Friday, June 18, 2010
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Y-Camp Challenge June'10!
Participated in my first Y-Camp, wonderful experience! So many cheers, extremely lively atmosphere due to the enthuness of all the leaders, plenthora of smiles from all the beneficiaries, and not forgetting the drops of tears when it was time to leave!
Being in Sylvester (miao!) was great! Got to know many many cool, like-minded people in the group who all wanted to do our part for those that are not so fortunate. Like Yining said, our group was really really caring towards the beneficiaries! My bene was Lim Cheng Han from Bishan Home, and although he was not responsive for most parts of the camp, I was certain he enjoyed himself when I saw him dance/sing on campfire night and when he waved goodbye with a smile. It would have been good to get a responsive bene such as Hong Heng, but isn't the reason why we came for this to get out of our comfort zones and help others?
My mind opened to many things during this camp. Watching Ban Joo hitting his head after climbing the rock wall, seeing John cry after he could not reach the top of the rock wall, high-fiving Hong Heng and witnessing his infectious smile. Even though I was not as attached to my bene due to his dao-ness, I was still really touched by all the love around on the last day. I'm guessing the tears of the volunteers and benes were due to the happiness that they had over the past 3 days, the sadness of parting, and the abundance of memories (good or bad) that they shared over the short 3 day period.
And not forgetting the YCon people! I cannot imagine them stepping back to the wrong path after going through this camp, crying when their benes were leaving, witnessing that there are so many people out there who suffer a worser fate than them. And Pin Siang, Naszri, and Yan are all such wonderful and fun people! To me, I think that the program has been a major success.
During the last night and the lunch at Just Acia, we talked quite a bit about random stuff. It struck me how all of us have varying backgrounds (jc, poly, uni, army, working) and yet are all united at this camp for the same purpose. I felt a connection speaking to them, like how we all want to do our part for society while we still can. I'm pretty sure I will see them much more in the near future =)
Going into the camp on Day 1 was also quite a surprise for me, or rather even at the briefing. The leaders were all so enthusiastic with their cheers! It was amazing in getting the mood up, and just as what Yining mentioned, we mirror each other's enthusiasm. While it could get pretty irritating at times (Marlon...), it was mostly effective. People like Gazalli can shout REALLY LOUD, while lesser people like Yining lose their voice by 2nd night =P
Debriefs during the night are good as they provide a chance for us to relive the day, and remember any learning points. And I realise the importance of having a good leader for a debrief, as it provides the time for volunteers to learn. Something I will remember is "Never forget the power of a familiar face". So true, especially for those that we are helping. If they see the same face at 8 Y-Camps, it must be because this person really wants to make friends with them.
On the whole, G-double O-D-J-O-B Good job to all the volunteers and main committee! I believe a large majority of the benes had a great time at Y-Camp, and so did the volunteers. Hope to see more familiar faces in future Y-Camps, oooookay? Alright!
Y Camp OEI!
Being in Sylvester (miao!) was great! Got to know many many cool, like-minded people in the group who all wanted to do our part for those that are not so fortunate. Like Yining said, our group was really really caring towards the beneficiaries! My bene was Lim Cheng Han from Bishan Home, and although he was not responsive for most parts of the camp, I was certain he enjoyed himself when I saw him dance/sing on campfire night and when he waved goodbye with a smile. It would have been good to get a responsive bene such as Hong Heng, but isn't the reason why we came for this to get out of our comfort zones and help others?
My mind opened to many things during this camp. Watching Ban Joo hitting his head after climbing the rock wall, seeing John cry after he could not reach the top of the rock wall, high-fiving Hong Heng and witnessing his infectious smile. Even though I was not as attached to my bene due to his dao-ness, I was still really touched by all the love around on the last day. I'm guessing the tears of the volunteers and benes were due to the happiness that they had over the past 3 days, the sadness of parting, and the abundance of memories (good or bad) that they shared over the short 3 day period.
