1000 Linking Hands (千牵手) – Our Group Cheer

I'm so happy!!!! I can finally blog again! Last two weeks was crazy. Tiring & almost died of exhaustion but happy :)

Back to my Shanghai trip. This has been a wonderful trip. I rated it 10/10!!!!! Partly because we had so much fun & joy & laughter as a team.

Here's one of the group cheer we did. It's so funny lor. I was the video woman for this trial practice. Wonderful memories indeed!!!

Yo write me a comment to rate our group cheer k. Like 1 out of 5 stars or 5 out of 5 stars those kind.

1000 Linking Hands (千牵手) – On our way there

We’re flying via China Eastern at 0055 midnight. My parents accompanied me to the airport & we had a quick dinner together. I think Dad is worried that I might be hungry on the plane. But I didn’t eat much. Too excited. We took a quick shot & they left for home soon after. My parents don’t really like too much interaction. They are rather shy. But I was really touched that they could come.

(Parting shot with Dad & mom; Our gal-friends who came to send us off; My team members gathering for a parting shot with our luggage; XiaoP & myself at our seats!)

Thank you friends - Part II (Frens are Forever)

I'm leaving tomorrow midnight to Shanghai. We're going there to serve the poor & needy!!!

Actually the reason that prompted me to go was way before I even know about this serving the community project called 1000 Linking Hands (千牵手) . My good friend and I decided that to celebrate our 7 years of Christian friendship to do something more interesting.

Secondary 3 & 4: Known Auau since Sec 3 but whole of Sec 3 & 4 I only talked to her once --- To borrow her chemistry notes to copy for a major exam. Hahahahah!

Junior College: Different classes same CCA - Netball. We belong to the same group of galfriends. One of her friends know my friends & one of my friends know her friends but we didn't know each other well. We just happen to have common friends.

University: Turning point. I really really got to know Auau after we decided to go to church together with a friend who invited us. From there on we were in the same youth group & we went through many good times & even more bad times together. :)

She taught me to be less serious & learn to have fun. (It's good to be serious & responsible in the things we do but my problem was that I tend to be OVERLY serious). I learnt from her how sometimes we can pause a bit & smell the flowers along the way. She was patient with me though I am unreasonble in certain occasions. Thank God for such a wonderful friend. May the Lord continue to bless us with many wonderful anniversaries ahead!

Thank you friends - Part I (ChildrenCarnival_MiracleCatch 2006)

Want to use this as a place to thank some of my dear friends.

(Secondary/JC school mates) Hey frens thanks for volunteering your time to help out in the Children Carnival. You gals sure looked like you had loads of fun terrorizing the kids. *winks*

Though we’re not able to meet as frequently as when we were still schooling but I wanna let you know that you gals are on my mind each day!

(The Westerners) It's been quite some time since we got together right. But I'm really touched that despite the phyical distance the friendship was not broken. Looking forward to the wonderful get-together in the days to come.

Take time to warm up kind (Amazing Race 2006)

What a race! Right at the start I was sorta mumbling in my heart how come the group so quiet one? Why can’t they be friendlier with each other? Aiyo I’m going to have a hard time…

We did really funny things like asking tourists to pose with us, say something funny for us, attempt to find hidden slips of paper & having fun in the MRT.

Young people put them together sure can have fun one. Some might be shy or take time to warm up. It’s ok. I’m the need time to warm up kind as well. But when I’m with my close pals then I go all crazy.

And at the end of the day, the gals proved me right. They sure looked they enjoyed themselves yea! I did!!! And I'll definitely take the same group again if I have the chance! Gals u ROXX!

Enhancing Relationships (3)

BE PATIENT














This is a true story which happened in the States. A man came out of his home to admire his new truck. To his puzzlement, his three-year-old son was happily hammering dents into the shiny paint of the truck. The man ran to his son, knocked him away, hammered the little boy's hands into pulp as punishment. After the father calmed down, he quickly rushed his son to the hospital. Although the doctor tried desperately to save the crushed bones, he finally had to amputate the fingers from both the boy's hands. The boy woke up from the surgery & saw his bandaged stubs, he innocently said, "Daddy, I'm sorry about your truck. But when are my fingers going to grow back?" The father went home & committed suicide. Think about this story the next time someone irritates you or you wish to take revenge. Think first before you lose your patience with someone you love. Trucks can be repaired… Broken bones & hurt feelings often can't. The actions we take while in a rage may stay to haunt us forever.

