Friday, July 29, 2005

photos! (Super late)

Some more photos from germany=)



That is my host sister when I first went to germany in sec 3. She just grows prettier with every passing year!



Sunset at dutzendteich. Beautiful.



Ting can cook! =) A typical dinner i cook for myself back there in deutschland.


Man I regret not taking enough photos at the pdc. =( People, please donate photos to me!! =)
I had the most incredibly wonderful time tonight at the NJ CO concert. It was beautiful, and boon sang in it as well! Solo! Man i feel so proud of her, my little sis is blooming. (* can almost imagine myself as an old mature woman saying that, but seriously i have no right to, cuz she did it all by herself.)

The PDC chalet was just over. It was a good time for more chatting and bonding, and I got to know a few people better as well. We were laughing the entire time about Russell Peters' weird jokes: "You want to eat?", or "Ya-man!" These are a few of those jokes that kind of stay way, way past their deserved shelf life. I even acquired some of those inane army lingo, like "let's go for one-thum midnight walk," (One-times sth). Of course we had some serious talk on relationships (how they are more work than anything else) and religion (there? or not there?) among other topics.

Rollerblading was fun, but I must award the endurance prize to YH, who fell an ave of once every 30sec, and the spectacular fall prize to HJ and Aud, who performed such stunning falls that it was incredibly fun to watch them, the best teacher award to HX, who taught us all the theory for blading while confessing that she could not blade actually, and last but not least, the long-suffering prize to William, who was our nanny all the time (the only one without skates then). Hey guys and gals, let's do that again! (Ya-man!) *the jerald-virus*

Hey, when are we going to the zoo?

=) ting

Monday, July 25, 2005

photos from germany!

Hey all!
Here are some of my photos from germany, finally!



That's me at the Zugspitze. Jie says I look a bit fatter than usual...dunno to take that as a compliment or as criticism:)



Beautiful Nürnberg...

Will post even more later on. Seeya all!

Monday, July 11, 2005

The Singapore Workout and more

YF and I went for the brisk walk on Sunday, as part of the PDC.

The entire adventure (for me) started way early in the morning. We were supposed to meet in this block in Marsiling at seven in the morning. I was in this half-conscious state of mind, and missed the bus stop I was supposed to stop at, thus was ferried to Woodlands Checkpoint. Upon reaching there, there seemed to be no way to get back to where I wanted to go to, or that was what it appeared to be to my groggy mind then. So I thought in horror, does this mean that I would have to go to Malaysia to come back to Singapore? Darn I left my passport at home! (?!) Unbelievable, isn't it, how foolish I was. Fortunately a policeman gave me directions to get back=D

Well, back to the brisk walk. I must say that it was a very very different experience...it was the first time since 10 years ago that I have done the Singapore Workout, and it was really, really hilarious. We did this hand-wringing cum knee-bending exercise, which reminded me of the exercises my grandma does. Wring your hands to the left, wring your hands to the right, wring your hands in the centre...mind you, they were truly effective ways of warming up in the morning, but I started laughing so hard I couldn't wring my hands properly=) After that, everyone just walked for a rather short distance around the estate. The aunties, their children and the elderly were the main supporters of the Brisk Walk, and some of them were really very enthusiastic. I liked the feeling of walking together with them...it gives you this sense of community, and you feel kind of fit, even without doing much.

We had an MPS today with Dr Teo. I thought he handled some difficult cases very well, and it seems like he really takes time to talk to the people, even some unreasonable ones. I was impressed by his superb PR skills, truly. He wanted to understand them well too, even volunteering to go down to assess the ground level situation at some stall competition conflict. That truly shows some commitment. Throughout the session, I just thought how truly the board behind him reflected his character: Jing4 Ye4 Le4 Qun2.

Things to do: Learn Malay, Cultivate infinite patience, Be firm, Stand behind your teammates no matter what, and most importantly, have a Heart for the People. They count on you.

ting

Saturday, July 09, 2005

PDC-

Hey all!

I just realised how dangerous a blog can be...I mean if TK can find it with just a little probing and connecting. Not that I am against anyone reading my blog or anything, I mean, read it if it doesn't bore you to death, but it does make you think of entire thing about privacy and all. (*hey tk give me your blog too!)

