Slice Of Life #283 - Life As It Is - Tuesday, May 19th, 2020

    Currently, my life is still the life under lockdown. The lockdown has been extended again until June 3rd, but fortunately, it's only CMCO (Conditional Movement Control Order). This means that most businesses can resume and kids can now go outside (but we can only stay in the car). School continues to be online, and we're going to have all end of the year things online (ie. the end of year assembly will be online this year).
    Recently, I've been taking online BSA (Boy Scouts) merit badge courses. This allows me to earn merit badges and continue progressing in rank online during these weird times. Last week, I took a course for the chemistry merit badge, and I'm happy to say that I now have that merit badge! This week, I'm taking a merit badge on safety. The two choices I had was between safety and communications, but I decided to take safety as I would have the chance to do communications with my troop when the CMCO is lifted (communications is required, so I'll have a chance to do it). I also chose safety because I felt like safety is a very important topic, and that it may help me a lot in the future.
    Now, I have nothing left to write about, so I'm going to go and continue taking the safety course (I have 1 video left to finish by tomorrow). Bye!

Slice Of Life #282 - Travel to India - Tuesday, May 12th, 2020

Ahhh! Finally, something intresting! Let's jump right in...

Yesterday night from 7:30pm to 9:30pm, I went to India for a short break! Except that it was online. My dad decided to join a Tour India thing, so I decided to join him for some fun! What we got wasn't really what I expected to get, however. At first, I thought that we were going to "literally" tour India with 3D maps and buildings (using google maps or something like that). However, it was really just a powerpoint and a woman telling us all about India. However, overall, I thought that she did a pretty good job. I learnt a lot about India during those 2 short hours.

After the course, I decided to go and make brownies for me to eat during breakfast. That all went really well, except that I may or may not have filled the container so much that it overfilled...

This week, I'm also taking online courses in order to earn my chemistry merit badge for Boy Scouts. It started from yesterday and will be going on until this Thursday. So far, it's been going pretty well and I'm liking it a lot. I've learnt a lot as a chemist these past 2 days, and I can't wait for tomorrow's course.

I don't have much time left, so I'm going to end this week's slice here! Bye!

Slice Of Life #241 - Tents in the Rain - Tuesday, December 3rd, 2019

    I opened my eyes and yawned. I stretched my arms wide and looked outside. I saw lots of tents already set up, with lots of kids running around, having lots of fun. Finally, I thought to myself. We're here!

    Along with the others, I got off the bus. 

    "Patrol leaders," Our scoutmaster, Scoutmaster Graham, said to us. "Please come with me."

    Because I was a patrol leader, I went with Scoutmaster Graham. It turned out that we needed to choose a camping spot for our patrol. We decided to camp in one big circle just for that sense of safety (I don't know about you, but I feel safer that way). Scoutmaster Graham then told us that it was now up to us patrol leaders to coordinate setting up the tents.

    "Guys, if you're in my patrol, please come with me!" I told my patrol. "We need to set up the tents."

    Everyone in my patrol followed. Suddenly, I heard a loud, rumbling sound. I looked up to where it had come from. I saw grey clouds overhead. They looked as if they were staring down at me like they were about to do something bad.

    And indeed, they did. There were only mere seconds before I felt the small drops of water plummet down to the ground. Before I felt the rain speaks to me in a language I couldn't understand. Before I felt like the rain was shouting at me and asking me to run away.

    And so, I did. I ran towards one of the cars to unload the tents. "Run, everyone!"

    I sprinted like my life depended on it. Now it had seemed like the sky had revealed it's sheer power, the rain really tormenting us now. It seemed like the rain had some communication to the ground too, with countless muddy puddles on the ground.

    I snatched a tent from the car, ran to the piece of flat ground that we were going to put it in, and ripped open the bag. My friend quickly pulled the tent out and quickly laid it on the ground.

    Great, I thought to myself. Now our tent is wet.

    I started to frantically connect the tent poles as fast as I could. After connecting them, I frantically put the poles into the flaps for them in the tent. I raised the tent and staked it to the ground. Fortunately, my friend helped put the rain fly on before even more water got into the tent.

   "Get in!" I shouted to my friend.

    I lied down inside the tent and wiped myself off with my towels. After that, I didn't do anything for a good 3 minutes, relaxing and enjoying the amazing sound of the rain trickling off my tent.

