New website?

Hey guys

I'm trying out for a new site at wordpress, see if you guys like it (read: post on tagboard), 'cuz if you guys do, we might make our permanent shift over there :P

Ok without further wasting time here's the link.

Tell me what you guys think.

Shannon

2008

Hey guys

Below are some key happenings I've gathered from attending group council meeting.

Mr.Simon Ho is leaving soon, and when he does Ms.Christina Leong will be taking his place as group secretary.

Ventures have to do a writeup for the Josephian Annual, based on what we've done for 2007. (I/C: Darren)

Scouts Founder's Day dinner: 22/2

Venture Leadership Course (Feb)

Tenderfoot Camp: 29/2-1/3 (I/C: Mr.Kwang)

Jobweek Camp: 8/3-10/3

Biennial campfire: 14/3 (I/C: Marcus Png)

UTC/PLTC: 30/5-3/6

Stepping Up ceremony: 28/6

Anniversary Parade: 5/7

Area Games Day: 19/7

Lasallian Cub Scout Camp: 18/11-20/11

04 Ventures will also be having a combine with GESS Ventures

International happenings are as follows:

Malaysian Jamboree: 12/5-18/5

White Tiger Scouts (Korea) exchange (June?) (For scouts)

Scouts of the World Programme (June)

England Scouts visit (July?)

Korea Jamboree: 7-12 Aug

For more international events please check the world scout portal

These are the most of the key happenings for 2008.

Cheers,

Shannon

p.s. Kenny (Yap) please give me a date to meet up and discuss 2008Q1 training schedule.

Penang 2007

Phew... Ventures are back from Penang!

Actually this time round its only me, Darren and Ben but we still had fun though :)

Visited many interesting places,

and ate many tasty street hawker foods.

This is a brief outline of what we did/visited/ate:

Chowrasta market
Komtar + Prangin mall
Khoo Kong Si
Penang Hill hike
Botanical Garden
Kek Lok Si
Penang (most) famous Laksa
Bought many tau sar piah
Queensbay mall
Gurney plaza
A&W (can't find in sg, so yeah)
St. Xavier's Institution (SXI, Ara's sekolah)
Victoria Memorial Clock Tower
Wisma Kastam Building
Kuan Yin Teng
Little Sisters of the Poor (CIP)

...just to name a few.

We also stayed at Malcolm's place for a night and played with the dog ;)

The hike up Penang hill in my opinion was the most interesting,
especially when we attempted to take the tram down hill, it broke down.
We even had to walk down one section of the tracks!
I bet normal tourists don't get to experience that haha

We visited the Scout HQ in Penang, and chatted a little with the office folks.
They said that next time we could apply to them in advance, and get free lodging x)

We missed out on some attractions due to Hari Raya, but we still accomplished
a lot more than we expected, especially with a 3-man crew.


This is all I can remember now!

Till then, ciao.

p.s. Photos are up. See 'em here.

Christmas / New Year's Party

Hey all. And i mean ALL. Yep, every single one with some sort of Pelandok history are invited to this year's party which will be held at Malcolm's place (behind Bukit Timah Plaza) on the 28th of Dec from 1830 hrs onwards. Actually it's at his pool place on the 5th floor if I'm not wrong. Oh and in case you are wondering, it's a pot luck thingy. So everyone has to bring some sort of food/drinks there. Ok simply put, the ventures and scouts will bring drinks and snacks AND all the rovers and old boys will bring main dishes. And don't forget to bring nice Christmas presents for everyone (and especially you-know-who). Be it your undying love for Malcolm or your ever precious gratitude for him, just bring it! And present it. Haha! Oh well. Guess I'll see you all there. If you have any queries, feel free to contact me, Aravind @ 90575403. Ciao (:

Venture Night 2007

Hey guys

I'd just like to thank everyone who's been helping out in this year's v-nite. Though I'll admit we didn't hit the target guest numbers as well as carry out every single activity we planned for, these are but minor details that pale in comparison to the collage of wonderful smiles and laughter of old boys and new alike. I enjoyed myself a lot and as the organiser, I'm already pleased that nothing did go wrong. However, do look forward to an even better v-nite next year, right juniors? haha...


Shannon

p.s. photos soon!

[UPDATE]

Photos are up! Please follow the link on the sidebar or click here.

Ubin Camp 2007

PHOTOS ARE UP!!!! click here.

The Ventures Camped in Pulau Ubin from 23/11-26/11 which is 4d3n

and...

somebody finish this post for me ty (:

Lasallian Cub Scout Camp 2007

Wooo000t!

We ventures facilitated the LaSallian cub scout camp which happened from the 16th of Nov to the 18th of Nov this year at St. Joseph's Institution Junior!
Needless to say, it was a smashing success!!! XD

There were 29 little cub scout terrors who came from De LaSalle School, St. Anthony's Primary School, as well as from St. Joseph's Institution Junior herself. Alas, they were no match for the 5 big terrors who came from the SJI Pelandok Venture Unit. Too bad haha!

