BouZi Issue #4 October 24th 2011

CREATIVEDIRECTORQuentin YiuJohn Wang

EDITORSColin DiersingTomi Kiviluoma

REGULARCOLUMNSUndiscovered Hong KongWhat’s on in Hong KongThe AdvisoryGrub Column

ARTSSECTIONDeath of a Roommate00:23Ode to an AbsolutistPhotographs

FEATURESIs a forty-two always a forty-two?Corner Design On Leadershipletter from an almost LPCerOverheard: Verity Cooke and Bobby Adamson

ACESPECIALGet to Know Us

1 | OCTOBER 28TH 2011| FOURTH Issue |

Rethinking UWC 1: A Waste of Money – Matthew Webb

This article is the first in a series questioning and rethinking different aspects of the movement’s future, structure, and values.

We cost money, a great deal of money. 412 000 HK$ each to be precise1 . While specific financial details are surpris-ingly difficult to come-by for the other colleges, it’s fair to as-sume that LPC is at the lower end of the fee spectrum. So if we take the fees for an LPC student and multiply them by the total number of students across the UWCs in any one graduating-year, we can get a very rough estimate of what kind of money is being spent on us.

412 000 HK$ × 1500 students2 = 618 000 000 HK$; this back of a napkin calculation is only intended for the sake of illustration, but when I said we ain’t cheap, you can prob-ably now see – I meant it.

Of course this funding is not solely drawn from charitable donations; parental contribution plays a significant role too. Nonetheless the major portion of that doughy pie is coming directly from individuals and corporations who instead could have contributed to some other organization; one whose impact on the world might be somewhat more straightfor-ward.

That is the crux of the issue: I can safely say that I’ve ben-efited from those donations – last year was the best year of my life and this year is shaping up to be even better. How-ever, is the world significantly better as a result of the money spent on my scholarship? I can safely say no; at least, not as yet.

The thinking behind the whole “uniting people for peace and a sustainable future” seems to be that if, a few years down the line I were to become the benevolent dictator of the world, as I exercise my near omnipotent power then better I be knowledgeable than ignorant of the peoples I’ll affect.

A crass over-simplification without doubt, however you must admit that there are elements of truth. What direct effect does this education better the world by other than the hope that alumni will make better, more internationally-minded decisions. I don’t question the nobleness of the

cause, rather I’m questioning whether that same six-hun-dred million might be more advantageously used elsewhere. 618 million HK$ is about 80 million US$: it certainly seems quite a sum, but what could we actually get for it? Well... 2 million goats, 12500 rainwater harvesting systems each providing fresh water to 200 schoolchildren, and for that matter, 14286 classrooms in Cameroon.3

It’s difficult to claim that providing freshwater to 2.5 million schoolchildren would have less of an immediate, substantial effect than educating fifteen hundred 17 year-olds. Indeed, I would argue that the vast majority of alumni aren’t likely to ever be in a position of significant enough power to effect any great change. But is that really so awful?

Like I say, this has been a genuinely life-changing experi-ence for me, and I suspect I’m not alone; surely there is some value to simply this? In the grand scheme of things $80 million isn’t enormous, in fact every time a F-35 Light-ning II fighter-jet roles out of the factory (eventually 2443 williv) a whopping $122 million is doled out. So for the price of just one instrument of war all our student scholarships could be funded.

While this is not in itself any real excuse, it seems to me that, although UWC may not be playing the tangible role of averting nuclear holocaust as Kurt Hahn envisioned, the simple act of giving a few thousand people an experience that will stay with them for the entirety of their life, is, I have no qualms in saying, much better than a fighter-jet – no matter how many mach-speeds it may reach.

And who knows; if I do end up being benevolent dictator of the world, then at least thanks to this I might look a tad more kindly on my minions. Well, most of them – I’ll be sure to put the Canadians on toilet-cleaning duties. iv to.pbs.org/d8JtPe v bit.ly/eTHGVW

----------Footnote:1| Figure based on full fees for local Hong Kong students in the academic year 2012/13 over two years 2| According to the UWC website around 1500 students graduate each year http://uwc.org/how_to_apply/default.aspx3| Figures from following websites : bit.ly/axZA4h/bit.ly/oA0Onw/bit.ly/pZRBjv

From the Editors

Undiscovered HK #8A Walled Village

Walls. What comes to mind when you think of walls? There’s obviously the Great Wall, running for over 8000 kilo-meters across northern China. There are also city walls that encircled major cities. Perhaps more familiar to us is the Great Firewall - that Internet censor that prevents Chinese Internet users from accessing Facebook (walls). Slightly closer to home, but often overlooked and forgotten, are the fascinating walled villages of Hong Kong.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I’m thrilled to introduce to you......Kat Hing Wai: the most well-preserved walled village in Hong Kong. Built in the 1600’s during the Ming dynasty (the penultimate dynasty), Kat Hing Wai was built as a fortress for the Tang clan. The Tangs were one of the first inhabitants of the re-gion when they migrated from central and southern China, and built the fortified walls as protection against brutish bandits, plundering pirates, raging rival clans and occasion-ally, treacherous tigers. Today, the village is still inhabited by the young and old alike.

The rectangular walled village is well worth a visit. A main street runs down the center of the village, and narrow al-leyways lead off into the interiors of the village, which offers intriguing stories to those who look. There is a small temple at the end of the main street, and canon towers are placed strategically at the corners of the village. You may also see the remains of a moat outside the walls, though it was largely dry and covered with vegetation when I last visited.

Outside, elderly villagers mill around in their wide-brimmed, black-clothed hats - a reminder of the rich history that the village holds within its walls. In fact, there’s an interesting story to be told of Kat Hing Wai’s iron gates. When China signed the New Territories away to Britain on a 99-year lease in 1898, the Tang clan organized resistance against British rule. Hat Hing Wai was used as one of the forts together with another village, Tai Hong Wai. Their resistance was no match for the British, though. British troops broke through the Kat Hing Wai defense, defeated the villagers and shipped the iron gate back home as a war trophy. It wasn’t until 1924 that the iron gate was finally returned to the village.

