Friday, December 26, 2008
haha I realized today that I am completely not cut out for soccer. I can miss an open goal from 2 metres away. And I should learn to stop the ball before trying out crazy stunts, only to fail and make a fool of myself. ha.
Life has not been good. I have been sleeping more than I should have. And studying less than I should have. At least now I understand vectors. Now all i have to do is finish up my homework for the other 3 subjects. and pharm chem. grrarrr.
nano!
posted @9:18 AM
Saturday, December 20, 2008
I witnessed a baby get delivered at 9.31, 18th December 2008.
cool huh.
unfortunately I also nearly fainted due to the smell of blood :/
but it was a fun experience. and I really don't mind being able to observe another operation. as long as it isn't as long as the 22 hour face graft one recently.
I've spent alot of time in hospitals recently. Not as a patient but instead as an observer. And it has indeed been eye-opening. I have got the opportunity to talk to many doctors that specialze in really different areas of medicine, and I've also gotten the opportunity to attend medical student lectures. Not that I understood much about what was going on. But it was still interesting to learn about things such as biliary atresia.
I have also spent the past week of mine holed up in the Boy's Brigade HQ busy with Sharity Gift Box stuff. Even though SGB closes to the public today, you can still donate by bringing food items down to the BB HQ in Zion Road! And today I got a chance to rub shoulders with the managing director of NTUC, Mr Gerry Lee. And we were talking about NTUC (what else?)
So we were in the car going down to Ang Mo Kio to deliver food to some of the recipients under SGB. And we passed AMK Hub which houses the biggest Fairprice in Singapore. So Mr Lee turns to me and says :"Do you shop at NTUC?"
hmm I should have said no and taken a photo of his facial expression.
and now I've been listening to Cut Copy. Which is this totally amazing band. go check it out!
posted @12:27 AM
Monday, December 15, 2008
so my 5 days at the sharity gift box are over.
and i must say it was rather enjoyable
even though it really doesn't seem so at first glance.
I was really really dreading these 5 days
'cause i thought i would be really unprepared.
but it turned out that most of the stuff became routine after the second day.
But I don't know how come i got to be i/c on all the horrible days
such as the day that we had to move 1312 bags from zion road to ACS (B)
and the day that new creation church dumped 8 lorry loads worth of food on us
(they probably brought along half the food in carrefour).
But I still think SGB really is a celebration of the kindness of Singaporeans.
I really don't see how people can just walk up to a box
and put sacks of rice in it
for a cause that they probably know nuts about.
In all honesty,
given the opportunity to donate,
I would rather donate to a charity that I actually knew well
so that I would know where the money went.
But the people here just leave food and money,
and they're confident that we'll put it to good use.
i guess as long as the intent is there,
it doesn't matter who it's directed to.
but I do miss the food at pan pacific.
they have gooood cheesecake.
pity i only took 2 pieces ):
haha oh well
time for job shadowing.
posted @2:24 AM
Monday, December 08, 2008
I've been thinking about listening.
How people are usually misunderstood
because no one listens to them.
Or how kids just crave a listening ear
because they don't get one that often.
At IMH the people there are really happy
when we listen to them.
And its usually simple stuff
about wanting to get coffee or laksa.
And they take pleasure in simple things
such as a sweet or colouring.
Same with the vietnamese kids.
They teach us so much willingly
yet don't require anything in return.
They talk to us so much
even though we can't really reply them
and it makes them really happy.
maybe i should learn from them.
posted @10:46 AM
So the Standard Charted Singapore Marathon was on the 7th of December. And I unwittingly signed up as a volunteer for the event. Ok not unwittingly. It was loads of fun.
So basically the first thing we had to do was report at 2am. Even though we were situated at Lau Pa Sat, which is basically 500m from the start point. But we weren't complaining. So we went there at 2, got dispatched at 3 and arrived at our checkpoints at 3.05.
Well there were 2 and a half hours before the race. So we fully utilized the opportunity of the road closure to take pictures on the road. Like sleeping on the road and all. We even made a trip to a nearby bank to, um, do nothing.
So then the race started. And the first group of people that ran by were the the elite athletes. 90% of them were african. So it's a group of about 18 africans and 2 ang mohs running by at about 15km/h. And that was warmup.
