i love today! it's like one hilarious shit!!
we had an intern gathering!!! debbie from SPRD! (she LOVESSS sprd!) atiqah, christine and the indian guy from YD

ok, SPRD is strategic policy and research department
YD is youth division!
now my division is called comcare and social support, formely known as social support 1 (SSD1)

anw, we met and had lunch at the prata house and it was super super funny.
in fact, i think i was making the most noise -_-"

debbie visited our divison and we visited hers!
i love my divison now! :D
yet to visit YD. shall do it soooooon! visit atiqah and christine! :D

the world is damn small!!
debbie is act. grace and joannie's friend!! JO's BEST FRIEND IN EXACT!

i have a new email addy cheongannie@yahoo.com.sg!!
i set it up a long time ago to join the m i l u b i n g yahoo group! [PLEASE KILL ME!]
anw, it comes into handy now ((:
cos i cant be sending official emails to pple using my mightyannie acct!
i have had enough poking fun of!!! in sch, at work!

haha. anyway, i have my office number too!
and i have been adding them into my official emails.
so cool cos i got pple calling me for official business. (just when i was telling kahyoke that our phone is so useless)

ka hyoke (my fellow intern in SSD1) is funny :D
i love her eyebrows!

having lunch w my sup, asst sup and dd tomorrow. hope ka hyo ke is joining!
and fri, we are having healthy lifestyle day on fri!!! going kent ridge park!!
HALF DAY FOR US!!

i think debbie will kill me if she reads this.
but i am glad i am not in sprd! and i think my division pple have a life :D

haha. enjoying myself even though i aint go much life

:D

MY SISTER IS HILARIOUSSSSSSSSS!

i think i will be on tv soon :D

catch channel 8's 'new home, new life: tsunami anniversary special'

on this coming sat, 3feb @ 9.30pm

hmm. sometimes, i really do wonder what's my motivation in doing community services.

i doubt myself. i doubt whether am i doing it purely out of kindness or simply out to showcase.

i've no idea myself. but what am i trying to prove?

ultimately, i would love to justify my actions as solely out of kindness cos' i definitely find joy in doing all these.

to see the smiles on the kids' face, telling you how much they love having you with them.

to see the anguish of their incapabilities.

to see the joy of your fellow team mates and definitely moments of displeasures and irritation.

imagine a girl seeing you for the first time and saying, "I am so happy to see you. How are you? You are so pretty." All these they mumbled in broken english that they tried to pick up while awaiting for the occasional visits from us.

thinking back, what i missed most about the aceh trip (oh, not again) is the common identity and interests for the same things. to help and to be helped.

and guess what. i really really missed that time over there.

if only i could go on that mongolia trip with mad and shu.

but things will be different, wouldn't it?

different team mates, different focus. a whole new get-to-know-you-better experience.

alright, i am digressing. and like laiyee, i can only do 1.5 things at a time.

and i am starting to have my 'screensaver mood'

br>

and yes, i haven been watching movies and not really wanting to do so.

i ain't got much of a life. and also rather preoccupied in other stuff (of don't know what)

but anyway, that wasn't much of a point.

if only life is self-defined.

i need to get my legs back into running shoes.

i seemed to have forgotten how much enjoyment long distance has brought me so far, through all my stress, troubles, fears and simply alone-time to be alone.

"unchanged by time" from bonesetter's daugther seems to be flawed cos' it's simply not enough to sustain my small little fantasy on consistency and permanence.

and till thy time, i will be urs.

the ella show is making me miss school so much.

like this <-----------------------------------> x10000000000000 much.

miss having breaks with 3sub gang
miss skipping lit lectures with my sagc.
miss chai fan stall
miss the dessert stall aunty
miss mambo no.5 uncle
and i actually miss MS NG!

)):

the worst thing is that i take 157 EVERYDAY! so i pass by nj everyday )):
and i cannot get down the bus and walk thru the school gate and scan my attendance card.