Exactly how well-preserved is the village? Time hasn’t exactly stopped ticking within the village - some of the old buildings have now been replaced with modern structures (which, some would argue, are unsightly eyesores). Perhaps you could do a little day trip and decide for yourself.

How to get there: Take the West Rail to Kam Sheung Road. Exit B.

What’s onin Hong Kong | Matthew Webb

To put it simply, not a lot. I guess that’s not particularly con-structive, but interesting stuff really is few and far between this fortnight, let’s just hope that everything is being saved up for Halloween.

Speaking of Halloween if you fancy getting a bit freaky on Friday the 26th, and given that Halloween is on a Monday this might be your only chance, FLY in Central is hosting a night called “Torture Garden”. You might have guessed from the name but I kid you not, prizes will be given for the most convincing Dominatrix and Gimp.

If you’re looking for something a little more sedate, or at least something with less leather and chains, on the 25th the Penderecki String Quartet Concert will be performing a programme of Motzart and Schubert at the HK Performing Arts Centre. $150 through HKticketing.

At EXIT gallery, 1 Shin Hing Street Central, HK artists Gen-evieve Chua & Trevor Yeung’s exhibition shadow in the dark, will be on show from 21st to 19th November. I’m not going to be pretentious, I’ll just say it looks pretty deck.

And finally ‘what’s on at Hidden Agenda’ I hear you scream at your computer or printed copy. Well none other than “Hong Kong’s one and only street punk band.” Yup, that’s right, you know who – Defiant Scum! 27 October 22:30, $150 at the door

2 | OCTOBER 28TH 2011| Fourth Issue |

Regular Columns - Undiscovered HK, What’s On

Regular Columns - The Advisory

The Advisory

Dear Athena, My roommate is crazy, what do I do?

Hey Kids,

Alright. For this to be any kind of useful, let’s establish the

different levels of Crazy shall we? And for the purpose of easy

typing and understanding, let’s call your roommate Bob.

Now, Bob could be the kind of crazy that does not ever sleep.

This is usually because he is a superhuman or an alien or his

brain is powered by the smell of textbooks and waves flutter-

ing off a computer, which is highly possible. This kind of Crazy

should not be interrupted. Maybe an intervention could be an

option but Bob might just be that level of awesome that most

of us can’t reach. Work on your eye-popping, “what the hell”

expression for when you wake up in the middle of the night and

find him writing his essay on your face. This may be a common

form of socializing for the guy, don’t get too creeped out.

Bob could be the outright crazy Happy kind; the one that’s

always unrealistically ecstatic at a time when all you want to

do is crawl into a bed, a real one, and just never leave the covers

because the time is just that terrible and work is getting a bit

suffocative. Well, this kind of Crazy is very common in people

that have just been enlightened by something or someone. There

is a possibility that they are looking at the world cruising on

the silver-lining or they’re in love or they just had the best tub

of chocolate chip cookie dough ice-cream ever. This euphoria

will most likely subside, so there’s nothing you need to worry

about, but if Bob starts painting a huge yellow smiley face on

his wall, gives away all his shoes and decides he’ll study for his

test by giving people hugs, it would be time for an intervention.

Remember to be polite.

Lastly, Bob could just be one of the outright, medieval, super

evil, weird, long beard, sparkly- faced, alcohol- based Crazy.

This type of crazy can be recognized if Bob loves setting things

on fire, chews his hair as a replacement for actual food, doesn’t

come back to the room ever, has a schedule the length of his body

or is completely unresponsive to actions, words or sounds and

sits blankly staring as some spot on the ceiling (or other such

vague habits). This type of crazy, you can’t handle. Sorry. Hand

it over to some poor fellow co-year that is unaware of your ac-

tions or maybe tell someone with some authoritative, persuasive

tone of voice.

It should all work out. Mostly.

Be safe.

Love always,

Athena


WHEN WE GROW UPBy Vincent Wang and Fernanda Lai

How difficult is it to summarize all of COP day onto a page? It took your co-authors 1 hour of intense collaboration just to come up with the title of this article. How does one condense the life experiences of over 9000 alumni onto a pathetic A4 sheet?! That BouZi heading isn’t helping either, taking up our precious, precious space. As such, do sym-pathize with us for being forced to skip over some of those magical moments, and we apologize for the inconvenience.

Let’s start with our alumnae. Leonard - It wasn’t exactly a relief hearing Leonard’s story. It was more a fulfillment of that sense of justice within us, that sense that things will turn out alright if you follow your passions. Leonard, being an artist by profes-sion and by heart, simply swum with the tides of life, picking up the bass and quitting his day job to work full time as a musician, play-ing gigs at bars, then weddings, then he was swept away by the Hong Kong music scene and now tours regularly with several canto-pop bands. One of Leonard’s LPC memories? Playing a ‘messed up’ gig next to the pool, where his lead singer finished half the song before bombing into the pool. Chris Haworth - Contagious. Infectious. Spreading like the rot on the wound of a child on Ho Chi Minh trail injured by illegally dropped cluster-bomb shrapnel, lying face down in the baking sun of the Vietnam War. These are analogies for Chris Haworth’s posi-tive energy, devotion to helping others, and his charismatinspirational view on life. He is

not a pacifist, but he is and always has been against war and injustice, from his days sing-ing peace chants against Apartheid and the Vietnam war with the inaugural class of Atlan-tic college to his humanitarian work building schools that continues to this day. FUNFACT: It is Chris’ personal goal to build 500 schools in impoverished countries within the next 10 years. Gotta educate ‘em all! Chris Schrader. Does this guy really need a synopsis?! First years, go ask your near-est second year. Second years, go tell your nearest first year about this attractive hunk of Gobi-desert-crossing man. Erling - “I get better grades now in English than I do in Norwegian.” A proud Norwegian, Erling was one graduate who decided to go back to his own country for tertiary educa-tion, rather than following the usual stream of graduates straight into the hallowed halls of Ivy League Universities. And it more than paid off. He is now one of the youngest diplomats in Beijing, and diplomacy fits him well; what else is one to do with 6 languages? Louis -A graduate from Pearson UWC, he immediately struck me as someone who was truly enthusiastic about psychology. After giving us a brief introduction of his life at Pearson, he enthralled us with a glimpse at the many applications of pyschology. Rang-ing from educational psychology to industrial psychology, listing examples such as stoves and trams in Hong Kong. Pooja - hails from UWC Mahindras. We were very lucky and thankful for her presence all the way here in Hong Kong. As a graduate of Mahindras, the squalor and danger of the




