simoc (singapore international math olympiad challenge) disaster
It was horrible. I promised my friends I would write a blog post complaining providing helpful feedback about it. Here it is.
It all started very simply, on the seventh of July, at a stadium in Clementi.
"Huh?" you say. "A maths competition taking part in a stadium?" You pause, then exclaim, "Oh! They're doing some practical experiments? On speed or something?"
"Huh?" you say. "A maths competition taking part in a stadium?" You pause, then exclaim, "Oh! They're doing some practical experiments? On speed or something?"
No. We gathered at the stadium, got counted by people, then queued up to get into a coach. You know, the kind that's smelly? And the seatbelts are really hard to use? But then you're forced to use them?
Yes. The location is so secret, that we have to go somewhere and take a coach to the secret location.
Well, turns out that my mother knows the location.
"They told everyone," she said on the car ride to the stadium. "But the school doesn't want anyone to drive in. Or something like that."
Okay. So we got shipped off to Canadian International School. It was truly an emotional moment. Multitudes of children waving their final goodbyes to their dear parents, oblivious to the terrors ahead. Lying in wait for the tortures to prowl over them.
That's too exaggerated.
Uhh...
Never mind.
Singapore International Math Olympiad Challenge (SIMOC) is a unique concept of mathematics competition which not only tests your ability to solve mathematical problems on pen and paper but also tests your ability to work as a team to play interactive mathematical games and solve puzzles. SIMOC gives you an opportunity to compete with top mathematical talents from around the world and learn from each other as a team. Individual and team recognition awards are up for grabs.
That's what they say.
The bus drove in to the school. Everyone was exclaiming, "What? They have a pool?"
Yup, they had a swimming pool.
MOE should let all schools have a swimming pool. Not just, you know, Singapore Sports School or things like that. They had lots of other things that I could not remember because there were so many of them.
We went one big round around the school. I suspect that this is to taunt us, to advertise all their facilities to us so that we feel bad about going to government schools and not pay thousands of dollars a month just to have an education. And feel bad and do badly in the test.
Or maybe the bus went in the back gate and had to come to the front to drop us off. I don't know.
Probably the second one. Although it would be nice to think it was the first.
Anyway, we got dropped off and were greeted by the sight of many countries. In two senses.
We saw the flags of many countries, hung up in circles in the atrium of the lobby.
We also saw people from other countries, grouping up by their countries.
Here's the list of countries who came to Singapore to take the test:
India, Thailand, Brunei, Hong Kong, Uzbekistan, China, Bulgaria, Singapore, Philippines, Indonesia, South Korea, Vietnam, Mongolia, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Malaysia.
Malaysia is last.
No offence meant.
After that, we had to be regrouped again, this time into three groups: lower, middle and upper class. These were based on our grades. Grade 2 to 5 were lower class, 6 to 8 middle, and 9 to 12 upper.
Then, we lined up and walked in a single file into our respective air-conditioned classes. This happened a few times to a few batches of people because there were a few coaches. Then, we had an instructions briefing and took the test.
Do note that the complaining hasn't started yet.
During the instructions briefing, the invigilator reading the instructions kept laughing because she kept mispronouncing some words. Other than that, there was silence in the room. It sure was awkward.
After the test, we had to play some maths dice game in groups. My group of three consisted of me, a Filipino and a... Myanmarian? Burmese?
The game involved six dices of different numbers of faces - four, six, eight, ten, twelve and twenty. We were supposed to roll them all and attack the opponent's dice with ours.
Well, we lost. Then we had lunch.
Lunch was at the school canteen that had to air-condition in it. Imagine that! Almost every moment that we experienced in CIS was air-conditioned. Talk about taunting us so we do badly in the test!
Anyway, after lunch, we did some math puzzles. Some were physical, others involved solving on a piece of paper. That isn't something you would expect at a math competition but it was stated on the website.
Then, we were told that we were supposed to go someplace but the place wasn't set up yet.
