Found this lobang to complete consumer surveys at the London Business School (LBS) and get 10 pounds in return. Yeh! A chance for some money to come in. It's absolutely disgusting to be on a student's budget after spending my way through so much money for the past 4-5 years.
Anyway, walked to Regent's Park where LBS is near, another delightful 7 km walk... I wonder if the net value of weight gain through all the starch and carboh food intake and weight loss through all my walking will be positive or negative?
So interesting! There's a Sherlock Holmes Museum and some shops selling Beatles and Elvis stuff! Wished I had time to go in the last 2 shops but no time. Only had time to browse through the first one - such a delightful shop! Wish I had the guts to ask to take photos with the guard in the old-style uniform. But then again, no one to take photo for me...
After the survey was quickly settled in 15 minutes (yeh, payment in cash!), I had my lunch at Regent's Park. Super windy, weather looked terrible, hope it'd stay ok till I make my way to my campus (4 km) for the evening's Model United Nations (MUN) activity.
The weather held up. But got pretty windy as the evening came along. I had just made it to the bus-stop outside my campus when the rain came in. Phew!
MUN was very interesting! It's like a Toastmasters-Debating Society. Very high level. You are expected to research on a topic, based on a country's view and speak like a UN delegate. Need to be able to answer questions on the spot as well.
Very challenging. Very fun. I wonder if Singapore schools have anything like this. They should. Hong Kong high schools have them!
It was raining heavily after the MUN meeting. But sigh, I insisted on walking back home still. Because of my last scary incident on my way home, I decided to take a longer but brighter and less deserted route home. However, that also means I'm out on the streets for a longer amount of time and it was such bad weather. Especially when I got to the Bridge. Oh man, the wind can almost just blow me away!
But made my way home safe and sound. Didn't fall sick - thank the gods!
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Monday, September 29, 2008
Back to Studying
It was a glorious event-filled weekend. I had such a wonderful time all the way from Thursday.
So, time to hit the books again. I wasn't very happy with myself that I wasn't speaking up last Wed during the foundation module. In fact, when I had something to say, I was the only one who would put up her hand first!
And when I had something to say, I was stuttering... Trying to gather my thoughts and wasted a lot of time.
So, goal for next lesson: Speak up more. No need to put up hand - so silly! Read up, have my info internalised, and be confident enough to speak up straight away.
Dinner as presented. English sausage omelette and the rest of my chicken and corn soup. The English sausage omelette was good. They really shouldn't just boil their sausages. Grill or pan fry are the best! But yes, super oily. At least for my soups, I will remove the skin first. My soup is clearer and has hardly any oil or scum on top.
Chatted with Ig for a while on MSN - what a delightful new friend! But I think I talked a bit too much. I'm always going on and on and not letting the other person to have a part in the conversation. This is why I dislike making new friends. So many things to keep in mind. But well, it's always good to know how to improve oneself. But sigh, knowing is one thing. Acting on it is another thing. Constantly acting on it so that the bad habit disappears is yet another thing...
But he's way cool. Very few of my friends can actually have a full-fledged continuous conversation with me via MSN for any long period of time, let along one whole hour. Of course, the time difference doesn't help things now.
So, time to hit the books again. I wasn't very happy with myself that I wasn't speaking up last Wed during the foundation module. In fact, when I had something to say, I was the only one who would put up her hand first!
And when I had something to say, I was stuttering... Trying to gather my thoughts and wasted a lot of time.
So, goal for next lesson: Speak up more. No need to put up hand - so silly! Read up, have my info internalised, and be confident enough to speak up straight away.
Dinner as presented. English sausage omelette and the rest of my chicken and corn soup. The English sausage omelette was good. They really shouldn't just boil their sausages. Grill or pan fry are the best! But yes, super oily. At least for my soups, I will remove the skin first. My soup is clearer and has hardly any oil or scum on top.
Chatted with Ig for a while on MSN - what a delightful new friend! But I think I talked a bit too much. I'm always going on and on and not letting the other person to have a part in the conversation. This is why I dislike making new friends. So many things to keep in mind. But well, it's always good to know how to improve oneself. But sigh, knowing is one thing. Acting on it is another thing. Constantly acting on it so that the bad habit disappears is yet another thing...
But he's way cool. Very few of my friends can actually have a full-fledged continuous conversation with me via MSN for any long period of time, let along one whole hour. Of course, the time difference doesn't help things now.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
F1 in Singapore
So exciting! F1 in Singapore. And the first F1 night race ever in the world!
And a good omens aplenty for me at this event. Let's see. First, the Singapore Meetup group organized an event at this pub to watch the F1 race. Wasn't very sure of whether I wanted to go there all by myself so I didn't sign up for the event. A week before the event, I decided to go for it anyway but it was fully booked. Too bad.
Never mind. Somehow, I kept checking out the Meetup website (too much time at hand...) and what do you know? 2 days before the event, they kicked out all the people who RSVP-ed 'Maybe' and there were a few places available! Yeh! Quickly signed up for the event.
Having really enjoyed myself at the Malaysian and Singapore Society yesterday, I set off in a good mood for today's event. But, the dilly-dally that I was, I set off pretty late and had to take the tube to the pub instead of my original plan of walking there. But then again, having decided to wear my nice nice high heels to the event wouldn't have allowed me to walk all the way to the pub, near my campus, anyway.