Then the normal runners came. And that was when the problem started. It seems like running 500m makes alot of people feel the need to use the toilet. So people started running off the road to pee. I was with ben tay and we saw them running to the bushes to pee. And it was quite disturbing.
It later turned out that there were alot of people going to the lau pa sat toilets. which would almost definitely cause the toilets to clog up. So we were then asked to redirect people to the nearby toilet. Which was about 1km away. I guess near is relative then.
First we started to tell people to run straight down and keep on the left. But that didn't work because some people would walk by and say that they were really urgent. And there wasn't much we could do about that anyway. Then later we decided to tell the people to run 400m down. Seems like that made them run faster. Which got them away from us.
hmm most of the people that wanted to use the toilet were men. which isn't very surprising, really. But there were only a handful of women that asked to use the toilet. Compared to about 100+ men. Maybe they asked their partners to ask for the whereabouts of the toilet haha.
Then halfway in the race we were also asked to get motorcycles off the road. Bicycles too. And it was quite cool. We'd go up to a motorcycle and say "turn off your engine now. I'm calling the police". And that causes all of them to freak out and listen to us XD.
By 9.30 the roads were clear, because everyone had already run past our station. So we decided to fully take advantage of the clear streets to hold a picnic on the road in the middle of Shenton Way. Unfortunately I haven't got any pictures now. I shall download them soon :/ But basically we did alot of things that you wouldn't get the chance to do if there were cars on Shenton Way.
So the entire thing ended at 12pm. And we went home burnt with $20 and a nice shirt. Decent way to spend a sunday.
And that night I ran into a glass wall. At Colin from church's house. That must have hurt the glass window (: But that night I also learnt how to play pool properly. even though sometimes i chip balls unknowingly. But it was fun. And I discovered a new sinfullllllly good food: millionaire shortbread! It's called that because it makes you feel like a millionaire. Or at least make you feel like going on a crash diet forever. Good thing I don't know how to make it haha.
posted @9:50 AM
Friday, December 05, 2008
something to think about.
if you had a business in your family.
and you had children.
you would want them to receive proper schooling right?
so that means they wouldn't have time to help you with business.
then when they grow up and go to university.
get a job and stay in the city.
will there be anyone to carry on the family business?
what will you do with the business when you pass away?
so for practical reasons i guess children would have to drop out of school
to help their parents in their business.
but without any formal education,
they won't be able to earn alot of money.
they would never be able to compete
with graduates and other more learned people.
it would be hard work for them
especially if they had to work in a tea plantation.
so in this case no one actually wins
what would you do?
posted @3:37 AM
Thursday, December 04, 2008
so i'm back! and it has been fun. definitely.
I guess this trip is the sort that sticks with you for a long time. with good memories and lots of nonsense from everyone.
here's a condensed version of what really went on.
- taking cards from the plane (the first time)
- realizing that there are shopping centres in hanoi that don't sell food.
- "how's life? Life's good. Oh yeahhhhh." - Yuze
- koreans in the hotels
- looking at bugs on the kitchen table
- polar bear!!
- sleeping with the lights on
- bus ride.
- red carpet welcome!
- mosquito nets and nails in the wall
- entertainment
- basketball courts
- fried foods
- wake-up call
- rubber faces
- facial expressions (or lack thereof)
- tents.
- angels & mortals. trickery.
- breakfast in the cold
- french bread
- reflections in the dark
- "wake me up in half an hour!" - Tri
- the ex principal. ugh.
- Cookie Jar - Gym Class Heroes
- swing swing!
- prawns and prawn heads
- 8 plates and counting.
- cool shots
- murals!
- A. B. C.
- cursive fonts
- talking in the cold
- the dance troupe
- catharsis
- stacking up tables
- gambling with the children
- tea plantations
- posing for lots.
- bridge shots
- dinners. CHUNG EM...
- blackouts.
- BIRTHDAY :D
- Crush - David Archuleta
- water pails
- hidden lock in the toilet. (it really exists)
- tree climbing. climb and conquer
- motorbiking
- pretty pictures
- fur. oh sorry i meant pho.
- flea markets
- stocking up on snacks
- bamboo hats
- my pants.
- chicken soup for the soul
- milo for everything else
- noodles for the hungry boy
- letters under phonelight
- "hiccup!" - Gabriel
- About A Girl - The Academy Is...
