This stone carving might look like any ordinary stone carving,however,it is a special one. It is a gift from the,sister schools of river valley high school in China, presented to our school to represent the strong relationship between the two schools. It is also put close to two other carvings which are the school's name in Chinese. This symbolises how we value this relation ship with the sister school in China as it is put close to the schools own stone carving and displayed in front of the school's general office for all to see.

Cid 2 extraordinary in the ordinary

The picture I chose is a picture of our school year 1 VIA area. It looks empty right now but that's because the plantations have been removed. Before this empty piece of land was a place filled with plants. This many seem very normal but it's not. The plants were planted by the current year 2, in other words me and the my schoolmates. What's extraordinary about it is that most of us played our part and spend an extra 1 hour in school doing this per week despite our busy schedule and through our hard work, we successfully made a 'garden' The garden may look simple and nothing much but the reason why it existed is because of our hard work we put throughout the year behind the scene. It is said that every magnificent structure have a history behind it, through this experience, I finally understand it. Hopefully, we will have more experience to do VIA, which contribute to the society, even if it is a small impact as what matter is not the result, it's the effort put behind it.

Jolene - Extra In The Ordinary

This is our classroom, 2A. The classroom is the place where we spent the most time in school. It is also the place where we first meet our classmates and teachers in every new school year. When we first joined RV in year 1, all of us were mostly from different schools,  and hardly knew one another. This is the most ordinary place where we first self-introduced ourselves, had our orientation, and where extraordinary first impressions were created. Through the time we gradually spent together, conversations started, laughter and memories unfold, the class bonded and friendships bloomed. I'm very proud to be in this class and have gotten to know some close friends. Although we might be going to different classes next year, all memories will be fondly cherished, and of course the extraordinary friendships formed in RV!

Extraordinary in the Ordinary

I'm going to start off by saying this post will be cliched.
However, I do firmly believe that behind every person is a story, and hence, behind every CID group is a tale of friendship, of unexpected camaraderie and of trials to come.
I'll start off by saying in the past year, I've had experiences working with all of these group members, but not collectively as a group. Dana and Jolene are two of my close friends, I've worked with Zhe Hui once on two projects and Jerome was in my last years CID group.
In the least to say, this is a group I'm somewhat comfortable to work with even when there is space for improvement.
It's extraordinary because it's a first in many project work groupings that I know who to trust for what, that I've gained a deeper understanding of each one of them, beyond what my own perception of them may be.
Through their self-introductions, I get to see a glimpse of what they view themselves, a part of their inner most self and their strengths and weaknesses.
Knowing these, it will be easier to allocate roles to maximize their potential, so much so that no one gets left behind and no one does everything.
This picture is extraordinary, because in this group, I have a better grasp of what their personalities are and which role they'd be happy in (thanks to their self intros) instead of merely relying on assumptions.
In this group, I have group members that I trust while I also have 'wild cards' -- members I'm still in the midst of figuring out.
We almost did not exist at all, for one. While some groups almost instantly found their guy members, our group had a little trouble. Up til that very deadline itself, one of the guys was still contemplating which group to join. And he only decided to stay because the other group only had space for one guy.
It's extraordinary, because just like an inoculated Petri dish containing nothing but agar and a mixture of other substances, I really do look forward to seeing how this group will bloom.
I'm looking forward to watching this tale of friendship, unexpected camaraderie and many, many trials unfold.
It'll be interesting. And that's what makes it extraordinary.
(P.S : somehow or rather the Petri Dish imagery decided to pop up as I was writing this. While in typical practical lessons, the experiment results will be more or less predictable and expected, it was in a humble Petri dish that a certain careless scientist by the name of Alexander Fleming first discovered Penicillin, now used as an antibiotic. Of course, he didn't really do much except maybe publish the papers that got another few scientists interested to further enhance and purify penicillin. )