There are just so many things to blog about that I do not even know where to start. Let's start with the PDC. Frankly I think I am really privilleged beyond anything I could dream of to be in this prog. All v interesting talks, excursions, projects, and most of all, people. Frankly, I thought I was rather out-of-sorts at the beginning of the prog, esp during OBS. Everyone knew what to do, and for once in this kind of team activity, I did not have to think of what to do, or how to assign work. Once you think of something to be done, even before the words, "I think.." escape from your mouth, these things have been already done. Not that I subscribe to the "ruo4 nü2 zi3 zhu3 yi4", but it was mostly the guys... Anyway, it could have been jet lag or any other weird thing, but I was extraordinarily quiet/subdued during OBS I think. Didn't like the 'me' then. Perhaps it is the entire awkward process of finding out where exactly you 'fit' in a group, what is your role and niche, etc.

However, it got much better, as we got to know one another through smaller chats and all. We had a great instructor called Mario/Muchsin/Handsome (?!), who kept making fun of John and tchs boys' smelly tshirts (?!). Frankly I think this PDC is really a great way to build bonds. Just dump a group of like-minded people together, and they would bond. We have so many mutual friends (hear and laugh about their teasing of your old friends), and common interests (Never thought I would see so many pple crazy about singing).

Some highlights: visit to navy base, talks by people who really know about the topic they talk about (less smoke around here), and I was really impressed by a particular speaker who came to talk to us about leadership. We all expected a really dry talk about how to lead, but this guy, David Lim, was simply inspirational. He truly embodies toughness and the wonders of the Human Spirit. Let me give you a short summary of what happened in his life: He LED the first Singaporean Team to conquer Mount Everest; he had to suffer the disappointment of being unable to scale the summit due to some health probs; he had to make some tough decisions on the way; survived Guillian-Barres disease when he came back-a disease that attacks the peripheral nerve system so you are paralysed but you know exactly what is happening to you, it was not due to the expedition. He later went on to scale even more mountains, both literally and figuratively, overcoming his disability and climbing higher than what most of us have even dreamed of:Kilimanjaro, and even doing it alone. Let me quote him on a few things which meant much to me:

"Success isn't an event! It is about changing your mindsets from what is impossible to what IS possible. If you are successful unintentionally, you probably would not be successful again. ONLY WHEN you are successful purposefully can you be successful can you be successful again."

"The most important question to ask when you face an impossible task is: Is that a FACT or a BELIEF?"

"A stretched goal will motivate you."

(From Henry Ford) "Obstacles are those horrible things you see when you take your eyes off the goal."

Lovely, aren't they? Shall make them my life's Maxims.


I enjoyed the talk by Encik Othman Wok too. He was just so...candid and grandpa-ish. Really funny, and it really got me thinking about those turbulent times. I mean, most students think that everything about NE is propaganda and all, but imagine if you were there, changing the course of history, and everything could have gone either way. What if we were still in? What kinds of life would we be having now? (Such SS questions were posed to me as a Pri 5 kid, and I think I gave really stupid ans like, erm...I would be having Tau Sar Piah everyday! (?!) )

I was impressed with Encik. I wish I could travel back in time to live in those times.


Finally, attachment to the CDC. Jobs assistance, Social Assistance, Comcare fund, somehow all these have sounded academic when you read them in the papers, BUT when you see how much they are really needed by Our people on the ground, you get an idea of how important policies are, and it is really NO simple matter...every little detail in how it is all implemented, or how it is planned, can make or break lives. Many lives. Lives of children who have to sacrifice school to support their families. Lives of people over 40 who have mountains of bills to pay and living mouths to feed. Lives of families which can count to the exact cent how much money they have left in the house, of elderly who allow their wounds to fester because they do not have the means to go to the doc's.

How do you teach someone to walk, yet not carry him all the time?

Noblesse Oblige? This term sounds condescending to some. I like the spirit of the term, but it must be coupled with this:
"...For I say...to..you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think SOBERLY, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith."

ting

Sunday, July 03, 2005

BACK AT HOME!

Hurrah it feels great to be back at home again! It was really exhilarating as we touched down at Singapore, and my heart just gave a whoop of joy as I saw the familar bougainvilleas, palm trees and all along the runway. My aunt and uncle and cousins were there to pick me up, as well as my wonderful friends...what better welcome can there be? There was this warm and fuzzy feeling in my heart...it was indescribable. Thanks gals, for being there!!

I had a really hectic schedule, going for OBS just 2 days after touching down at singapore again, but I enjoyed myself thoroughly. Haven't been so tired for such a long time! The entire week was a mixture of jetlag, physical exhaustion, and mental challenge in remembering names of new pple I am meeting, and enjoying their company and funny characteristics. Not to mention the wonderful home food as well.

I find myself missing Germany sometimes too...just like I thought I would. The new experience, the people you meet there, my friends over there...i actually enjoyed having the burden of doing everything on my own, jogging through parks that they have over there. However, nothing ever quite replaces home I think=)

Right, have to do my reflections now. Gotta go!