2011 Christmas Edition
September-December 2011
foreword ·································································· 3 the inside story ························································ 4 Mrs. Carroll’s Christmas Trivia ································ 5 interview with Dr. Oliphant ···································· 6 the art trip ································································ 8 the history society···················································· 9 the drama club··························································10 student induction ···················································· 11 Brighton trip····························································· 13 football tournament ················································· 14 trip to St. Paul’s Cathedral ······································· 15 ice-breaking party ···················································· 17 national poetry day 2011 ···········································19 awards ceremony 2011··············································· 21 singles night event ···················································25 interview with the new students’ committee ·········· 26 the Orthodox church ················································27 open day—Saturday October 1st······························ 30 a memory of a young entrepreneur ························· 31 t’was the night before implementation ···················32 the festival of Diwali·················································33 CTC treasure hunt ··················································· 34 2
September-December 2011 First of all, let me say well done to the College Magazine team for putting together yet another excellent edition. I hope that you will enjoy reading it and that you will show it to your friends and family. It would be good to know what they think of what we get up to here at the College. It has certainly been a busy term and one which got off to a terrific start with our first ever three-day induction programme for our new AS and GCSE students. It was, by all accounts, a successful introduction to life at CTC and, with activities ranging from t-shirt production to a full-day excursion to Brighton, I suspect it had something for everyone and that one or two “barriers” were broken down along the way. It was clear from the start of term the following week that our new first years felt happier and more settled as a result of their participation in the induction programme. As the new term got into full swing, university applications became the main preoccupation of our second year students whilst for our first years it was all about establishing good work patterns but also a good work-life balance so it is good to report that participation in extra-curricular activities remains very high and that this year we have added Drama, Art, Photography and Current Affairs to our offering, as well a range of Saturday activities. What next, I wonder? As for last summer’s leavers, well we could hardly forget them and at the end of November we celebrated their fantastic achievements at our Annual Awards Ceremony at the Croydon Park Hotel. With half of all our summer 2011 examinees having achieved 3 or 4 A/A* grades and almost 70% of all A level grades awarded being A or A*we were right to feel immensely proud of our students and our staff during the Ceremony and a good time was had by all, as the selection of photos on our website clearly indicates. We have much to look forward to in the coming months, starting with the arrival in January of around 40 new students who have enrolled on our 18-month A level programme. Knowing CTC students, they will settle in quickly, enjoy their studies, make a positive contribution to life at the College and hopefully go on to fulfil their terrific potential. But, first things first, we will also need to make sure that they get to see this edition of the College Magazine, a great example of what we do at CTC and of who we are. Best wishes to all and have a wonderful Christmas and New Year. Mr Di Clemente, Principal
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September-December 2011
the inside story by Sandra Carroll, Librarian Have you ever wondered about the process of the making of the CTC Magazine? How it appears at least twice a year as if by magic? ‘Yes’, well read on, ‘No,’ well you might find it interesting anyway.
events, interviewing, information gathering and then writing about them. Gradually as the articles trickle in they are emailed to Mrs Gollop and a hard copy given to Mrs Carroll. After an initial proofreading by Mrs Das Gupta they are then sent on their way to the Each year students are asked to volunstudent whose role it is to complete the teer their services to be part of the design and layout of the magazine ready prestigious editorial team that brings for printing. CTC news and events to you. Luckily many students enjoy being part of this The nearer publishing time approaches, procedure. At the moment the team the more frantic it becomes. Last comprises: Mrs Das Gupta (who has minute articles are chased up and tirelessly run the editorial team for hurriedly remitted to meet the ensuing many years), Dr Drew, Vice-Principal, deadline. Mrs Gollop, I.T. Technician and Mrs With the copious amount of proofreadCarroll, Librarian, who are all relative ing finished and alterations completed, new comers on the scene. This year with great trepidation the magazine is there are 12 students who have proffered ‘put to bed’; which is exactly where the their help. editorial team would like to be after all The inaugural meeting for the first their hard work! (Christmas) issue takes place at the start of the new term in September and from then on meetings are held fortnightly to discuss developments, such as which articles need to be written, photos to be taken and any other ideas which can be included in the magazine. Minutes are taken at each meeting and then distributed to each editorial member as a reminder of their particular duties. As the weeks progress, the students take on editorial responsibilities for the various articles to be incorporated in the magazine. This is accomplished by participating in and attending college 4
September-December 2011
Mrs. Carroll’s Christmas trivia Did you know?