Kelvin Carter Picture Exercise

This photograph was taken in March 1993, by a South African photojournalist, Kevin Carter. The photograph depicts a young girl in the foreground, and a vulture in the background. The vulture is waiting for the girl to die and to eat her.
While on a trip to Sudan, Kevin Carter was preparing to photograph a starving toddler trying to reach a feeding centre when a hooded vulture landed nearby. He reported taking the picture, because it was his "job title", and leaving. The photograph was sold to the New York Times, and first appeared on 26 March 1993. It was also carried in many other newspapers around the world. Hundreds of people contacted the newspaper to ask the fate of the girl. The paper reported that it was not known whether she had managed to reach the feeding centre. In April 1994, the photograph won the Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography.
However, shortly after winning the award, on 27 July 1994, Kevin Carter committed suicide due to depression. Before his death, he was bombarded with questions about why he did not help the girl, but only used her to take a photograph. Back in Sudan, photojournalists were told not to touch famine victims for fear of spreading disease. It was estimated that there were twenty people per hour dying at the food centre. The child was not unique. Regardless, Carter often expressed regret that he had not done anything to help the girl, even though there was not much that he could have done, in all actuality.
Kevin Carter left a suicide note stating that he had been "haunted by the vivid memories of killings and corpses and anger and pain ... of starving or wounded children, of trigger-happy madmen, often police, of killer executioners.” During his career as a photojournalist, Kevin Carter witnessed many tragedies and horrors, he saw countless murders from beatings, stabbings, gunshots, and necklacing.
Many thought that he was like other photojournalists and was emotionally detached, allowing him to continue his job despite the gruesome scenes he had witnessed. In reality, he used cocaine and other drugs, to help him cope with his occupation’s horrors. The unpleasant experience from photojournalism had probably haunted him and made him take his life.

- Jolene

Here are my thoughts on the picture taken by Kevin Carter. I think that Carter had his reasons for not helping the girl, and that he spent time trying to get a good photograph to raise awareness of the famine. However, I think he could at least led someone to help the girl. That way, he can ensure the girl's survival and not have a guilty conscience to the point of committing suicide.
I know that Carter was actually a good man, raising awareness about the brutality and poor living conditions of the apartheid, but he was too focused on raising awareness and forgot to help.
Carter being guilty shows that he regretted what he had not done for the girl that day.

-Dana

Based on a wikipedia article detailing the life of Kevin Carter, i do believe that raising awareness of the oppressed apartheid would've been some of his underlying motives when taking photos as a photojournalist.
However, to simply put myself in his shoes, i would believe that he would probably never have expected to take that fateful photo on that one trip.
His guilty conscience and his actions show it too, that he felt genuine remorse for his inaction at that time, since this was probably a shot he could never be able to plan out.
Upon further research, some articles on the web do argue that it was the spirit of photojournalism that 'killed' Carter, not literally, but it was one of the major causes that led to his death nevertheless.
As a photojournalist, he was forbidden to intervene, he was powerless to do anything except take photographs.
Placing myself in Carter's shoes, i do believe that he might've thought that the taking of photos to show and shock the world was as good as directly helping those in need, if not better. Raising awareness through these photos would spur on aid-- food aid, monetary aid, etc for those impacted by the Sudan famine.
However, I would like to differ from that mindset.
I do believe that while his job position as a photojournalist prevents him from helping, his position as a fellow human being, especially one that has witnessed firsthand the suffering of others, does allow him to help.
We are human beings first, not our jobs.
At that point of time, in a fit of desperation, he would've chosen to leave the child alone for the sake of his own safety and take a photograph to hopefully compensate. I firmly believe that anyone in his position would've done the same.
Yet, I think that he could've done the tinniest of kind deeds, instead of squandering off 20 minutes waiting for the vulture to raise its wings, he could've simply snapped a photo and brought, or if not at least alert another person capable of helping of the child's plight.
He arrived at the location via a UN helicopter, which I'm sure would've carried some volunteers and other staff as well, not just incapacitated photojournalists that were forbidden to help.
While his photo may not have won the Pulitzer prize had he turned his focus to helping the girl, I'm very sure that his conscience would very much appreciate him for it.
After all, it was this minute blunder that ultimately cost him his life.
Still, I have doubts as to whether the general public were aware of this... spirit of photojournalism? That photojournalists were forbidden to help, not even touch those impacted by famine for fear of spreading diseases.
Would the public have responded differently had they been more aware?
While some members of the public might be genuinely concerned for the toddler's wellbeing, I'm sure a certain percentage of these negative reviewers might as well be your average ignorant Joe, blissfully unaware of the moral dilemmas these photojournalists have to face.
In this age, it is very easy for us to simply judge things as they are, without being aware of the circumstances that shaped the way things are shown to us.
Perhaps they might've responded with empathy had they known that Kevin Carter was incapacitated to help the toddler. Or had they placed themselves in his shoes and imagined his moral dilemma, I'm sure they would've seen a deeper layer under that one photograph.
Sure, it might be harder and simply more time-consuming than jumping on the bandwagon for the negative feedback Kevin Carter received, but I do believe sometimes its important for us to take that one extra step to be more aware.
And its also important to remember that we are ultimately humans first, critics second. We might one day experience something similar to Kevin Carter, but hopefully on a smaller scale. There's always a side of circumstances we're unaware of, unless you go down to the site to experience for yourself, or even imagine yourself as Kevin Carter for a moment, facing his huge moral dilemma.
Who knows, we might save a life.