Slice Of Life #215 - Camping - Tuesday, May 28th, 2019

    I opened the boot of the car to take out my camping gear. Today, I was going to be going camping with my Boy Scout troop. I saw my friends waiting for me in the elementary foyer. I walked into the parents' lounge, where we were all waiting because it had an air-conditioner. Estefano, one of my patrol-mates, was playing a really weird game.
    After a while, we transported all our materials to the cars and the buses. The bus ride was really cool and fun. We saw a plane that was a balloon, so the plane was just levitating up in the air, and we laughed at it for a pretty long time. Now that I think about it, I really don't know why it was funny, but it was just really funny.
    We also played truth or dare, and we dared Toby, one of my friends, to lick his palm. The next time he chose dare, it then became lick a palm tree (Toby hasn't licked one yet, but I doubt he's going to do it anyways).
    After the bus ride, we unpacked everything from the car. As soon as we came down from the bus, it was immediately a bloody battle between us and the insects. I took out my insect repellent and sprayed it on myself.
    We found a good spot to camp and started to set up our tents. After we set up our tents, we went to cook our lunch. I then realized that I forgot to eat my breakfast, so I ended up eating it for lunch. We talked to each other for a while after lunch, then went to wash our utensils.
    When everyone was here, we crossed the road to a clearing next to the beach, where we did some rank advancement. We learned new things so that we could get to the rank of Scout in Boy Scouting.
    I was one of the first people to finish all the requirements, so I then went to have a Scoutmaster Conference with Scoutmaster Graham. After that, I went with our Senior Patrol Leader, Christen, to work on the Totin' Chip, which allows you to use a pocketknife, saw, and axe when you go on other camps with your troop.
    I managed to earn the Totin' Chip, so I then went to play at the beach with a few of my friends. We saw a whole "crab army" - we saw at least 25,000 small crabs. After playing on the beach for a few hours, we went back to the campsite to make dinner. For dinner, we were having hamburgers. I helped cut the burgers in half. Edwin did all the cooking, and Leo put the ham and vegetables inside the burger. Because I was vegetarian, I ate burgers with only vegetables in them.
    After that, we built a campfire and started it. We told each other jokes and performed the skits that we had organized under short notice. We planned it over a course of 2 minutes and never practiced it...
    We saw 5 satellites flying together over us, and so we went to the beach to check it out. We also saw Mars and Uranus from the campsite.
    Sleeping was really hard to do. I managed to sleep for a few hours, but then woke up because lots of other people also couldn't sleep and started chatting to each other - really loudly. They then started to play The Game of Life on an Ipad, which was even more annoying because they started talking even more.
    When we woke up the next day, it was a fierce battle between us and the mosquitoes again. The first thing we did was to take down our tents. Next, we went to boil water for breakfast because we were having instant noodles. I ended up eating 2 cups of instant noodles and a slice of bread. We also made ham and cheese sandwiches.
    After that, we did a quick sweep around the large campsite to pick up trash. After that, we went home. Those 2 days were 2 really fun and meaningful days, as I had earned my Scout rank and Totin' Chip.

Slice of Life #210 - On The Highway - Monday, April 29th, 2019

    Tomorrow's the last day of April,  and I happen to have a math test tomorrow. Tomorrows math test is one of the big tests of the year, so I have to sleep early tonight. Later, I have a troop meeting to go to - for Boy Scouts.
    Last week, I received our troop t-shirt, so I have more than one choice when it comes to picking what to wear for Boy Scout meetings now.
    I am now on my way to my Chinese class. I have to go down on time from my Chinese class on time on all Mondays now because my troop meeting is after my Chinese class. 
    Recently, I also managed to earn my double gold belt. I'm also very happy because I managed to get 100 marks on my piano theory exam.
    I don't have anything to write about now, so I'm going to leave and go read now! Bye!

Slice Of Life #203 - A Busy Day - Monday, April 22nd, 2019

    Today has already been a busy day, and it's just about to get busier. Currently, I am on my way to my Chinese class.
    After my Chinese class, I'm going to go back to school because I have Boy Scouts meetings every Monday. 
    I really have to read more books, especially the Novel Knockout ones, because I'm on the Novel Knockout team at school.
    Now, I'm almost at my Chinese class venue, so I have to leave now. Bye!

