**"What if he googled me" was censored because of certain insensitivities.**
Yesterday was a pretty awesome day. I went to Nim's hse for lessons. MJ1101E. (Majong exposure module). Or rather it was a refresher course since it's my 2nd time playing with the pros. Wasn't surprising that I lost all the rounds, luckily i didn't stay long cos the plate of chips was dwindling by the time i left and i pity W having to take over me.
And so i rushed to meet WHan at Cinneleisure to watch the sneaks of The Fountain. The show was nonsensical, too many biblical undertones for my liking. And to save money the director kept recycling/reusing some scenes...."Not again, this is the 4th time we're seeing this scene...." The overall message it was trying to get across was 'not to be afraid of death'. I was saying to WHan, how hard can it be to bring across that point? The director took abt 100min. Gosh.
After the movie was much better. We had a good talk, went shopping at Isetan and Borders! (I luv bookstores) And then for supper at Mac.... Did you know they shrunk Fillet o'fish. Pathetic, how to fill my stomach when it's so small and so ex? So what if they changed the packaging and it now comes with a box? Give me back the wrapper and 'regrow' the fillet and i'll trade you back the box.
Thursday, February 22, 2007
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Saturday, February 10, 2007
Day 16
Whee...
Just came back from cycling with Leong. We went abt 4km to fr our hse to Bishan Park. 4km may be peanuts but for someone who almost nv steps out of the hse to do anything more vigourous than being a 'couch potato', this is an achievement alr, and I'm contented. Could've gone furthur but I thought we'd better take babysteps at a time, lest i develop a "negative reinforcement" to it.
Just came back from cycling with Leong. We went abt 4km to fr our hse to Bishan Park. 4km may be peanuts but for someone who almost nv steps out of the hse to do anything more vigourous than being a 'couch potato', this is an achievement alr, and I'm contented. Could've gone furthur but I thought we'd better take babysteps at a time, lest i develop a "negative reinforcement" to it. The last time I cycled we were in Cambodia where my cycling skills were legendary. I say legendary because the ppl there cycle great, the kids there cycle effortlessly on bikes way bigger than themselves. It must hv been the most comical sight to see someone, a foreigner, cycle with so much difficulty. With my super lousy skills, I tried ferrying someone else and we ended crashing twice. Once into some oncoming bikes...kids... So piaseh. Embarrassed my ctry leh...
Today I went to MWH too. It was CNY celebrations today. Didn't do much except served oranges and new yr goodies + hear the old folks sing. Quite entertaining, I don't even remember the lyrics to the new yr songs but these old folks....the lyrics are buried in their hearts. Even those with speech difficulty held the mike and belted a few songs for us! Can still hear the melody although I could not make out the words. What a great effort that deserves a clap!
Today i had a minor triumph, i managed to break the ice with a couple of old ladies. These grp of old ladies can't speak normally and are very shy so they're usu neglected by the volunteers. But today I held their hands and played some games with them and they responded. I could feel they appreciated it, so it made me happy too. There was this old lady who gave me the cold stare and wouldn't say hi to me or shake my hand at first, but I managed to arouse her interest after I started playing some hand games with the rest while she looked on. Finally she agreed to play with me when I asked her again! Yayz~
Sometimes i feel like i'm self-entertaining myself, celebrating over these minor things... quite childish of me, but through this "childishness" at least I can tell myself i just made that someone smile, even for that brief 1 sec.
Happy Kids at MWH
Today i had a minor triumph, i managed to break the ice with a couple of old ladies. These grp of old ladies can't speak normally and are very shy so they're usu neglected by the volunteers. But today I held their hands and played some games with them and they responded. I could feel they appreciated it, so it made me happy too. There was this old lady who gave me the cold stare and wouldn't say hi to me or shake my hand at first, but I managed to arouse her interest after I started playing some hand games with the rest while she looked on. Finally she agreed to play with me when I asked her again! Yayz~
Sometimes i feel like i'm self-entertaining myself, celebrating over these minor things... quite childish of me, but through this "childishness" at least I can tell myself i just made that someone smile, even for that brief 1 sec.
Happy Kids at MWHFriday, February 09, 2007
Day 15
Heehee ^^ Today I gave Meng a hug. He did so well for his OLvls! I'm so proud of him! He was too shy and won't let me hug him at first, haha but later he relented. Gosh, now hug him still must tiptoe... better hug more now else nx time too old alr cannot hug him anymore....=p So proud of him... he spent every weekend at Scouts, don't see him studying at all still can get 9A1 & 2B3!! Superman!!!
Wednesday, February 07, 2007
Day 14
Last Mon night, I surprised myself by holding a 1.5 hr phone conversation with a friend. The only other times I've done it b4 were with xx. Anyway, this friend of mine is looking for a job. He's been rejected a few times because of his criminal record and is feeling rather despondent. He shared that he was passed up by employers even though they told him "he was the most qualified candidate for the job". I feel rather sad for him cos he's so young. Just because of one past mistake, ppl won't give him a chance.
This got me thinking. Could our govt erase an ex-offender's record like in some other Western countries? Like paroles, if we can accept it and save some super-villianous guy from the gallows, surely we can give ex-offenders of petty crimes another chance. I'm not saying erase all the prisons records. But maybe like one or 2 in a span of 5 years? They did it in ancient China too (according to the many Ch8 tv dramas i've watched), the Emperor decides to pardon all his prisoners during his birthday anniversary, for karma reasons. Since the Yellow Ribbon Project hasn't seemed to have much success in changing society's or rather employers' mindset towards ex-offenders, maybe we shld reexamine the system.