At the tube station, I found this newspaper's Sports Section left at the seats. And right in the centre-fold was an article on the Singapore F1 race! Woohoo! I miss the Singapore skyline... And all the familiar names: Marina Bay, City Hall, Esplanade... Sigh...
Arriving just in time at the pub, I sat with this group of professional gals (finance, AMEX, adverts) who knew nuts about F1. Got to swipe some food off their snacks platter which they couldn't finish. Free food - yummy!
It was quite fun to be able to talk with Singaporean adults. How long they have been here, how they can't bear the thought of staying in London (or Europe) for long, and yet don't really want to go back to Singapore either. I wonder if the kids whom I spoke to yesterday will have the same thoughts couples of years down the road. Of course, being the chameleon that I am, I had absolute fun blending in with the kids yesterday and the grown-ups today. In fact, thanks to the lot yesterday, I feel totally youthed-up today.
There weren't much seats left at the front of the pub in front of the big screen, so all the late-comers came to sit around us. There was another gal (finance again) with her friends from Hong Kong. Cute guys. But too far away to talk to. *grin*
But got to talk a lot with this doctor, Ig, who sat next to me. It was good to be able to learn some stuff about the F1 - the gals only knew which drivers they liked. I was more interested in how the race works, sigh... I remember how much I loved the engines and car design modules when I was back at NTU.
Very interesting character. Also just re-started his career as a 'professional student'. Haven't had such fun and ease talking to anyone since I arrived in London. It was comfortable chatting with him.
After the race, Ig suggested taking a walk along the Southbank which I agreed to. Not sure why I did so, he's a perfect stranger after all. But he's known to the people at the Meetup group, so I guess he's not a complete psycho. Just someone who asks a girl for a walk after they have met for 2 hours? *laugh*
But it was a great walk. We talked about our previous work, our incoming work as students, interests - he's going to try this gliding thing which is so totally cool! I wish I will get the chance to try it too! Ig was into dancing - sigh, another 'hobby' I gave up after starting to teach. Hope I'd have a chance to pick it up again. He is also into tennis - I probably will never get the hang of it, but hey, it's not easy to find company for outdoor sports! We visited the BFI - yeh, a fellow film freak! and the Tate Modern - sorry, I thought I liked modern art, but please give me clear designs of elegance, function and form - Art Nouveau, Art Deco.
After visiting the National Gallery, I realised I really enjoy Renaissance paintings the most. Like the ones I saw at Vatican City, it's amazing how life-like the paintings can be with such primitive resources that they have. Given that paints were super expensive back then, they also had to use their paints effectively and efficiently. The paintings are fantastic not only in the techniques used to portray the human form realistically, but also to render perspective and light more naturally. I still remember how my friend and I would run along the walls of the Vatican trying to figure out which pillars and windows were drawn on and which ones were real! Although we were both computer geeks who did a lot of photo and graphic work, we were so wrong in many of our guesses (at finding the real ones).
After our 4.5 km (thanks to google maps) and 2 hours walk along the Southbank, we went back home. Ig was very kind and did ask about my feet when we started on our walk. I said I'd be fine and I was. Until the walk ended and we went on our separate ways. I mean, I hardly felt any pain when there was company. But when I was walking the last kilometre back home from London Bridge, man, I wished I could walk with my bare feet. And heck care how dirty the streets of London were!
Of course, I persevered on and made it back with my feet intact (more or less). Was thinking of soaking my feet in hot water, but since the cold weather was helping with the pain, I thought cold water will be better. Yeh! I was right. And so thankful that I have my foldable pail with me. There's a use for it after all!
To top off such a happy weekend, I had another treat for myself - chicken and corn soup! Yum yum!
And a good omens aplenty for me at this event. Let's see. First, the Singapore Meetup group organized an event at this pub to watch the F1 race. Wasn't very sure of whether I wanted to go there all by myself so I didn't sign up for the event. A week before the event, I decided to go for it anyway but it was fully booked. Too bad.
Never mind. Somehow, I kept checking out the Meetup website (too much time at hand...) and what do you know? 2 days before the event, they kicked out all the people who RSVP-ed 'Maybe' and there were a few places available! Yeh! Quickly signed up for the event.
Having really enjoyed myself at the Malaysian and Singapore Society yesterday, I set off in a good mood for today's event. But, the dilly-dally that I was, I set off pretty late and had to take the tube to the pub instead of my original plan of walking there. But then again, having decided to wear my nice nice high heels to the event wouldn't have allowed me to walk all the way to the pub, near my campus, anyway.
At the tube station, I found this newspaper's Sports Section left at the seats. And right in the centre-fold was an article on the Singapore F1 race! Woohoo! I miss the Singapore skyline... And all the familiar names: Marina Bay, City Hall, Esplanade... Sigh...
Arriving just in time at the pub, I sat with this group of professional gals (finance, AMEX, adverts) who knew nuts about F1. Got to swipe some food off their snacks platter which they couldn't finish. Free food - yummy!
It was quite fun to be able to talk with Singaporean adults. How long they have been here, how they can't bear the thought of staying in London (or Europe) for long, and yet don't really want to go back to Singapore either. I wonder if the kids whom I spoke to yesterday will have the same thoughts couples of years down the road. Of course, being the chameleon that I am, I had absolute fun blending in with the kids yesterday and the grown-ups today. In fact, thanks to the lot yesterday, I feel totally youthed-up today.
