17 minute read
Gap Year
by The Quill
Peam Sirisereewattana
Gap year
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How did you decide you wanted to do a gap year? Originally, it was due to our lovely 2019 Virus. I’d hoped that the Pandemic would be over by now because I felt that studying abroad isn’t worth it if I’m glued to my screen (especially since I want to study Theatre). However, as I realized that this was a pertinent issue, I still decided to go with a gap year. I felt that I wanted time to extend my portfolio and explore what career I wanted to pursue.
What are your plans for your gap year? For now, I want to find an internship related to Theatre. My goal is also to branch out to a more professional scale. I can’t say much yet because my contract hasn’t been sealed, but perhaps you’ll see me around more often than you think.
Do you have any college plans for after? Certainly! If given the chance, I’d love to study abroad. Of course, I can’t say where exactly as it would be unfortunate if I jinxed my chances.
How did you decide you wanted to do a gap year? Because I realized pretty late that I want to study technical theatre in college, especially in the field of stage management, I knew that I needed to gain more experience for an impressive college portfolio. And considering the outbreak of COVID virus in Europe, I decided that it would be best to take a gap year next year and dedicate my time on learning the complex mechanisms of real theatre work and explore my passions as an artist and as a stage manager.
What are your plans for your gap year? One of my biggest plans for next year is to voluntarily work for the ICS Department of Dramatic Arts and gain the experience I need for my upcoming college years. I might do volunteer work at other theaters in Bangkok as well.
Do you have any university plans for after? Nothing is set in stone at the moment, but I know for certain that I will do my studies in Europe, not only because Europe is well-known for quality theatre schools and broadway-level theatrical productions, but also because it has been one of my biggest dreams since I was young.
PIM UNHasuta
Gap year
Exam Tips: The Pomodoro Technique
Written by David Bang
Exam season is upon us with APs, Finals, and SATs. As this difficult, stressful, and busy time looms ahead, we have to take responsibility for ourselves and make study schedules to help prepare us. There isn’t anyone telling us what to do or how to study, so it makes sense for anyone to get burned out and not know how to continue studying effectively. Thankfully, there are multiple tested methods to guide us along the way! This time, I’ll be specifically covering the Pomodoro Technique, otherwise known as the 25-5 or 50-10. It’s a great skill to master and will help in life, no matter the season.
They say the secret to life is thinking in tomatoes. That’s right, tomatoes. Pomodoro is ‘tomato’ in Italian, and it helps you to manage your time in bite-sized tomatoes that you can easily achieve, instead of long multiple-hour sessions. It’s the perfect technique for people who are easily distracted, those who do better when they turn work into gamified goals, and those who seem to have lots of open-ended work.
Here is the basic rundown of it: 1. Combine all your work into categories (such as by subject) or tasks (such as by project or essay).
2. Set a 25 minute timer OR 50 minute timer. a. 25 minutes for people who get distracted easily, 50 minutes for tasks you wanna complete asap and don’t burn you out.
3. Work on just that task until the time is up; if you finish early, then move onto another task in the same category or another small task.
4. Take a 5 minute break (if you set a 25 minute timer) OR a 10 minute break (if you set a 50 minute timer).
5. Set the timer again and go onto the next category or task (even if you didn’t finish the last one).
6. Every 4 Pomodoros, take a longer 15-30 minute break (recommended to walk around and get the blood flowing or talk to friends to have a social laugh).
That’s it! This is a very easy method to use and will help a ton with feeling productive and saving time. You can also cycle between types of tasks, like working on Math, then Science, then Math again, but make sure not to do 2 of the same category in a row because it contributes to burnout, and going between types of tasks can help keep the mind at its peak.
It also helps to think of each study-break cycle as a tomato you’re eating. You take 25 minutes to chew, then 5 minutes of letting it go down and settle before eating the next tomato. How many tomatoes will you eat by the end of the day? 4? 8? It’s a lot easier to continue doing work if you think, “Oh, I’ve done 4 Pomodoros,” than to think, “Oh, I’ve done 2 hours.” 4 Pomodoros feel like 4 tasks, whereas 2 hours is just a blob of unrecognizable time. I hope this helps you continue to be successful and take your time to the fullest! Of course, if you really wanna get in the hang of the Pomodoro Technique, make sure you practice a few days for you to ease into it! Good luck studying!
Capstone
Teaching Tubs: Sustainable Education
By: Asia Perera
We’ve heard so many amazing things about your capstone project! How would you briefly summarize it? I created a science education system for migrant children at Construction of Hope. The main goal was to give the younger children the opportunity to learn from organized educational resources and for this system to be used on a long-term basis.
What made you interested in this topic? What part of your capstone were you less interested in? I was interested in this topic because of my own passion for science and learning about the environment. I wouldn’t say I was less interested, but I was definitely more nervous about making sure this was a system that worked for very young kids.
