At the streets edge

You lie only paces away

A land of eden resource

Only for those with the dough  

- Keith Lau (VS) 

Day 3 (5th June): Print vs Screen, Fish n Chips and Movie night

Reflections of Day 3 by Alvinn (VS)

Today, we ate a traditional English breakfast at Acorn Guest House. Then we proceeded to the Castle for today’s lesson. Firstly, we discussed on the books we read and how we read them. Various answers by us were textbooks, fiction books, newspapers and online articles. I also learnt that we read for information, learning, imagination and communication. Then we discussed the differences between reading books and reading on the screen. For reading, various learning that we provided were that it was leisurely, addictive, absorbing, thought provoking and enjoyable. For reading on a screen, various answers such as entertaining, informative, convenient were provided. From this activity, I was able to really distinguish the differences between reading books and reading on a screen.

Visualising the past 

We also learnt to understand the differences between reading and scanning too. Reading is when we digest information while scanning is when we skim through it as though we are looking for something. Then we did another activity where we closed our eyes and tried to remember past enjoyable memories of reading. I wrote of the time when I I was 7 years old when my mother read to me about Queen Elizabeth I during my first visit to the library. I also remembered that the main reason I asked my mother to read to me that book was due to its wonderful illustrations.

After this activity, we did a timeline from the first time someone read to us till our reading habits in the present. We also discussed a little about the fact that of people living in the past were called “People of the Book” but now we were called “People of the Screen”. “People of the Book” rely mostly on books, magazines or newspaper but “People of the Screen” rely mostly on computers, laptops, Ipads or their phones to access the Internet in order to read newspapers, books or magazines.

We also watched a video called “Is a magazine a broken iPad?”.

The video was about a one-year-old toddler who was more successful in using an iPad than a magazine. Then, we gave the girl a name (Virgil) before comparing how much things might change in 15 years’ time and the present. So, we were supposed to imagine that it is 2027 and the girl is a teenager. Thus, we were supposed to tell her how we used to read books during our time but now during her time, everyone is using their iPads or laptops.

After this activity was over the class was split up into two groups. We were supposed to debate about the advantages of reading through a screen against the advantages of reading on a book. Our group was a pre-screen and so we were supposed to support reading through a screen. So, we discussed all the advantages of reading though a screen and disadvantages of reading on a book.

Lunch at Tesco

 After that we took a 15-minute walk to the Tesco superstore and we ate our lunch at the café there and also did some shopping at the same time.

After lunch, we had our debate. It was quite interactive and engaging. Most of us were able to voice out our opinions about the reasons why reading books or reading on a screen is better. After a long, tiring and really entertaining debate, our group managed to convince Mr John that reading on a screen is better. I really enjoyed the debate very much.

Then, Mr John told us to do a paragraph of a narrative essay and expository essay each about a blind or deaf man. I really think that this essay was very useful as it teaches us how to describe objects better and also to be more flexible in the way we think so that it would be easier for us to put ourselves in the shoes of a blind or deaf man and feel how they feel about their condition. Each time we finished an activity Mr John would ask us to read our work aloud. Overall, he told us he was quite impressed with our work and the amount of effort we put in it.

VS VP, Mr Chow, with a Reach Cambridge Inspector

After the debate, Mr John gave out an article about the third annual Bulwer-Lytton Contest which was held in 1984. The aim of the contest was to see who is able to write the worst possible opening sentence for a novel. After reading the article, we were supposed to write our very own bad opening sentences for 5 genre: Crime, Horror, Romance, Adventure and Fantasy. In my opinion, it is quite difficult to write a bad opening sentence as we would need to know all the things that make it sound bad in the first place such as the anticlimax,wordiness, parody and a few other aspects. 

Relaxing outside The Castle

Lastly we are supposed to write an essay on our journey from Singapore to Cambridge. However, due to a lack of time, we were not able to finish it. Mr John also gave out the synopsis of “The Taming of the Shrew” so that we could read it before watching the movie “Ten things I hate about you”.

