New Generation Zone Assembly

Hello there. After a brief hiatus from posting here's a brand new update! So last Saturday, the Rotary Club decided to hold a New Generation Zone Assembly as sort of a platform to teach the new incoming Board Of Directors about their respective roles and what nots as well as to break the ice and tension between the clubs. And of course, the Rotary Club did a fantastic job in doing so!

The Interact and Rotaract clubs involved were:
1. Yours truly, SM La Salle
2. SM St. Francis Convent
3. SM Lok Yuk
4. SM Maktab Sabah
5. SM All Saints
6. SMK Bandar Raya
7. SM Stella Maris
8. SM Kian Kok Middle School
9. KK High School
10. The Rotaract Club Of Kota Kinabalu
11. The Rotaract Club Of Institute Sinaran

As the emcee announced each club that was present, she forgot to mention SM La Salle. But our amazing teacher Puan Lolin would not take it lightly and she shouted to the emcee "LA SALLE!" and the emcee quickly apologized and finally announced our club. Despite being forgotten, we stood up with pride as Lasallian Interactors. This shows just how much patriotism there is in our club!

The day started with an amazing ice breaking session to cool off the load. It was really fun as we did fun exercises such as laughing after inhaling randomly, dancing the poco-poco, singing, playing games, etc. The ice breaking session was held by Rotarian Datuk Vincent Pung and he did a fantastic job in getting all of us pumped up for the day!

We all broke down into smaller groups based on our post int he Board Of Directors, this offered the Rotary Club a chance to truly teach us about what to do. It was truly interesting as all of us were finally taught on how to become a good and responsible director in our club.

After all the discussions and Know-Your-Role meetings were finished, we were all reunited back with our respective clubs. That was when we were all told that there would be a best war cry competition with the prize being a nice juicy hamper. We were all also told to create our club slogan and logo as well as to present to the audience about our plans for this year and next year!

So off to work they went! Simon, Emerald and Mae worked hard on creating the logo and slogan. We remembered a saying that Aunty Adina (An amazing supporter of the club) said to us, Team stands for Together Everyone Achieves More and we were quick to use that as our slogan! Our logo was inspired by this slogan which was a powerful image that highlighted team work and how it can be a powerful force in achieving something great.

Joshua, Venoshine and Puan Lolin worked together to list down the plans for next year. Meanwhile, Redzwan, James and Jason grouped together to create the war cry. Yes! It was an amazing unifying force called team work that was in the club!

After we were done with all that, it was time for each school to do their war cry up on the small stage as well as to present the incoming plans for late 2011/2012. SM All Saints were the lucky first ones and all the other clubs were waiting anxiously for their turn. We were just hoping that we would do the best we can in our war cry as well as our presentation.

But after three other school finished their presentation, it was now SM La Salle's turn! We were terrified, especially the ones who were involved int he war cry (Redzwan, James, Jason, Joshua and Simon) as it was a competition. The boys went up on stage and did a fantastic job with their war cry! A war cry that symbolized team work and together-ness which is always needed in a club.

The crowd was cheering like mad when they saw our innovative approach to the war cry! Our team was filled with a strong will to prove ourselves! And we sure hope we did! After that, our amazing club President, Venoshine took on the stage to present our club's planning schedule as well as our slogan and logo. Needless to say, she did a fantastic job with this.

After all preparations and presentations were done, we were treated to a speech by Rotarian IPP. Alfred who told us of all the exciting things that the Rotary Club has in store for the Interact Club! Among these were an International RYLA Camp, an Interact forum in Kuching, International Awareness Week, an Interact Club Video Competition, etc. It made us all pumped up for the whole year of 2012.

A token of appreciation was also given to the New Generation District Chair, Rotarian Leslie Shim as well as to all schools that were participating. And of course the results of the War Cry Competition were announced.

And the winner was............................................................NONE OTHER THAN SM LA SALLE!

We all jumped for glory! WE WON THE WAR CRY COMPETITION! And to top it off, we all accepted a nice big hamper from the Rotarians! A big loud thanks to Interactors Redzwan and James for doing the choreography and shouts of the War Cry! We wouldn't have won without you guys!

It was an amazing day for all of us Interactors as we were exposed to a little of what the life of an Interactor would be like. It was a grand fun-filled day full of excitement and shouts! We all worked as a team and we achieved as a team. As our War Cry goes, Together We Progress Today, Together We Achieve Tomorrow.

