You'll know it's X'mas season *here* when you start seeing loads of volunteers popping by almost every other day, & almost at everywhere. They are serious about this whole idea of *giving*, not just giving of money, but of their time, effort, and hearts as well. As I am typing away, the volunteers in the recreational room opposite my office are bringing laughters and fun to my residents. They are all enjoying themselves. The music and the singing are loud, so were the clappings and laughter. This is indeed the season of giving. Hmm, what are you giving me??? Our area of work depends alot on committed good volunteers because of the many events and programmes we have. Without them, be it professionals, housewives, retirees, students, alike, the season decorations won't be up, the staff will be overworked during the outings, luncheons, workouts, each client won't feel as loved and touched on this planet earth etc. This is a tribute to all volunteers in the charity scene. Thank you all. =) Woohoo....Half the day is gone, finally. I had my first presentation in Mandarin to a China group this morning. For a rookie, I think the feedback is good. When the Director of that Chinese group heard that I am a junior staff, I saw her face went twisted for a second. She was probably expecting someone of a similar level to do the presentation for them. Well, I never volunteered for this assignment...I was *shot by the arrow* by my Director as she had to go on urgent leave (family matters) & the other managers either were not around or busy with other centres programmes. Anyway, I am just clearing some work (reports, emails, work plans etc) and then I will be out of this place at 6pm and be back next year!!! I will have many things to do next week before my trip. I will need to do some Christmas shopping for myself, and catch a movie on Monday. I have decided not to get any Christmas gifts for people this year except for Gift Exchanges. Budget is very tight. Then I need to start packing my luggage as I foresee I will be busy on the eve & Christmas day itself. I will also need to do some spring cleaning of my room & start packing my books in the books cabinet into boxes. We are shifting house probably in feb. I'll also find time to get my family out for a meal together, for my very belated birthday & Diana's birthday celebrations. Mummy owe us this for a long long time. Of course, in between, I'll catch up with my sleep, my books, & blogs reading. Haha. Ho ho ho .....Merry Christmas to all =)  | Goodbye | Nov 27, '08 6:09 AM
for everyone |
I saw you on 5 Nov...I had felt the tugging in my heart that I had to visit you then. Little did I know that it would be my last time seeing you. You passed away on 17 Nov, the very first day I went on leave. I was still thinking of visiting you after work this Tues. Though I was upset for the day when I saw your death cert on my desk, I also know that dying is a form of relief to you. You couldn't accept the fact of your amputation, you went delirious. You kept whinning in pain, I felt so helpless. My only regret is not being able to bring to you your bankbook; the last thing you requested to see. I was surprised to know you still had relatives in Malaysia and many of them came to send you off. Your record has always stated that you were alone. The pics you had at your bed, you never mentioned to me before. I wonder if they were of your mum, sister, or lover. You are not the first death that I encounter in this course of work, & you will not be the last. But still, I feel sad at your departure. If given a second chance, what else would I say to you on that very night I visited you? Did you die because you had lost all hope of living? You had the tell tale signs of depression, what could I do more to help you? Were you glad that night when I visited you? Though I was behind mask, could you feel my sincerity? When I fed you water, were you relieved? Now that you are gone, my work carries on... It's friday, & my last day at work before I go all out for AC '08. Work to clear, workplans to do... Pray for concentration, focus!! Hey Hey...back to work!!!! Being sick makes one feel very vulnerable; It's a good opportunity to show u who truly cares Feeling envy/jealous eats into a person's soul; It's a good opportunity to learn to let go Making mistakes is a very humbling experience; all will make mistakes, be kind to others Owning to one's mistakes is a very free-ing experience; It takes a strong inner man to do it Honesty is the best policy; u'll sleep well, & it won't haunt u in years to come | At work | Nov 7, '08 10:02 PM
for everyone |