And not forgetting the YCon people! I cannot imagine them stepping back to the wrong path after going through this camp, crying when their benes were leaving, witnessing that there are so many people out there who suffer a worser fate than them. And Pin Siang, Naszri, and Yan are all such wonderful and fun people! To me, I think that the program has been a major success.
During the last night and the lunch at Just Acia, we talked quite a bit about random stuff. It struck me how all of us have varying backgrounds (jc, poly, uni, army, working) and yet are all united at this camp for the same purpose. I felt a connection speaking to them, like how we all want to do our part for society while we still can. I'm pretty sure I will see them much more in the near future =)
Going into the camp on Day 1 was also quite a surprise for me, or rather even at the briefing. The leaders were all so enthusiastic with their cheers! It was amazing in getting the mood up, and just as what Yining mentioned, we mirror each other's enthusiasm. While it could get pretty irritating at times (Marlon...), it was mostly effective. People like Gazalli can shout REALLY LOUD, while lesser people like Yining lose their voice by 2nd night =P
Debriefs during the night are good as they provide a chance for us to relive the day, and remember any learning points. And I realise the importance of having a good leader for a debrief, as it provides the time for volunteers to learn. Something I will remember is "Never forget the power of a familiar face". So true, especially for those that we are helping. If they see the same face at 8 Y-Camps, it must be because this person really wants to make friends with them.
On the whole, G-double O-D-J-O-B Good job to all the volunteers and main committee! I believe a large majority of the benes had a great time at Y-Camp, and so did the volunteers. Hope to see more familiar faces in future Y-Camps, oooookay? Alright!
Y Camp OEI!
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Efficiency
Let's start with my tips on time-efficiency!
Tip 1: Use Iris (the bus service thing)
It tells you how long more you have to wait before your bus arrives. If you have a few ways to get home, this could be very useful and save tons of precious time especially if you usually wait super long for the bus (example 156). It's extremely useful for me, and I think the 5 cents is very well spent!
Example of how to use: After act, I can either take 156 or take Circle Line to Serangoon then bus from there back home. Travelling time for both trips are approximately the same, although the waiting time is super different. At the canteen, I will sms to Iris (74744) and if it is less than 6 minutes or so till 156 comes, I will take it. If its more than that, I will probably take MRT.
Tip 2: Buy food in the second half of break
During the first half, the queues for all stalls will be extremely long! And if you choose to buy like Lum and Chan you will queue for like 20 minutes or something. The solution? Slack for the first half, and buy only when the queue has disappeared! The time spent queuing (about 10 minutes or so) could be better used (hint: mug).
Tip 3: Do work at the last minute
Disclaimer: Not suited for people who do not work well and produce sloppy standards under pressure. I am NOT RESPONSIBLE for any overdue PW work too!
For me, I love to procrastinate. If the deadline is 1 week away and I try to do the work now, I will probably do it for 5 minutes, and slack for 1 hour. However, if the deadline is next day and it is 8pm already, I will chiong it finish by the time dawn breaks. If you compare the time spent on the assignment in both cases, the latter wins! And I don't think the quality is compromised much in my case because I'm quite a perfectionist.
The next post should be related to this (right, Joel?). Anyway all of the above are just my thoughts and may or may not be true/useful for you. Ciao!
Tip 1: Use Iris (the bus service thing)
It tells you how long more you have to wait before your bus arrives. If you have a few ways to get home, this could be very useful and save tons of precious time especially if you usually wait super long for the bus (example 156). It's extremely useful for me, and I think the 5 cents is very well spent!
Example of how to use: After act, I can either take 156 or take Circle Line to Serangoon then bus from there back home. Travelling time for both trips are approximately the same, although the waiting time is super different. At the canteen, I will sms to Iris (74744) and if it is less than 6 minutes or so till 156 comes, I will take it. If its more than that, I will probably take MRT.