I FEEL SO BAD CAN!
i can only stare thru the moving bus window and try to spot people that i'll know.
like mr m enon and mr t ong. (since they are always on the field)

irks. can't wait for school to start
hopefully i can get into uni!!!

hmmm! i am trying to get a weekend jon at sentosa.
:D

sat was spent painting the wall which made me so infuriated but also satisfied looking at the final outcome!! :D

pictures!!

the wall that i drew :D

haha! :D

SO CUTE RIGHT! the nanhua-ians coloured the kids that i drew and they were really great even though some jj guy completely thrashed their mural painting.

alright. us (coast2coast) were asked to partner with the nanhua-ians to paint. so we did and we had 2 walls to ourselves which the jj people had like the other 8 walls.

so the overall in-charge for jj, mr mi ke came over to talk to me (i was the ic for the 2 walls)

him: can u teach ur friends to paint better? like more artistically to bring out the pictures

me: what do you mean by it?

him: the painting style is a little childish. it's different from those we have painted.

me: but different people have different styles. we are using sponge to colour and it gives the mural painting a different touch.

him: oh, alright. then after you all have finished painting, you can draw your nan hua school crest or something.

me: i am NOT from nan hua.

him: oh i thought you were one. you looked like one.

me: -stares- and walked away

and later we had another conversation in which i explained to him that i am already 18 (OLDER THAN HIM) and i am from coast2coast

and this is what he replied

"OH! YOU ARE NAN HUA ALUMNI ARH?"

-faints-

alright lah. i was being a little attitude cos' i kept staring at him with animosity.

at vivo was a mess and guess who i saw!!!

ALEC! GINNY AND JEAN!!!

how coincidental can it get??

the whole concert was hilarious with A LOT (like 200) william hungs (inside joke)

after concert, we went down to laiyee's hse.

HER HOUSE IS SO FREAKING COOL!

I WANNA STAY WITH ROOM MATES TOO! ((:

and guess what (again!),

ONE OF MY TEAM MATE IS A BEER BREWER! say: WEEEEEEEEEE! (pun intended)

he brought the oxygen tank, cooler, our glasses to laiyee's hse so we could drink

and i was so tired and after eating dinner (yes, at ungodly hour of 11pm) and drinking half a glass of beer,

I ACTUALLY PLOPPED DOWN ON LAIYEE'S BED AND FELL ASLEEP!

so the rest dilly dallied till 2-ish (dunno doing what) and finally ah ber the nerd finally decided to send us home. (i was woken up from my sweet dreams -_-")

home. slept and overslept.

taught tuition and i spent 2hrs talking to myself.

hai. the only thing my kid replied to was whether i gave him too much homework.

HAIIII!!

work today was FASTTTT! time flew by so fast and i don't know why.

wasn't very productive actually but time really went by fast!

watching the sh-ELLA show. the fei lun hai guys so cuteeeee!

and ella is such a HILARIOUS SHIT!

((:

i changed my seat today.

moved into the dangerous zone, sitting in front of all my deputy directors.

my internship is taking a turn.
i am beginning to enjoy it despite it being very tiring and boring at times.

and seriously, it's like PW REAL LIFE!
sounds like trl (total reality live)

and ystd was the most nerve wrecking meeting ever.
HAHA!
i was asked to go up to the highest level of the M CY S building that only pple with the working pass can go.
and i sat in for a meeting with the per manent secretary (PS), de puty secretary (DS) with my divison head and committee heads.
do you know the PS and DS are the 4th and 5th biggest in the entire M CY S!!

and why PW REAL LIFE?
cos' we were really trying to implement other countries' model, adapt and put it in s' pore context!!!
and boy, there were so many considerations, limitations, restrictions, and WHAT MORE!!

you know, i shouldn't have taken PW so lightly and complain abt its seemingly uselessness.
but who knows that the bigger world out there (here in my office) is actually doing what we are doing in school!!

meetings have been enriching and educative.
i met so many pple. NU S Ven ture, Te en Chal lenge director, Mr. K iasu's artist, pple from other ministries and of course, MY BOSSES!! (like some of the other officers in M CY S haven seen the PS and DS before and i am only an intern!!)