On a sat morning, I am in office, attempting to be productive before I knock off to go to a seminar. It's going to be very trying for me till end Nov at work. Unless God miraculously intervenes, it's going to be XXX. Lessons learnt, move on. The daily success key on 7 Nov. Extracts of portion: "Every choice, however insignificant, contains within it a series of consequences. There are times when we may make mistakes, stumble, and experience temporary defeat. Nevertheless, we must choose to rise above those disappointments, get up, and brush ourselves off." Procrastination leads me to dead ends & heart pains...but it's a very challenging journey to totally breakthrough & shake it all off. Another routine hospital visit after work today. Was it really routine? I was contemplating to postpone it in view of my ill health lately. But somehow, in my heart, I felt compelled to make the trip today. This client of mine has practically stayed in all the hospitals this year. Each time he is admitted to a hospital, I would always visit him, coordinated with my other visits. This time is very diff. He had a AKA, & fell into depression. Until I saw him & spoke to him in person, I didn't fully appreciate the seriousness of it. I felt quite helpless...he had been screaming in pain, & the nurses had literally covered him in a thick coat of cream but nothing could alleviate his pain. The newspaper and biscuits that I brought for him became useless items. He hardly look at me in the eyes during our conversation. I doubt he can return Home, even if he is fitted with prosthesis. Behind my mask (I am having a flu), he can only feel through my eyes and my voice. He is so consumed by this sense of 'pain' that when I held him, & lightly stroke him, his response was minimal. Is this the him that I know of? Where has the smiley old man gone to? The emotion part of what I do ...so difficult to put it into words... After that, I made a roundabout to see bobo. She's been transferred & I hadn't seen her in her recent admission, again, due to my flu. She was asleep, so I didn't make known my presence. I just sat beside her bed quietly for a few minutes before I left for home. In a quiet ward with 8 beds, 2 are not occupied. All the existing occupants are white-haired, & this person laying on the bed is family, not a client. But at that point of time, I thought of work. Then again, family is one major influence why I chose this field and this discipline isn't it? Though now I am struggling with the paperwork & grasping doing the work, perhaps the day may come when I become a competent worker in this field. A sudden fleeting thought to switch ministry to serving the elderly. Tie my work & ministry together, can cope? Earlier burnout or leverging on my learnings together? It's a fleeting thought... This is my 4th or 5th MC within a month. I am so disturbed by the coughing and blocked nose. Perhaps another excuse dragging me not to go to work today is becos I dun want to see my boss in office. Haiz. Anyway, after seeing the western doc, I went to see an Eu Yan Sang chinese physician. Cos mummy say my coughing has been dragging too long, so she wants me to go take chinese medicine. Man! The doc really takes a long long time to see one patient. The whole process took more than half hour, from no rain, to raining, to the rain stop. Gosh, my head is spinning now from all the coughing but there are visitors at home now, so I cannot rest until they leave. Gosh, gosh, my body...when will you fully recover? Coming Feb, I'll be a year at the company. When I joined, I was all alone in the dept & a one-man operation is no joke. Prayed for a good boss, with specifications, & finally my new boss came. Though she's a christian, but...but...I think it's a job-fit thing. This job don't really suit her. Anyway, I am now toying with the idea to move on, & two managers know about this already. One of them even helped me get contact from the hosp that I am interested to join =). Then again, I am considering it seriously. On one hand, this is a very interesting set-up that you can't find a similar one in Singapore. I want to study, so this set-up will be very helpful in my studies. Secondly, if my bosses were more competent & capable, it would hv been a very good working place. Haiz, though the pay is peanuts, if the working colleagues are good and environment is good, who would want to leave? When it comes to study, i'm also giving a seriously thought. I am praying for open doors to scholarships with no bonds attached, or opportunity to pay through cpf. haha, really, a Masters prog will be very siong one..esp when the course I'm eyeing for is not available anymore, so I need to look for others which are not as interesting to me, or I cannot enter due to my previous grades, In any case, I know I have two powerful reference letters in hand if needed! Birthday this year fell on a Sunday. God is good. Half of the day was spent in the house of God. It was a blissful, quiet day of celebrations. Sat dinner with ex cg Lunch with cg Movie with Flo, Zhen, Esther, Ade Dinner with the same gang Drinks at Southhaven It's just the kind of small gathering/fellowships I always like. Monday was a stressful day. It was Ade's birthday bash. It didn't go as planned, definitely not as fun as the previous year. Thank God it's over now. Whew! God has been good to me. This year has been challenging for me in all aspects, praying that next year will be a breakthrough year....good health, blessings for family, breakthrough in career, a fully sponsored scholarship with no strings attached for bond, financial breakthrough etc. To date, I am still nursing a bad cough, simply coughing my lungs out at times, really very uncomfortable. Disturbed sleep, & cannot eat alot of things.like chicken!!! Been busy? yea, drop dead tired at work. Go to work each day, just to look forward to ending each day's work. Two more weeks to my day, also to the day to meet ceo. Geez, getting the butterflies in my heart. Oct is a blessed month. Alot of birthdays. hee, mine too =0 looking forward to a quiet, blissful small celebration, something tt is heartwarming for my heart. It's the fellowships, really. I'm a simple woman =) Getting old-er? Dun feel so. Not at all. Ok, getting busy to source for pressies for several pple. It's always a difficult task. Bookings for taiwan countdown not yet settled. Budget tight but still...am so so looking forward to it =) You r my bestest friend, if there is such a word. I gave u a virtual hug this morning...