What have you learned from completing your capstone? What skills do you think you can take into the future? I learned a lot about time management and being realistic with my expectations. I think these are skills that I will be able to use a lot going into my college years.
What is the most special memory you have of your project? The best part of the project for me was when I got to see the system in use and seeing how curious and eager to learn the kids were.
Any advice or any regrets you’d like to share with the underclassmen? Start your project as early as possible and don’t slack off on the papers, haha!
period poverty and practical products
By: Lyla Yuvaboon
We’ve heard so many amazing things about your capstone project! How would you briefly summarize it? So basically, I fundraised to provide underprivileged orphaned girls with reusable menstrual products. I also taught them a bit about menstrual health and hygiene.
What made you interested in this topic? What part of your capstone were you less interested in? I was interested in this topic because it’s an issue that is often stigmatized and not really talked about. After researching and implementing my solution, I realized that this real-world problem could be easily fixed if there was just more awareness around the issue. I just felt like I had the responsibility to raise awareness within my community since nobody really knows about it.
What have you learned from completing your capstone? What skills do you think you can take into the future? I was definitely less interested in the writing parts of the capstone. The action and presenting parts were actually kind of enjoyable in a way, but the writing was pretty stressful because I didn’t manage my time that well. Whenever I ran into different issues or problems and managed to solve them, I’d realize that I could’ve done a better job if I just managed my time better so I could put the best quality of effort into my work. Capstone also was a really great reminder of the consequences of procrastination. I think capstone strengthened my creativity and presentation skills. I had to think creatively not only for my booth setup but also for different ideas and solutions. The presentation part was also helpful because it helped strengthen a skill that most people would probably have to use in the future.
What is the most special memory you have of your project? Explaining what periods were to middle school boys, haha!
Any advice or any regrets you’d like to share with the underclassmen? The CSP project itself isn’t hard, you just have to organize time well and figure out how to balance it with everything else. You can have fun with it if you know what you doing. Also, don’t get too stressed whenever Mr. Mike posts something on google classroom. It seems like a lot of detail and stuff at first but it really isn’t.
MENDING CLOTHES TO MENDING LIVES
By: David Bang
We’ve heard so many amazing things about your capstone project! How would you briefly summarize it? I taught sewing, mending, and embroidery at Construction of Hope to elementary/middle school kids. Over covid, there were fewer clothes donations, and so the need for clothes was more prevalent than ever to these poor kids at the youth center. Because no one knew how to mend clothing properly, and because they didn’t have any materials, clothes that ripped were scrapped. So I taught this vital skill and also donated an industrial sewing machine and a bunch of sewing materials.
What made you interested in this topic? What part of your capstone were you less interested in? I already love sewing and embroidery, so this was easy to enjoy teaching. It was super helpful to start a project related to this, but making lesson plans and figuring out the technicalities of what I’m teaching was more stressful than anything.
What is the most special memory you have of your project? I loved the embroidery aspect of my project, and I loved the creations I made with the kids. They learned to embroidery words and create intricate images with basic stitches. It’s so amazing what people can come up with creativity if they have the right skills and materials.
Any advice or any regrets you’d like to share with the underclassmen? Don’t let circumstances drag your project down. With covid, my first project ideas were ruined, but I learned to turn this hindrance into a guideline for what I could do.
STORYTIME WITH MR. NOAH
Interviewed by Amy Jain Photos by Arm Muadthong
Can you tell us a little about yourself? Yes! Of course! So I’m Mr.Noah, I’ve been teaching for 14 years now and I've spent my whole adult life in Asia and I love teaching and working with students… it’s been good fun so far!
If you could describe yourself in 1 word, what would it be? Hmm.. that’s a tough question - maybe, like, bizarre?
Favorite food? There’s a restaurant in Hong Kong called Amaroni’s and they have this AMAZING ravioli with creamy tomato sauce that is the best thing ever and I miss it so much!
Cereal before or after milk? I do my cereal before milk. Otherwise, you make a mess.
Pineapple on pizza? That’s evil. I don't even understand why people do that. It's ridiculous. It's like going to a hotel and being told you have breakfast sausage, and it's a hot dog. Like, that's not a sausage! And then when you throw a thousand island dressing on top of it… that's a cardinal sin to pizza. Just no.
So now that we’re on the topic of food, is there any food-related story about yourself that you would like to share?
Hmm, so I’ve had a lot of bad experiences with dentists... When I moved back here in 2005, I found out the dentists in Thailand were a lot cheaper than in America. So one day I had a toothache and needed a crown, so I went over to the dentist, and he just looks at me and says... “Ok! Gold crown!” And I say, alright, I'll buy a gold crown, not realizing that these are twice as expensive, and so now I've just got suckered into buying this crown.