Congratulations to everyone in the team for being a team! Remember that T.E.A.M.= Together Everyone Achieves More. 


Thanks for visiting and reading this blog, we highly appreciate it! :)

The Board Of Directors Of 2011/2012

Yes, yes, its that time of the year where all the old Board Of Directors retire and the new ones come rushing in. Its sad, but you know, life. We highly appreciate the work of the outgoing board of directors and we hope you guys have an awesome life outside of interact and thank you for all the hard work you've given to make the interact club the way it is today! So without further due, let me introduce to you the new Board Of Directors Of 2011/2012

President:
Venoshine Balenthiran

Vice President:
Mae Geraldine Charles

Secretary:
Emerald May Gerald

Treasurer:
Dexter Shane

Sergeant At Arms:
Jason Thomas Hau

Social Service Director:
Joshua Ralph Kamijan

Club Service Director:
Simon Puney Kiob

International Service Director:
Redzwan Awang

Publicity Director:
James Laurence Sharkey

Career Guidance Director:
Stacey Elev Gungkit

Well if you are a Lasallian interactor (a proud one!) and you see your name on this list then CONGRATULATIONS! We wish you a very prosperous time as you manage the club efficiently and (hopefully) make the Interact Club Of SM La Salle mad awesome!

Wishing you a bright late 2011 and an awesome 2012 :) Have fun in installation ya'll! Don't wreck anything!

1M1S Stall

So last Saturday, all the schools of Malaysia participated in the 1M1S run. And SM La Salle was no exception! A 1.5 Kilometre jog was set up for the students to run, sweat, faint, walk, chill out, have fun or jog on! Well, seeing this as a potential fund raising scheme, the interact club of SM La Salle decided to open a stall just the day before! (And we did!)

Now how did this happen in a space of less than 24 hours?

Well, we all know that last minute planning is never good, but with a strong team in the interact club of SM La Salle, we knew that we had to take chances and risks to be on top! So Joshua and his dad managed to get 10 crates of BOTTLED sprites for the stall for free from F&N while the very passionate Venoshine managed to supply food which she and her mum cooked and cooked for hours. Until 4AM. And no, its not your simple everyday food, it was curry mee hoon as well as nasi lemak! Now that's commitment isn't it? Emma supplied the ice and we got the support and approval from our dear interact teacher advisers. And not to mention, we got help and contribution from the fabulous Adina Affendy, or as we all call her Aunty, she is our mama la salle :D She helped us by supplying a lot of sandwiches and biscuits which believe it or not, were the first two things to be sold out at the stall! But more on that later :D And not to mention, countless support from all interactors who sacrificed their time by helping out at the stall despite the fact that it was so last minute!

So most of us got to school pretty early at around 6.40 AM and yes, we were all tired but as soon as we saw the whole bunch of potential paying students, we were quickly energized with just one agenda in all of our heads: SELL! SELL! SELL! So we  were on to a slow start at first with just a few students and a few teachers purchasing things from the stall but as the run came to an end, woah, a whole flock of students just came pouring in to our stall!

Sooner than we knew it, all the sandwiches and biscuits were sold out and we made profit! The mee hoon was so delicious that it didn't take so long for it too be sold out despite its RM3 price! People just wanted more! All the nasi lemak sold out pretty soon too! And all the ten crates of sprites were all gone! WE COULDN'T BELIEVE IT! Everything was sold out! The stall was a complete success and we managed to raise a hefty amount of cash for interact club funds :D Woah, this just served to increase our need to be a more active and more awesome club! We needed a push and we sure got it! 

Behind every success is a great team!

We are all great team players and this day just showed what we can achieve (even last minute!) as a team! The possibilities could have been endless if we were more prepared! We are like a family altogether really :)

And on a lighter note, it was interactor Roussell's birthday on that day so following the tradition of SM La Salle...

We poured freezing water all over him! Heck, Venoshine even took the cooler box and dumped all that ice water on him! It was pure joy! As you can see, as the interact club, we aren't just your typical meet everyday schoolmates, we are a family :)

Post Bakat Interact Update

The crowd was wild. The performers gave it their all on stage. The crowd was even more wild. Screaming, laughter, cheers and jeers were heard all across. It was a spectacle. This was Bakat Interact, one of the most highly anticipated events for us teenagers. It was when five amazing schools (SM Lok Yuk, SM All Saint, SM St. Francis Convent, SM Maktab Sabah and yours truly, SM La Salle) would compete in a fiery competition known as Bakat Interact for two seperate categories, namely, Band (Vocals) and Dancing. There were two special guest performers from Maktab Nasional and SM Stella Maris.