So we waited.
And waited.
I folded a paper plane that happened to always want to fly in the opposite direction in which I was aiming at. My friend "borrowed" a piece of paper from me and did the same, only his plane kept crashing. Then it landed in a puddle of water. Then he made another one. Then my plane landed at the top of a shelf and I could not reach it. Then I folded another one. Then I had a competition with him. Then I got bored. Then one of the invigilators challenged us to play Chinese chess with him. Some people did. I continued playing with paper planes. A few people stole my plane. One ripped it up, so I folded another one. Everyone started getting bored with Chinese chess so I tried playing with a Burmese girl. She cheated by taking the phone and moving my pieces and she ate all my pieces. So I gave up. Then I tried to sleep. But my friend kept hitting me with paper planes, so I got up and walked around. Then, I decided to copy all the pieces in Chinese chess, so I did. Then my friends started spinning the twenty-sided dice. I joined in. Then I noted down the high scores of the three of us. I was the last place.
Then, we were asked to leave. One and a half hours had passed.
We went to the non-air-conditioned basketball court and gathered in our countries. But Singapore was so large that it was all over the place. So, it kept moving around. It was hectic. After spending a good fifteen minutes sweating in the unventilated hall, we got out. Finally.
But into the sun.
The Singaporeans went out into the field and gathered. I did not know what was going on. Neither did anyone else, it seemed. So, we waited and I watched a friend play with his phone.
Then we went to the transport hub.
"The bus is here!" Exclamations alerted me to the arrival of a bus. It was going to Clementi! Yay! Too bad for my friends who came from some other areas of Singapore.
Everyone rushed for it. However, the bottleneck was at the door - very few people managed to get in at a time, what with the squeezing and all. With the friend I played paper planes with, we could not squeeze up the first bus.
Then the second one came.
Stampede! I nearly died. But we did not get to go up the second bus. I tried shouting for human rights to apply to both the young and old, but it was no use. Some teachers pleaded for little people to go up the bus with excuses such as "he is very scared" or "his leg is broken".
That was when I really felt like breaking my leg.
Then the third bus came. We managed to squeeze onto it. Then we waited twenty minutes for the bus to leave.
While waiting, I sneakily ate some chips. Nobody seemed to care, not even the teachers.
Then, we left.
Along the journey, my friend told me that this bus was going in the opposite direction of where his home was.
"At least my parents didn't let me go to Sembawang," he joked.
So, we reached Clementi Stadium. I was reunited with my parents. Hooray! I thought. Free from the terrors of SIMOC!
But I was wrong.
The next day, there was a prize-giving ceremony. There was no warning! More terrors to come, so don't puke yet.
On the morning of 8 July, my mother received an email:
Oh no. What would happen now?
When I went to the UCC, countries were everywhere, but I could not seem to find Singapore. There was a concurrent event (some ballet performance thing) so it was confusing. We went to the reception counter, found it was the wrong one, went to another one and were asked to go to another one on the second floor, where I got my wrist tag. Then we went back to the first floor to the second counter mentioned, where I was brought to a room.
Well, it wasn't really a room.
Actually, it kind of was.
At the entrance of the hall, my mother was not allowed in and she was assured that everyone would be safe and sound. After which, I said my final goodbyes and stepped into the room.
I was greeted by screaming kids running around everywhere. Chaos reigned. Teachers were running around too, trying to stop students from running around. I did not know what to do. Then I just sat down at the back of the hall.
Then, we were asked to sit down in our grades. I joined the group of grade sixes and met a friend I saw at the competition. We talked.
For one hour.
Good thing I was late.
Finally, the thing started and it was broadcasted wirelessly and projected onto a screen. The sound was relatively loud. We continued talking and I met someone from the same school as me.
Then some Chinese orchestra played. When the flute played, it was deafening. I covered my ears and tried to talk to my new friends.