Slice Of Life #190 - Troop Meeting - Tuesday, April 9th, 2019

    Yesterday, I had my first troop meeting as a Boy Scout.

    In this meeting, we got assigned to patrols (groups). We elected Leo as the patrol leader, and Tobiah as the senior patrol leader. I would have been elected as the senior patrol leader leader, but we decided to let Tobiah do it because he was leaving at the end of this school year.

    After that, we had to give our patrol a name. The person that was leading us told us that there was an available patrol name called the Radioactive Gummy Bear Ninjas, and we thought that the name sounded cool, so everyone agreed and that became our patrol name. There was also a really cool looking patch for the patrol (the patrol has a patrol name and patch that is recognized by the Boy Scouts). Click here to view the patch - I don't know why the picture wouldn't load on this post.

    We also managed to complete a few requirements, and I will update you when I get my 1st badge.

    Signing off for now, bye!

Slice Of Life #189 - Excited! - Monday, April 8th, 2019

    Currently, I am now doing my homework. I have finished the easy part of it, and am now working on the harder part. I think that I may need about 10 more minutes to complete that part of homework.
    After I complete that part, I will have to do my math homework, and I will be done with my homework for the week.

This is a neckerchief.

    Later, I am going to be attending my first troop meeting as a Boy Scout. I have 5 minutes more before I have to go out, so this post will be short (tomorrow's will probably be short too because I want to go to band practice in the morning so I can get my double gold belt, and will write my Slice when I go up to class and am waiting for it to start.
    I don't really know what I'm going to be doing in this Boy Scout meeting, but I'm probably going to be getting a new neckerchief and a new handbook.
    I'm going to be signing off for now, so see you tomorrow! Bye!

Slice Of Life #188 - The Arrow Of Light - Sunday, April 7th, 2019

    I walked up to the stage and stood behind a table. My parents stood behind me, and my friend, Leo, and his parents were next to me.

    Today, I was going to receive the Arrow of Light, the highest rank possible in Cub Scouting. The Arrow of Light is one of the two badges that you can carry on to Boy Scouting.

    Today, I was going to become a Boy Scout, and I would no longer be a Cub Scout anymore. Our Cubmaster, Mr. Clay, went up to the podium to say a few words about us.

    Next, Ms. Sara, the Vice-Cubmaster, picked up a white bag from the ground.

    "Me and Ms. Sara," Mr. Clay began. "have gotten you a few things that we think you're going to find useful. First, we got you all a compass. A compass is truly essential in Boy Scouting, as you'll be going hiking and camping more now, and your parents won't always be there to help you find your way."

    Ms. Sara walked out in front of the stage, passing us all a compass.

    "As you may notice, not all the compasses are the same because it isn't easy to just walk out of a shop and get 15 of the same compasses."

    I got a compass that was black with a cover. The compass was also equipped with a small magnifying glass, which I knew was probably used for starting fires with dry leaves. Once, when we were hiking, I managed to use a magnifying glass to get some dry leaves to smoke, but I put it out once it started smoking ('cause why not? - No, it's just the fact that I didn't want to start a fire).

    "Next, we got you a spork," Mr. Clay continued. "When going camping, keeping things light is very essential. Because of that, we got you a spork, so you have a spoon, a fork, and a knife all in one.

    "And finally, we got you one more thing. Eye protection is very important, so we got you sunglasses!"

    Everyone gasped. When I got my pair of sunglasses, I realized that they were polarized - which means less glare from the sun!

    After we got everything, we continued on with the ceremony. We all got a gold pin with the Arrow of Light on it. After that, we had to put on a few stripes of face paint (blue, red, and yellow) to symbolize a few things - the Scout Law, Motto, Oath, and the Arrow of Light.

    And finally, the time came. I crossed the bridge from Cub Scouts to Boy Scouts - there was actually a small bridge that you had to walk across (I was the first to cross)!

    A few Boy Scouts quickly surrounded me and put a small strip of dark green fabric on my shirt, making me an official Boy Scout.

    When everyone had gotten their Arrow of Light, we all stood behind the table again. Our Den Leader, Agung, gave us a few presents. There was a personal note for all of us, and also a camera - with a secret compartment in the back with a film of all our memories.

    But most importantly, I had gotten my Arrow of Light.