It's been hell of a week to say the least. I had so much to do and though I feel totally shacked out now, I actually feel fulfilled.
First up was the theory manual I had to do up for work. Though it's a manual, it's not that long. It was still a struggle though and took a lot of nights to complete. I guess it was Thursday night that really took its toil on me and after our 4 hr meeting to discuss the programme material, I was spent. I'm glad it wasn't as bad as I expected and though some more work is needed, I feel better now.
Second, I'm grateful that I attended the Yellow Ribbon Project Song-writing Competition. I had wanted to do work but my buddy managed to persuade me to go. No regrets. In fact, I enjoyed it thoroughly. Two songs in particular stood out for me - the Tamil & Chinese winning entries. The Tamil winning song was written by this old Indian man with white hair; he walked with a limb and when he dedicated his song to "the woman he loved more than anything", I felt like I was choking up. It was apparent though that the woman he wrote the song for wasn't in the audience which kind of made it even more heart-wrenching. Though there was a translation of the lyrics, none was needed to feel the emotions he was trying to portray. Touching. Very touching.
The second song was written by this much younger Chinese chap who was inspired to write the song during one particular day when it was raining very heavily. Although he was expecting a visit from his family that day, he didn't expect them to come cos of the rain. To his surprise, his family turned up. The song he wrote is "辜负了你" and it was very moving as well. So glad that I went for this concert :) thanks elaine!
Something that was mentioned on Thursday during my training is also something that I want to learn - Self Care. A lot of times, we work ourselves to the bone but fail to recognise the impact this is having on ourselves. I guess for me, I have to learn to draw boundaries and recognise certain "triggers" - when I'm neglecting my own body, my own self - and make a concerted effort to deal with these. Talking to friends, eating, relaxing, playing a sport would all help! You should take care of yourself too! :)
Sat was packed! Work in the morning (prob for all Sats and one Sunday this month) before having lunch with some colleagues @ Eastpoint. Then headed down to Expo for the Archdiocesan Youth Day!!! There was a lot of admin to settle before this and I was really getting irritated with all the prep but I must say that it was worth it!
I enjoyed the "Jonah skit" that Bridget, Debbie & gang put up. It was a wonderful effort especially since 5 of them played ALL the roles!! I though it was funny and brought out the message at the same time. In fact, the teens who are normally restless was enjoying it and give it their full attention! :)
Then there was the Benediction! It's been a looooong time since I felt such a wonderful experience of Jesus made real in the Eucharist! I was irritated by some teens who were still talking and making noise but instead of shouting at them, I decided to just sing and hope that they would eventually get the message. They did :)
And who can forget everyone's fav song - One Way!! I actually went to find my teens but by that time they had disappeared - converged to the front, some running onto the stage! haha, even the quieter ones :) afterwards was just talking to some CSS peeps I bumped into and taking photos with some of my teens. Overall, a wonderful experience of God :D
Kudos to Ed for a lift back and supper. And now, back to this laptop of mine in my aircon room. Life is good. Life is good only if we see it as such and count the blessings we have.
May God grant me the perseverance to do what I have done and continue in my service of others, all at home, at work and in church. And grant me the patience to treat all those around me with respect, even when the going gets tough. Amen.
Sunday, July 08, 2007
Monday, June 25, 2007
Should I Stay? -- Dreamz FM
Had a drive
Driven by your love
But when you messed around
I lost the drive I found
Thought you needed
Needed someone true
But you changed your mind
Or had I failed you?
Wish you'd been
Careful with my heart
But you tore it apart
And broke an angel's heart
The kiss was true
Has to end somehow
But I am livin' proof of what love is about
It's hard holding you
Loving you, losing you
It's sad to be true
And be fooled by you
I don't know (I don't know)
I gotta know
Should I stay or should I go?
You played me on
Played me like a clown
But I feel for you
Eventhough I'm down
My heart is heavy
Heavy like a rock
But I am so amused
You're still in my thoughts
It's hard holding you
Loving you, losing you
It's sad to be true
And be fooled by you
I don't know (I don't know)
I gotta know
Should I stay or should I go?
Oooohh...should I stay?
Should I go?
It's hard holding you
Loving you, losing you
It's sad to be true
And be fooled by you
I don't know (I don't know)
I wanna know
Should I stay or should I go?
This time its done
It'll never feel the same
But we had some good times
Guess it's sad just the same
I guess the truth
Doesn't matter somehow
But you were livin' proof of what love is about
Driven by your love
But when you messed around
I lost the drive I found
Thought you needed
Needed someone true
But you changed your mind
Or had I failed you?
Wish you'd been
Careful with my heart
But you tore it apart
And broke an angel's heart
The kiss was true
Has to end somehow
But I am livin' proof of what love is about
It's hard holding you
Loving you, losing you
It's sad to be true
And be fooled by you
I don't know (I don't know)
I gotta know
Should I stay or should I go?
You played me on
Played me like a clown
But I feel for you
Eventhough I'm down
My heart is heavy
Heavy like a rock
But I am so amused
You're still in my thoughts
It's hard holding you
Loving you, losing you
It's sad to be true
And be fooled by you
I don't know (I don't know)
I gotta know
Should I stay or should I go?
Oooohh...should I stay?
Should I go?
It's hard holding you
Loving you, losing you
It's sad to be true
And be fooled by you
I don't know (I don't know)
I wanna know
Should I stay or should I go?
This time its done
It'll never feel the same
But we had some good times
Guess it's sad just the same
I guess the truth
Doesn't matter somehow
But you were livin' proof of what love is about
Monday, June 04, 2007
Reservist isn't going too badly and I've been blessed with countless blessings. First, I might just be able to attend confirmation camp :) Second, though I don't know many people during this in camp, I've been blessed with wonderful ppl to stand gate with - ppl who are not calculating and are very nice in fact! Third, I've been able to feel happy despite donning the dreaded fatigue. All in all, the happy outweighs the sianz!
On another note, I'm super pissed off with some of the freaking parents of my teens. They just seem bo chap and though I know I'm not supposed to judge, but I can already see how fucked up they are as parents. Don't they give a damn about their children? Don't they matter? Screwed up attitude la. Hope things will turn out well though. Just a few more days to get things right. Hope to be able to settle everything before the camp.
Leaving it in Your Hands.
Also, pls pray for my friend who will be in Yunnan today, just one day after the earthquake. I pray that she and her friends will have a safe trip.
Amen.
On another note, I'm super pissed off with some of the freaking parents of my teens. They just seem bo chap and though I know I'm not supposed to judge, but I can already see how fucked up they are as parents. Don't they give a damn about their children? Don't they matter? Screwed up attitude la. Hope things will turn out well though. Just a few more days to get things right. Hope to be able to settle everything before the camp.
Leaving it in Your Hands.
Also, pls pray for my friend who will be in Yunnan today, just one day after the earthquake. I pray that she and her friends will have a safe trip.
Amen.
Sunday, May 27, 2007
Runaway Train
Watched MTV's Top 100 One Hit Wonders just now. It's been such a loooooong time since I caught MTVs and I rediscovered the reason why I love 80s/90s music sooooo much. Anyway, the MTV for Runaway Train was really sad and I guess seeing it gave me a deeper perspective of the song and what the group intended to get across.
The MTV starts off with the line - "there are over one million youth lost on the streets of america" and showed images of children that had gone missing. Some images showed how some of these "missing" girls became prostitutes and the such. Now the words make so much sense to me :( here's the MTV for those who are interested. Wonderful powerful song.
Reservist tomorrow. Somehow it doesn't seem so bad anymore. Perspective.
The MTV starts off with the line - "there are over one million youth lost on the streets of america" and showed images of children that had gone missing. Some images showed how some of these "missing" girls became prostitutes and the such. Now the words make so much sense to me :( here's the MTV for those who are interested. Wonderful powerful song.
Reservist tomorrow. Somehow it doesn't seem so bad anymore. Perspective.
Thursday, May 24, 2007
training to be soldiers...
going for reservist this coming Mon...for a grand total of 19 days. if i'm not wrong, the first two days should be 8-5pm cos have lectures. not really looking forward to it. first, i don't like army. second, i'll be losing the momentum i've built at work. last, i think i will miss my colleagues! i think that i've grown closer to them these past few months and in a sense, i will miss interacting with them and all. of cos, i will miss my bed at home, my dog and my family. *sigh*
today was a rather gloomy day for me, personally. i tried applying what i learnt - change your thinking & behaviour to change your feeling. it worked somewhat cos i arranged dinner and called someone to talk. i felt better but the bad feeling was still lingering, lurking, waiting to pounce at any opportunity.
i will survive. tt's something that all homosapiens have an innate instinct to strive towards. the quality of that existence though, might not be attained.
today was a rather gloomy day for me, personally. i tried applying what i learnt - change your thinking & behaviour to change your feeling. it worked somewhat cos i arranged dinner and called someone to talk. i felt better but the bad feeling was still lingering, lurking, waiting to pounce at any opportunity.
i will survive. tt's something that all homosapiens have an innate instinct to strive towards. the quality of that existence though, might not be attained.
