Math Olympiad Upper Primary Damansara

by Julian Yang, Year 6, Class of 2020.

Every year, we have a competition for Mathematics called “Maths Olympiad”. Previously, the competition had three levels each, for Year 1 and 2, Year 3 and 4, and Year 5 and 6. There also used to be three rounds, everyone did the first, selected students partook in the second, and only one from each level, for each house, competed in the third. This year, the competition was changed entirely, instead of basically just sitting down and taking a test, there was a treasure hunt. There were eight teams in total, two for each of the four houses, all with their own group leaders and group names.

The day before Maths Olympiad, the Upper Primary students were gathered to be briefed and assigned into their groups. The group leader and group name for each group was chosen by the members of the respective group. On the day that Maths Olympiad was to be held, the students gathered again in front of the swimming pool before they set off for the challenge. When it started, each group was given a different puzzle to solve, the answer to the puzzle was the name of the next place they had to go to.

There were several challenges that were presented to the challengers. A list of those challenges would include: making the most number of triangles with sticks, moving a stack of leaves with certain rules, arranging chess pieces in a certain way, drawing angles by laying down, measuring the volume, area, and perimeter of the swimming pool, a maths relay, and some other maths challenges.

When all the groups had finished all of the challenges, they gathered yet again at where they started to announce the champions. After proclaiming the points that each group had received, the announcer said, “The winner is… group Bob!” Everyone laughed or at least giggled at the rather funny name of the Beruang group amongst the other, more serious ones like, “Mathologists” and “Eye of the Tiger”. In the end, everyone had lots of fun with the new and teamwork based version of Maths Olympiad. We all look forward to the next Maths Olympiad in 2016!

Interhouse Dance Competition 2015

by Akhilan Manivannan, Junior 2 Higgs, Class of 2015
All photographs by Lai Li Chan, Junior 2 Higgs, Class of 2015

On the 10th of February, Cempaka Schools had one of its most popular and highly anticipated events of the year, the Interhouse Dance Competition. The Interhouse Dance Competition is an annual event that tasks each sports house to perform dances split into three categories(A,B and C) based on ascending secondary school years. 

Seladang Damansara Category A

Harimau Damansara Category A

Category A consisted of Freshmen and Sophomore 1, Category C consisted of Sophomore 2 and Junior 1 and Category C consisted of the senior students, Junior 2 and Form 5. The event was a combined spectacle between both the Damansara and Cheras campuses, the results tabulated together as well. With only a very limited amount of time to prepare, all dancers gave it their all and the performances spoke for themselves.   

Helang Damansara Category A

With the the Category A dancers being the youngest participants, all houses were given the exact same music and only had to choreograph their dances. The song was “Get It” by Phillerz, an upbeat, exciting, electronic dance track. While a standardised song might seem like an easier option, with identical music the dancers found it much harder to stand out and there were many performances that felt stale and repeated. However there were a few that managed to describe the purpose of Cat A perfectly, fresh, energetic and full of promise. Those were the top 3 performances, the winners Beruang Damansara and the runners up - Harimau Damansara followed by Helang Damansara.

 Beruang Damansara Category A

Beruang Damansara Category A

Category B dancers were given arguably the most difficult and strenuous task of all, composing their own music and then choreographing their dance according to that music. Music is a major part of the performances and therefore if the music wasn’t appealing and fitting to the dance or was poorly crafted, audience members and judges would gradually turn off. This proved to be the case for many dances that featured much too generic and unimaginatively put together tunes. However the winning performances were clearly pegs above the competition and were incredibly enthralling and memorable to behold. 

Helang Cheras Category B

Harimau Cheras Category B

Harimau Damansara Category B

Beruang Damansara Category B

This was a case in particular for Helang Cheras featuring an acrobatic hip-hop themed dance routine that truly took audience members through a futuristic and heart thumping journey. They certainly stood out of the pack and were completely distinguishable from the rest of the category. In fact a vast majority of the audience felt that they should have clinched first place rather than winners, whom in all fairness did put on a good performance as well.

