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Just one more day before the BIG day… the youths have all been working hard and long to make Sunday happen… to make it an event that runs smoothly… and an experience that will be remembered by the public (… for how fantastic it was, of course) =)
Although none of them have complained YET, it definitely shows on their faces that they are all stressed out having to do so much under such a short time frame. I guess it doesn’t really help either that Johnny has such high expectations of them =P OK guys… he’s only playing the “bad guy” here because he has to… he wants all of you to remember your CYX experience for the rest of your lives =) I mean, how else would you have learnt so much from this programme, right? (… Johnny made me say this =P LOL, just kidding! It’s my honest feelings =D)
Having said that, Johnny knew they would need a good stress reliever before the big day, so he invited Aaron and Ix back to GardenAsia to lead the youths in their morning exercise… To give them that additional endorphin boost for their final lap in CYX!
Come on guys! Let’s get those muscles working!!!>_<
What is Aaron and Ix doing with them this time?
Ah…. Tai Chi. Or should I say… contemporary tai chi =D
Looks easy when Aaron and Ix does it, don’t you think?
*giggles*
Ok… maybe it’s not THAT easy -_-
Nevermind… let’s move on to the next move… this should be easier.
Whew… ok, that second move wasn’t too bad =) YAY!!
OK… what’s next…
Whoa…. looks like some David Blaine trick… are we REALLY going to do that?
I guess so…
Phew… ok, we survived that!
Give me more!
OK… that looks easy enough.
Maybe not… ok, I take that back =P
Come on… give and take… why can’t I give and take… balance…
*Tai Chi session ends*
Remember those Osmoxylon Lineare plants they planted on the first day and took care of throughout the CYX? Well… it’s time to get feedback on how their plant is doing =)
First, Aaron and Ix talks about what he observed from the body movements of the youths during the tai chi session. In a nutshell… he felt that the youths were not willing to give, and did not dare to accept. Lesson to learn here is for us to offer unconditional help to people, and to accept help and advice graciously when we need it.
Moving on to their plants… Johnny “summoned” Kenny with his powerful handphone, and called him to BlueSky =P
With his expertise and experience in the gardening and landscaping business, Kenny shared with the youths how he felt their plants were doing.
“Did you know that plants have MANY roots that spread out like this? (hand gesture)”
“Look at that tree over there… how big do you think the roots are? A plant has many roots, and through these roots, they absorb various nutrients from the burnt soil and top soil mix. Unlike humans who only have one source of nutrients (eating through their mouth), besides obtaining nutrients from the soil, plants can also produce their own nutrients if they receive enough sunlight.”
“However, plants are similar to humans in a way, they need space to grow too. We hate being confined, so do the plants…. so remember to give them plenty of growing space.”
“These plants are growing this way because they are in a pot. Plants take the shape of the pot they are in. So, sometimes… they have a narrow base, and a bushy top.”
“Make sure you look into these conditions when taking care of a plant.”
“I think all your plants are growing well, good job! Of course, it has only been 11 days… so all you had to do was water your plants to keep it healthy. However, the nutrients in the soil will only last the plant a few months, so you have to re-pot and change the soil in a few months to keep the plant growing healthily.”
Hmm…. will the youths continue to take care of their plants religiously after CYX? We shall see, hehe!
Time to show Aaron and Ix their chairs…
As part of preparing for tomorrow, Aaron and Ix offered to help the youths with the dry run for the event.
First, they had to learn how to present their chairs to the guests in an appropriate manner… In a way that will keep the visitor interested in what they have to say. They were taught how to create a story to introduce their chair, how to give the chair more character by adding the designer’s personality to it (“giving a piece of you to the chairs”) , how to stand and move around their chairs when presenting, and also to be mindful of their body language… like Aaron said “movements NEVER lie” =)
Everyone gathered for some general feedback from Aaron, Ix and Johnny
Before meeting Aaron and Ix, I never knew there was such a thing as a movement specialist. When I first saw it in the CYX handout, I was like “What is that? What do they do? Tell you that you are moving wrongly and teach you how to move properly? Is there even such a thing as moving wrongly? Huh?”
