A Team Effort

All of you would have heard of IQ and EQ right? What about AQ?

I’ve mentioned several times about being a climber. This term was coined by Paul Stoltz in his Adversity Quotient (AQ) theory which studies how people respond to events in life, especially in times of stress. In his theory, he said we are all quitters, campers or climbers.

Quitters are people with low AQ who despair and give up easily whenever they are challenged in their lives. Campers are people who will climb to a certain height in life, decide they do not want anymore challenges and set up camp there. Climbers are optimistic people who will keep scaling new heights in life, never giving up even though they have failed many times over.

80% of people are campers, according to Stoltz. The rest are quitters and climbers. So what are you? I believe all of you here are high AQ climbers like me. We all face setbacks and failures in life but we pick ourselves up, recuperate from our injuries and resume with our climb each time, right? We may envision to scale different peaks but we would never give up on our aspirations and aims in life because we are all positive thinkers.

I am sure many of you have seen quitters in your life. Even among the rich and famous we see them. Why? Because these people fail to realise that the expedition in life requires a team effort.

No matter how strong we think we are, emotionally or physically, there will always be moments when we will stumble and fall, get hurt so badly, we have difficulty getting up by ourselves. At times like these, if someone happens to be there to lend a hand, to help us up, do grab hold of that hand to pull yourself up.

We are all in this expedition together. I may be a beacon to some of you now, shedding some light on your path, to help you see certain parts of your route better. But I too will need you to shine the light on my path at some point in time of my life.

Do allow me to shelter you from the scorching sun or the thunder storm out there and do offer me the much need drink when you see me being dehydrated. Most importantly, don’t ever give up on youself because I will never leave you behind, no matter how tough the expedition is.

We are a high AQ team, right?

My Choice of Drinks

After blogging about coffee, I would like to share with everyone my preference for drinks.

I love to drink coffee and tea but too much coffee will make my stomach acidic, causing me gastric problems and the excessive caffeine will also cause my heart to palpitate. As such, I drink my coffee only in the morning and at the very most, have another cup in the afternoon.

I love the local Teh Tarik but by indulging in this sweet drink, it may cause the sugar level in my blood stream to go up so I also drink it in moderation and ask for Teh-O instead most of the time. Every now and then, I also like to drink fusion teas like camomile or mint tea as they aid in digestion and help me to relax.

Besides coffee and tea, I also consume healthy drinks such as fruit juices, milk, chocolate drinks etc. And sometimes, I do allow myself to be naughty and have an occasional bottle of intoxicating beer…hehe!. But I discovered recently that I cannot be naughty too often because my body turns pink and I do get rashes when I drink certain types of beer. Yeah…I’ve been warned.

My buddies will tell you that I used to be a serious Coca Cola addict and would drink nothing but Coke! But age and awareness about health has resulted in me kicking that habit a while ago. I do still drink it on a super hot day or when my throat is irritated. But I’ve proven that tastes can and do change, and habits can be kicked.

You can see I do enjoy a wide variety of beverages, including those which are bad for health. But in recent years, I’ve discovered the importance of drinking water and it has become my favourite drink. It is colourless and almost tasteless but I find that it is the healthiest and most suitable drink for me in my life now because it helps me to detox. It is readily available and I remind myself to drink it everyday so for my own convenience, I carry a bottle with me all the time.

Friends and blogders, these drinks are all my personal choices, and I chose them after I have tried them myself. I am sure you are not going to indulge in all these favourite drinks of mine just by reading what I’ve described here right? Do decide on your own drinks and have your preference list. Most importantly is to decide on your water. Whether you prefer tap water, mineral or distilled water, the choice is all yours. I would not indulge in water that comes in fanciful bottles and will not fall for those gimmicky heavy advertising. Why? Because water is still water and should be free. Some people feel they look good or classy when they drink Perrier but isn’t it still just water? Why bother with the fizz? Just so you look good in front of others? That is a bit silly right? So learn to choose your water wisely.

Oh yeah, I won’t advise that you drink from my bottle as well because it may be contaminated. My stomach has got used to it but yours may not. So choose your own bottle and your source of water…ok?

Too Young to Know?

Yesterday, several of my students got into an argument and a girl got so upset about it, I had to step in to intervene. Upon my investigation, I found out they were quarrelling over some messages that the boys had written on two sheets of paper pasted at the back of the classroom. I looked at the paper and found nothing amiss, no graffiti on it at all. The girl took out something that looked like a laser pointer to shine on the paper and only then was I able to see the messages. They were “XXXXX love you” and “f**k you”…those all too familiar words again.