HAHA!

alright. other than that, i got nothing to "whoa" at at my job.
no students trying to be funny with me
no hot babes at sentosa train station
no hot camp instrutors to oggle at
no daddy as a boss
no high pay (or even a average pay)

but i got really nice colleagues and fellow interns :D
and my crescent snr is on attachment here too. but she was quite dao )):
what a small world ((:

indeed so.

oh, on a lighter note, Mr Kiasu does not look like his creator ((:

15mins to end of work!! :D

presenting to you,

MR ACEH EYECANDY :D

according to grace, it doesn't look like hafiz.

and please, please dont question me abt my soft spot for malays.

HAHA! i still wanna eat barbequed pork for cny :D

this was a pretty disturbing t-shirt for our team to handle

and this was like a rainbow to our many difficulties.

and behind every smile, every scar, there's a story.

walking down the aisle of communal living. and true-blue multi-purpose rooms.

;

do come down to vivo on the 20th for more photos :D

we took almost 5000 photos during the whole trip, which is just 12 days. so we took like 500 hundred pics a day!! LIKE OMGGGGG!

but i like the concept of photo jounralism :D

Mungkin Nanti - Peterpan

Saatnya ku berkata mungkin yang terakhir kalinya
Sudahlah lepaskan semua kuyakin inilah waktunya
Mungkin saja kau bukan yang dulu lagi
Mungkin saja rasa itu telah pergi

Dan mungkin bila nanti kita kan bertemu lagi
Satu pintaku jangan kau coba tanyakan kembali
Rasa yang kutinggal mati
Seperti hari kemarin saat semua disini

Dan bila hatimu termenung bangun dari mimpi2mu
Membuka hatimu yang dulu cerita saat bersamaku
Mungkin saja kau bukan yang dulu lagi
Mungkin saja rasa itu telah pergi

Dan mungkin bila nanti kita kan bertemu lagi
Satu pintaku jangan kau coba tanyakan kembali
Rasa yang kutinggal mati
Seperti hari kemarin saat semua disini

Tak usah kau tanyakan lagi simpan untukmu sendiri
Semua sesal yang kau cari semua rasa yang kau beri

English translation
Maybe One Day

This is the time for me to say, maybe for one last time
Let it all go, I'm sure this is the time
Maybe you're no longer who you used to be
Maybe that feeling has departed

And maybe if one day we met again
One thing I ask of you, please don't question me again
About the feeling I left behind
Like yesterday, when everything is still here

And if your heart is day dreaming, awake from your dreams
Re-open your heart, the stories of when you're with me
Maybe you're no longer who you used to be
Maybe that feeling has departed

And maybe if one day we met again
One thing I ask of you, please don't question me again
About the feeling I left behind
Like yesterday, when everything is still here

There is no need for you to ask again, keep it all to yourself
All the guilt you're looking for, all the feeling you have given

;
this is the indon song that i've been listening.
but now i finally understand what it means
and it's so sad )):

they got even better songs but this song is the coast2coast theme song.
no significant reason but they find the tune catchy and nice.
I MISS MY DAYS THEREE

policies.

working in the govt sector is not easy. serious.
i think we as singaporeans should start standing in the shoes of the govt.
instead of complaining of what the govt can do for us,
why don't we think what can we do for the govt?

i don't know.

but when i was reviewing the policies in other countries and try to replicate them in singapore,
i find it hard to not include the govt to spearhead the program.

it's so hard to imagine a total philantrophic action to be led by private enterprise (on a large scale)

so is singapore not a welfare state or is she one but not by name?

i am so worn out. sitting in the office. reading through websites, papers, studies pondering how it will ever be implemented in s'pore.

kudos to the policy makers.

i am in love with peter pan! :D
(FYI: it's an indonesian band! and many many chinese love it - may be a sweeping statement.)