Some ex-offenders are truely rependent and just want to get on with life. They try very hard. Their families and friends are willing to accept them. But to strangers, ppl who do not hv the chance to know them better it is different. When they go for job interviews and face the question of "Do you hv a past criminal record?", it bothers them. They can lie, but if they choose otherwise and put a check in the "Yes" box, the employers penalize them for their honesty!
The intention behind the YRP is to help ex-offenders integrate back into society but if they face this sort of rejection again and again, depression sets in and we may drive them back to their 'old ways'. My friend for example was using words like "bum" and "useless" to describe himself.
Of course, we must be extremely selective in screening the cases. We can't just pardon everyone on a whim. The ex-offenders must prove that they deserve the chance for their "tainted record" to be "bleached white again". Sure, there'll be detractors, e.g from the victims' families and from cynics, who believe that erasing the ex-offender's record is equivalent to "allowing a wolf to walk around in sheep's clothing". People will say that the prison records act as a safeguard for those who did not commit any injurious actions that forfeit their rights in society, against those who did. We need to differentiate 'them' from 'us'.
This sort of opinion is not totally wrong. I read once in Readers Digest abt these 2 youngsters who killed another 2-yr old when they were just ten. [Case] They were given new identities 10 years later, after serving their sentence. People were horrified, especially for the many who cannot forget the brutal killing of the toddler. For the 2 boys, now youngsters, no one knows they were the ones responsible. Their girlfriends do not know they're dating ex-murderers!
Maybe to ease the quandary, I'd suggest that the ex-offender can hv his record erased from the public, but must still periodically report to probation officers? I don't know...
It does not cost the authorities much to erase a record, but it can truely make things a lot easier for that someone who is trying to make a fresh start in life. I think this 'act of pardon' is sth our govt shld consider.
But for now, I can only say to my friend, "Don't give up, there's a silver lining in every cloud!"
FYI, my friend is "no bum", in fact, he's quite a role model among his peers. He denies this saying he's no role model. But I'd say! the definition of "role model" is not all-encompassing. Everyone has their shortcomings, but they also hv some good qualities that others don't possess and can learn from. Many ppl are role models but in different ways =)
"You'll get by somehow, everyone does."
This got me thinking. Could our govt erase an ex-offender's record like in some other Western countries? Like paroles, if we can accept it and save some super-villianous guy from the gallows, surely we can give ex-offenders of petty crimes another chance. I'm not saying erase all the prisons records. But maybe like one or 2 in a span of 5 years? They did it in ancient China too (according to the many Ch8 tv dramas i've watched), the Emperor decides to pardon all his prisoners during his birthday anniversary, for karma reasons. Since the Yellow Ribbon Project hasn't seemed to have much success in changing society's or rather employers' mindset towards ex-offenders, maybe we shld reexamine the system.
Some ex-offenders are truely rependent and just want to get on with life. They try very hard. Their families and friends are willing to accept them. But to strangers, ppl who do not hv the chance to know them better it is different. When they go for job interviews and face the question of "Do you hv a past criminal record?", it bothers them. They can lie, but if they choose otherwise and put a check in the "Yes" box, the employers penalize them for their honesty!
The intention behind the YRP is to help ex-offenders integrate back into society but if they face this sort of rejection again and again, depression sets in and we may drive them back to their 'old ways'. My friend for example was using words like "bum" and "useless" to describe himself.
Of course, we must be extremely selective in screening the cases. We can't just pardon everyone on a whim. The ex-offenders must prove that they deserve the chance for their "tainted record" to be "bleached white again". Sure, there'll be detractors, e.g from the victims' families and from cynics, who believe that erasing the ex-offender's record is equivalent to "allowing a wolf to walk around in sheep's clothing". People will say that the prison records act as a safeguard for those who did not commit any injurious actions that forfeit their rights in society, against those who did. We need to differentiate 'them' from 'us'.
This sort of opinion is not totally wrong. I read once in Readers Digest abt these 2 youngsters who killed another 2-yr old when they were just ten. [Case] They were given new identities 10 years later, after serving their sentence. People were horrified, especially for the many who cannot forget the brutal killing of the toddler. For the 2 boys, now youngsters, no one knows they were the ones responsible. Their girlfriends do not know they're dating ex-murderers!
Maybe to ease the quandary, I'd suggest that the ex-offender can hv his record erased from the public, but must still periodically report to probation officers? I don't know...
It does not cost the authorities much to erase a record, but it can truely make things a lot easier for that someone who is trying to make a fresh start in life. I think this 'act of pardon' is sth our govt shld consider.
But for now, I can only say to my friend, "Don't give up, there's a silver lining in every cloud!"
FYI, my friend is "no bum", in fact, he's quite a role model among his peers. He denies this saying he's no role model. But I'd say! the definition of "role model" is not all-encompassing. Everyone has their shortcomings, but they also hv some good qualities that others don't possess and can learn from. Many ppl are role models but in different ways =)
"You'll get by somehow, everyone does."
Saturday, February 03, 2007
Day 13
why is there no Day 13?? it's not that i can't count but i was saving space for this entry (to be written in retrospective)...
