FFD'10 with 312'10
FFD '10 with 312'10. Both yesterday and the preparation leading up to it was one word, awesome. Even though there were ups and downs, really minor conflicts that occurred, we managed to get through all of that and in the end made a blast out of yesterday. Thank you all, for making this a funfair experience like no other.
What I saw on Thursday - every single one of you helping out spontaneously to get the banner done, flyers drawn, tables set up at our stall, getting the really heavy cartons of Sprite back to class, balloons blown up; it really touched me, for it was the first time I saw our class working together with such enthusiasm and willingness. People were willing to put their differences apart, use their talents, be it in terms of lung capacity, strength or art, to get jobs done quickly for the sake of the class, and this is what really warmed my heart. Thursday night, I went home and started spamming you guys with mass messages (really sorry!), was feeling really hyped up about Friday, and was confident that we could do a good job with the rapport we've built up over 7 months.
I daresay, at the start of the year, even in Term 2, 312 was not really bonded in the sense that there were really obvious cliques, and because of various reasons, some of us felt like we didn't really "belong" in 312. But yesterday proved that we could do things as a class - do things fast, do things well, and most importantly, do things together. Even though there weren't allocations for who to do what, we still achieved a certain order throughout the day, with people helping out wherever they could, however they could.
Thank you to those who came early in the morning to help out with the preparation of potato chips and setting up of the banner (Cuimin, Yinghui, Grace, Hilary, Sixian, Esther N, Pui Jeng). It really sped up the entire process as the potatoes had to be soaked for half an hour before they can be fried and we didn't have much preparation time left after morning assembly.
During the first shift, we weren't really prepared. There were two power failures during the first shift alone, and that caused us to have problems with frying our potato chips. Another problem was the lack of cups big enough for the Italian soda, but we did make do with the small plastic cups. Sales at the stall was sluggish, as and I would like to commend some people on their efficiency in doing mobile sales - Sixian, Weimin and Abigail. I noticed that you guys went off to sell quite a lot of cups of soda and chips at once, and came back pretty fast with the money. Thank you for walking the extra mile. Thanks to Zen, Larisa, Sheeny, Grace and Alina for constantly manning the deep fryers and didn't stop for a single minute to rest, and Sheeny for mixing the salt with the chips! Thanks to Keye Cheng and Lois for crushing the ice, which stubbornly refused to be crushed. Thanks to Lois, Weiping and Grace for the preparation of the drinks. Another thank you goes out to Lois for going with me to get the ice (which was really, really heavy)! Thanks to Jo Yee and Esther N for getting cooking oil for us, and Mr Chong for driving Xiao Chou and I to Coronation Plaza twice to get cooking oil (together with Jo Yee and Esther N) and transparent plastic cups.
During the second shift, sales went up by quite a lot. The stream of customers was constant, and there was an endless rush to get the cups of soda. Thanks to Jia Shin, Heyao and Chiou Chyong for rushing out the soda for sales. A big thank you goes out to Pui Jeng, Chiou Chyong and Xiao Chou for crushing the ice despite the numbing cold (and especially for Pui Jeng and Xiao Chou, for continuing to crush ice despite already being hurt). And...sorry Xiao Chou for hurting you while crushing ice! Thanks to Shiyun, Xindi, Zhuhong and Zhiyi for operating the deep fryers non-stop. Thanks Xiao Chou, for going to get ice with me when we ran out of ice, and going to get the class key with me every single time, being there for me every single step of the way. Thanks to Esther W and Cuimin, for taking care of the coupon box and doing a good job of the counter sales!
Somewhere near the end of the second shift, I broke down. For those of you who asked, no, it was not because I was pissed or angry, but rather, it was the disappointment that got to me. I tried to control, but it just didn't work, sorry. Well, as Xiao Chou rightly put it, it was ten minutes wasted as the class tee was found in the end. Thanks to those who had a part in searching for the shirt; Hilary, Xiao Chou, Pui Jeng, Weiping, Larisa and Zhuhong. This incident really regained my faith in the class, and yes, I admit I originally had little faith in us, but now, it's a different story.