Yes, my 12 and 13 year-olds are beginning to be curious about the adult world and experimenting with words they often hear around them but have no real understanding of their meanings and implications. The boys were just teasing the girls but girls being the more sensitive and mature, took the teasing seriously and got mad, that’s how the argument started.

First thing to educate them was the four-letter word. I asked the boys if they knew its meaning and they did so my next question was, did they know the minimum legal age in order to have sex in Singapore and they replied “18” …hmm…I thought it was 16, anyway, if it is 18, better still. I told the boys, if they use the four-letter word on another boy, what would it imply, they replied, it meant they were gays…good answer again. The boys do remember what I’ve taught them before…very good. Anyway, I reminded them not to use those words so loosely.

I did not tell the kids that they cannot be involved in any relationships. Instead, I told them that they have a big life ahead of them and there is plenty of time for them to do a lot of things later in life so there’s no need for them to rush into anything now. Their focus at this point in time should still be? “Their studies” they answered… good. I think that’s about all I can tell them. The rest I believe should be the job of their parents.

This world is progressing so quickly, sometimes I feel I am lagging behind the pace. We no longer can expect the young to follow the way we were brought up. We must be more receptive to their needs and just be more alert to make sure they don’t get into trouble while their needs are being met. Sex education and teaching the young ones to protect themselves is a must.

I had a conversation with someone in her late teens last night and that is exactly what she told me. I agree with her that the more we try to stop the young from doing something, all the more they would want to rebel and try it out. So to use force on them is not going to work, only through sensible talking and education may we be able to help them.

I find that parents today are really so different from my days. One parent was sharing with me yesterday about how she educated her son on the subject of runaway kids. She asked her son if he would run away from their home and he replied that he would if his parents gave him too much pressure. Guess what the mother told him? She told him that there’s no need for him to sneak away quietly. If he should feel very unhappy at home and want to leave, she’ll open the door wide and let him go because she wouldn’t want him to be so unhappy while staying with them.

Very different way of parenting right? During my days, if I were to run away from my home, my father will probably hunt me down and break my leg so that I don’t do it again…time has changed…children need to be educated, not disciplined and we adults need to accept and adapt. I must remind myself about this when I am disciplining the kids…or young adults.

ps: I just saw a notestix in my kitchen written by my 5-year-old niece who is only in K1. The message read, “I love you. XXX and XXX” The XXX were my niece’s name and her friend’s name…LOL! Must start educating kids from young…yeah…must remember to do that!

Some Furry Animals

I don’t know how I managed to stay awake until almost daybreak this morning…and I got up at 10.30am. With only 4+ hours of sleep, my head feels a little giddy so I may not have the energy to write anything again today. I thought I better share some pictures first…some of the furry friends I used to have at home.

The dog with the most character was Lucky He always had this charming, arrogant look, 有一點狗眼看人低. The craziest I had was Monkey and he used to have the habit of jumping up my bed and lying on my head when I refused to get up…yeah, more effective than an alarm clock in waking me. The last dog we had was Fifi, the most timid of them all. So many dogs, all with different characters. I still don’t understand why some of you are so afraid of these furry animals…it's so nice to have them at home.

Buying Time

I was a little worried that with my lack of sleep, I may be tired and not very patient with my students last night. But thank goodness, after having a cup of coffee, I was pretty active and alert. My buddy hurt her back and wasn’t there to assist me so I was all prepared for a night of frustration at the prospect of having to drive some near impossible mathematical concepts into the grey matter of the educationally subnormal. But fortunately, I was met with two hours of fun and so much laughter that I had to sternly remind my charges to keep the racket down so that the class next door wasn’t disturbed. The hot topic last night was 腊筆小新 because the younger twin gave me some drawings on the cartoon character. He didn’t think he drew them very well this time round but I love them anyway.

Enough of my recent past…let me get down to my topic today…time and now.

I am sure there must have been moments in life when we had missed some good opportunities or made some mistakes and regretted it right? Would you want to change or reverse some of those situations in your life if you have the chance? I would have grabbed the opportunity without any second thoughts if you asked me that ten years back but if I’m given that chance now, I wouldn’t take it up.

A good friend did ask me a few days ago if I’ve enough money to buy time, would I want to do it? My immediate answer obviously was no. Why? If I can buy time, would I appreciate my current time, my life, my now? The past is just but memories and by stagnating in a moment that is already gone and keep wanting to go back to that moment, I will never be able to make any advancement in my journey. I will always be at base camp. Only when we realise the importance of now will we strive to make the best out of our situations and treasure every opportunity we are given now.