The competition was good. In the band category, SM Lok Yuk did pretty good, with a unique twist to their instruments, they included a violinist in their band, and his solo was awesome. SM All Saints was just okay. SM Maktab Sabah was spectacular vocally. Perhaps the best band when it came down to vocals. SM St. Francis Covent, was, to me, the most entertaining. There was amazing singing here and there and yet they managed to add a hip hop feel to it by having a lot of the girls rap. All in all, it was really good showmanship coming from the all girls school. SM La Salle was....what can I say.... they rocked the place inside and out. I know it is bias for me to say all this about SM La Salle, but it is true, most of us couldn't contain ourselves, we just had to jump up and down! The guitar solo was pure magic and it sure got me jumping here and there in excitement. I was so proud of them, the whole interact club is, they are young and talented musicians and we wish nothing but the best for them! They sure know how to get the crowd going with inventive song choices such as "Pappa Americano" that got the crowd dancing!

Next was the dance category. SM All Saints was just awesome. All of their dancers were good looking and they looked like stars. They were prepared and they were really entertaining. I enjoyed most, if not all, of the performance. SM St. Francis Convent did okay, although they did manage to attract a lot of the crowd's cheers and attention! SM Maktab Sabah was inventive with their dance moves. It wasn't the most original but it was surely a crowd pleaser. SM Lok Yuk was unexpected. They did a very unique dance with mostly girls and just one guy. It was good, it managed to keep me standing and shouting for them for quite a while. And of course, SM La Salle was simply amazing. They were so prepared, so awesome, I was proud of them when they performed on stage. These boys worked so hard. They would do practices every single day and they even had a sleepover the night before just to practice. And oh yes, it did pay off, their performance was innovative and inventive! I was just drowned of nothing but good thoughts. Sure this may sound bias but I'm not lying. It was just so creative, which is the trait of a true genius. Yes, the performance was pure genius! If you don't believe me, here's the video of their performance:

The dance was amazing wasn't it?

So now, the moment everyone have longing for. The results!

 So as the results were announced, all the La Salle boys held together, praying and nervous and such. We wanted to win badly. So it was announced. First, the winning band was announced. Third place went to SM Maktab Sabah. Nothing surprising there. Second was SM Lok Yuk, now that was a bit shocking. So it was either SM La Salle achieved first placed OR achieved no place. And the results?

Our band, Audio Active, triumphed and won baby! The band which comprised of Malcolm Bagiu, James Laurence Sharkey, Vinoun Ross, Rioan Ampuria and Max Austin Kisil worked very hard for this moment and it paid off! They are awesome and they deserved by pulling such a compelling and entertaining performance. They blew our socks off!

And next was the dance category. We were scared as if it was a life and death situation. Our hearts dropped as they announced third place which went to SM Maktab Sabah. Again, no surprises for third place. Then second went to the awesome dance crew from SM All Saints and immediately we were jumping. We just knew deep down in our hearts that SM La Salle would win this. All of us even got together and sang the SM La Salle school rally because we couldn't contain ourselves, we are proud Lasallians. But we couldn't be too confident as we didn't truly know who would really win. And the winner?

It was us, SM La Salle once more baby! SM La Salle deserved this victory definitely! The boys worked so hard, even slept over the night before just to practice all night and they did not disappoint! They were all kinds of amazing. We were all speechless. I was so proud of them, we all were. Some of us cried in happiness. It was an amazing moment! They were creative, innovative, talented and more importantly, passionate! They rocked the stage like no other team did. It was wll deserved!

Woah, all of us couldn't believe it! SM La Salle had won on both categories! And obviously, we also won overall champion of Bakat Interact. Te whole event was tiring and nerve wracking but it all paid off! Kudos to everyone in the Interact Club as well as to all the performrs especially for working their butts off to make this moment fantastic.

We sincerely hope that our Principal, Julia Willie Jock is happy with so much trophies being won in one day! It is these times that remind us of how lucky we are to be Lasallians. Most of us may not be perfect students but we are good Lasallians at heart! Today was when we have made a name for La Salle. But more importantly, as Lasallians, we have a bond like no other, we are brothers forever and this event just strengthened that bond that we always had. Ahhh, I couldn't be more proud. :)

Pre Bakat Interact Post

Note: Bakat Interact tickets are still available but only a hand full of them are, so please, if anything, contact me on my Facebook account: Joshua Ralph Kamijan or you can also contact Simon Kiob and we'll be sure to reply! This is on a first come first serve basis so if the tickets are all sold out then I'm sorry. So please do get them while we still have them! :D

So, the blog has not been updated for a few months now. That's a hefty amount of time. We apologize for not updating for so long due to a number of small problems and mishaps. But now we are back! And we promise to be more active than ever!