Sunday, April 29, 2007
Man of constant sorrow
Just caught the movie - O Brother, Where Art Thou? - yest and loved it. Wanna share the song, which I find hilarious...enjoy!
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Hong Kong Trip '07
Had a wonderful weekend getaway to HK from Sat - Mon!!!
Ai-yo, ai-yo, it's back to work we go!! (sung dwaft style as in Snow White)
We took Cathay Pacific there and the ride was rather pleasant; the only funny thing that happened was when the steward asked us if we wanted "chicken steak rice or fish & rice" but when we got our meal, we realised that it was lao mai gai!!! haha, he probably meant chicken sticky rice or something. Oh well...
Pic courtesy of MarkG
Landed at the airport and had to take a train to the terminal to collect our luggage and meet our guide who was going to take care of our hotel transfer.
Pic courtesy of MarkG
When talking to our guide, I realised that not knowing Cantonese was gonna be a problem for us. The ride to our hotel was rather nice and from that journey, you can really tell why HK has the greatest land density in the world - they're surrounded or rather gulfed in high mountains which makes that land uninhabitable. Hence the need for high rise! Check out this high rise building!
An older group of buildings...
Our hotel - Mayfield Garden Hotel - was simple and comfortable enough for our needs.
It was also walking distance to Jordan MTR (we wondered if we copied the HK train syst) which connects to all the other places we wanted to go.
Pic courtesy of MarkG
We started off exploring the area around our hotel and as we were hungry, decided to find a place to eat. The streets were swarmed with cars, people as well as colourful billboards/signs which probably gave the streets a vibrant image. As Darryl said, it's one hell of an organised mess.
We chose an eatery which Darryl had been to the previous year and had some dim sum; I also ordered Pork Noodles - check out the pics!
The guy making the dim sum also gamely posed for a picture :)
Afterwhich, we walked around to do more shopping before stopping for a break as Alan was too tired and needed a coffee! We stopped at a 茶餐庭 to have a drink. Our lack of proficiency in Cantonese was apparent in our attempts to clarify what we were ordering but we (finally) managed to order our drinks and some snacks. I had a pork sandwich (yes, pork again!) and a 奶茶 which was so strong we had to put in two packets of sugar!
After this short break, we continued our foray into the street markets. We went to the "Ladies Market" along Tung Choi Street (check out the pic, esp the top right) but I didnt manage to get any souvenirs for friends.
I guess the things were too similar to those that can be found in Chinatown here for me to think it worthwhile to get. heh. Neither did I get anything for myself. I made a mental note to just get some things if I like them, otherwise I might end up with nothing. My nose was also running and I kept drinking fruit juice whenever I had the chance. We took a pit-stop at our hotel before heading out to find dinner/supper.
We stumbled upon a porridge shop and decided to give it a try. I chose the Duck Porridge and had a hot Honey Lemon drink. I found the drink nice and refreshing though a tad bit sweet; the duck porridge however was divine. Compared to the local version in which I find but a few shreds of duck meat, the one I tried had an entire duck drumstick in it! The meat was nice and tender whilst the skin was crisp with a layer of fat on it :) unfortunately, no pics! :(
After dinner, we walked around aimlessly before heading down to the Avenue of Stars at Tsim Sha Tsui promenade. It bore a striking semblance to the Esplanade but this was bigger and had more sights. We had a good time taking pics with Bruce Lee's statue and the hand imprints of stars like Andy Lau, Tony Leung, Maggie Cheung, Jacky Cheung, Jacky Chan, etc!
pic courtesy of MarkG
We also got to see the Clock Tower and the Theatre at the end; the only down-side as we would find out for the other sites we visited, was the foggy weather which made the harbourfront less than spectacular.
pics courtesy of MarkG
Sunday morning started off very early as we wanted to attend Sunday morning mass on Lantau Island. We took the MTR and as we were too late for the 9am mass, we decided to attend the 1030am one at a chapel, so we could have brekkie first. We had brekkie at MacDonalds cos there were only fast food resturants there. I had a Supreme Meal which is basically a Big Breakfast but the bit that I liked was that it came with 奶茶! And I was getting used to the taste so I enjoyed it! Macs is also cheaper than in Spore with a McChicken costing HK$8 only! (less than S$2).
We then took a bus to Trinity Chapel @ Discovery Bay International School to attend the 1030am mass. The chapel was a makeshift part of the school and it was pretty hot there but I thoroughly enjoyed mass.
pic courtesy of MarkG
I think that the choir was good and how they sang some of the hymns was great! Too bad I didn't record some of the hymns. The sermon was also engaging and interesting. What was amazing was, on the bus to the chapel, I noticed this guy sitting in front of Daniel reading something with bible verses on it; I read something about a story of a grandfather but couldn't read everything. Can you imagine my surprise then when the priest began the sermon by telling a story of the grandfather! Daniel turned around and told me - "it's him! we saw him on the bus!" I think this is something that I enjoy and can only be done when your frens are Catholic - attending mass while on holiday! I've attended mass in Bangkok and tried finding a Catholic church in Egypt and now I've attended mass in HK too! :)
After mass, we did something we could only do when it's an all-guy group - play soccer! We watched some locals playing first (including two ladies dressed in the full garb - jerseys, boots and all) then we borrowed a ball and played amongst ourselves, 3 on 3. My team won with each of us scoring a goal; we had great fun! Although we were sweating like mad cows and I at least was super unfit. The lady actually invited us to play with them, but with Zidane in their team and with our fitness lacking, we didn't think it a good idea. So we left with the reputation (if there is one) of Singapore soccer intact.
We then headed back to Tung Chung before transferring to see the Giant Buddha @ Ngong Ping plateau. Our first and only encounter with a rude person in HK was at the terminal and since she was such, we decided to take the public bus there instead. The journey to the Giant Buddha was about 40 minutes and the ride up the mountain was excitingly dangerous as the bus had to travel along a single lane dual-carriageway. In fact, the turns around some corners were so tight that the roads had spaces for buses to stop to give way to other buses. This was worsened by the mist/fog that reduced visibility when we went higher up the mountain. Check out the video for an idea of what the bus ride was like!
At the top, the fog was so thick that we could hardly see anything. The most interesting thing there was the toilet that looked good enough to be an attraction itself.
We had to climb several stairs to get to the Giant Buddha and all that awaited us at the top was a silouette of the majestic bronze Buddha that we were expecting. We waited around awhile but the situation didn't improve much.
Going down the mountain, I managed to squeeze in about 20 mins of nap time despite the perilous ride down. We then had lunch at a Viet restaurant, which was not very satisying as the portion was small and tasteless. In fact, we used the "chilli water" to add flavour though this didn't help much.
Then began the shopping. I guess I bought most of my stuff here, and even then, it included only a Billabong tee (HK$120?) & a Giordano belt (HK$50) & tee (S$70). We took another break, this time with a Smarties McFlurry at Macs. Not bad! We then rushed over to Hong Kong Island to meet Alan's "blind date" - Rose. We had been teasing him about this the whole trip but rest assured (esp Hannah ;) that she's an auntie, so nothing happened. haha. She was very nice though and she bought us 老婆饼 and even told us where to go for good dim sum and shopping!
We then went to Lan Kwai Fong which was supposed to be the place to go to club/pub.
Unfortunately, it wasn't too happening, probably cos it was a Sunday night. Couldn't really find a place to eat so we decided to eat at The Peak. We walked over to the station to take the Peak Tram which ascended up the hill at a 45 degree angle! Thanks to a particular someone, I got conned into believing that there was come a point when the tram was vertical! Idiot! :p We ate at BK (more ex than in S'pore) and I had a Spicy Whopper and I have to say that the fries there are much better! After filling our stomachs, we went up to the viewing gallery only to be disappointed by a thick fog which basically covered any view from the top *Sigh* I would say that this was my greatest disappointment in the trip cos it was nothing like I envisioned and I was looking forward to seeing the view from up there. So we went back down after some gaming at EA sports & a little shopping, but without taking any pics :(
We went back to the hotel to re-group before heading to Temple Street night market, albeit without Alan who was too exhausted to join us. Once again, despite my efforts to buy souvenirs for friends, nothing really caught my eye. Well, nothing that could be given as gifts at least ;) After shopping, we had some dessert - I had some watercress thingy with egg - which was rather ordinary, before heading back to the hotel for some much needed rest.
Monday morning started early again and we had buffet brekkie at the hotel after checking out. I must have stuffed myself with bacon, eggs, sausages, beans & ham cos I wasn't that hungry during lunch later. We then headed down to Causeway Bay; before entering the MTR, we saw two policemen arresting two teens on drug charges cos my friends saw the policemen holding some drugs and the teens looked stoned. Exciting stuff. Too bad we didn't see a chase.