We experience successes as well as misses and setbacks in life. We get to enjoy happiness but also need to face disappointments in life. These are all part and parcel of our journey. Don’t reminisce or cling on to the good moments and neither should you give up when you are hit by the bad moments because all these moments will pass. Just learn from the mistakes or setbacks and work hard as well as smart to achieve more success and happiness.

Do appreciate everything and everyone around you right now. Whether it’s your family, partner in life or friends, appreciate and treasure them now, this moment…so that you do not need to regret it later and wish you could buy or go back in time.

My friends, I feel I am experiencing so much success and happiness right now because of you people. I truly appreciate you being here for me just as much as I’ve been here for you. Here’s a big hug for all of you! xoxoxoxo

ps: Learning to put down all my suffering and happiness is one of the biggest lessons I’ve been taught in this life.

Two Tests

My G-plan yesterday required me to undergo two tests. I passed one but failed in another…all by choice…my own choice.

In my first test, someone whom I hardly knew made some personal comments about me on a blog. Very strange comments about me that I felt was quite amusing. Some friends of mine felt the comments were totally unnecessary and rude. When I didn’t go online until quite late last night, they got worried. LOL! They thought I was upset about those comments. No lah! I was out the whole night having a nice dinner with two friends. I will never be upset over such trivial things in life, especially when it came from some smart alec. My mind didn’t move because it was crystal clear and I could see my test very clearly. I thought I passed with flying colours…yahoooo!

In my second test of the day, I had to deal with two difficult doctors, specialists in one of our big hospitals. They were clients of my client whom was sponsoring their project. Despite all my years of dealing with difficult and demanding clients, I still get upset when I meet clients who think money can buy them the world. So I offended them and they were pissed off with me! I apologised to my client after the meeting and told her she can replace me with another designer. This client is more like a friend to me now and when we were in her car chatting away, I told her now I can understand why she’s quitting her job. She has to deal with these doctors everyday in the course of her work and they are really a pain in the ass! She said the ones I met yesterday were considered mild ones already…lol! I smiled and told her I’m glad I am poor but happy. Yeah…I really felt it that moment.

But after that meeting, I looked back and felt I failed in that test because I allowed my temper to rise…again. I was aware of my anger rising in me but I failed to manage it so I was knocked off the hill once more and have to start climbing from base camp again. Sigh…! This journey sure is tiring but don’t worry friends…I’m a good climber…I’ll keep trying and will one day conquer the peak.

I realised through these two tests yesterday that I can do anything, anything at all for my friends, my weak spot. But as far as earning a living is concerned, I’m just a complete nincompoop! I needed money for my trip but I threw away a chance to make money…could have been more diplomatic in handling that situation but my pride got the better of me. But not to worry, I will try to get more jobs…in fact, my hands are now so full, I’m getting worried how to handle so many projects at one go? ^_^…my G-plan!

A Couple of Zen Stories

I’m too tired to write tonight…had a long day in the office. So I’ll just share a couple of Zen stories here. Don’t think too much about their meaning and don’t ask me to explain because I’ll tell you…only don’t know…hehe!

Story One:
Two monks were arguing about the temple flag waving in the wind. One said, “The flag is moving.” The other said, “It’s the wind that is moving.” They argued back and forth but could not come to an agreement. Hui-neng, the Sixth Patriarch passed by, heard the argument and said to the two monks, ”Gentlemen! The flag is not moving. Neither is the wind moving. It is your mind that is moving!” The two monks were struck with awe.

Story Two:
One day, Chao-chou fell down in the snow and called out, “Help me up! Help me up!” A monk came and lay down beside him. Chao-chou then got up and walked away.

Seeing the World in Sepia

For some unexplained reasons, I wanted to see the world in sepia tone these couple of days. I find that we take colours for granted and don’t really appreciate them as much as we should. So I experimented with some pictures of mine in sepia…see if you like them. I kind of love them. Seeing the world in duotone makes everything so different, so intriguing…do you feel the same way?

By the way, do you know that dogs can’t see colours? Everything is in grayscale through their eyes. But they seem much happier than human beings. Why is that so? Can you imagine watching the world cup matches on a black and white TV? Will you be happy? How do you tell the players apart? LOL!

