Thursday, May 31, 2012

A is for Art 2012 - Designing the CHAIR

the 'chair' arrived in a box... in a very flat box.... I taught the challengers how to read and follow the instruction from the menu booklet and our team of 7 carpenters set off to try to piece the different parts together with tools borrowed from Mr Choo (operation manager)... 

due to the fact that our team of 2 senior carpenters (Ain and myself) and 7 junior carpenters had limited muscle power, our 'chair' was deemed too unstable for anyone to sit on.... it was super wobbly.....hahaha....so we had to seek the help from Mr Choo to tighten all the screws and nuts and blots while we concentrated on the ONE ultimate design..... 


the reason why I wanted the pupils to try to fix the chair on their own was to let them have a closer look at the parts that make up the chair and also to let them 'play' with the material which the chair is made of... I feel that with these information, in addition to the height, width and length, the pupils would be able to visualise  better how their design would look like on the chair... 

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With all the designs and inspirations from the previous session placed in the middle of the table, Ain and I facilitated the 7 challengers on deciding on the ONE ultimate design


There were times where everyone agrees and there were others where we had to make a choice between two or three different designs.... but I was glad that the challengers have the courage to voice out their creative ideas and at the same time willing to accept others' ideas based on votes or gave suggestions on how we could fuse the different ideas into one... =) 

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The challengers were given 5 minutes to work on the design on the chair back support with star(s) which they agreed represented the extraordinariness of our school




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putting all the individual designs together and brainstorming on how we could fuse them into one and what was the rationale behind their designs and how their designs represented the school... 



Mandy drawing the final design 




and this was what the challengers came up with.... 


time ran out before we could complete the design for the armrest and the legs... =(.... guess we would just have to improvise during the 'making session' 

the colours and the materials to be used was also confirmed

did the AOR with Ain... approval secured and shopping for the materials was completed before the next A is for Art lesson in Term 3 Week 1. 

A is for Art 2012 - Midpoint Sharing

was surprised when I was informed that there would be a midpoint sharing and was even more surprised to be requested to do a sharing on what Ain and I had done thus far..... 


thanks to this midpoint sharing that Ain and I realised that we seemed to be doing too much....wahahaha.... and we seemed to be the only kanchiong spiders who are trying to finish the teaching + designing before the june holidays and are still worried that we do not have enough time to complete the ultimate challenge by july.... 


was late for the sharing and by the time i reached, they were in the midst of a snapshot game which i couldnt really comprehend.... =( 


was one of the three schools out of the twenty over schools who had completed the visit to the ACM and hence was asked to share what we had done with the teachers from other schools.... 


Ain and I were both very proud teachers showing off all the interesting, creative and beautiful artwork which our A is for Art Challengers had completed thus far and sharing lesson ideas which we had tried... =) 


We received many positive feedback and I'm really glad that we are on the right track. Feel more confident about what we did and will be doing and am really looking forward to the kids completing the ultimate challenge.... 


the only thing that is left on our worry list is the Art Wall which the judging team will be coming down to have a look in term 3... =S

Thursday, May 17, 2012

Detailed Itinerary For Taipei Trip - 2012

people have been asking me for my taipei trip itinerary... had sent it to at least 4 ppl liao.... so to make it easier for everyone and myself....i'm just gonna post it here....and yes, my itinerary has pictures and maps so that we dun get lost and ended up walking extra (hate it especially when weather is not in our favour).... 


Day 1 - 12 June, Tuesday
- Arrive at Taipei Airport at 1.35pm
- Apply for Youth Travel Card (for those below 30 - Mr Ang) at the tourism passenger service centers to enjoy Youth Travel Special Discount to jinguashi, Taipei 101, yehliu etc.
- Buy easycard (Singapore version of EZlink card) 
- Picked up by cabby (NT$2000 – arranged by jiufen hotel) 
- Staying at http://www.travel-jiufen.com/en/en_room.htm , 0925-533-168, NT$2000 (S$87) per room per night, S$100 deposit required into a DBS account, balance to be paid in NT$ upon checked in

Mediterranean Room 


Japanese Zen Room

- exploration around jiufen (buy 太阳饼) till 6pm when the shops starts to close

- board a Keelung bus (1063) with its destination “基隆” from Old Street stop (across the road from 7-11) at the road bend. 

Fare: NT$42 (Can use Easycard) 

Travel time: About 40 mins. 

Alight one bus stop before reaching Keelung Railway Station at “獅子橋 (Lions Bridge)” stop on 忠一路 (Chung Yi Rd). It’s a shorter walk to Keelung Miaokou than from Keelung Railway Station.