Seladang Damansara Category C

Seladang Damansara Category C

Finally, the most consistent and outstanding set of dances, Category C. The Category C performers were given the most freedom among all groups, the ability to choose an existing song and choreograph their dance according to it. The senior students did not disappoint in the slightest, and proved their talent and metal with this string of astonishing performances ranging from a fun and alluring routine with a mash up of "Mercy//Rehab" by Helang Damansara passing through a vibrant and catchy routine with “Bang Bang” by Harimau Damansara) to well refined and dramatic routine with “Telephone” by Beruang Damansara. However the performance that without a doubt claimed first place was Seladang Damansara's out of this world routine of DJ Snake and Lil Jons “Turn Down for What”, and it would be an absolute sin not to talk about it.

Helang Damansara Category C

Beruang Damansara Category C 

Beruang Damansara Category C

Harimau Damansara Category C

Led by assistant house captain and head prefect “Ruhaani Mahadeva”, the dancers owned the stage like no other performance, clad in joker costumes and faces sprawled with terrifying joker paint. To say they left a lasting impression would be an understatement, and the level of uniqueness yet unparalleled synchronisation was marvellous to behold. Furthermore the routine was arguably the most full-body dance routine of the day, and the performers exhibited a very professional level of control despite their fast paced movements. Definitely the most polished and perfected performance, which to this day students are still found re-watching, minds engrossed in utter awe and spectacle. Overall the Damansara campus dominated this category, taking all four top places.

                                      Seladang Damansara Category C

In the end of the day Beruang Damansara rose to first place thanks largely to their consistent placings in all three categories. However it would be safe to say that competition for runner up was very close with Harimau Damansara ultimately pulling through. All in all the Interhouse Dance Competition 2015 was a huge success and it’s safe to say that we at YJC are already looking forward to next years event.

Interhouse Dance Competition 2015 Champions

Beruang Damansara

It's Your Captains Speaking!

A Compilation of the Thoughts of House Captains of 2014

(Put together by Chin Wye Mun & Amanda Lee Yue Ping, Junior 2 Cempaka, Class of 2014)

Juniors, brats, annoying minions who sometimes (always) skip marching practices - it’s your captains speaking, hear hear! Just kidding. However much we may shout at you during marching, or make you do a hundred squats when you come a teeny bit late (psst Beruangs), we still love you deep down inside... deep, deep, deep down inside. 

With the First House Cup (FHC) meeting its end and the Big Splash having had its glorious moment in the spotlight, you might be wondering, what’s next for your captains, or rather ex-captains? The first thing out of our mouths would be studying. Caps locks, underlined and bolded. 

As much as we hate it, there are simply some sad truths we must come to terms with and the need to study is one of them. The FHC season is the perfect recipe for academic disaster with three cups of skipping classes, a teaspoon or two of angry teachers and piles of homework. Not to mention a gazillion google forms to fill in by -/-/-, ample amounts of chasing after that Freshman student whose name you just can’t recall, and a lot of “DID THEY EXTEND THE DEADLINES???" (No, no they didn't sadly.) 

The Beruang captains will forever be known as the tragically injured, starlit duo, who had the strength and courage to keep marching on through their strikingly similar injuries. The pair who stuck through thick and thin, during strenuous marching practices, vicious SFA matches, even tug-of-war ; who kept going through the pain, carrying their team forward, who put their house over themselves, who fell but picked themselves right back up again. 

Melodramatic reprise aside, seriously, hats off to the duo. It’s hard to be on the team knowing that your fellow housemates depend on you, but it’s even harder knowing you can only watch from the sidelines and cheer your heart out. 

Through the rough journey, the Beruangs had a solid senior team behind the blue curtains. Lady captain, Chin Wye Mun passes on her sincerest thanks to the seniors bears of 2014. "Everything we've accomplished this year could never have been possible without the help of the seniors. We've had our little bouts of drama, we've had our tiny (or not so) arguments and telling-offs but ultimately, I must say we did quite well pulling through together. I've never been so proud to be a Beruang and I would never want to be called one, if it meant I wouldn't be with these idiots. The bears are a family I'd never exchange. We have the slackers, the drama queens, the jokers and obviously it's not the most perfect bunch but that's what makes us who we are - family."

Seladang captain Vanisha Ann also refers to there other Seladang seniors as family. "It isn't flesh and blood, but the heart that makes us brothers and sisters. You guys are truly such a fun and talented bunch to work and play with. We have dancers, athletes, sportsmen/women, math geniuses, prized debaters and the list of skills just goes on and on. I will always remember the night we watched the Thomas Cup together whilst giving senseless commentary over WhatsApp. Creeping around the library with a camera trying to hide from the librarians (the real ones). We may not have won, but the memories we've shared won our hearts. I will never forget "HEHH, Maths, Shadow Master, Buff Eug, Banana, Lembu, Milk & Coco Puff, W I N, Natzi, Vengsta, Eeyneyt, Ah Meng, Awesome Ashley XD, Phoebe, Lum Lum, Adem Ser, Jes & Ramen. 

