I found to my chagrin that my VIP report (both to school and to company) which I had been working on the past few days had been corrupted.
Super crazy - good thing this is only Week 3 and not Week 7 (when the VIP report to school is due.)
VIP's been fine so far, a nice bunch of colleagues who have been a great help in bringing me up to speed with what is going on here...
OK for those not in the know, SCDF may be outsourcing some of the calls for the 999 ambulance service to private ambulance companies. That's of course still in the pipeline.
NOW that's a golden opportunity for The Organisation! Hope they are not too blind to see and let this opportunity bypass them AGAIN.
Saya akan menjalani peperiksaan Bahasa Melayu esok. Ia peperiksaan terakhir saya pada semester ini.
Saya sangat seronok belajar Bahasa Melayu. Di Singapura "Singlish" ada banyak kata-kata Bahasa Melayu contohnya: senget, mati, malu, jaga, "potong jalan" dan lain-lain. Sebenarnya, semasa kami belajar di sekolah rendah perlu mempelajari dua lagu Bahasa Melayu: Lagu Kebangsaan Singapura "Majulah Singapura" dan lagu Hari Kanak-kanan "Semoga Bahagia".
Selepas saya belajar Bahasa Melayu, saya boleh menahami kata-kata ini. Saya pun boleh menahami notis-notis di Bahasa Melayu, terutama apabila mereka ditulis dengan Bahasa Inggeris, Bahasa Cina, Bahasa Melayu dan Bahasa Tamil.
Pada hari esok, saya akan habiskan modul "Malay 1". Guru saya pernah bertanya saya akan belajar modul "Malay 2" tidak. Walau, ia harap kalau pada semester depan akan "timetable clash"... kalau tiada "timetable clash", saya akan belajar modul "Malay 2" supaya memperbaiki bahasa Melayu saya. Saya mungkin belajar Bahasa Melayu hingga modul "Malay 3" ketika semester terakhir saya. Saya dengar pelajar-pelajar yang belajar modul "Malay 3" akan pergi ke muzium dan mendengar (dalam Bahasa Melayu - tiada terjemahan Bahasa Inggeris) cerita Lt. Adnan semasa Perang Dunia ke-2.
Setuju, saya akan diteruskan latihan saya.... pada pukul 11pg esok saya akan menghabiskan peperiksaan saya!
Okay there was a series of events over the past 2 weeks as below...
Phoenix Fest... once again the cultural event of the year and must I say it was a blast. But I couldn't help but wonder if pressure from certain quarters again had a hand in the way things turned out...
Inter Hall Bash. Well, it seemed that there wasn't any support from certain quarters. But the event was a blast nevertheless. To all the naysayers, a pity you guys missed it. :/
Open House. Good given the constraints we faced and it's something good to chew on for next year when we will be one of the halls hosting. There was some fallout after that (again from certain quarters) for which I reserve my comments.
IHG supper. An event for the sportsmen to come together and celebrate the end of the Inter Hall Games... and also for the deserving sportsmen and sports teams to receive their awards.
DnD. This year we held it at CHIJMES Cathedral (appropriate place for Maundy Thursday but needless to say not an appropriate date.) It is always the event that, good or bad, always centers around one thing - it's just like Seniors' Night which we had in JC. Taking pics with our hall friends whom we all got to know (and love? tsk tsk) this academic year. Come the next one they may or may not continue their stay but the memories is one that will stay with us throughout our lives.
--
For "The Organisation". Good to see one major issue successfully tackled. However I see some MAJOR lethargy on the part of "ketua-ketua kita". Whether this will be solved soon by the parties concerned, saya tak tahu... but knowing the way things are, this will only be solved by change in leadership. But when will this happen? We don't know as there are currently no (suitable) candidates to take up the middle management posts that will eventually lead to them taking up key positions in The Organisation. What will soon happen is that there are insufficient people doing the leg work and too big a gap between the senior and the junior. It is akin to a house being constructed with the correct foundation but too heavy on top and too little support in between. What happens next? You don't have to be a civil engineer to know the consequence... UTTER COLLAPSE
"The Other Organisation" ain't faring much better either.
