The long-awaited 7 school carnival had finally arrived. And it was not here to disappoint. The day was filled with activities and games, from popping balloons to eating a bun off a string, this event had it all. Not to mention the bazaar, filled with all sorts of food. Actually, let’s talk about that first.

The bazaar was held for all three days, where different stalls were set up and you could buy food, drinks, handmade plushies, keychains and more. The wide variety of foods and drinks presents a new set of options of food to eat aside from ayam gepuk and nasi goreng (as good as they may be). Food is an enjoyment, a way to fill the stomach and soul. Each bite you take of a meal with your favorite seasonings, each sip of a drink that is the right mix of sweet and tangy, it takes you to a new world, a more fulfilling world; and the stalls that were set up did not betray that.

The other booths of non-consumables and crafty handmade plushies, keychains and flowers are perfect for gift giving, to friends or to loved ones. It may have been after Valentine’s day, but why wait to show someone you appreciate them? Or you could even give a little treat to yourself, because you deserve self love too. 

The 7 school carnival was the highlight of the week, all 7 schools set up booths with one or two exciting games to play. Each school had their unique set of games that related to their school, here are the activities they each had:

School of Business (SOB) had some fun activities, a game where you had to balance small objects on a ruler, and another game where you would pop a balloon by throwing a dart and pray you’d get a set of Bricks (I wasn’t so lucky) or at least a lollipop. If I was fancy, I would say this represents the life of a businessman, balance under pressure while hoping for the best results every shot, so it’s pretty on brand (see what I did there).

School of Medicine and Health Sciences (SOMHS) also decided to show up with some games of luck, straight up gambling on campus. An oversimplified version of Blackjack, pull the highest of two pairs and you win. Easy. Until you lose, then you realise it’s luck based anyways. Their second game put your memory on the test, with, you guessed it, a memory game. This one was harder than gambling, because you actually had to do something other than pray.

On the topic of skill, School of Pharmacy (SOP) had the, in my humble opinion, toughest game, a tangram that seems oh so simple. The shapes of the puzzle had questions, while it was basic knowledge, putting the shapes in the box was a nightmare. I tried like 15 different combinations before I finally got it.

Now for a more fun and less mind-torturing piece, School of Arts and Sciences (SASS) had the classic fun games like the cup order challenge and the what’s in the box quiz. Straightforward games, easy rewards. I’ll let you in on a little secret, I saw an item before it was my turn to guess, but don’t tell anyone.

School of Engineering (SOE) also had a cool set of games, can you imagine, they made a whole hydraulic system for our enjoyment. And we got free candy, my 8 year-old self would have crashed out in joy. Not to mention driving an RC car and bringing objects back into the zone.

School of Science (SOS) brought out the water pong with a twist, a quiz with the easiest elements, year 1 chemistry. This was too easy, I definitely did not struggle with any of the elements like Pt (guess what it is). We got to hop in a bag and do yet another quiz, but much less science-y; you play as a pair though, hopping with a friend was not something I had on my bucket list, but so worth it.

Now, School of Information Technology (SOIT) had two games, a typing test, where you type (obviously), and a sorting activity where you use computer algorithms to sort the alphabet, my background in IB Computer Science helped me loads here. But whether you did CS in high school or not, you just have to follow the rules.

The seven schools each presented a lovely set of games and rewards, and it was not short of my expectations. But aside from these seven schools, a few other booths had appeared.

A GoFit gym booth had made its way onto campus where you could do a dead hang challenge, hang for two minutes and you win a complimentary 2 day pass at the gym. In the midst of all the stress of assignments, it is really helpful to go to the gym to keep healthy and also let off some steam (there’s a boxing bag there you can let it all out).

Another booth that was capturing attention was the Bomb Battle Gel gun booth. Shoot your colour as many times as you can, you can play as a pair or fly solo, either way, my 8 year-old self again would have been so happy doing this.

But finally, onto the serious business; lined up in a row were our adversaries covered in plastic bags, they were preparing themselves to fall victim to the toughest challenge of the day: the eating challenge. As we lined up in front of our prey, the bags came off, revealing our biggest foe of the day: a bun. Do not be fooled by its measly name, eating this bun that is suspended on a very stretchy string was not easy, but what truly made it hard was not being able to use our hands. Yes, that’s right, bare teeth biting at the bun.

As the race began, we all raced for our bun, dropping to the ground to get an angle for the perfect bite. For some, that perfect bite came easy, for others, including me, it took several attempts to even grab on to it. Buns were swinging everywhere, and I was so locked in on getting that first bite in, that I did not realize that a few brave soldiers had already peeled their bun off the string.

But once you get a bite comes the second challenge: swallowing. Again, do not be fooled by this simple task. The bun was dry, our own throats begging to not have its fluids stripped off by this desert of a bite. But those brave soldiers had already made it through to the final stretch, that one last swallow. And before we knew it, still on our knees, one victor had claimed the title. The rest of us were left staring at our half-eaten buns in defeat.

But we were not the losers, every L is not a loss, but instead a lesson. And the lesson from this was that you might not win all games, but what is important is that you play, have fun and make the absolute most, and that is what life is all about.