- first aid!
- batch dance!
- dance partners
- klutz!
- star shots
- james bond shots
- lan ainh & ha. D:
- broken buses
- noodles by the road
- amaizeing corn fields
- the old quarter
- motorcycle jams
- water puppets
- posh food
- shopping.
- communist shirts.
- quiksilver. or is it roxy?
- banana chips
- cameras in check-in
- taking cards again.
- hat shots!
So that's a brief summary of the trip. unfortunately it's a bit disjointed.
I think the beauty of vietnam doesn't just stop at the scenery but it is reflected in the mindsets and actions of the people. (haha i actually coined this speeding along the highway on a motorbike) The people there seriously went out of the way to ensure that our stay there wasn't just ok, but like completely enjoyable.
Let's take one particular example. So one day we were eating prawns right. They deep fryed the prawns and gave them to us. And it turned out that some of us didn't really like the prawn shells. We didn't even tell them that, but the next day we found de-shelled prawns. And when we went to the kitchen we realized that they had given us the prawn meat and reserved the shells for themselves. Like they were giving us the best stuff and leaving the leftovers for themselves.
Another example la. It was starting to get cold. So they decided to give us blankets. Like everyone in the village gave us blankets. Then we asked them and realized that they didn't have blankets of their own. And they gave the excuse that they were used to the cold. Right.
Other than that, I think this trip has given me the opportunity to do things that I would never get a chance to do in Singapore. Stuff like mixing whitewash, climbing trees, riding motorcycles. I also got to wash my own clothes by hand, whereas in Singapore i just plop them in the washing machine. I'm quite sure this trip has made me more independant and more self reliant, and I guess I'm ready to take on greater challenges in the future!
The food there was quite good. Not withstanding the fact that every meal had fried food, it was also kinda healthy since there was always vegetables and soup and fruit at every meal. And every meal, there would be newspapers on the table. Turns out that some of the newspapers there were 2 years old.
There are some things I don't particularly understand though. Firstly, why the large number of Korean tourists? In our hotel, all the signs had korean translations, and there were special breakfast rooms for the korean tourists. What does vietnam hold for these korean tourists anyway?
Secondly, how come all the children raise their hands sideways? Normally we would just raise our hands with our palms facing outwards but the children in the school raise their hands with their palms facing the side. And it looks like they're saluting someone. Which really is quite interesting.
So since the trip is over, there are some people I want to thank. Firstly. thank you to Mr Shukor and Ms See Tho! Haha thanks for accompanying us on the trip and always being there with advice for us even though we were seriously rushing to get everything out before the trip. Thanks to Ms See Tho for panadol FluMax that rescued all the guys and to Mr Shukor for his never ending supply of food!
The brotherhood! Yuze Viet Tri Gabriel, haha we really did some stupid things there. But it's a guy thing. And even though viet left halfway we still managed to have a really really fun time. Like when we all had to write letters under phone light. Or daily snacking sessions :/
The dance troupe! Yuze Tri Gabriel Joanne Elaine and me. scratch whatever i just said about stupid things with the guys. we would just break out into song or do stupid dances at random times, for no apparent reason. And with David Archuleta's Crush as our adopted theme song there was never a dull moment!
points to the rightGroup 1! E-lynn (e1) Ee-lyn (e2) Eileen (e3) Indera (ink) Joanne (chị béo) Nicole (ni cold?) Vionna Viet and me (anh béo) haha we really had fun painting and conducting PE and english lessons right! Like chasing after the children. Or acting in little red riding hood. or taking photos together.
All of you guys. haha thanks for celebrating my birthday and giving me the cool cards. I guessed you guys were going to do something but I had no idea you would carry me out in the middle of the night haha. oh well at least i didn't have to walk out. and I don't particularly want to owe all of you a lunch buffet o:
so I guess that concludes ISLE vietnam 2008. where many happy memories were made amidst all the dust, sandflies and cold water. To chloe marjorie yumin zhiyinh gabriel yuze indera joanna tri leican amanda elaine vionna joanne margaret eileen yuxuan nicole yikai eelyn ciet jiayue e-lynn and tianfei, we rock! haha i put those exact words on the YEP evaluation form.
ISLE Vietnam 2008: The Love Connection XD
posted @10:04 PM