The cub scouts got to experience cub scout games created by the founder - Lord Baden Powell, firelighting with kindling, buffalo tent pitching, team building within their patrols, as well as a knots session. Not to mention lots and lots and lots of soccer!

At the end of the camp, the cub scouts gave positive responses and are eager to attend this camp again next year. Yay =)

Pics will come soon.

Ubin Prep

Hey all. We'll be meeting in SJI at 1200 hrs on Thursday, 22nd Nov to collect some equipment and also to prepare for the camp on the following day. Those who can't make it please inform me asap. UBIN IS GONNA BE FUN!

P.S. Darren please finish up the risk management plan before Thursday and e-mail all, including the Venture Leaders.
P.P.S. Punctuality is greatly appreciated.

URGENT!

Those going for the Penang Trip, please pass me $50.00 for your bus tickets asap! I'm gonna have to book them soon and I don't have much cash with me ): So, if possible, please please pass it to me by the next time I'm meeting you. It'll be much appreciated. Thanks.

Bad news >_<

It's likely that we won't be able to attend any HQ programmes such as the SIC,AIC,VLC,VSSC, VC Hike this year.

For VLC, we're having ours organised under malcolm which will take place next year.
For SIC, there was no mention of it in the programme e-newsletter Mr Razak emailed me. I've asked him again. However, he said that all that will be organised is already in the newsletter.
For AIC (survival instructor course) and VC Hike, closing date for registrations was 30th Oct. I recieved the email on 29th Oct and only opened it on 30th Oct... so ^_^
For VSSC, closing date of registration is 17th Nov and the camp is from 7th - 9th Dec. Our Venture Night is on 7th Dec. Plus we havent done VLC yet. Hah so this is a nonono too.

So thats it for all our HQ programmes...
Bummers, sucks to be us. XD

IMPORTANT!!!

Hello all. This post is dedicated to ALL those who went to Malcolm's place on the 3rd of November. Do you all have any idea where his TV remote control may be? It has been missing ever since that day. If you can recall seeing the remote in some secluded corner of the cushion or something, please do let Malcolm know ASAP! Also, let him know if you have any leads on where the remote may be ok. Please do help if you can. Thank you so very much.

P.S. SORRY MALCOLM

Venture Meeting

Hey all. This is a gentle reminder that we will be having a venture meeting and mini pioneering session this coming Saturday, 10th Nov. We'll be meeting at SJI at 0930 hrs sharp. Please do turn up as we will have to discuss a lot of important stuff regarding V-Nite. And do turn up punctually. Thanks and cya there.

Latest Updates

These are the LATEST updates on our upcoming activities. Please do let Ara or Shannon know if you will not be able to make it for any of the activities. And remember to check the blog frequently for updates on the individual activities. Two words: ACCOUNTABILITY and PUNCTUALITY. Enjoy!

9th Nov: Backwoodsman@SJI
10th Nov: Venture Meeting@SJI
16th - 18th Nov: LaSallian Cub Scouts Camp
23rd - 26th Nov: Ubin Camp
1st Dec: Gathering with the Sec 4's
7th Dec: VENTURE NIGHT
8th Dec: Night Hike II
5th - 20th Dec: Penang Trip
22nd Dec: Venture Meeting@SJI
28th Dec: Christmas/New Year Party

Quick Notification

Hey guys

This Friday, we'll be teaching the scouts (land) first aid.
Please be down at 12 noon, the latest to turn up is 1:45pm.
Please make necessary preparations.

This Saturday, we'll be practicing pioneering for the ijtp combine.
Please arrive in SJI at 9:30AM sharp.
After that, we can go to Malcolm's.

For those still doing PW, all the best for OP =)

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17th October 2007

After a short discussion with Bro. Paul, ACE camp for us is off. Partially due to miscommunication(again) and late submission of request. We'll try again some other time! See you guys soon!

Events Calendar

October
19th (fri) Teach Scouts (refer to posts below)
20th (sat) Teach Scouts, CJC cip
The week of 27th (sat) - break for A's MT

November
3rd (sat)* Meeting in SJI, pioneering (tentative)
9th (fri) Teach Scouts
10th (sat)* Teach Scouts
16th-18th Lasallian cub scout camp (I/C: Darren)
New batch briefing (19th, 20th or 21st) KIV
23rd-26th Ubin Trip 4D3N (proposed)
27th-28th Scouts-IJTP combine camp (I/C: scouts)

December
1st (sat)* ?? (note: CJ project eagles 1-7)
7th (fri) Venture Night (I/C: Shannon)
8th (sat) Night Hike II
15th - 20th Penang Trip (I/C: Aravind)
Christmas Party KIV
VLC/VC Hike/SIC/AIC (I/C: Darren) KIV

Notes
Although not explicitly spelt out, v-nite planning is continuous and throughout the entire period during normal days.
Ubin trip has been extended to 4d3n, with the intention of trekking, cycling, swimming (?), camping overnight, cooking, fishing etc as well as getting yenchee to teach us survival.
Aravind, pls do the proposal for Penang trip and send me thx =)
The days marked with * are either not confirmed or can squeeze in some activities.