Now, that I’ve met them, I think what they do as movement specialists is extremely interesting and very unique. I’ve learnt alot from them, and one of the things I’ll remember as a student doing marketing is: “when people buy things, they want to buy a story, something different that they don’t already have.” I thought that made ALOT of sense =)
Oh ya… here’s a random picture I took while I was looking around…
(Ix’s uniquely shaped back pack =P)
Next part of the workshop… Aaron and Ix made them figure out what are the 3 most comfortable ways to sit on their chairs…
… everyone looked like they were posing for a photoshoot… here’s Mikko =P
Happened to catch Admira while she was sitting on her chair… she looks REALLY comfortable, doesn’t she? Chill Bill was made specially FOR Admira because she fits on it perfectly ^_^
After a morning of moving around and learning… it’s time to take a break…
BREAKFAST TIME!!
Fueled with food… the youths head back to work once again…
“Come on guys… let’s go!” says Yushan.
Back to the dry run…
Aaron and Ix pose as guests …
Everyone figuring out how to solve the ushering problem at the entrance as Johnny plays the “bad guy” again and tries to paint every possible scenario that could happen at the entrance… even the most unlikely and ridiculous scenarios were brought up!
“Oh my gosh… what if they start wondering off here… or there… or even behind here… what should you do?”
“No signages? Where are the signs? Your guests will be lost…”
“2 ushers for 80 guests?! Are your ushers going to be on rollers? Cannot lar…”
Very real problems they would face, all pointed out by experienced event planners Johnny, Ix and Aaron.
OK, the stressed out youths FINALLY came up with a solution to ALL the problems raised by the “bad guys”… moving on to the museum…
Johnny continues to challenge them with every possible scenario that could happen on the actual day…
Everyone joining in to give their opinions and to help perfect every little detail and aspect of the event =)
Finally, the dry run ended at Kranji Loft with a final debrief by the 4 mentors …
Managed to get a picture of the 4 mentors in one shot… As you can see, Johnny and Kenny are STILL looking very serious… thinking of other things that could go wrong… not an easy task because you have to PRE-EMPT everything and anything that could happen =)
Johnny and Kenny are the 2 people I admire for their foresight and ability to plan WAY WAY ahead… I need to learn to be more like them and think ahead =D
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There’s no “I” in TEAM… and true enough, the 12 youths worked and gel-ed together like a peanut butter and chocolate sandwich (… which I remember, from the first day, is Admira’s favourite ^_^) OK, what I mean to say is… the 12 of them worked REALLY well together, playing it by each other’s unique strengths. They worked SOOOO well together with such great team spirit that if I didn’t know better, I would NEVER have guessed that this was a competition.
What the youths have displayed… THAT spirit is what I feel the CYX is all about. It shouldn’t be about knocking each other out on the way to the top, it’s about learning and progressing forward together because by teaching others, you learn just as much as they do. Like what they always say, it’s not the outcome that matters (… although sometimes it is =P), it’s the process you have to go through to achieve the outcome that you should understand and appreciate.
Today was spent solely on making preparations for Sunday… don’t really have much to say here… so I’m going to let all the photos do the talking this time =D
LiMin reproducing more of her signature CYX ZoCard fans for the guests and visitors to take home on Sunday…
I sat there for a while, watching her make the fans… and I could tell, she’s a perfectionist! Am I right, Li Min? Every corner has to be perfect, everything has to be exact and she is SOOO precise =P Li Min, well, that’s OK… because let me tell you a little secret… (I’m a perfectionist too, hehe!)
Mikko and Xuan working on the banner design…
This came last minute and they only had a few hours to get it done, by 5pm the design had to be sent to the printer…
Calvin was given an important new task… to draw the instruction steps for ALL 12 green secrets. That means, if people look through the book and say “Huh? How do you use this product?” Calvin’s dead because that means he didn’t do a good job with his diagrams! O_O But like I mentioned in my previous entry, Calvin can draw and colour so well, this task is probably “xiao er ke” to him >_< Am I right?
What happens when everybody thinks “who has time to clean up a table when there are more important things to do?”?
Answer:
Admira, Xiao Xiao and Linda making sure there is enough walking space for the guests and visitors to maneuver between and around the chair exhibits.