living conditions in the surrounding region shocked her and stayed with her, manifesting itself along with that UWC idealism into a will to make things right. Pooja founded a radio podcast in the region for women, empowering them with opinions, and dispelling negative superstition about them. We salute her brav-ery, and we wish her all the best. Our alumnae are quite the diverse group, but one word that would collectively describe them-wacky. Perhaps it is the sense of zeal-ous enthusiasm, or the persistent idealism coupled with a sense that makes them distinctively UWC graduates. All I know is that there is a certain “je ne sais quoi” in the way that they walk perhaps, that makes them without a doubt, our alumni. One thing they all agree upon is that these qualities became fully-fledged in those two short years at LPC, and in those two short years they did more than anything that they ever did in the next 10 that allows them to make the changes they have to the world today. They all collectively agree on one thing: the time they spent in their respective UWCs were the most forma-tive times of their lives.

And the talks! Oh the talks! They say variety is the spice of life. These talks were nearly over-whelmingly seasoned. The North Korea talk reminded me of a particularly spicy, oppres-sive cinnamon, and the Women’s rights was a musky nutmeg. North Pole was a icy pepper-mint. Yemen was a zesty lemon-pepper mix (dangerous and exotic!) And the Third Culture Kids presentation brought to mind evokations of spices from China to New Jersey. Words don’t do it justice. Go ask people about it.

Aaratrika’s talk on women’s rights in Saudi

Arabia put into perspective the current situa-tion of gender equality. Even though her home country of Bahrain is right next to Saudi Ara-bia, there is a wealth of difference between the two. It’s not just about the bigger things, where women don’t have the right to vote until 2015 or that the stigma of divorce mainly affects the female partner, but also more min-ute aspects of life, such as how women have to lift up their veil in order to eat, how women are not allowed to drive. Yet despite such blatant problems in society, change is slow and women are content to wear the abaya, in a land where the temperature is more often than not above 40 degrees.

We move on from the Middle East to an-other talk from war-torn Ireland. Dave shared with us his story about a conflict in identity that comes from being both Protestant from Northen Ireland, and a British soldier. His talk proved its possible to reconcile near opposite stereotypes in the same body, but not without a great deal of confusion and contemplation.

And last but not least, a talk on a global issue-how to connect all the UWCs in this world. Even though we are part of the UWC move-ment, more often than not our activities with other UWCs are woefully limited. Many of us, when asked, couldn’t name more than one methods in which all the UWCs are connect-ed, including the United Words, UWC alumni network...but with technology, connecting the dots is now possible, and events on the horizon include an MUN conference with two other UWCs and hopefully many more to come.

And finally, we come to the most important event of the day- lunch.


Barbecue. Barbeque. Yum. The etymology of BBQ is obscure, with suggestions as di-verse as the alumni, ranging from “sacred fire pit” from some tribes in the caribbean, to the french ‘barbe à queue’, which means ‘beard to tail’, implying the roasting method of a pig that french explorers witnessed. But what was on my mind wasn’t the history in the cooking, but a cushion of grass (half dead from years and years and years of glorious feet), and the hearty food. It was a time of bonding for us and alumnae; after all, wasn’t it our earliest ancestors who formed tribes through sharing a kill by the fire? Whether we were in silence or in avid conversation, we all united by a joyousness: to be at a United World College, to be surrounded by brilliant people, and to be alive!

Outside Campus: USC Global Conference

By Elizaveta Dyatko

As the representatives of LPC we visited a USC Global Conference that took place at JW Marriott Hotel HK last Saturday. The conference organizers said the theme “Global Challenges and Enhancing Opportunities” re-flected their belief that every problem symbol-izes an opportunity for positive changes. Our students had the chance to attend a session called “A Revolution of Conscience: Can Ho-locaust and Genocide Testimonies Help Pre-vent Violent Societies in the Future?” Burning question, isn’t it? But I want you to forget about global problems for a moment. Think about yourself. We learn something every day inside and outside of classroom. What does that give us? Experience. Do you remember




how you were like some 16 years ago? You achieved your first steps in a new wonderful life as babies. You wouldn’t know who you might be in the future. Then you climbed up the stairs, challenged yourself, and gained experience. And now you are here – students of LPC, children of the 21st century. Why are you here? To share your experience and learn something new.

Although you weren’t at that Conference, I want all of you to answer the question: Can Holocaust and Genocide Testimonies Help Prevent Violent Societies in the Future? Yes, they can. We listened to 3 very special peo-ple’s personal life stories. You will definitely be surprised if I tell you how 3 stories can change the world. During the conference one of the participants said, “You heard the story. You can decide what to do with it. But you cannot claim that you never heard the story’. There were 3 people who shared their own experience, their pain, their points of view and their values. We all heard their stories. Well, our decision is to tell you the stories what we have heard.

Sara Greenberg showed us a short film “B-2247: A Granddaughter’s Understanding”, which is her own production. In this film she explored the question of what it means to be a third generation descendant of Holocaust survivors. Beginning with the number she saw

on her grandfather’s arm when she was just a three-year-old, the story ended with an inter-generational family trip back to Auschwitz. This film culminates in an intense recogni-tion of a generation’s obligation to retell their grandparents’ story to the world and to future generations.Freddy Mutanguha told us about genocide in Rwanda in 1994. In merely a hundred days, more than one million people, including men, women, babies, children and old people, were killed in the whole country simply because they were Tutsi. When Freddy was 18, geno-cide took the lives of his parents and his four sisters. By fortune, Freddy stayed alive to tell the world community the truth about geno-cide and is trying to prevent violence in any part of the world. Born and raised in Prasat, a small village in Cambodia, Kosal Path was still a child when the radical Communist Khmer Rouge came into power which later ignited a genocide that resulted in the massacre of nearly two million people. He told us about Cambodia’s geno-cide from 1975 to 1979 and his own experi-ence during that period.