There weren't much seats left at the front of the pub in front of the big screen, so all the late-comers came to sit around us. There was another gal (finance again) with her friends from Hong Kong. Cute guys. But too far away to talk to. *grin*
But got to talk a lot with this doctor, Ig, who sat next to me. It was good to be able to learn some stuff about the F1 - the gals only knew which drivers they liked. I was more interested in how the race works, sigh... I remember how much I loved the engines and car design modules when I was back at NTU.
Very interesting character. Also just re-started his career as a 'professional student'. Haven't had such fun and ease talking to anyone since I arrived in London. It was comfortable chatting with him.
After the race, Ig suggested taking a walk along the Southbank which I agreed to. Not sure why I did so, he's a perfect stranger after all. But he's known to the people at the Meetup group, so I guess he's not a complete psycho. Just someone who asks a girl for a walk after they have met for 2 hours? *laugh*
But it was a great walk. We talked about our previous work, our incoming work as students, interests - he's going to try this gliding thing which is so totally cool! I wish I will get the chance to try it too! Ig was into dancing - sigh, another 'hobby' I gave up after starting to teach. Hope I'd have a chance to pick it up again. He is also into tennis - I probably will never get the hang of it, but hey, it's not easy to find company for outdoor sports! We visited the BFI - yeh, a fellow film freak! and the Tate Modern - sorry, I thought I liked modern art, but please give me clear designs of elegance, function and form - Art Nouveau, Art Deco.
After visiting the National Gallery, I realised I really enjoy Renaissance paintings the most. Like the ones I saw at Vatican City, it's amazing how life-like the paintings can be with such primitive resources that they have. Given that paints were super expensive back then, they also had to use their paints effectively and efficiently. The paintings are fantastic not only in the techniques used to portray the human form realistically, but also to render perspective and light more naturally. I still remember how my friend and I would run along the walls of the Vatican trying to figure out which pillars and windows were drawn on and which ones were real! Although we were both computer geeks who did a lot of photo and graphic work, we were so wrong in many of our guesses (at finding the real ones).
After our 4.5 km (thanks to google maps) and 2 hours walk along the Southbank, we went back home. Ig was very kind and did ask about my feet when we started on our walk. I said I'd be fine and I was. Until the walk ended and we went on our separate ways. I mean, I hardly felt any pain when there was company. But when I was walking the last kilometre back home from London Bridge, man, I wished I could walk with my bare feet. And heck care how dirty the streets of London were!
Of course, I persevered on and made it back with my feet intact (more or less). Was thinking of soaking my feet in hot water, but since the cold weather was helping with the pain, I thought cold water will be better. Yeh! I was right. And so thankful that I have my foldable pail with me. There's a use for it after all!
To top off such a happy weekend, I had another treat for myself - chicken and corn soup! Yum yum!
Saturday, September 27, 2008
The Malaysia and Singapore Society
First, went for the Ultimate Frisbee session at Hyde Park. Fitness is super lousy. Haven't had a chance to run after I got here. I keep using the cold weather and all the walking I have been doing as my excuses. But hey, I am taking the first step in taking part in the Ultimate Frisbee session right?
It was fun. I learned the game, better ways to throw the frisbee. Too bad I can't join in the following sessions because my Wed foundation module clashes with its Wednesday practices and my proper lesson has a face-to-face session the following Sat. Well, too bad for me.
Met an ex-ACS guy wearing his bright yellow T-shirt to the practice session. First year Medic. With gf at Imperial doing Chemistry. Brings back such memories... Sigh...
Anyway, there was also this Malaysian guy at the Ultimate Frisbee session. First year law. Aiyoh, another young kid!
Well, I still thank my lucky stars that I have 2 cute young men to 'escort' me to the meeting place for the Malaysia and Singapore Society walkabout and dinner. *laugh*
Oh dear. I never felt more old and decrepit. All the kids were 80% Law undergrad students, the other 19% Medic and others, also undergrads. There was only 1 other post-grad student, doing Mechatronics.
After a very short tour of the Waterloo campus, we went to the Maughan Library, very old, very imposing building. It's mainly for the Law students, with tomes and tomes of Law books. Very to the point, the Law Society is directly opposite the library and the Law Courts are behind it.
Last but not least, dinner was at Bayswater. It was a fine day for old memories...
It was fun. I learned the game, better ways to throw the frisbee. Too bad I can't join in the following sessions because my Wed foundation module clashes with its Wednesday practices and my proper lesson has a face-to-face session the following Sat. Well, too bad for me.
Met an ex-ACS guy wearing his bright yellow T-shirt to the practice session. First year Medic. With gf at Imperial doing Chemistry. Brings back such memories... Sigh...
Anyway, there was also this Malaysian guy at the Ultimate Frisbee session. First year law. Aiyoh, another young kid!
Well, I still thank my lucky stars that I have 2 cute young men to 'escort' me to the meeting place for the Malaysia and Singapore Society walkabout and dinner. *laugh*
Oh dear. I never felt more old and decrepit. All the kids were 80% Law undergrad students, the other 19% Medic and others, also undergrads. There was only 1 other post-grad student, doing Mechatronics.
After a very short tour of the Waterloo campus, we went to the Maughan Library, very old, very imposing building. It's mainly for the Law students, with tomes and tomes of Law books. Very to the point, the Law Society is directly opposite the library and the Law Courts are behind it.