Another look at the chairs they designed and built… now with an added touch, they’ve added greens and stones to them =) Now, they’re better than before… pretty-er ^_^
Sangeeta’s Yin Yang:
LiMin’s Fireplace:
Chien Lin’s Lazy Bone:
Calvin’s Mummy Chair:
Mikko’s Back To Nature:
Yu Shan’s Flipsides:
Xiao Xiao’s Zen:
Xuan’s Station:
Linda’s Summer:
Ling Han’s Secret Garden:
Admira’s Chill Bill:
Ming’s Chairman:
Another timeline to keep everyone on their toes =)
Let’s have a look at what the others are up to…
Everyone is doing their part and contributing to the event in their own way.
Chien Lin working on the Green Secrets book:
Admira doing her thing as Editor of the Green Secrets book:
Calvin took a break from drawing “instructions” and joined the banner designing duo… SEE?! Now you know what I mean when I say they help each other out and work as a team =)
Ming doing what he does best… PHOTOGRAPHY!
Uncle Ming, you look so professional in these pictures =) So HAWT!! LOL! =P
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After hours of brain-storming…
Hours of reading pop-up books for reference…
Hours of working on the computer…
Hours of drawing, colouring and cutting…
… Above and beyond all that,
2 LONG sleepless nights…
The Green Secrets pop-up book is FINALLY completed!
Well… almost.
On the way to CapitaLand, Calvin was still adding the final touches to the pop-up book on the bus:
HERE IT IS… “Hot out of the oven”!!! =D
This book was brought by the 12 youths to CapitaLand Towers this morning. With this book, they presented their 12 green secrets to the CapitaLand Green Committee.
To start things off, Mr. Tan Pang Yong did a short presentation on CapitaLand Group’s corporate profile to give the youths a better idea of what CapitaLand does. Before this presentation, I never knew how huge CapitaLand Group is. CapitaLand has footprints in countries in Europe, Asia and Australia. Under their arm, there are CapitaLand Residential, CapitaLand Commercial, CapitaLand Financial, CapitaLand Retail, CapitaLand International Leisure, Entertainment and Conventions and The Ascott Group. Impressive, isn’t it?
The 12 of them, sitting in an arc…
Following the corporate presentation, Kenny did an introduction of what the Creative Youth Xchange is and how the whole idea came about.
Hmmm… why did Kenny turn around to look at the slides when he didn’t prepare any slides for the presentation? =P LOL!
So, what exactly is all of this, and what are the youths going to be presenting?
“Creative Youth Xchange in association with GardenAsia and CapitaLand focuses on unleashing simple green innovations that can be incorporated to make convenient our daily lives. The Green Secrets pop-up book is a compilation put together by 12 youth from various parts of Asia, mainly Singapore, China, Taiwan, India, Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam. The designs are a proposal for incorporation of green ideas into Plaza Singapura. Although the designs act as individual creations, it follows a sequential flow, coming out of one spirit, Green Secrets.”
Introducing… the panel of judges…
Admira steps up to the plate and does an introduction on the behalf of all the youths…
Li Min giving out her handmade CYX ZoCard fans to the judges… I’m sure they will keep it as souveniers =)
FINALLY! The moment we’ve all been waiting for is here… Let’s start!
First group to present… the group who came up with Pre-emptive green ideas.
Yu Shan did the opening introduction for her group =) Yu Shan, I really like your presentation style, always so calm and composed… though a little shy… but you express and articulate your thoughts and ideas VERY well =D
Designer: Bao Xiao Xiao
Product Name: Green Hand
Idea: To allow shoppers carrying multiple bags to loop them all into a holder, making carrying the bags more convenient and less strenuous on their hands. Green Hand is made from used toilet paper roll core.
Designer: Lin Yushan
Product Name: Twee
Idea: To encourage shoppers to reuse their shopping bags, and reduce the usage of plastic bags. Twee is a trendy foldable recycled paper shopping bag with a rattan casing. The rattan casing serves as a storage case when bag is not used and a bag handle when in use. Twee is made from recycled paper and rattan.
The panel of judges loved the ideas… they even started giving our youths ideas to improve the products =P
The fact that these youths made the pop-up book by themselves impressed the judges too =D They enjoyed the creative way the presentation was done… Definitely something different from powerpoint presentations.
See their happy and excited faces *points below* ^_^
Designer: Ong Li Min
Product Name: Paddie
Idea: A pouch for females to dispose used sanitary pads in a hygienic manner. A stack of Paddie pouches will be suspended on a string next to the toilet paper dispenser for easy and convenient access. By tugging on the pouches, Paddie will detach from the string and be ready for use. Paddie is made from recycled paper and magazines.
