ODYSSEY AEON 2008

19th July 2008, is a special day for the 9th Petaling scout troop for that day is their 50th Campfire Anniversary Celebration day. 9th Petaling is the S.M.J.K. Catholic High School's scout troop and they invited around 20 different troops to their campfire anniversary, ranging from Selangor to Kuala Lumpur to Melaka and surprisingly Singapore! On that day, was a special day not just for the 9th Petaling scouts and Catholic High, it is also a special day for us scouts who attended the campfire as well.



Our troop, 157th Petaling of S.M.K. Bandar Utama (3) was very pitiful as our troop has only 3 representatives, CK, YF and me. We got there at the same time because I picked CK and YF up from their homes. When we got there, we saw lots of scouts walking everywhere! Even from some distance from the school, there were scouts who were walking in and out of restaurants.



WOW!!!



My dad dropped us near the entrance to the school and the three of us waited under the shed along with some other scouts from other schools. The first person I recognised was CY who immediately waved to me when we saw each other. We saw girl guides and scouts who dress differently from the "normal" we know.



(Example: The girl scouts from troop 80 tuck in their uniforms while the "normal" to us don't. [Sorry~ I'm being troop-ist!])



We talked as we waited and looked at the different scouts around. We also saw a Singapore scout troop. They wore white uniforms that looked like the ones the sea scouts wear.



After a looooong time...



More scouts gathered, even the road was blocked! Cars were hooting and scouts, rangers and guides were coming from all directions as if some God called for the animals around the world to gather. I heard from someone from troop 10, who was standing near us (and showing off too!) that the entrance fee was8 bucks! OMG!!! I had 5, YF had 2 and CK had none! I called Mr. D to tell him the bad news and he told us to look for Mr. C who can help. So I looked around but all I can see are scouts, scouts and scouts. No sign of Mr. C, maybe he got blended into the colour of the scout uniforms. Suddenly, he poped out of no where and said, "You guys got no money for the fee? Ok, (he said to me) go look for WL, and bring him here." "Yes sir. " was what I replied. I ran off, looking for WL, but the first thing that came to my mind was, "Look for B, look for B, look for the black guy, look for the black guy, he'll be definitely with WL." And whoosh! I saw B! And behind B walking was, WL! Oh yes! I rock! Not. So I brought them to Mr. C who was still with YF and CK. Mr. C asked us to join together scenes there are only three of us from 157 only and Mr. D asked for Mr. C's help. So... Okay! 157 joins together with 147! Wow!



So we stuck together. Other 147th Petaling scouts started arriving and I see more familiar faces, which makes me happy. Not to mention 37th Petaling was next to us. (Woo-hoo!!) We got in through this really cool and neat entrance which ends with a 88 degree slide. Some of us burned our elbows, I burnt my elbow... When we got in, we got this pass thingy and a campfire booklet. (So this is what that costs 8 bucks! KL told me about it and I told him I was thinking about it also.) We sat down in our seats and the first thing CK and I wad looking for is the toilet! Aaaahhh!!! We looked around and around but no sign of toilet. CK saw a toilet located on the top most floor of the school building and I said "No way...." Scouts started to get up and get each others contacts via the campfire booklet. I also started getting some, while looking for the toilet... Then I realised something. Holly Molly. I could have just asked the 9th Petaling scouts for directions! Wasn't I blur or what!? I raced over to a scout I saw and asked for directions. He and his friend directed CK and me to the nearest toilet and both of us took off.



After our "heavenly" business, we got back and continue collecting contacts. I had a discussion with Mr. C and then I continued to collect contacts, because I'm a shy person, I did not collect so many, but of course, I did get my friends contacts because I already know them, just that I don't have their contact.



As the Sun set, the campfire starts. The MC, welcomed us, and there was a speech from the head teacher advisor. There was a souvenir giving and then the campfire lighting. The fire was huge! And we could feel the heat from it even from far! The campfire then continued with a lion dance performance by the school team. I have to say, it is a lot better than those we watch during Chinese New Year. The stunts were something out of a kung fu movie and the crowd was wild!