In conclusion, the world continues to face an unprecedented number of global challenges that demand discussion, strategy and en-gagement. Nevertheless, the aims of show-ing global challenges through the sharing of knowledge and experience, as well as sug-gesting us way to solve them, are undoubt-edly achieved throughout this meaningful conference.


THE GRUBTrevor Lam

Curry. Some people know it is as the delicious, colorful

smoky cuisine in Southeast Asia, while others know it as,

I quote, ‘the vomit-looking yellowish-green blob that taste

like, well, vomit’. Personally, I think it’s amazing. The delicate

mixture between the various spices native to the Southeast

Asian lands and the right amount of coconut milk gives this

delicacy the most unique taste of acidic

muskiness.

Our canteen makes us curry almost every other day, which

is, in my opinion, genius because you literally cannot go

wrong with curry. And that was what I was going to talk

about in my article, except today is the day of the opening

ceremony of the assembly hall. And I had lunch.And it was

amazing.

The moment I walked into the canteen, I knew something

was up. There was a ridiculously long line for the side of

the Asian food in the canteen, and virtually nobody in line

for the side of the Western food. And to be honest, it was

a really pleasant surprise. Barbecued pork, salted egg and

cabbage dipped in thick garlic sauce? It was amazing. Al-

though I know I should have probably seen it coming, what

with all the heads of the UWCs visiting and what not, I had

completely forgotten about that at the time due to the par-

ticularly grueling economics class I had attended the period

before. And I don’t know whether it was the shock, the fact

that we didn’t usually get food like that, or whether it was

just really good food, but I have to say it was the best meal I

have had here in LPC so far.

For those of you who don’t know, barbecued pork is one of

the most famous dishes here in Hong Kong. There are tons

and tons of street shops and little restaurants that are fa-

mous for their barbecued pork rice. If I had to choose a dish

that would best represent the culinary culture here in Hong

Kong, while many would say Wonton noodles, I would have

to choose barbecued pork rice. The most famous barbe-

cued pork restaurant in Hong Kong was the first place that

I took many of the international students in my first week

here in LPC because it was not only delicious, but it also

said a lot about our culture. And that is why I thought that

this dish was the perfect dish for this occasion, the day of

the opening ceremony of our assembly hall.

Is a forty-two always a forty-two? Leila Denniston

42>42? 42<42? 42=42? Confusing even for those in Higher

Maths? Let

me explain…

The IB is broken down into 6 subjects with 7 marks avail-

able for each: 6×7=42 (following so far?) Anyway, that’s

Presumed Knowledge, but what about the problem and the

hypothesis? Recently I’ve been asking myself, and various

people around me, whether a 42 is always equal to a 42.

Or are some 42s worth more than others? Do some subject

combinations make your 42 better? How about having four

Higher levels, or taking a seventh subject? I have attempted

to interpret how these different situations influence our view

of our IB score:

Here at LPC, it is a known fact that some subjects take up

more time and effort than others. Maths is the most com-

mon example: if you tell someone you are in Maths Higher,

their reaction will more than often be: “Oooohhh, good luck

with that!” Of course, you have to be mentally capable to

follow through with this course, and willing to spend a lot

of time on it. On the other hand, Math studies students are

usually proud of the fact they are only revising their second-

ary program, and like to tease the others about this to a

certain extent. This is quite an easy comparison to make,

but when it comes to putting different subjects up against

each other, the matter becomes more complicated.

The IB is a very challenging diploma whatever courses you

take, but some subjects get connoted with being “more

difficult” or “more time-consuming”. After questioning both

students here at LPC and IB student acquaintances from


Regular Columns - The Grub

overseas, people generally label Math Higher students,

and Double scientists as the most “intellectual”. The Maths

seems understandable, but why should sciences be put

above humanities, languages and Arts? All that can be said

is that this is a prejudice, rooted deep into society. Despite it

being fainter in a UWC, from the answers I’ve received, it is

still apparent… Time-consuming subjects also get a higher

recognition, such as Mandarin Ab Initio and History. The

Arts are viewed very controversially: some say they are cop

outs to a sixth subject, others are jealous as they cannot

permit themselves to take such subjects instead of double

sciences/humanities/triple languages, but few consider the

fact that Theatre and Visual Arts actually require a lot of

extra time and effort outside of class hours. Despite this,

they are still viewed as less academic subjects. And what

about making the choice to follow through with four or even

five higher levels instead of the required three? What about

adding a seventh subject on? These are choices made

voluntarily, either for pleasure, or for later necessity, making

your life tougher over the course of the two years, and not

changing the nature of your final diploma. As you can see, it

is not easy to compare a 42 to a 42…

I think every IB student has to admit that when thinking

about their subject choices, they will have ruled out some

options simply because of the image those subjects have

been given. Some swap and switch their combinations

around trying to find what works for them, where they can

fit in. However, the IB was created to give a broader sense

of education. Academically, we are forced into taking a

subject from each section of the Hexagon for a purpose.

The education offered through the IB is holistic; it stretches

our minds in every direction. So why question, when we are

being given such opportunity? The IB diploma is more than

often a step towards tertiary education, and is recognized

by universities all over the world as a high quality program.

When looking up Uni courses on the Net, the requirements

for applications generally state the amount of points needed

overall, and the level demanded for the Higher Level sub-

jects. For example, Oxford requires a 38-40 (including core

points) and 6’s or 7’s in the Higher Levels. The marking is

not weighted in any way, each subject counts as much as

any other. Would it seem fair if a student had perfect grades

in their Higher Level subjects, but didn’t meet the necessary

grade overall because they were let down by their other

subjects, which they chose because they enjoyed them,

and not because they were labeled “easy 7”?

Of course, the final grade is a big deal. But I think that

spending two years of your life studying subjects that you

are passionate about, that no matter how much work they

require, you stick with them because they help you grow

and develop and discover every day, would have a more

positive outcome than sitting through classes with only the

image of that perfect 42 in mind. So do what you love (as

long as it’s hexagonal) and enjoy the ride, while of course,

aiming high. The question of the “42” will always be there,

but as long as the IB stays as it is, our views will not shift

immensely. We can think what we want, but if the IB says

every subject should be treated with equality, that’s what will

happen. The diploma we are all reaching towards is molded

around the student and their subject choices, surely it

would seem normal that the interpretation of the final grade

should reflect this. So whether a 42 can be better, worse or

equal to a 42, it will always be three things: a controversial

issue, a perfect score and an commendable achievement of

which anyone should be proud.

