Natsune's CAS Blog

I was absent for many rehearsals as I was sick for 2 weeks.

30th Oct. 2020 - Strauss Blue Danube (got a very short triangle part and the glockenspiel) - Spaceship (main glockenspiel part) - Guardians of the Galaxy Medley (small keyboard part) - Holst (small glockenspiel part and also help Ryan count - another percussion member)

31st Oct. 2020 - keyboard sectional for the morning (used the time to find the right sounds for each piece, and I got assigned the main piano part!!) - Cosmic girl (I have the bass part on the synth and its my favourite part of the whole show) - Guardians of the Galaxy with the whole orchestra (sight reading was really bad) - Holst (got an extra harp part on the synth)

7th Nov. 2020 - Photo Day - we wore all blacks - full run through of all the songs with the singers (technical check up)

12th Nov. 2020 Performance day to the Boarders - I completely lost track of where I was during Cosmic Girl (a lesson learned to communicate with the conductor when lost) - everything else was fine 

20th Nov. 2020 - I asked Mr Smith during lesson to double check my score as I seemed to be missing tons or bars for Spaceship Medley

21st Nov. 2020 - First performance - most things went well other than the volume of the organ sound at the very beginning of the show (technical difficulties).  - I accidentally played on a massive rest during the Guardians of the Galaxy (Jackson 5 piece) which was quite embarrassing. - All of my tuned percussion parts went well

Second performance (same day - night performance) - This performance also went well other than the organ sound which still wasn’t fixed (the volume was max on the synth itself so must be a technical problem). - Learned from previous performance to not play in a rest during Guardians

I missed out quite a lot of OCD CCA as I was sick during first term. However I managed to help out the tree-management team with Woei Yi and helped the irrigation team on the CCA of term 1 with Kassy and Anaïs. 

Helping out Irrigation team - 25th Nov. 2020 As not enough people showed up to the CCA for the tree-management team, I helped out the irrigation team and their plan to set up a water distribution system using pipes running from the IBC at the hub down to the IBCs at the bottom (near the compost). Below is Anaïs’ rough plan of what sort of system she is thinking about. 

^direct measurements between the IBCs

^looking for an opening in the IBCs near the compost so that the pipe can connect to it. 

Anaïs wanted the pipes to be connected so that the water entered from the top of the IBC, however, we weren’t sure whether or not there would be enough pressure for the water to be forced up at such a height. Since the pipes are going to be under the soil, if there isn’t enough pressure, the water will not enter the IBC but get stuck inside the pipe or even worse flow back the other direction. 

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On 9th of August, 2020 (Sunday), my friend and I joined the Beach cleanup event at Belait Beach (a beach nearby my house). The event started from 7:45 AM and we finished collecting at around 9:00 AM. This was my first time participating in a beach clean up so it really helped me to understand the rubbish situation first hand. 

In general, the event was gathering people together and picking up rubbish or objects which do not naturally decompose from the beach so that they do not end up being washed away into the ocean and to make the place more presentable as it is a public place. 

What did I take from this event? There was much more rubbish lying around on the beach than I had expected. I think a lot of people ‘know’ about the trash problem and the effects it has on the ecosystem but have never actually seen the problem in person. Now that I think about it, I was one of these people and during the event I was constantly questioning why people throw away trash and other absurd objects on the beach instead of properly throwing them away. One example of an absurd object is a fire extinguisher which I found towards the back of the beach near the trees (the red cylinder in the photo below is the fire extinguisher). Those it seemed very old and therefore lacked any pressure inside to be dangerous, fire extinguishers can be very dangerous. I couldn’t understand why or even how this got to the beach but decided to drag it back to the base for it to be thrown away appropriately. 

