Wrapping up CAS - Final reflection

Creativity

I decided to undertake a new challenge this year by starting a completely different activity: nail art. It has certainly helped me to develop new skills in terms of mastering paintbrush strokes on small areas and perfecting nail polish application techniques. It also gave me the opportunity to develop new skillswhen I designed my own spa in terms of drawing and editing my own logo and coming up with a structureof the building that would be most attractive to clients. I was able to engage with issues of global importance in my debate (refer http://malindies.blogspot.com/2011/02/nail-art-course-i-think-im-being.html) when I addressed how the daily use of chemicals can seriously harm users if not handled responsibly.

Action

In the badminton after school activity, I was able to develop new skills with the aid of the coach, Mr. Nimal. I personally felt that I have gained a better understanding of how to move around court in the quickest way thanks to improved footwork. At the same time I was able to increase my awareness of areas of growth because I realized that I need to improve on my backhand because it does not seem to come naturally during matches.

Service (and creativity)

Since I was a leader in the ‘Hope for Kids’ Cancer Hospital service project that organized a major concert this year, I had plenty of opportunities to plan and initiate activities. These include the voice workshop, the tech run and the rehearsal. They also allowed me to work collaboratively with others who not only included the people in the project but the performers as well. At times in was simply too much work but I stayed committed and persevered with our plans until we got everything, from the sound to the posters to the program, sorted out. There were times when we had to consider the ethical implications of our actions because we could not visit the hospital at all during the period. I felt rather guilty for putting the kids second but we had to consider the long term benefits we can make possible with our funds. Unfortunately, I couldn’t stay on to see this happen because I had to pass on leadership to the younger members.

New leaders

Chris and I have been leaders for a year now and it’s time to hand over responsibility to the younger members. We had a discussion with Ms. Tanuja, considering all the existing members. Some aspects we took into account were enthusiasm, commitment, leadership skills and age (they had to be in Grade 9 or older). We also had to make sure that the two leaders will be able to get along with each other to prevent problems when it comes to decision making. Finally, we decided on Upandha (Grade 9) and Sandushi (Grade 11) because we felt that they were the most suitable.

They were ecstatic when they found out! J

Versus Cancer Video

Showtime!

At first we were worried that we wouldn’t be able to sell our tickets. What we should have worried about was running out of tickets. This is exactly what happened! The turnout was so huge that all the vehicles created a block outside the auditorium: this news really didn’t make me feel any less nervous particularly since this was the first time I was a MC. The teachers had run out of tickets and had to write out chits instead to let everyone in! Thankfully, Mr. Rana had expanded the auditorium’s capacity by manipulating the seating arrangements so (almost) everyone got a seat.

One concern was that The Revelations choir did not find enough mics to perform as expected but they thankfully managed to make do with what we had. We also had to make some alterations to our initial program (The Revelations requested to go first and some dancers wanted to go on a bit earlier as well) but there were no significant deviations from the printed program. The transitions between one performance to another took some time, resulting in the concert going on for 3 hours, over the limit we had of 2 hours.

But we pulled it off! The audience responded very positively to the show as the performers were indeed very talented. The diversity of what we had to offer was said to be an unique feature of our concert that made it so enjoyable coupled with the knowledge that all funds go towards a good cause. Our t-shirts were extremely popular, Chris and I wore them while we were MC’ing as a form of subtle advertising, although the pledge forms were not.

Personally, I felt extremely proud when I was leaving that auditorium, knowing what I’d manage to accomplish with my team and being showered with positive feedback. Starting off as just us 5 girls, I think we managed to set a standard to our school, bring it out of its bubble and show everyone what we’re capable of.

And for the record,

We earned a grand total of Rs. 250,000 J

Rehearsal

Due to the lack of time, we wound up having to schedule our only rehearsal on the day of the concert itself! We all showed up bright and early but almost all the other performers failed to do so…resulting in unnecessary delays. Pri (backstage) had to continuously communicate with Saba and Mo (lights) to let them know when the performers are going onstage. In addition to this, the spotlight had to be focused on the MCs (me and Chris) every time we went on to introduce the next performance which took some adjustments. We had quite a fright because one of the two spotlights had blown but we managed with just one all the same. Problems concerning the sound arose as well especially when the drums were being played for the larger bands so that had to be attended to by Mr. Rana. Overall, the whole run through didn’t go as smoothly as I would’ve liked although we were glad to have had the opportunity to identify and attempt to fix the major faults.

Pre-concert pressure

To say that there were a lot of preparatory work that had to be done in the few days leading up to the concert would be a tremendous understatement. Here’s a concise list that summarizes the small tasks that gradually built up:

• · Making sure our sponsors’ posters got put up in the auditorium – this was mostly Mr. Rana’s job.
• · Collecting the printouts of Natalie’s photos and putting them on display for people to see as they enter.

• · Finalizing the lineup; this was a lot more difficult than anticipated because we had to make sure that the peaks and troughs of the concert came at precisely the right intervals, balancing the soft with loud, the songs with dances, the Western with Eastern performances.
• · Designing and printing out programs for the concert as well as the invitations for the invitees done by me and Dylan respectively.

• · Getting Pesta, our canteen, to donate snack parcels for the performers. They generously provided us with 50 packets comprising of short eats, cake and a drink in return for selling food during the break.
• · Assigning ticket sellers (teachers), t-shirt sellers (Upandha) and pledge form handlers (Emily and Ms. Shameela).
• · Putting aside reserved tickets, mostly for the performers’ friends and families, in clearly labeled envelopes.
• Editing Priyanka’s MC script (done by Ms. Fernando) and practicing it. Turns out it’s going to be me and Chris!

Making progress in badminton!

Our coach, Mr. de Silva, took me under his wing when he noticed that my footwork was not as quick as it needed to me. We did a range of very tiring drills where he showed me how to step towards the net in the most efficient way, left and right. He then started shooting shuttlecocks near both corners near the net alternatively at first and then randomly which kept me on my toes.

In the next lesson, he did the same thing but going away from the net to the further corners. After I had gotten used to the new steps, he combined all four of them and had me running back and forth on the court. It was absolutely exhausting but I felt like I was getting somewhere. I also learnt that, since I’m left-handed, my left foot should always follow my left arm, especially when hitting the shuttlecock. This is especially useful when playing away from the net and allowed me to use my weight as well as arm strength.

My primary objective is to focus on my backhand because I had noticed that I kept missing a lot of easy near shots as I was not fast enough. I’ll also have to continue the drills with Mr. de Silva when I start again next semester to keep my footwork and stamina level in check.