Dig into Your Inner Designer |

Teddy Chow

A stroll around the messy dorm rooms in campus would

shock any housewives on Earth. Let’s face it: at this time

of the year things start falling apart – your room gets more

and more “crampy”, as stinky clothes, half-torn textbooks

and bits and pieces of cookies randomly settle around your

tiny corner. Ghastly! To freshen up your living environment,

tidying up is the impassable procedure. However, you can

always go the extra mile to personalize your room with

decorations so that it feels homey and cozy. That bit of “de-

signer instinct” in you is all it takes to spice up your corner.

1. It’s all about creating extra storage:

Messiness starts with not knowing how to divide things up.


Features - Is Forty-two Always a Forty-two

There are

fantastic products like under-the-bed storage boxes, closet

organizers, and

plastic crates out there you can use to get things organized.

Exploit the

curtain rails to hang your closet organizers.

2. Use color boldly:

Don’t be afraid to use loud colors! If shocking pink or silver’s

what you like,

buy all sorts of bed sheets, cushions, carpet, and curtains

in that color. You

might even want to take the risk to mix and match colors

such as purple with

green, yellow with black, or white with pink… it is very im-

portant that you

feel comfortable in your own living space. Using colors that

you can relate to

definitely turns blandness into sunshine.

3. Flip your bed and get loads of pillows:

Thanks to the tip from many first years and second years, it

is possible to flip

your bed upside down to increase its height, if you prefer a

taller bed. The

fluffiness of pillows can add a sense of comfort to your

dorm room. It also

serves the principle of adding more colors to the room

4. Hang up pictures

Stick cute pictures of you and your family or friends on the

wall to cheer you

up when pressure gets the best of you.

5. Collaboration FTW!

You can work with your fellow roommates to come up with

a general theme

in the dorm room. This creates a sense of harmony in a

shared environment.

Tinny Chan, Danika Djojo, and their fellow roommates from

Block 3 are

all into the theme of green and garden. Enter their room,

and you’ll find

yourself surrounded by butterflies, flowers, big leaves, and a

wooden couch.

“We all love green. The décor is really refreshing. It helps us

to boost our

productivity!” says Tinny Chan.

That’s it for the tips. You can get everything from IKEA at a

cheap price. What’s left

is your action – after all, it’s that bit of creativity and effort

that separates tasteful

from ghetto.

On Leadership – Heidi Yeung

Joel Naicic will be visiting LPC on Wednesday, November

16th

What does leadership mean to you? Organizing that Quan

Cai group? Giving directions? To Mr. Joel Nainie, the found-

er of Gifted Leadership Services and the annual Interna-

tional Student Leadership Conference, leadership is guiding

and inspiring your team to have a sense of investment and

responsibility toward achieving an organizational goal, and,

in that process, developing team members professionally

and personally.

So what is this conference? Mr. Joel Nainie explains ,“The

International Student Leadership Conference (ISLC) is an

annual event where international students gather to dis-

cover what leadership is and become the potential leader

within them. It differentiates itself from other conferences in

three main ways: (1) the prominence of student voice, (2)

the collaborative, interactive nature of the sessions and (3)

the quota of 100 delegates maximum to ensure that quality

enrichment and extension is possible.

First and foremost, the prominence of student voice through

the Leadership Mentors (past delegates who return in

a mentorial capacity) and the input of delegates means

that the conference program is shaped and fashioned by


Features - Dig into Your Inner Designer

Features - On Leadershipstudents in a very real and practical sense. Leadership

Mentors meet periodically over a ten month period prior to

the conference to plan, organize and execute all aspects of

the conference program from website design to the cater-

ing, from logistics to media publications. Hence, Leadership

Mentors have a direct influence on the direction and nature

of the conference and their input and feedback is critical to

a successful lived experience for delegates. At the same

time, delegates have the opportunity to contribute to the

development of possible solutions to global issues such as

carbon emission and water scarcity for example. Apart from

voicing their opinions in these debates, delegates are also

required to feedback to the mentors as to how the confer-

ence experience can be improved.

Secondly, the collaborative group work nature of the confer-

ence both in terms of the instructional sessions and the

major presentation task means that students are required to

participate and contribute in a range of tasks as opposed

to sitting passively, lecture style listening to a guest speaker.

Thirdly, by arranging delegates in small groups of about 8,

and by setting the quota at a maximum of 100 students,

ISLC can ensure that students have the opportunity to voice

their opinion in a congenial atmosphere and receive more

attention from mentors, instructors and guest speakers. The

quality of this experience is compromised if, for example,

200 or more students attend the conference.

It is well known that admissions officers at select, presti-

gious universities are looking for more than just outstanding

exam results. Clearly, it is the quality, diversity and nature

of the extra-curricular involvements which give applicants

the edge in a highly competitive selection process. ISLC is

recursive and provides a training ground for youth leaders.

ISLC is underscored by a commitment to social justice and

environmental responsibility, embedded in the presentation

task and instructional sessions. Finally, ISLC is committed

to internationalism and is an excellent opportunity to net-

work with students from around the globe and develop an

awareness of different cultural reference points. All of these

factors will give students an advantage when they submit

their resumes to admissions officers.

So why is Youth leadership important? The challenges that

we currently face in the 21st century are arguably without

precedent. Exponentially increasing population pressures,

the increasing demand on the world’s finite natural resourc-

es as well as the speed of technological developments and

how this has changed people’s work and social patterns,

are just some of the prevailing challenges faced. Within this

context, young leaders will need to find ingenious, imagina-

tive and creative approaches if they are to solve the chal-

lenges before us. Furthermore, in an unstable economic

climate, companies are seeking not just graduates with

academic credentials from high profile universities but more

importantly, individuals who can innovate, think creatively

and conjure a vision for change.”

So what exactly is Leadership? If you would like to learn

more and get a taste of ISLC conference 2012 come along

on Wednesday 16th November 2011 at the Assembly Hall

of LPC at 1700-1800.

