BRATs IPOH Workshop 2014 after thoughts
I was attending another camp before this workshop and I felt a bit "camp-lag" and was unwell too. I didn't know what to expect so I was a li'l surprised when the kids there started to form a circle (sort of) and introducing each other, WITHOUT BEING ASKED TO. I thought to myself: These kids (yeah, I'm considered old) are definitely different, and that it's gonna be 4 amazing days well spent.
And I was not disappointed. The assignments were challenging, the interviews were nerve-wracking, the deadlines were depressing because we can't keep up with it, but the people I've met are a fantastic bunch. And whatever I've experienced cannot be fully described by mere words and wouldn't trade it for the world.
We got the lowdown on journalism by Ian Yee (editor of R.AGE), Sharmila "Sharm" Nair (star2 journalist), Samuel Ong (the Star photographer) and Jason Tioh (BRATs 2000 participant). Thanks to them, I ( and I think all of us there) can never look at the media the same way again. It was definitely an eye-opener for me.
I am teamed with 12 other amazing people in Team R.U.Z. (credits to our leader Jay), stylized as "R.U. Zombies". Yeah, that's what the "Z" stands for. Our first assignment was Foh San Restaurant and we did not do our best, but we made up for it in our second one, which is Kuala Sepetang Charcoal Factory. I can still smell the mangrove smoke on me. Me and Grace did the stand ups and voice overs for the 1st and 2nd assignments respectively. We cannot bear to look or see ourselves in the final video. I think we did pretty great, considering that it's our first time and both of us had sore throats. As the saying goes, "we do not enter as geniuses and we may not leave as geniuses".
Although I am on Team R.U.Z. and my loyalty still lies there, I thoroughly enjoy the company of the members of Team Not Lembab. I really got to know them when we had dinner in Lou Wong Restaurant and we exchanged playful banters over chicken and bean sprouts. They made some new terms that I found myself using it, my favorite being "vincepired".
My roomies are the best. Yi Ling (we call her by her surname, Chew) gave me her medicine for me to get well better. Leia was cool with having the extra bed while me and Chew sprawled ourselves on the big bed. On our last day, we slept right through our alarms and Leia was the only one who heard it. Yet she waited for us to wake up to complain about it. Best of all, they said not a word about my annoying sniffles and cough. I love them so so so much!!!
Besides prepping for our final work, we had in-between breaks which I think could be more structured as they tend to be kinda sudden. Nevertheless, we had fun singing and dancing ridiculously, especially to the song with the extremely catchy hook "Huat ah Huat ah Huat ah, Huat aaaaahhhhhhhhh!!!". Another highlight would be the Jolex couple, where these guys, Jonathan our senior and Alex from Team Not Lembab, would waltz for our entertainment. Not willingly of course but still...
In this workshop, we have forged one-of-a-kind friendships. Although we come from different parts of the country, we still manage to stand as one. I really hope that we can still go on future assignments with each other and attend future BRATs workshops as seniors together. I also wish that our relationships will go beyond the assignments and become close friends. Such potential examples are Sara and Rachel from my team, the "Dynamic Duo" from Team Strypes Ginger and Nicole. I'm pretty sure there are more than these two.
And above all, I hope that I can still remember everyone's faces and names so that we would not end up as strangers when we cross paths later.
So much to say, so little time...........
This is Cass from Team R.U.Z. signing off. God bless y'all.