As most of the shops were still closed, we ended up in the arcard to kill time; I enjoyed playing the drum game with Mark and I really like that Jap song!!! How to find it man?!?!
Pic courtesy of MarkG
We then headed to Times Square for Dim Sum. The resturant - Chung's Cuisine - looked very posh and we were checking out the prices before we decided to just try it out. To our pleasant surprise, they ushered us into a private room!! I figured that our attire didn't fit into the norm (Dan and I were dressed in berms, Dan also had on a singlet) and since we were the least dressed people in the whole of HK, they decided to "stow us away" in a room. Not that we minded, cos it was way cool to have our own room! Such a thing would never happen in Singapore. We had some great dim sum there and dessert was divine too! The best part is that the total bill came to less than HK$330, which meant that we paid only S$11 each!
After lunch was some last minute shopping where I got a Nike tee (HK$143), an Adidas wristband (HK$35) and the Tuesdays with Morrie DVD (HK$69) from HMV!!! Alan was tired so we headed off to have a drink and sit down. We went to House of Coral which is like a fast food joint that sells HK snacks/food/drinks. I (finally) had my yuen yeung which is a tea-coffee mix, and a(nother) Crispy Pork Bun! My last local meal in HK and I enjoyed it lots. After this was the mad rush back to the hotel as the tour bus was supposed to pick us up at 5; we reached at 510pm but thankfully the bus was still there. I managed to capture this shot from the bus and I like it a lot - Tsing Ma Bridge
We grabbed a Popeye meal in the airport and almost missed the plane - first time we had a Last Call sign and had not boarded the plane, so Alan and myself went ahead to try to stall them if necessary.
The journey back was pleasant on almost all accounts - a beautiful stewardess serving us, a beautiful HK passenger behind Wayne, delicious lamb, potatoes, chicken salad & a hot bun (the best I have ever tasted on a plane) & excellent African white wine - except for the lack of leg-room. I also managed to catch a Chinese gangster movie - Exiled - starring Anthony Wong, Francis Ng, etc. which I thought was excellent cos there was great acting and a good storyline/ plot. A fitting end to my HK trip.
One thing I enjoyed about this trip was that I didn't have to worry about where to go, where I was, read maps, so worry about anything! This was so different from my Perth trip where I was in charge; things would have been very different too if there were girls on this trip :) I guess this is one thing about an all-guy group that I enjoy a lot cos we are kinda mostly on the same wavelength and looking at the same stuff.
Another thing about Hong Kong is its excellent service standards, especially when contrasted to that in Singapore. All my experiences shopping were excellent - when I bought the Nike tee, the cashier helped me get a new piece still wrapped in plastic even though I didn't ask and he would need to get it from the storeroom; the salespeople at Giordano showed us the latest clothes and made suggestions even though we didn't look like we were going to buy anything; another salesgirl modeled two bags for me so I could see how it looked (haha, I admit I enjoyed this) and the sales people greet you when you come in/leave all the time, even when I went into/out of the shop countless times to check on Wayne. No wonder people say our service standards are lacking - it is!
I guess something that I would have to admit is that there are much more pretty girls in Singapore than in HK!!! Many HK has a few pretty/beautiful/gorgeous ones, but the average girl here is much better than the average girls there!!
The food there is different too - they have a lot of pork!! Plus their food is not spicy at all, even when they claim it to be. Although I liked most of the food there, I'll have to agree with Alan who felt that he couldn't eat such food for long. I guess we're so accustomed to the myraid food we have here that any place else would not suffice.
Last but not least, HK is a vibrant city and one that almost never sleeps. Compared to Singapore which claims the same, I think we pale in comparison. Maybe only our ports (air & sea) do not sleep but our city snoozes after 10pm. For the energy, the food, the shopping and the weather, I will definitely go back again.
Now, back to reality.
Ai-yo, ai-yo, it's back to work we go!! (sung dwaft style as in Snow White)
We took Cathay Pacific there and the ride was rather pleasant; the only funny thing that happened was when the steward asked us if we wanted "chicken steak rice or fish & rice" but when we got our meal, we realised that it was lao mai gai!!! haha, he probably meant chicken sticky rice or something. Oh well...
Landed at the airport and had to take a train to the terminal to collect our luggage and meet our guide who was going to take care of our hotel transfer.
When talking to our guide, I realised that not knowing Cantonese was gonna be a problem for us. The ride to our hotel was rather nice and from that journey, you can really tell why HK has the greatest land density in the world - they're surrounded or rather gulfed in high mountains which makes that land uninhabitable. Hence the need for high rise! Check out this high rise building!
An older group of buildings...
Our hotel - Mayfield Garden Hotel - was simple and comfortable enough for our needs.
It was also walking distance to Jordan MTR (we wondered if we copied the HK train syst) which connects to all the other places we wanted to go.
We started off exploring the area around our hotel and as we were hungry, decided to find a place to eat. The streets were swarmed with cars, people as well as colourful billboards/signs which probably gave the streets a vibrant image. As Darryl said, it's one hell of an organised mess.
We chose an eatery which Darryl had been to the previous year and had some dim sum; I also ordered Pork Noodles - check out the pics!
The guy making the dim sum also gamely posed for a picture :)
Afterwhich, we walked around to do more shopping before stopping for a break as Alan was too tired and needed a coffee! We stopped at a 茶餐庭 to have a drink. Our lack of proficiency in Cantonese was apparent in our attempts to clarify what we were ordering but we (finally) managed to order our drinks and some snacks. I had a pork sandwich (yes, pork again!) and a 奶茶 which was so strong we had to put in two packets of sugar!
After this short break, we continued our foray into the street markets. We went to the "Ladies Market" along Tung Choi Street (check out the pic, esp the top right) but I didnt manage to get any souvenirs for friends.
I guess the things were too similar to those that can be found in Chinatown here for me to think it worthwhile to get. heh. Neither did I get anything for myself. I made a mental note to just get some things if I like them, otherwise I might end up with nothing. My nose was also running and I kept drinking fruit juice whenever I had the chance. We took a pit-stop at our hotel before heading out to find dinner/supper.
We stumbled upon a porridge shop and decided to give it a try. I chose the Duck Porridge and had a hot Honey Lemon drink. I found the drink nice and refreshing though a tad bit sweet; the duck porridge however was divine. Compared to the local version in which I find but a few shreds of duck meat, the one I tried had an entire duck drumstick in it! The meat was nice and tender whilst the skin was crisp with a layer of fat on it :) unfortunately, no pics! :(
After dinner, we walked around aimlessly before heading down to the Avenue of Stars at Tsim Sha Tsui promenade. It bore a striking semblance to the Esplanade but this was bigger and had more sights. We had a good time taking pics with Bruce Lee's statue and the hand imprints of stars like Andy Lau, Tony Leung, Maggie Cheung, Jacky Cheung, Jacky Chan, etc!
We also got to see the Clock Tower and the Theatre at the end; the only down-side as we would find out for the other sites we visited, was the foggy weather which made the harbourfront less than spectacular.
Sunday morning started off very early as we wanted to attend Sunday morning mass on Lantau Island. We took the MTR and as we were too late for the 9am mass, we decided to attend the 1030am one at a chapel, so we could have brekkie first. We had brekkie at MacDonalds cos there were only fast food resturants there. I had a Supreme Meal which is basically a Big Breakfast but the bit that I liked was that it came with 奶茶! And I was getting used to the taste so I enjoyed it! Macs is also cheaper than in Spore with a McChicken costing HK$8 only! (less than S$2).
We then took a bus to Trinity Chapel @ Discovery Bay International School to attend the 1030am mass. The chapel was a makeshift part of the school and it was pretty hot there but I thoroughly enjoyed mass.
pic courtesy of MarkG
I think that the choir was good and how they sang some of the hymns was great! Too bad I didn't record some of the hymns. The sermon was also engaging and interesting. What was amazing was, on the bus to the chapel, I noticed this guy sitting in front of Daniel reading something with bible verses on it; I read something about a story of a grandfather but couldn't read everything. Can you imagine my surprise then when the priest began the sermon by telling a story of the grandfather! Daniel turned around and told me - "it's him! we saw him on the bus!" I think this is something that I enjoy and can only be done when your frens are Catholic - attending mass while on holiday! I've attended mass in Bangkok and tried finding a Catholic church in Egypt and now I've attended mass in HK too! :)
After mass, we did something we could only do when it's an all-guy group - play soccer! We watched some locals playing first (including two ladies dressed in the full garb - jerseys, boots and all) then we borrowed a ball and played amongst ourselves, 3 on 3. My team won with each of us scoring a goal; we had great fun! Although we were sweating like mad cows and I at least was super unfit. The lady actually invited us to play with them, but with Zidane in their team and with our fitness lacking, we didn't think it a good idea. So we left with the reputation (if there is one) of Singapore soccer intact.