tentang kita and mungkin nanti :D

i secrectly wish that i never come back.
i think i am addicted to leaving singapore.

now i can finally use the net openly. for the past 2 days of internship, all these things have to do privately and discretely.

i never know how tedious it is to go thru 101 search engines until my internship started

alright job scope for internship is bascially do all the miscelleanous stuff for the permanent staff.
things like research, research and MORE RESEARCH!

i am in the social support division 1 doing research to improve lives of the poorer families in singapore. in fact, the poorer people in singapore lah.

not as noble as it sounds cos' i thought i will be doing interaction with them and talking to them but in actual fact, i am just dng policy research.

i mean, i'm still dng my part to improve the society but i was expecting something more direct.
but it's ok! :D
it's God's will. (according to me and sis) ((:
and i believe i will make an impact on someone's life.

my mum refuses to let me go mongolia )):

oh! I AM HAVING A PHOTO EXHIBITION for the aceh trip
AT VIVOCITY ON 20thJANUARY!

it's organised by southwest cdc and there are other vwos participants.
there will be a rock concert after that. from 6-8pm.
exhibition starts from 11am to 10pm!

please come :D

do come down.

hello i am back ((:

but not with a lengthy account of my aceh trip. -heave sigh of relief-
haha.

haven been updating of my life after aceh trip.

updates:

1. went to the zoo FOR FREE!
2. went to heartland woodlands for countdown.
3. setting up a tuition collectives with the rojaks
4. found an internship at MCYS

nothing much. i am still working but very very exhausted

)):

project coast2coast part 3

i know this is getting a little draggy and a bore but i really want to write down what happened over there.
so just allow me to indulge in this small world of myself.

20 dec 2006 - Day 6
i am in the cooking team today!
so while the rest woke up early in the morning, i got the opportunity to laze on the bed :D

breakfast prepared by the cooking team yesterday.
(FYI: our grp names are cumi-cumi (sotong), breakfast (my grp) and kepiting (crab))
all names in bahasa except "breakfast"

the rest of the team went back to FH for lessons while my grp sat and waited for the labi-labi to come fetch us to the wet market and supermarket.

as i've said, the wet market was really wet but it's very organised.
a section for beef, a section for vegetables, a section for chicken.
when i've the pictures, i will show you how they slaughter the chickens!!

shopping at the supermarket was like rushing for time cos' the labi-labi came late then we need to be back home to cook lunch for the rest of the team (by 1pm!!)

so we rushed and rushed.

I COOKED MANGO FRIED RICE!!!
specially invented by annie cheong :D

don't ask me how i did it. i just did it ((:

so menu for lunch was
1) mango fried rice, kavitha fried rice, vegetarian fried rice
2) black soy sauce ayam
3) choc banana fondue.

so the rest ate and left. then we stayed to clean the house. mop the floor. sweep the house. empty the rubbish and it was time to cook dinner again

dinner was less hectic cause we had a power shortage so there were little things we could do.

i cooked vegetarian noodles for dinner.

menu for dinner:
1) fried egg noodles, fried tomato/ chilli noodles and my vegetarian noodles.
2) sardine fish
3) stir-fried cauliflower and cabbages.
4) tomato sausages and potato
5) agar agar (which was a failure)
6) A&W rootbear with icecream :D

had dinner. then debrief then facilitation.

during facilitation session, we had this programme called the "life journey"
we are supposed to draw our things that have happened in our lives that had shaped us into what we are today.

i guess that was the best night ever. i learnt so much. shared so much.
you would be awed by our circle of trust we shared during the short trip.
despite us being friends for only a short time, everyone shared, everyone voiced.

the thing is that i realised that,
even though we are from all walks of life, we share one common passion
which is to serve. not in big ways, but all the small actions along the way.

it opened my eyes to a world beyond myself.
i see the world now as a whole, a bigger picture. just simply by taking a step back.