Last but not least, dinner was at Bayswater. It was a fine day for old memories...
Friday, September 26, 2008
Study some more!
Went out to Borough Market to hunt for brain food - fish. Found this stall selling wild game!
Went to a photo shop to get a number of photos printed out. Yeah... still missing home (again)...
Photos included: My family (of course) just before my brother and I both left for Europe. I hope my parents and grandad are all ok... Got a photo of only ME at Angkor Wat. That trip was amazing for so many reasons. I love my Photoshop skills. Made a lot of collages to print out - so I got effectively 25 photos printed for the price of 10. Put together 7 photos in 1 picture for the angkor photo, so yeah, you see 7 of me in just 1 pic. *laugh* Then, there are pics of my fave gals - May-jie, Ma-Li-Ling, Worm, Caroline and Linda; my ex-colleagues in our Racial Harmony Day 'costumes'; my traveling gang when we went to conquer Mount Kinabalu (aiyoh... almost died...); a really chio photo of me climbing the rock face at Kinabalu (I live again); and believe it or not... my 3N2 class after our Sec 3 camp.
Went to a photo shop to get a number of photos printed out. Yeah... still missing home (again)...
Photos included: My family (of course) just before my brother and I both left for Europe. I hope my parents and grandad are all ok... Got a photo of only ME at Angkor Wat. That trip was amazing for so many reasons. I love my Photoshop skills. Made a lot of collages to print out - so I got effectively 25 photos printed for the price of 10. Put together 7 photos in 1 picture for the angkor photo, so yeah, you see 7 of me in just 1 pic. *laugh* Then, there are pics of my fave gals - May-jie, Ma-Li-Ling, Worm, Caroline and Linda; my ex-colleagues in our Racial Harmony Day 'costumes'; my traveling gang when we went to conquer Mount Kinabalu (aiyoh... almost died...); a really chio photo of me climbing the rock face at Kinabalu (I live again); and believe it or not... my 3N2 class after our Sec 3 camp.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
STUDY!
Ok. Time to start on my studies proper. The other 2 modules only start next month. But already got a chunk of books for background reading on ICT and Education...
Then of course, got the reading lists from yesterday's foundation module.
Started on the readings for the foundation module. Very interesting. Really opened up my eyes and mind to other ways of education systems. I hated psychology of teaching back in NIE. Probably still do. But being able to apply my personal experience to what I'm studying and learning about, I believe I am thinking more in-depth, or rather, there's more width.
Never would have realised how narrow Singapore really is and how accustomed to this narrow-ness most Singaporeans have become.
In the evening, to reward myself for my good work the past week, I decided to get ready to attend this KCL Jap Society meeting. The usual games and social activities. Wasn't feeling real engaged, so left halfway for the Film Society movie showing. Yeh. Really enjoyed Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang. And made new friends with couple of exchange students from French. Too bad they were all gals. So sad... Haven't met any cute guys yet. Maybe I'd have better luck tomorrow at the Malaysian and Singapore Society? *fingers crossed*
Walked back home in the dark. It was after 10 pm, I think. Got totally freaked out at one point. The roads back home are pretty deserted at night. Am so going to take the tube next time. No way am I going to compromise my own safety because I am trying to save some money.
Then of course, got the reading lists from yesterday's foundation module.
Started on the readings for the foundation module. Very interesting. Really opened up my eyes and mind to other ways of education systems. I hated psychology of teaching back in NIE. Probably still do. But being able to apply my personal experience to what I'm studying and learning about, I believe I am thinking more in-depth, or rather, there's more width.
Never would have realised how narrow Singapore really is and how accustomed to this narrow-ness most Singaporeans have become.
In the evening, to reward myself for my good work the past week, I decided to get ready to attend this KCL Jap Society meeting. The usual games and social activities. Wasn't feeling real engaged, so left halfway for the Film Society movie showing. Yeh. Really enjoyed Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang. And made new friends with couple of exchange students from French. Too bad they were all gals. So sad... Haven't met any cute guys yet. Maybe I'd have better luck tomorrow at the Malaysian and Singapore Society? *fingers crossed*
Walked back home in the dark. It was after 10 pm, I think. Got totally freaked out at one point. The roads back home are pretty deserted at night. Am so going to take the tube next time. No way am I going to compromise my own safety because I am trying to save some money.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
First Lesson!
Attended my first lesson for this foundation module on UK Education today.
Went to school to return 3 of the books which I finished over the weekend. Was going to take it easy and attend the lesson, find out what it is about. Then met a fellow course mate who stressed me out about how she has been reading up on the UK Education system because she is afraid of the tutor asking questions in the first lesson.
Darn! Sudden panic and borrowed 2 books for a quick cramming session in the 15 minutes before the lesson.
But in the end, it wasn't that bad. Tutor gave the outline of the module, gave out lists of readings for each lesson. It is crazy the amount of reading students are supposed to do over here. Thank goodness I love to read.
Being super-kiasu, I went to the library after the lesson to pick out some of the "recommended" reading.
Reached home pretty late and tired out. Thank goodness I have my pork shepherd's pie! I remembered to buy some cheese and bottled sauce on my way home. Viola! Cut out a chunk of the pie, spoon some sauce over, scatter the moza cheese and dump into the oven. Lovely hot dish ready to feast on after a quick shower and change.