So then a week later I show up to get the crown and I'm sitting in the chair and the dentist is measuring the crown/popping it off/measuring it, and all of a sudden he drops the crown down my throat (and this is before they used to make you put on the dam) so I sit up and start choking on it -- and in the process of setting up... I swallow the crown!
So now the dentist is sitting there just shocked and looking at me… and all I could think to say was, “Dude, I swallowed it.” And the dentist looks at me, shocked, doesn't know what to do, and he says, “No you didn't.” and so he lays me down and continues to probe my mouth with his hands. Obviously, he can't find the crown so he gets on the phone and calls a friend who is a surgeon. So now the surgeon says, “Since he's swallowed it, he might have to get surgery but… See if he can cough it up first?” So the dentist gets off the phone, and he proceeds to tell me that I need to throw up the crown into the sink.
Can you tell us a little about yourself? Yes! Of course! So I’m Mr.Noah, I’ve been teaching for 14 years now and I've spent my whole adult life in Asia and I love teaching and working with students… it’s been good fun so far!
If you could describe yourself in 1 word, what would it be? Hmm.. that’s a tough question - maybe, like, bizarre?
Favorite food? There’s a restaurant in Hong Kong called Amaroni’s and they have this AMAZING ravioli with creamy tomato sauce that is the best thing ever and I miss it so much!
Cereal before or after milk? I do my cereal before milk. Otherwise, you make a mess.
Pineapple on pizza? That’s evil. I don't even understand why people do that. It's ridiculous. It's like going to a hotel and being told you have breakfast sausage, and it's a hot dog. Like, that's not a sausage! And then when you throw a thousand island dressing on top of it… that's a cardinal sin to pizza. Just no. So now that we’re on the topic of food, is there any food-related story about yourself that you would like to share?
Hmm, so I’ve had a lot of bad experiences with dentists... When I moved back here in 2005, I found out the dentists in Thailand were a lot cheaper than in America. So one day I had a toothache and needed a crown, so I went over to the dentist, and he just looks at me and says... “Ok! Gold crown!” And I say, alright, I'll buy a gold crown, not realizing that these are twice as expensive, and so now I've just got suckered into buying this crown.
So then a week later I show up to get the crown and I'm sitting in the chair and the dentist is measuring the crown/ popping it off/measuring it, and all of a sudden he drops the crown down my
covid-19 update
Written by Emily Rubio
Thailand is in the grips of its third wave of Covid-19. As of April 23, Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health reported a daily high of 2,070 Covid-19 infections — Thailand’s highest ever daily record. From Bangkok to Chiang Mai to Chonburi, its spread is not only rapid but lethal, bringing a rising nationwide death toll of 121 deaths (Bangkok Post, 2021). Many point to the slow roll-out and limited quantity of vaccines as the main culprit to Thailand’s worst surge in Covid-19 cases. As of today, only about 0.1% percent of Thailand’s population is fully vaccinated. That’s a total of 94,385 fully vaccinated people in a country of around 70 million people. This incredibly delayed procedure is directly causing a nationwide health crisis. As of right now, the Thai government is attempting to procure the possible vaccines: Russia’s Sputnik V, China’s Convidecia and Sinopharm’s vaccines, India’s Covaxin, and the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine (Thai PBS world, 2021). Though the rollout rate may be alarming considering the worldwide percentage of the vaccinated population is 2.8%, the government plans to have 35 million people vaccinated by the end of this year (Thaiger, 2021). Though vaccines may be a reason for Thailand’s worst wave of coronavirus, variants of the coronavirus are another logical explanation for the recent extreme surges not only in Thailand but India and worldwide. The UK variant of Covid-19, also known as the B1.1.7 variant, was found in early April of this month in the Thong Lor bars. In fact, Studies found that this strain is 43-90% more likely to spread than others (Ministry of Public Health). Furthermore, according to the director of the Centre of Excellence in Clinical Virology, this strain spreads “1.7 times quicker than the normal strain.” And quite evidently, with the rising cases, his statement has remained true (Bangkok Post, 2021). Until this fatal surge is over, we will have to deal with both its short-term and long-term consequences. In the long run, the greater the spread, the greater the likelihood of a new, stronger variant. We need to stay safe and protected to get through this pandemic together.
Works Cited: Bangkok Post. “Covid Cases Top 2,000 a Day, 4 Deaths.” 23 April 2021, 13:04. Bangkok Post. “UK Covid-19 Strain in Thong Lor Cluster.” 7 April 2021. Department of Disease Control. “ The Coronavirus Disease 2019 Situation.” 14 April 2021. Thaiger. “Thailand to Purchase Additional 35 Million Doses of the Covid-19 Vaccine.” 21 April 2021. Thai PBS World. “Thailand's Vaccine Shopping List as COVID Surges.” 18 April 2021.
congratulations
congratulations