Something interesting.
------
Isaiah 65:24 'Before they call, I will answer'
This story was written by a doctor who worked in South Africa
One night I had worked hard to help a mother in the labor ward; but
in spite of all we could do, she died leaving us with a tiny
premature baby and a crying two-year-old daughter. We would have
difficulty keeping the baby alive, as we had no incubator (we had no
electricity to run an incubator).
We also had no special feeding facilities. Although we lived on the
equator, nights were often chilly with treacherous drafts. One
student midwife went for the box we had for such babies and the
cotton wool that the baby would be wrapped in.
Another went to stoke up the fire and fill a hot water bottle. She
came back shortly in distress to tell me that in filling the bottle,
it had burst (rubber perishes easily in tropical climates). 'And it
is our last hot water bottle!' she exclaimed. As in the West, it is
no good crying over spilled milk so in Central Africa it might be
considered no good crying over burst water bottles. They do not grow
on trees, and there are no drugstores down forest pathways.
'All right,' I said, 'put the baby as near the fire as you safely
can, and sleep between the baby and the door to keep it free from
drafts. Your job is to keep the baby warm.'
The following noon, as I did most days, I went to have prayers with
any of the orphanage children who chose to gather with me. I gave the
youngsters various suggestions of things to pray about and told them
about the tiny baby. I explained our problem about keeping the baby
warm enough, mentioning the hot water bottle, and that the baby could
so easily die if it got chills. I also told them of the two-year-old
sister, crying because her mother had died.
During prayer time, one ten-year old girl, Ruth, prayed with the
usual blunt conciseness of our African children. 'Please, God' she
prayed, 'send us a water bottle. It'll be no good tomorrow, God, as
the baby will be dead, so please send it this afternoon.'
While I gasped inwardly at the audacity of the prayer, she added,
'And while You are about it, would You please send a dolly for the
little girl so she'll know You really love her?'
As often with children's prayers, I was put on the spot. Could I
honestly say,'Amen'. I just did not believe that God could do this.
Oh, yes, I know that He can do everything, the Bible says so. But
there are limits, aren't there? The only way God could answer this
particular prayer would be by sending me a parcel from homeland. I
had been in Africa for almost four years at that time, and I had
never, ever received a parcel from home. Anyway, if anyone did send
me a parcel, who would put in a hot water bottle? I lived on the
equator! Halfway through the afternoon, while I was teaching in the
nurses' training school, a message was sent that there was a car at
my front door.
By the time I reached home, the car had gone, but there, on the
veranda, was a large twenty-two pound parcel. I felt tears pricking
my eyes. I could not open the parcel alone, so I sent for the
orphanage children.
Together we pulled off the string, carefully undoing each knot. We
folded the paper, taking care not to tear it unduly. Excitement was
mounting. Some thirty or forty pairs of eyes were focused on the
large cardboard box. From the top, I lifted out brightly colored,
knitted jerseys. Eyes sparkled as I gave them out. Then there were
the knitted bandages for the leprosy patients, and the children
looked a little bored. Then came a box of mixed raisins and sultanas
- that would make a batch of buns for the weekend. Then, as I put my
hand in again, I felt the.....could it really be? I grasped it and
pulled it out - yes, a brand-new, rubber hot water bottle. I cried. I
had not asked God to send it; I had not truly believed that He could.
Ruth was in the front row of the children. She rushed forward, crying
out, 'If God has sent the bottle, He must have sent the dolly too!'
Rummaging down to the bottom of the box, she pulled out the small,
beautifully dressed dolly. Her eyes shone! She had never doubted!
Looking up at me, she asked: 'Can I go over with you and give this
dolly to that little girl, so she'll know that Jesus really loves her?'