If you received all the gifts in the song “The Twelve Days of Christmas” you would receive 364 gifts
The first company to use Santa Claus in an advertisement was CocaCola
The word Christmas is old English, a contraction of Christ’s Mass
The first president to decorate the White House Christmas tree in the USA was Franklin Pierce
Germany made the first artificial Christmas trees. They were made of goose feathers and dyed green
Electric lights for trees were first used in 1895
The first Christmas cards were invented in 1843, the Victorian era
Christmas Island is in the Indian Ocean
Marsh-whorts are used to make cranberry sauce
There should be 4 candles on a Christmas wreath
In 1843 “A Christmas Carol” was written by Charles Dickens in just 6 weeks “The Nutcracker” is the most famous Christmas ballet
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September-December 2011
interview with Dr Oliphant by Yodsapon Chirawut (Ton)
Profile Name: John Oliphant Birthday: January, 3 Birthplace: Adelaide, Australia Subject Taught: History Years Teaching: about 30 years Years at CTC: 5 years Favourite Historical Event: My research interests are in North America during the 18th Century, mainly to do with the British relationship with the native Americans, so I have done quite a lot of work on this and I am still doing some. It is not just about fighting but about how they organized their relationships; some of the approaches are quite constructive. The whole area is very complex.
What is your opinion about the current history subject curriculum at GCSE and A level? My favourite complaint about GCSE history is that it is too narrow. You tend to focus on a particular thing in 20th Century. There is very little opportunity to go back further and that is partly because the exam does not cater for this. It is also partly because few suitable text books have been written on earlier periods. It is hard to get a textbook on earlier periods, making it a little bit narrow from what it really ought to be. I am old-fashioned. I like students to write essays. Today the emphasis has moved away from that and so there will be a series of structured questions rather having to write a long essay. In the old-fashioned O-level exam, you had to write three essays. That was not perfect either, but the essay is valuable training, very good for students. A-level‌ I think the new syllabus introduced in 2008 was a great improvement, but it is still a little sad that the topics were also arbitrarily broken up. For example, you know we study Italy in the 19th Century, but you will only be examined on the period between 1848 and
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September-December 2011 1871. It would be nice to go wider and study the unification of Germany at the same time. So I think it becomes a little bit too prescriptive. They tell you what will be taught and what will be on the exam rather leave it open for teachers. I think that is a pity. Do you think it will be changed in the near future? I do not think there will be much change for the time being. As many students complain history is very hard, do you have any recommendations? Read a lot beyond the textbook in the classroom, and don’t do anything I would not do. Do not panic which is what I always tell all of my students.
Dr Oliphant
In your opinion, which one of your features resembles Cavour, the prime minister of Piedmont in 1850s? (Look at the these two pictures, one is definitely Dr. Oliphant the other is Cavour. See any likeness?) Any physical resemblance is purely in the students’ mind except for the glasses. Apart from that nothing of mine resembles him at all. Should people be able to recall what happened in the past in their countries and why?
Camillo Benso, Count of Cavour
I think they should have knowledge, so they know where they are from. If you know where you come from, you un7
September-December 2011 derstand where you might be going. It is important to have some knowledge of national history as well as world history. Have you ever been to Hampton Court Palace before? Yes, I have been there several times. It is so famous that I knew about Hampton Court long before I came to Britain. It is one of the places that for years I was determined to get to. I have been there on several occasions. It is one of my favourite London places, a lovely place to visit. Why do you like Hampton Court Palace? Well, of course, it is associated with the Tudors. That is interesting in itself. But I also like the feeling of the place. I love the architecture and the garden. It is still a nice place to be, apart from its history. Finally, is there anything you would like to say about history? Well, history is fun. It is not a difficult subject, it might not be as difficult as you think. It has the best stories with the most fantastic characters. So I like the students to think of it as demanding, rewarding, challenging, and enjoyable. There you go!
The Art Trip by Cassie, Sarah, Wicky In September the school organized for CTC art students to go to London to visit some galleries, aiming to bring them closer to a variety of work. They visited many galleries which are quite different from one another. Some of them focus on modern art while some of them are about Old Masters. The various galleries and amusing works took the students by surprise. They were all moved and influenced by the artists and their works. Cassie, one of the students, told me that the most outstanding work in her opinion was the work in the gallery named HAUSER & WIRTH. In that room, there were many "trees"-consisting of a stick in the middle, some plastic cement on one side and Perspex on the other side. She said when she walked under the "trees", she felt rather depressed. She said," Similarly, we live in such a modern and busy city, so we are always put under too much pressure which makes us feel depressed and tired. The development of science and technology improves the quality of life. However it makes life more predictable. As a result, more and more people seek psychologists' advice." What a challenging experience for her! From the art trip, students gained practical and creative experiences which are different from those in a class room.