Tomorrow is the Bakat Interact concert and oh my. Preparations. Preparations. Preparations. We have dedicated, talented and more importantly, passionate students who are representing our school for Bakat Interact. They've worked very hard to get where they are, practicing on a daily basis and such, so please pray for them, that they may do their best and don't forget to support them all the way especially to all the Lasallians out there.

We would also like to note as The Interact Team Of La Salle and as Sabahans, we must all come together to support our local dance troupes, bands and singers that are competing in the upcoming Bakat Interact, so please show some love all of ya! :D

Representing La Salle for the band performance are very good friends of mine. An awesome band called "Audio Active". They comprise of Malcolm Bagiu (Lead Vocals), James Laurence Sharkey (Rhythm Guitar and Back Up Vocals), Vinoun Ross (Drums), Max Austin Kisil (Bass) and of course, Rioan Ampuria (Lead Guitar). These guys really know how to rock it out and give ya'll a real good time so please shout for them, scream for them, mosh for them, run around for them and of course clap for them! These guys are ridiculously talented and they deserve to do well!

After all, it is called Bakat Interact, so we encourage all of you performing to do your best, be interactive with the audience and show us just how talented you are!

Sikuatik Trip

Well, it was an interesting day today as a few of us in the Interact Club went to Sikuatik for the Out Reach Program!

 It was a nice project in which the rotary club funded a well to be built in a remote village within Kudat. This is to ensure the people who live there get fresh water supplies. It was the opening ceremony and it was nice to be a part of such a good cause :)

The interactors who attended the event were (From right to left): Wesley Neil Harris (Social Services Director), Nur Syafathin (IU Day Director), Lolin Molimbun (Teacher Advisor), Emmaculate Marie Edward (Presdient) and Joshua Ralph Kamijan.

The ribbon cutting ceremony was to represent the opening of the well, which from that moment onwards, can finally be used to the advantage of the people living around the area as they now have free supply to unlimited clean water.

All four of use sent in the trunk of the car just for fun. Although it was very bumpy, we all had a fun time taking pictures, chatting and all.

When we finally arrived at the beach in Kudat, there was also a literacy program to help unfortanate kids to improve their literacy and English skills. We were all given the task of reading big-pictured story books to the less fortunate children as part of the reading program. Needless to say, Emma did the best job as most of the children listening to her were cheering on and clapping at her story. Good job Emma!

It wasn't all work and no play. We got to go kayaking through the huge man made lake! The difficult part was continuously rowing the boat at the right direction. And yes, we ended up going to the wrong places numerous times. It was so fun as the breeze was cool and you could just splash your arm into the water. It was relaxing to simply sit silent on the boat overlooking the mangrove trees ahead.

We also saw the rungus people do some traditional dancing as well as taking photos with the rungus dancers. We got to learn a little bit about the Rungus culture such as the fact that a long time ago, pig sacrifices would be made after the passing of a fellow Rungus to dispel the malevolence of the soul who tries to get their loved ones to join them. Creepy stuff eh?

And for food, we had fresh fish, prawns and sambal for lunch! It was nice to eat all this as it all had been captured fresh from the river and fried on a hot bbq.

We also met a few new friends from the All Saints Interact Club and yes they were awesome! All of them were friendly and it was a joy to socialize with them!

Finally, after a long day, we had to depart Kudat and head back home. It was an awesome trip and great experience to all of us who went. We all wish to visit again soon!

Intro

So yeah! The Interact Club Of SM La Salle has finally gotten themselves a blog!

Why?

Well, it's because we thought it would be cool to update everyone on any upcoming events or happenings that involves the interact club. As you can see from the name of our club, we love to interact! With IU Day and Bakat La Salle as well as Bakat Interact coming up, we will be real busy for the next few months, doing preparations and all. We all hope that 2010 will be a great and prosperous year for the Interact Club so we shall work hard on it :) Whoever it is that is reading this now, we hope that you enjoy this blog if you wish to be updated on us!

Also, if you have any questions or suggestion, feel free to comment on this blog yeah :)

Take care everyone!