This world is so colourful and beautiful. Aren’t we lucky to be able to see it through our eyes and mind? Do open your eyes and mind, appreciate the colours around you…enjoy these duotone pictures…

The first two pictures were taken at Sentosa…


At my favourite park…I like to take in the greenery here but the sepia feel is pretty nice too right?

The lotus plants in Botanic Gardens…so different when seen in pink and in duotone…

I shall not explain what this is…you use your imagination…

Looking at the world through something else…

My poor Nini…all caged up…sigh…!

My latest pair of Adidas…got it at 50% off! Just had to show it off!…I still prefer the old logo…

Have a Cuppa Everyday

I slept at around 3.30am this morning. Thank goodness my internal alarm clock did not go off at 7am to remind me to go for my jog. I got up only around 10.30am…yeah…had seven hours of sleep finally…really needed that, otherwise I will be a zombie again today.

I first thing that came to my mind this morning was…I need my caffeine! So I cycled out for my breakfast and had a cup of local or should I say Indonesian coffee. Ahhh…the aroma…I needed that.

While enjoying my coffee, I recall talking to TS yesterday about coffee. This coffee connoisseur splurges on quality South American coffee and is so serious about her coffee that she even brings her own coffee beans and grinding tool with her when she travels. LOL! I can only say Orz to this girl, 真的五體投地！She mentioned some of her favourite coffee during our chat but they sounded like Greek to me…hahaha! TS, you sure know your stuff!

Why talk about coffee today, you must be wondering. Well, I once told a friend that life is like coffee, you can choose to have it black, with sugar and even add some colour to it with some milk. Isn’t life the same? If you think your life is bitter, it will taste bitter. But if you’re smart enough to add some sugar to it, you get to enjoy both the aroma and the sweetness and it can perk you up for the day. Add some milk to it, and it would be so colourful, isn’t it so?

Why is it that some people find black coffee awful and bitter but yet others like it so much, they can’t live a day without it? Well, coffee like life, is an acquired taste. The ignorant will lament over its darkness and bitterness while the connoisseurs will enjoy its aroma as well as appreciate its richness as it keeps them alert and active for the day.

Learn to appreciate your life like coffee. There’s so much for us to choose from…there’s expresso for the strong-hearted, the trendy ones can choose to have café cappuccino, mocha and latté (not the one that sleeps in the cage…hehe!) and many more other specialty coffee.

It’s all a matter of choice, really. Learn to appreciate it…coffee or life, whatever you like to call it. My weak heart forbids me to have a double shot of expresso but I do enjoy a cup of cappuccino every now and then on top of my morning cuppa. :)

Our G-plan

Ok, I was supposed to write about G-plan yesterday right? I did. But I did not post it because I had written something too theoretical and probably bore all you people. So this morning, I decided to chuck it aside and rewrite, this time in my own words…

I’ve always believed that things don’t just happen in life. There is always a very good reason for everything that happens to us. They are all predestined, all pre-written in this G-plan of ours, a contract we signed before we were even conceived.

Whether we are rich or poor, healthy or sickly, black, white or yellow, these were all decided by us in our G-plan. It’s a sacred contract we signed and we have to abide by it. It wasn’t decided by others, not by some mighty being but us, our real self.

We come to this earth on a mission, to experience, to learn. We embark on this mystical journey to find the truth, our eventual enlightenment. When we attain that, only then we can go home. Because of the complication of this task, this journey of ours does not involve just one life but many, many lives and many many G-plans. Each of these G-plans are drawn up only after we have debited or credited our karma account in each life. Karma is based on the law of cause and effect and has been described as the accumulation of merits or demerits in life. But we should not see it as something negative. We are not rewarded or punished for our karma. We learn and gain wisdom through our karma.

Very often in our lives, we face challenges and obstacles. We get upset and ask ourselves, why must I experience this, why must I suffer? Because our G-plan says so. We should ask ourselves instead, why not? We face these challenging opportunities in life so that it can make us sit up and work harder to become better beings. Can you imagine life without ups and downs? How boring life would be!

Learn to accept our G-plans with a positive attitude. Only then will you be able to pass this test and find your way home. If you choose to ignore or run away from the tests in life, you will have to re-sit for the tests again in your next life. So why waste time? Face it now. Don't hide, don't avoid it, and most importantly, don't give up. Face the tests, conquer them. If you do fall and got hurt, take a little time to recuperate then re-sit for the test again. I’m sure with a positive attitude, we will all pass the tests with flying colours eventually.