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13th October

Sorry guys. I had a slight kink because of hostel. Therefore, today's meeting is postponed till 6. As per Shannon's sms, meet at kap first. SMS me if you need updates. Will try and wrap as soon as possible. will try to come by by 8

Massive Updates

OK guys this is what I know thus far:

First off, scouts involvement.
This is what has been planned for us,
and not what has been confirmed.

12/10 (fri) - Exploration (sec3s)
19/10 (fri) - First Aid (sea patrols)
20/10 (sat) - First Aid (land patrols)
09/11 (fri) - Operating Gas Stove (sec1s)
10/11 (sat) - Backwoodsman supervising (whole unit)
17/11 (sat) - Whipping and Splicing (sec3s)

The times will be confirmed later, but this fri (12/10) should be 2:40pm.

Ventures sui juris
Due to Aravind's condition, I feel we should postpone our Ubin Trip indefinitely until further notice. Therefore this coming Saturday (13/10) will be replaced with a dinner meeting.
**UPDATE
Venue: Geovenn's house
Time: 4pm till late

Agenda for Meeting:
Scouts involvement (refer to above)
-With the exception of this fri (12/10) we will discuss about the rest of the proposal
Lasallian cub scout camp ( 16th-18th nov)
Scouts-IJTP Combine (27th-28th nov)
Q4 plans (Plan for 4th quarter meetings)
ACE Camp (15th-18th, 19th-22th)
Venture Night
J1 Recruitment
Badge Scheme Progress plus NYAA
VLC/VC Hike/SIC/AIC
Penang OCIP
Operation Valkyrie
AoB (further recruitment, funds, t-shirt etc)
Happenings in 2008

Okay so this is all I can think of right now but essentially we need a full working meeting to set us back in action (with solid plans) once again.


p.s. Remember to collect your 1st aid certificates or ask Darren =)

Dear Mr Chairman...

~to ara~

OI!

Take care
Rest good
& get well soon!

=.= zzz silly boy...

Our cares and concerns are with you! =)

Our favourite HQ guy! Haha check this out...

Adrian Chua

As a Boy Scout since ten years old, Adrian’s passion and love for Scouting remain ferment. Represented Singapore twice in Jamboree Camps, he had also completed the National Venture Leadership Course. He contributed significantly to the East Area Patrol Leader Training Camp in the year 2002. He was elevated to the appointment of an Assistant Leader in 2002. He still goes back to his secondary school to help out as and when needed.

Adrian joined the SSA on 1 April, 2007 as a Scout Shop Assistant. He enjoys his work so far. Being customer-oriented, he will always try to provide a delightful service to all customers. He derives satisfaction in seeing them leaving the scout shop with blissful expression for having received services beyond their expectations.

A cheerful Adrian is still looking around for his “Miss Right” to complete his rite of passage.

Found on http://www.scout.org.sg/company_profile/HQ_staff.htm

XDDD

We've really REALLY gotta invite him for venture night!

DINNER MEETING

Hey there VENTURES. Now that promos are over(or soon to be), we should start focusing on our upcoming events. So, for starters we shall celebrate the post promos era at Plaza Singapura this Thursday at 1800 hrs. After celebrations, it will be business as usual. I hope all of you guys can make it. Please do let ME know if you cannot make it for any valid reasons. Thank you and cya there dudes.

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WE SHOULD BE STUDYING. YUP!
And all the best for promos.

----------------
Now playing: Maroon 5 - Don't Look Back in Anger (Acoustic)
via FoxyTunes

OCIP 2007 @ Penang

Hey there guys. Hope everything's going great for all of us. As you all know, we were initially planning to go for a road-trip cum OCIP trip in December. Unfortunately, this is not possible given the free time we actually have in December, or November for that matter of fact. Please do remember that we have many other commitments in that period as well. Hence, one alternative that we can look into is to cancel the road-trip and and just do our OCIP in Penang. We will only be spending a few days (3-5 days) for this, thus we will have more time for the other commitments that Shannon was talking about. Please think about what I've said and try to get at least 5 days off from either the first or second week of December, preferably. We'll see how we can work things out from there. Just tag the dates. Oh, and we're also open to any other alternative suggestions or ideas that you may have. Thanks =)

----------------
Now playing: Justin Timberlake - What Goes Around...Comes Around
via FoxyTunes

Post-Promos happenings

Hi guys. I know the heat is on and its not like I'm trying to rob you guys of studying time (or slacking time) but I just need some information to be coordinated ya?