Then, we ate a traditional English dinner of Fish and Chips at the Castle and it was delicious and mouth-watering.  Then, we watched “Ten things I hate about you” which is a modern retelling of “The Taming of the Shrew”. The show was really meaningful, romantic and humourous at the same time. It was a really wonderful movie and we also ate some snacks such a popcorn and biscuits. I really enjoyed the movie very much. On the whole, I really enjoyed today’s lesson a lot as it was very interactive and exciting due to Mr John’s vigour and wonderful teaching style.

- Alvinn Philips (VS)

Reflections of Day 3 by Jaslyn, Cristalle, Elizabeth (CGS)

Yesterday we learnt about the different elements that make up a good essay which includes style, structure, focus and answering questions. Mr John emphasized structure and ‘hitting the point’ when writing essays. For example, he thought us how to use the road-map method to plan our essay well. This method is useful for our planning of essays because it allows us to think about each point in depth and to make sure it does not go out of point. Personally, we felt that he could have elaborated more on the method as it is a useful tool for our essay writing. After that, we had an activity on the condensation of texts which can help us in making our essays more concise and to the point. We enjoyed this activity because we were able to clearly see the importance of using simple key words to make our pint easily understood. At the end of the lesson, we were instructed to write a summary of what we have learnt, which helped us reinforce what we have learnt. On the whole, we find that this lesson was effective because we could understand his teaching. 

Today we started off with thinking about our reading habits – how wand why we read the way we read. There was a short activity when Mr John got all of us to close our eyes and recall what we had read when we were younger. After that, he got us to draw a time-line of our reading experiences. This helped us realise how our reading habits have evolved over the years. For example, when we were younger we would only read picture books, however as we have grown older, we have progressed to reading more complex texts which require more in-depth thinking and have turned to even using technology. For example, sometimes, we use our phones or computers to read e-books instead of paperbacks. This has also affected the content we read. Reading using our phones or the computer enables us to access texts with a greater diversity of content. However, it also means that we pay less attention to the minor details of a story or article. Personally, we found this activity very enlightening for us as we became more aware of how our reading habits have changed as we mature. After that, we compared reading on a screen to reading on print, and we realised how different they are. Reading books is more of a personal activity/ experience. We do it at a more leisurely pace and enjoy the process. Reading books opens up a whole new world and we are able to empathise with the characters in the story.

On the other hand reading on screen is more interactive and informative, for usually when we read on screen, we are often searching for something specific to complete an assignment for example. However, when we read on screen, we are not always focussed, and we get distracted easily. After lunch, we had a debate on the different mediums – whether books or computers are better. It  was rather exciting and ironic because the team supporting books in fact used computer screens to present their argument. We ended off concluding that what matters most is the content, not the medium, so long as the authors continue writing stories that are good, the method of presentation does not matter much.

For the next half of the lesson, we focused on creative writing. We had a friendly competition on bad introduction for novels which benefitted us a lot, as we were able to understand what makes a good introduction and what does not. Next we were told to write an exposition and a narrative about how it would be like if we lost either our sight or hearing. This forced us to write while being more reliant on and explore our other senses, allowing us to greatly improve our descriptive writing skills. As readers, we read books that interest us, so we should know what it takes to catch the attention of a reader. Hence, through the exercise we also learnt to picture ourselves as the readers of our essays so as to make the content more interesting.

To sum up what we have learnt, reading and writing are an important part of our everyday life. This course really made us see the importance of such skills because being a good writer does not make you a good reader neither does being a good reader, a good writer. In order to be good in both reading and writing, we realised we should read deeply and not simply scan through the texts we read, so while doing so, we will gradually be influenced by other writer’s styles and ideas which will in turn improve our writing skills. We found Mr John’s teaching style more engaging compared to our school teachers and that’s probably the reason why we were able to absorb most things that he taught us. However, we feel that he could have spoken more slowly so that we can process the information more easily.

- Jaslyn, Cristalle, Elizabeth (CGS)

Reading in the 21st Century: an overview of the technological innovations of contemporary society and how they change the process of reading and writing

The lesson was on how reading has changed, literally. Now, we have phones, computers, Facebook, Twitter and of course blogs! Right now, the world is in a state of transition. Who knows in a few years time, books may suffer the same fate as the Dinosaurs – they become extinct. In the past, humans have been dubbed “People of the book”. Now, humans are called “People of the screen”. Many humans, especially the young people prefer watching a movie of the book rather than reading the book. This shows how much have changed since the past when books were considered the best form of entertainment.