If you’ve got any questions or think you want to join the talk,

please email me: [email protected] =)


Janesh and Lizette

Letter from an almost LPCer

A beautiful mess.

To be in a foreign land with strangers, where the only chal-

lenge is to make the land your home and the strangers your

family, the international UWC education was everything I

would dream of. Acceptance, compassion, understanding,

respect, representation, and ofcourse the IB Diploma were

the intriguing force that kindled a fire in my heart for UWCs.

Selected as the top candidate by the National Committee of

Nepal, I had the pleasure to choose between three schools.

My first priority based on scholarship and lifestyle had to be

Hongkong. What fascinate me about this city were the rich

culture, history, city life, tall skyscrapers, the International

Airport, shopping malls, kind- fun loving people like Michelle

Kwok, flashing lights and what not.

Two words: Happiness and excitement met no boundar-

ies. Just as any lively man would do, I googled everything

about this amazing city and the college. I searched it on

facebook and came across the LPC-UWC Class of 12. It

was an open group so I had navigated the page from top to

the bottom to my full content. Li Po Chun UWC Hong Kong

Class of 13’ was the end-product of little curiosity met with

exhilaration which I believe was appreciable and a favourite

pass time. I was sure someone would eventually come up

with the group but I just could not wait. I am really glad we

came up with a group, which was a fabulous familiarity of a

pre-school experience which gradually built virtual analysis

of people on the other side of the screen.

Nepalese had begun to settle in the territory of Hong Kong

as part of the ‘Gurkha’ brigade of the British Army. After

the handover in 1997, Nepalese were allowed to stay in the

city but many privileges were taken away and a variety of

problems were brought up with settlement and education.

The Visa problem I faced is pertinent to the existing policy

concerning the Immigration Department, The Government

of Hong Kong.

I come from a land rich in nature, culture, a glorious history,

art, and tradition. Primarily, Nepal is known to the world

through Mt. Everest (Sagarmatha, 8848m) World’s Highest

Peak, and Lord Gautam Buddha (the cradle of Buddhism).

Breathtaking natural panorama, cultural (religious) heritages,

a land comprising hundreds of temples, and thousands of

Gods, a perfect adventure destination, trekking routes, and

a peace loving country, Nepal is known only to a few.

My student visa got rejected twice by the Immigration Office

of Hongkong despite numerous appeals by Li Po Chun.

I was informed to secure a place in a school to continue

studies in my country itself. They even told me that there

were no seats from other UWCs and I might have to wait

a year. The prolonged wait for visa was really frustrating,

discouraging my aspirations to always strive for greater

heights in life. As they often say, there is always light at the

end of the tunnel, I was in search of such a light that would

lead me to a path which would not jeopardize an academic

year in my life. It was a melancholic moment which I am

glad none of you reading this were put through. Life builds

on experiences. I am ready to take what comes and shall

fight back happily and readily now. I am staying hungry as

the light guides me, accepting what it is; believing in myself

and my fellow companions in the heralding change which is

the only constant in life.

Wait! There is more to the story… Armand Hammer UWC-

USA of the American West managed to offer me a seat in

the class of 2013. Things do happen for a reason, if not,

obviously for the better. Pursuing 2 years of academics

completely distant from home will definitely be a challenge.

I am looking forward to the infamous culture shock, the na-

tionalities, like-minded individuals, dance, the IB, and piles

of notes I will have to cover up as soon as I reach there. I

will value this opportunity and my endeavors shall undoubt-

edly amplify more than before. I am thankful to Arnett

Edwards and Jenny Lam of LPC-UWC for doing everything

possible from their behalf, both in the visa application pro-

cess as well as my placement in UWC-USA Class of 2013.

Furthermore, I would also like to extend my gratitude to The

National Committee of Nepal and The International Office

at UWC for understanding my circumstances. Also, I am

extremely thankful to Tim Smith, Director of Admission and

University Advising at UWC-USA for embracing me with


Features - Letter from an almost LPCer

Features - Overheard: Verity Cooke and Bobby Adamsonfull confidence and trust. Lastly, my love and wishes to the

special friends I made over facebook and more intimately

on skype, my second years who have been so tolerant in

answering all of my silly impractical questions and other

LPCers who I have not had an opportunity to talk to yet. We

might not share the same roof but we do come from the

background- the UWC family. I hope we meet at some point

of life and work together to solve world issues as ‘one’ with

no differences. ..

Jenish Amatya, Nepal

Armand Hammer UWC-USA of the American West

October 07 2011

Overheard: Verity Cooke and Bobby Adamson

’I smacked it several times and it didn’t die. its a horcrux!’

“I was a wandering healer specializing in skin ulcers”

“This is all an act so when I actually want to rape and kill

you I can do it without you noticing.”

-Scandinavian

“I went to the canteen with only one shoe today. I was 50 %

scared of Raymond!”

Student 1 to Student 2: “In math we say “we” - not “I”.”

Student 3 to Student 1 : “Isn’t the passive voice better?”

Student 1 to Student 3 : “...but passive voice is a bit cold.

Mathematicians feel lonely.”

-Student discussing formalities of Math IA


Facebook Withdraw Study – Vincent WangMethodology: Subject surrenders control of his FaceBook

by allowing a third party to change its password. Subject

is monitored and interviewed for the duration of its with-

drawal.

After 5 minutes: Subject exhibits signs of liberation and

elation. Subject articulates that it is happy to have made

a decision beneficial to its academics. Subject listens and

sings to LMFAO’s “Sexy and I Know It”. (Observers note:

Subject begins to exhibit mild passive-aggressive behav-

ior, one of the first symptoms of withdrawal.)

Me: “How are you feeling?”

Subject: “Your mother.”

After 10 minutes: A third party observer enters the obser-

vation chamber. The third party is informed of the experi-

ment and congratulates the subject. Subject responds

by insisting that “its only for a week”, suggesting a heavy

faltering of willpower after only 10 minutes. “Sexy and I

Know It” is no longer playing. (Observer’s note: perhaps

separate investigation must be launched to discover the

correlation between perceived self-sexiness and listening

to LMFAO.)

15 minutes: Subject ceases to smile. No longer jubilant.