As all of you know there are a few projects after promos, and all ventures should be involved lah, so to speak. Shall list out so I can explain easier later.

-Scouts-IJTP combine camp
-Lasallian Cub Scout Camp
-Group Overseas Trip

(anything I left out?)

...plus (possible) venture cord hike, VLC(?!?!), and your own school and class cip, overseas trips, chalets, family holiday, and we need to plan for the new incoming batch of ventures. and our own training. And execute them.

SO post-promos I anticipate is going to be quite craaazy. Therefore I need you guys to start pouring in information on whatever you all have (and not wait till last minute), so we as a whole can coordinate our activities. Everytime something appears, tell somebody so we can start building some massive post-promos calendar for Q4 ie oct nov dec.

Btw, the combine camp and cub scout camp we're doing supervisory roles. Group trip is jointly organised by Ventures & Rovers. For CJ dudes: there are some NYAA programs organised by CJ, those interested go find Geovenn. SJI camps also. G da man.

p.s. I advice everyone to prioritise their involvement; choose and pick. 'Cuz at the end of the day you only have One Battered Body, don't think you can use it everywhere lol

money money money

hey guys

i specially on the comp to tell u all this. rmb the time when we had an extravagant dinner at sakae to mark our success at the test? i just came across the receipt, so now rmb to contribute some back to malcolm yupp basically thats all.

oh ya the sake was $12 a bottle. -_-

yupp if not i just crush the receipt and throw away now...

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S.T.U.D.Y

----------------
Now playing: Michael Bublé - Put Your Head On My Shoulder
via FoxyTunes

CJC UGLs

Enjoy!

Reflections, term 3 wk 7

Hey folks just a few words on the things that happened in the past few days, as well as an update on what's going to be done in the near future. Of course you guys know that Ara hasn't been feeling well, so I'll be filling in for him.

Today's helping out at HQ was quite an experience I guess! Better than expected, it was nice viewing this entire donation draw campaign from HQ's point of view.

Rover AGM saw little Venture participation (of course), but I'd say it was very informative for potential crew members *cough*junhow*cough* and as well as for us to understand Rovering better =)

Okay, I proposed cycling next week which met with not much resistance so I guess it'll go thru. Timing please confirm with me again, especially Chao. (morning vs evening)

By the next cycling trip hopefully we can hear some news on the tiny tasks I asked of you guys regarding Venture Night.

After next Saturday we'll take a massive break to handle the promo exams, but we'll still have short meetings regarding v-nite from time to time.
I am proposing the 6th of Oct to resume meetings?

Yupps thats all I guess. Please tag your responses ppl! This includes the Rovers =)

Helping Out at SSA HQ

Just a reminder, we need to render our services to our beloved SSA HQ this coming Saturday (11/8/2007) at 1000 hrs sharp. Punctuality is greatly appreciated, not that you have a choice of course! So, be there at 0945 hrs!!!
Attire is full scout uniform as we will be attending the Rover AGM straight after that [please do refer to the previous announcement about the Rover AGM]. Oh ya, Darren please do remember that you will be taking minutes for the meeting. The Rovers thanked you in advance =)

Also, after the AGM, we will be staying back for a short while to update each other bout V-Nite 2007. It shouldn't take long. So, don't worry bout a lengthy and draggy meeting. See you there people.

P.S. Please don't think that we'll be getting CIP hours because that shouldn't be our purpose for helping the SSA administration. Mr. Greg requested a favour from the ever-so-reliable Venture Unit and it's only right that we help him sincerely =)

Donation Draw Tickets!!

Hey guys, Mr Kwang needs to pass our donation draw tix to HQ on Sat so the ultimatum is this Fri. :)

1. Sell ALL your tickets by Tue night.
2. Pass it to me during the First Aid Course on Tue, 7 August 2007.
3. By that time, even if you are unable to finish selling, especially for Geovenn and Chao Hao who have just got their tickets, still pass it to me.

Thanks

Rover Crew AGM 2007

Hey there Ventures!! Happy 100th Birthday. Putting celebrations aside, as we all know, the SJI Pelandok Rover Crew will be having their AGM soon and we, as future Rovers, are privileged enough to have been invited to this meeting. Check out the details and please confirm with Reuben whether you'll be able make it not. Oh it's a potluck kinda thing. So we each have to bring food or drinks on that day and we'll share them. Bottomline bring FOOD!!