The third shift consisted of Cheryl, Yinnshan, Esther N, Jo Yee, Yvonne, Tasha, Xiao Yi, Liang Xuan, Daphne and Hsieh En. It was the most fun! The mad rushing, the screaming, the shouting. We ran out of the transparent plastic cups, and had to use the Styrofoam cups. Then, we ran out Styrofoam cups too, so we used the small plastic ones and cut the price to $1. Around 7:30pm, we ran out of Sprite, but we still had some syrup left. There was a large crowd of people in front of our stall all wanting to buy soda, but we had no more Sprite left. 'Twas Cheryl who thought of going to other stalls to buy their canned Sprite to pour into our syrup, as a replacement for bottled Sprite and boy, did it work well! We bought one carton of canned Sprite, and some loose cans of Sprite. One can of Sprite cost us $1, and with each can of Sprite we could pour 3 to 4 cups of soda, a good deal indeed! And then we ran out of ice, so I decided to ask around for ice as it was too troublesome to go all the way to the other end of the school to get ice from the Ops Room. Struck gold on my first try - a class beside us had a whole 5kg pack of ice that was entirely unopened. At 7:55pm, with 5 minutes to 8pm (sales were supposed to stop by 7:45pm and coupon boxes handed to the general office by 8pm), we ran out of canned Sprite as well, and we got another carton of canned China Apple drink to replace the Sprite! Sure enough, when people asked us what we were selling, we couldn't say Italian soda anymore, and it was kinda amusing. One person in charge of scooping the syrup would pass it to the one with the ice, and then the one with the Sprite, and another going between the preparation table and the sales counter with cups of soda. I kept shouting "ONE DOLLAR ONE DOLLAR ONE DOLLAR" in a bid to attract customers so we could finish our 24 cans of China apple drink in 5 minutes. We succeeded, with one minute left to go. Spent the last minute running to the general office to hand in the coupon box; the sense of satisfaction was immense.
Clearing up was fun, albeit tiring. I managed to borrow detergent and sponges from the NYPS PSG, and Tasha, Yvonne, Yinnshan and Liang Xuan got down to washing the oily pots, trays and bowls and they did do a decent job out of it! In all, we took 40 minutes to clear up and return the chairs and tables. Thanks Jo Yee, for staying back with me to move the canteen table and bench back to the canteen and clear up the remaining mess on the floor. As a result of everyone's hard work, the sparkling clean trays, cooling racks and utensils are now sitting in class, safe and sound. Ms Teng's six bowls were returned to her, clean and intact.
In conclusion, everyone had an important part to play in yesterday's success. Despite the aching bodies, I'm sure we all had fun and enjoyed yesterday, as it was a reflection of what we can achieve as a class. Even though not everyone stayed for the entire day, I hope you guys did have a taste of what it's like to work together with your classmates in joy and harmony. I am speaking not as the shift I/C of the 2nd shift, not as the stall I/C of 312, not as the assistant monitor of 312 but as a member of this 312 family we are. To see everyone work together efficiently to reach a common goal, it was definitely heart-warming, and I do wish to see, or rather, feel, more of this in the future. Together, we can soar greater heights; not just during events like FFD, but also during daily school life. A great example would be classroom cleanliness - if everyone does their own part, it wouldn't be too hard to maintain the cleanliness of the class. To not litter, so there will be lesser work for the people who sweep the floor, to not leave your things lying around in the class, so there will be lesser work for those who clear the desks at the side and the back of the class.
It was touching to have seen everyone put in their utmost effort to do their part well and with enthusiasm for FFD'10. Thank you, 312.
Proud to be a member of 312,
Rachel
What I saw on Thursday - every single one of you helping out spontaneously to get the banner done, flyers drawn, tables set up at our stall, getting the really heavy cartons of Sprite back to class, balloons blown up; it really touched me, for it was the first time I saw our class working together with such enthusiasm and willingness. People were willing to put their differences apart, use their talents, be it in terms of lung capacity, strength or art, to get jobs done quickly for the sake of the class, and this is what really warmed my heart. Thursday night, I went home and started spamming you guys with mass messages (really sorry!), was feeling really hyped up about Friday, and was confident that we could do a good job with the rapport we've built up over 7 months.
I daresay, at the start of the year, even in Term 2, 312 was not really bonded in the sense that there were really obvious cliques, and because of various reasons, some of us felt like we didn't really "belong" in 312. But yesterday proved that we could do things as a class - do things fast, do things well, and most importantly, do things together. Even though there weren't allocations for who to do what, we still achieved a certain order throughout the day, with people helping out wherever they could, however they could.
Thank you to those who came early in the morning to help out with the preparation of potato chips and setting up of the banner (Cuimin, Yinghui, Grace, Hilary, Sixian, Esther N, Pui Jeng). It really sped up the entire process as the potatoes had to be soaked for half an hour before they can be fried and we didn't have much preparation time left after morning assembly.
During the first shift, we weren't really prepared. There were two power failures during the first shift alone, and that caused us to have problems with frying our potato chips. Another problem was the lack of cups big enough for the Italian soda, but we did make do with the small plastic cups. Sales at the stall was sluggish, as and I would like to commend some people on their efficiency in doing mobile sales - Sixian, Weimin and Abigail. I noticed that you guys went off to sell quite a lot of cups of soda and chips at once, and came back pretty fast with the money. Thank you for walking the extra mile. Thanks to Zen, Larisa, Sheeny, Grace and Alina for constantly manning the deep fryers and didn't stop for a single minute to rest, and Sheeny for mixing the salt with the chips! Thanks to Keye Cheng and Lois for crushing the ice, which stubbornly refused to be crushed. Thanks to Lois, Weiping and Grace for the preparation of the drinks. Another thank you goes out to Lois for going with me to get the ice (which was really, really heavy)! Thanks to Jo Yee and Esther N for getting cooking oil for us, and Mr Chong for driving Xiao Chou and I to Coronation Plaza twice to get cooking oil (together with Jo Yee and Esther N) and transparent plastic cups.