What were some difficulties I faced? There were difficulties I faced before this event and during this event. Before this event, all of the services I wanted to do were cancelled due to the pandemic. However, this event started as the situation within Brunei has gotten better (no new cases from within Brunei, the latest case was a local person flying from a different country back to Brunei and was immediately in quarantine).  During the event, I regret not asking where this rubbish collected is going to be taken. Since it was my and my friend’s first time joining such an event, we were quite overwhelmed by the amount of information. However, I should have still collected basic information about how the rubbish is going to be treated, otherwise I would doing work, unaware about final situation. 

How will I improve? When I get the chance to contact the different groups conducting the beach cleanups, I will ask them about how they deal with the rubbish they collect so that I can understand the consequences of my actions when participating. 

The photo above is when we were trying to pull out a large plastic bag which was buried under the sand (a bit of it was showing). This took a long time since the bag was full of sand and completely stuck. In the end we managed to pull it out. Sadly we couldn’t figure out what it was used for originally.

The photo above shows the students (my friends and I) who participated (the others were adults or university students) and the bags of rubbish everyone collected. The red cylinder I am holding in this photo (on the left) is the fire extinguisher found on the beach. GROUP PHOTO with all the participants!! They people were really nice and welcoming to new people like us :)

During term 2 I was able to participate in several different activities:

Japanese Tea Ceremony

Borneo Project

Trampolining

Beauty and the Beast

The Japanese Tea Ceremony was something which I am continuing from term 1 and have had the opportunity to use my experience and knowledge beyond my weekly lessons - the Japanese Tea Ceremony workshop during Japan Week in February. 

I have finally managed to complete the level 6 routine without stopping in between. I still have a slightly fear against the front drop but I am starting to get used to it and hope to be able to do it by the end of the year. I also want to try and ask if I can practice my high jump skills as well as my trampolining skills in the gym. 

The school production, the musical Beauty and the Beast, was a very special experience as I was able to participate as one of the “multi-roles” and help with some of the aspects of the coordination between the dancing and the music. I was involved in the “Sound of Music” production as one of the cast members, but this time I was able to take part as one of cast members and the support team. I never knew that the collaboration between the music and the movement on stage was so difficult until this show because we had less time to put this show together than any other show. I was really nice and satisfying to know how each aspect of the show came together at the end. I really enjoy singing and dancing, and hope that I can continue to stay close to this in the future as well. 

This term has been centered by the musical because of its many (and long) rehearsals, and I haven’t been able to do as much of the other three activities as much. But I have tried to keep consistent as much as possible with my service and activity aspects. 

The musical and the workshop have helped me to realize that I like to support and organize events together. The musical has especially helped me get the courage to take action - for example, the tempo of the music for one section of the show didn’t match the energy of the dance so I decided to talk with the conductor to make sure that section didn’t look awkward. 

Increased their awareness of their own strengths and areas for growth.  Shown perseverance and commitment in their activities.

Today’s session was the continuing with the “Naraigoto” (basics). The form I learned today was the last one on the list called “Shikumi-date”. This is where you bring the waste bowl, tea cup, wet towel, tea whisk, and tea spoon all together, without any of the tools used being ‘special’. This is generally used by older people who find it more difficult to go back and forth between the serving room and the backyard. 

The image above is the set the server brings into the room. The tea bowl in placed inside the waste bowl (underneath, not seen) so it can be brought into the room all together. 

The overall layout does not change massively to the “Kumiawase-date” other than the tea container (strong tea version) is place in front of the shelf (as you can see in the image below).

The overall movements do not largely differ from the “Kumiawase-date” either. The main and only difference is at the beginning when the server beings the set into the serving room and take the tea cup out of the waste bowl and place it next to the strong tea container, and then proceed with the usual steps. 

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I was quite surprised when I was able to guess the different steps before my teacher told me what to do. I think this is because I have gotten used to the basic order of the movements and have managed to understand a bit of the logic behind the movements. I also think that most of the actions have become a part of my muscle memory.