We then headed back to Tung Chung before transferring to see the Giant Buddha @ Ngong Ping plateau. Our first and only encounter with a rude person in HK was at the terminal and since she was such, we decided to take the public bus there instead. The journey to the Giant Buddha was about 40 minutes and the ride up the mountain was excitingly dangerous as the bus had to travel along a single lane dual-carriageway. In fact, the turns around some corners were so tight that the roads had spaces for buses to stop to give way to other buses. This was worsened by the mist/fog that reduced visibility when we went higher up the mountain. Check out the video for an idea of what the bus ride was like!
At the top, the fog was so thick that we could hardly see anything. The most interesting thing there was the toilet that looked good enough to be an attraction itself.
We had to climb several stairs to get to the Giant Buddha and all that awaited us at the top was a silouette of the majestic bronze Buddha that we were expecting. We waited around awhile but the situation didn't improve much.
Going down the mountain, I managed to squeeze in about 20 mins of nap time despite the perilous ride down. We then had lunch at a Viet restaurant, which was not very satisying as the portion was small and tasteless. In fact, we used the "chilli water" to add flavour though this didn't help much.
Then began the shopping. I guess I bought most of my stuff here, and even then, it included only a Billabong tee (HK$120?) & a Giordano belt (HK$50) & tee (S$70). We took another break, this time with a Smarties McFlurry at Macs. Not bad! We then rushed over to Hong Kong Island to meet Alan's "blind date" - Rose. We had been teasing him about this the whole trip but rest assured (esp Hannah ;) that she's an auntie, so nothing happened. haha. She was very nice though and she bought us 老婆饼 and even told us where to go for good dim sum and shopping!
We then went to Lan Kwai Fong which was supposed to be the place to go to club/pub.
Unfortunately, it wasn't too happening, probably cos it was a Sunday night. Couldn't really find a place to eat so we decided to eat at The Peak. We walked over to the station to take the Peak Tram which ascended up the hill at a 45 degree angle! Thanks to a particular someone, I got conned into believing that there was come a point when the tram was vertical! Idiot! :p We ate at BK (more ex than in S'pore) and I had a Spicy Whopper and I have to say that the fries there are much better! After filling our stomachs, we went up to the viewing gallery only to be disappointed by a thick fog which basically covered any view from the top *Sigh* I would say that this was my greatest disappointment in the trip cos it was nothing like I envisioned and I was looking forward to seeing the view from up there. So we went back down after some gaming at EA sports & a little shopping, but without taking any pics :(
We went back to the hotel to re-group before heading to Temple Street night market, albeit without Alan who was too exhausted to join us. Once again, despite my efforts to buy souvenirs for friends, nothing really caught my eye. Well, nothing that could be given as gifts at least ;) After shopping, we had some dessert - I had some watercress thingy with egg - which was rather ordinary, before heading back to the hotel for some much needed rest.
Monday morning started early again and we had buffet brekkie at the hotel after checking out. I must have stuffed myself with bacon, eggs, sausages, beans & ham cos I wasn't that hungry during lunch later. We then headed down to Causeway Bay; before entering the MTR, we saw two policemen arresting two teens on drug charges cos my friends saw the policemen holding some drugs and the teens looked stoned. Exciting stuff. Too bad we didn't see a chase.
As most of the shops were still closed, we ended up in the arcard to kill time; I enjoyed playing the drum game with Mark and I really like that Jap song!!! How to find it man?!?!
We then headed to Times Square for Dim Sum. The resturant - Chung's Cuisine - looked very posh and we were checking out the prices before we decided to just try it out. To our pleasant surprise, they ushered us into a private room!! I figured that our attire didn't fit into the norm (Dan and I were dressed in berms, Dan also had on a singlet) and since we were the least dressed people in the whole of HK, they decided to "stow us away" in a room. Not that we minded, cos it was way cool to have our own room! Such a thing would never happen in Singapore. We had some great dim sum there and dessert was divine too! The best part is that the total bill came to less than HK$330, which meant that we paid only S$11 each!
After lunch was some last minute shopping where I got a Nike tee (HK$143), an Adidas wristband (HK$35) and the Tuesdays with Morrie DVD (HK$69) from HMV!!! Alan was tired so we headed off to have a drink and sit down. We went to House of Coral which is like a fast food joint that sells HK snacks/food/drinks. I (finally) had my yuen yeung which is a tea-coffee mix, and a(nother) Crispy Pork Bun! My last local meal in HK and I enjoyed it lots. After this was the mad rush back to the hotel as the tour bus was supposed to pick us up at 5; we reached at 510pm but thankfully the bus was still there. I managed to capture this shot from the bus and I like it a lot - Tsing Ma Bridge
We grabbed a Popeye meal in the airport and almost missed the plane - first time we had a Last Call sign and had not boarded the plane, so Alan and myself went ahead to try to stall them if necessary.
The journey back was pleasant on almost all accounts - a beautiful stewardess serving us, a beautiful HK passenger behind Wayne, delicious lamb, potatoes, chicken salad & a hot bun (the best I have ever tasted on a plane) & excellent African white wine - except for the lack of leg-room. I also managed to catch a Chinese gangster movie - Exiled - starring Anthony Wong, Francis Ng, etc. which I thought was excellent cos there was great acting and a good storyline/ plot. A fitting end to my HK trip.
One thing I enjoyed about this trip was that I didn't have to worry about where to go, where I was, read maps, so worry about anything! This was so different from my Perth trip where I was in charge; things would have been very different too if there were girls on this trip :) I guess this is one thing about an all-guy group that I enjoy a lot cos we are kinda mostly on the same wavelength and looking at the same stuff.
Another thing about Hong Kong is its excellent service standards, especially when contrasted to that in Singapore. All my experiences shopping were excellent - when I bought the Nike tee, the cashier helped me get a new piece still wrapped in plastic even though I didn't ask and he would need to get it from the storeroom; the salespeople at Giordano showed us the latest clothes and made suggestions even though we didn't look like we were going to buy anything; another salesgirl modeled two bags for me so I could see how it looked (haha, I admit I enjoyed this) and the sales people greet you when you come in/leave all the time, even when I went into/out of the shop countless times to check on Wayne. No wonder people say our service standards are lacking - it is!
I guess something that I would have to admit is that there are much more pretty girls in Singapore than in HK!!! Many HK has a few pretty/beautiful/gorgeous ones, but the average girl here is much better than the average girls there!!
The food there is different too - they have a lot of pork!! Plus their food is not spicy at all, even when they claim it to be. Although I liked most of the food there, I'll have to agree with Alan who felt that he couldn't eat such food for long. I guess we're so accustomed to the myraid food we have here that any place else would not suffice.
Last but not least, HK is a vibrant city and one that almost never sleeps. Compared to Singapore which claims the same, I think we pale in comparison. Maybe only our ports (air & sea) do not sleep but our city snoozes after 10pm. For the energy, the food, the shopping and the weather, I will definitely go back again.
Now, back to reality.
Saturday, April 14, 2007
better day
My dad got his test results today; he's got diabetes. Why then is this a better day? I dunno, seriously. Maybe I'm hopeful. I'm hopeful that his condition ain't too serious and that it can be managed well with a change of diet & lifestyle. The sharing and prayers of some friends has helped too. Thank you! :)
I guess the 'day' really started off last night when I had a great chat with a friend. Went to Yishun Dam area and it was really crowded, esp since it's such an ulu place. Got to drive her Nissan Sunny too; I think Honda Jazz & Toyota Vios are better. heh. Topped it off with an exploration of the route from the dam to Jalan Kayu, where we had supper. A great time.
woke up with the realisation that I had yet to plan for cat class. looked at the topics and felt that my own topic would be good since the planned lesson would have been touched during the camp in June. So decided to show them clips of Hotel Rwanda and lead a discussion based on suffering, their experiences and how they were able to forgive each other despite the atrocities. I thot that the lesson, though somewhat start-stop, was well received and at least appreciated by some :) I think this is a good start to what is about to end soon.
Mass was good (and I will be attending again tomorrow!!) and dinner @ Ikea was great too, except for the fact that we couldnt get a table although we had ordered our food! Must be the company la. Then had another ride to Yishun before being sent home.
Nothing has really changed, except my perception. But sometimes, sometimes, that's all it takes to make a difference.
I guess the 'day' really started off last night when I had a great chat with a friend. Went to Yishun Dam area and it was really crowded, esp since it's such an ulu place. Got to drive her Nissan Sunny too; I think Honda Jazz & Toyota Vios are better. heh. Topped it off with an exploration of the route from the dam to Jalan Kayu, where we had supper. A great time.
woke up with the realisation that I had yet to plan for cat class. looked at the topics and felt that my own topic would be good since the planned lesson would have been touched during the camp in June. So decided to show them clips of Hotel Rwanda and lead a discussion based on suffering, their experiences and how they were able to forgive each other despite the atrocities. I thot that the lesson, though somewhat start-stop, was well received and at least appreciated by some :) I think this is a good start to what is about to end soon.
