Sunday, February 24, 2008 @ 5:37 PM: Busy and tired...
Things to do and look forward to for the next week
(with tuition intensity looking to be cut severely):-
1. Concentrate on my project... after a talk with my sis, i realised i shouldn't take it in terms of experience too much... shall really put in all my best efforts in the hope of achieving something out of the attachment
2. Start researching on ECO essay submission... those who know me will know what topic I will embark on... remember those days in the national library where we will read up voraciously on those topics haha(see below... qn 3 and 5 look so fun!!)
3. VMD's 1st meeting with Wilson this year + ECO VAN prep! (will be a fun event, just needs good planning!!)
4. Speakers list to be confirmed with Aaron... then can start embarking on participant management + sponsorship packages!
5. Some good movies coming up, if i've ever got the chance to watch one it will be great (packed-like-sardines schedule + hard to meet up with ppl)
Things to do now (with yet another tuition coming up later!!):
1. VAN invitation letters and poster (I'm really tired to do now argh... can't procrastinate further liao)
2. Essay structure (pinpoint issues to be researched later)
3. Read up on summer schools
4. Europe trip (group meeting + schedule breakdown in detail)
Ok... for the ECO essay submission (trials for some UN Youth Conference on environment, so it will be great opportunity for those who are interested in envt), I'm supposed to advertise for Wilson... anyone interested can ask me or tagboard me if u dunno me la...
Essay TopicChoose one of the following topics. Your essay should contain specific examples or case studies from Asian countries (except Question 5).
Length of essay: Approximately 2000 words.
1. Sustainable Agriculture
Discuss three to four practices on how farmland is currently being used in a specific community. Subsequently, suggest how these practices can be carried out in a more sustainable manner.
2. Rural Development
Elaborate some trade policies of the local government and examine their impacts on the agricultural sector.
3. Land
Discuss the current measures taken to prevent land degradation as well as current rehabilitation programmes. How have these benefited the people and how sustainable are they?
4. Drought
Discuss ways on how water can be made more equitable and affordable.
5. Africa
Choose one issue from the list below. Illustrate the current scenario of Africa related to the chosen issue and suggest measures to tackle the relevant problems regarding the issue:
(a) Poverty reduction
(b) Health Priorities (e.g. HIV/AIDS, malaria)
(c) Global/ Regional market development
Selection ProcessPhase 1 (Essay): Participants will submit an essay entry on the above stated topics.Assessment:- Writing Skills- Understanding(issues) skills- Reading Skills
Phase 2 (Workshops):Fifty selected participants will go through a series of workshops (for 4 weekends) on the thematic issues of CSD-16. Assessment:- Communications Skills- Networking Skills- Leadership Skills- Self Motivation Skills
Rules and Regulations
1. This contest is open to all youth (aged 17 to 25 as of 5th May 2008).
2. Participants can submit as many essay entries as they wish.
3. Each entry must include full particulars of the participant: (name, IC number, age, address, school/ institute, contact number, email address).
4. The organizer reserves the right to reproduce and/or use the submissions in any form they deem fit.
5. Judge’s final decision is final. Entries not conforming to contest rules will be disqualified.
6. Applicable to Singaporeans/PR only.
JIAYOU! GANBATTE!
thank you for bringing me memories...
Sunday, February 17, 2008 @ 1:07 AM: Determination and ramblings
Determined as I am, I will just fight on... despite all the obstacles ahead... Even though the fight may seem futile... but I am certain for once...
Haha... if one thinks a lot abt the picture, he will just suffer in unpronounced agony... yeps... And after reading janelle's entry, I felt inspired at once, to continue in the journey which has no future goals to attain (unlike those mentioned in the Lateral Leadership book haha)...