- last bus back to jiufen is at 930pm. Cannot miss the last bus else have to cab back or take train to Ruifang then cab back


Day 2 - 13 June, Wednesday



- Get to main road of jiufen for the keelung transit bus (10 minutes) to Gold Ecological Park (930am – 5pm, guided tour at 10am, 2pm and 3pm), entrance NT$110 (S$4.80) discount with youth travel card, gold panning NT$100, tunnel NT$50 (S$2.10), teapot mountain, coalmine museum, prince’s museum,


- Take bus to ruifang station to take the pingxi line PingXi line (9 stations) – JingTong, PingXi, Shifen, one day pass (NT$54) of unlimited rides 


Places of interest around Shifen:
1. Shifen old street – Once can see a unique scene of trains passing through the resident area, right in front of their doors here. releasing sky lanterns at NT$150 (S$6.40), NT$250 per box of fire crackers to indulge further in the festive vibe. Set them off at a deserted railway spot.

2. Shifen recreational area – The power of the rushing water has modified layers of rock formations in the area, creating beautiful “kettle holes” along the stream.

3. waterfall - To get to the waterfall, turn right from the train station and walk 15 minutes past the visitors' centre. The waterfall path is behind the centre. You'll reach it after crossing the bronze Guan Pu Suspension Bridge.

4. Jing An Suspension Bridge - The 128m-long picturesque bridge is one of Shifen's iconic symbols. Originally used to transport coal, it is now a pedestrian bridge. Standing on the bridge - Pingxi district's longest - one can see the pretty Keelung River coiling through the surrounding mountains.

Places of interest around JingTong:
1. JingTong Train Station.
2. JingTong Train Story Museum.
3. JingTong Old Street.
4. JingTong Pit Museum.


Places of interest around PingXi:

1. Fang Kong Dong. During the Japanese Occupation era, the villagers would seek refuge here if there is any bombing.

2. Antique Mailbox. The mailbox has been here since the Japanese Occupation era, and it is continuing to serve the PingXi community until now.


Day 3 – 14 June, Thursday 

- Cabby (NT$3300 – meeky yang) from jiufen minsu

- Yehliu Geopark - http://www.ylgeopark.org.tw/ENG/landscape/Sight_en.aspx , NT$50 (S$2.20), 8am – 6pm, wear hairclip and a jacket as wind can be very strong,

 Hot spring at 金山洗溫泉~香草花園 - (NT$800 per room) for 3 hours http://www.herbgarden.com.tw/18.htm

    - Print 2x http://www.herbgarden.com.tw/20-1.html (discount coupon of NT$100 each)

- private hotspring room with bed and TV will be NT$700 (S$30.50) after discount... =)


-  Check into taipeiyork (+886913613870 / 0987766607)

-  Address: 台北市昆明街79, 樓下是7-11便利, 走路到 "西門捷運站" 3~5

-  Paid S$185 (NT$4080) as deposit into HSBC account, balance of NT$8160 to be paid upon check in... average price is NT$1530 (S$66.50) per room per night



- dinner at 蘇杭點心店 (臺北市羅斯福路二段14) – Guting station exit 7 – 8am to 8pm


Shida night market (Guting station) 



Day 4 – 15 June, Friday

- Taipei zoo NT$60 (S$2.60)
- maokong godola from taipei zoo to Zhinan temple


- late lunch at kiki restaurant (02)27220388 – 27220559 - in the same building as Eslite Bookstore (誠品書店) located in a tall grey building outside city hall station 

Taipei 101, NT$400 viewing deck at 89 floor, Taipei City Hall station, free shuttle bus to go to Taipei 101.

- Wufenpu – exit 1 of houshanpi station, walk north along jhongpo N Rd to the intersection of Jhongpo N Rd and Yongji Rd. Opens from noon to midnight

Raohe night market, 15 minutes walk away from wufenpu



Day 5 – 16 June, Saturday

-  Yangmingshan – take bus 230 @ beitou station , leisure bus 108 (NY$60 for unlimited rides, 15 to 20 minutes interval) that stops at all the scenic spots

-  Bus 230 will take us to Xin Beitou station (pretty trains), Hot Spring Museum (free), Geothermal Valley (free)

-  淡水old street + 15 minutes ferry to渔人码头NT$100 (2 ways) + lovers’ bridge – take bus R26 at tanshui station

-  lava club @ City Hall station, walk towards Taipei 101then walk to shinkon mitsukoshi deparment stores ....台北市信義區 松壽路22B1 (NEO 19 building)… entry before 11pm, NT$600 - $700 each with 2 free drinks,

-  room 18 (recommended by zhuan) is @ NEO 19 building, B1 too… NT$700 with 2 few drinks

-  洪爸爸 and 洪妈妈 to EZ5 (安和路二段211) to listen to live band from 945pm onwards. Take cab as it’s inaccessible by train. NT$600 with 2 tickets for snacks or drinks. 