Mass was good (and I will be attending again tomorrow!!) and dinner @ Ikea was great too, except for the fact that we couldnt get a table although we had ordered our food! Must be the company la. Then had another ride to Yishun before being sent home.
Nothing has really changed, except my perception. But sometimes, sometimes, that's all it takes to make a difference.
Sunday, April 08, 2007
RIP & other announcements
I lost my Hurley Cap today. Fuck. I bought it in aussie land and I really liked it. If any fucker wears that cap (if you see, pls tell me), I'm gonna beat the living daylights out of him cos there's no way in hell anyone else in Spore has got that cap.
:( I'll miss ya mate, for the times you protected my head from being sun burnt. A constant companion and someone who fit me so well :(
Life's been...what can I say? Angsty. I hate how my life is now and the more I keep fighting the more things irritate me and piss me off.
Easter weekend was kinda simple, slow. Slow la, cos mass took 3 hrs! haha...anyway, saw a lot of my ex-students and I kinda realised (k, I knew this for some time but it just affirmed my thinking) tt what I've done with these kids over the years don't count for much. Their faith level is really dependent on whether they were church-going and all before they came for catechism. Parents really play the most important role; friends come a close 2nd.
In line with that thinking and of cos, many other factors which I won't mention here, I have decided not to continue with catechism come the end of this yr when my current batch of youth get confirmed. I guess after 4 yrs (Alan and I joined in May 2003), it's time to move on. I'll miss them but when you can't give so much, you gotta be fair to them and yourself. You gotta.
Reservist - a fuckin' waste of time! I didnt realise that I would feel this way but I do now. It's really just such a BIG disruption and it's affecting the courses that I have to take at work and stuff. Now I understand why that stranger told me how his boss would rather hire foreigners cos they won't "abandone their work irresponsibly and need someone else to take over his duties". I guess those in the civil service don't have to worry about that but then this guy was probably from the lower income job or something and I'm beginning to see his point. Can't I concentrate on work or something? Haven't you wasted 2.5 yrs of my life already? Don't get me wrong - I think NSF is essential (only as a deterrence) but it still doesn't take away the fact that it is a complete, utter waste of time. Reservist is...forget it.
I will be going to HK for a weekend getaway from 21-23rd April - woohoo! JB on the 20th as well! Looking forward to these bright specs in an otherwise bleak vacuum.
Freedom Fighters
I caught this film with some of the guys on Good Friday. I must say that the movie was quite good. Wanted to write a bit on it then but the inspiration has left. What probably impressed me the most was that it was actually based on a real event! Do catch the movie if you can; it's def better than Shooter, Bean and the other current screenings.
K, that's all for now. Hope the next broadcast is a good one. Cya!~
:( I'll miss ya mate, for the times you protected my head from being sun burnt. A constant companion and someone who fit me so well :(
Life's been...what can I say? Angsty. I hate how my life is now and the more I keep fighting the more things irritate me and piss me off.
Easter weekend was kinda simple, slow. Slow la, cos mass took 3 hrs! haha...anyway, saw a lot of my ex-students and I kinda realised (k, I knew this for some time but it just affirmed my thinking) tt what I've done with these kids over the years don't count for much. Their faith level is really dependent on whether they were church-going and all before they came for catechism. Parents really play the most important role; friends come a close 2nd.
In line with that thinking and of cos, many other factors which I won't mention here, I have decided not to continue with catechism come the end of this yr when my current batch of youth get confirmed. I guess after 4 yrs (Alan and I joined in May 2003), it's time to move on. I'll miss them but when you can't give so much, you gotta be fair to them and yourself. You gotta.
Reservist - a fuckin' waste of time! I didnt realise that I would feel this way but I do now. It's really just such a BIG disruption and it's affecting the courses that I have to take at work and stuff. Now I understand why that stranger told me how his boss would rather hire foreigners cos they won't "abandone their work irresponsibly and need someone else to take over his duties". I guess those in the civil service don't have to worry about that but then this guy was probably from the lower income job or something and I'm beginning to see his point. Can't I concentrate on work or something? Haven't you wasted 2.5 yrs of my life already? Don't get me wrong - I think NSF is essential (only as a deterrence) but it still doesn't take away the fact that it is a complete, utter waste of time. Reservist is...forget it.
I will be going to HK for a weekend getaway from 21-23rd April - woohoo! JB on the 20th as well! Looking forward to these bright specs in an otherwise bleak vacuum.
Freedom Fighters
I caught this film with some of the guys on Good Friday. I must say that the movie was quite good. Wanted to write a bit on it then but the inspiration has left. What probably impressed me the most was that it was actually based on a real event! Do catch the movie if you can; it's def better than Shooter, Bean and the other current screenings.
K, that's all for now. Hope the next broadcast is a good one. Cya!~
Monday, March 26, 2007
The Pits
No la, it ain't as bad as indicated in the title. But it's not good either.
I think my dad has diabetes. The signs are there and usually when the signs are there, it's not the early stages anymore. The good thing is that diabetes is a chronic disease which allows one to lead a normal life if managed properly. I'm bugging him to see a doc but he's procrastinating. *sigh*
The past 2 wks at work has not been too good for me. Stopping short of providing details, I would say that moral, for both myself and some other colleagues, is pretty low. One of my weaknesses is my inability to adapt quickly to changes; I've made a conscious effort to work on this and now it's being put to the test. Am not really looking forward to this change but it would really be a challenge, one that I was seeking for not too long ago. However, having settled into a different clientele, I've kinda "adjusted" and now, I'm not too sure if I'm up to this challenge now. We'll see. On an up side, I still love my colleagues! :)
Another matter is irritating the hell out of it as it remains largely unresolved. Let me give you a hint, it can only involve guys; if girls are involved, than they chose it. The inefficiencies of this system is apalling and I'll be doing a stint in late May-mid June and everything seems to be working against me at this time. Well, to be honest, I created this mess, so I can't really blame anyone. But, I sure as hell hope that I can resolve this so that it doesn't get excessively messy.
The good bits are that I've been able to meet up with friends. Been keeping this up a bit though I haven't felt that I had the energy to. Would have liked to work on tennis but the rain hasn't been relenting on Wed. Pls rain (not the korean dude), go away on Weds!
Anyway, gonna end off with the last bit of The Verve's "The Drugs don't work"; Wayne highlighted to me how the song seemed to end on a high and I will try to follow suit. Hope this week's better...
I think my dad has diabetes. The signs are there and usually when the signs are there, it's not the early stages anymore. The good thing is that diabetes is a chronic disease which allows one to lead a normal life if managed properly. I'm bugging him to see a doc but he's procrastinating. *sigh*
The past 2 wks at work has not been too good for me. Stopping short of providing details, I would say that moral, for both myself and some other colleagues, is pretty low. One of my weaknesses is my inability to adapt quickly to changes; I've made a conscious effort to work on this and now it's being put to the test. Am not really looking forward to this change but it would really be a challenge, one that I was seeking for not too long ago. However, having settled into a different clientele, I've kinda "adjusted" and now, I'm not too sure if I'm up to this challenge now. We'll see. On an up side, I still love my colleagues! :)
Another matter is irritating the hell out of it as it remains largely unresolved. Let me give you a hint, it can only involve guys; if girls are involved, than they chose it. The inefficiencies of this system is apalling and I'll be doing a stint in late May-mid June and everything seems to be working against me at this time. Well, to be honest, I created this mess, so I can't really blame anyone. But, I sure as hell hope that I can resolve this so that it doesn't get excessively messy.
The good bits are that I've been able to meet up with friends. Been keeping this up a bit though I haven't felt that I had the energy to. Would have liked to work on tennis but the rain hasn't been relenting on Wed. Pls rain (not the korean dude), go away on Weds!
Anyway, gonna end off with the last bit of The Verve's "The Drugs don't work"; Wayne highlighted to me how the song seemed to end on a high and I will try to follow suit. Hope this week's better...
I'm never going down, I'm never coming down
No more, no more, no more, no more, no more
I'm never coming down, I'm never going down
No more, no more, no more, no more, no more
No more, no more, no more, no more, no more
I'm never coming down, I'm never going down
No more, no more, no more, no more, no more
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
11:14 & Paradise Now
Rented the above-named movies and managed to watch them over the past three days.
11:14 is a dark comedy which is narrated in the style of Momento and Crash combined. I had a great shock when watching the opening sequence in the darkness of my room, volume up on my earphones - you've been warned! It was rather interesting in how the stories were all intertwined but lacked the class that momento & crash had (I loved those two movies!).