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September-December 2011
the history society by Yodsapon Chirawut (Ton) The ‘History Society’ is held in room A45 on Tuesday at 1 pm once every two weeks. It was founded by our history teacher, Dr. J Oliphant who would like to involve people in the fun of history. The name ‘History Society’ does not mean you have to actually study this subject in order to take part. Enthusiasm for history is more than enough. At the ‘History Society’, each person brings in his or her interest in certain periods and talks to the rest of us. Then we have a discussion about the topics to learn how the historical events affect us today, as well as simultaneously exploring magnificent sometimes hilarious aspects of history. For instance, the British Empire is called the empire on which the sun never sets because in 1901 it covered one-quarter of the surface area of the world. When tea was first introduced into England, people threw away the liquid and ate the leaves, seasoned with salt and pepper. In the Society, history does not lie boringly on paper, but comes alive through our enthusiasm.
have been to Hampton Court Palace where the infamous Henry VIII was once a resident, and to St. Paul’s Cathedral and the museum of London. Here we walked through those fascinating places soaked in history, along with friends from different counties. According to Dr. Oliphant’s remark, what students will get from attending the ‘History Society’ is, basically, fun. The Society gives us the opportunity to enjoy enthusiastic discussions with each other, to listen to talks from the experts and to visit interesting places. These are the reasons why it is worth joining the ‘History Society’ on Tuesday afternoons.
Moreover, there have been several outside speakers such as Prof. Ronald Hutton from Bristol University. Therefore we have a great chance to learn of the latest research contents, and you do not have to be a history student to enjoy it. There are also many trips organised by Dr. Oliphant to which everyone is welcome. As we know, the recent trips 9
September-December 2011
the drama club by Tran Phuong Anh (Cris) Imagine the day is Wednesday and you have just finished your tiring day full of lessons. What would you decide to do to relieve your stress from studying? Just walk over to the Cybercafé where you will meet Mrs Drew and ask her to sign you in. Now you are welcome to the Drama Club! At first, you may nervously look around, pondering how terrible you are as an actor, and find out that other people seem a little anxious as well. Mrs Drew will tell everyone to stand in a circle and ask in a friendly way how they are. Then it is the time for the club’s first activity. This is when excitement and joyfulness begin to replace your nervous feelings.
there must be some awkward moments during the time. Other people sometimes laugh at you, but you know, that means everyone is entertained and enjoys what you are doing. Do not be afraid because no one is going to criticise you; no one superior. Moreover, there is no rule of acting that you have to follow. Just let yourself float on a stream of creativity. All you have to do, says Mrs Drew, ‘is follow what your heart says’. After the session finishes, you definitely feel so relaxed and go back home with great memories from the school day!
So, hesitate no more, come to join the Drama Group at 5.15pm every Wednesday in the Cybercafé . Welcome, and let your mind be blown away with imaginaThe name of an action may be given to tive acts! you to demonstrate and others must guess what you are trying to show. Or you might get a random picture and be requested to invent a storyline based on that picture and act it out. During the session, there are a number of chances for you to work with other people in a group in order to create a scene. Last but not least, at the end, everyone will cooperate to improvise a story against a given background and perform a short, but hilarious play. Guess what? Your imagination is free to expand in Drama Club! Chairs can become airplane seats, walls can turn out to be pigeon holes, scarves are transformed into curtains, clothes and other props! Reading to this point, you may think 10
September-December 2011
student induction by Hanyang Ge (Star) I am an AS student. I have studied at CTC since September and I can still remember clearly that I had a lot of fun during the “new student induction programme�. Because CTC is an international school which has students from all around the world, lots of students have to live far away from their country and begin quite a different life. I believe that every student who doesn't come from England may feel anxious and be afraid of their future life here. For instance, before I came here, I worried about how to make friends with people from different countries, especially from the local area,
and how to adapt to the life in England as well. However, the new student induction programme gave us a good platform not only to get to know others, but also to feel the atmosphere of college. On that day, we were divided into several groups and I was in Group A. There were people from Vietnam, China, Malaysia, and England. Surprisingly, all the teachers were so friendly and lively that it made us feel like a big family. Additionally, everyone was required to introduce themselves with a strange movement in order to let other people remember them. Moreover, we played a 11
September-December 2011 game called grab a chair which consisted of putting a chair in the middle, the other in a circle. When the teacher asked a question, everyone moved to another chair. If someone didn't get a chair, then he would be punished by being put in the middle chair, and we all enjoyed it very much. More importantly, we had a competition for everyone. It was answering some questions about different countries including their culture, and including some pictures which had been distributed around the college. Fortunately our group won, and the Principal gave us a present. During that time, I gained a lot from the programme and I recall lots of time when the Principal said HELLO in more than ten languages. I think that is the attraction of CTC, a warm welcome for the whole world.