Went to school to return 3 of the books which I finished over the weekend. Was going to take it easy and attend the lesson, find out what it is about. Then met a fellow course mate who stressed me out about how she has been reading up on the UK Education system because she is afraid of the tutor asking questions in the first lesson.
Darn! Sudden panic and borrowed 2 books for a quick cramming session in the 15 minutes before the lesson.
But in the end, it wasn't that bad. Tutor gave the outline of the module, gave out lists of readings for each lesson. It is crazy the amount of reading students are supposed to do over here. Thank goodness I love to read.
Being super-kiasu, I went to the library after the lesson to pick out some of the "recommended" reading.
Reached home pretty late and tired out. Thank goodness I have my pork shepherd's pie! I remembered to buy some cheese and bottled sauce on my way home. Viola! Cut out a chunk of the pie, spoon some sauce over, scatter the moza cheese and dump into the oven. Lovely hot dish ready to feast on after a quick shower and change.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Triple Pork Day
Today was a pretty boring day. I'm sure I spent a decent amount of time on my studies? *grin*
But highlight of the day was to use up my 450 gm of minced pork.
Quite a huge lump of minced meat for a single person. Especially one who eats quite little for each meal. And I absolutely abhor cooking a single dish and eating the same thing over the next couple of meals.
So, I set out to prepare 3 dishes from the same ingredients. Yes, same ingredients, but different dishes.
Let's see. Main ingredients = minced pork (of course) + chopped baby corn + sliced mushrooms. That became my first dish of steamed pork patty. I wish they sell salted fish here. That would blast the dish out of this world. Sadly, I'd make do with my pork patty staying on Earth.
The same ingredients as above went into another dish called the pork shepherd pie. The traditional shepherd's pie is a traditional English dish made with minced lamb (sometimes with beef) covered with a mashed potato crust. But I'm making it with pork! Yeh! My mashed potato turned out fantastic but sadly, I didn't have any cheese at hand. Well, it's meant for tomorrow's dinner anyway. Must remember to buy cheese tomorrow on my way back from school. Anyway, doesn't my mashed potato topping look great?!
Last but not least, a slight variation was pork meat balls with diced mushrooms. A little boo-boo there when I tried to substitute breadcrumbs (Jamie Oliver suggests crushed crackers) in the meat balls with cornflakes. They turned soggy straightaway. But well, the cornflakes did help me soak up a lot of the extra egg. So, I guess it wasn't a total boo-boo.
And here's a picture of my final dinner. Of course I couldn't finish all the food. Didn't expect to. I had some of the meatballs and half of the steamed pork with my delightful rice. But at least I don't end up having a singular huge dish to eat away at the next few days.
But highlight of the day was to use up my 450 gm of minced pork.
Quite a huge lump of minced meat for a single person. Especially one who eats quite little for each meal. And I absolutely abhor cooking a single dish and eating the same thing over the next couple of meals.
So, I set out to prepare 3 dishes from the same ingredients. Yes, same ingredients, but different dishes.
Let's see. Main ingredients = minced pork (of course) + chopped baby corn + sliced mushrooms. That became my first dish of steamed pork patty. I wish they sell salted fish here. That would blast the dish out of this world. Sadly, I'd make do with my pork patty staying on Earth.
The same ingredients as above went into another dish called the pork shepherd pie. The traditional shepherd's pie is a traditional English dish made with minced lamb (sometimes with beef) covered with a mashed potato crust. But I'm making it with pork! Yeh! My mashed potato turned out fantastic but sadly, I didn't have any cheese at hand. Well, it's meant for tomorrow's dinner anyway. Must remember to buy cheese tomorrow on my way back from school. Anyway, doesn't my mashed potato topping look great?!
Last but not least, a slight variation was pork meat balls with diced mushrooms. A little boo-boo there when I tried to substitute breadcrumbs (Jamie Oliver suggests crushed crackers) in the meat balls with cornflakes. They turned soggy straightaway. But well, the cornflakes did help me soak up a lot of the extra egg. So, I guess it wasn't a total boo-boo.
And here's a picture of my final dinner. Of course I couldn't finish all the food. Didn't expect to. I had some of the meatballs and half of the steamed pork with my delightful rice. But at least I don't end up having a singular huge dish to eat away at the next few days.
Monday, September 22, 2008
Shopping at Primark
Feeling utterly satisfied with my soup from yesterday, I decided to take a long walk from my hostel to Oxford Street for more shopping.
Actually, the trip was originally meant only to get a baking tray from Marks & Spencer. But somehow, I found myself at the entrance of this huge Primark store! Before I knew it, I was loaded with some 30 pounds of clothes and stuff. All necessities, mind you. But without sufficient funds in my Current account (I absolutely hate their Current vs Savings system), I had to make do with the most necessary items - 2 sets of thermals, a set of PJs, a black long sleeve top (2 pounds only!) and a set of dishes.
My 7 km journey to the shopping mecca brought me first to IMechE (The Institution of Mechanical Engineers). It's strange how life can throw you curve balls sometimes. I was really focused and looking forward to becoming a Mechanical Engineer when a depression (small fry compared to the one we're having now) came along and engineering jobs dried up. The interesting ones in R & D which I was interested in were dried up, leaving only the boring ones at QA (Quality Assurance) and QC (Quality Control). It was no easy task to find a job when you throw everything you have learned in the past 12 years out of the window. With the threat of retrenchment hanging over my dad (the sole breadwinner back then), I decided to go into teaching. At least I have a year of 'sleeping' on the job while at NIE.