Beruang house captain Ezzamel Zarif says if he could relive any of the FHC moments, he wouldn’t mind reliving them all - that is except for Mathematics Olympiad he says. Probably one of the most mentally and even physically taxing events this year thanks to the Mathematics teachers who live to make our lives crazed with numbers and things that aren't even remotely related to them.

And it’s no surprise when he says that given the chance, he would want to relieve Games Carnival the most. A sentiment shared by the Seladangs. Seladang captain Ryan Yoong says " They said we'd never be able to do it; This year we proved them wrong!"

As for Helangs, Games Carnival was a rather touchy subject, however when asked, they also wouldn’t mind reliving all the FHC competitions. But for them, the march past competition wins, bar none. 

Preparations were and I quote “a good experience and everyone had fun ... - not really, they got scolded and had to do punishments if they didn’t listen”. However their determination even through the haze and the long break in between was what made their win so sweet in the end, as clarified by lady captain, Amirah Farhanah. It was with eagle-soaring pride that the Helangs marched out onto the tracks with great style and flamboyance that led them to their well-deserved victory for March Past in Damansara, and 2nd place overall. Something fellow captain Colin Yoong defines as one of his best moments in high school life. 

Amirah and Colin could not possibly have claimed the trophy if not for the help of their amazing group of seniors. Amirah says, "We unite for the sake of the house! Especially during March Past preparation, it really showed how strong our ties were because no matter how much "debate" we had, we still pulled through and worked as a team to achieve our goal. Every single one of us were really quirky and unique in our own way and that was really special because we never had anything in common but senior year changed everything for us. After all the obstacles we faced this year as a family, I'm really going to miss them and all their shenanigans."

For Rumah Harimau, this FHC was quite an unexpected journey. Let's not deny that the tigers haven't exactly had the best history in the FHC. The reds have not held the First House Cup for a few years now and captains Jazmyn Chang, Imran Teh and Nicholas Kong were not delusional to this fact but yet they still kept the goal in view and went at it charging. 

Not quite kicking off to a spectacular start at the beginning of the season, the tigers faced reality but their spirits remained strong throughout, resulting in a couple of great achievements for them. For one, they climbed their way to becoming top-tier contenders in the third quarter of the race as we were nearing the academic events of the FHC. Unfortunately though, the Harimaus met their fate of being crowned winners of the Big Splash in the very end - and still one they met with smiles.

Through the eyes of captains Jazmyn and Imran, the one FHC event they'd love to relive is the Interhouse Dance competition. "I had a lot of fun and I never knew dance was that nice and I wish I tried dance earlier because it's so fun and nice," says Imran who, obviously thinks two things about dance - fun, and nice. 

When on the subject of the other Harimau seniors, Jazmyn expresses her deepest delight in working with them, describing the gang as a "pleasure" to work with. Brutally honest, Captain Kong describes them as "the most unorganized but friendliest of all." 

Our article is pretty much coming to its end and it's been a long ride. To the other houses, Seladang captain Amanda reveals that it was indeed "an honour to compete with you all". Further from that, she mentions, "We've had our differences. Our competitive moments. Those awkward moments where you're caught between talking to your friend, and being loyal to your house. There were tense situations, fierce matches. But the defining moment was when in the end, although Harimau won the Big Splash, it was the Class of 2014 seniors who jumped into the pool that day."

To the new group of captains and seniors coming to take over our reins and drive the house to a hopeful victory, Wye Mun says, "I once received advice from a senior when things were tough during the FHC. At the time, I was rather skeptical of it. Ex-house captain of Rumah Helang 2012, Deborah Chew told me, "Just give it your best. In the end, no one really remembers who wins the house cup. Hahaha." I give all due respect to the eagles for claiming the cup this year and surely it was a memorable win but truly on that day as we linked arms and fell together into the pool, I felt Deborah's advice come to life. It is something I wish to share with all incoming captains and the captains after that and the captains after that and just the seniors in general. FHC is a stressful journey, there is no doubt about that but your senior year is one for memories so don't get too caught up in the competition and remember to relish and cherish the moments that count."