This is good since I don’t have to constantly think about what to do next and can smoothly perform. However, I feel as though my movements have become a bit rough and careless since I don’t have to think through my actions as much. I also learned in today’s session to not put too much force when whisking the tea as the whisk is made of bamboo and small pieces could snap off like it did in the tea which I made today. 

I have learned to 

Be more considerate of the surrounding situations (e.g. being aware of the different materials and therefore how to use them)

Today we set up the Hina Ningyo, a decoration for girl’s day in Japan as that day was coming up in a few days. 

On the other hand, in today’s lesson I learned the “Sumitemae” for the Ro set up which is slightly different that in the Furo (as the position of the furnace and the size of the pot is different). 

This process is very confusing and very exhausting but I eventually went through all the movements required for this to be practiced. 

28th Oct. 2020 - 14th Feb. 2020 (performance day)

This year the school decided to perform the musical, Beauty and the Beast from Disney. I was able to get into one of the “multi-roles” after the auditions. 

Log 1 - today all the cast was called in to work on the opening scene (prologue). We brainstormed ideas about how to recount the story with the stage set up into different levels. One of the principles suggested that the Beast be at the top level and everyone gives him presents as Mrs Potts recites the tale of the Beast and the witch. We were also given the libretto of the first song “Belle” and we all sang it together. The feeling of singing together we a large number of people is always thrilling and amazing, especially in the atmosphere like the Black box. I was also assigned solo lines to prepare for next rehearsal.

Log 2

Sang “Belle” with Ms. Brass, however I seemed to overlook a line I was assigned and got scolded.

I was given the role of one of the “Silly Girls”.

We blocked the Belle Song. 

Remember to SING IN CHARACTER

^Silly Girls lines

Log 3

Only the Silly Girls and the principles were in rehearsal

Ran through the scene just before the song “Me” (where Silly Girls and Gaston have some dialogue)

Need to practice extreme sobbing and crying in a disgusting manner (reaction to the fact that Gaston wants to propose to Belle)

Log 4-6

Further Blocking of Scenes in Act 1 and practicing songs (especially the large songs - Be Our Guest and Gaston. 

Measurements taken for costumes

WINTER BREAK

Log 7 - 10

Blocking of Act 2 (only some bits as majority are the principle scenes

Brushing up lyrics and dance movement

Log 11 - Run Act 1

Log 12 - Act 1 continued

Log 13 - Run Act 2

Log 14 - Act 2 continued + Act 1 revisit

Log 15 - Previews

For Y8-13 - I missed my cue for the Belle song (”never part of any crowd”). I really need to stay alert, otherwise I would do the same thing for the real show which is the worst thing that could happen.

For Y3-7 - I didn’t miss my cue.

Log 16 - Full dress rehearsal

Mob song - make sure to enter from the other side (the west wing symbolizes evil and darkness so we need to enter from the same side). 

I need to die further down stage right to now block Belle’s path (also die slower). 

Log 17 - Boarders Show

Talked with Ms Brass about the orchestra needs to play things differently (Be Our Guest music needs to be much shorter)

Missed my cue to go on for Be Our Guest

During rehearsal (after the show): Talked to Ms. Brass about the tempo change during Gaston isn’t needed. 

I got a mic for the Mob song

During the napkin gallop I need to stop in line with the edge of the front row seats. 

Performance 1

I didn’t miss my cue for the song Belle, however, someone else sang my line with me which was strange

Everything went as planned and the thrill to perform was higher than ever.

Performance 2

I didn’t miss my cue for the song Belle :)

Everyone seemed a little tired from the first performance so it wasn’t as good as the first performance, but it was still really good!!!

Overall Reflection:

Learning Objectives: Undertaking new challenges, New or extended skills, and Increased awareness of strengths and areas for growth.

