Plan for children while they are at my house.

Tomorrow, the children for Arun Shanti Nivas are going to come to my house. I had invited them the last i had gone to visit them. I figured that i wasn't any good at teaching them, and also that i was told that they were given only pure vegetarian food, and that they were allowed only in a few occasional events to have chicken. Also the fact that they had holidays, so they were not allowed to go out and play cricket.

So what i had planned out for them, is:

1. Cricket
2. Food (lunch and tea)
3. Movie
4. Some badminton ( depends on how many kids know how to play )

I was told that all the kids play cricket, so i will divide them into 2 teams, 1 that i will lead and the other would be led by the other oldest guys who's name is Mohankumar. We would play series of many games with 5 overs each. We will plan out accordingly, which would be the best way to play and win.

Visit to Arun Shanti Nivas

Today i went to Arun Shanti Nivas today. It was a pleasant area, it was a small building with a garden and a drive way. As i entered the building i was approached by small children. They seemed to be shy. I was told that i would be escorted by the manager of the place, he explained the whole place and how it worked. There was a worship place where they had all 3 gods, Christianity, Hinduism and Buddhism. Followed by that were 2 dormitories and 1 dinning hall with a joint kitchen, and a class room.

There were a tot

al of 16 children, all boys. I was escorted to the class

room where all the kids got their books out and sat in a disciplined manner, and waited me to start. This was my first time teaching and i was a bit nervous, because the original plan that i had devised was, not working because there were children of all ages, some knew more English than the others, some were just starting to learn. I still went on and told

them to write 5 lines about themselves. All they could all write was:

1. Their hobby (to play cricket)
2. How old they were
3. Which school they went to
4. That, they were happy.
5. Their names

It was good to see that, they could for a sentence with less difficulties.

After they had all written their list, i thought that i should have some fun time with them, so i told the manager to ge

t the caro

m board, we all took a chance at it. Some were really good, and some had just started. I also took part, but i was too bad at it, that i lost the game.

This is when we played Carom.

This is when i was teaching them and classroom.

This the praying area.

This is their dormitory.

These children have really touched my heart, so to make them happier i decided to call them over to play cricket at my house this Saturday. Since all of them expressed the wish to play cricket, i thought that they would have a good time playing cricket and eating food. Every bit that we do will affect their life in some way. It really got me thinking, what would my life be without my parents? I don't know the pain of not having 1 parent let alone both. I really wish that we put all efforts into making them feel that they are wanted and have a bright future in front of them.

Plan for teaching the children at Arun Shanti Nivas.

Arun Shanti Nivas, is a organization that helps the needless and hopeless kids that have either been abandoned by their parents during war, or lost them and the children that have been abandoned for some other reason, but still have relatives.

These children are mainly Tamil boys, with 1 Sinhalese boy. They aren't as fortunate as us to have such comforting homes or accessories as us. They are blessed with a shelter, 3 times a day with food and education. These are the conditions which they live in. Their age ranges from 4 years to 18 years old.

PLAN:

I plan to teach them a bit of basic English.

1. I want to start of by asking them too write a bit about themselves, like about 5 lines.
2. I want to show them that their are other fun ways to learn English, like playing word tennis. Basically in this game, we are supposed to start with a word, then the next person is supposed to use the last letter of the word to form a new word.
3. I want to also play games with them, so that they don't feel like it is all about studying, it is also about enjoying yourself.

I hope this visit will benefit us both, them in a educational way and me in a satisfactory way.

AIS VS OSC (Badminton Match)

Today was our second match, that was against AIS ( Alethia International School). We were told that they were one of the best schools in terms of their Badminton team. Our school OSC, we had just started this year, and it was our first season. We didn't have our hopes much high.

We managed to do pretty well, especially the girls who managed to win most of their matches, in doubles and singles. It wasn't that good for the boys, but it was good training for us to play against a good team. Towards the end we had won 7 matches and lost 9. Which we considered to be really good.

My match was the doubles, me and Terunaga played a good match but we lost 8- 21. We made many mistakes like, while smashing we used to hit the net, or give them high shots, which they could smash easily. But now i know what i need to work on to me an improved player.

Badminton practices

Our badminton routine, has been really effective. Before every practice session we, do a drill that stretches our bodies. First we start of with the stretching our legs, after that we move on to hand stretching, doing 2-3 different stretches. We then do sprints form one side of the court to the other, back and forth, side ways also.

We then move on to the nets, where we do different drill to brush up our strokes and movement on the court. There are numerous movements that we practice, such as drop shots, running to the back of the court and hitting and then running back to the front to hit drop shots, the other drill is to pick up smashes and smash.