Paradise Now was rather different - it spoke of the last 48 hours of two childhood friends who have decided to become martyrs by setting a bomb off to kill as many Israeli soldiers as possible. In a sense, it gave me a slight glimpse of the Palestinian perspective, untainted by Western lenses. A particular line stuck me in that Said lamented how the Israelis could be at the same time, the occupier (to the Palestinians) and the victim (to most of the world) at the same time; he argued he should then be the victim but at the same time, the murderer. What scares me is the dichotomous thinking that one may take to resolve matters and our selection bias in quoting certain religious documents to justify our actions (shouldn't it be the other way rd?)
Maybe what was disappointing for me was that the story which was built up in such great detail lacked a climax. I found the ending good though, and through those dogged eyes, I won't pretend that I can fathom their reasoning, but I can at least say I can see where they're coming from.
On another note, work this week has been horrible for many trivial matters. Yesterday was the worst day thus far; today was better but group left me feeling quite down. There's so much to do. Will reflect and write out my thoughts tomorrow. For now, I rest easier in the belief that I'm a much stronger person than I was. And this will see me through.
Ciao.
11:14 is a dark comedy which is narrated in the style of Momento and Crash combined. I had a great shock when watching the opening sequence in the darkness of my room, volume up on my earphones - you've been warned! It was rather interesting in how the stories were all intertwined but lacked the class that momento & crash had (I loved those two movies!).
Paradise Now was rather different - it spoke of the last 48 hours of two childhood friends who have decided to become martyrs by setting a bomb off to kill as many Israeli soldiers as possible. In a sense, it gave me a slight glimpse of the Palestinian perspective, untainted by Western lenses. A particular line stuck me in that Said lamented how the Israelis could be at the same time, the occupier (to the Palestinians) and the victim (to most of the world) at the same time; he argued he should then be the victim but at the same time, the murderer. What scares me is the dichotomous thinking that one may take to resolve matters and our selection bias in quoting certain religious documents to justify our actions (shouldn't it be the other way rd?)
Maybe what was disappointing for me was that the story which was built up in such great detail lacked a climax. I found the ending good though, and through those dogged eyes, I won't pretend that I can fathom their reasoning, but I can at least say I can see where they're coming from.
On another note, work this week has been horrible for many trivial matters. Yesterday was the worst day thus far; today was better but group left me feeling quite down. There's so much to do. Will reflect and write out my thoughts tomorrow. For now, I rest easier in the belief that I'm a much stronger person than I was. And this will see me through.
Ciao.
Sunday, March 04, 2007
.
I dont think there is any headline to this post. Just random thoughts here and there...
Work has started to get a little stagnant and I have to keep up at observing cos I want more action instead of just sitting in. I've been putting off doing my readings as well. It struck me, however, on Fri when I was listening to a keynote address, that we need theory. The speaker was lamenting the demise of gerontological theories since the postmodern era. He mentioned that theory helps inform us of research & policy dimensions, which in turn help to form and modify theories, if necessary. It struck me that I need to read. I need to read to see the theories behind the work that I'm doing, namely Choice Theory & CBT. I need to understand and see how my organization ticks.
Thus, I have decided to make a concerted effort to read up more on these topics. Maybe before going into a session, I can try to see where these theories fit in, through the activities, role-plays, discussions, etc. After each session, I will look at what has transpired and see how it fit into the theories which have in fact informed these session.
I have also been blessed to have been able to run small activities in some of the group sessions. I have a lot to work on but I have been able to see some improvement. One of the things I have to work on is being able to concentrate for the entire activity or session. Cos, somehow I seem to drift off after awhile and it doesnt help cos I end up asking stupid questions! Anyhow, my mentor said that I've been progressing well so, so far so good. Still got a lot to learn. A lot to learn.
I must say that I've been really blessed to have two fellow colleagues who have also just joined! Though we're not posted to the same office, we met up recently and have been keeping in touch through email and stuff. Look forward to meeting them again, haha, and discussing our case study :)
I attempted to cycle to my workplace today. Unfortunately, I had vastly over-estimated myself. After about 10km, I realised that there was no way in hell I was gonna make it to my workplace & back home. Hence, I resigned myself to take a water break at the bus stop outside my old camp (Old Tampines Rd) and headed back home. I must say that the ride was rather pleasant in many aspects. First, I could take in the peace & quiet, esp along the canal heading towards Upper Serangoon Rd. Second, it gave me time to think about certain things. It helped me to see things from a different perspective: when you wanna buy a glove, what do you look for? Do you go for something that looks great, or looks damn stylo? I think many times tt's an important characteristic. Yes, I'm not saying it's not. But it shdn't be the most important. The most important thing is that it fits you well and that you are comfortable with it. I think this analogy which struck me just now, can be applied in many areas (I can think of two). The glove that fits me best. Third, the ride gave me some exercise! which i didnt get this wk cos tennis was cancelled. Anyway, it was a good thing I didn't push on to Changi cos the moment I rode into Sengkang, it started to drizzle :) capped off my ride with 100plus & teh si-ping!
There's a lot of things to do this wk, so I'm looking forward to that! With an aching butt and a grateful heart, I sign off. Ciao! :)
Work has started to get a little stagnant and I have to keep up at observing cos I want more action instead of just sitting in. I've been putting off doing my readings as well. It struck me, however, on Fri when I was listening to a keynote address, that we need theory. The speaker was lamenting the demise of gerontological theories since the postmodern era. He mentioned that theory helps inform us of research & policy dimensions, which in turn help to form and modify theories, if necessary. It struck me that I need to read. I need to read to see the theories behind the work that I'm doing, namely Choice Theory & CBT. I need to understand and see how my organization ticks.
Thus, I have decided to make a concerted effort to read up more on these topics. Maybe before going into a session, I can try to see where these theories fit in, through the activities, role-plays, discussions, etc. After each session, I will look at what has transpired and see how it fit into the theories which have in fact informed these session.
I have also been blessed to have been able to run small activities in some of the group sessions. I have a lot to work on but I have been able to see some improvement. One of the things I have to work on is being able to concentrate for the entire activity or session. Cos, somehow I seem to drift off after awhile and it doesnt help cos I end up asking stupid questions! Anyhow, my mentor said that I've been progressing well so, so far so good. Still got a lot to learn. A lot to learn.
I must say that I've been really blessed to have two fellow colleagues who have also just joined! Though we're not posted to the same office, we met up recently and have been keeping in touch through email and stuff. Look forward to meeting them again, haha, and discussing our case study :)
I attempted to cycle to my workplace today. Unfortunately, I had vastly over-estimated myself. After about 10km, I realised that there was no way in hell I was gonna make it to my workplace & back home. Hence, I resigned myself to take a water break at the bus stop outside my old camp (Old Tampines Rd) and headed back home. I must say that the ride was rather pleasant in many aspects. First, I could take in the peace & quiet, esp along the canal heading towards Upper Serangoon Rd. Second, it gave me time to think about certain things. It helped me to see things from a different perspective: when you wanna buy a glove, what do you look for? Do you go for something that looks great, or looks damn stylo? I think many times tt's an important characteristic. Yes, I'm not saying it's not. But it shdn't be the most important. The most important thing is that it fits you well and that you are comfortable with it. I think this analogy which struck me just now, can be applied in many areas (I can think of two). The glove that fits me best. Third, the ride gave me some exercise! which i didnt get this wk cos tennis was cancelled. Anyway, it was a good thing I didn't push on to Changi cos the moment I rode into Sengkang, it started to drizzle :) capped off my ride with 100plus & teh si-ping!
There's a lot of things to do this wk, so I'm looking forward to that! With an aching butt and a grateful heart, I sign off. Ciao! :)
Sunday, February 11, 2007
One month annivesary
I have officially made it past my first month at work, and things are going well. I hope this continues! Thanks to Ed, I checked my bank acct and realised that I got my first pay check! :D quite happy about that. It's def good news, coming from an unfortunate event today. On another positive note, I dropped my handphone in the picturehouse @ the Cathay. Luckily for me, a lady found it and passed it to me as I was rushing back into the cinema. Thank you lady! I really appreciated that! :) otherwise, the night would really have ended on a sour note. God bless u!
Anyway, this week had been rather eventful. I had wanted to blog about it a few times but my mood prevented me from doing so. Started tennis on Wed and thinking of sticking with it despite my atrocious backhand. Will keep me occupied in healthy activities on Weds! :)
The highlight of the week has to be the teambuilding event I was for on Fri. I had loads of fun despite all the cuts I got on my knee and I think I got to know some of the other counsellors better. I hope to get to know some of them even more as we go about work and I hope that this event has helped show my colleagues that I'm not the type of person they think I am :) It was also an opportunity for me to let loose.
I think I'm blessed in many areas. Having good colleagues is one of them. And jus as I was feeling down, God gave me something to look forward to and tide me over till joy could take over again. I guess all things happen for a reason. It's just that when you're in the present, the bigger picture doesn't come into focus and the minute details can overwhelm you.