During the second shift, sales went up by quite a lot. The stream of customers was constant, and there was an endless rush to get the cups of soda. Thanks to Jia Shin, Heyao and Chiou Chyong for rushing out the soda for sales. A big thank you goes out to Pui Jeng, Chiou Chyong and Xiao Chou for crushing the ice despite the numbing cold (and especially for Pui Jeng and Xiao Chou, for continuing to crush ice despite already being hurt). And...sorry Xiao Chou for hurting you while crushing ice! Thanks to Shiyun, Xindi, Zhuhong and Zhiyi for operating the deep fryers non-stop. Thanks Xiao Chou, for going to get ice with me when we ran out of ice, and going to get the class key with me every single time, being there for me every single step of the way. Thanks to Esther W and Cuimin, for taking care of the coupon box and doing a good job of the counter sales!
Somewhere near the end of the second shift, I broke down. For those of you who asked, no, it was not because I was pissed or angry, but rather, it was the disappointment that got to me. I tried to control, but it just didn't work, sorry. Well, as Xiao Chou rightly put it, it was ten minutes wasted as the class tee was found in the end. Thanks to those who had a part in searching for the shirt; Hilary, Xiao Chou, Pui Jeng, Weiping, Larisa and Zhuhong. This incident really regained my faith in the class, and yes, I admit I originally had little faith in us, but now, it's a different story.
The third shift consisted of Cheryl, Yinnshan, Esther N, Jo Yee, Yvonne, Tasha, Xiao Yi, Liang Xuan, Daphne and Hsieh En. It was the most fun! The mad rushing, the screaming, the shouting. We ran out of the transparent plastic cups, and had to use the Styrofoam cups. Then, we ran out Styrofoam cups too, so we used the small plastic ones and cut the price to $1. Around 7:30pm, we ran out of Sprite, but we still had some syrup left. There was a large crowd of people in front of our stall all wanting to buy soda, but we had no more Sprite left. 'Twas Cheryl who thought of going to other stalls to buy their canned Sprite to pour into our syrup, as a replacement for bottled Sprite and boy, did it work well! We bought one carton of canned Sprite, and some loose cans of Sprite. One can of Sprite cost us $1, and with each can of Sprite we could pour 3 to 4 cups of soda, a good deal indeed! And then we ran out of ice, so I decided to ask around for ice as it was too troublesome to go all the way to the other end of the school to get ice from the Ops Room. Struck gold on my first try - a class beside us had a whole 5kg pack of ice that was entirely unopened. At 7:55pm, with 5 minutes to 8pm (sales were supposed to stop by 7:45pm and coupon boxes handed to the general office by 8pm), we ran out of canned Sprite as well, and we got another carton of canned China Apple drink to replace the Sprite! Sure enough, when people asked us what we were selling, we couldn't say Italian soda anymore, and it was kinda amusing. One person in charge of scooping the syrup would pass it to the one with the ice, and then the one with the Sprite, and another going between the preparation table and the sales counter with cups of soda. I kept shouting "ONE DOLLAR ONE DOLLAR ONE DOLLAR" in a bid to attract customers so we could finish our 24 cans of China apple drink in 5 minutes. We succeeded, with one minute left to go. Spent the last minute running to the general office to hand in the coupon box; the sense of satisfaction was immense.
Clearing up was fun, albeit tiring. I managed to borrow detergent and sponges from the NYPS PSG, and Tasha, Yvonne, Yinnshan and Liang Xuan got down to washing the oily pots, trays and bowls and they did do a decent job out of it! In all, we took 40 minutes to clear up and return the chairs and tables. Thanks Jo Yee, for staying back with me to move the canteen table and bench back to the canteen and clear up the remaining mess on the floor. As a result of everyone's hard work, the sparkling clean trays, cooling racks and utensils are now sitting in class, safe and sound. Ms Teng's six bowls were returned to her, clean and intact.
In conclusion, everyone had an important part to play in yesterday's success. Despite the aching bodies, I'm sure we all had fun and enjoyed yesterday, as it was a reflection of what we can achieve as a class. Even though not everyone stayed for the entire day, I hope you guys did have a taste of what it's like to work together with your classmates in joy and harmony. I am speaking not as the shift I/C of the 2nd shift, not as the stall I/C of 312, not as the assistant monitor of 312 but as a member of this 312 family we are. To see everyone work together efficiently to reach a common goal, it was definitely heart-warming, and I do wish to see, or rather, feel, more of this in the future. Together, we can soar greater heights; not just during events like FFD, but also during daily school life. A great example would be classroom cleanliness - if everyone does their own part, it wouldn't be too hard to maintain the cleanliness of the class. To not litter, so there will be lesser work for the people who sweep the floor, to not leave your things lying around in the class, so there will be lesser work for those who clear the desks at the side and the back of the class.
It was touching to have seen everyone put in their utmost effort to do their part well and with enthusiasm for FFD'10. Thank you, 312.
Proud to be a member of 312,
Rachel