And one more thing I told the volunteers during VIP today: Do whatever u do, and know what u are doing. That way knowing the mid-term goals and future big goal to attain, you assess and see where u stand amidst the benchmarks... consequently, it will fuel your passion to strive ahead... and if one doesn't do something (worthwhile i mean, not the sort of sk that i've gone thru at times), he or she will never learn (aka do more, expose urself to more risks of mistakes, and learn more!) And I must say I have learnt a lot in ECO these months...
*
Next week will be a very busy week ahead... this week had been quite kind to me in terms of schedule, next one will be crazy!!! and had a great time in the family dinner just now... our contestants just din have luck in the Deal or no Deal... and it is not busy being Adrian Pang there when u are dealing with little kids... no wonder there is screening of potential contestants... but anyway all are great sports and we played well deep into the night (till like now)!
And huilan is right: overloading my work schedule to avoid some issues doesn't solve the problem at all... haha...
thank you for bringing me memories...
Monday, February 11, 2008 @ 8:39 AM: Back to ICES
Well, this tactical break for me has been kind enough... visiting homes for the first day aka the ang pao collection day, had a great family day on Friday (considering how long it was when our entire family went out for a meal or a movie... I guess it was like in sec 4 or something?), but anyway I would not recommend kung fu slam dunk if u have watched shaolin soccer, the plot is exactly the same, a devout replica of the characters... So only watched it if you want to see jay chou and nothing else...
Had a good saturday doing so many things that I didn't have time to do for the past one month... jogging with my family (as part of the campaign to make my mum exercise!), playing lan with man (oh it rhymes... btw to clarify, joseph is NOT gay hahahah, everyone knows it), then it is BBO with YIWEN! haha... so great to play with her again cos it is SSC haha (ok, i'm gonna be despised by zb or some other peeps soon, but it is fun to play the system) ... then we have some VMD bai nian at minghui's house over at tampines... and at night sent xy off at the airport... ppl are flying off these days (shouheng just flew last week)
And for all the hiatus that zehan and I had for bridge over the past 1.5 months, we had it well compensated yesterday against mokymouse in the hs ho championships on sunday. With our miserable rankings, we had to start from all the way bottom... and contrary to our expectations, it turned out to be ok - defence was excellent, which meant we know what every move we made means; we made contracts which should be making; perhaps a few places in bidding which could be refined to find some odd slams, but nevertheless we found a 7NT quite effortlessly! (the other side stopped in 6H+1)... good that we did not forget about the stuff, except for a game that I was distracted for a contract which should have gone -1 instead of -2 (2 imps giveaway! it is always as close as ever considering the quality of the opposition...)
had class dinner after which saw me flustered some confusion between the two steamboat restaurant with an 80% resemblance in their names... i think all the running from one place to the other is even more than the sat morning jog... so eventually we had a fun time over there chit chatting and catching up...
ok... had a total of 8+7+6+5 (the numbers decrease by the day, if u realise) hours of sleep for the four days... and now it'll be back to the 4 per day scheme! hope i'll last the distance of 7 weeks (jo is luckier, it is only 2 weeks for her!)...
back to work!
thank you for bringing me memories...
Saturday, February 09, 2008 @ 12:44 AM: New Year, New Hopes
Happy Chinese New Year!
Time to move on! Thanks janelle btw!
thank you for bringing me memories...
Monday, February 04, 2008 @ 10:16 PM: Motivation
Haha... today had a good chat with fellow pre-departure scholars at ICES and the forum team...
Well, both convos dwell on different stuff... one is how we are charting our future directions, the other is how we can manage to keep going in our fields despite juggling so many balls at the same time... haha... and i think the central point to both convos is passion and motivation...
I would be bluffing if I tell you that I have no complaints regarding the attachment, to be honest... Maybe it is sort of a character match, as echoed by the VJ friend (I'm really bad with names) and Amrik... One month into preparing solutions, using the machines, recording and manipulating the results and repeating the same whole sequences everyday all ALONE, I realised sometimes it can be to the breaking point...