What happened today was expected. You can say that it's counterfactual thinking but I just had a gut feel about it in the afternoon. And the sequence of events thereafter all just helped things to flow in the way that I anticipated. Not that it made the disappointment any less pervasive. I'm just thankful that I had company in the end.
Half Nelson
I have to thank Jo for mentioning this movie to me and I also have to apologise for not waiting for you to watch it tog. I don't know if you're reading this but I just had a gut feel that you might not have wanted to watch it with me.
Anyway, the movie wasn't as spectacular as I expected but it did strike a chord in me. The gist of it as I saw it is a story about two people in a moral catch 22 - they both wanna help the other dis-associate from a certain wrong-doing, only to be themselves guilty of that very deed. Hmmm, not sure if this one line does the movie any justice but I think that it's a good movie overall. But you don't have to catch it.
Sunday is here - my day of rest. I hope my mood remains stable. I wanna recharge so that I can work with passion again on Mon. God bless one and all! God bless...
Anyway, this week had been rather eventful. I had wanted to blog about it a few times but my mood prevented me from doing so. Started tennis on Wed and thinking of sticking with it despite my atrocious backhand. Will keep me occupied in healthy activities on Weds! :)
The highlight of the week has to be the teambuilding event I was for on Fri. I had loads of fun despite all the cuts I got on my knee and I think I got to know some of the other counsellors better. I hope to get to know some of them even more as we go about work and I hope that this event has helped show my colleagues that I'm not the type of person they think I am :) It was also an opportunity for me to let loose.
I think I'm blessed in many areas. Having good colleagues is one of them. And jus as I was feeling down, God gave me something to look forward to and tide me over till joy could take over again. I guess all things happen for a reason. It's just that when you're in the present, the bigger picture doesn't come into focus and the minute details can overwhelm you.
What happened today was expected. You can say that it's counterfactual thinking but I just had a gut feel about it in the afternoon. And the sequence of events thereafter all just helped things to flow in the way that I anticipated. Not that it made the disappointment any less pervasive. I'm just thankful that I had company in the end.
Half Nelson
I have to thank Jo for mentioning this movie to me and I also have to apologise for not waiting for you to watch it tog. I don't know if you're reading this but I just had a gut feel that you might not have wanted to watch it with me.
Anyway, the movie wasn't as spectacular as I expected but it did strike a chord in me. The gist of it as I saw it is a story about two people in a moral catch 22 - they both wanna help the other dis-associate from a certain wrong-doing, only to be themselves guilty of that very deed. Hmmm, not sure if this one line does the movie any justice but I think that it's a good movie overall. But you don't have to catch it.
Sunday is here - my day of rest. I hope my mood remains stable. I wanna recharge so that I can work with passion again on Mon. God bless one and all! God bless...
Monday, January 22, 2007
Group Therapy
I had the privilege of attending a group therapy workshop today and thought I'll jot down some points which I hope to remember.
1. It's not easy being a facilitator in the forming stage of group work. Neither is it easy on the participant. I think the personality of the participant plays a big part in how the group starts off. If they know each other very well and if they're the loud, boisterous kind, then you're in for a good time. But it is more likely that you'll get a mixture of loud and quiet ppl; and even the loud ones can be quiet until they feel comfortable being themselves. How can members be made to feel comfortable?
2. Creating a safe environment helps. Expectations are rapidly being formed by members once the group process begins. The facilitator can help build the group's culture by setting norms, rules & standards. Once the members knows that it's safe to share and that it's natural to contribute, the group process should be smoother.
3. The most effective way to convince/teach a member about something, is if another group members does the convincing. This is one of the most important factors of group work - the power that arises within the group and the power that only a fellow member can give; members are unlikely to be as convinced if told so by the facilitator.
4. Essential therapeutic factors:
- Insight (interpersonal and genetic)
- LIA (Learning through Interpersonal Action)
- Acceptance & Cohesiveness
- Self disclosure
I managed to participate in a role play exercise whereby we were given traits that were written on cards and placed on our foreheads (like Indian Poker). We couldn't see what was written on our cards but had to relate to each other using the 'labels' that we could see on each other's foreheads.
It was pretty interesting for me. Cos before I realised what my trait was, I brought my own personality in my interaction in that group; but when I realised that everyone was looking at me, showing their concern. I felt uneasy and all of the sudden, I didn't wanna talk and just wanted to shift the attention away to another group member. They kept asking me, "Do you need help?" In a sense, I couldn't guess what my trait was but I ended up claming up somewhat. The same happened to some of the others in the groups, in particular, the ones who got "Insignificant. Ignore me" and "Stupid. Give me a sneer". After awhile, they just gave up trying to give their opinions.
I think it's a very powerful exercise because it made me realise certain things -
sometimes when we have preconceived notions of certain members, you tend to act in a certain way to them which kinda makes them act in that way; thus, it's important for us to be open and not judge or label our clients. In fact, I was toying with the idea of how we can give positive labels to a member, in the hope that s/he will take up that trait. Sounds good eh? But applying it in practice is not easy. In fact, all that I mentioned might expose a big gap between theory and application. Well, I'm gonna try anyway and I hope to be able to explore some of these when I start to co-facilitate groups :)
How did what happened today, happen?
That's my hw qn...I'm still thinking about it...
1. It's not easy being a facilitator in the forming stage of group work. Neither is it easy on the participant. I think the personality of the participant plays a big part in how the group starts off. If they know each other very well and if they're the loud, boisterous kind, then you're in for a good time. But it is more likely that you'll get a mixture of loud and quiet ppl; and even the loud ones can be quiet until they feel comfortable being themselves. How can members be made to feel comfortable?
2. Creating a safe environment helps. Expectations are rapidly being formed by members once the group process begins. The facilitator can help build the group's culture by setting norms, rules & standards. Once the members knows that it's safe to share and that it's natural to contribute, the group process should be smoother.
3. The most effective way to convince/teach a member about something, is if another group members does the convincing. This is one of the most important factors of group work - the power that arises within the group and the power that only a fellow member can give; members are unlikely to be as convinced if told so by the facilitator.
4. Essential therapeutic factors:
- Insight (interpersonal and genetic)
- LIA (Learning through Interpersonal Action)
- Acceptance & Cohesiveness
- Self disclosure
I managed to participate in a role play exercise whereby we were given traits that were written on cards and placed on our foreheads (like Indian Poker). We couldn't see what was written on our cards but had to relate to each other using the 'labels' that we could see on each other's foreheads.
It was pretty interesting for me. Cos before I realised what my trait was, I brought my own personality in my interaction in that group; but when I realised that everyone was looking at me, showing their concern. I felt uneasy and all of the sudden, I didn't wanna talk and just wanted to shift the attention away to another group member. They kept asking me, "Do you need help?" In a sense, I couldn't guess what my trait was but I ended up claming up somewhat. The same happened to some of the others in the groups, in particular, the ones who got "Insignificant. Ignore me" and "Stupid. Give me a sneer". After awhile, they just gave up trying to give their opinions.
I think it's a very powerful exercise because it made me realise certain things -
sometimes when we have preconceived notions of certain members, you tend to act in a certain way to them which kinda makes them act in that way; thus, it's important for us to be open and not judge or label our clients. In fact, I was toying with the idea of how we can give positive labels to a member, in the hope that s/he will take up that trait. Sounds good eh? But applying it in practice is not easy. In fact, all that I mentioned might expose a big gap between theory and application. Well, I'm gonna try anyway and I hope to be able to explore some of these when I start to co-facilitate groups :)
How did what happened today, happen?
That's my hw qn...I'm still thinking about it...
Sunday, January 21, 2007
1st week of work
In case someone didn't notice, I've changed my layout, name, etc. It's part of my greater plan to become anonymous to those who may stumble upon my blog. But darn, I have pics and stuff. I guess I have to censor what I say, somewhat.
Anyway, I had a good 1st week of work. Don't think the 1st week will be an accurate reflection but it's a good start nonetheless. I feel exciting to start work but the orientation program's pretty long, which in a sense is good cos I won't be thrown into the deep end to sink or swim.
My immediate boss is on maternity leave but my team leader and other colleagues are very nice. There's so much to learn from them too! Getting used to the routine though I still have some problem sleeping early. Quite tiring though am not doing much real work myself. Going on course this coming Mon-Wed: Group Psychotherapy. Shd be interesting.
Hmmm, the mood to write has passed. Well, it's come again, soon. I hope.
Anyway, I had a good 1st week of work. Don't think the 1st week will be an accurate reflection but it's a good start nonetheless. I feel exciting to start work but the orientation program's pretty long, which in a sense is good cos I won't be thrown into the deep end to sink or swim.
My immediate boss is on maternity leave but my team leader and other colleagues are very nice. There's so much to learn from them too! Getting used to the routine though I still have some problem sleeping early. Quite tiring though am not doing much real work myself. Going on course this coming Mon-Wed: Group Psychotherapy. Shd be interesting.