I hope I will meet all of you soon at home.

ps: I really believe there is a good reason why I meet so many of you in this life. We are all connected karmically or cosmically via our G-plans. So I will regard everyone of you as my soul mate and we will help each other overcome our challenges in life, then we can all go home together. If you’re already home, do wait for me. ^_^

What is this thing called Love?

I took a day off again yesterday to recover from my football fever. I was out the entire afternoon, shopping, reading at the library, getting my hair trimmed…doing everything except thinking about my work and also my internet…yeah, had to get away from that addiction.

While in the library, I stumbled upon this book ‘What is Love? - A simple buddhist guide to romantic happiness’ by Taro Gold.

Pinkheart talked about this topic recently and a lot of friends had different opinions. It actually made me think a little about it too, something I never seriously thought about. Anyway, I browsed through this book and found it interesting and would like to share some of the things the author has taught me.

But friends, I am just thinking some things aloud and sharing with you people here. It has nothing to do with my life right now, ok? So please don’t read too much into it, 不要想太多!

The first thing that hit me when I read the book was this statement: “Ignorance with love is better than knowledge without it.” How true a statement. Sometimes, I feel that I seem to know so much about love or loving someone but what good is all that knowledge when there’s none in my life? The people around me who seem so ignorant but yet are able to fall in love with such ease are definitely the more fortunate lot.

So, is it better to love someone or be loved by someone? (到底是愛人好還是被愛好呢？) I think either way, there’s happiness in there so everyone should just accept it when it happens. Just remember to enjoy the happiness.

The writer says to love is to desire something one lacks. A person who seems already whole will ultimately be unattractive to us because if he or she isn’t lacking in anything, then what would he or she need us for right? If we are looking for someone to perfectly match our wish list, we can expect to be single for a long while, perhaps even forever. Perfection is but a fantasy and until we satisfy within ourselves whatever we perceive to be our own inadequacies, we will never feel satisfied by a relationship.

“Being in love is not finding a perfect person but finding an imperfect person perfect.” Do you agree with the author? I certainly do. I think I’ve mentioned before that I‘ve been looking for the 100% perfect guy and I do know that it’s a fantasy. The author has confirmed that. Time to be less fussy huh? Hehe!

Friends who are in love, have loved before or seeking love, have you ever wondered what kind of love partner you are? The author says that there are three types of love partners, the dependent, independent and contributive love partners. Read on to find out which type you belong to.

A dependent love partner will give love but with strings attached. Such people tend to be controlling, manipulative and even selfish. An independent love partner however, will have mutual respect and a strong sense of individuality. Such people give love freely without expectations and will tell you to do what you do because it is the right thing to do.

A contributive love partner will share a sense of mission in life. Such people give love freely not only for each other’s nourishment but also towards a greater good of humanity. They are not content to help only themselves but passionately support others to improve their lives and become happy as well. In other words, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

Ajahn Brahm has also taught that to have a long lasting relationship, we must only think of ‘us’ in the relationship. Not ‘I’, not ‘you’, but only ‘us’.

So what kind of love partner are you? Do think about it.

Shakyamuni said, “We don’t love what we desire. We desire what we love.” When looking for love, seek someone with whom we can share our life with and work towards our dreams. Friends, please don’t ever seek someone to fill a void in your life. That would be real sad.

As for me, I’m really reluctant to give up my freedom for that one person, especially if it hinders my spiritual journey. But if my G-plan insists that I do meet this person, I hope I am a contributive love partner and I can say to my partner, “I love you not only for who you are but for who I am when I am with you.” ~ Roy Croft

But Woody Allen once said, “To love is to suffer. To avoid suffering, one must not love. But then one suffers from not loving. Therefore to love is to suffer and not to love is to suffer.”

So either way, there’s still suffering…so how? Acknowledge the suffering then put it down. Work on the happiness instead! Happiness will make the relationship successful. Right?

Don’t think! Just love. Just do it.

The Biggest Thing in the World

This is another very meaningful story of Ajahn Brahm that I would like to share. It’s a true story.

One day, a teacher asked her class of five year olds what they think is the biggest thing in the world. A little girl answered, “My daddy”. A boy said “An elephant.” Another one said “A mountain.” What would your have said? Think about it.

A little girl suddenly told the class, “My eye is the biggest thing in the world.” Everyone was stunned by her answer, the kids couldn’t understand, even the teacher was perplexed so she asked the girl why she gave that answer. The little girl went on to explain, “Well, my eye can see my daddy, the elephant and I can also see the mountain and a lot of other things as well. If they can all fit into my eye, it must be the biggest thing in the world.”