In Times Square, the Japanese Embassy held a two day event involving introducing the different aspects of the Japanese culture to the people in Brunei (such as Japanese traditional music, food, traditional and modern fashion, anime, arts and crafts, and more). Alongside these, my family and I were asked to join this event by holding a workshop about the Japanese Tea Ceremony. We were asked to do two sessions, 30 min each, with max of 10 people participating in each session. This was a very precious experience since it is hard to get an opportunity to share this culture with so many different people.

Preparing for the workshop involved creating a slideshow and a script which had enough information for people who are totally new to the tradition. Since there was a time limit of 30 min, I couldn’t fit all of the things which were included in our slideshows used when my dad’s colleagues came over to experience the tradition. However, I was able to fit the following (which covers most of the basic information):

Where does matcha come from?

When did the tradition start?

Who drank the tea? For what purpose (other than just to drink)?

How serving tea became an art form

The individual aspects of the tradition (artworks, architecture, tools, etc.)

The workshop itself consisted of 3 parts:

Brief explanation about what the Japanese Tea Ceremony is

Demonstration of the Tea Ceremony using a special tea table (not the standard practice but a simplified version due to lack of time)

Experiencing a section of the Tea Ceremony (making and serving the tea to the person sitting on the other side)

I believe that this format was successful because people could both learn about the tradition and experience it first hand.

First session: group 1 mini trial

Second session: group 2 mini trial

Things that I struggled with:

What tone to use when talking to the participants

Overall I tried to talk politely but not too formally since this workshop is meant to be quite relaxed and casual. For the first session, I could feel that I was a little nervous and was constantly debating whether or not to mention certain facts when explaining what was happening in the demonstration. But I managed to explain the main points that I was planning to talk about. In the second session, I got used to the situation and was able to speak more comfortably with the people. I managed to get the balance between explaining and mentioning ‘interesting’ facts, and the session ran smoothly. 

Explaining how to make the tea

When I explained how to make the tea to my dad in the practice session last week, I used the phrase “mix the tea” and he understood what to do. He understood this because, even if he didn’t know much about the tea ceremony, he had seen people make tea in this form. The server mixes the powder with the hot water by shaking the bamboo whisk up and down until some bubbles form. But when I used the word “mix” with the participants, they began to mix by shaking the whisk in a circular manner which isn’t wrong in terms of the action “mix” but was something I didn’t expect to happen. 

Learning Objectives: Considered the ethical implications of their actions, Worked collaboratively with others.

This day my family and I did a small rehearsal/practice run of a Japanese Tea Ceremony Workshop held next week on the 9th of February, 2020. 

We created a presentation that briefly explains where matcha came from, and how the Japanese Tea Ceremony was formed. I made sure that there was a balance between explaining the ‘concept and ideology’ behind the ceremony and the tools used. 

We timed the presentation, demonstration, and the mini trial to make sure the session finishes within 30 min. The mini trial is where the participants get to experience a part of the tea ceremony - they serve tea to the person sitting on the other side of the table. I am a bit unsure whether or not the people would be comfortable with drinking tea served by other person (especially of the other gender), but if this does happen then the plan can be changed to whisking tea for themselves. 

The image above is the set up for the mini trial that the participants will do on the day (the photo is the results after the trial is done so the tea is already made). I asked my father to try it out to see if the instructions were clear enough for someone who doesn’t know anything about the Japanese Tea Ceremony. 

Today I learned the movements for the Ro set up for strong tea. The Ro set up is where the placement of the furnace is within the floor and is the set up for winter when the temperature is relatively cold. 

For strong tea, the tea container gets its own clothing/porch as the tea inside is valuable and the cloth used for this is usually very valuable or has a famous pattern. You need to remember this as the main guest would ask about what the cloth is and also about what style the tea container is made in. 

As you can see in the photo above, there is a black square rim around the furnace which is supposed to represent that the furnace is inside the floor (as we cannot physically cut the floor to suit the set up). The placement of the tools and order of the movements change drastically as well. The tools must be placed diagonally between the water pot (the brown pot) and the corner of the black rim.