(Here's a reflection done in class by Jeremy Loh on his reading experience)

"I traveled back to a recent time when I was really engrossed with reading, probably a year or two before 2012. My brother showed me a book about magicians – My favorite! I’ve always loved fantasy and science fiction and I was so caught up in the Black Magician Trilogy Series by Trudi Canavan that I had wished for the series to never end, something I never did before. 

I felt like everything was so real in the book. The Kingdom of Kyralia, the characters like Rothen, Lorlen, Dannyl, Akkarin and Sonea. Sonea was the main protagonist and the way the book was written made me feel like I was her, living her life, feeling her experiences and emotions. From an outcast to a well known and respected magician, falling in love with the High Lord and being exiled for learning the forbidden Black Magic just to save the kingdom from an incoming invasion which no one believed. 

I cried whilst reading the ritual of her exile as it was written in a way that I could see it happening before me. The pain in her heart for disappointing her mentor and close friend and being forced away from the country when war was just days away. I have never felt that connected to a book or character before in my life! 

When I finally closed the book after reading the final chapter, I just had mixed emotions. I was sad because the series ended, happy at the brilliance of the writing, pitiful for Sonea as her lover died and hopeful as a new sequel to the series would be written and released shortly. The book really gave me a new perspective on reading, as it was the first series that I had really thoroughly enjoyed and was actually addicted to it. ‘The High Lord’ was the most impactful of the series as it really brought out feelings in me that I never felt before. After all, guys are supposed to only shed blood and not tears." 

Today’s lesson also had an activity on debate. It was about whether reading printed text or reading from the screen was better. We were to defend reading printed text and worked with our other members to gather points that will help turn the tide to our favor. In the process of the debate, there were both pros and cons to both mediums of reading.

Debate: Print vs Screen

For example, printed texts are cheaper yet they are inconvenient to carry around. Reading from screens is more diverse but the reader is easily distracted as they are constantly bombarded by various pop ups and advertisements which disrupts their flow of thoughts.

The debate gave everyone a different perspective on each matter and our teacher John O’Conner Gomez stepped in now and then to give his own input into each matter as well as carry on the flow of ideas by adding his own.The debate got quite heated near the climax as both groups exhausted every point they had to try to win others to their side.

Personally, we feel that screens are just means to disseminate information while printed text is for deep and detailed reading during one’s private time. Even though using screens to read is more entertaining, instantaneous and diverse, they should only be turned to when there is no better alternative because once you’re in the zone of reading, you’re in the zone and nothing can disturb your one-on-one time with the book.

- Jeremy Loh and Chong Kia An (VS)

Reflection on Dinner at The Castle, and movie night

Fish n Chips dinner

The classroom turns into a private cinema

Today, I must say, is one of the most memorable days among the past few days. Dinner served today was traditional fish and chips, in Singapore, fish and chips served came in plates. However, today's dinner came in paper packets. Mr Dan Strange then explained to us that this was the traditional way of wrapping fish and chips. This had a strong impact as I could now understand the different cultures and tradition between Singapore and England. I must say that England obviously has a richer culture and tradition than Singapore, judging from the unique way of their food packaging. 

After the sumptuous dinner of English Fish and Chips, came the movie "10 Things I Hate About You". It is a touching movie adapted from William Shakespeare's play "The Taming of the Shrew".  As a romantic comedy, the director really brought out the meaning of love, the mutual love that is the important factor in the show, instead of puppy love. A character in the movie named Patrick Verona, was an outcast in school and he was deemed a hooligan. However, because of his love towards Kat, another high school student, he was willing to turn over a new leaf and quit smoking for the sake of the girl. After watching this movie, I was really touched at the movie plot. It was well written as it brought out the elements of true love. Overall, I can say that today was very memorable, with the knowledge of English tradition and the little enlightenment of true love.

- Ernest Ng (VS)

This is the Life..