Amazing right? A young wise kid.

Ajahn Brahm says wisdom is not learning but seeing clearly. He also added that it is not our eye but our mind that is the biggest thing in the world. He said: “Your mind can see all that your eye can see, and it can see more that is supplied through your imagination. It can also know sounds, which your eye can never see, and know touch, both real and made of dream stuff. Your mind can also know what lies outside your five senses. Because everything that can be known can fit into your mind, your mind must be the largest thing in the world. The mind contains all.”

So friends, are you all seeing clearly now with your mind?

Adapted from ‘Opening The Door of Your Heart’ by Ajahn Brahm. Any friend who wants a copy of this book, just let me know, it’ll be my special gift to you.

Swooshi-Just Do It

A lot of my new online friends are beginning to visit my blog and referring to me as ‘Swooshi’. All my other friends must be wondering, who on earth is ‘Swooshi’? Well, that's my online nickname.

I thought I should explain it once and for all on my blog how I got this nickname. Most people would know I'm a sports freak, I used to play all sorts of games when I was in school. So naturally, I love sports stuff and Nike is one of my favourite brands. I remember Ah Lek used to call me Nike Seow, yah! A bit seow, at one time, everything on me were Nike, from t-shirts to shorts, shoes, socks, bags and even watches. Now, it's not so bad because I've also grown to like Adidas…hehe! My first pair of branded sports shoes was in fact a pair of Adidas Rom my dad got me when I was 12!

Anyway, back to my story. Nike has a logo in the shape of a tick and that has a name too, it's called a Swoosh. That's how my nickname came about and I chose it also because Nike uses the slogan ‘Just Do It’, my motto in life. Now this slogan wasn’t created by Nike but was stolen from a zen master many years ago, it was actually a zen teaching. I can’t register ‘Swoosh’ online so I used ‘Swooshi’ instead since ‘i’ is the same sound as my middle name ‘yee’. So now you all know how ‘Swooshi’ came about.

There’s also some history behind the creation of the Swoosh. It was designed in 1971 by Carolyn Davidson who was then a fresh graphic design graduate. She was paid only US$35 for that job but did continue to design for the sports company subsequently. In 1983, the Nike founder, Phil Knight rewarded her with some Nike stock options and she claimed “The stock has split three times since I received it so I can definitely say that I have been well compensated for my design."

That designer has since retired and is now a grandmother who spends her time pursuing varied interests and doing voluntary work which she could not do while running her one-woman business. Once a week she will volunteer at the Ronald McDonald House at Emanuel Hospital.

Quite an inspiring story huh? If you want to read the whole history, here’s the link: http://www.nike.com/nikebiz/nikebiz.jhtml?page=5&item=origin

Aren’t These Just Lovely?

The above two drawings are among the best gifts I've ever received in my 10 years of teaching at cdac. On Wednesday night, when I turned up to teach the EM3 students, the younger twin gave them to me in appreciation of the camp he just attended. I was totally surprised and touched by his gesture. Nice right?…so nice!

More importantly, I could see that this boy could express himself through his art, something he can’t do with words. Ahhh…at last I know what he’s good at and can encourage him. He actually made the effort to put in some words too, when he can hardly spell. Sigh…太讓我感動了！

It’s things like these that keep me going in my involvement with this programme. I don’t deny that I do get tired at times and seriously want to quit but when you’ve touched these young people’s heart and they reciprocate with such little gifts unexpectedly, you forget all your tiredness, all your frustrations, all your anger…and you just want to keep helping them.

Offer me all the riches in the world and you may not receive my service…but draw something like this for me…I may just do anything for you, anything at all. Am I too sentimental?…ya, I think I am…

It’s Good to be Sick…Sometimes

I over estimated my body and pushed it to the limit last weekend. After being in the sun the entire day at the camp on Saturday and standing for close to 11 hours on Sunday invigilating at a professional exams, I went for a jog after I got home on Sunday evening. I thought my body could take all that pressure but looks like it got fed up with me and decided to boycott me. On Monday night, I was feeling so sick that I wasn’t even able to chat with my online friends.

I slept even before 11pm…a rarity nowadays. Slept for about nine hours and when I got up on Tuesday morning, my head felt so heavy. I can’t over-sleep, remember? I’ll get a headache. I got a little worried that morning and this being a busy week, I decided to see the doctor to get some medicine on standby…just in case. Yeah…typical Singaporean kiasu mentality…hehe.