Venue: Function Room at Malcolm's place (level 5)
Date: 11th August 2007
Time: 1345 hrs.
Attire: Full scout uniform
RSVP: reuben.hendriks@gmail.com

-aravind-

Venture Meeting

Hey there Ventures, this is to inform you that we will be having a meeting with Malcolm to settle lots of administration stuff regarding V-Nite, POR, membership and training plan. Please note that it is of utmost importance that all the ventures be present at this meeting. We are really really running short of time for our event of the year and we must start taking CONCRETE steps already. Here are the details for the meeting.

Date: 4th August 2007
Time: 1800 hrs.
Place: Malcolm's place

P.S. You will never be forgiven if you don't come for this meeting =)

-aravind-

Best BP impersonation

KICKASS!!! XD

PHOTO UPDATES

THE TIME NOW IS 1:19AM. I'VE UPLOADED ALL THE PHOTOS!!! YES!!!!! *faints*

Kayaking Trip 140707

We had kayaking today! Here are some photos taken near shore:


Some kind of sandcastle I suppose...




















Muscle Man!




















Super Man!




















Drowning Man!




















Obscene man!




















Scenery Shot #1




















Scenery Shot #2




















The evil Persian King Xerxes on attack!




















Wooo000000T!!! *evil war cry*




















SPARTANS...




















HOLD THE LINE!!!




















Oopsies, down and in you go...





















Follow the link on the sidebar to view the full Gallery!

Red Cross Society Standard First Aid Course

Tuesday and Thursday nights
6.30pm - 9.30pm
31 Jul, 2, 6, 7, 14, 16, 21, 23* Aug
* - Test date

Note: 6 Aug is Monday since the Thursday, 9 Aug, is National Day.

Red Cross Training Centre
3rd Floor, Red Cross House
15 Penang Lane
(Beside YMCA building)

Bring: Passport-size photo and stationery

Attire: Shirt, pants and SHOES

Dear adult leaders, could you please email me to confirm participation for this course so that i can get back to Mr Gregory?

Regarding application, please register online here.

The course is the Standard First Aid Course, in ENGLISH and in 8 EVENINGS with the date "31072007".
Please do not buy other materials (1st aid kit, manual) through this form, but instead separately on the day itself so as to reduce hassle since Mr Gregory is paying for everyone through one invoice.
Under the company/school sponsor section, company name is "St. Joseph's Pelandok Scout Group".
Billing address is "St. Joseph's Institution, Malcolm Road".
Postal code is "308274".
Invoice attention is "Alphonsus Gregory".
Email is "gregory@sji.moe.edu.sg".
Designation is "Group Scout Leader".
Office no. is "62500022".
Fax no. is "62533640".
Please tick the invoice box.

Please sign up by 21 July (Saturday). Earlier please if possible to secure places.

Contact me to ask questions!!!
Btw, som1unoe is darren =D

July/August Activities

Hey everyone. Here's the ventures' activity time line for these 2 months, briefly. Please do check the blog frequently as we may have some modifications to the activities.


July
14th July - Kayaking (a mini expedition from Changi to Pasir Ris)
21st July - Visit to Malcolm's place to settle admin matters
28th July - Cycling at ECP in the afternoon and BBQ at Malcolm's place at night

August
4th Aug - Survival skills and natural shelter lessons (conducted by VSL or AVSL's)
11th Aug - Cleanup venture locker in SJI, followed by Rover AGM at Malcolm's place
18th Aug - Pioneering session cum training session for the new ventures
25th Aug - Ubin Trip (cycling/trekking/exploration)
Throughout Aug - Adult Standard First Aid Course

P.S. Please be reminded yet again that these activities are subjected to changes and it's every venture's responsibility to visit the blog frequently to keep themselves updated regarding our activities =)

-aravind-

A Tribute to the JC2 Ventures

Dear J2's,

On behalf of the J1 ventures, I want to thank you so much for your contribution to the 04 Venture Unit and the 04 Pelandok Group. Despite all your other commitments in your various schools, you guys never failed to rise to the occasion when the unit needed you the most. I also want to thank Jun How and Daniel Toh in particular for holding the unit together all these while. We wouldn't be what we are now without your guidance and motivation. So, we hope that all the J2's will continue to be involved in the 04 Pelandok Group by joining the 04 Rover Council and realising your full potential as scouts and as leaders. And lastly, good luck to all you guys for your A Levels and in your life. Thanks once again and God bless.

-aravind-

Updaaaates! (8/07)

Wahh! We did many things this week! Just thought I'll give my 2 cents ;)

Friday there was Investiture and Stepping Ceremony! The sec1s plus 2 new scouters were invested (welcome to the family!) Our current sec4s have also passed on their responsibilities (welcome to Ventures! XD)

Friday Night, Ventures Stayed over at Malcolm's Place. We, uh, prepared for AGM and watched a movie hahahahah

Saturday morning, we went to buy groceries to cook lunch later. Then we ironed our uniforms and cleaned up the place before heading to SJI.