Went to Moral Home today with LYong and WHao. My objective was to be there as an observer, to see how other organisations run their outings and sessions. It was quite an eye-opener, they've got much more resources then we do. As a student org, we're always handicapped by the lack of funding. ESN shares the same problem of lack of manpower but their "lack" is different from mwh. They 财大势大unlike us. Their so called lack was because the no. of elderly going on the outings was much greater. The result, 2 busloads of ppl took off to Vivocity.
My observer status soon melted down as my "volunteer" mode kicked in. I had to talk to 'my' elderly because the other girl i was paired with cldn't speak Cantonese. My cantonese is not much to boost of either and i had to take ages to answer the old lady that Vivocity was a "xing ga po zhui dai ge baet four gong xi, san kei gei"-- literally the largest shopping mall in spore. newly built. Haha.
After taking the elderly to the deck to see the scenery....She recognises Sentosa! at 88 years old! Recalls taking the cable car, but would not take it again cos she "keng"-- scared. Well, during the bus journey she was regaling me with tales of where she went, seeking my affirmation that we were where she thought we were...(she had been to these places before).
Nice old lady, refused to buy anything more than she needed with the $20 at hand even though it's sponsored. Sigh, others wld hv unceremoniously spent everything but after we 劝得口水都干了，she still spent less than 10 bucks.
However!!! There's sth i realised at dinner at this coffeeshop where we had quite a nice meal. Old people will not 客气 when it comes to filling their stomach. This salient point i had discovered too in my late grandmother. They won't stop until they're full. They're not picky when it comes to food but their stomachs gotta be filled so they can live a ripe long life. Even if they're sick and got no appetite, they'll force themselves to eat an adequate amount.
We shld take a leaf from these 'old books'. Because it's survival. You don't realise unless you are sick. Go to the hospital, you'll see that in the ardous battle the chemo pts fight, food is essential for a high chance of survival. You don't eat, you lose. (I know cos we've been through it)
Ok, the evening ended when we drove through Chinatown to show the elderly the cny displays and sang them countless cny songs on the bus. Oh ya, the volunteers there sing really out of tune but they still sing. People with generous hearts find this courage effortlessly =)
Went to Moral Home today with LYong and WHao. My objective was to be there as an observer, to see how other organisations run their outings and sessions. It was quite an eye-opener, they've got much more resources then we do. As a student org, we're always handicapped by the lack of funding. ESN shares the same problem of lack of manpower but their "lack" is different from mwh. They 财大势大unlike us. Their so called lack was because the no. of elderly going on the outings was much greater. The result, 2 busloads of ppl took off to Vivocity.
My observer status soon melted down as my "volunteer" mode kicked in. I had to talk to 'my' elderly because the other girl i was paired with cldn't speak Cantonese. My cantonese is not much to boost of either and i had to take ages to answer the old lady that Vivocity was a "xing ga po zhui dai ge baet four gong xi, san kei gei"-- literally the largest shopping mall in spore. newly built. Haha.
After taking the elderly to the deck to see the scenery....She recognises Sentosa! at 88 years old! Recalls taking the cable car, but would not take it again cos she "keng"-- scared. Well, during the bus journey she was regaling me with tales of where she went, seeking my affirmation that we were where she thought we were...(she had been to these places before).
Nice old lady, refused to buy anything more than she needed with the $20 at hand even though it's sponsored. Sigh, others wld hv unceremoniously spent everything but after we 劝得口水都干了，she still spent less than 10 bucks.
However!!! There's sth i realised at dinner at this coffeeshop where we had quite a nice meal. Old people will not 客气 when it comes to filling their stomach. This salient point i had discovered too in my late grandmother. They won't stop until they're full. They're not picky when it comes to food but their stomachs gotta be filled so they can live a ripe long life. Even if they're sick and got no appetite, they'll force themselves to eat an adequate amount.
We shld take a leaf from these 'old books'. Because it's survival. You don't realise unless you are sick. Go to the hospital, you'll see that in the ardous battle the chemo pts fight, food is essential for a high chance of survival. You don't eat, you lose. (I know cos we've been through it)
Ok, the evening ended when we drove through Chinatown to show the elderly the cny displays and sang them countless cny songs on the bus. Oh ya, the volunteers there sing really out of tune but they still sing. People with generous hearts find this courage effortlessly =)
Friday, February 02, 2007
Day 12
The Sangkhem gals went partying at NYDC at Wheelock Place this evening. Ha, no guys were invited. Edwin and Duc protested but unless they wore skirts, no guys allowed =X We waited for a very long while for seats, but it was worth it la, when we finally sat down and caught up with each other. My first real Friday Night out in a very long time!
Thursday, February 01, 2007
Day 11
Met Duc, Edwin and Shimin for lunch at Biz canteen today. Duc regaled us with his experience at the food eating competition. It seems his team lost to a prc team. Haha so 'xiong' those guys... I was thinking Singaporeans kiasu? We still lose to the dragon ctry leh. I remember SMin saying that in another local tertiary, some prcs finshed the projects even before the the sem, risking the possibility of the project topic being changed, and not getting the module. Plus if 3 prcs form a team and the teacher req' 4 members, they'll just subsume last member who will hv it easy. On top of the "horror stories" of them study through the night w/o sleep. I personally had one of these "horror sightings" when I stayed bk in the central forum 1 night.