I hardly visit doctors, not more than twice in a year if I remember correctly. I hate going to the doctor so it’s not easy for them to earn my money. If I can, I’ll normally self-medicate. But the flu medicine was running low at home so I had no choice but to go see one on Tuesday. As it was just a common flu, I didn’t think it warrant the paying of exorbitant fees at private clinics so I went to the polyclinic a stone’s throw away from my place. As usual, I had to queue and queue and queue. First I had to get a queue number to register. There were at least 50 people ahead of me in this queue. After registering I was given another queue number, this time, to see the doctor…queue again.

While waiting for my turn outside the consultation room, I took out my iBook to do some work…yup, this workaholic needs to keep herself busy at all times. While I was doing my work, I realised there was ‘free’ wireless internet access so I login to my MSN and hey…there were some friends online. I chatted with Clio and Spunk. Spunk was also feeling a little unwell and told me to get an MC for her…I tried but the doctor wasn’t amused…hehe!

Clio was so bored at her client’s place so we had a good chat. She told me about her experience with a couple of ghosts at a client’s place during the Chinese New Year. She was all alone then…must have been so scary then…eeeeks! I get goosebumps just thinking about it. I told her there was also a ghost that used to loiter on the staircase of my old office. My friend saw it and told me only after I moved out of that office. Spooky siah! Wandering souls are everywhere.

Time seemed to fly whilst I was chatting. Before long, it was my turn to see the doctor. I went into the consultation room, told the doctor I was down with flu and really just needed the usual medication. He took my temperature, no fever he said, then checked my throat, ya…a little inflamed, asked me some standard questions then started writing the prescription for me. I requested for extra dosage to combat the bad weather these days…so easy to fall ill. He said okay, he’ll give me more. The entire consultation took no more than two minutes I think.

I next had to queue…yes…queue again to pay my fees, then queue to get my prescription. LOL! That was the longest queue…took almost an hour! When I finally got my medicine, I got quite upset. The stingy young doctor gave me only a small bottle of Expectorant and one miserable strip of antihistamines. Why so stingy doctor? He did give several strips of pain-killers…but for what huh? I also don't know because I wasn’t feeling any pain. I was finally able to make my way home with my miserable dosage of medicine after one hour and forty-five minutes!

When I got home, I wasn’t feeling sick anymore so I didn’t even take my medicine. Maybe the doctor too knew I was recovering and didn’t need the medicine. Maybe Clio’s ghost story sacred the wits out of me and chased away the flu bug…haha! Cheh! Should not have wasted so much time queuing…should have just stayed at home and chat right? Hehehe! No lah… I think my healthy eating and exercising helped me recover quickly…so I must make sure I maintain this good healthy lifestyle.

I was really surprised at the number of online friends whom were so concerned about me when I mentioned I was ill. Everyone kept asking how I was feeling, advised me to get more rest, drink more fluid etc. So much concern from friends I’ve not even met before. I was so touched. Thank you friends! Must have accumulated a lot of good karma to be able to know all of you in this life!

I remember Ajahn Brahm did mention before that it is okay to be sick sometimes, in fact, it will be quite abnormal if we don’t fall sick at all. When we’re sick, we should just let others shower us with attention, take care of us. How right he was. Ya…it’s really nice to be sick sometimes…definitely.

ps: My mum went to the polyclinic too in the afternoon for her regular check-up. She asked the doctor for some flu medicine even though she wasn’t sick at all and she was actually given a big bottle of Expectorant and one and a half strips of antihistamines! Double of what I got, not fair! Doctors are so biased!…moral of the story…get senior citizens to help obtain medicine next time you need them!

Our Annual Camp

Last weekend we had our annual shg June camp. It was held for a second time at the Sembawang Terror Sea Scouts campsite. The number of participants this year I think was the biggest. If I’m not wrong, we had at least 200 kids and volunteers in total. For the first time in 10 years, I did not stay overnight for the camp because I had to work the next day. I had to be a proctor at a professional examinations. Ya…I was invigilating for the first time.

Anyway, we senior volunteers were assigned to take charge of the food distribution at the camp…haha…my favourite task. As usual, the caterer had a earful from me for the poor quality food they provided. For lunch, they gave us each a fried chicken wing, a fried egg and a few strands of long beans to go with plain rice, no sauce at all. With that hot weather, I’m sure it was pretty tough to swallow all that hard food…poor kids and volunteers. Luckily I asked for vegetarian rice which was definitely more appetising…hehe…it pays to go vegetarian.