After the performance, I was relieved and continued talking. One of my friends started playing some games on his phone. Then he played a word game which I participated in. Then I got bored and tried to sleep. But it was too noisy. So I got up and heard the guy on the screen talking about getting a girlfriend. My friend was playing a game a lot of my friends play called Optical Crits. Then I got bored. Then I saw a glass door leading to an open field. I opened it and it opened. We thought of playing outside but decided against it.
Then some students started going into the auditorium to receive prizes. I got overall first runner-up for grade six. Yay! Then there were bronze medallists for grades one to twelve. I tried sleeping again but it didn't work.
Then silver, from one to twelve. Some of my friends left.
Then gold. Finally! I got gold for grade six. Hooray! By then, I was super tired.
While waiting, I talked to some of the teachers in the room, who expressed their tiredness having to arrive before six o'clock and having to stay until the end.
I pity them.
After I got my gold, my mother asked me to leave as it was ten thirty - way past my bedtime. So we left.
After this experience, I have decided to not participate in this event again, unless they can prove they can do better. The leader of some organising committee apologised, so I forgive them, but after this, I am not succumbing myself to the terrors of SIMOC again.
You may puke now.
Do note that the complaining hasn't started yet.
During the instructions briefing, the invigilator reading the instructions kept laughing because she kept mispronouncing some words. Other than that, there was silence in the room. It sure was awkward.
After the test, we had to play some maths dice game in groups. My group of three consisted of me, a Filipino and a... Myanmarian? Burmese?
The game involved six dices of different numbers of faces - four, six, eight, ten, twelve and twenty. We were supposed to roll them all and attack the opponent's dice with ours.
Well, we lost. Then we had lunch.
Lunch was at the school canteen that had to air-condition in it. Imagine that! Almost every moment that we experienced in CIS was air-conditioned. Talk about taunting us so we do badly in the test!
Anyway, after lunch, we did some math puzzles. Some were physical, others involved solving on a piece of paper. That isn't something you would expect at a math competition but it was stated on the website.
Then, we were told that we were supposed to go someplace but the place wasn't set up yet.
So we waited.
And waited.
I folded a paper plane that happened to always want to fly in the opposite direction in which I was aiming at. My friend "borrowed" a piece of paper from me and did the same, only his plane kept crashing. Then it landed in a puddle of water. Then he made another one. Then my plane landed at the top of a shelf and I could not reach it. Then I folded another one. Then I had a competition with him. Then I got bored. Then one of the invigilators challenged us to play Chinese chess with him. Some people did. I continued playing with paper planes. A few people stole my plane. One ripped it up, so I folded another one. Everyone started getting bored with Chinese chess so I tried playing with a Burmese girl. She cheated by taking the phone and moving my pieces and she ate all my pieces. So I gave up. Then I tried to sleep. But my friend kept hitting me with paper planes, so I got up and walked around. Then, I decided to copy all the pieces in Chinese chess, so I did. Then my friends started spinning the twenty-sided dice. I joined in. Then I noted down the high scores of the three of us. I was the last place.
Then, we were asked to leave. One and a half hours had passed.
We went to the non-air-conditioned basketball court and gathered in our countries. But Singapore was so large that it was all over the place. So, it kept moving around. It was hectic. After spending a good fifteen minutes sweating in the unventilated hall, we got out. Finally.
But into the sun.
The Singaporeans went out into the field and gathered. I did not know what was going on. Neither did anyone else, it seemed. So, we waited and I watched a friend play with his phone.
Then we went to the transport hub.
"The bus is here!" Exclamations alerted me to the arrival of a bus. It was going to Clementi! Yay! Too bad for my friends who came from some other areas of Singapore.
Everyone rushed for it. However, the bottleneck was at the door - very few people managed to get in at a time, what with the squeezing and all. With the friend I played paper planes with, we could not squeeze up the first bus.
Then the second one came.