& u replied that you had wished to give me a physical *hug*. So sweet. U know who u r. Though u don't read my blog often, I know someday u will come across this entry. =0 This is our month! Somehow, we will manage to find a time to celebrate together...even if it's belated =) I wish u well in your upcoming studies, & your r/s w Dy. I pray for peace & joy in your family. I cross my fingers & hope you'll enjoy every single day of your work. Till then...more *hugz* from "me to you" This is the month of celebrations! It's my birthday. Wooohoo...just two weeks away. So exciting!!! This is one of the most anticipated day of the year! It's the event of the year for me =0 Tight on budget but still, I should get something nice for myself..hmm, what shall it be??? Heehee, why am I getting so secretive over myself?! Also, how to celebrate that day huh??? Prob in svs, after that, go visit Bobo, say happy birthday to her too, before going to Aston (Siglap) for a meal with Ade & Esther. See how lah.. Whilst I am getting excited over my own birthday, am also quite stressed planning boss's birthday. The date, venue, & pressy are the toughest to coordinate. It's never an easy task. *Scratch scratch scratch* my mind. Listed a few potential places, gotta check with Group 1 first. | *A-Mei* | Oct 4, '08 11:16 PM
for everyone |
A-mei rocks! She's the hottest diva in town this weekend! The concert was fantastic. It was so so high!!! Super energy & enthusiastic crowd. Totally sold out. Only complains...our seats were too far from the stage, the cameraman sucks cos the screen was not sharp, & little closeup shots. It was simply great. If you missed it this year...make sure you go for her next one. Definitely worth your $. And...she thank God openly on stage twice. Amen! This is really making an impact and influence in the society. | BP | Sep 11, '08 6:06 AM
for everyone |
Had not been feeling well since Sunday. Post blood donation, have been feeling tired & groggy. I slept the whole afternoon on Sunday, slept early on Mon & Tues. Took MC on Wed, & slept through the day. Doc say my BP is low...well, I just didn't want to go to work. It was quite a good rest, except that I slept most of the time. Struggling, at work & in life...I'm wondering...what on earth am I doing? Feelings of frustrations and boredom, I look forward to heading home each evening, & resting on my bed. It's september already, just a few more months to go...in fact, just one more month to birthday..& now, waiting to collect my swensons' voucher $100 & free cake =) The long anticipated N129 Night Explorer Adventure finally kicked off last friday night. I couldn't get any directions from the official sites, so if you're thinking of going there, here's my suggested route =) Exit C of Harbourfront MRT station, bus stop in front of Harbourfront. Any of the following buses: 61, 93, 100, 166, 963. Count 8 stations after you board...alight at the stop after HP building (opp River Valley High). You will be outside Hort Park. Start the trail from Alexander Arch...walk through the long long suspended bridge, up onto a carpark, follow the sign towards Henderson Wave....take 5 min breaks along the way, Enjoy the view, the fellowship, the walk. Move on to Mount Faber trail, & to the Marang Trail, end off just opposite of where you first started (opposite Harbourfront). If you're going at night like us, bring torchlight, cos there's no lighting at Marang Trail, & there are many many steps, without lights, likely to fall, tumble down...so bring lights. I think it's a nice place for fright walks, better than the uni ones we've been to. =) We stopped by Jewel Box at Mount Faber. It's really a very posh place...so ex, & so many nice cars parked there. Woo.. Being all time low as an Emo-tian last week, this week was alot better for me. Slowly, picking up pieces. First, I planned for this week to be a short work week. Today is Thursday already. Soon, weekend is in sight. =0 I took off yesterday and am on PM shift today. I had a good rest (mind) yesterday. As in my previous entry, I went a few places. I really thank God for the timely rest, to be away from the contentions in the office. The atmosphere is 'really cannot make it' kind, especially my boss's countenance...so I am trying to adjust myself. Emo tank is still on the low side, but not empty. At least can still run on whatever little fuel that was added on last weekend. One thing scary about emo-tians is to never allow ourselves let our pride deprive ourselves of the chance for breakthro in our situation. Experienced it myself last week, and I know of some pple in that state now. I know it takes alot of courage to pull down our face to come back or to ask the other party...but remember, the prize is always greater than the price. To the one whom I dedicate this sentence to, I know you don't read my blog, but in case you do, come back!
