Author

Art is but a Fusion of Illusions http://users.skynet.be/J.Beever/pave.htm

OFS Unplugged! Vanja Obajdin from Photography Club

Review BitesExtraordinary Delicacies from a Pâtisserie Chocolaterie

Information from: http://www.canele.com.sgPictures from: Author

Green Frogs Anybody? http://images.citysearch.net/profile/4a/de/46306597p1.jpghttp://enex04.deviantart.com/art/Photo-colour-58687154

World & Politics A Festive Season

http://vintagelove78.deviantart.com/art/flags-37356660 http://luthez.deviantart.com/art/Mother-Earth-32324410

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Navratridurgapuja.jpg http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Kwanzaa-Myers.jpg

A Utopia for humans, but Dystopia for cats? Author

Thanksgiving! http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0b/The_First_Tha

nksgiving_Jean_Louis_Gerome_Ferris.png

Santa Claus! Candy Canes! http://beckawalley.deviantart.com/art/christmas-tree-104648779

Wau Malaysian Kites http://lengkanger.deviantart.com/art/quot-Wau-quot-54766954

~Journalism Club~Editor

Bérengère Sim

DesignerLetitia Tandean

Sub-EditorsNatasha Chainani

Malavika UnnithanDiya Malhotra

Jessica Iskandarsjah

IT DesignDavid Sim

PhotographerMary Ma

JournalistsDipanjali Roy

Harini PadmanabhanMalavika NairMarkus Sekse

Prashant ReddyVictoria EddySaoni Ghatak

Shweta Ramkumar

Special ThanksMr. Glover

Photography Club