May the force be with you all to survive this hellish rollercoaster ride. There'll be screams. Green faces. Ups and downs and turn-a-rounds. No FHC is complete without a sudden change in timetables or a new twist to add to the already hard event. But regardless, you'll come out still standing in the end. Best of luck, never forget us and thank you. Have a wonderful FHC season! 

Much love from all of your captains. 

Big Splash Through the Years

Written by Amanda Lee Yue Ping, Junior 2 Cempaka, Class of 2014

Like our seniors have done before, and their seniors' seniors too.
And as our juniors will do in the years to come, and their juniors' juniors too.
The big splash is a long, upstanding tradition in the Cempaka family, just one out of the many that us seniors will hold dear to our hearts. 

Class of 2010

Class of 2010

3!…..

Tomorrow, the pool will overflow. Not just with water, and uniform-clad bodies, but also with memories to last a lifetime. 

Class of 2011

Class of 2011

2!…...

Even though the location has changed, from our beloved Damansara to Cheras.
Even though tomorrow there'll be quite a bit more bodies jumping in than we initially thought.

Class of 2012

Class of 2012

1!…….
Even though there's been more ups and downs and turn arounds, making it one hell of a senior year.

Class of 2013

The essence of what big splash truly is about, will always remain the same. 

Class of 2014 - to come.

UPDATE:

The Class of 2014 has finally made their oh-so-glamorous entrance into both the pool and the Big Splash gallery.

Class of 2014

This beauty is only one of the many bittersweet moments captured for the Class of 2014. 

Proceed here to view more of the bittersweet moments captured.

ThinkCon Day 2 2014

Written by Alisraa Aldin, Class of 2015, Form 4 Science 1

ThinkCON Day 2 introduced two new games to the Cempakan community, namely Qwirkle and the KEVA Challenges. Qwirkle is a colourful game that combines the concepts of classics like Uno and Scrabble. On the other hand, KEVA is inspired by LEGO blocks and are simply 200 precision-cut wooden planks, ready to be shaped by your creativity.

Photo Credit : Chin Wye Mun

To kickstart the event, the Qwirkle representatives from each house were asked to assemble at their respective tables. The area was closed off to all those uninvolved in the competition with the exception of the house captains, much to the dismay of all the house supporters at the sidelines. Five matches would go on simultaneously, with every table playing two games

For many of the participants (and supporters alike), the highlight of the day would definitely have to be the KEVA Challenges. Prior to each challenge, no one really knew what to expect - most of us were just told that we would be given a blueprint five minutes before the actual challenge, and that we have half an hour to design a similar structure using 190 KEVA wooden planks. So as you might imagine, there were plenty of baffled faces when the first challengers received a picture of Ramses II. 

That's right, each team had to build an Egyptian Pharaoh
Photo Credit: Alisraa Aldin

Besides the initial baffled question of : Who is this Ramsy- Ramsey- Ramses fellow, other common questions include "How do we build his face with just a few rectangular- sorry I mean, precision-cut rectangular blocks?". Well, that question just summed up the whole challenge. 

There were a total of 5 different competitions, namely Sculptures, Interior Design, Transportation, Contraption and Skyscraper. Each challenge had its own unique twists and features: Contraption involved replicating a track for a ball to roll through, while those in Interior Design had to recreate the picturesque scene on the blueprint given - an inverted pyramid with several potted plants surrounding it. Not only did teams have to worry about figuring out how to build an inverted pyramid, but it was important that they did not leave out the greenery. Yes, apparently the potted plants were a pivotal aspect in the design. We're not sure how severe the consequences would be if anyone were to leave it out, but either way, none of the teams dared to find out.

Rumah Seladang's ship for the Transportation Challenge!
Photo credit: Alisraa Aldin

The atmosphere was especially wild and intense during the Skyscraper Challenge. This particular challenge was one of the more straight forward ones (Well, the closest thing to straight forward in challenges as crazy these were). There was no complicated blueprint or additional criteria - it was purely a game of who could build the tallest tower within 30 minutes.