But on the other hand, who can blame them? Intense competition from their 1.3x10^9 compatriots bk in their ctry, it's only essential. The $100 prize fr the eating competition might be meagre after being split among 4 ppl, but it's still money. I think if I were them, chances are I'll do the same. Moreover, I think some of them joined just for the sport of it! If you compare this to many ppl who don't join because it's very "malu", the chinese deserve our admiration. And to maintain a cap of 4.5-5, we shld make them our role models.
But on the other hand, who can blame them? Intense competition from their 1.3x10^9 compatriots bk in their ctry, it's only essential. The $100 prize fr the eating competition might be meagre after being split among 4 ppl, but it's still money. I think if I were them, chances are I'll do the same. Moreover, I think some of them joined just for the sport of it! If you compare this to many ppl who don't join because it's very "malu", the chinese deserve our admiration. And to maintain a cap of 4.5-5, we shld make them our role models.
Saturday, January 27, 2007
Day 10
Went to MWH coffeeshop outing today ;) it was drizzling and we had to carry umbrellas for the residents while holding their hands...tiring but fun. Was attached to this resident who didn't like to speak....so it was a quiet afternoon.
Friday, January 26, 2007
Day 9
This entry would have started with me gushing about the beautiful sights I would have seen tonight. After hanging around in school for 4.5 hrs for this would have been star-gazing opportunity, I would have thought that the heavens would favour us for our patience and hold back the rain. It did... it wasn't raining up till 7.15 when Daryl and I finished dinner at Engin canteen, it wasn't raining up till 7.20 when we went to YIH. But alas it had to rain at 7.40 when we headed for the field. So much for star gazing, we were caught in the rain and had to go home! Can't help feeling cheated cos there was so much I would have done instead during the afternoon if I would have known earlier it would rain.
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Gentle Night pictures
Picture taken on Saturday, 20/1/07 at Gentle Night Concert, raising funds for the Vietnamese kids. Amelia, Duc, myself.Day 8- About Motivation 2
Yesterday had dinner with Thiha at YIH before Camp meeting. Surprised to find out he's Burmese-Chinese! Told me the whole family immigration story......how his ancestors like many others only thought of coming to Nanyang, with no specific destination in mind, then landing up wherever the ships took 'em. Wow, I can't imagine having such life-determining decisions left to Fate just like that. Think our ancestors are really brave to have the resolve to live their homelands.
Another reflection that came out of the dinner: It's surprising how these ppl want to initiate community projects out of the blue. I'm having a bit of trouble getting my butt to move already, after con spirito..... After meeting Thiha i was motivated to send that application to the Young Changemakers Youth Panel that I've been putting off for so long.....Finally.
~Make haste while the sun shines...~
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Day 7- About Motivation
My heart nearly sank when i got the call from the PS dept today. I thought my appeal for the NM mod was rejected and i had to settle for my 2nd option. Luckily i was in the middle of a class and told the lady i'd call her back. After class i went to the NM dept and yes! they had vacancies for the NM class! Thankfully, because the PS mod i was planning to take as backup is quite difficult and taxing.
Felt better then and I went CL to zap all the readings. While photocopying, I met William there. I think ppl in their last sem look visibly more stressed. I saw the same look on QW the day before.... resigned, rugged, sleep-deprived.... but still optimistic! This sounds a bit bad but now I'm yr3 and seeing all these fellow yr3, knowing that there r ppl subject to the same paper chase, same pressure cooker, you feel a tad less alone. haha
While zapping, I overheard these group talking. 1 girl told the other guy "What did you do to your eyebrows, you look so different! You look like a freak." I looked up unconsiously and the guy in qn was quite embarrassed "Why you say that so loud, you see now everyone is looking at me!" and he looked at me. Everyone in the group followed his gaze and looked at me. Hahaha all I could do was smile back. This guy just had to drag me into his little embarrassing moment..... Haha guys these day are also becoming more vain. I remember 1 friend asking me where to go for eyebrow trimming cos he wants to have it trimmed before his birthday party. Omg, I personally do not visit these places.... this is like a reverse of gender roles! I think I'm quite stuck in the mud over these things....am I?? (Horrified)
Met Merle on the way to the comp lab to upload the workshop website. I took 1 day to rush this out because I wanted to send the link with the debrief letter to all the participants. And waaa.... HYuan wrote on the tagboard that I abused QW again.....Poor me! My hardwork goes unrecognised....lol. I've made a mental note to tell him that the nx time I see him. Oh yes, Merle and I were so funny at the comp lab.
We were trying to read the thumbdrive but the stupid computer couldn't detect the drive. So I logged to the terminal beside. Still couldn't read. Then......wala! after what was like 5 minutes Merle's folder opened on my terminal! We nearly fell off the chair laughing. We got it wrong from the start. The CPU that belonged was to the right of the monitor and we thought it was the left. Of course the computer couldn't read the drive! It was the wrong CPU....Duh!
The team went for dinner XO mee fen at Holand drive. We finally got our reimbursement from Amelia so our pockets felt a bit fuller. The whole meeting was dominated by complaints of exploding telephone bills. I count myself lucky cos mine was $65.68, probably the lowest in the group. But I didn't make much calls la, not like those with gf and bf to call every other night, I only bothered once or twice to send an sms back home.