After all of this is over we rally, it is a way to warm up for practice matches. We play singles, doubles and mixed doubles, and evaluate who is good at what.

That is basically our practice routine. This routine has helped me to learn new skill such as drop shots and others. I wish to continue like this.

The Eight Criteria For CAS

1. Increased their awareness of their strengths and areas for growth
2. Undertaken new challenges
3. Planned and initiated activities
4. Worked collaboratively with others
5. Shown perseverance and commitment in their activities
6. Engaged with issues of global importance
7. Considered the ethical implication of their actions
8. Developed new skills

I think i have accomplished these goals, with the recent activities that i have done. These 2 years have taught me a lot about my self and what i can accomplish as an individual. CAS over all is a great program that allows a student to do something different, and learn about themselves and the people around them, it is just not about you, it is the what you can also do for others around you.

This is what i have learnt:-

Creativity: Helps you bring out your creative side, like organizing events, giving new ideas.

Action: To see your physical fitness and what you are able to do or help other people do.

Service: To be aware about whats happening around you, and take action in order to help or make a place a better environment.

The first CAS i joined was Cleft Clip and Palate. It was a new CAS which was started by one of my friend Rithvick, who initially planned to help raise money for the kids who had CCP and could not afford to pay for the surgery. We had quite some difficulties, in the beginning but we managed to have a good start. We raised money for the kids by having a party for fund raising, which was successful as we could pay for operations for 10 children.

But as time passed, Mr Lockwood told me that the CAS was not going anywhere and that i should change, so this semester i changed my CAS to recycling.

In the past 2 years i have (1) Increased my awareness of my strengths and areas for growth by cycling, i never thought i could cycle the way i used to when i was small, as i gained weight in the following years. But each day, was new as i could cycle for longer periods of time, and this became one of the good strengths as i figured that i could lose weight, and now i have developed that skill to help me with the stamina required in Badminton. (2) Undertaken new challenges, i was recently in borderlands in Kithugala and for the first time i was going white water rafting and cannoning, both of these which i am scared of. White water rafting because since i was a child i had fears of deep and fast waters, cannoning because i was always afraid of heights, but i took the challenge this time and did both the activities. (4) Worked collaboratively with others and (3) Planned and initiated activities , when i was in Cleft clip CAS we had the task of organizing an event to raise money for the surgeries, we had split the tasks equally amongst people and we managed to work things out independently like getting the tickets printed and sold on time, poster designed and ready to be pasted, getting the venue etc , during the planning stage, but the time when we all collaborated the best was during the party, when we all came together to help each other out with all the chaos, it was not needed to be said when a person needed help or a replacement at the bar, i think we managed as a whole to have a successful party with people going home smiling. Badminton is one of the few sports where i have shown the most (5) Shown perseverance and commitment in their activities, since the last 3 years, after i lost interest in swimming i found this sport to be really exciting yet competitive, i thought i could actually compete in this sport, the only way was to push my self and thats what i exactially did, and now that i am in the school team, it try to put all my effort in doing the best, going out of limit to prove to people that i can do it. (8) Developed new skills

OSC Vs British - Badminton match

On Friday we had a match against the British school. We were a team of 9, 5 girls and 4 boys. We had been practicing for this match for the past 2 weeks.

My first match was against a boy in singles, I knew that i had no chance to win, as i was really weak i single matches, so with no regrets i lost 8 to 21. I wasn't really disappointed because i didn't have much high hopes, also my team and our coach Mr De Sliva congratulated me for a good performance.

This is a picture of the team:-

2nd match was doubles, it was me and Terunaga as the doubles team, we were all prepared to win, the match even though it was our first time as partners and w

e had no formation or any coordination, keeping that in mind we still played randomly. Surprisingly we found our selves to be at 15- 21 (losing) towards the end. But in our heads, we knew we had done really well.

3rd match was me and Mo, it was mixed double, this was also our first time playing. We used the technique that was playing side by side and moving backwards if we were to hit the shuttle far back on the opponents side, there were many other moves. We managed to keep them below 4 points, while we managed to finish the game with a final score of 21-4. This was a big win, as the team had lost quite a few games.

Over all this has been a good experience for me, as i have learnt to work in a team, while playing badminton, and also has allowed me to become more confident about adapting in these tough situations. I hope not to see more situations like these, but if their are, then i will be ready to tackle them.

Badminton team

Today was the first practice Badminton team. We have formed a team in school, we will practice till March and then have matches between schools.