Contrary to popular belief, any participant would probably tell you that building the tallest tower is much easier said than done. The teams were given the freedom to choose where they would build their tower, be it on the floor or table. They were also given a chair, to be used as an aid when the tower gets too tall. As the tower got higher and higher, the placement of each wooden block sent the tower tilting dangerously. No matter what, each team will be judged on the skyscraper standing after half an hour - or whatever that was left of it. The entire team’s hard work could come crashing down with the slightest wrong move by any one of your teammates. The stakes were high and any errors could prove to be fatal. 

Frankly, it was amusing to see how each house handled such a risky task at hand differently. Helang, for instance, was the epitome of calm and collected, with their team splitting up to do two separate towers. Playing it safe, they even decided to stop building their tower altogether once they had reached a decent height, and put the chair given to them to good use. (i.e. for relaxing purposes) 

On the contrary, Harimau was their polar opposite. Shrieks and laughter could be heard from both participants and sideline supporters alike each time someone accidentally dropped a wooden block nearby their skyscraper - and let's just say, that happened a lot. The Harimau participants were not exactly the tallest people either, which led to them to place a chair on the table and stand on said chair in an efforts to make up for their shortcomings. Somehow amidst the chaos however, there was an organized system, and they succeeded in building a skyscraper tall enough to make them a strong contender for first place.

In between the 20 and 25 minute mark, the unthinkable had occured - Harimau’s skyscraper collapsed, leaving only small portions of its base standing. While all this was happening, Seladang had suddenly caught up too, forcing Helang out of their state of ease, and continue building. With a new fierce battle taking place between Helang and Seladang, and slightly over five minutes left on the clock to rebuild their entire tower, it seemed like the end for the Harimau team. 

When they measured all four houses' skyscrapers at the end of the Challenge, everyone was shocked. Seladang, Helang and Harimau's towers were all 18 feet tall, with Beruang narrowly missing the mark at 17 feet. We're not sure what surprised everyone more: the fact that the fierce battle to the top between Seladang and Helang had ended in a draw, or how Harimau had somehow managed to catch up to everyone (and even overtake Beruang!) despite hitting the rock bottom.

With the skyscraper event coming to a close, this marked the end of ThinkCON Day 2. All in all, it is most likely participants went home worrying about the last-minute homework left rather than the placement they received that day. However, we still had great exposure to puzzling games of all types as Qwirkle had us analysing each tile placement and crazed by colours by the end of the day while KEVA had us on our toes, desperately trying to keep our heartbeat steady for fear it would suddenly jump out and crash through our buildings. At the end of the day, ThinkCON was able to prove once again that board games are no longer boring (pun intended) but rather a fun and challenging way to instill the love for learning and the thrill of thinking in individuals.

ThinkCon Day 1 2014

Written by Akhilan Manivannan, Junior 1 Higgs, Class of 2015

The annual Think Con games have become a staple of Cempaka culture and this year was no different, as students from both the Damansara and Cheras campuses assembled in Bangsar Village from 1pm until 6pm on the 5th of July to represent their houses all in the spirit of competition. This year’s ThinkCon featured four very popular games including some very familiar mainstays for former participants. The two games played on Day 1 were; the strategy based Settlers of Catan and the football based Subbuteo.

As per usual, the games were held and organised by our very own Cempaka Connect commander Mr Edwin Wong, who was present throughout the event, calling out names of participants and walking around to ensure that the games were proceeding smoothly. With such an opportunistically wide open atmosphere and setting, Mr Wong also undertook the task of promoting the ThinkCon games to the public and was assisted by a group of student volunteers who enthusiastically took shifts partaking in the endeavour. 

Each game was split up into 2 sessions, a 1pm-3pm session and a 3pm-5pm session. The first 5 participants from each game played simultaneously in the first session and the next 5 participants followed suit in the second session. Participants were only required to be at the venue around 30 minutes before their game, leaving students with a bit more freedom to plan their weekend around the event. A select group of teachers were present as well in order to enforce fair play and keep an eye on the event as a whole.

Despite the enjoyable atmosphere, there was a constant, tangible sense of pressure and electricity in the air, particularly around the many house representatives. It is a competition after all, and we all want to win. Despite this however fair play and good sportsmanship was generally exhibited throughout the event and the sight of no sore losers or petty arguments was impressive to witness. Win, lose or draw, the Cempakan spirit was unyielding and ultimately the results weren’t as overwhelming as the exhilarating course of the individual games, in particular Settlers of Catan which in some cases lasted up to 2+ hours. “Never give up” indeed.