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September-December 2011
Brighton trip by Lynette On September 3rd, all of the AS new future life in CTC. At the end of the day students went to Brighton, a very nice we took a photo of all the new students place. After one hour travelling by bus in before we left. the morning we got there. That was really fabulous and the people there are also very relaxed and friendly. The first view was a piece of beach which was so nice. Then we split into several groups to do what we want. Some students went to the beach to enjoy the wind and sunshine. Some went shopping in the town centre while some travelled around the town to experience the local culture and lifestyle. We ate the most famous food in the UK, Fish and Chips. It was so tasty and it was my first time to eat the very English food. We all had fun, met a lot of friends and talked much about our 13
September-December 2011
football tournament by Le Quynh Chi (Kate) Did you know that our college is committed to charity? Let me tell you then. On the 1st of October our Economics teacher, Mr. Torres, organized a football activity to raise money for charity. “10 o’clock at Monks Hill Sports Centre. Lateness is unacceptable.” These were our precise instructions. No sooner said than done. Almost everyone arrived on time with the exception of some hopeless people like me! Well, the real match started. The boys were superb as always. Actually this can be a very good way to impress “someone” if you are a really good player, of course. With all their enthusiasm and passion they showed everyone what the beautiful game is really like. It must also be mentioned that Mr. Torres was no less than superb. On the pitch everyone is equal, no matter whether they are teachers or students. So, nobody felt guilty stealing the teacher’s football during such a tense game. Then it was the girls’ turn. I can certainly say that there is nothing more hilarious than being a witness to such a “show”. Without rules, without penalties, without any strategies, absolutely opposite to the boys, the girl teams were just randomly running along the pitch with no clue of when, how and where to shoot. In desperation to score, every player, except for the 2 goalkeepers, was chasing a rebel ball that seemed to be ever faster than the players themselves. 14
“It would be cool to take a video of you from above!” – said my friend after the match. But never underestimate girls. They also have their unique tactics to win. Who would use her shoe as a distraction to confuse rivals and then, taking a moment when everyone is still trying to figure out where the ball is, to shoot gently into an open goal? That was seriously epic! Yes, it was a charity fund raising activity. Six pounds for enjoying such an amusement is not much, especially when that money may bring at least a little happiness to some other, less fortunate, people.
September-December 2011
trip to St. Paul’s Cathedral by Sarah St Paul's is London's cathedral and embodies the spiritual life and heritage of the British people. Cathedrals serve a wide community. A cathedral houses the seat of the bishop, making it a centre for Christian worship and teaching and the Christian mission. St Paul's Cathedral acts as an important meeting place for people and ideas, as a centre for the Arts, learning and public debate. Its dedication to Paul the Apostle dates back to the original church on this site, founded in AD 604. The present church, dating from the late 17th century, was built to an English Baroque design of Sir
Christopher Wren, as part of a major rebuilding programme which took place in the City after the Great Fire of London, and was completed within his lifetime. The cathedral is built of Portland stone in a late Renaissance style that represents Wren's vision of a rationalised English Baroque. Its impressive dome was inspired by St Peter's Basilica in Rome and Mansart's Church of the Valde-Grâce which Wren had visited. It rises 108 metres to the cross at its summit, dominating both the historic and modern City of London through the Baroque device of axial perspectives or 'viewing corridors' across the cityscape. 15
September-December 2011 Wren achieved a pleasing balance between interior and exterior by constructing three domes nestling one inside the other: the tall outer dome is non-structural and raised above the mass of the cathedral to suit distant views; the lower inner dome provides a harmoniously balanced interior; between the two a structural cone supports the apex lantern and the outer dome. Wren was said to have been hauled up to the rafters in a basket during the building of its later stages to inspect progress. The nave has three small chapels in the two adjoining aisles – The Chapel of All Souls and The Chapel of St Dunstan in the north aisle and the Chapel of St Michael and St George in the south aisle. The main space of the cathedral is centred under the inner dome, which rises 108.4 metres from the cathedral floor and holds three circular galleries – the internal Whispering Gallery, the external Stone Gallery, and the external Golden Gallery. The Whispering Gallery runs around the inside of the dome 30.2 metres above the cathedral floor. It is reached by 259 steps from ground level. It gets its name because of the acoustic effects peculiar to domes; a whisper against its wall at any point is audible to a listener with an ear held to the wall at any other point around the gallery. A low murmur is equally audible. The base of the inner dome is 53.4 m above the floor. Its top is about 65 m above the floor, making this the greatest height in the enclosed space. The cathedral is some 175 m in length, of which 68 m is the nave and 51 m is the choir. The width of the nave is 37 m and across the transepts is 75 m. The cathe16