Today in practice, we were told about the rules and the procedure of the game and how we will plan it out strategically, for the team to do better. During the practice, we warmed up with different exercises to make our body more flexed out. Then we were split between boys and girls, and Mr, De Sliva, our coach, made us practice drop shots and see where we stand in that position. After all of that we played some practice matches in teams. I was playing single with another boy called Uthpala.

At that moment i realized that i could not play singles and that i would get tired easily. I knew where i stood and i needed to play doubles with partners. I hope to increase my skills as a single player in the practices to come.

(picture to be put)

CAS - Cleft Clip and Palate ( Hospital visit)

The group had organized a visit to the Hospital, Lady Ridgway Hospital. There we meet up with the doctor who was second in charge, he did not do the operations. He took us (Bharat, Rithvik, Ashish, Rajindh, Rasmus and Me) to where the babies were, who were suffering form that problem. He also told us what kind of disorder it was, weather it was Palate or Cleft.

He was kind enough to let is take pictures of the kids, and get a close up. We were touched by the conditions of these children, and this definitely made us more aware of the situation, we will now do more to raise and do more surgeries.

(Pictures to be put up)

White Water Rafting and Cannoning ( Borderlands)

During the winter holidays my, cousins had come over to visit. We had planned a trip during the days to go to borderlands. We had been told that, there was very good white water rafting there and that cannoning. So as a part of the tour of Sri Lanka we took them to the borderlands. There we were escorted by the officials working there, to a sitting place where we, were instructed to sign some papers regarding the safety. The we were taken to a place where they pulled out the raft, the challenge was that they had to carry the raft down to the river. It took a while but in the end we managed to get it up and going on time.

There were told to do a safety exercise, it was group exercise, that aimed to make us more comfortable with the water and what we were to deal ahead. Next we all hopped into the boat and set sail towards the rapids. We hit 5 rapids on the way, and each time it was more scary and fun. Next on our list was cannoning, we were stopped in the middle of the course, there was a bridge there, we got of and walked upwards on a hill to a place where there were small water falls and water slides. Keeping aside all our tensions we focused on ourselves, over coming our fears of heights and deep water. In this trip, we learnt how to take care of ourselves while stuck in rapids, how to form a group to save ourselves from dying or drowning, also while paddling we found out how much energy we had and this made us more confident.

This trip has by far been the best trip for me and my relatives, i look forward to doing such activities with groups, to improve skills and management.

(picture to be put up)

CAS. CCP

Right now, as far as the planning of the party went, we are now not sure if its even happening. During our last CAS we decided on which companies to apporach for sopnsership. Before that, we were told that we, were not going to get cinnamon lake side because it was under construction. But now its coming close and we dont know where its going to happen, and we still haven't contacted the schools.

Cricket after school.

Yesterday, was the first day of ASA. I had opted to do cricket. So basically what happened yesterday was that we split into 2 teams, one was lead by me and the other was lead by Ashish. We decided to play for 5 overs, since we did not have enough time. We flipped the coin, i had chosen, heads and i won. So we batted first and we managed to make around 78 runs. Then it was Ashish's turn to bat and he managed to make 77 till it was a draw. To break that tie we played a 1 over match, that meant that 2 people were on the feild. As the over came to an end, i managed to get Ashish out and win the game.

Cancer Hospital Concert. Desi Girl.

Druing the break, me and Sajiv were asked to perform in this concert.We accepted the invitation. Me and Sajiv had come up with a song, since the theme was Bollywood, we decided to do a typical Bollywood dance. The first song that came into our minds was "Maarjani". But we still looked into the possibilites of other songs we could do. So that was sorted for now.


So far in the group there was Thishakya, Priyanka, Me and Sajiv. But we thought if we included another pair, it would do no harm. So we asked Aniska and she immediatly agreed and now we needed another boy to balance out the group. So we asked Shashwat, he said that he would, but his mother dissagreed. So now we didn't want to kick out Aniska, so at that time a new kid had come in 11th and his name was Bharat. So i asked him if he wanted to do the dance or not? He was cool with it and he joined. So far our group looked balanced. We had taken permision from Mr. Cole's, taking into consideration what Sajiv and his family were going through at that time. He agreed, so we started practicing. At this point it was, Me, Sajiv, Bharat, Thishakya, Aniska, Priyanka.


The song we had chosen in the beginnig "Maarjani". Was declined by the others. So the next song that we came up with was, "Maujha hi Maujhiya" and thanks to the girls, we were conviced to do 2 songs. So the other song was "Ahun Ahun Ahun". So now we had the song sorted and we had started dancing.