 Day off today. Rained. So I left home later than planned. Still, I did most of what I set out to do. The biggest item on my list was to do recce on how to get to Hort Park from Harbourfront for the cg outing this friday. It was drizzling but I decided not to bring my brolly cos it'll usually be sunny again in afternoon, so I didnt want to carry it everywhere I go... It was tiring cos I didn't know whh way to go, took a few buses, but am glad I made the trip, at least feel more secured and prepared for fri. 
But there were monkeys sitting on the bridge! Darn. I was thinking of going through the whole trail so at least I know how it'll feel like on fri, & how long it'll take us...but but...the monkeys look so scary. Gotta pray for good weather for fri, & No monkeys =0  Dropped by the Furniture Warehouse along the way...  Very secluded place, dun go unless you have car. Nothing much to see anyway. Then went to City Hall to collect my watch, bought donuts, & went to St Andrews Cathedral. However, it was under construction, so cannot go inside and enjoy the serenity of the environment. This is my favourite place since I was a young christian. Ended the day by visiting bobo. She's very weak. Feel so sad to see her. Dinner was fried chicken wings and pepsi light. Yep, very oily, fattening, but yummy chicken wings by the tens....yayaay... Today is my salvation anniversary. heh heh, 8 years is not long nor short, esp if we have eternity in sight. For me, I like to celebrate significant days. It's my way of motivating myself to move on, also a way to find excuses to get pple out to eat with me. Ha ha. Celebrated the occasion last evening with a few close khakis at Gyu-Kaku @ Chjimes. First time at this place for all of us... It's a classy place, the service not bad, but the food not up to expectation. Not that it's not nice, but we had tasted better ones, for similar price. I guess we were all tired from working hard earlier the day, there wasn't much talking compared to our weekend meals. We met a fellow city harvester celebrating her birthday with her colleagues next to our table. What a small singapore, or rather, what a big church family we have. We seems to bump into our pple everywhere we go, even when we go abroad =) Personally, I would have preferred the korean bbq place we went the previous time. They did the bbq for us, in front of us. This time, we were busy doing it ourselves, & most of the time, not sure whether we had overcooked our meat, or wat. Links: http://www.gyu-kaku.com.sg/ http://yum.sg/restaurants/han_sang_korean_family_restaurant | Socks | Aug 14, '08 8:21 AM
for everyone |
What kind of socks do you like to wear? Length - Knee, Quarters, Ankle? Colours - Primary or Bright, or Neon? Material (cotton) - thick, thin, loose, tight? Type - Toe socks or non-toe socks? It's time for me to stock up my socks supply again. As I usually wear my boots for work on weekdays, and puma for casual weekends, the tendency is that my socks for work wear out faster. Usually, they are discarded because of holes, at the position of my big toe. I always wonder why only that part tear so easily? And I gave up trying to sew the holes, long long time ago. I generally quite conscious not to wear socks with hole(s) to work as I need to do homevisits, so not very nice. Ha. =0 I have only two types of socks - Quarters (black/grey) ; Ankle (light blue/light green, orange). This entry is dedicated to remind myself to remember to go buy my socks....& if you happen to read my entry, do check on your own socks as well. How does the socks you wear reflect about you? | |