dral is thus slightly shorter but somewhat wider than Old St Paul's. The quire extends to the east of the dome and holds the stalls for the clergy and the choir and the organ. To the north and south of the dome are the transepts, here called the North Choir and the South Choir. Among the events marked at St Paul's are royal occasions. In 1897 Queen Victoria chose to commemorate her Diamond Jubilee here. More recently, Queen Elizabeth II has celebrated her Jubilees at St Paul's and also her 80th birthday in 2006. Royal weddings have been held here as well: the marriage of Catherine of Aragon to Prince Arthur in 1501 and famously the wedding of HRH the Prince of Wales to Lady Diana Spencer in 1981. As the nation's church, St Paul's has also been the site of state funerals of British military leaders, including Admiral Lord Nelson, the Duke of Wellington and of the wartime Prime Minister, Sir Winston Churchill. Services have also been held to mark the valuable contributions made by ordinary men and women involved in armed conflicts in the Falklands, the Gulf and Northern Ireland. A vast crowd also gathered at St Paul's following the terrorist attacks on New York on 11 September 2001, as London expressed its solidarity with the people of New York at a time of grief. It definitely is a good place for students to visit who study Art, History and Literature. Students who have been there all think it is worth visiting. http://www.stpauls.co.uk/
September-December 2011
ice-breaking party by Rai Aung Zaw Date: 30th September 2011 Time: 7-9 pm This Ice-breaking party was the event organised by the Student Committee aimed at bringing closer the new GCSE, AS and A2 Students. This was like a welcome party for all the CTC students as this was the first party after the school term started. In the event, ice-breaking games were played which were then followed by dancing to party music. The games played were so much fun that the new AS students didn’t even realise that they were not in their home country: they were all feeling comfortable and adapting well to the college and also the people around them. During the event there was food and soft drinks sold by the DofE students. At the start of the event, all the students gathered into a big circle and then pass the parcel was played. This game is played by passing the parcel when the music is on and when the music stops, the person who has the parcel has to go into the middle of the circle and is asked to choose a number and perform a forfeit. After playing the parcel game, the students were divided into two different groups and then several group games were played. Each group was awarded points for every win. The games played included the ladder game, give me give me and others. 17
September-December 2011 After all the games had been played, it was time for some dancing. The lights were lowered and the excitement of the party was enhanced by the glow sticks, disco lights and party music. The event ended successfully and the students left with smiles on their faces. There was no doubt that new friends were made during the event and homesickness reduced to a minimum.
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September-December 2011
national poetry day 2011 by Mrs Carroll National Poetry Day was held in the library on October 6th. Students were invited to write a poem based on this year’s theme ‘Games’. A variety of poems were read out and then entered into the poetry competition. Mrs Roberts very kindly agreed to take on the difficult task of judge and chose two winning entries. A Level student Eeruj Shaikh was one of the winners with his poem ‘Addiction’. Mrs Roberts found his use of language ‘very interesting’. GCSE student Emily Walker was the other winner with her poem ‘Agent Provocateur’. Mrs Roberts thought her use of imagery ‘was very evocative’. A big thank you to all who took part and well done to Emily and Eeruj for their winning entries!
ADDICTION
And tickle your guilt.
By Eeruj Shaikh
Your privacy is my publicity,
I am like a rainstorm in a desert, I am like an ocean blazing, I am a fallacy that disturbs you, I am the heaven of your desires, Where the sky is the limit.
Your isolation is my company, Your demise is my eminence. You cannot deny my intrusion, I possess your intuition, For I am the addiction to the game that lubricates your mind.
I govern your conscience,
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September-December 2011
AGENT PROVOCATEUR
The deeply informed
By Emily Walker
He’s not here to help Now you have been warned.
Lurking amidst shadows Of the honest man Slithers Sir Serpentine With a master plan
He’ll kill your judgement, Cause you to do The worst thing you could But you have no clue
Sergeant’s servant, The great pretender Deceiving the world With his hidden agenda
So heed my advice The snake you meet in the night Who so outwardly appears That he wants what is right
So foul, the enticer Claims he wants justice He lies, he deceives But is it just this?