When dinner came, I almost wanted to throw the food at the caterer…but I couldn’t because then my people would have nothing to eat at all. The caterer actually had the cheek to give exactly the same food as lunch…fried chicken wings and fried eggs! What nonsense right? When I questioned the caterer, he said the cook already marinated the chicken wings so he could not change the menu…what kind of stupid answer was that? The weather was so bad that several kids and volunteers were already taken ill. One of my students had a fever of 39.6º and had to be sent home. So how can these people give us anymore fried food? Some people just got no brains, no compassion at all!

I asked the caterer what's for lunch on Sunday and when he told me it’s going to be sausages and fried fish fillet, I almost freaked out! FRIED FOOD AGAIN? He must be mad! I insisted he provide some sauce for the rice. He had this pathetic look on his face and tried to sneak his way out of it but I understand that he did provide the sauce eventually. Sometimes we just have to be firm with these opportunists! 要賺錢也別那麼沒良心對嗎？這樣對待小孩也太缺德了吧！

As per our previous camps, we senior volunteers will be scolding kids for misbehaving, being disrespectful, not following camp rules, using vulgarities etc. while the younger volunteers will be giving in to all the whims and fancies of the kids. Some volunteers were seen carrying the bottles for the kids again…sigh!

Although I was at the camp only for a day, I felt that most of the kids and volunteers had fun. The usual tent-pitching, flag-making, cheering were all so fun for everyone. I thought the face painting was really fun too…so happy some of the volunteers were sporting enough to allow their faces to be painted as well. The campfire was another first for us and that was quite exciting too, especially when the camp commandant lit the wood! Too bad I couldn’t stay till the end of the night. Must have been fun at the sing-along session.

The camp is always the highlight of our shg programme. A must to me. I’m glad that most of our students attended it. I’m not sure if I’m going to be part of this again next year…but camps are important learning experience for children so I hope this tradition will be around for a long long time.

Thanks to all my fellow volunteers for helping out at the camp. 大家辛苦了！Sorry for not being there to help yell at the kids during the night sentry…hehe! Here are some of the pictures I took.


On the way there…the children were noisy on the bus…as usual.

All were gathered here for the briefing by the camp commandant…



Our sporting volunteers teaching the kids some cheers…


Not an easy task trying to fit 200 people into the picture…

Our girls…so glad they were not so guniang this time round…

Ahh…as usual, we seniors would gather in the canteen area…our yearly gathering.

Me and Mr Goh…hmm…just discovered we have something in common…our heavy eyebags! Hahaha!

Tent pitching…as usual…volunteers did most of the work…

Our hyperactive boys…cannot stay still…tsk…tsk…tsk…


Our gals…my favourite student…always so cute and sweet…like this volunteer…hehehe!

Each team had to make a team flag…the theme was World Cup!


Face painting…so fun!…the kids were quite sporting…

So was this young volunteer…


Our hyperactive Nico finally stopped running around…39.6º fever…so well taken care of by our dedicated volunteer…thanks for helping to send this boy home…all the way from Sembawang to Kallang…no joke!

Our campfire…so nice! Qiren must be so thrilled lighting the wood!

My Visit to Hatyai

I was in Hatyai the year before last, supposedly to discuss a printing project with a printer. Unfortunately, the owner of this printing company died even before my plane touched down in Hatyai. Part of my G-plan again, I suppose. The project which I started working on since 1999 was then shelved again and I think it may never go to print at all. Anyway, as far as I’m concerned, my job is done, that project is over.

Well, since I was already there in Hatyai and had nothing to do, my friend brought me around to see a little bit of this part of Thailand…but honestly, there wasn‘t much to see. What was interesting in Hatyai was the number of Muslims staying there. This was the first time I saw people wearing tudongs in Thailand! Oh yah! The vegetarian food there was good, especially the Tom Yam. Here are some of the pictures I took.

A picture I took from the aircraft…I think that is Hatyai below…

The view from the hotel room…My friend’s friend owns the hotel so the stay there was FOC!

Hatyai experienced a natural disaster a few years back…a flood that killed many people. A buddha statue was erected on this hill after that to ‘watch over’ Hatyai. My friend told me that a lot of people were trapped in the lifts in some shopping complexes for days and died in them…can you imagine the decomposed state of the bodies? Quite scary right?…


I was walking behind this friend and decided to take a sequence of pictures…quite fun hor?

I went to Songkhla beach…but nothing much to see leh…

That couple did not move so I had to include them in this shot…

Another new day in Hatyai…would I want to go back there? 你說呢…？