Designer: Chua Tin Giap, Calvin
Product Name: Ha-ha Leaf
Idea: A disposable baby changing mat for parents to lay their babies on while changing their diapers. The mat comes with a drawstring that allows the parents to turn the mat into a bag for containing soiled diapers, before disposing into the trash bin. This product helps to ensure hygiene in the changing room and disposal of diapers. The mat comes in 3 sizes, small, medium and large. Ha-ha Leaf is made from recycled paper and organic cotton wool.
Designer: Mikko Fong
Product Name: GreenSole
Idea: A disposable, eco-friendly, non-woven shoe wrap with an elastic band at the ankle to accommodate to varying sizes. Allows users to cover their wet shoes on a rainy day, and prevents shoppers from slipping on wet floors in the shopping mall. GreenSole is made from eco-friendly materials and organic cotton fabric.
Designer: Tang Chien Lin
Product Name: Bag Roll
Idea: Already a product that exists in the market, this is a plastic bag used for carrying wet umbrellas into indoor areas. However, instead of a standard size, Bag Roll comes in 2 sizes, one for the full size umbrellas, and the other for the foldable umbrellas. This helps to reduce plastic wastage for shoppers using the foldable umbrellas. Bag Roll is made of plastic.
Designer: Linda Yuliana
Product Name: Infox
Idea: A box, the size of a namecard, that holds cards and booklets with environmental information and do-it-yourself project ideas. The box can also be used as a namecard holder. The 2 slits at the bottom of the box makes it stackable and can be used as a toy for children. Infox is made from recycled paper, plastic and cardboard.
Second group to present… group who came up with Reactive green ideas.
Designer: Admira Pustika
Product Name: Bagcharia
Idea: A re-usable shopping bag that unfolds into a chair. This product is targeted at the teenagers as it allows them to carry their shopping items, as well as take a sit when waiting for friends, for a movie to start, or in a crowded food court. Bagcharia is made from recycled cardboard and cloth.
Third group to present… group who came up with Adaptive green ideas.
Designer: Sangeeta Ramakrishnan
Product Name: Cart-A-Pram (CAP)
Idea: An adjustable clip that can be fastened to baby strollers and trolleys and is used for carrying additional bags. CAP is made using cardboard, padded with bubble wrap, plastic buttons and hooks.
Designer: Do Nguyen Lap Xuan
Product Name: COMBE (Care of My Better Earth)
Idea: Disposable comb that can be used up to 3 times. COMBE is made from recycled cardboard.
Last but not lease, group with Failsafe ideas =)
Designer: Huang Zhi Ming
Product Name: Lampedia
Idea: For exhibiting, showcasing and promoting products, ideas and for spreading information and creating greater awareness. It also serves as a lamp. Lampedia is made from used tin cans/ box cartons and a bulb.
Designer: Ling Han
Product Name: Hidden Space
Idea: Multi-function reclinable seats that occupies minimal space and maximizes available space. Bottom of seats can be used as an advertisement bulletin.
DONE!!
12 Green Secrets have been revealed… now it’s up to the panel of judges to decide which secret to implement =)
The judges were VERY much impressed, to say the least…. this is probably something new to all of them, and having heard such refreshing and creative ideas, they were all smiling at the end of the presentation =D They were very receptive of the ideas, and at the same time inquisitive and interested in what the youths had to say. The judges were also very open-minded, which made persuading them a ton easier. Going the extra mile…. the judges even provided good suggestions and raised valid concerns for the youths to ponder on and consider.
Kenny wrapped things up for the day… and that was that!
After the presentation, everyone proceeded for a short tour around CapitaLand’s showroom… There, they got to see models of properties owned by CapitaLand.
Found out from Johnny that there are people whose job is to make trees for models like these… ONLY trees, nothing else. What are these people called? Hmm… maybe Tree Model Experts? ^_^
After the tour of the exhibits, they were free to go for the day. Everyone headed back to the Singapore Sports School for a well-deserved afternoon of ZZzzZzZzz =D Johnny made it clear that EVERYONE should sleep… no sneaking out into town to go shopping, sight-seeing or partying =(
GrEen SeCreTs 