Not to be outdone in the intensity of matches played, Table Soccer had crowds gathering around the pitch, especially during the penalty shoot out between Seladang and Beruang. 

All in all, Think-Con did exactly what it was designed to do, and that is challenge students into critical thinking, quick instinctual decision making and strategy developing, some very valuable skills that tend to go unnoticed in schools all over the world and particularly Malaysia. With this event, Cempakans were inspired into absorbing and reproducing these skills and we would be hard-pressed to say that we didn’t have boundless fun along the way. Only time will tell if Mission 2 (inspiring the crowds of passerby-s) was a success as well, but with such a convincing display nothing is impossible. Bring on Day 2!

If you would like to find out more about Settlers of Catan and Subbuteo, please visit http://www.catan.com/ and http://www.subbuteoworld.co.uk/ respectively for more information.

To read about ThinkCon Day 2, click here.. 

Eagles Attack!

written by the Panel (Austin Ng, Akhilan Manivannan, Class of 2015, Ryan Yoong, and Amanda Lee, Class of 2014)

The successors of ex-captains, Azmin Massoumi, Jamie Kok and Seah Chin Lee stepped up to take their place, just in time for the first event, Games Carnival. Known as Helang’s strong point booster, it was up to Colin Yoong and Amirah Farhanah to see how the gold medals would play out during the matches. It came as quite a blow, when unforeseen circumstances led Helang to incur multiple penalties, putting them at a disadvantage right off the bat. 

Photo Credit : En Khairul

“As of now, I believe we are doing well so far in the race, but I can't say much as it is still in the early stages of the FHC. We won 2 events so far, but due to the huge number of penalized points from the Games Carnival we are at a big disadvantage.”

- Colin Yoong Shern Zian, Helang House Captain 2014

When asked, Colin unsurprisingly mentions that Helang is not strong in only one particular category but they are, instead, a jack of all trades. A master of all? -  still yet to be proven. Comparing the Helangs now to the Helangs back then, he states that there is a not much of a difference. He believes the seniors now are as proficient, if not even better as previous seniors were in the year before. The cup just barely slipped through their claws last year, by a mere 0.3 points, proving the point that Helang was one tough house to beat. 

Photo Credit : En Khairul

When asked on the future competitions, Amirah has high hopes and believes that the Helangs can win anything if they put their hearts and souls into it. It may be a tough competition but Helangs don’t back down that easily. She emphasizes on the teamwork between the Helangs, be it the juniors with the seniors or the Helangs and the teachers. “We planned and worked together, though there were some rough times and we never gave up whilst kept pushing until the end.” says Amirah.

Though they have a few flaws here and there - like every other house, Colin and Amirah remain sanguine about the possibility of Helang taking back the FHC title this year. “There is always enough room for upgrades and improvement and that is why Helang is not backing down this year; not now, not ever.” For Helang, things may have just kicked into gear what with sports day and swimming gala still ahead of us. With some of the hectic events put behind in the past, they now focus on what lies ahead. Stiff competition, high spirits and exhilarating performances are almost guaranteed from the boys and girls in yellow. You better get ready for the Eagle's Attack!  

Photo Credit : En Khairul

What the Panel has to say:

Helang’s shaky position in the first event of the First House Cup was a tough blow to the usually sports-orientated house. It’s not all over however. This year’s Games Carnival is unexpectedly long and dragged out. The Eagles still have tennis to vie for. Though this last Games Carnival event is usually conquered easily by the bears who have renowned tennis player Balaguru in their paws, Helang’s position in tennis may or may not help to switch up the placings right now, if not boost up their own position. Besides Games Carnival, the Eagles also placed a competent third in the recent Interhouse Dance Competition. Not a big shocker given the fact that Beruang always had the upper paw in this particular pie. It was also a tremendous win indeed for Helang at the House Decoration Competition, where they had placed first on the board.

Photo Credit : En Khairul

With a good scale of intellectuality and athleticism, Rumah Helang has much to prevail in the upcoming events, with hopefully one of them being the Annual Swimming Gala. Though the history books are not in their favour, with Helangs having not won Swimming Gala in years, determination is still key - and that’s one thing everyone in Helang has in plenty. 