Shall impose a plan of action Donate prominent role Trust what I say All he wants is your soul
No says the wise man
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September-December 2011
awards ceremony 2011 Subject Prize Winners Accounting
Qianning Ong
Art
Xi Xiong
Biology
Mixayphone Bounvilay
Chemistry
Watcharaphol Paritmongkol
Economics
Maksims Beluss
English as a Foreign Language
Rui Xu
English Literature
Militsa Doneva
French
Ksenija Omelcenko
Further Mathematics
Feifan Chen
Geography
Anna Robakova
Government & Politics
Raweewat Ruechai
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September-December 2011 History Raweewat Ruechai ICT Anum Shami Law Quynh Chau Dang Mathematics Xi Xiong Physics Annan Yang Pure Mathematics Thuy Linh Le Statistics Jiajia Wang No awards are made this year in: Business Studies, Computing, Italian and Spanish
Outstanding Contribution to College life Adeline Lou Angela Skrabaka
Extra-Curricular Awards Sports Prize Winners Football Sportsmanship Award Myat Soe Maung
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September-December 2011 Most Improved Player Michael Akinwotu Basketball Sportsmanship Award Ser Ying Tan Most Improved Player Sher Ee Tan
Duke of Edinburgh Award All-round contribution Hong Anh Nguyen Art Special Award Sichang Jia (Won joint first prize awarded by the Rector of the Royal College of Art in a Young Art competition)
College Magazine All-round contribution Rajesh Bhusal
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September-December 2011
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September-December 2011
singles night event by Tran Phuong Anh (Cris) What is the meaning of 11.11.11?
your partner (sounds pretty like a balloon night now). But wait, we had other It’s Veterans Day in the USA games (which was not about balloons, It’s Remembrance Day in Australia and no) like racing with each other while Canada keeping a banana safely between our knees, and a Ladder game which brought It’s... a nice day for wedding. Well, peoa bit of pain for people who were lining ple like sequences. up to make a ladder. Nevertheless, who But more importantly, it was the Singles cares when we have fun? Refreshment Night at CTC, which was organised to was provided by the DofE group. Chathonour the single people in our college! ting and laughing sounds dominated the room. Dancing music was on for a while, The occasion was inspired by a similar enough for people to relax and enjoy the event celebrated in China for single ladies and gentlemen. So what did we have night. What was the result? People went in CTC? Games, music, drinks and chats home with a smile on their faces. Being single? Great for parties though! all night. With a wide range of games specially organised for single people. If you did not manage to go to the event, There was actually some chances that you will have to wait 100 more years to you may have came out of the room not celebrate it again! Anyway, happy Sinbeing single anymore! gle’s Night and best wishes to those who want to end the single life soon! The event started at 7pm. Each person was given a card with a random name, which later they had to find their ‘partner’ who gets the paired name with them. There was noise and applause for people who found their soul mate the fastest (Nam and Trang, Dee and David). Then group games were introduced including popping a balloon by sitting on it, protecting your balloon with your partner, popping the balloon by hugging 25
September-December 2011
interview with the new students’ committee by Rai Aung Zaw
The old and the new students’ committee on the Singles’ Night. Left to right, top to bottom: Ray, Eric, Vera, An, Roberto, Vikas, Nay Chi, Mike, Cris, Happy.
— Hi, I am Roberto and I am the Sports Secretary on the Committee. I want to ensure the smooth running of all events and encourage friendships through sport. — Hi, my name is Vera Costan. I am the Publicity Secretary of the Student Committee. I want to help organise school events because everyone should have fun. I want to make sure that the students in our College enjoy their stay here. I want them to have something to remember; I want to spice up school life. Also, without a doubt, it makes me happy to see people from all different nations coming together and having fun! — I do not promise to make CTC life awesomely fantastic but with my desire to bring CTC students together we can definitely make it at least unforgettable! — Your NUS secretary, Le Quynh An.