Subject silently takes its shirt off. (Observer’s note: Sub-

ject may be exhibiting signs of disorientation)

20 minutes: Subject spontaneously breaks into song for

one line. Then silences. Twice.

Subject: “SOMETIMES…” *silence*

[Later]

Subject: “SOMETIMES…” *silence*

60 minutes: Subject screams profanity without provoca-

tion. (Observer’s note: Subject seems to be developing

Tourette’s as an alternative outlet for its profanity on the

FaceBook).

Subject: “FUCK!”

Me: “You’re writing your own story” (subtly drawing notice

to subject’s own outlandish behavior)

Subject: [Falsetto] “You’re writing your own story” (exhibi-

tion of denial, age regression)

*I laugh*

Subject: “I’m not talking to you. This is bullshit.” (Mildly

autistic signs of social isolation in refusing to talk. Im-

proper reference to bulls and fecal matter is a premonition

of confused sexual behavior. Subject’s anger suggests an

internal struggle with social impotence.)

80 minutes: Subject makes unwelcome advances on the

observer.

Me: May I sit on the sofa?

Subject: Sure you can sit… on my lap. (Affirmation of

sexual confusion)

115 minutes: Subject tries to hijack third party’s computer

for illicit usage of the FaceBook. I condescend the Sub-

ject. The Subject retreats, and I request to examine the

Subject’s computer for anomalies. Subject refuses to let

me touch his keyboard, for fear of the clicking noise keys

make. (observer’s note: symptoms of malfunctions in

higher order thinking manifest In Hypochondria, Obses-

sive-Compulsive behavior and irrational phobia.)

375 minutes: Subject makes noises in its state of sleep

loud enough to wake the observer.

Subject: “bluhhuhh… news… bluh… feed refresh…

bluh… *quiet sobbing*”

(Observer’s note: Something oedipal, most probably.)

580 minutes: Subject looks markedly fatigued, even after

sleep. Subject stares at itself in the communal bathroom

mirror for 1 minute before grooming, despite the presence

of others. (Observers note: Subject may be developing


Features - Facebook Withdraw Study

Features - Facebook Wtihdraw Studysolipsism and forgetting the existence of other humans)

765 minutes: Subject exhibits a façade of normalcy in

front of its peers. Little do they know that their acquain-

tance is a mere shell of appearances, possibly harboring

intense antisocial/psychopathic tendencies. (Observers

note: We can only bide our time.)

780 minutes: Subject approaches me and instantly the

façade melts. Subject requests that I relegate control of

its FaceBook with cold, dead eyes, and a colder, deaderer

voice.

Subject: “I need my Facebook back.”

Me: “Why?”

Subject: “Um. Ah. I need to get into contact with a Pari-

sian.”

Me: “You’re exhibiting symptoms of dementia.”

Subject: “No. I need to get into an online meeting with him

for my History IA”

Me: “I’m afraid I can’t do that. For science.”

Subject: “YOUR MONKEY WRENCH! CAN BREAK-

DANCE! GUACAMOLE!”

Me: “Calm down.”

Subject: *Laughing/Crying/Who knows.* “You don’t un-

derstand! I have an appointment with the President of the

Democratic republic of Libya!”

Me: “Libya is neither a democracy, nor a presidency. It is

a dictatorship. Furthermore, your Qaddafi is no longer in

power”

Subject: “NOOOOOOOOO!”

[Subject attempts to commit ritual suicide with a marker

pen]

Me: “I’m afraid I can’t let you do that. For science.”

[Subject sulks and returns to its chamber]

At approximately 1500 minutes, Subject used the pass-

word recovery function on the FaceBook. The appeal of

liking asinine pictures and groups and clicking the refresh

button every 5 seconds was clearly too strong for the

Subject. Subject has regained pre-experiment normalcy,

i.e. constant FaceBook use.

Clearly the FaceBook is a high level risk drug that induces

complex effects in the user upon withdrawal. One should

not be surprised if a person is willing to trade his dignity

for some FaceBook. FaceBook has fantastic potential

implications on a geopolitical scale, for if militarized, this

subversive new kind of cyber-weaponry could decimate

entire civilizations on an infrastructural, cultural and

economic basis in several orders of magnitude greater

than opium did and does in China and Afghanistan. It is

an imperative for governments to acquire and deploy this

technology before it is outlawed by those Geneva killjoys.


Death of a Roommate| Robson Beaudry and Robert Adamson

“It was another long night in The 305 - and not of the good

kind.”

Robson Beaudry details his experiences of battling through

a routine marathon of IB work – a test of conscience,

willpower and IB criteria. With bloodshot eyes, he sits op-

posite me at the canteen table, nervously sipping at a glass

of hot chocolate. The glass has been empty for the last 10

minutes.

“We had established such a strong accord,” he said, refer-

ring to his relationship with his roommate, The Brian. “The

loss of my roommate will undoubtedly cause me significant

mental trauma.”

Rendered unfit to continue his IB, Robson is one of several

IB students worldwide this year who have lost their room-

mates to freak accidents. As his lips grope at the rim of his

glass, there is a despair and crazed hysteria in his eyes. The

Brian, a beloved LPC student from HK/Australia, had fallen

from the third floor of his Block 4 residence and had been

declared dead at 19:06 two days later once the board had

approved the assessment of liveliness.

The Brian will be in a better place now, not unlike The Rafa

who is studying at Princeton. The question is, of course,

what will happen to Robson? In such a state of emotional

trauma, how will his IB grades fare?

“Very well,” says prominent IB theorist Tomi Kiviluoma. “One

of the most well supported theories we have suggests that

The Brian’s IB points will be distributed between his 3 living

roommates.” This would be great news, not only for Rob-

son, but also for The Chester and Le Quentin who might

each receive up to 14 points for their loss.

Exactly where these grades are taken from is a topic of

much debate in the world of IB theory. IB theorist and LPC’s

acting D.O.S. Esther Chau claims that, “if grades have to

be given, it would be according to the latest PG.” This is, of

course, mere speculation.

One might infer, if this were the case, that the slaughter

of first year roommates would be futile in the pursuit of IB

point transfers.

On this point in discussion, Robson glances at his first year

roommate Le Quentin across the table referring to their lost

roomy. “It’s a shame we had to lose him.”

