I went to China with our Teochew Opera Group in November 2008. My son Solomon supposed to go with me initially. He later decided not to go and our S$600 deposit was forfeited. He determined to lead his school team in producing a video in drama for Schools Digital Media Awards (SMDA). That was the school vacation activity he preferred to take part.

When I came back from China on 21 November night, Solomon waited at the car park to help me to carry the luggage. We later went to Kent Ridge Hill to take our 'breakfast'. He told me about the busy days he spent when I was in China. They did the filming and editing until late evening everyday. Although it was busy, he was very happy with the work.

A few days later, I drove him to Ministry of Education for him to submit their entry. He told me that the result would be released in March the following year. He did not show me their work, but he was excited and full of confidence.

The competition was organised by the Ministry of Education (MOE).
Inaugurated in June 1999, the Schools Video Awards (SVA) started with the aim of providing a platform for the students to express themselves creatively through the use of video.

The 9th SVA (2008) was re-branded as the Schools Digital Media Awards (SDMA) to include additional media categories such as audio and animation. The widening of scope builds the capacity in the students for producing a variety of media. The SDMA aims to provide opportunities for teamwork, collaboration and the development of media literacy. It also hopes to enhance participants' understanding of the use of various media to create an original story for the intended audience.

Solomon attended the Awards Presentation Ceremony on 3 March this year. He told us the good news that their Clementi Town Secondary School team won a Platinum Award in the Video Drama (Secondary /Pre-University) category. In that category, there were another 3 winners for Gold Award, 3 winners for Silver Award and 4 winners for Merit Award. A total of 65 awards for the Students' Competition (two Platinum Awards, 20 Gold Awards, 17 Silver Awards and 26 Merit Awards).

Their winning entry was Pad-O-Drama. The story was that a young boy was faced with the awkward task of getting a pad for his girlfriend. In that comedy, we witness the trials he undergoes trying to get one and the embarrassment he faces along the way.

I love that comedy. It was short and sweet.
The dialogue was interesting. The Mandarin and Hokkien dialogue made it amusing.
They guest actors were very natural and lively.
I liked the presentation of billing block. The names of the principal cast and crew were written on the pads. It was a good idea.

Solomon was the Director and Producer.
After viewing the work, I realised that Solomon made use of some of the stories we talked about when he was young. I was very happy with his improvement in film-making. I was proud of their achievement in the competition.