Time past real quick and before you know it, I'm in the middle of another major change in my life. I have quit my teaching job for the insecurity of being a student, and waded into completely unknown waters by spending my entire life savings into a MA in another country! Yes, as a new friend mentioned, it's absolutely SCARY but THRILLING!
Before I end, these are the photos of Hyde Park before the sky opened and heavy rains fell. Another reason to stay longer in the sheltered warmth of Primark, don't you agree?
Actually, the trip was originally meant only to get a baking tray from Marks & Spencer. But somehow, I found myself at the entrance of this huge Primark store! Before I knew it, I was loaded with some 30 pounds of clothes and stuff. All necessities, mind you. But without sufficient funds in my Current account (I absolutely hate their Current vs Savings system), I had to make do with the most necessary items - 2 sets of thermals, a set of PJs, a black long sleeve top (2 pounds only!) and a set of dishes.
My 7 km journey to the shopping mecca brought me first to IMechE (The Institution of Mechanical Engineers). It's strange how life can throw you curve balls sometimes. I was really focused and looking forward to becoming a Mechanical Engineer when a depression (small fry compared to the one we're having now) came along and engineering jobs dried up. The interesting ones in R & D which I was interested in were dried up, leaving only the boring ones at QA (Quality Assurance) and QC (Quality Control). It was no easy task to find a job when you throw everything you have learned in the past 12 years out of the window. With the threat of retrenchment hanging over my dad (the sole breadwinner back then), I decided to go into teaching. At least I have a year of 'sleeping' on the job while at NIE.
Time past real quick and before you know it, I'm in the middle of another major change in my life. I have quit my teaching job for the insecurity of being a student, and waded into completely unknown waters by spending my entire life savings into a MA in another country! Yes, as a new friend mentioned, it's absolutely SCARY but THRILLING!
Before I end, these are the photos of Hyde Park before the sky opened and heavy rains fell. Another reason to stay longer in the sheltered warmth of Primark, don't you agree?
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Tribute to my mum
Let’s see. I think the blog entry for today shall be dedicated to my mum!
After two weeks of pasta and sandwiches, I am officially sick of the blandness and boring food that I have been eating. Having spent a small fortune on a lot of oriental cooking necessities (rice, noodles, soya sauce, etc), I spent another small fortune on fresh produce today – chicken, minced pork, potatoes, tomatoes, carrots, corn, etc.
Back to the dedication to my mum! My mum’s a great cook. And I’m very glad to have at least some of her genes and knowledge of good cooking. I have never been a fan of her different soups and dishes. But I made sure that I learnt my favourites – chicken soup, pork rib soup, (spicy hot) chicken curry, sweet and sour pork (or fish, since they don’t have pork belly here), kung bao chicken, various stir fries, etc. Of course, all these cooking skills always came in useful on my yearly volunteer service trips because I have to teach my students how to cook. But with me here on my own, these skills are more important than ever!
So, here’s my utmost appreciation and thanks for being such a great mum! Thanks for being there when I was pestering you about having exact recipes and you constantly scolding me that there’s no such thing. I believe my “anything works” attitude towards cooking is due to her “cooking is an internal art”.
Anyway, the next part of the blog will be dedicated to my chicken soup! It looks amazing, doesn’t it? It was more than amazing. The soup was full of flavour, I didn’t have to add any MSG, and with the weather turning cold and wet, it was hot, filling and utterly satisfying! I have been recommending chicken soup to the rest of my flatmates, my brother and my friends all around. *grin*
After two weeks of pasta and sandwiches, I am officially sick of the blandness and boring food that I have been eating. Having spent a small fortune on a lot of oriental cooking necessities (rice, noodles, soya sauce, etc), I spent another small fortune on fresh produce today – chicken, minced pork, potatoes, tomatoes, carrots, corn, etc.
Back to the dedication to my mum! My mum’s a great cook. And I’m very glad to have at least some of her genes and knowledge of good cooking. I have never been a fan of her different soups and dishes. But I made sure that I learnt my favourites – chicken soup, pork rib soup, (spicy hot) chicken curry, sweet and sour pork (or fish, since they don’t have pork belly here), kung bao chicken, various stir fries, etc. Of course, all these cooking skills always came in useful on my yearly volunteer service trips because I have to teach my students how to cook. But with me here on my own, these skills are more important than ever!
So, here’s my utmost appreciation and thanks for being such a great mum! Thanks for being there when I was pestering you about having exact recipes and you constantly scolding me that there’s no such thing. I believe my “anything works” attitude towards cooking is due to her “cooking is an internal art”.
Anyway, the next part of the blog will be dedicated to my chicken soup! It looks amazing, doesn’t it? It was more than amazing. The soup was full of flavour, I didn’t have to add any MSG, and with the weather turning cold and wet, it was hot, filling and utterly satisfying! I have been recommending chicken soup to the rest of my flatmates, my brother and my friends all around. *grin*
Saturday, September 20, 2008
SHOPPING!
Sigh... Retail therapy for the asian student on a budget = sale at chinatown
As mentioned on an earlier blog, I was supposed to take part in the Peace Run at Victoria Park. However, due to the STUPID tube lines closing here, not running there, I was super confused over which line I could or could not take and ended up late by the time I reached Victoria Park.