AGM: We hope the sec4s enjoyed the presentation! Goodbye J2s! We'll miss u'all lol! THANKS J2s! shall dedicate an entire post to the J2s!

AP was cool! Met many old friends and took many photos haha! XD Congratulations to Shannon Yong! The new TL! Same name as me! XD

hmm... I think thats all I can remember lol! Next week is kayaking! Can't wait :DD

-Shannon

Site Updates #3

Hey all! We've got some fantabulous changes to the blog now. For starters, Im sure you guys have noticed the totally new template! :DD haha nice right?? :P

Also, we've got a new sidebar item, upcoming events. I hope this proves useful to all.

"Labels" has also been added for easier navigation.

Contacts and photo gallery have also been updated! Be sure to check it out :PP

Okay, thats all for now. Make no mistake that this blog gets better every single day XD

Discussions, 30th June

So we had a round of discussions today, to wrap up some old issues as well as venture night and plan for July. For the details of the discussions, please check your emails ty :)

Ventures will be hunting locations this coming mon for v-nite, querries/suggestions please direct to me...

Agenda for Saturday Meeting

Hi there Ventures! Hope your exams is going well...unlike mine. Anyway, we'll be discussing about Venture Night (which is only a month away) and our AGM (in one week). Also, the scouts are having this combined activity (with sngs) coming up this Saturday. So we'll be doing some mini recruitment in light of this activity. Its kinda compulsory to come for this meeting, if you can't make it for valid reasons, please inform Shannon by Friday, 29th June. Here are the details:

Venue: SJI
Date: 30th June 2007
Time: 0800 hrs - 1200 hrs
Attire: White dry-fit Venture t-shirt and black shorts with shoes

P.S. Please do come prepared i.e. ideas for Venture Night & AGM

-aravind-

Scouting's 100th Anniversary Dinner

There will be a charity dinner tomorrow. Here are the details for those who will be attending.

Venue: Meritus Mandarin Hotel, Orchard Rd.
Date: 22nd June 2007
Time: 1830 hrs.
Attire: Full scout uniform

P.S. Please do your best to arrive at the stated time.