Felt better then and I went CL to zap all the readings. While photocopying, I met William there. I think ppl in their last sem look visibly more stressed. I saw the same look on QW the day before.... resigned, rugged, sleep-deprived.... but still optimistic! This sounds a bit bad but now I'm yr3 and seeing all these fellow yr3, knowing that there r ppl subject to the same paper chase, same pressure cooker, you feel a tad less alone. haha
While zapping, I overheard these group talking. 1 girl told the other guy "What did you do to your eyebrows, you look so different! You look like a freak." I looked up unconsiously and the guy in qn was quite embarrassed "Why you say that so loud, you see now everyone is looking at me!" and he looked at me. Everyone in the group followed his gaze and looked at me. Hahaha all I could do was smile back. This guy just had to drag me into his little embarrassing moment..... Haha guys these day are also becoming more vain. I remember 1 friend asking me where to go for eyebrow trimming cos he wants to have it trimmed before his birthday party. Omg, I personally do not visit these places.... this is like a reverse of gender roles! I think I'm quite stuck in the mud over these things....am I?? (Horrified)
Met Merle on the way to the comp lab to upload the workshop website. I took 1 day to rush this out because I wanted to send the link with the debrief letter to all the participants. And waaa.... HYuan wrote on the tagboard that I abused QW again.....Poor me! My hardwork goes unrecognised....lol. I've made a mental note to tell him that the nx time I see him. Oh yes, Merle and I were so funny at the comp lab.
We were trying to read the thumbdrive but the stupid computer couldn't detect the drive. So I logged to the terminal beside. Still couldn't read. Then......wala! after what was like 5 minutes Merle's folder opened on my terminal! We nearly fell off the chair laughing. We got it wrong from the start. The CPU that belonged was to the right of the monitor and we thought it was the left. Of course the computer couldn't read the drive! It was the wrong CPU....Duh!
The team went for dinner XO mee fen at Holand drive. We finally got our reimbursement from Amelia so our pockets felt a bit fuller. The whole meeting was dominated by complaints of exploding telephone bills. I count myself lucky cos mine was $65.68, probably the lowest in the group. But I didn't make much calls la, not like those with gf and bf to call every other night, I only bothered once or twice to send an sms back home.
Sunday, January 21, 2007
Day 6-- Con Spirito, Success!
Friday: Forced to drop 1 module today. (Very unhappy about it).
Why make the students run all over the campus when they know right from the start they are not going to help at all. The system is stupid, the people are inflexible and stupid. How to take 1 more module when I have missed 2 weeks of lecture? Wasn't in much of the mood for the MC mtg in the evening.....Stayed in sch till 10+pm....Dead beat.
Sat: Workshop Day!!! yippeee.....Reached sch at 8.10 this morning to carry the stuff to KR. Really glad YShu helped us book the venue, couldn't have wished for a better place. Everyone showed up and it was great. In the end we didn't finish the "very ambitious" program we had in mind, but it was enough. Success! This was my 'brainchild' since Sept last year, glad I persisted and was given a lot of leeway by Tim to organise this. Never dreamed I could head sth like that. Furthermore, for many years the club wanted to organise such a workshop but it never materialized. Like Nim said, "we're pioneers!" Yayz =D
As organisers we don't really get to enjoy the whole thing, but I quite liked the Tower Building segment. Teamwork at its maximum! Plus the balloon sculpturing + dialect learning session. The late nights spent on the scripts paid off. I really admired 1 guy YRen who came up aft the TB session to apologise in front of everybody for raising his voice. I don't think anyone took offense to begin with, but it sure too a lot of guts to do that. This is what i call the marks of a great leader!
Why make the students run all over the campus when they know right from the start they are not going to help at all. The system is stupid, the people are inflexible and stupid. How to take 1 more module when I have missed 2 weeks of lecture? Wasn't in much of the mood for the MC mtg in the evening.....Stayed in sch till 10+pm....Dead beat.
Sat: Workshop Day!!! yippeee.....Reached sch at 8.10 this morning to carry the stuff to KR. Really glad YShu helped us book the venue, couldn't have wished for a better place. Everyone showed up and it was great. In the end we didn't finish the "very ambitious" program we had in mind, but it was enough. Success! This was my 'brainchild' since Sept last year, glad I persisted and was given a lot of leeway by Tim to organise this. Never dreamed I could head sth like that. Furthermore, for many years the club wanted to organise such a workshop but it never materialized. Like Nim said, "we're pioneers!" Yayz =D
As organisers we don't really get to enjoy the whole thing, but I quite liked the Tower Building segment. Teamwork at its maximum! Plus the balloon sculpturing + dialect learning session. The late nights spent on the scripts paid off. I really admired 1 guy YRen who came up aft the TB session to apologise in front of everybody for raising his voice. I don't think anyone took offense to begin with, but it sure too a lot of guts to do that. This is what i call the marks of a great leader!
Saturday, January 13, 2007
Day 5
I'm back from mwh....Today there was a concert performance by Voices. It wasn't very good as the sound system there was very echoy. Throughout the performance i was talking to this old man who said he used to sell Hokkien prawn mee. Then he lauched into the whole story of how he courted his wife, story abt his family etc. etc. Quite funny. He also sang me 3 songs-- 天黑黑，one 贺年歌 and another “黄色歌". I didn't know last time there were 白色歌 and 黄色歌. The latter I found out were prohibited songs during that time, either anti-govt or pro-communist. What a revealation!
After concert was free interaction so we continued to talk to the residents. I've not been there for some time and some of them actually remember! 你久久来一次....(actually i think that's their common line when they see strangers lol but nevermind)
And so now I'm back, don't need to cook today cos Pa's the chef tonight.