That parcel had been on the way for five whole months. Packed up by
my former Sunday school class, whose leader had heard and obeyed
God's prompting to send a hot water bottle, even to the equator. And
one of the girls had put in a dolly for an African child - five
months before, in answer to the believing prayer of a ten-year-old to
bring it 'that afternoon.'
'Before they call, I will answer' (Isaiah 65:24) This awesome prayer
takes less than a minute. When you receive this, say the prayer,
that's all you have to do. No strings attached. Just send it on to
whomever you want - but do send it on. Prayer is one of the best free
gifts we receive. There is no cost but a lot of rewards.
Let's continue praying for one another Father, I ask you to bless my
friends reading this right now. I am asking You to minister to their
spirit at this very moment. Where there is pain, give them Your peace
and mercy. Where there is self doubting, release a renewed confidence
to work through them. Where there is spiritual stagnation, I ask You
to renew them by revealing Your nearness, and by drawing them into
greater intimacy with You. Where there is fear, reveal Your love, and
release to them Your courage. Bless their finances, give them greater
vision, and raise up leaders and friends to support and encourage
them. Give each of them discernment to recognize the evil forces
around them, and reveal to them the power they have in You to defeat
it. I ask you to do these things in Jesus' name.
P.S. Passing this on to anyone you consider a friend will bless you
both. Passing this on to one not considered a friend is something
Christ would do.
'Do not ask the Lord to guide your footsteps if you're not willing to
move your feet.
I predict John McCain will be the next President of the United States.
Check back in mid November to see if i am correct or wrong.
But I support Barack Obama.
Saya belajar Bahasa Melayu dalam semester ini. Saya nasib baik kerena
saya ada kawan-kawan yang orang Malaysia tolong saya belajar Bahasa
Melayu. Saya boleh berlatih Bahasa Melayu saya dengannya. Saya akan
menulis anggaran hidup saya di sini.
Ayah saya juga cakap Bahasa Melayu hebat kerena dia berbesar di Klang
(datuk saya tadi orang Malaysia dari Klang, tetapi bila Singapura
merdeka di tahun 1965, dia pilih kerakyatan Singapura. Oleh ayah saya
juga kerakyatan Singapura. Bila ayah saya berumur 18 tahun, dia mesti
pulang ke Singapura untuk Perkhidmatan Negara. Ayah saya menjadi
pegawai tentera, pangkatnya Mejar. Ayah saya memberi saya kamusnya
untuk pelajaran saya.
Saya suka makan nasi ayam. Tetapi bila saya bermuda, saya tidak suka
makanan pedas. Satu hari, kawan-kawan saya ke Pusat Makanan Newton
makan 'Sambal Stingray'. Dari hari itu, saya boleh makan makanan
pedas.... hari ini, saya boleh makan nasi ayam dan cili. Saya fikir
keluarga saya akan terkejut saya suka makanan pedas sekarang.
Saya keluarga bahagia. Saya ada seorang adik lelaki, dia orang yang
Perkhidmatan Negara (akan habis pada Ogos tahun ini.) Ada tiga kucing
(seekor kucing jantan, dua ekor kucing betina) di rumah saya. Kami
sayang mereka.
Saya akan habis belajar saya pada Mei tahun hadapan. Kemudian, saya
akan berkerja jurutera...
Waktu petang ini, saya ada perjumpaan dengan kawan saya dari
Facebook. Dia ahli terapi hipnosis juga. Kemudian saya ada mesyuarat
projek pada pukul 6 pg.
P.S. Kalau tatabahasa Bahasa Melayu saya salah, sila betul saya. Itu
bagaimana saya belajar dan membaikkan.
P.P.S. Pada masa lepang saya akan menulis terjema Bahasa Inggeris
untuk pembaca saya yang tidak faham Bahasa Melayu...
Ok it's been a long while since the last proper update...