Essentially I love to interact with ppl, understanding about lives, influencing people and helping others who are in need... and now it seems my mouth is sorta useless de... everyday at most say hi to those around u and everyone is so indulged in their own work, as though a slight disturbance will take them away from their final steps of the equation they are formulating (which i can say i really admire their spirit, and i think i appear like that too to the rest)... And that's where tiong soon's words come into play... about facebook being the place for those who are 'deprived' of social life (forgot his exact quote as well)... and i guess i have little time for that as well la, since i am under pressure to produce the relevant results in order to carry on... And sometimes it is scary to a certain extent... to see the PhDs and grad students mumbling incomprehensible words to their own... and of course, i'll start singing my own compositions to my own vials and beakers in my boredom (someone said that was scary too!)
But that doesn't mean I don't love research... It can be really fun when it's in a group, for one of the best times I had in JC was to be doing a project at DSI with huixuan and huiting... and it is still fun now cos I get to plan my own experiment, decide what to do next with consultation from the friendly mentors, and talk crap with fellow pre-departure scholars... and no job's perfect...
I shall give myself the next two months to decide... since I dun really understand my personality as well... but I know my direction ahead - and it was essentially same as Caleb, a MOE scholar... which is to be A Prof, doing research and at the same time educating the next generation!
thank you for bringing me memories...
Sunday, February 03, 2008 @ 9:16 PM: The first third of the intensive months is over!
Well, shall say congrats to myself for having passed the first third phase of the dizzy three months... Ok quite bo liao...
Anyway had quite a few things to blog about... and since I've promised I won't blog my events in my schedule style, shall just say things as I think of it ba...
Firstly, have I been expecting a lot from other ppl? In the very same way that I demand of myself... Perhaps this stems all the sources of my pain and sorrow and disappointment that I will feel occasionally... Yes, I expect myself to put in 100% of my efforts for the events that I have set for doing it well, I expect my tutees to learn 100% of what I teach them and demand the attitude of an eager learner, I expect (sometimes) that ppl will return the favour... of course, my partner and I expect no mistakes from each other (well, i really wonder when's the next time when we'll be playing bridge together... and that's not because i've flown off or what lor, but i guess our schedules don't meet)
While I'm expecting so much from ppl, have I been doing the things that will augur the expectations? haha... sometimes when u've thot that ur intentions will be understood by the other party, sometimes when you thought ppl will appreciate ur kind acts, it is not to be, just as how sometimes one may misread intentions on ur own side as well...
Secondly, I must say I really felt the effects of "silence emanating above all"... haha... i guess everything is spelt out clearly in the silence, and all the more it makes one helpless and desperate.
Ok... one of my kind friends is asking me whether I'll be having a date on that coveted day... well, i could only feel along the lines of one of fish leong's songs - feng shou kuai le (u may deduce which is the line) and it isn't that bad considering I'll be having a date actually - with my TUTEE! hahaha... Well paths may never cross (parallel lines or that the lines are diverging... i'm hoping a mod function can come in though) and some things just couldn't be forced... sometimes being an outside person may actually help u see things better (i'm not going to quote that proverb since my comp doesn't allow chinese characters)...
Went for a party celebration yesterday and was actually quite happy to see a lot of ppl whom I've not seen for a long time... haha... just wondering how i shld celebrate my bday, and when as well... haha... and there's one more person to celebrate with me (my sis of course!) so i guess it'll be quite a crowded affair!! and so sadly, this will be the last celebration until like at least 5 years later? Wow... din think she applied for my uni though she had intended to...
and seriously i feel europe trip is diaoozed... dun really have the energy to cover all those issues, shall wait until my CNY (chu xi can shou shui!!) and settle all the remaining issues... and come and think of it, my room is in a heap of mess... shall do a bit of packing before CNY comes... anyway shld be quite free during CNY weekend so can jio me out for outings or wat (hmm... had wanted to organise BMT/4A/7B/... outings but perhaps I shld give myself more personal time, reflecting on issues and learning from them...
thank you for bringing me memories...