2 "Extra-ordinary" lecturers I have this sem... 1 is quite nice, keeps joking during lecture, her analogies even involve calling herself a bitch... It's hilarious because before i took this mod, my friend told me she was a bitch. Then to hear that from the horse's mouth (repeatedly) during the 1st class was so ironic! I quite enjoyed it a pity i'll have to watch her webcast when tutorial starts bcos lessons clash =S
But the real bitch is the other lecturer! Daryl used "bitchy" to describe him and I was shocked. Well this other lecturer is very flamboyant, wears his shirts very tight and has this huge belt buckle "screaming for attention" as it had the brand's name emblazoned across it. I was trying very hard to pay attention during his 3hr class....but....when he said "I'll wrap up in 15 min", I actually dozed off!!! Terrible, terrible, terrible way to start the sem...
After concert was free interaction so we continued to talk to the residents. I've not been there for some time and some of them actually remember! 你久久来一次....(actually i think that's their common line when they see strangers lol but nevermind)
And so now I'm back, don't need to cook today cos Pa's the chef tonight.
2 "Extra-ordinary" lecturers I have this sem... 1 is quite nice, keeps joking during lecture, her analogies even involve calling herself a bitch... It's hilarious because before i took this mod, my friend told me she was a bitch. Then to hear that from the horse's mouth (repeatedly) during the 1st class was so ironic! I quite enjoyed it a pity i'll have to watch her webcast when tutorial starts bcos lessons clash =S
But the real bitch is the other lecturer! Daryl used "bitchy" to describe him and I was shocked. Well this other lecturer is very flamboyant, wears his shirts very tight and has this huge belt buckle "screaming for attention" as it had the brand's name emblazoned across it. I was trying very hard to pay attention during his 3hr class....but....when he said "I'll wrap up in 15 min", I actually dozed off!!! Terrible, terrible, terrible way to start the sem...
Day 4
Yesterday was a very good day, depite the downcast weather. After lectures ended at 2pm, Pearl & I walked to YIH. It was nice catching up with her dicussing abt Econs stuff & abt semester break... "Wa, you've grown much tanner since Cambodia!" It was the first lecture we had together since sch started. And luckily, we had quite a charming Korean lecturer for that module. I say charming cos his lectures were the best among all the mod I'm taking this sem. A pity both of us only hv 1 common mod this sem.
Then I met CHui & Edwin for Jux07 mtg. Haha quite funny planning for fright night. We shared some things that happened during SK. Looks like more or less we felt e same way abt some ppl.
Thiha came by to say 'Hi' twice! This is a great feat that deserves mention because we finally cleared the air 2 days ago online abt why we never greet each other when we meet. Sometimes you just have to bring up such topics and Bingo! Everything turns out well! Suddenly we not only greet each other...we can joke together! That's the great thing abt MSN....
Ok, then Esther & I met to discuss VD Wkshop...turns out our trainer (alumni) has sth on that day. We were thinking omg...how? how? Do we need to reschedule? Luckily he kindly re-scheduled his work so that he could come in the morning! So touching! It's nice how some ppl go all out of their way to help you even though you don't know each other well.....
We got caught in a massive jam on the way back cos it was still raining. But we chatted (gossiped) a lot and it was fun! Felt a bit 38 then but hmm...nice to find a friend in her. This yr I think i managed to establish quite a few friendships with some ppl w/in the club. It's really nice cos we don't have to be always talking abt work, work, work when we meet =)
Sigh, got to rush now for MWH....Signing off!
Then I met CHui & Edwin for Jux07 mtg. Haha quite funny planning for fright night. We shared some things that happened during SK. Looks like more or less we felt e same way abt some ppl.
Thiha came by to say 'Hi' twice! This is a great feat that deserves mention because we finally cleared the air 2 days ago online abt why we never greet each other when we meet. Sometimes you just have to bring up such topics and Bingo! Everything turns out well! Suddenly we not only greet each other...we can joke together! That's the great thing abt MSN....
Ok, then Esther & I met to discuss VD Wkshop...turns out our trainer (alumni) has sth on that day. We were thinking omg...how? how? Do we need to reschedule? Luckily he kindly re-scheduled his work so that he could come in the morning! So touching! It's nice how some ppl go all out of their way to help you even though you don't know each other well.....
We got caught in a massive jam on the way back cos it was still raining. But we chatted (gossiped) a lot and it was fun! Felt a bit 38 then but hmm...nice to find a friend in her. This yr I think i managed to establish quite a few friendships with some ppl w/in the club. It's really nice cos we don't have to be always talking abt work, work, work when we meet =)
Sigh, got to rush now for MWH....Signing off!
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Day 3
This post is commemorate the living area lamp which was broken today by Leng.
It was a classic example of carelessness, not paying attention to your surroundings. Numerous life-taking car accidents happen on the road everyday due to this kind sort negligence. People really need to learn responsibility. You don't have to go through a road accident to appreciate this fact and to experience this tremendous sense of loss. I'm pretty angry that the lamp was broken, and heartbroken. What was worse was that I should have seen it coming.
The lamp served us well. For 40+ years. It was there ever since the day I was born. Made of glass and with intricate flower designs in gold, which had turned to bronze. I am feeling regrettable because I keep having the impression that 爷爷 had hand-picked that particular lamp for the living room when he built the house 40+ years ago. The house is the only tangible thing he left us. This sturdy house he built is the only safe haven that I know. We should try to preserve it well.