Tip 2: Buy food in the second half of break
During the first half, the queues for all stalls will be extremely long! And if you choose to buy like Lum and Chan you will queue for like 20 minutes or something. The solution? Slack for the first half, and buy only when the queue has disappeared! The time spent queuing (about 10 minutes or so) could be better used (hint: mug).
Tip 3: Do work at the last minute
Disclaimer: Not suited for people who do not work well and produce sloppy standards under pressure. I am NOT RESPONSIBLE for any overdue PW work too!
For me, I love to procrastinate. If the deadline is 1 week away and I try to do the work now, I will probably do it for 5 minutes, and slack for 1 hour. However, if the deadline is next day and it is 8pm already, I will chiong it finish by the time dawn breaks. If you compare the time spent on the assignment in both cases, the latter wins! And I don't think the quality is compromised much in my case because I'm quite a perfectionist.
The next post should be related to this (right, Joel?). Anyway all of the above are just my thoughts and may or may not be true/useful for you. Ciao!
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Whats the point?
No its not an emo post. Its another philo/life talk.
Joel asked me whats the point for doing so much, and being so fit. What for run so much, cos theres a certain level of fitness that would be enough if I just wanted to live healthily. I didn't have the answer immediately, and I realised that I, too, had asked myself this before. What's the point?
Then I thought about it. Sense of accomplishment came first. The feeling of breaking a PB, or just finishing a long run strong makes me feel good. And then it leads on to stuff like "If I can run a marathon, I can do anything" sort of thinking.
And then when I thought about it even more, I realised that running gave me self confidence, amongst many things. If one day I manage to reach some sort of goal I once deemed impossible, it would make me know that if I wanted something and I work for it, I could get it. It also makes me confident as I know that I can control my mind and do what I should do, not what I want to do. For example, if I had to choose between sleeping in on a Sunday morning and waking up at 5 to cycle, I would choose sleeping in. However, because I know what I want to achieve, I can control myself and drag myself out of bed.
And that leads to another point: running trains the mind. Most of the time its mind over matter; its easy to give excuses such as "There's a lot of homework" or "I already ran yesterday" or "One day won't make a difference" etc etc. When I go for a run I am actually blocking out these negative thoughts from my brain, or the "devil" that is present in everyone of us.
There's many other reasons why I run, such as destress and giving myself time on my own where I am free from distractions and I can let my mind wander. But ultimately I believe it has made me a better person, as I am sure all the other runners in the world will attest to =) There must be a reason why so many people are doing it, right?
That's the point
Joel asked me whats the point for doing so much, and being so fit. What for run so much, cos theres a certain level of fitness that would be enough if I just wanted to live healthily. I didn't have the answer immediately, and I realised that I, too, had asked myself this before. What's the point?
Then I thought about it. Sense of accomplishment came first. The feeling of breaking a PB, or just finishing a long run strong makes me feel good. And then it leads on to stuff like "If I can run a marathon, I can do anything" sort of thinking.
And then when I thought about it even more, I realised that running gave me self confidence, amongst many things. If one day I manage to reach some sort of goal I once deemed impossible, it would make me know that if I wanted something and I work for it, I could get it. It also makes me confident as I know that I can control my mind and do what I should do, not what I want to do. For example, if I had to choose between sleeping in on a Sunday morning and waking up at 5 to cycle, I would choose sleeping in. However, because I know what I want to achieve, I can control myself and drag myself out of bed.
And that leads to another point: running trains the mind. Most of the time its mind over matter; its easy to give excuses such as "There's a lot of homework" or "I already ran yesterday" or "One day won't make a difference" etc etc. When I go for a run I am actually blocking out these negative thoughts from my brain, or the "devil" that is present in everyone of us.
There's many other reasons why I run, such as destress and giving myself time on my own where I am free from distractions and I can let my mind wander. But ultimately I believe it has made me a better person, as I am sure all the other runners in the world will attest to =) There must be a reason why so many people are doing it, right?
That's the point
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