The classroom

Panoramic view of the classroom

Day 2 (4th June) : Lesson on Academic Writing, City Tour and Punting

Breakfast at The Acorn Guest House                         

                                           Outside Acorn Guest House and Hamilton Lodge

Lesson 1: Academic Writing Skills

The Castle, Chesterton Towers

Our very first day in the Reach Cambridge program began at approximately 8.45 am as we arrived at the Chesterton Towers, otherwise known as the Castle. The Castle is one of the oldest buildings in Cambridge and it even has the oldest door! The Castle comprises of two levels. The first being the classroom and the second, offices and toilets. Despite giving off a sense of history to its visitors, the Castle is well equipped with modern chairs, tables and a heater providing a very conducive environment for learning.                                                
                           

Our lecturer: John O' Conner Gomez PhD

We also met our instructor for English, John Conner, who gave us a warm welcome and a brief overview of the topics we are going to learn in this program. His method of teaching is very enriching and interactive and his friendly manner makes us feel comfortable enough to ask questions and learn more. 

The lesson began with the reading of an article about undergraduates in UK having problems with academic writing. We learnt to identify the various characteristics that can be found in essays and analyzed how that particular article was persuasive, precise and clear. We further increased our understanding by comparing the differences in Lab reports and History writing. For example, Lab reports are mainly informative, where the facts and experimental results speak for themselves, whereas history writing has an air of persuasiveness about it when presenting the facts.

Lesson in The Castle

After a short break, we return to discuss George Orwell’s introduction on his essay of whether the English language is inherently decadent or not. Using his introduction, we sharpened our skills in identifying good characteristics a good introduction should have. Thereafter, we learnt a few rules regarding academic writing: always using the active form instead of the passive, and never use hyperbole. Also, John gave us two ‘Golden Rules’ we have to follow which are: less is always better, and think carefully when choosing words. As the three hours breezed by, we learnt important skills and information that we can use for discursive writing and argumentative writing back in school. We also learnt how the skills we are learning to develop in school is of great importance helping in our progress up the academic ladder to be more critical writers who are focused and concise. Lastly we ended of with an activity to simplify and condense complicated sentences, into simpler ones which definitely helped sharpen our skills in summary.

- Ahmad (VS)

Cambridge City Tour

25 min walk from The Castle to the City

The tour around the Cambridge city centre gave us more information about some of the colleges around the area. We got to know more about the tradition and the rules within colleges, such as formal dinners that is set on certain frequencies that varies with each college. We got to know more of the rich history behind each college when we went around seeing each college. One example was Queen’s college, which was founded by two Queens because the first queen lost the favor of the people and was unfortunately killed, and then the following queen stepped in and re-established the Queen’s college.

Cambridge City Tour

This tour was really fun and informative throughout the whole tour as our guide, Mr Daniel Strange, was really friendly and interactive, letting us try to answer his questions although we don’t really know the answer. He would even joke with us by stating random facts only to mention that he had made them all up. That was his way of informing us how they are many false facts, myths and urban legends that have been exaggerated and spread around just to make the facts more interesting.

Cambridge City Tour

The colleges in Cambridge are scattered all over, with the whole city being one giant network of both colleges, shops and houses, due to the different eras in which the colleges are built. This system is in great contrast to how the universities are in Singapore. Back home, our universities are more contained with various faculty buildings within the same compound. Students go from one faculty to another on shuttle buses whereas the main mode of transport for the students in Cambridge is the bicycle.

It was also interesting to see how the university caters to the cycling culture by providing space to park bicycles and also ramps so cyclists can push their bikes up and down the stairs.

Trinity College, Cambridge University

I feel that these scattered facilities bring out a unique vibrancy in the city, as students studying in Cambridge will be able to explore their surroundings and have more freedom to roam around the streets.

The locals feel very proud of being able to study in Cambridge, which I think it is because they feel a sense of belonging to the rich and prestigious history of their beautiful university town.

