Angry Birds at Youth Camp

Some days you think the sky is falling...

and it's raining Angry Birds tchotchke. At least one stall in every pasar malam and mall a gaudy display of soft toys, electric fans, bags, files, pens bearing the images of the rotund birds in primary colours.

We rode the wave with an Angry Birds-themed Revision Party just as the craze was cresting. In the playing-with-your-food department, a lazy google already turned up:

• playable Angry Birds cakes - commercially from Bake-A-Log and A Cake Life LLC and out of fatherly love from Electricpig (Youtube)
• Angry Birds cake toppers from Artisan Cake Company
• Angry Birds cupcakes
• Angry Birds sandwiches
• Angry Birds pizza

The choice to go with Angry Birds cake toppers (with Green Pigs in Kit-Kat structures - cos, well, "Take A Break") to cut through the monotony of study seemed a good one. The fondant excited the campers (several of whom confessed an Angry Birds obsession) and was certainly more appreciated than if the Rovio game had been made retro a la Penney Design.

Being fairly contentless, save for a rather loose back story involving egg-stealing Green Pigs and kamikaze Angry Birds, the theme was open to having all sorts of stuff imposed on it without being untrue to author's intent. Stayed true to the original fonts though - Feast of the Flesh by Blambot and OnomatoShark!. Passed on the lovely downloadable wallpaper from here.

The erstwhile Irate Aves did not quite follow the bird sounds of the game, claiming that their version was correct. For the record, the sounds on the iPhone game appear to be:
Red Bird: ahhh..heehee....haaaa
Yellow Bird: oi oi...weeeeeee
Black Bomber Bird: hahahahahaaaa.....weeee
White Bird that drops egg-bombs: paka! weeeeeee

Nevertheless, the masks they made were excellent and the campers, politely bemused by the breakfast and supper entertainment which included Mr. Quadratic Equations Tan attempting to explain the formula for catapult launching, a Miss Universe Contestant attempting a Peas Treaty and a crusty old British general Mighty Eagle. (We also had the services of a crazy-good pianist who could play variations on Ari Pulkinnen's Angry Birds theme song (and more besides) after just one listen.)

This cumulated in the Wide Game where campers had to help the Angry Birds get, well, something so The Mighty Eagle might save them from the porcine scourge. One camper with a "Latitia" accent threatened TME with no ice-cream if he didn't provide assistance, another used his vague knowledge of United Nations conventions to Promise the old bird an early extinction if help was not forthcoming. Hilarious. But it's very important to know what someone wants when trying to please (or threaten) him... The Man With The Tie and Yam Ah Mee hair read out the Golden Egg Awards pursuant to Section 49, Sub-section 7E, Paragraph (a) of the Piggymentary Eradication Act.

Long Beak Species

Happily, no one was too precious about non-essentials like the entertainment or the food (yummy as usual - babi assam, mustard chicken, pasta bake, apple crumble, banoffee pie etc), though these worked agreeably as white noise, so everyone could concentrate on what mattered - the gospel. Personally, this seemed the most unmuddied proclamation of the good news at camp in recent memory. Particularly enjoyed Stuart Morgan's exposition of the Book of Esther concerning God working even amongst the Jews of somewhat nebulous character, who had not bothered to obey the command to return to God's land. The Times of Quiet Luke 22-24 (x Exodus 12 x Jeremiah 31 x Psalm 22) passages worked well with the Luke 18-19 ones in the Main Talks. The forums about English comprehension and Bible-reading, and the recent devastating earthquake in Japan instigated quite a few good questions from thoughtful campers.

The scamper book club book, Greg Dutcher's You are the treasure that I seek (but there's a lot of cool stuff out there Lord) co-operated with the theme by featuring a golden egg (Golden Egg!!) on its cover. The juxtaposition between the eagerness of the first witnesses in proclaiming the risen Lord and the stubborn lusting after idols in our own lives was quite stark. As the senior campers went about their menial tasks, it became apparent from their attitude (and, if they were not given to much self-control, from what they said) that they would need to grapple with the practical concept of Christian service - that if upfront teaching and leadership roles or tasks that get them the attention of the campers or leaders are the only serving they are interested in, a good re-look at Jesus' own life is necessary. A problem of idolatry that we all face.

Happened upon other stuff on Jesus' death and resurrection:
Notes on the crucifixion (Mark 14:26-72) from St Helen's Bishopsgate RML Mark
Sovereign Grace's new-ish album, Risen, which celebrate the "realities, experienced and enjoyed by all who place their faith and hope in Jesus Christ". Especially fond of the Evanescence-ish "Risen", slightly Tori Amos-ish "We Will Rise" and "Behold Our God".

If graffiti wasn't illegal in Singapore, we would do Angry Bird ones like this!