Don’t just look at the surface

Attended my friend’s wedding not too long. That’s him & his bride.
They’ve came a long way. It was NOT honeymoon period all the way. Good times, tough times, difficult times… Even a point of time they nearly gave up. Why??? Is it because they weren’t suitable for each other?

I don’t think so. Imagine if you put a dog & a cat together. Sure to fight right!

It’s the same when it comes to human beings. Two different person (different family background/upbringing/views/gender/way of life) coming together. In fact human beings are much more complex than animals so it requires even more effort to make things work out.



Lovey feelings alone are NOT sufficient to make a relationship successful. As quoted by a professional; such lovey feelings last for at most 2 years.

Commitment (If we’ve chosen each other, then we’ll do our best to make this relationship successful. I’m not taking you for granted or for fun)

Communication (You’re being unreasonable, but I’ll try my best to understand what’s going on in your mind. I want to hear you out)

JH & Wei, congratulations!

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.
(Their wedding verse)

Don’t just look at the surface; there is much more hard work that has gone into a successful relationship. Not for the faint hearted.

What's Up?

I'm participating in this with some of my friends. Come join us if you're interested.
Important: If you're interested, drop me an email at kermittee@hotmail.com by 19th June, Monday!

Enhancing Relationships (2)

NOT OVERPOWERING

Many relationships fail because one party tries to overpower another, or demands too much.
People in love tend to think that love will conquer all and their spouses will change the bad habits after marriage. Actually, this is not the case. There is a Chinese saying which carries the meaning that "It is easier to reshape a mountain or a river than a person's character." 江山易改，本性难移。It is not easy to change. Thus, having an unrealistic expectation on changing your spouse's character will cause disappointment and unpleasantness.

If you really love someone will you accept them for who they are?

Enhancing Relationships (1)

I received an email from a friend this morning. And I thought that it was pretty meaningful. And good stuff are meant to be shared!


TRUST:
TRUST is a very important factor for all relationships. When trust is broken, it is the end of the relationship. Lack of trust leads to suspicion, suspicion generates anger, anger causes enmity and enmity may result in separation.

A telephone operator told me that once she received a phone call. She answered, "Public Utilities Board." There was silence. She repeated, "PUB." There was still no answer. When she was going to cut off the line, she heard a lady's voice, "Oh, so this is PUB. Sorry, I got the number from my husband's pocket but I do not know whose number it is."

Without mutual trust, just imagine what will happen to the couple if the telephone operator answered with just "hello" instead of "PUB".




How true. Marriage is forever.

1000 Linking Hands (千牵手) - Fundraising Bazaar

1000 Linking Hands 千牵手 2008

Objectives:
To serve the needy and disadvantage community in China in 2008 by gathering 1000 youth form Singapore and Shanghai each, using a bilingual setting (English & Mandarin), resulting in lasting friendship among volunteers.


Shanghai Summer Camp 2006

This camp was designed as a pilot project for 1000 Linking Hands (千牵手) in 2008.
Camp Objectives:
1) Empower the participants to serve the needy and disadvantage in the community with the heart of compassion
2) Equip the participants with performing magic skills and basic service-learning knowledge to serve the community


I’m going Shanghai in July; this will be my second visit there. First trip in 2004 was semi leisure but this second trip is official. I’ll be going as a volunteer to serve the needy community in China. So if I approach you for donation and sponsorship do be generous! :)

There are 20 groups in total, with 6 members per team.

~~ Fundraising Bazaar ~~

Over the weekend our cluster had a fundraising bazaar. Four little teams make up one cluster. Our team came up with two ideas – Selling second hand items and hand bracelet balloons. Business was good! We ran out of balloons halfway through our sales and Rennie had to drive out to replenish the balloons.

Other sales items were homemade cookies, inspirational book marks (cheap & good), t-shirts, earrings. The most profitable item was the ….drumrolls….. Homemade cookies! I tasted some left over crumbs. Yummy!

Fundraising was not just about raising funds. It was also a wonderful team bonding time. I used to think ShaoQi is the “Don’t mess with me” type. But I had a taste of her cheekiness last Sunday. Evidence included!


Pearlyn is really diligent. She may be the youngest among us but she worked the hardest. She single-handedly mastered the skills of making the hand bracelet balloons & then taught us how to do it.