-Dylan Tan (VS)

Punting

Punting with a view of the Newton Bridge
(a.k.a The 'Mathematical' Bridge)

The punting was a great end to the tour. It was very relaxing to wind-down on the boat to digest the day’s new experiences. But of course, the punting itself was a new experience for most of us. To propel the boat forward the punter has to drive the stick all the way down into the mud and literally push the boat forward. We were amazed by the punters’ stamina to keep propelling us for about half an hour. The punters themselves were interesting as they ranged from male to female and college students to adults. They were friendly and kept us engaged with lots of fun facts, urban legends and even celebrity gossip on how members of the Royal family spent their days as students at Cambridge University.

They were also knowledgeable as they could explain to us the history of each college and famous landmarks we passed.

Beautiful architecture of the various colleges 

The people on the other punts were very interesting as well. They ranged from residents and students having a relaxing time, to tourists who were equally fascinated by the beautiful architecture and laissez-faire atmosphere of the place. The passengers seemed to be thrilled as they snapped photos of the passing colleges and occasional ducks. There were many different kinds of passengers as well including students, like us, and elderly. Some even took over the punter for an enjoyable experience. It was interesting to note how the students, despite the pressures of being in an elite university, could afford the time to relax by the banks and have an enjoyable time with their friends.

Personally, I felt it was a perfect experience to settle down and reflect on what we have learnt today and what we are all excited about in the days to come. We also treasured the novel feel of punting, as it was truly a rare experience.

-Lokkesh (VS)

Dinner at The Tivoli

Day 1 (3rd June): Reflections by Li Yuan, Jasmine and Ue Tsz (CGSS)

It is the first time that I'm visiting the UK. But the uniqueness of this country struck me as soon as we boarded the bus headed for our destination, Cambridge. On our way, we passed by many lush grass meadows surrounded by little wooden fences - a sight that is rarely seen in Singapore. Some of them had pretty flower bushes around too, making the area look even more enchanting.



As we drove further, we came across many old-European styled houses. Most of them were probably a few decades old, but they'd definitely not lost their charm. It is also rather amazing that this country is able to 'preserve' these houses so well, and some were also creatively fashioned into pretty little boutiques and  restaurants. I have always loved the sight of old European houses in movies but seeing it in real life was definately an extremely charming and unique experience.


Lastly, the people in UK have also left a really good impression on me. We were greeted by warm smiles at the airport immigration, and the friendly lady officer definately did a great job welcoming us. Although it was a simple gesture, it's still a big 'plus point' for me.


It has only been our first day in the UK, but it has definately been enough to form some good impressions of the place.

- Li Yuan (CGS)

Singapore was a former colony of Britain therefore I was not surprised to see many similarities between Singapore and London. The transport system, and the tall buildings beside the airport all reminded me very much of Singapore.

One of the prominent differences however is of course, the weather. Today's weather was really 'teeth-chatteringly' cold and it really made me appreciate Singapore's 'summertime'. Usually in Singapore we don't shove out hands into pockets, but having experienced one of the colder days of summer here, I can now understand why actors in autumn or winter moviescapes always have their hands in their pockets!

The people here are also more open and seemingly more friendly. In that sense, Asians are different from Westerners, for we usually tend to be more reserved when regarding foreigners.

All in all, I feel that what we've seen and experienced today was just a small peek into England, so I'm looking forward to gaining more insights tomorrow!

- Jasmine (CGS)

Singapore is a tropical country, where the temperature is constantly above 25 degreees. However, many of us do not appreciate it as we feel that we do not have a chance to experience the four other seasons, especially winter. It is currently summer in Cambridge, but the temperature seems as if it is currently winter. Upon landing, most of us were only wearing T-shirts and jackets. As we waited outside our accomodation, our teeth clattered uncontrollably. We couldn't help but laugh at ourselves as it was a really funny sight. 


I think we are incredibly blessed in Singapore and we should be thankful for its wonderful tropical climate instead of grumbling about not being able to enjoy winter.

- Ue Tsz (CGS)

Day 1 photos

 Group shot at Changi Airport Terminal 3 

 Group shot with Parents

 Journey to Cambridge (2hrs from London, Heathrow)

 VS boys outside the Acorn Guest House 

 A balanced meal

The healthier choice

 Welcome briefing by Reach Cambridge

 Dessert: Belgian Waffles with Ice Cream

Our Reach Cambridge hosts, Jenny and Dan.