It was a classic example of carelessness, not paying attention to your surroundings. Numerous life-taking car accidents happen on the road everyday due to this kind sort negligence. People really need to learn responsibility. You don't have to go through a road accident to appreciate this fact and to experience this tremendous sense of loss. I'm pretty angry that the lamp was broken, and heartbroken. What was worse was that I should have seen it coming.
The lamp served us well. For 40+ years. It was there ever since the day I was born. Made of glass and with intricate flower designs in gold, which had turned to bronze. I am feeling regrettable because I keep having the impression that 爷爷 had hand-picked that particular lamp for the living room when he built the house 40+ years ago. The house is the only tangible thing he left us. This sturdy house he built is the only safe haven that I know. We should try to preserve it well.
Sunday, January 07, 2007
Day 2
This afternoon when we were buying the water heater at Farrer Park, I initally thought that the "hokkien-spewing" boss was being 敷衍。 It was as if he was "entertaining" pa, telling him that all water heaters are the same and you just need to buy the most basic. He wasn't even familiar with the controls and wrongly explained them to us. Then came the funny part...you had to pay $8 more to get a receipt, else it was just cash-and-carry.
But later when I got back to the car, I thought well these are the shopkeepers who really know how to do business. A customer comes in, be practical. Cut the sales talk short. Give him what he wants. He pays, he's happy you're happy. Actually there's not much need for the airy fairy sales pitch for the most expensive product down to the cheaper range. Chop-chop. Anything else it'll be handled by the Warranty ticket.
And so my initial aghast was replaced with deep admiration. I feel it must be that textbook writers hole themselves up when they write textbooks, else how come the books preach the opposite stuff?
Anyways, this kind of breezy transaction you observe, happens usu. b/w 2 men. And esp. when the good is an appliance or one of those DIY items.... Women on the other hand spend too much time on the unimportant...
At 5pm, we got back, helped to drill the holes, fit the heater and there.....warm water once again. Nice teamwork once again b/w Meng, Leng and Me =)
I didn't know Cambodians commonly ate fried tarantulas only until I watched a National Geographic clip at Bishan Popular Bookstore today. How come i didn't encounter it during my trip?
But later when I got back to the car, I thought well these are the shopkeepers who really know how to do business. A customer comes in, be practical. Cut the sales talk short. Give him what he wants. He pays, he's happy you're happy. Actually there's not much need for the airy fairy sales pitch for the most expensive product down to the cheaper range. Chop-chop. Anything else it'll be handled by the Warranty ticket.
And so my initial aghast was replaced with deep admiration. I feel it must be that textbook writers hole themselves up when they write textbooks, else how come the books preach the opposite stuff?
Anyways, this kind of breezy transaction you observe, happens usu. b/w 2 men. And esp. when the good is an appliance or one of those DIY items.... Women on the other hand spend too much time on the unimportant...
At 5pm, we got back, helped to drill the holes, fit the heater and there.....warm water once again. Nice teamwork once again b/w Meng, Leng and Me =)
I didn't know Cambodians commonly ate fried tarantulas only until I watched a National Geographic clip at Bishan Popular Bookstore today. How come i didn't encounter it during my trip?
Saturday, January 06, 2007
Day 1
Bidding's a very numbing and traumatic process. I got outbidded today for Malay2. Firstly, I don't know which mod to take. Secondly, the mods I finally decided I might take.....either I get outbidded or simply can't bid cos they are super-duper expensive. With such a "modest" platter of modules, I really don't feel NUS is a world-class university, we're still short of it (a few km short, not inches short)... If I were the dean I'll feel really inadequate abt this and fear losing my school-fee-paying students and my position. But well, I'm not the Dean. Today I have the sudden urge to file for graduation just because there aren't any modules to take.
Morning spent typing email announcements on NVAC workshop. I'm Co-PD for this so I really hope this thing turns out well. But no fear, I think I have a good team, just that it's a pretty quiet team. (Fingers tightly crossed, hope 20th passes w/o glitches)
This evening, 8 ppl from 02s43 met up at Miss Clarity Cafe on Purvis St. for dinner. It was to celebrate Daryl's belated birthday and a farewell for SYing. Short mtg to catch up on how we've spent the hols, it appears many of us travelled this Dec. Some slight embarrassment occurred because we didn't pay enough money and the bill was returned. Tertiary students who cannot count!!
Sad way to end the evening coming home to realise that I was outbidded. I must try harder tmr!
Morning spent typing email announcements on NVAC workshop. I'm Co-PD for this so I really hope this thing turns out well. But no fear, I think I have a good team, just that it's a pretty quiet team. (Fingers tightly crossed, hope 20th passes w/o glitches)
This evening, 8 ppl from 02s43 met up at Miss Clarity Cafe on Purvis St. for dinner. It was to celebrate Daryl's belated birthday and a farewell for SYing. Short mtg to catch up on how we've spent the hols, it appears many of us travelled this Dec. Some slight embarrassment occurred because we didn't pay enough money and the bill was returned. Tertiary students who cannot count!!
Sad way to end the evening coming home to realise that I was outbidded. I must try harder tmr!
Monday, January 01, 2007
New Year Day Post--- Happy 2007!