However, it was a very nice place to just chill out and I had my late breakfast appreciating the water and the greenery the park had to offer. In fact, I think I was quite fortunate to have missed the run because I didn't notice any baggage storage area. So, I probably wouldn't have been able to run with my jacket and bulky sling bag on me.
On the way back to the tube station, I decided to drop by the Roman Market. Yeh! What a great place to shop for clothes, shoes, toiletries, and so on! Lotsa good stuff and cheap deals! I got a pair of sandals so I dun need to wear my nice white ballet flats to walk to and fro the kitchen.
Then, it was time to make my way down to Piccadilly Circus to meet my flat-mate for some Asian grocery shopping at this Jap foodstuffs shop. Each of us bought a 4-kg bag of Jap rice - it will probably last me a whole year, perhaps even more! I also bought soba, sauce for the soba, miso paste and lotsa udon. Quite a small bit of fortune gone just for these "heartening" food... Alternatives to my instant noodles food stores. Since we were in the area, decided to drop by Chinatown to see if we could do more damage to our wallets. Spent another small fortune on shrimp noodles, clear noodles (yes, I'm quite obviously a noodle freak) and chicken stock powder. The last one was super exorbitant at almost 10 pounds. But well, I was desperate enough... Last purchase of the day was this pork pau highly recommended by my flat-mate. It was ok. Skin was too thick for my taste. But well, beggars can't be choosers. Just wait till I get a recipe to make it...
As mentioned on an earlier blog, I was supposed to take part in the Peace Run at Victoria Park. However, due to the STUPID tube lines closing here, not running there, I was super confused over which line I could or could not take and ended up late by the time I reached Victoria Park.
However, it was a very nice place to just chill out and I had my late breakfast appreciating the water and the greenery the park had to offer. In fact, I think I was quite fortunate to have missed the run because I didn't notice any baggage storage area. So, I probably wouldn't have been able to run with my jacket and bulky sling bag on me.
On the way back to the tube station, I decided to drop by the Roman Market. Yeh! What a great place to shop for clothes, shoes, toiletries, and so on! Lotsa good stuff and cheap deals! I got a pair of sandals so I dun need to wear my nice white ballet flats to walk to and fro the kitchen.
Then, it was time to make my way down to Piccadilly Circus to meet my flat-mate for some Asian grocery shopping at this Jap foodstuffs shop. Each of us bought a 4-kg bag of Jap rice - it will probably last me a whole year, perhaps even more! I also bought soba, sauce for the soba, miso paste and lotsa udon. Quite a small bit of fortune gone just for these "heartening" food... Alternatives to my instant noodles food stores. Since we were in the area, decided to drop by Chinatown to see if we could do more damage to our wallets. Spent another small fortune on shrimp noodles, clear noodles (yes, I'm quite obviously a noodle freak) and chicken stock powder. The last one was super exorbitant at almost 10 pounds. But well, I was desperate enough... Last purchase of the day was this pork pau highly recommended by my flat-mate. It was ok. Skin was too thick for my taste. But well, beggars can't be choosers. Just wait till I get a recipe to make it...
Friday, September 19, 2008
Stayed home today
Did I just call this small hole my home?
I guess I should. I still feel uneasy calling this place my home. Many times, I still yearn for the security and familiarity of the place that I had in Singapore. I had a such strong sense of identity there. But funnily, I wasn't conscious of it when I was in Singapore. In fact, I was also feeling inadequate and insecure of my own place when I was back 'home'.
Perhaps the grass IS always greener on the other side. And one learns to appreciate things when they are not around.
Of course, there is the strong possibility that I basically have too much time on my hands and allowed myself to 'think too much'.
I am rather fearful of starting from scratch so many things. But at least the major admin things are done - bank accounts, school enrollment, induction for classes, etc. However, these is the easy part. Far more difficult is to make new friends, maintain contact with them, make small talk with them. I have gotten used to doing things on my way, in my own way, I wonder if I will allow myself to get close to anybody I meet out here. Of course, I think I am also held by the subconscious sense of insecurity. The foreign students whom I have got to know. Will we stay in touch this year while at King's, only to lose touch when we part our ways? I have been disappointed by my friends so often in Singapore already that I am quite cynical about making new friends here. I'm not sure if I still want to put as much effort to start and maintain new friendships over here. But knowing me, I probably will still stick my head (and heart) out on the chopping board, ready for any cutting and slicing...
Sigh... So depressing. I better stop now before I really decide to become a recluse.
Besides, I should get started on that dozen books I just borrowed from the library yesterday!
I guess I should. I still feel uneasy calling this place my home. Many times, I still yearn for the security and familiarity of the place that I had in Singapore. I had a such strong sense of identity there. But funnily, I wasn't conscious of it when I was in Singapore. In fact, I was also feeling inadequate and insecure of my own place when I was back 'home'.
Perhaps the grass IS always greener on the other side. And one learns to appreciate things when they are not around.
Of course, there is the strong possibility that I basically have too much time on my hands and allowed myself to 'think too much'.
I am rather fearful of starting from scratch so many things. But at least the major admin things are done - bank accounts, school enrollment, induction for classes, etc. However, these is the easy part. Far more difficult is to make new friends, maintain contact with them, make small talk with them. I have gotten used to doing things on my way, in my own way, I wonder if I will allow myself to get close to anybody I meet out here. Of course, I think I am also held by the subconscious sense of insecurity. The foreign students whom I have got to know. Will we stay in touch this year while at King's, only to lose touch when we part our ways? I have been disappointed by my friends so often in Singapore already that I am quite cynical about making new friends here. I'm not sure if I still want to put as much effort to start and maintain new friendships over here. But knowing me, I probably will still stick my head (and heart) out on the chopping board, ready for any cutting and slicing...
