In C Minor

For my music lover that cannot see major-- 

C MINOR is perfect!

Cross Country Running Tips

RD had cross country running at school today. According to wikipedia, "The course, typically 4–12 kilometres (2.5–7.5 mi) long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills and flat ground."

He and his classmates went outside the school campus to run.

They went around the route twice. The boys went first, then the girls.

The more precise route mapped below. (Follow the blue arrows.) First they went around the oval, then went outside and went through the trail twice. Upon returning to school, they used a different gate (check out the orange arrow).

I don't know exactly what distance they covered. He described the route as having portions with uphill and downhill paths. They were not expected to run the whole way; they were allowed to walk.

RD came in 52nd out of 77 among the boys. Not bad. Last year he was something like 60+.

These were his tips for me :

a) Walk uphill. Run downhill.

b) Run with others because they help you keep a decent pace. (When you get tired, just let them go ahead and walk for a while.)

c) If you are walking with other people and they start to run, start running too. (Again, when you get tired, just let them go ahead.)

d) When you are feeling tired, just walk. But if you see a teacher nearby, start running.

Gotta Present

RD was asked by his teacher to discuss the present positive features and possible improvements for the the Year 7 Science Program. He prepared the Powerpoint slides and his speech all on his own.

On Tuesday 30 November 2010, RD presented this to members of the faculty at his High School.

This afternoon, when he arrived home from school, he proudly announced that he received a small token of appreciation for his presentation (and that the teachers were still talking about how impressed they were at his presentation).

Here is 'Serious RD.'

This is the RD the faculty watched yesterday,

the one that made his teacher proud.

Here is the 'Funny RD.'

This is the RD we have watched grow up,

the one that makes his parents proud.

(Like the title? Present as a verb or present as a noun?)

On Stage

One of the highlights of the Primary School's activities is the concert that is held in December wherein all the children are encouraged to participate. There are two concerts -- Concert A features the Kindergarten to Year 4 students while Concert B has Years 5 and 6. The event is held at the Hills Centre for the Performing Arts which is a popular venue for such events. The Hills Centre Main Auditorium has a big stage and has a seating capacity from 300 to 1500. This means that there is more than enough space for the parents, grandparent, siblings and friends who want to watch the children perform.

Tickets were being sold as early as October. We had barely just set foot on Australia when we were informed that we should buy tickets already. In fact the children hadn't even started at the school when we purchased four tickets each for both of the concerts. All we knew was that (a) there was going to be a concert in December, (b) MyGirl was going to be in Concert A while RD was going to be in Concert B by virtue of their years, and (c) we would make it a family event meaning nobody was to be left at home on concert night.

The tickets were by no means cheap. Upon seeing the ticket cost, RD exclaimed, "Oh! The concert costs more than an adult ticket for the movies!" However, as we watched the children on stage, I knew that it was worth every cent.

The kids started school in mid-October. They caught the last term of the schoolyear. Since the concert was scheduled for December, they were constantly practicing and rehearsing their songs and dance numbers. We heard them singing Rhythm of Life and Around the World. They would also be singing songs assigned to other children like Ease on Down the Road, You Can't Stop the Beat, Born to Hand Jive, You Can't Stop the Beat, Bohemian Rhapsody, Go West, Doe a Deer, Barbie Girl, Get This Party Started, Uh Oh We're In Trouble, Thriller, Boom Boom Pow, Can You Feel It? and I Got a Feeling.

Last week, they brought their costumes home. MyGirl had to wear black leggings. The school provided a black singlet (chemise/sando) and a glittery silver skirt for her to wear. RD had a red satin shirt assigned to him, which he wore with jeans.

When we arrived at the Hills Centre, we saw how equally glittery the other costumes were. It was quite impressive. The effort that went into the whole production was astounding. One could see the excitement in the children's eyes and the pride that went into being a part of the whole event.

Concert A started promptly at 5 pm. MyGirl who is in Year 3 was in the second part of Concert A. The first part had children up to Year 2. We saw their Kindie cousin in the first part. During the second part, we watched as MyGirl performed with her classmates. She seemed to be enjoying herself. She was singing and dancing on stage.

Their concert ended at about 6:15 pm and RD had to be back at the Hills Centre by 7pm. Although we live quite close to the venue, we had decided to pack food and soda so we could have dinner in between concerts. After we had our chicken sandwiches at the parking lot, we headed back to the main hall for RD's concert.

Concert B started at about 7:30 pm. We immediately saw RD as he joined the rest on stage. The children were seated at the steps at the back of the stage during most of the concert where they sang back-up to the other performers. Unlike in Concert A where the children were grouped by class, Concert B numbers were performed by children from different classes. RD told me later that he only knew a couple of the people in the group that performed Rhythm of Life with him.

Both of the children enjoyed performing at the concert and it was quite entertaining. I think it is a good opportunity for the children to discover themselves. These events may very well be the start of something they might otherwise not have tried.