After the lion dance performance, there was a slide show about the theme, ODYSSEY AEON 2008. The slide show was about a father and a son, and the difference between the past and the future. On the first part of the slide show, a son and his father went to the park together and the boy played with the slides. He then tried to ride his bike but he fell down, the father rushed over to his side and picked him up and cleaned his bruises. Then they went home together with the boy asking his father (In text because it was a silent slide show.), "Dad, why do people suffer?" and his father replied, "Son, you will find that out in the future.". In the next slide, the son is now older, he entered the house and his father called for him. He argued with his father and left him. His father shouted at him and coughed blood. Later, the son went out and was squatting in an alley feeling grief. His friend came up to him and offered him cigarettes but he rejected, after some encouragement, the boy received the cigarettes and started smoking (its a fake.). They went out and they met with the rest of the gang. After some walking around, they met with another gang and they started fighting. The son ran away and checked his hand phone, after that, he ran away leaving his hand phone on the ground, the screen shows the message on the phone saying, "Your father is dying!". The son reaches home and rushes to his father's side. After some talking and some crying, the father dies. THE END.

After the slide show, the campfire continued with a performance by the school's cheer leading team. They are so much better than my school's cheer leading team. After the stunts and the hot chicks and guys, the campfire continued with a game or I'd rather call, a dance, the Night Walk. A lot of couples (boys and girls/girls and girls/guys and guys because some people are too shy to ask the opposite sex.) got up and joined the circle. Well, I stayed to take pictures. But of course, with so many people in the humongous circle, the dance was a total fail er and the MC had no choice but to call everyone back to their seats. I was laughing at them for the foolish act (so mean...).

Up next was something that I think was the BEST performance in the whole campfire, the 24 drums performance!! It was loud! It was exciting! There was also hard-to-do stunts and actions! I was amazed! But I was too blur to remember that I could have taken the whole show via video camera then taking stone still pictures.

After that, there was another foolish dance the MC came up with, the Chicken Dance. Again I stayed, and everyone had to leave after a while because there where too many "chickens".
Hahaha!!!
After the "chickens" went back to their seats, a performance by two singers, The Happy Two Friends (how lame! It's copy right!) They sang two songs and I was kinda glad it was over. After the Happy Two Friends were a group of boys playing acoustic songs. The first was Jenny by Click 5 and the other was something I never heard before but I find it nice but I did not catch the song title, all I got was, 3000. I enjoyed the second song and I tried to sing along.

Then, another slide show came in. This time, it's an introduction to the comity members in the 9th Petaling troop who helped out for this campfire. It was so hilarious I almost laughed my heart out! After the slide show, the next performance was not ready so the MC came up with another foolish game, Musical Chairs. MUSICAL CHAIRS!!!!???? Were they nuts?! It's so childish! Even a childish guy like me won't wanna play that game! But still, as the same as before, a lot of scouts dragged their chairs out to play the game and once again, another fail er. The MC decided to have not winner since the last few people were so aggressive fighting over the chair.

After the dumb game, we had our refreshments. At that time, we not just ate, we went around collecting contacts again. I managed to get nearly get the whole page but then the MC called us back to our seats. After the crowd settled down, a rock band came in. They played a song, I forgot what, and a lame and suckish tune with four words that are just so random (I only remember, "sexy", "lady" and "Ouu.."). Next was a performance by a couple playing the piano and a violin. It was kinda sleepy at the first song but a bit better at the second.

Then, there was a last performance by a group a "emo" guys in black clothes and white masks. In the beginning, it was good, because there was a mime performance, but then it sucked because they started dancing and there was a messed up problem in between. At the end, it was over all boring.

With just a final speech and a moment of silence, the campfire ended.

I was freaking tired and I felt like sleeping. The fire was still burning though (Wow.). When my parents picked CK, YF and me up, we went for supper at Devi's Corner and we slowly dropped my friends home. I still did not sleep that morning because I stayed up to watch Paycheck until 2 a.m.

The next morning, I was damn tired and I almost fell asleep at tuition...