RAG Day 2013

by Ryan Yoong Ka Jun, Form 4 Science 1, Class of 2014

It's that time of the year once again when Cempakans gather to enjoy an educational experience outside the classroom. The annual Cempaka RAG Day aims to engage students in an all-rounded learning experience, which often includes various unusual, but nevertheless interesting workshops. Every year, workshops of varying interests and specialties are set up by daring instructors who not only have the skills, but the courage to come forth and instruct a class. 

This time round, I had the opportunity to participate in an ultimate workshop that was hosted by my new friends, Justin Goh and Chong Lai Peng whom were from the Cheras campus. There were many things that made this RAG Day memorable and one of them was the fact that it was being held at the Cheras campus and naturally included most of its inhabitants. For the first time, RAG Day was a conjoined event between the two campuses; and I have to say, it certainly turned out very nicely. 

However, midway through the day the weather (which certainly hasn't favored us recently) showed its ugly face once again that afternoon. The rain beat down on the field so hard that it was nearly impossible to continue on. As such, our fun had to come to an abrupt halt. 

With that, I had the opportunity to explore around and observe the other workshops that were offered that afternoon. I managed to sample various delicacies ranging from the exquisite creme brûlée to the well decorated cupcakes to the humble pizza; all of which I must say, tasted scrumptious. 

Pizzalicious workshop, one of the most popular and best-smelling workshop!

Photo credit : Amanda Lee

Besides that, there were also many gaming workshops which saw students glued to their screens in the darkness of the classroom (and anticipation of their opponent's next move). The occasionally click of the mouse and tap of the keyboard were the only sounds to be heard, clearly showing that everyone had brought their A-game online. 

Other than that, unusual and diverse workshops were abundant, such an example would be the class on Faradarmani, which is a form of alternative medicine and basic Japanese lingo. Despite most of them being something new or difficult to master, nothing was not worth learning; Really, anything goes!

                                         

Chinese version of Sepak Takraw; It may look easy, but it's really not! 

Video credit : Amanda Lee

Ms Parisa's Fardamani workshop; an alternative medicine!
Photo credit : Amanda Lee

And I almost forgot, remember the rain? Well besides ultimate, there were a few other workshops which had to 'close shop' a little earlier than expected. These included the captainball, netball and skateboarding. With the rain still ongoing, eager participants were forced to wait under shelter for the rain to stop; which it didn't until school ended, sadly.

Table tennis workshop seeing some action! Students versus Puan Aimi, a formidable foe indeed!

Photo credit : Amanda Lee

Even though it experienced unfavourable weather for almost half the time, RAG Day 2 at Cempaka Cheras was still a huge success. It was indeed a pleasant sight to see a mixture of Cheras and Damansara students working together and helping each other during the various workshops.