- CNY
Chinese New Year celebrations was of pretty the same routine as previous years, but I was glad that this year, i managed to meet quite a few of my cousins (e.g. my dad's younger sister who reside in Malaysia came down to visit us) whom I have not seen for the past few years. Heh.... the Ang Pao collection was also not bad but that's another story hehe :)
- VDay
Valentine's Day was a pretty normal day for me but it was interesting walking around school and seeing the girls (and guys) walking around with bouquets from (or for) their loved ones. I remember for my 4-6 lecture, there seemed to be those who were rushing off for the night's programme :P
As for how I celebrated it myself... basically i shared my box of chocolates with my hall friends.. it was a gesture which they evidently appreciated. :)
- Tests and projects
Am still mulling on whether to continue with ME3221 (Energy Conversion Processes). I find it disturbing that I just cannot understand this module. Mental block or am i just not up to it? To complicate matters there is a test (30%) coming up this coming Friday.
2 more weeks to the start of Week 7 and I must decide on whether I'm going to keep or drop this module by then.
I am taking 6 modules this sem, 3 of them project based (2 of them are 100% CA in fact.) On top of that, I'm taking SJAB's Higher First Aid course and on top of that, the CCA points to key in.
Thought of the day: if I am planning to S/U, how much effort should I put as compared to one who is planning to score?
- Volunteer work
The general situation in both my Organisations now seems pretty lukewarm. Not surprising based on my dad's assessment that "Singaporeans are a stressed lot". Both Organisations being voluntary in nature depend largely on the spare time of their members. And with prices up again (unfortunately), the man on the street has less time to spend on volunteer work. No wonder one of my friends lamented that some people are pretty mercenary nowadays, with the first question being "How much will I be paid?" or "What's in it for me?"
What about uniformed groups? They face a tough manpower issue... Students who have graduated from secondary school are no longer so forthcoming in rendering their services to their alma mater (through the Cadet Lieutenants/Cadet Inspectors or equivalent schemes)... especially when they begin to be involved in more attractive activities in the JCs/Polys. I myself wasn't too active in JC due to SJAB (granted, I was in the Students' Council but I didn't try new things like ODAC or similar stuff). The uniformed groups in general have a problem retaining manpower. To complicate matters, there is a disdain for all things uniformed in Singapore (in particular the military - as opposed to the States where service members are proud of their uniforms.)
In SJAB itself, there is a lack of suitable qualified volunteers to take on more important positions within the organisation. Many choose to remain within their comfort zone and not take up new challenges...
Something about panadol. (also help to improve my malay vocabulary, hah... although this is in Bhs Indo)
JANGAN KONSUMSI SEGALA JENIS PANADOL
> terutama jika punya masalah gastric
> FYI, sharing a true experience story from a
> friend....
> sharing bdk pengalaman dari seorang teman
>
> My husband was working in a hospital as an IT
> engineer, as the hospital is planning to set up
> a database of its patient. And he knows some of
> the doctors quite well..
> Suami saya bekerja di RS sebagai IT jurutera,
> dan RS berencana membuat database untuk
> pasiennya. dan dia mengenal bbrp dokter dengan
> baik
> The doctors used to tell him that whenever they
> have a headache, they are not willing to take
> PANADOL (PARACETMOL) . In fact,they will turn
> to Chinese Herbal Medicine or find other
> alternatives.
> para dokter mengatakan pada dia kalau mrk sakit
> kepala mrk tidak mau meminum PANADOL
> (PARASETAMOL) . bahkan mrk beralih kpd
> pengobatan alternatif china (dengan rempah2)
> atau mencari alternatif lain
>
> This is because Panadol is toxic to the body,
> and it harms the liver. According to the
> doctor, Panadol will reside in the body for at
> least 5 years. And according to the doctor,
> there used to be an incident where an air
> stewardess consumes a lot of panadol during her
> menstrual as she needs to stand all the time.
> She's now in her early 30's, and she needs to
> wash her kidney (DIALYSIS) every month.