The large number of IB points that could be potentially

bequeathed unto the roommates of The 305 naturally

garnered the attention of LPC’s administration. D.O.S. Chau

stated, “I will certainly call the police to investigate on the

cause of death.”

Yet in spite of what some consider points of suspicion on

The Brian’s death (such as the sleep mask on the face of

his body), Chau concerned herself mainly with matters of

our lost peer himself and the well-being of the bereaved.

She expressed wishes that the deceased student live in

peace and then asked, “If a person is dead already, why do

we still have to care of the IB grades?”

One might say the answer, to Robson anyway, is all too

clear. His PGs come out this November, and with them,

a sense of certainty. It seems a reward only fitting for the

trauma he has incurred.

There will be a day in the spring when the body has re-

turned to ash and the fruit of our classmate’s labour re-

emerges in the flourishing of university acceptance. Until

then, we can only mourn the loss of a cherished peer and a

good friend.

...in memory of The Brian (1993 – 2011)

NOTE: for those of you with a poor sense of sarcasm or low reading

comprehension skills, Brian is not dead. This was satire.


Art Section - Death of a Roommate

Art SEction - 00:23

00:23 Laci

we lapsed into

a slow pandemonium,

stillness by confusion

product of wretched momentum.

under the sun

distant from lights,

with a scar on my bones

well too deep

I marred you

and you marred me.

inevitably perhaps

‘you’ resides in ‘me’,

roots of a memory

yet still there, clean.

under the sun

distant from lights,


well too deep

I marred you

and you marred me.


well too deep,

we marred the other.

stillness. the night

was a blanket-cover.


Ode to an Absolutist All of the math you’ve learned your entire life has lead up to this moment.

This is powerful math.

No functions can hide their secrets.

Against the epic backdrop of SL Math, she was our hero

Twas a place where Vincent was told to be quiet

And Harrison divided by zero

And we had a teacher who wouldn’t buy it

That aircon can make you sick. That isn’t right.

She sleeps under one, apparently, every night

At 14 degrees and she wouldn’t become ill

Despite the chill.

Such was often the case to hear you were wrong

And you just had to go along

And hear her simplistically object

To the notion that you might get rejected

“If you simply have a 5 in every subject,

They’ll take you.”

And if you thought she made a mistake, you

Would hear her response again, and again

And again, and again and again.

And she was sufficiently nice,

To offer the sound advice:

“Dude, you do what you gotta do”

Which is irrefutably true.

Or “I suggest you get yourself gated before the IA is due.”

...and speaking of true,

There were a lot of things in TOK which you couldn’t “just do”

Dude.

“There’re a lot of way to skin a cat.”

But if you took a shot at

Relativism as one of them,

You might have to leave class

And you’d surely be asked

Very loudly.

She was an absolutist,

And she absolutely believed this:

You are wrong.

If you want to do it right,

You need to practice it 7 times!

And if you get it wrong once...

You need to do it 28 more times...exactly.


Art Section - Ode to an Absolutist

Art Section - Ode to an AbsolutistOtherwise, you’ll make the same mistake again,

And again, and again....(interruption)

Was she a good teacher?

Well I guess to each her

Teaching had a different value.

Could be true for me but not for you.

Perhaps I’ll only go so far

As to say it depends on who you are.

Dude! You’re on drugs!

You can’t just say that.

By the way, did you know what she studied at

University was computer science.

Well then explain her reliance

On Nick to get the projector and laptop set up

Oh that? It’s because the computer’s messed up.

We heard her say...

She works with that thing everyday.

And speaking of everyday,

Do you know what time she gets up and goes to bed.

Well I actually don’t know, but it has been said

It’s the same time every time, always

Cause otherwise you’ll be jetlagged in two days.

And that’s Wednesday.

What time did you go to bed last night?

Oh really? Well that’s alright.

Cause if you don’t get 16 hours of sleep the night before the SAT

You can go confidently,

And you don’t need to worry

Cause you will know you’ll screw it up anyway.

Well you know what Shells,

We can tell

It doesn’t matter who you are.

You’re an absolute star.

Our time with you has been fantastic.

We wish you the best in your future life...without plastic

We know for sure you’ll do us proud

In the Great White North. Keep it loud.

All of the teaching you’ve done your entire life has lead up to this moment.

This is powerful poetry.

No teacher can hide her secrets.

We’ll miss you Shelley.

Thanks for everything.



Art Section - Photography

Art Section - Photography


Get to know USI have thought of so Many ways to flaunt

Your grace

But no matter how Hard I try I fail to

Describe thisBeautiful place

Egypt the landOf History

In your temples and Mummies lie the World mystery

Malawi “the warm Heart of Africa”

Nowhere on earthWill you find

A replica

South AfricaWith its Big 5

Elephants, Rhinos,Buffalos and leopardsHere comes the rhyme

Our king the lion

And what about SwazilandWith its king

Who among 12 wivesDidn’t find his brand


ACE Special - Get to Know Us


Uganda with the Second largest continuous

RockI challenge you to find

A single dock

A country that lies Between Limpopo

And the mighty ZambeziCan you tell?It’s Zimbabwe

Ghana the AfricanPride

With its productionOf Coca reaching

Worldwide

In Senegal I doubt you can sleep because Their doors are open

Even for sheep!

Lesotho the kingdomOf Equality

With dinosaur footprintsMarking its immortality

Zambia with its fascinatingVictoria falls

A different world fromShopping malls

Kenya with its exotic Wildlife and safari

A country that’s official Drink is milk tea


Tunisia the countryIn which a revolution

SparkDragged the Arab world

Out of the dark

Rwanda the “Switzerland ofAfrica” the land of

Gorillas yet genocideHas caught up with the

Modern tide

Ethiopia with its Thirteen monthNot necessarilyA sign of trance

Nigeria the countryOf twins

A population ruledBy generals and captains

Morocco the westernKingdom of this great land

Is no forest but Mainly sand

Africa your name isBuried deep in my heart

Your grandeur and warmthSets you apart

From your beautyThe busy world thwarts

˜˜˜˜

Coming SoonACE 2011



Documents

BouZi Issue #4 October 24th 2011