Other than team bonding, fundraising is also a wonderful opportunity to share with people around us what we’re doing. And why we’re doing what we’re doing. (Scroll right above for the reason)


Yeah! A job well done! Farewell shot.

Melaka is juz GREAT! (Day 3)

Day 3 (13th May)
All activities today were held indoors. The guys and gals were splitted up into separate groups.


~~Image of a Woman (Desirable values of a lady)~~

For the ladies, Mrs Julie picked up from where she left off the previous night. We explore further on what are some desirable values of a lady. I’ll just share on the value that was assigned my group=> “to be KIND”

Qn 1) What are some personal struggles we have on being kind?
- When we feel that our kindness was taken advantage of
- After a long tiring day we just don’t feel like being kind
- Some people just get on our nerves…

Qn 2) Just how kind is kind? (As in… some people are naturally very nice. Are they kind? Or it’s already part of them?)
- A wonderful lady in my group PP shared something that just turned on the light bulb in my head. “Do unto others how you want others to do unto you”. Basically treat others as how you would treat yourself. You won’t mistreat yourself right? *flashing light bulbs*
- Are you kind simply because you want your kindness to be reciprocated? Or are you kind because you really just want to help someone in need? Ooooh.

Qn 3) How girls act UNKINDLY?
- Someone shared about a book that she read titled “Guys bully, Gals Ostracize”. Generally gals won’t go round scolding people or bully in gangs but a way a gal acts unkindly by withdrawing her attention from you. It’s sorta like you’re not in her close click of friends. Not welcome. Shoooo.

I was greatly enriched by the group discussion and Mrs Julie’s teachings. It gave me a good opportunity to reflect upon myself – the real me when no one is watching. Chimm??


~~Image of a Woman (Be comfortable… enjoy what you’re designed to be)~~

There’s a “MYSTERY” section in the programme sheet which kept all of us in great suspense. And it came as a huge surprise for me when it was finally revealed.
We’ll be waltzing! My initial thoughts were like….eeeks so awkward one, must we really go through this. Eeks! I’m definitely not going to enjoy it. Blah blah blah blah...

We were informed beforehand to bring our formal wear as if attending a wedding and strongly encouraged to wear skirts and no pants.

3-4pm: Learn waltz
4-530pm: Free time, preparation
6pm: Dinner Banquet (AAAGRH!)

The guys were “transformed” into gentlemen for that night. (Disclaimer: Not that they are not gentlemen but that it was super highlighted for that night) And the gals…..ladies. Initially it feels very weird for the gentlemen to pull our chairs; take food for us and yes invite us to dance.

However at the end of it. My conculsion is I absolutely enjoyed myself. It was not how I imagined it to be. And what I caught at the end of the day is that

Guys -> Be comfortable to be a man. Appropriate your manliness.
Gals -> Be comfortable to be a lady. Embrace your femininity.

Let’s enjoy what we’re designed to be.


Picture of PP, dinner partner Skywalker & myself. New found friends! And Skywalker is getting married in July. Congrats!!!





Important notice: Do not simply go out and sign up for any waltz courses. This was carry out in a safe and moderated environment of my church’s youth camp.

From dusk to dawn (Part 1)

It’s indeed my great privilege to have a good friend of mine share his life story here. If you think that life has been unfair, you haven’t seen anything.

From dusk to dawn (Part 1)

Empty cough mixture bottles, plastic bags of marijuana and pills all kept in different dark corners of my room. Like a squirrel who knows where the acorns are hidden, I never lose count of any of the illicit substances that are placed in my room. Like an eager armskote man who takes pride in his rifles in the store, I kept the inventory embedded deeply in my head, never once did it go wrong. Like clockwork, I know when to “score” (a street slang for buying drugs from the dealers) the next batch. I was also careful – I never scored from the same dealer for more than 3 months for fear of being followed by the watchful eyes of the “narcs” (narcotics officers). So there I was, living in my own little sphere of euphoric being, fuelled by chemical substances in my system. The days are filled with unbridled spirit of fun and like all addicts will say, just getting high baby nothing much. Same shit, different day.