>
> hal ini krn panadol mrpk racun bagi tubuh, dan
> membahayakan liver menurut para dokter, panadol
> akan mengendap ditubuh setidaknya selama 5
> tahun. dan menurut para dokter, pernah ada
> kejadian dimana seorang pramugari mengkonsumsi
> banyak panadol pada saat menstruasi krn dia
> butuh untuk berdiri sepanjang waktu. skr dia
> berumur 30-an dan butuh mencuci ginjalnya
> setiap bulan
>
> As said by the doctor that whenever we have a
> headache, that's because it is due to the
> electron/Ion imbalance in the brain. As an
> alternative solution to cope with this matter,
> they suggested that we buy 1 or 2 cans of
> isotonic drink ( eg.100PLUS), and mix it with
> drinking water according to a ratio of 1:1 or
> 1:2 (simply, it means one cup 100plus, one cup
> water.or 2 cups water). My husband and I have
> tried this on several occasions, and it seems
> to work well.
>
> seperti yg sudah dijelaskan oleh para dokter
> bahwa kapanpun mrk mengalami sakit kepala hal
> itu disebabkan oleh ketidakseimbangan
> electron/ion di otak. sebagai solusi alternatif
> untuk menangani masalah ini mrk menyarankan
> untuk membeli 1 atau 2 kaleng minuman isotonic
> dan mencampurnya dengan air dengan perbandingan
> 1:1 atau 1:2 (1 gelas isotonik dicampur 1 atau
> 2 gelas air). suami saya dan saya telah
> mencobanya bbrp kali dan kelihatannya berhasil
> dengan baik
>
> Another method will be to submerge your feet in
> a basin of warm water so that it bring the
> blood pressure down from your throbbing head.
> metode lainnya adalah merendam dengan air
> hangat kaki anda sehingga menurunkan tekanan
> darah dari kepala
> As Panadol is a pain killer, the more Panadol
> you take, the lesser would be your threshold
> for pain (your endurance level for pain).
> karena panadol adalah penghilang rasa sakit
> maka semakin banyak kita konsumsi semakin
> kurang kita merasakan sakit (daya tahan
> terhadap sakit meningkat)
> We all will fall ill as we aged, for woman, we
> would need to go through childbirth. Imagine
> that we had spent our entire life popping quite
> a substantial amount of Panadol (Pain Killer)
> when you need to have a surgery or operation,
> you will need a much more amount of general
> anesthetic to numb your surgical pain than the
> average person who seldom or rarely takes
> Panadol .. If you have a very high intake of
> Panadol throughout your life (Migraine,
> Menstrual cramps) it is very likely that normal
> general anesthetic will have no effects on you
> as your body is pumped full with panadol and
> your body is so used to pain killer that you
> would need a much stronger pain killer,
> Morphine??
> kita semua akan jatuh sakit seiring
> bertambahnya usia, untuk wanita kita perlu
> menjalani masa melahirkan. bayangkan bila kita
> telah cukup banyak mengkonsumsi panadol
> (penghilang rasa sakit) ketika kita butuh
> menjalani operasi, kita akan membutuhkan jumlah
> lebih banyak untuk menghilangkan rasa sakitnya
> ketimbang dengan mrk yg mengkonsumsi lebih
> sedikit panadol. jika kita telah mengkomsumsi
> panadol sepanjang hidup kita (sakit kepala,
> kram krn menstruasi) sepertinya obat biasa
> tidak akan berefek apapun pada tubuh anda
> karena tubuh anda sudah terisi dengan panadol
> dan tubuh anda sudah terbiasa dengan penghilang
> rasa sakit sehingga membutuhkan penghilang rasa
> sakit yg lebih kuat, morfin ?
>
> Value your life, THINK b4 you easily pop that
> familiar pill into your mouth again. >
> hargai hidup anda, pikir dahulu sebelum dengan
> mudahnya menelan obat yg sudah dikenal kedalam
> mulut anda.
> kirimkan ini kpd orang2 yg anda kasihi