ths facilitation session didn't end until 3am in the morning (which is 4am in singapore!)
but so much to be shared :D

21 dec 2006 - day 7
was super tired after ystd's late night. but today's programme is one of the main highlight for the trip.
THE BEACH DAY!
and do you know that aceh is famous for its beaches?

i woke up late for my breakfast duty so i volunteered to clean the dishes and cups after breakfast. sorry the breakfast team who woke up early to prepare breakfast :D

two labi-labis came. a new black labi labi with mirror at its door.
when i first saw myself in the mirror, I GOT A BIGGGGG SHOCK! (our house does not have a mirror)
is that me? what's with all the mosquito bites on my forehead?

went to the beach and saw the kids on the bus.
you should see how they squeeze about 70 boys onto a bus. it was like a sardine bus!

was drizzling a little but it didn't deter anyone of us to NOT PLAY on the beach.

played frisbee monkey. kite flying (the kite was drenched even before it went up to the sky so failed attempt!) volleyball with the girls and lots more of frisbee with the boys.

the kids are really kampong. they taught me how to catch little fishes with my bare hands!!!
was quite turned off by the slimy bodies at first but after you get the hang of it, catching fishes was a breeze! :D the kids caught a few bottles of fishes for us :D (but i let them go at the end of the day)

i tried body boarding with wooden planks. when the waves come, you just lean on the planks and let the waves sweep you away. IT WAS REALLY AWESOME!
boonhan, you suck at this! xP

was pretty alone that day (just with the kids without any of my team mates) but i really enjoyed my time with the kids. there were a few boys who will come and play with me when they see my sitting alone :D (they were the ones who caught fishes with me!)

talked and played with the darruseleum team! :D
i see how their eyes sparkle when they are interacting with the kids.

ended. back home. showered and down to canadian red cross for a dialogue session with their representatives. (freddy works at canadian red cross)

saw the 2nd flushable toilet at their office :D

one of the main question for them was
"how long would aceh need to return back to the days before the tsunami?"

home. packed dinner at home. debrief and rest.

I HAD A LOT OF FUN THAT DAY! :D

23 dec 2006 - day 8
interaction with the kids at the 2nd kindergarten that 1st and the 2nd team built.
lam teh kindergarten. it looks so much better than the one that we went previously.

only about 12 children turned out that morning since it was raining the night before.

haha. taught them chicken dance. played musical chairs, london bridge and more.
the kids left and we stayed at the kindergarten to practise our cultural exchange dance.

slept and waited for lunch.

after i woke up from a nap, saw a few village kids in the kindergarten. played along with them and was super hilarious.
their language sounds alien to me and my english sounds alien to them. so throughout the whole conversation, we just blabbered and them laughing away (most likely laughing at me!)

tried stealing one of the kid's bike to cycle. but was too small for me to cycle!

lunch was FAB! (from a chinese cafe!)

after we left the kindergarten, gave some sweets to the village kids. then when the labi labi drove off, they ran after us.
SO SWEET RIGHT?

left and went to their museum. it costs less that 10cents to go in??
quite enriching and also quite boring.
the historical sight was when all the guys came out early to sleep under this aceh traditional house.

then we had interaction with LP3I. (last interaction with them)
played captain's ball. had a hard time explaining the game to them. then due to extreme fatigue from insufficient rest, we played truth or dare. so just need to sit in a circle and do dares.

then it rained heavily and it was time to part.
boon han had a fan club and laiyee was the manager!! and a girl likes alvin! haha!
hilarious shit ((:

dinner at the place where we packed our lunch.
had mee tiaw (kuay tew in singapore terms) and my teh susu dingin :D

went home and the sports grp from darruseleum team was at home -BLINKS!-

debrief and did the ten questions on "more about aceh!"
day ends :D 4 more days left for the trip )):

alright. i am getting a little bored of blogging :D

it's 2007 today!
new year resolution: totally clueless.
lead a more purposeful life i guess :D

selemat malam worldlings :D