Most people will think that all drug addicts are all
begging on the streets and most probably poor
with little or no money. Heroin addicts are one of the
neatest and cleanest people I have met in my life.
They are meticulous in what they do placing emphasis
in their daily appearance. Don’t ask me why but that’s what I knew. I lost my best friend to heroin. From an untidy bum in dressing, he became the neatest dresser I have ever seen. Maybe it’s the paranoia derived from the effect of the drug – the fear of being spotted as a drug user. I never dared to try heroin. It’s expensive and most never quit. Most importantly, I have seen how it had destroyed my friend’s life and that’s another story of its own. Now to continue with my own story……

There are many different kinds of drugs in the market. From prescriptive drugs like Dormicums (a sedative for sleeping) to controlled drugs like Marijuana, Ketamine or Ecstasy, each has its unique “high” and usage for the user. Even controlled drugs are classified into different classes in the eyes of the law here. (http://www.cnb.gov.sg/) From Class A to Class C (a bit like your plane tickets – Economy Class or Business Class?), each different drug gives you a different trip altogether. I have tried most of the things available in the market – prescriptive to illegal. I was really into anti-depressants and marijuana. This is due to my depressive nature, maniac depressive they termed it. I need it for everything and every occasion. Without it, fishing will not be as fun, a movie will not be as enjoyable – well, you get the picture. As you guessed, the tentacles of addiction crept into all aspects of my life. Simply put it this way – I cannot function properly without it, not knowing that I have became a slave to drugs…… (to be continued)

Melaka is juz GREAT! (Day 2)

Day 2 (12th May)

We had a sumptuous buffet style breakfast afterwhich we split up into our allocated groups. Some people to highlight in my group “RUBY” are

Gladys, her husband & their 5 weeks old baby!!! Wow. I salute them. It was perfectly legitimate for them to stay home to babysit & for Gladys to recuperate. (A lady is given 3 months of maternity leave after her delivery). But they chose to garang garang & sweat it out with the rest in Melaka than in the comfort of their homes.


Alan (guy in red)
He may be deaf & mute but it didn't stop him from leading
a normal and exciting life. We communicated via handsigns,
writings and gesturing. And it works! Alan is also happily
married with a wonderful lady and a proud father of a
baby boy. He has really inspired me. Hope to write more about him soon.

The various stops in our exploration of Melaka.

Melaka Christ Church:
Built entirely of red bricks that were brought in from Holland, the building was erected by the Dutch and was later converted by the British for Anglican usage. Built since 1753, the church is a fine example of the Dutch's architectural skills. Some interesting points to note are the handmade church pews, the Brass Bible, the "Last Supper" in glazed tiles, the tombstone in Armenian, and of course, the skillfully-made ceiling beams done without any joints. To date, this fiery red building is still very much in use. http://www.thingsasian.com/goto_article/article.2553.html

St Paul Church: Tourist attraction

Wooden ship: Tourist attraction

Highest peak of expressway:
We were “challenged by choice” to trek up the highest point of the expressway. Easy for some. Do not forget we have a 5 weeks old baby and a mommy who's recovering..... But truly, “If you really put your heart to it, nothing is impossible”. And Gladys & her hubby epitomized that by leading the way and was the first to troop up the expressway. Woah! We made it! TOGETHER!

Something Shopping Centre (Yikes forgotten the name):
Stopover for lunch. Yummy chicken rice & grabbed a new t-shirt!

After all the happening trekking in the afternoon in the evening we had a heart to heart talk on “The Differences between Man & Woman”. The speaker - Mrs Julie shared her thoughts about the differences between guys and gals. However in all our differences we have been fashioned to complement one another.

to be continued...

Have you SMILE today? (1)

Have you smile today? A SMILE a day keeps the wrinkles away!
Things around us are already so fast paced and stressful. Each of us can learn to relax a little yea. One thing I’m learning is to be less serious. Ok don’t misunderstand me. It’s good to be serious with your work and responsibilities. Just that I have the tendency to be overly serious. Hahahaha.

So here’s the SMILE series. It can come in the form of a picture/joke/basically anything! May it bring a SMILE to you today! Feel free to contribute. Tag me or comment it so I can add yours in.

Here is a masterpiece of my students’ work. It really really brightens up my day! It still makes me laugh! She’s really good yea!!! Background: They were told to draw something which has a thumbprint in it.

I already gave my best; I’ve no regrets at all

I was reading through some of my students’ comments about a lesson which I taught today. One scribbled “You regret for not attending this lesson”. The other wrote that the best thing he learnt from the lesson was “The experience from the speaker who gone through before”

Personally I was very touched. First by the sincerity of the person who wrote the feedback. Secondly I was encouraged that the effort I put in my preparation has translated into meaningful learning for my audience.