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September-December 2011
the Orthodox church by Artjoms Iskovs Christmas is coming, which implies two weeks of fun, games and rest (or frantic study for January exams and being stuck in the airport because of snow - your mileage may vary). Of course, most students and staff dislike the idea of going back to college in the first days of January. There is, however, a group of people in CTC who have strong reasons to do so and in this article we shall investigate them. It all started in 1054, when Pope Leo IX of Rome and Patriarch Michael I of Constantinople excommunicated each other and the once united state church of the Roman Empire split into two parts: West (Roman Catholic) and East (Orthodox). There were many reasons for that, including disputes over authority and many religious topics and practices. For example, the Orthodox church used leavened (with pockets of air inside) bread for their services, whereas the Roman church believed in use of unleavened bread. Another disagreement was over the understanding of the Holy Trinity, the Christian definition of God as three divine people: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. According to the Catholic church, the Holy Spirit came from the Father and the Son. The Orthodox, however, believed the Holy Spirit to come only from the Father. These differences, although seemingly petty, still lead to several military conflicts, including the Crusades and the sack of Constantinople in 1204. In 1965,
Pope Paul IV and Patriarch Anthenagoras lifted the several centuries old mutual excommunications, thus ending the war between the two doctrines. Architecture is one of the differences between Orthodox and Catholic churches. The usual style of Western churches is a basilica, a long hall with an apse at one end, whereas Orthodox churches are more centralised, with a central dome surrounded by four structures that represent a crucifix. Russian Orthodox churches, however, had a tall conical roof instead of a dome, which prevented snow from remaining on roofs. Another major difference is that unlike Catholic churches, most Orthodox churches have no pews inside them, as it was deemed disrespectful to sit during sermons. Some Orthodox churches in the west (such as in Bulgaria), however, do have pews or kneelers. Easter is called Pascha in Orthodox culture. Just like the Catholic Easter, it celebrates the anniversary of the rebirth of Jesus Christ, however, the Pascha is the most important festival in the Orthodox liturgical year, even more important than Christmas (which makes sense - being resurrected is much harder than simply being born) and every other religious festival is considered a preliminary to the Pascha. There is the Great Lent held before it - a period of forty days during which the Orthodox abstain from consuming animal products and 27
September-December 2011 alcohol. The Great Lent concludes with the Great and Holy Friday, followed by the Great and Holy Saturday, on the night of which a service called the Paschal Vigil is held. Sunday comes afterwards, on which the usual greeting is "Christ is risen!" with the response "Truly He is risen!". Customary Paschal dishes include decorated chicken eggs, kulich (Easter bread baked in tall tins with white icing on top of it) and Pascha, a dish made of farmer's cheese and decorated with various religious symbols. One might notice that all fixed Orthodox religious holidays happen about two weeks later than their Catholic counterparts. This is also a result of the disputes between these doctrines. Before the 16th century, the world had been using the Julian calendar introduced by Julius Caesar in 45BC. This calendar assumes that there are exactly 365.25 days in a year and so a year in this calendar is split into 365 days with a leap day added every fourth year. It later turned out that a year actually has an extra an 11 minutes in it, which means that the Julian calendar gains three days every four centuries. The Gregorian calendar introduced by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582 fixed this issue and this is the calendar that is used now. The Orthodox church, however, refused to use it and still uses the Julian calendar to calculate the dates of religious feasts. The error accumulated by the Julian calendar since its introduction 20 centuries ago is about 13 days. The Orthodox Christmas, therefore, will be celebrated on January 7th. Despite not being the principal Orthodox holiday, Christmas still is important in this religion. On Christmas Eve, Orthodox Christians do not eat until the 28
September-December 2011 first star appears, after which a table is laid for the Christmas supper. It usually consists of a 12-course meal (called the Holy Meal) that symbolises the 12 apostles - mushroom soup, lenten bread, chopped garlic, honey, baked fish, fresh oranges, nuts, kidney beans with shredded potatoes, peas, parsley potatoes, red wine and bobalki (sweet breads with honey and poppy seeds). Many Catholic Christmas traditions, however, are not followed in the Orthodox Christmas and are followed on New Year instead, the celebration of which is more important than Christmas for some Eastern European cultures. Decorating and leaving gifts under a New Year tree, for example, has been inherited from the Catholic Christmas, as has been the belief in Ded Moroz (Grandfather Frost) - the Russian version of Santa Claus (presumably renamed due to trademark disputes).
and drink the ashes with champagne, which is the traditional New Year drink. Tangerines are a recognised New Year food, this day being the only day they were eaten back in USSR. Another traditional New Year food is the Salade Olivier, a subject of many jokes that involve alcohol and people waking up with their faces in this salad several days after the New Year's Day.
There is also the Old New Year celebrated in Slavic cultures - a tradition that often confuses foreigners. This is yet again tied up with the calendar differences: January 14th, on which this holiday will fall in 2012, corresponds to January 1st on the Julian calendar, meaning that the Orthodox people get to celebrate the New Year twice. On this day, the New Year cycle ends and the New Year tree is usually disposed of. Although The Old New Year is not a public holiday, some people still get However, there are many conventions together with their friends and family to specific to the celebration of the New mark it. Year only, varying between different So when you see angry, zombie-looking countries and even different families. It people who slowly traverse the college in is customary, for example, to clean one's the first two weeks of January, better not house on December 31st so that no trash bother them. For them, the Christmas is brought on to the next year. Everyholiday is still far from over. body in the family usually stays up until midnight to see the Old Year out and meet the New Year. About 50000 people each year join the New Year celebrations in Red Square in Moscow with laser shows. Some people in the Baltic States also choose to celebrate the New Year by Moscow time, so hearing fireworks and screams of joy there an hour earlier than intended is quite usual. In the last minute of the old year, people make a wish with each chime of the Kremlin Spassky Clock Tower. Others write a wish on a piece of paper, burn it down 29
September-December 2011
open day, Saturday October 1st by Dr Drew This year’s Open Day was well attended compared to past Open Days. This was in part due to a greater interest shown by students looking to be supported by the college’s bursary scheme. The bursary scheme is part of the college’s contribution to supporting home students from families who would not normally consider private education. As a non-profit making trust the college takes seriously its responsibility to provide educational opportunities to families in the UK. The idea behind the College Open Day is to attract home student families to come in and have a look at the college. People living in the Croydon area are often surprised that they have a high quality international college on their doorstep. During the Open Day visitors are shown around the college by CTC students and have an opportunity to talk to heads of subject areas. In addition they can talk to the administration team about course choices and the logistics of applying to CTC. My personal thanks go to all the tutors and students who made this year’s event such a success.