Stampede! I nearly died. But we did not get to go up the second bus. I tried shouting for human rights to apply to both the young and old, but it was no use. Some teachers pleaded for little people to go up the bus with excuses such as "he is very scared" or "his leg is broken".
That was when I really felt like breaking my leg.
Then the third bus came. We managed to squeeze onto it. Then we waited twenty minutes for the bus to leave.
While waiting, I sneakily ate some chips. Nobody seemed to care, not even the teachers.
Then, we left.
Along the journey, my friend told me that this bus was going in the opposite direction of where his home was.
"At least my parents didn't let me go to Sembawang," he joked.
So, we reached Clementi Stadium. I was reunited with my parents. Hooray! I thought. Free from the terrors of SIMOC!
But I was wrong.
The next day, there was a prize-giving ceremony. There was no warning! More terrors to come, so don't puke yet.
On the morning of 8 July, my mother received an email:
UPDATE: Invitation to SIMOC 2018 Prize Giving Ceremony
Inbox
| x |
|
8 Jul (9 days ago)
 | | ||
Dear ,
Congratulations! You have won GOLD AWARD in MATH OLYMPIAD CONTEST, SIMOC 2018.
You are invited to join the SIMOC 2018 Prize Giving Ceremony to collect your award. It will be held from 6 pm to 10 pm TODAY (July 8) at
University Cultural Centre - NUS ( 50 Kent Ridge Cres, Singapore 119279 )
Registration starts at 5.40 pm.
Only award winners are invited to the prize giving ceremony. Once you receive your prize, you can leave. You can bring ONLY 1 accompanying person along. You can bring another accompanying person but they are not allowed into the award ceremony.
Best Regards,
SIMCC Admin
Oh no. What would happen now?
When I went to the UCC, countries were everywhere, but I could not seem to find Singapore. There was a concurrent event (some ballet performance thing) so it was confusing. We went to the reception counter, found it was the wrong one, went to another one and were asked to go to another one on the second floor, where I got my wrist tag. Then we went back to the first floor to the second counter mentioned, where I was brought to a room.
Well, it wasn't really a room.
Actually, it kind of was.
At the entrance of the hall, my mother was not allowed in and she was assured that everyone would be safe and sound. After which, I said my final goodbyes and stepped into the room.
I was greeted by screaming kids running around everywhere. Chaos reigned. Teachers were running around too, trying to stop students from running around. I did not know what to do. Then I just sat down at the back of the hall.
Then, we were asked to sit down in our grades. I joined the group of grade sixes and met a friend I saw at the competition. We talked.
For one hour.
Good thing I was late.
Finally, the thing started and it was broadcasted wirelessly and projected onto a screen. The sound was relatively loud. We continued talking and I met someone from the same school as me.
Then some Chinese orchestra played. When the flute played, it was deafening. I covered my ears and tried to talk to my new friends.
After the performance, I was relieved and continued talking. One of my friends started playing some games on his phone. Then he played a word game which I participated in. Then I got bored and tried to sleep. But it was too noisy. So I got up and heard the guy on the screen talking about getting a girlfriend. My friend was playing a game a lot of my friends play called Optical Crits. Then I got bored. Then I saw a glass door leading to an open field. I opened it and it opened. We thought of playing outside but decided against it.
Then some students started going into the auditorium to receive prizes. I got overall first runner-up for grade six. Yay! Then there were bronze medallists for grades one to twelve. I tried sleeping again but it didn't work.
Then silver, from one to twelve. Some of my friends left.
Then gold. Finally! I got gold for grade six. Hooray! By then, I was super tired.
While waiting, I talked to some of the teachers in the room, who expressed their tiredness having to arrive before six o'clock and having to stay until the end.
I pity them.
After I got my gold, my mother asked me to leave as it was ten thirty - way past my bedtime. So we left.
After this experience, I have decided to not participate in this event again, unless they can prove they can do better. The leader of some organising committee apologised, so I forgive them, but after this, I am not succumbing myself to the terrors of SIMOC again.
You may puke now.
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