Yoz, it was great 2006 and yes! I'm back :) 12-29 December were the most wonderful time I spent in 2006. It was a blast! 17 days in Cambodia & subsequently Vietnam with the best team there could possibly be. It left a lasting impression in me. Sangkhemers rock, I say!!
Ahem... (trying to regain some composure here, my throat's still sore too), anyways when i was leaving Prey Veng that day, I thought, "no words can fully express how i feel abt the place, what i've experienced there, the hospitality of the ppl and kids there, the greatness of the team, the warm feeling that i've contributed something to the place, and the familarity that has grown within us abt the ppl and neighbourhood."
I'll blog again elsewhere abt the trip or create a website for it. we need to saving the good things for another day :)
I haven't thought of any new year resolutions yet. But it's the same every yr I guess, wishing to do good in my studies, be a better person etc. etc. *Yawn* I've heard ppl say resolutions are meant to be broken, esp when they're things you didn't manage to achieve the past year. It doesn't make a difference to me cos every yr it is the same. Maybe i shld try to break this chain and surpass myself this yr? But the lazy person inside me is saying.....just wait till something beyond expectation happens during the year and then declare it as THE resolution that you set on Jan 1st.
Taking a look back at 2006, it was a pretty tough year for me esp Sem 2 as I had a bad kickstart, being thrown off the right academic straight As path due to NVAC Exposition. Not that I'm complaining.....wait a minute....I am. Whatever. I blame it on my stupid self not being able to realise soon enough the damage incurred and when I finally realised it, it took the life of me trying to pick up the pieces. But well, I didn't do too badly just not as good as I hoped. Malay and Computing only got B+....(trying hard not to curse on NYD).
And so, my whole of December's gone. NYD was celebrated without a bang unless you consider dvd marathon watching Friends Season 1 which is way passe like a few years back??? Hellooo there.... why did I wait so long to watch it? I just...... haven't watched it yet.
I need some time to consolidate my thoughts abt Project Sangkhem. After coming back, I've been trying to squeeze time replying my mails on the VD Workshop (pss....VD stands for Volunteer Development) and bidding has been such a numbing experience. Imagine coming home realising you've spent 908 pts on one stupid elective module which you only took because there was nothing else to fill the blank. And then have your mind all jumbled up trying to figure out which last 2 modules you shld take. I've been loading up on sweet stuff: ice-cream, tangyuans, chips, instant noodles etc. ever since I've been home. *Stressed*
Tons of things to do again...and no time. I desperately wish I was back in Cambodia where life was charmingly slow. Everything was sweet about the place. Even our blood grew sweeter as the days wore on, the mosquitoes attacked us with greater ferocity and left us momentos/battle scars aka "Pig Trotters".
As a final note, I'll like to end with the grossest thing I've seen in 2006. This was sth we picked up at a mobile stall in Vietnam....*Drum Roll....please*
Ahem... (trying to regain some composure here, my throat's still sore too), anyways when i was leaving Prey Veng that day, I thought, "no words can fully express how i feel abt the place, what i've experienced there, the hospitality of the ppl and kids there, the greatness of the team, the warm feeling that i've contributed something to the place, and the familarity that has grown within us abt the ppl and neighbourhood."
I'll blog again elsewhere abt the trip or create a website for it. we need to saving the good things for another day :)
I haven't thought of any new year resolutions yet. But it's the same every yr I guess, wishing to do good in my studies, be a better person etc. etc. *Yawn* I've heard ppl say resolutions are meant to be broken, esp when they're things you didn't manage to achieve the past year. It doesn't make a difference to me cos every yr it is the same. Maybe i shld try to break this chain and surpass myself this yr? But the lazy person inside me is saying.....just wait till something beyond expectation happens during the year and then declare it as THE resolution that you set on Jan 1st.
Taking a look back at 2006, it was a pretty tough year for me esp Sem 2 as I had a bad kickstart, being thrown off the right academic straight As path due to NVAC Exposition. Not that I'm complaining.....wait a minute....I am. Whatever. I blame it on my stupid self not being able to realise soon enough the damage incurred and when I finally realised it, it took the life of me trying to pick up the pieces. But well, I didn't do too badly just not as good as I hoped. Malay and Computing only got B+....(trying hard not to curse on NYD).
And so, my whole of December's gone. NYD was celebrated without a bang unless you consider dvd marathon watching Friends Season 1 which is way passe like a few years back??? Hellooo there.... why did I wait so long to watch it? I just...... haven't watched it yet.
I need some time to consolidate my thoughts abt Project Sangkhem. After coming back, I've been trying to squeeze time replying my mails on the VD Workshop (pss....VD stands for Volunteer Development) and bidding has been such a numbing experience. Imagine coming home realising you've spent 908 pts on one stupid elective module which you only took because there was nothing else to fill the blank. And then have your mind all jumbled up trying to figure out which last 2 modules you shld take. I've been loading up on sweet stuff: ice-cream, tangyuans, chips, instant noodles etc. ever since I've been home. *Stressed*
Tons of things to do again...and no time. I desperately wish I was back in Cambodia where life was charmingly slow. Everything was sweet about the place. Even our blood grew sweeter as the days wore on, the mosquitoes attacked us with greater ferocity and left us momentos/battle scars aka "Pig Trotters".
As a final note, I'll like to end with the grossest thing I've seen in 2006. This was sth we picked up at a mobile stall in Vietnam....*Drum Roll....please*
The poor duckie that went down Ken & Duc's throat. Yeeeew...
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