Day 6 – 17 June, Sunday 

Ximending – go for a hair wash with head massage at 小林 salon

- Longsanshi  

Chiang kai shek memorial hall, 9am to 6pm, hourly guard changing ceremony,

National Palace - Shilin station, bus R30, entrance fee NT$160 for adult and NT$80 for student

Shilin night market (jiantan station)  


18 June, Monday
-   Take cab at 12nn, +886935-247-935 (Mr. Chan Jun Ting 陈俊廷), he charges NT$888 one way (airport-taipei city centre)




Updated note:
din follow the itinerary to a T due to the endless rain.... =S.... but still managed to covered at least 80% ... can check out the actual route of travel in the June 2012 posts... a total of 14 posts with plentiful of photos... =) 


(1) Gold Ecological Park 
(2) Shifen Waterfall
(3) Sky Lantern @ Shifen
(4) Keelung Night Market + Jiufen Tea House
(5) Yeliu 
(6) Yang Ming Shan +Hotspring 
(7) Mao Kong Gondola + Zoo + Kiki
(8) Taipei 101 
(9) C.K.S Memorial Hall
(10) Clubbing in Lava
(11) Lover's Bridge @ Danshui
(12) steamboat @ Ximending + EZ5


Super Lousy Courier Service (Ta-Q-Bin)

Super Lousy Courier Service (Ta-Q-Bin)


wanted to go shopping last weekend but ended up online shopping due to the rain.... bought a plentiful of clothes and a bag from cleocat and had arranged for them to be delivered on 10 May before 11am but the parcel was nowhere to be seemed even when i left the house at 1135am. 

reached home that night and saw a form indicating that there was nobody to pick up the parcel when it was delivered. Checked the  timing and saw that cleocat had indicated the timing to be between 8 to 12nn. Cleocat's fault for not indicating the timing accurately! Nevermind x 1! 

I tried to call the hotline 18002255888 but couldn't get through.... i called so many times till i could memorise the number by heart already lo. Sent an email to cleocat to tell them about the situation and they replied me with a website for me to arrange for a re-delivery. Fine! I do it myself!

arranged it to be on 13 May between 2 to 5pm but again no show! Called the hotline, waited for more than 10 minutes and was told that i had called the operation department and as the admin department is not in operation as it was a sunday, they are unable to tell me why it was not delivered. Nevermind x 2!

arranged for another re-delivery to be on 17 May before 12nn. Even received an email confirming the re-delivery but AGAIN NO SHOW!!!! tried calling and calling and could only get through half an hour later.... really feel like screaming at the operator but knowing that it's not her fault, i controlled myself...din screamed but she definitely could hear that i was very angry ... she said that the truck would only leave the company at 2pm. Really is nonsense lo. Delivery supposed to be before 12 noon but delivery truck only leave the company at 2pm. What nonsense right??? really feel like sprouting vulgarity la.... !@#$%^&*()(*&^%$#@!@#&**&^$#@ ... argh!!!!

so arranged for another another re-delivery to be between 7 to 8pm today. Had plans to go for facial one lo.... Haix.... really lousy service.... so lousy that i wrote this blogpost about it....=S.... 

And finally, yes!!!..... my shoppings arrived at 7.43pm today.....i'm a happy girl now!!!.... can play dress up liao....wahahaha..... =) 



A is for Art 2012 - Planning the Ultimate Challenge

A is for Art 2012 - 
Planning the Ultimate Challenge

The Ultimate Challenge:
Design a special seat for a very important guest to your school! Think about what represents your culture and create a seat that is unique to your school. 


The Osa Osa happens to be the favourite artefact for most of the pupils. Hence, we used it as a jumping board into the day's aim and activity. We talked about composite creatures, colours, purpose and materials that were used to make the Osa Osa and told them about the ultimate project.


We didn't want the pupils to spend time on the various 'chair' activities that were carried out during the camp. We realised that these activities eat into the time spent of the actual artchallenge for each theme and left us with little time for discussion. We wanted the pupils to have more time discussing and designing a chair that could represent the characteristic which they had identified to represent the school instead. 


The mind map which was created with inputs from the challengers 



and immediately, the pupils got started on their work in groups of twos or threes to design a chair to represent the school. We told the pupils to keep a copy of the pictures which they drew inspirations from as well. 





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Designed by Li Qi, Mandy and Bao Ping

Inspiration board
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Designed by Farhana, Afiqah and Maleha 


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Designed by Susan, Bee Peng and Wen Yin


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Round robin


Putting all the designs together and drawing out how we could mix and match to form the ultimate chair to represent the school.