After teaching for so long I do get caution that I become complacent. Especially on occasions when I’m physically tired
of jetting from place to place. Furthermore there’s no one to scrutinize me or grade me whatsoever. So who am do I really teach for? My monthly salary?


One thing I learnt from big boss YC… “Be excellent in all you do”

At the end of the day have I given my best? Have I been true to what I believe in? That’s enough.

Melaka is juz GREAT! (Night 1)

The weekend was superb. I would remember it for a long long time to come :)
We spent 4 days 3 nigths there in total so I'm going to pen this is a series kind of version.

Night 1 (11th May)

Today is MissFab's birthday so Auau & myself arranged a dinner date with her at Bugis Junction. It seemed a perfect location as it's the best shopping place to our next destination -> Coach Terminal @ Lavender Street.

After dinner MissFab gave us a lift to the terminal. Ah! So sweet right! We travelled into Malaysia via the Tuas checkpoint. I believe that's why we were able to reach our hotel on time. 12am in the morning. Woodlands checkpoint is probably packed with crowds going in.

The hotel we stayed in -> Renaissance Melaka Hotel. Very very good! Their beds are simply SUPERB! Though the aircon was freezing but the moment I got under the sheets it's like this warm thermal blanket. ZZZzzz...

to be continued...

Mothers' Day Appreciation

Mothers' Day is coming. My elder sister & I planned to give her a new blender. The older one at home looks set to go into retirement soon : ) The idea of giving a blender was suggested by my sister. Standard gifts that I give my mom are cups, cups & more cups. Oh ya she received an Eeyore soft toy from me before too. To compensate for the time that I'm not home.
Mom has been a model & example in my life. She's kind, patient, gentle & understanding. She never ever says "I love you" but I know she does because she makes the effort to cook whenever she knows I'll be home for dinner.

My love for reading started young where my mom brought me regularly to the library. I can still remember how she would patiently wait alongside me as I bury myself in the mountain of books. And it's all thanks to the good reading habit which my mom built in me that I got A1 for my Literature during O' Levels!!!

Thank you for all that you are mom. You're the best! I love you!
Is there something you wish to thank your mom for??? Share le!!! Put it in the comments yea!

Old habits die hard? Think again!!!

I've basically stopped exercising since PE (physical education) was no longer a "compulsory" subject for me after junior college. I used to joke that the only form of exercise I did after that was the occasional climb over the bridge. I never see the need to exercise as I've no problem at all with my weight. In the eyes of the people around me I'm "all right", not fat or stuff. That explains my lack of motivation yea.

It's been 7 good years since then and things are beginning to change. And the agent of change is none other than my new colleague -- JW. Another big reason is that as I advance in age..... I'm starting to see the need to take good care of my physical body. Can't take it for granted you know. Well well things just happen to fall into all the right places at the right time.

Some improvement is better than no improvements at all. Hahaha! Though I've not started on the physical body exercises but I've since improved on my diet (More fibre, more protein, less carbohydrates). But I'm pretty sure I'm going pick that up very enough.

http://www.captnj.blogspot.com/ Attached is the link to JW's blog. For the die hard readers out there you're in for a treat!!! Enjoys!

Getting out of comfort zone (TT)

Last Saturday was truly memorable. I went for a Drill Instructor's course retest. There were a total of 4 candidates. Now I just need to complete my national projects & I'm ready to go!

Theory component: I actually came out tops for the theory test! 32/40!!!! Wow! It's indeed a miracle lorz!

Practical component: Super thankful for LQ's generosity and help. Without her extra remedial of drill sessions together with the other officers I won't have made it this far.


The drill in our company had been stagnant for quite sometime because most of us didn't do drill back in secondary school. Other than myself but I wasn't serious back then as such I could only recall the minimal steps of drill. And whenever I think of drill it's actually pretty scary because I hated it. But for the sake of the gals, when we heard of the DI test back in January we decided to sign up for it. Well..... at least we can tell our gals that we've tried OUR BEST. And from there on it was really no turning back.

This is really a wonderful lesson for myself. For the future challenges & obstacles I'm not going to analyze whether it's possible to be done or not. I will first GET OUT OF MY COMFORT ZONE.