-Group 

My name is Zhe Hui(self introduction)

I do not know what my personality is,that is kind of weird but that's just me. People describe me intelligent,kind(somewhat),funny,helpful,sometimes lazy and talkative. How I am like depends on my mood at that time. I can be quiet at times with a pokerface(ncc trained) or as mentioned above, very talkative.

I enjoy reading and gaming, more of gaming now that I can't really find books to read at the library,I also like watching YouTube and hanging out with friend in my free time, I am currently trying to start to read Chinese books to increase my Chinese standards and my vocabulary. Though I read a lot of books, my English results are still not that good, and I do feel I am weird at times, but you have got to accept yourself.

Hi, my name is Jolene. (Self-Introduction)

My personality type is INFJ (Introversion, Intuition, Feeling, Judging). I am usually described as intelligent, humble, helpful, reliable, and responsible. I may seem introverted and quiet, but I am actually friendly and caring once you get to know me better. I enjoy being around close friends, and will need more time to open up to someone new. As long as anyone wants to befriend me, I will warmly welcome the person with open arms and sincerity. 

My hobbies are singing, listening to music, reading, and drawing. I am also an animal lover. I adore all kinds of animals, not only pets, but also animals that live in the wild. My favourite animals are the dogs because they are very loyal. I feel that we should be loyal to our family and friends and be by their side through thick and thin, not turning our backs on them when they need us most. I believe that sincerity, respect, love, and support is especially important to everyone.

Hello, my name is Dana.

Hello, I am Dana Ong Zi Yi. I was born in Malaysia and moved to Singapore when i was 6 so you could say i'm both Singaporean and Malaysian.
I am often described as an avid reader or bookworm back in primary school. Now in secondary school, I've found a whole lot of things new to me like social media. My sisters used to and still call me outdated because i'm surprised by ordinary things such as Siri, the AI. By discovering new things, I have a broader range of interest.
One of my hobbies is sketching. I can't sketch actual things but i can sketch from reference but it usually takes time. So sometimes my classmates rely on me to draw for project work, etc.
One of my weakness is public speaking. I cannot speak properly in front of a lot of people unless I'm just asking one question.

My Name Is Jerome (self intro)

My name is Jerome and I am a boy. I'm currently 14 years old and my birthday is 12 of January. My hobby is playing Tennis which I've been learning for about 7 months now and Basketball. I feel I'm more of a sports guy, though I'm not that good in it, than an aesthetic guy. This is mainly because of my terrible drawing skill and my horrible music sense. About my personality, I'm a rather cheerful guy that is always optimistic and I can control my anger really well. I love to help people whenever I can which makes me glad that I have helped someone. One thing I really hate about myself is that I have some sort of a stammering problem and usually stammers which affects my talking and this eventually resulted in me not wanting to speak up. But nonetheless everyone has their own flaw so I won't let this affect me too much. I can say I'm rather hardworking especially in taking notes of my studies and revising it but while doing this, I often spend too much time trying to get it to be neat and easy to read cause I can't really stand dirtiness and not being neat thus I sometimes neglect my homework. I'm trying to work on that but right now that's how it is. 

That's about it regarding myself.

Hello.My name is Cheng Wen Qi.(Self-intro)

My Myers Briggs type is INFJ and many people describe me as hardworking, bubbly, ambitious, serious, helpful, introverted, someone nice to be around with, capable and also someone with hidden leadership potential.

However, I do believe that I am much more than these adjectives used. I like anime, writing and food. I’ve learned the violin for nearly ten years. In my pastime, I like to work on the novel ideas I’ve had, watch anime, watch tutorial videos on how to bake and attempt making crafts for friends.

Though I am typically described as shy, very quiet and having a poker face, I do strongly believe that I will open up to people over time and shine in my own niche areas.

Therefore, please do give me some time and space to grow.

After all, we are always works in progress, our learning never stops, not after the teacher walks out, not after we graduate from tertiary education. 

I'm confident that this very inadequate account of me will very much so in the course of this year. Please do come forward to form your own impression of me, but be careful not to cast them in concrete molds.