-aravind-

Subordinate Court Visit, 20th June 2007

We were suppose to meet at Chinatown MRT at 1330 hrs. but we were not so punctual today (this is very unlike us btw). Shannon was the first one to arrive there at 1332 hrs. I joined him about 10 minutes later because I overslept (slept at 6 the previous night la...I mean morning). We were waiting and waiting, hoping to see a scout, a venture and even a rover. But, sadly no one turned up. The time was 1355 hrs. So, we decided to go ahead first. We walked out of the MRT and we pass somewhere near the building's entrance where I stopped Shannon.
Me: Eh, this way la Shannon. Got people here.
Shannon: No la. I checked already..It's opposite the Ministry of Manpower building. Must walk a bit farther.
Me: Oh ok. I see..
We then took a right, another right and then a last one. Guess where we ended up after that? The corridor of the Subordinate Courts, which is just a few metres away from where I stopped Shannon. Then I gave him the told-you-so look.
Shannon: Ooops, sorry.
And then we met Ben and Steven at the court entrance. I realised that it was already 1400 hrs. by then. So, I decided to call Marcus who was suppose to meet us at the MRT. "Oh shit." That was the first thing he said to me when he picked up my call. He just got up then. Apparently he was watching 'Heroes' till 6 plus. Haha! Both Marcus and I learnt a valuable lesson today: early to bed, early to rise. Anyway, he said he'll be there by 1430 hrs. While we were chatting outside the court building, there came Harish much to our surprise. Lol! No offense Menon. At the same time we saw this group of KC girls approaching the court as well. We knew that instant that they were going to join us for the tour because Malcolm told me the night before that there will be a group of girls joining us, and so we shouldn't be late. Oops Marcus! Haha! After taking some photos outside the entrance, Steven called Ms. Sarah Lim (hope I remembered the name correctly) on the phone. She was our tour guide for today XD. Actually, she is a court staff by profession of course. We met her a few minutes after that which was about 1430 hrs. After telling us the procedures to follow when the court building, she counted, "1-2-3-4-5. Where's the other one?" So, I told her that Marcus was on his way, rushing for the court tour. Hehe. Since she could empathise on our condition, she allowed me to switch my handphone on so that I could wait for Marcus to call me when he arrives (do you all know that we are suppose to switch OFF our handphone and any other beeping devices inside the court). An extremely nice person I must say. We then moved on to the screening gate where they screened our bags and belongings and us too. Some of the KC girls had to surrender their cameras to the security counter because no audio/video recordings are allowed inside the courthouse too. Poor them. It was so damn strict la!!! Rawr! But then again...it is the Singapore Subordinate Court after all. We were then brought to Court 17 (it was empty then) for an introduction to the judiciary system. She told us about the various courts in Singapore e.g. High Court, Appeal Court, Family & Juvenile Court and the Subordinate Court itself. We were also informed about which court handles what cases etc. 10 minutes into the briefing, Marcus called me. So, Ms. Lim excused me for a moment so that I could go all the way down to show him the way up to Court 17. The briefing went on for the next 15 minutes or so. We had plenty of chances to ask her questions about the judiciary system and she answered every single question! Wow! Oh btw, court staff have no law backgrounds. We then went to an actual hearing which was already in progress. After we enter the courtroom, we must bow to the court and only then can we take our seats. The hearing was quite interesting actually. It was about this guy accused (yup, we can't call someone a 'criminal' until he is proven guilty) of dealing drugs, ketamine to be specific. Apparently, it was his wife who lodged the report about him. When we entered, the first witness was testifying. She was from the crime lab where they test for drugs and stuff like that. She couldn't answer almost all the questions that the prosecutor, the defense counsel and the judge posed her. "I'm unable to comment on that, Your Honour." the one standard line she kept on repeating. Sigh...this was when we all fell bored and became uninterested in the hearing. We were expecting more drama from that hearing. But after that, they called on the next witness. And there came Sgt. S to the rescue (shouldn't reveal his name to protect his identity). He was super funny :D. Sorry Sgt. S, but for starters you spoke broken language when you were testifying in the court. I was shocked because he is from the CNB and shouldn't their officers be able to at least speak proper English? Oh well, just a random thought. You know, that wasn't the funny part. Apparently he was the officer who recorded the wife's report and the first thing that he asked the wife was when she found out that her husband was dealing ketamine. So, the judge was asking him what he based his first question on. Here it goes.
Judge: How did you know that she knows that her husband is dealing drugs in the first place?
Sgt. S: Well, err...they live together in the same bedroom and, yes that's why. (NO LINK!!!!)
Judge: (smiles) Ok, I believe that you have misunderstood the question. Let me rephrase it for you: how did you come to the conclusion that she found out that her husband was dealing ketamine?
Sgt. S: (paused and flip through his copy of the lodged report) It was because it was in the previous report where Staff Sgt. X...as in P-14.
Then, the judge was sort of prompting him to answer the question correctly. Man! We had a good laugh after we left the courtroom. That wasn't the only time when he totally misunderstood simple questions. On top of that, the defense counsel too had some debate with the judge which kind of frustrated the judge. The judge had already told him something and even confirmed it but the counsel kept on asking over and over again. I wonder how do judges put up with this kind of lawyers. So, how do you do it Malcolm? Oh wait! Do you all know that Malcolm was the judge for the Coroner's Court where they investigate death cases with unknown reasons. Whoa! Oh I forgot to add that the KC girls also found Sgt. S hilarious. By then, we all felt pretty cold. They just blast the air-con in the court to the fullest, I tell you. So, anyway we were then taken on a tour around the 3rd floor by Ms. Lim. She showed us the various courts and even explained their specific functions to us. Oh, btw we found out that Steven wants to study law by observing him. He was asking so many questions about the judiciary system. Things that people like me have never heard of. Steven, our future attorney... You go dude!! I've seriously never heard of a night court before. We don't have it in Malaysia btw. We even saw the court where Malcolm worked before. And finally, she took us to Court 26 which is a Mention Court in the morning, a Bail Court in the afternoon and a Night Court at night. Triple kill!!! Oops, shouldn't deviate. There, we asked our final questions and filled out the survey forms. Whew! A two-and-half-hour visit finally came to an end. After we thanked her, we went outside the court's entrance to take more photos. My stomach was already grumbling by then. So was Marcus' stomach. So, Shannon, Marcus and I walked to the Macs near the MRT. The other three went back home because they had to study for exams. Shucks! What am I doing right now?? I'm suppose to study for Mid-Year Exams. Oh well...04 VENTURES ROCK!! At Macs, Marcus told us about his Pioneering Instructor's Course. It was damn funny! All the trouble he and his venture buddies went through just for one component of the Venture Badge Scheme. My God... But, I'm pretty sure it was worth it nonetheless. After chatting for about 20 minutes or so, we left for the MRT. And it was goodbye after that. What a day! The visit was quite entertaining and above all, it was informative and fruitful. Well, I guess our unit will be inactive until our MYE is over. So, all you nice people out there reading this blog, keep it up :D and please continue checking this blog for further updates on any of our future activities.

"Menon, I sentence you to life imprisonment for swindling our unit fund!! "

-aravind-

Site Updates #2

Phew!

Im sure you guys must have realised how much more content has been added to the site haha!