All the practices took place and MY HOUSE.

After a month with that song, we thought that they were not working out, so we

Gym at Taj.

For months, i have been thinking of going to Taj for using the gym. But it did not work out because everyday, there would be some problem with the transport or me not wanting to go. But since, then i have developed an interest of going their.

Today i went to Taj with one of my friend, Bharat. We have a common goal that is body building.

What i aim to achieve this year is

1. lose weight

2. make as much muscles as i can

3. stay fit and healthy

It will not be an easy task as i will need to force my self and my body to do so.

What i did today :-

1, Half an hour of treadmill

2, 1 hour of Weight lifting ( 20kg ) and other machines which helped me workout on the other parts of my body.

3, 45 mins of swimming. 32 laps of freestyle and breaststroke.

I think this will be a very effective workout, and will help me reach my goal for the year.

CAS

During this weeks CAS, we discussed the problems that occured while planning for the party. We could not have the party mainly becuase of not getting the place booked, although we did get donations. Since we have the money now, but no party, we will give that money to the chlidren for the operations, and instead of haveing the party we will go to the children to meet them hopefully next week if everything goes well. We have talked to the doctor for an appointment and now we all have to look for a convinent date to go.

CAS - Cleft Clip Palate, Second Day.

Today in CAS, we came up with multiple ideas, as to how we could raise money.

Some of the ideas were,

1. Another party outside school

2. A auction

We were not clear as to what we would do. Some people were for doing the auction, because it was something new and no other CAS had done before. But on the other had we had experience with organizing the party. In the end we all voted for doing the Party, but this time with a theme, which is masquerade.

Now next CAS meeting we have to decide when and where we will do it and do the math.

CAS - Cleft Clip Palate, First Day.

Today, was the first day of CAS after the summer break. During the meeting, i noticed that many people had left the CAS to join other CAS's. But at the same time many new people joined, from different grades this time, because last year there were all 11th grader and 2 8th graders. In the first session, we all got to know each other and decided what role each person will do in the CAS.

We set a goal, this year of reaching a limit of 300 thousand for the children. We also had to explain to new people what the CAS was about and what it expected from them. In all i think we are off to a good start, and we should be able to hit the goal if all goes well :)

End Of Year Reflection

I had a great year at OSC in grade 11. This year i managed to do a lot of productive community service work. WWW was one of the few places where i got to do community. Coming half way through the semester to OSC was a challenge because 1. i had missed a lot of work already 2. i had not done the IB course at all before and 3. i had no friends. But in these 8 months, i have made friends and also been able to achieve more in terms of studies. I had made these 3 goals and i think i have succeeded in them. My goals for 12th grade are the same but work harder and also maintain doing sport (SAISA) at the same time. This is not going to be easy, but i will try my best to do them.

My CAS Cleft Clip and Palate Disorder, was a success. When i first joined that CAS i thought how can we start a CAS that is run by a student and which has no recognition, but i saw that we were able to come up with ideas as a group and use it to our advantage. We had our first charity event at the Blue Elephant at the Hilton, and we were able to manage all the arrangements, with the help of the Hilton staff. At the end we were able to collect enough money to pay for the operations and also play the DJ and some others. We also made a profit which we plan to use it for our next event. I think the i will continue to remain in this CAS in grade 12th.

Electives (Badminton) last day

During the beginning of the semester i decided to take on the challenge of being a leader for a elective. From what option i had got, i found badminton to be the most interesting sport. Badminton came into my life few years back, in my last school i tired out for badminton for IASAS (Interscholastic Association Of South Asian Schools ). After the try outs i successfully got into the team and i found out that i was actually good at the sport and better than some of my team mates. This carried on till here. On the last day of Badminton, me and Adriean ( vice captain ) played a few match, the first match i played, i beat him with the score of 21- 5 and then the second match 21-7. this was no easy match as he was a tough competitor and gave me a hard time.

Link to IASAS site : http://www.iasas.asia/

Swimming (Summer Holidays)

This summer i have decided to lose weight and get back into shape for SAISA swimming. I have been swimming for 5 years now. I left Swimming in the middle for about 2 years, but now i have gained back the interest and the passion for the sport. For this to come true i need to practice on a daily basis, so that i can get the stamina and speed that is required. These days i go to a Swimming club, that is next door to my house, and there i swim for 2 hours and i am accompanied by one of my friend Ashish . This makes swimming more fun, so now i am occupied with some sport for summer.

Yet to put picture.