For the time being, Helang has been doing fairly well in terms of maintaining the score. If you take everything into account, Rumah Helang still has a pretty good prospect of snatching back the FHC trophy and to win back its title as FHC Champion. With it's reins being held by two very capable individuals, not forgetting Mr Shaik as their house master followed closely by the very formidable and determined Puan Nurra at it's helm, the other houses had better be wary of the Eagles sharp talons.  

Photo Credit : En Khairul

Our closing question to Colin was, “Before stepping down as the house captain, what would your last words be to the Helangs?”

"It's not easy. The journey, the process and the amount of preparation that goes on behind the scenes should never be underestimated. However, with everyone working together, it makes things just that much easier. So, to the upcoming seniors who will take our place, be leaders, not commanders; and to the juniors who will follow closely behind them, be contributions, not retributions. Helangs; I believe that we will win. Do you?"

Blue & Gold Victory!

written by the Panel (Akhilan Manivannan, Alisraa Aldin, Lee Ting An & Tiffany Tan, class of 2015)

In what can only be described as a roller-coaster ride hurtling off its tracks, the First House Cup 2013 was a thrilling and nail-biting experience for each and every Cempakan. Going back to its roots as Merpati, Rumah Beruang clinched the title away from Helang in a tension soaked finish. 

“We were never leading at any point throughout the competition & with such incredibly great competitors no less, but in the end with all your blood, sweat & tears, I am so proud to say that we finally made it.”

- Wong Shi Jinn, Merpati House Captain 2013

Photo Credit : Mr. Ashwin

While the year of the dove will forever be remembered by all Beruangs involved, 2014 is a new year. With the Annual Games Carnival having begun early in extremely rushed conditions (in November 2013), this year is shaping up to be an even more unpredictable FHC Year than any before. Luckily for the bears, they started their campaign off well by achieving a great second place lead so far in the Annual Games Carnival 2014. 

New Beruang house captain, Ezzamel Zarif very aptly compared this year’s FHC to the English Premier League due to the extremely tight competition and level of unpredictability. However he remains confident in Beruang’s chances of retaining the FHC title and is happy with current performances, although he concedes that there is always room for improvement. When asked of his opinion on the extremely early Games Carnival 2014, Ezzamel agreed that it was difficult to prepare for because of time constraints and lack of key players participating due to holidays. Furthermore he also shed some light on a few injuries to participants here and there due to the arduous training sessions held by sports captains. Despite the problems however and the latest painful last placing for House Decoration this year, Ezzamel stated that it was remarkable to see everyone in Beruang coming together and giving it their all to contribute to their house.

When asked on which FHC event he thought Beruang could struggle with the most, Ezzamel unsurprisingly stated the Annual Swimming Gala, as Beruang does not have the best track record over the years when it comes to Swimming Gala. When asked on which FHC event he thought Beruang could excel at, Ezzamel picked out 3 events that Beruang has done extremely well in, in the past. These 3 events are the Interhouse Dance Competition, CeMA and Intellectual Week (Maths Olympiad and English Competitions). Ezzamel  stressed especially on the teamwork and co-operative prowess of the Beruangs. In his words exactly, “We have juniors and seniors contributing ideas for CEMA from previous years, seniors helping out the younger category dancers with their routines and others helping out our debaters, oratory speakers and many more. I would say that we have a really, really good opportunity to win those three events mentioned above.”

What the Panel has to say :
We can definitely say that Beruang, especially the senior levels, for one, never fail to give us dance routines executed with perfect synchronicity. Stunning the judges, wowing the crowd and frustrating the other competitors to no end. As for CeMA and the intellectual competitions, we feel that all the houses are almost on the same footing. 

Photo Credit : Encik Khairul

With a very good balance of both sportsmen and academically-talented people, Rumah Beruang certainly has it all covered with perhaps the exception of Swimming Gala. A surprising turn would definitely be the recent House Decoration event, where Beruang placed fourth in comparison to last year's gold medal. In overall, from what we see this year, Rumah Beruang stands quite a good chance to retain it's position as first in the First House Cup competition. Not only is Beruang headed by two very capable and known leaders of the school, the juniors in Beruang are also enthusiastic and sporting. If they are able to weather through the problems above, the bears could very well rock the house once more. 

Photo Credit: Mr Ashwin

Our final question to Ezzamel was, “If you had a gathering of each and every Beruang in front of you, but you could only use one sentence for motivation, what would it be?” 

"If you ever feel like giving up, just remember why you started."