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The finale of the lesson was a mini appreciation presentation to all the participants and the selection of the 'chair' team. Initially, we had shortlisted 10 pupils for the final stage of the challenge (making of the chair). However, two did not turn up for the lesson so Ain and I decided to make do with the 8 who showed commitment, creativity and cooperation. 

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

A is for Art 2012 - Shapes & Patterns

the last instalment of the art challenge before the visit to the Asian Civilisation Museum is on Shapes and Patterns. 

I did not want the pupils to do the usual kind of family portrait as suggested in the Teacher's Manual as I find it kind of boring. And the pupils have plenty of opportunities to do that in Term 1 journal almost every year. 


So I asked the pupils to draw clothings or accessories to represent their family members instead. They have to use colours, patterns and sizes to represent each of their family members. 


Trousers by Farhana 



Watches by Mandy





as always, sharing is a common practice after every activiy...
here we have Celena (above) and Maleha (below) sharing their artwork 





Then we went for a walk to look for shapes around the schools. Along the way, we introduced what were organic shapes and what were the differences between organic shapes and the geometric shapes which the kids were more familiar with. 



and with the shapes that they observed around the school, the pupils were told to chose a few of their favourite shapes to create a pattern that they would like to see on a fabric and paint was selected to be used for this activity. 



Masterpiece by Maleha 


 Masterpiece by Qian Qian 


Masterpiece by Mandy 


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Reflections from challengers:
- squares, circles, rectangles and triangles are not the only shapes
- it's special drawing family portrait without the people but with the clothes only
- i learnt more about shapes like that a brick can be an irregular shape
- i found out that we can draw clothings, watch etc to represent our family. I like it. It is very interesting. 


Monday, May 7, 2012

A is for Art 2012 - ACM visit


PRIOR to the trip:

We wanted the learning experience @ ACM to be one that the pupils enjoy... and being enjoyable means that the activity at each station must be more than just a Q&A...i remembered the only time when i was really awake during the tour round the ACM was during the A is for Art preview when we were given half an hour to complete the trail booklet in the Patterns of Trade Exhibit Gallery and to look for the osa osa based on a riddle.... 

I shared these interesting experiences at the ACM with Ain and 2 other teachers, Mabel and Aster, who signed up for the A is for Art Professional Learning Team (PLT) which I was heading as well. 

After some discussion, we felt that the Patterns of Trade Exhibit together with the Trail booklet provided by ACM will bring about a greater learning compared to the artefacts suggested in the Teacher's Manual for the theme on shapes & patterns .... 

Mabel and Aster created the activity sheet for the theme on composite creatures 
 




 while Ain created the one for the theme on colours



to facilitate the tour, I created the following table so that the teachers and the pupils would not be lost amidst the artefacts



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DURING the trip: 

1st stop for the 9 pupils under Mabel's and my charge was the Patterns of Trade Gallery 


EVERY ONE IS ENGAGED in the activity!!!!
likey much much...=D 

Celena counting the number of roosters on one of the textile

even Mabel was engaged in the activities. She's seemed here trying to identify the 3 differences between the elephant on the textile and the one printed on the trail booklet 

Susan and Wei Ping drawing an interesting flower motif that they saw on one of the textiles

2nd stop was Gallery 3 @ level 2. We told the pupils that they had 10 minutes to locate the 2 composite creatures located in the gallery. 

       It wasn't long before they spotted them one after the other







3rd stop was to look for the Topeng Mask in Gallery 4a located at level 3
The focus was on the red mask in the middle


Afiqah, Farhana and Susan reading up more about the red Topeng mask from the Artcard


4th stop was Gallery 7 at level 1 where the pupils will find the last composite creature and the indian dancer in red

Yali 

I was extremely surprised to see the yali mounted on sticks. i had thought that it would be in a glass case similar to that of the makara

somehow the height advantage makes this artefact more grand than the others.... maybe our vip chair can also be mounted onto some structure too..... hmmm....an idea to keep in mind for the ultimate challenge



din expect this artefact to be of this size. I had always imagined it to be a decorative item that can be placed on table tops.  




Last stop was Gallery 8 at level 1 
Qanat

The pupils seems to be more interested in the infomation and filling in their activity sheet than the actual artefact itself... =(



Rewarding the kids with some art time in the Patterns of Trade Gallery



Some pretty pieces spotted




Mine...kind of childish.... but at least 有个样...=) 

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Pupils' Reflection log:

(1) Hopes & Fears

(2) Draw your favourite artefact

(3) Why is it your favourite artefact?

(4) Three things I like about the trip to ACM

(5) Any other thoughts about the trip to ACM

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