Hmmm, the mood to write has passed. Well, it's come again, soon. I hope.
Sunday, January 14, 2007
Herald of a new journey!
Tomorrow marks the beginning of a new journey and the end of my 14 days of unemployment. A tinge of excitement imbues me...
I guess in a sense the past few weeks have been a blur. I've done a lot, met up with people and also slacked when needed.
Now a different calling beckons.
I wonder how it will be like. I wonder how I will fare.
Haha.
Updates soon, I guess.
I guess in a sense the past few weeks have been a blur. I've done a lot, met up with people and also slacked when needed.
Now a different calling beckons.
I wonder how it will be like. I wonder how I will fare.
Haha.
Updates soon, I guess.
Thursday, January 04, 2007
2006
I've been wanting to reflect and blog about the past year but either laziness or a bad memory has inhibited progress. Here it is anyway...in bits and chunks...
I think the most significant milestone last year would be that of graduating. I mean, after 4 bloody years of slogging my balls off work, it finally paid dividends. Well, I got what I worked so hard for and in terms of academia, I couldn't have asked for more:
Having mentioned this, 2006 marked the end of studying life, and the start of working life. And I've learnt that your paper qualifications count for nothing when you start work. You start from scratch; the degree just gets you the job.
And so I start work from July - December 2006. In a sense, there wasn't a need to adapt to a change in environment or colleagues, but rather a shift, or rather a loss in freedom and also, learning the proper etiquette in the working world. I rem the words of a "mini-stir" whom I met this year and what he said rings loud and clear in my head - you have to start at the bottom of the food chain.
This year, a new challenge awaits and I'm sure there'll be lots to share...though maybe not here.
The other remarkable thing about 2006 has to be the traveling! The last time prior to 2006 that I sat a plane was more than a decade ago - 1996! So to travel thrice to three different countries is definitely memorable! First up was Bangkok. My first trip there and with great company, cheap & good food, I couldn't ask for more. Egypt has got to be the experience of a lifetime. I rem reading back one of my entries and recounting that this has got to be the bunch of ppl to do this trip with; and I wasn't wrong. There were bits that were less than desirable - freezing in the desert, irritating touts, extreme heat - but there were so many other moments during the trip made it all worthwhile - playing cricket in the desert, snorkeling in the red sea, cheonging at MOS, taking in all the wonderful sunsets (hmmm, I think we never saw the sun rise!), being in great company of hilarious people who looked out for each other, and having a room-mate who liked to parade around the room almost naked and who made promises to wait for me to bath finish but always ended up falling asleep before I was done (and mind you, I don't take very long to bath!) Egypt, you have got to be THE memory of 2006! Last, there was Perth - my virgin trip to the land down under. It was all the more memorable cos it was with my mum & sis, and I planned everything from scratch! I hope my mum & sis will rem it for years to come; afterall, it was for them! :)
I guess since the stage has been set, what's left is the people! I guess it would be apt to say that it was the people around me who made everything so good.
Social work honours classmates: I mean what would my honours year be without them man? Esp CY & Ahbao. Will treasure the memories man, like our prep for Crisis presentation, hahaha, and getting everyone to kneel down on the floor, including our lecturer. heh.
CSS peeps: I was so glad that they were still around and made life so much better. To all the ppl who turned up in my office - Jon, Lex, MarkG, Chark, Carol, Ryan, Kayne. And all those I could still see so regularly cos of the proximity. My juniors - Moses, Mark, Ade & Steph and other CG members like Brian who's only as far as an sms away. Really glad to have known you guys better. Hope that we'll keep up the suppers and meeting up. Love you all to bits; you guys are truely the Christ in this NUS community and the Love I feel in my heart.
Colleague: Couldn't ask for a better office mate who's not only a great listener, but also an excellent hot choc/teh/choc-eating buddy! Will miss ya zhu!
Church peeps: Alan, Chris & Ed - thanks for the wonderful suppers, sharings, support and fellowship man. This yr's gonna be tough, but we will make it work. Not on our strength alone, but His as well!
Social work students: I guess thanks to all the student RAs we hired and my presense in the department, I managed to (finally) increase my social circle rather extensively! I mean after a few yrs in NUS, you end up hanging around with the same bunch of ppl , not tt it's a bad thing la. But through the research projects and stuff, I got to know some wonderful people and I hope that our friendship will remain this year.
Perennial favs: haha, such-named cos I still meet up with them super often! wayne, draggie, markC, dan, glo, and most recently, the house reps!
Thank you for the memories .
Met up with addie recently and I received my 1st official wedding invitation! Indeed, Alan's words are starting to ring true - one gets the most wedding invitations when one is 26! Or at least, that's why it starts to hot up. We'll see. So to addie, congrats and all the best with wedding prep. Cya on the 1st of Dec!
I think the most significant milestone last year would be that of graduating. I mean, after 4 bloody years of slogging my balls off work, it finally paid dividends. Well, I got what I worked so hard for and in terms of academia, I couldn't have asked for more:
Bachelor of Social Sciences, 1st Class Honours (Social Work)
Singapore Association of Social Worker's Gold Medal
SINDA Academic Excellence Award
Singapore Association of Social Worker's Gold Medal
SINDA Academic Excellence Award
Having mentioned this, 2006 marked the end of studying life, and the start of working life. And I've learnt that your paper qualifications count for nothing when you start work. You start from scratch; the degree just gets you the job.
And so I start work from July - December 2006. In a sense, there wasn't a need to adapt to a change in environment or colleagues, but rather a shift, or rather a loss in freedom and also, learning the proper etiquette in the working world. I rem the words of a "mini-stir" whom I met this year and what he said rings loud and clear in my head - you have to start at the bottom of the food chain.
This year, a new challenge awaits and I'm sure there'll be lots to share...though maybe not here.
The other remarkable thing about 2006 has to be the traveling! The last time prior to 2006 that I sat a plane was more than a decade ago - 1996! So to travel thrice to three different countries is definitely memorable! First up was Bangkok. My first trip there and with great company, cheap & good food, I couldn't ask for more. Egypt has got to be the experience of a lifetime. I rem reading back one of my entries and recounting that this has got to be the bunch of ppl to do this trip with; and I wasn't wrong. There were bits that were less than desirable - freezing in the desert, irritating touts, extreme heat - but there were so many other moments during the trip made it all worthwhile - playing cricket in the desert, snorkeling in the red sea, cheonging at MOS, taking in all the wonderful sunsets (hmmm, I think we never saw the sun rise!), being in great company of hilarious people who looked out for each other, and having a room-mate who liked to parade around the room almost naked and who made promises to wait for me to bath finish but always ended up falling asleep before I was done (and mind you, I don't take very long to bath!) Egypt, you have got to be THE memory of 2006! Last, there was Perth - my virgin trip to the land down under. It was all the more memorable cos it was with my mum & sis, and I planned everything from scratch! I hope my mum & sis will rem it for years to come; afterall, it was for them! :)
I guess since the stage has been set, what's left is the people! I guess it would be apt to say that it was the people around me who made everything so good.
Social work honours classmates: I mean what would my honours year be without them man? Esp CY & Ahbao. Will treasure the memories man, like our prep for Crisis presentation, hahaha, and getting everyone to kneel down on the floor, including our lecturer. heh.
CSS peeps: I was so glad that they were still around and made life so much better. To all the ppl who turned up in my office - Jon, Lex, MarkG, Chark, Carol, Ryan, Kayne. And all those I could still see so regularly cos of the proximity. My juniors - Moses, Mark, Ade & Steph and other CG members like Brian who's only as far as an sms away. Really glad to have known you guys better. Hope that we'll keep up the suppers and meeting up. Love you all to bits; you guys are truely the Christ in this NUS community and the Love I feel in my heart.
Colleague: Couldn't ask for a better office mate who's not only a great listener, but also an excellent hot choc/teh/choc-eating buddy! Will miss ya zhu!
Church peeps: Alan, Chris & Ed - thanks for the wonderful suppers, sharings, support and fellowship man. This yr's gonna be tough, but we will make it work. Not on our strength alone, but His as well!
Social work students: I guess thanks to all the student RAs we hired and my presense in the department, I managed to (finally) increase my social circle rather extensively! I mean after a few yrs in NUS, you end up hanging around with the same bunch of ppl , not tt it's a bad thing la. But through the research projects and stuff, I got to know some wonderful people and I hope that our friendship will remain this year.
Perennial favs: haha, such-named cos I still meet up with them super often! wayne, draggie, markC, dan, glo, and most recently, the house reps!
Thank you for the memories .
Met up with addie recently and I received my 1st official wedding invitation! Indeed, Alan's words are starting to ring true - one gets the most wedding invitations when one is 26! Or at least, that's why it starts to hot up. We'll see. So to addie, congrats and all the best with wedding prep. Cya on the 1st of Dec!
Happy 2007 everyone!
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