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September-December 2011
a memory of a young entrepreneur by David Yang On the 4th October, our young entrepreneur group was founded by 10 enthusiastic, creative and dedicated young people. First of all, we needed to find a name for our company. Everybody put forward an idea for our company name and we decided by voting. Finally we chose the name Eclat. And we designed our logo‌ The logo means that we stand out from our competitors. We will try to our best to inform and be true to our customers. The first big event for Éclat - Addington fair On 18th November, in Addington, we had the first big event for our young entrepreneurs. Basically, we needed to sell products at the trade-fair. First-ofall, we had to decide what we were going to sell. We had to remember most people in New Addington are elderly or children with their parents and it is quite near Christmas. We therefore decided to to sell sweets and Christmas decorations. going to make in future. Finally, we have On that day, we were allocated a stall to reached a decision. We are going to sell our wares. But some of the company make a special hairbrush which is quite an ambitious venture and we are trying sold sweets in the street. That made to find a Chinese company to help us to more profit for our company. make manufacture this product. Now we are discussing what we are 31
September-December 2011
t’was the night before implementation by Judy Gollop, I.T. T’was the night before implementation and all through CTC, Nothing was working, but I told them “It’s nothing to do with me”. The snow lay on the ground all bright, crisp and even I said to them “Why don’t you go and ask Stephen?” The Admin Team were nestled all snug in their beds, While visions of un-answered e-mails filled their heads. When out in the Server Room there arose such a clatter, I sprang from my desk to see what was the matter. And what to my weary eyes should appear, But a Super Techy Angel so I had no need to fear. With her IPad and IPhone and gadgets galore, I knew I was in safe hands and need worry no more. More rapid than reindeer, her programs they came, And she cursed and muttered and called them by name. On Update! On Add! On Inquiry! On Delete! On Batch Jobs! On Closings! On Functions Complete! Her eyes were glazed over, fingers nimble and lean, From weekends and nights stuck in front of a screen. A wink of her eye and a nod of her head, Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread. She spoke not a word, but went straight to the Servers, Then she stared at our new website which made me feel nervous . And laying her fingers upon the “ENTER” key, The system re-booted and worked perfectly. The updates updated; the deletes, they deleted; The inquiries inquired, and all jobs completed. She tested each whistle, and tested each bell, And lo and behold, everything had gone well. The system was finished, the tests were concluded, The users’ last changes were even included. In the morning Mr Di Clemente exclaimed “This system’s so fast” I smiled and enjoyed the moment for it was sure not to last.
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September-December 2011
by Radhika Patel
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September-December 2011
CTC treasure hunt by Nicholas Kirschenstein We hope you like quests. Solving countless puzzles and wandering around strange locations in attempts to progress somewhere can be quite fun and this year we have decided to make our readers do exactly that. Between now and the next issue of the CTC Magazine, we are holding our own Treasure Hunt. There will be multiple clues hidden around that you will have to follow. Whoever reaches the end first, wins a prize. Or not. We will see how it goes. Anyway, here are some tips for you in case you are stuck:
If you think you have to do something illegal, think again.
The Hunt can be completed using only the facilities available in the College.
The Magazine Team accepts no liability for any loss or damage (including to your exam performance) caused as a result of participating in the Hunt.
The first clue is on this page. Do you see anything out of the ordinary?
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September-December 2011
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CTC Editorial Team wishes you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Staff
Magazine background
Dr Drew
Mrs Das Gupta
“Christmas Wallpaper” by Lucy-Art
Mrs Gollop
Mrs Carroll
Students
Phuong Anh Tran (Cris)
Artjoms Iskovs
Korlong Lee (Long)
Hanyang Ge (Star)
Nan Yang (Lynette)
Natassia Chin
Yi Yang (David)
Jia Qi Tang (Cassie)
Lingqun Jiang (Sarah)
Yili Chen (Wicky)
Yodsapon Chirawut (Ton)
Rai Aung Zaw