Okay, a quick summary. Now, we have

-photo gallery, which we can all watch it grow over time =DD

-Links section, that is about to expand real soon I promise (I hope)

-Profiles (blogger, friendster) *updated*
Ventures are on friendster! totally! =DD

Contact:
Oh yea its real easy to contact us now. There is:
-Tagboard
-Friendster
-Email
-msn messenger: Shannon, Aravind, Darren.

Yep, that's the gist of it!

Ventures, please remember to check this blog periodically for updates! (:

Court Visit

Hey there all. Guess what? Our court visit is still on as scheduled and...it's open to EVERYONE now! So, anyone out there who wants to join us can still do so without registering. Here are the details:

Venue: Subordinate Court (Chinatown)
Time: 1400 hrs
Place-to-meet: Chinatown MRT @ 1330 hrs

P.S. If you want to join us directly at the court's information counter at 14oo hrs, feel free to do so. Please be punctual because latecomers shall not be attended.

-aravind-

CHIJTP Campfire

Hey ppl there is IJ-TP campfire this coming tues, all ventures required to go! We'll be following the scout unit.

Venue: CHIJ-TP
Meet at: SJI
Date and Day: 19/06 (tues)
Time: 5:30pm (don't be late)
Attire: Full Scout Uniform


p.s. some minor updates to an older post, 'upcoming events'

Site Updates

Yo ppl we got some site updates here! As ur know, this blog is only a few days old so we have ALOT of work to do here. I just gave everyone on the blogging team admin status so you guys got more control over the blog =))

Also, I've setup a master account just in case. The new cbox is also under this account (hence, I had to restart the tagboard so sorry once again!)

The account name is: 04ventures@gmail.com
PASSWORD: ASK ME hahaz Im not revealing here.

Okay thats all. If there is anything please ask me directly thanks!

Upcoming events

Activities:
- Court visit (20th Jun)
- Cycling trip (TBC)
- Swimming trip (TBC)
- End of Year overseas trip (TBC)

Courses:
- 1st aid course (Jul maybe?)
- Venture leadership course ( Dec hols?)

Events:
- Investiture, Stepping Up Ceremony & Venture AGM (6th Jul)
- Annual Parade (7th Jul)

Night hike

Hello all! Our first proper post! After this I probably won't have much time cuz I have to mug for ct and all that :(

Night hike! The plan was that we'll hike from one makan place to the next, all the way until East Coast Park to watch sunrise. The participants were: me, Aravind, Darren, Jun How (joined along the way), Malcolm and BL joined us for a short while in Orchard and also East Coast Park.
















[From Left] Ara, Darren and I at the start point, Raffles Place MRT

















Checkpt: Lau Pa Sat. Ara is dropping the Satay sauce!

















Short break! Food center near Outram MRT

















Checkpt: Smith Street. Outside the famous Ah Balling store

















Jun How joins the crew!

















Checkpt: Havelock road teochew porridge

















Slightly shagged;; Ngee Ann City front area

















Checkpt: Orchard towers. In the dead of the night, there are really alot of friendly people here!

















Checkpt: Lavender food square

















We have reached! Bedok Jetty, East Coast Park

















Time: 6:07am

















Time: 6:13am

















Time: 6:19am

















Time: 6:22am

















Time: 6:36am

















Time: 6:41am

















Time: 6:41am - slightly westwards

















Time: 6:43am

















Time: 6:54. Admiring the sunrise

















Time: 6:54am

















Jun How is snoozin' >=D

















Well deserved rest

















The sun has risen! Time: 7:08am

....and so the hike concluded satisfactorily. These are just some of photos, I will upload the rest somewhere else soon enough :))

Meanwhile, please leave a comment on the tagboard! Thank you visitor :))

Ventures blog!

Hello one and all. This is Shannon here. I've taken the initiative to start a blog for ventures because I think it will be useful in the near future.

First of all, these are some base issues about this blog that should be laid down:

-The main purpose of this blog is to serve as a quicker way to disseminate information to ventures and other scouts/former scouts regarding our activities, for example venture night, postponing of meetings etc

-Information on more confidential issues can still be spread through email

-The blog can also serve as an avenue for former ventures (and possible recruits aka sec4s) to check on how the unit is doing, and also interact with current members (tagboard)

-Lastly, we can post pictures, videos, stories and all kinds of media related to venturing and our activities =))

Current ventures, pls do not forget to join the Yahoo group and MSN group. Im sure we'll get to use it one day =)) I will invite ventures and adult leaders to be on the blogging team so everyone can post.

Just a note: right now blogger requires people to own a gmail account in order to use their services. So if anyone is experiencing problems feel free to contact me I will get back to you soon =))

This blog has an rss feed, so for those of you who know what that is, pls suscribe thanks! Hopefully we'll be seeing frequent blog updates

If there is anything I missed I will update this post.

Watch this blog! =D