Sigh... So depressing. I better stop now before I really decide to become a recluse.
Besides, I should get started on that dozen books I just borrowed from the library yesterday!
Thursday, September 18, 2008
KCL Freshers' Fair
Sorry I forgot to take photos of the KCL Freshers' Fair.
Got my flat-mates together and we walked to school for the Freshers' Fair. Wow, there was a looooong queue of freshers waiting to get inside this tentage with the stalls of the Fair! Thankfully, I had my flat-mates to talk with as we waited for our turn. Once inside, wow again! Loads of people and activities - sports and games, societies, volunteer groups, lots of medicine and law-related groups... Signed up my email with half a dozen groups. Prepared to get lotsa spam mail in the near future.
After the Fair, my flat-mates and I went off on our own. I had to go collect my debit card from the bank personally. Went to register for Jap lessons at the King's Modern Language Centre only to realise that I cannot use my debit card because of the PIN issue. Darn! In the end, had to pay using my home credit card because I didn't want to wait a few more days. The number of places on the earlier time slot was down to 6 and if I end up on the later slot, I would have to walk home in the dark when lessons end at 9 pm.
Yeh! The good sunny weather is back. The Brits love lying out in the sun on anything green. Outside the National Gallery on this small patch of greenery (forgot to take photos of this), Hyde Park (but of course), and the courtyard of the Guy's medical campus. This photo is pretty interesting also because of these HUGE living room set (sofa, couch, table and standing lamp) 'upholstered' by fake grass.
After a decadent dinner of fried egg, fried bacon and baked fish-cake (the ang moh type with potatoes), I went to collect the last of my care parcels from home!
Such a bittersweet feeling... So happy to have received more things from home, with a "hitch-hiker" postcard from Noel (thanks!), but also sad because I know it's the last of my things from home...
Got my flat-mates together and we walked to school for the Freshers' Fair. Wow, there was a looooong queue of freshers waiting to get inside this tentage with the stalls of the Fair! Thankfully, I had my flat-mates to talk with as we waited for our turn. Once inside, wow again! Loads of people and activities - sports and games, societies, volunteer groups, lots of medicine and law-related groups... Signed up my email with half a dozen groups. Prepared to get lotsa spam mail in the near future.
After the Fair, my flat-mates and I went off on our own. I had to go collect my debit card from the bank personally. Went to register for Jap lessons at the King's Modern Language Centre only to realise that I cannot use my debit card because of the PIN issue. Darn! In the end, had to pay using my home credit card because I didn't want to wait a few more days. The number of places on the earlier time slot was down to 6 and if I end up on the later slot, I would have to walk home in the dark when lessons end at 9 pm.
Yeh! The good sunny weather is back. The Brits love lying out in the sun on anything green. Outside the National Gallery on this small patch of greenery (forgot to take photos of this), Hyde Park (but of course), and the courtyard of the Guy's medical campus. This photo is pretty interesting also because of these HUGE living room set (sofa, couch, table and standing lamp) 'upholstered' by fake grass.
After a decadent dinner of fried egg, fried bacon and baked fish-cake (the ang moh type with potatoes), I went to collect the last of my care parcels from home!
Such a bittersweet feeling... So happy to have received more things from home, with a "hitch-hiker" postcard from Noel (thanks!), but also sad because I know it's the last of my things from home...
London Peace Run
On Saturday 20 September Tower Hamlets will be hosting the London Peace Run in the borough's Victoria Park. This is one of the highlights of the London Week of Peace - an annual week of high profile events and initiatives aiming to promote community cohesion, safety and peace across the capital.
With more than 200 entrants expected, participation rather than competition is the order of the day at this popular event, which this year also forms part of the Tower Hamlets programme to celebrate the handover of the Olympic and Paralympic Games from Beijing to London.
Leader of Tower Hamlets Council, Cllr Lutfur Rahman said: “As a Host Borough it is especially apt that we should mark London Week of Peace in Tower Hamlets with an event such as this. It is an excellent example of how people can be brought together through cultural and sports activities to celebrate diversity and promote justice, equality and respect. I believe that Tower Hamlets is the ideal setting for this event, particularly as we are preparing to invite visitors of many different cultures from all over the world to come together in the planet’s greatest sporting event."
The event starts around 11am with the adults' five kilometre run beginning at 11.30am followed by the three kilometre junior run, open to people aged 7 -15, taking place at 12.30pm. Both runs take participants on a circuit of Tower Hamlets’ picturesque Victoria Park - recently voted number one in Time Out magazine’s table of London’s best parks.
During the event, water will be provided to those taking part along with light refreshments such as energy bars and shakes to aid recovery.
The cost of entry is £10 for the adult event and £3.00 for the junior event, although entry is free for under 15s living in Tower Hamlets. To register please call 01252 373797 or register online via the Runners World Website.
Reproduced from Tower Hamlets News pages
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Visit to my school library
Sorry I haven't been blogging as conscientiously as I wished...
Let's see.
Was finally enrolled yesterday afternoon, followed by my course induction in the evening.
Feeling super kiasu and wanted to figure out the way around my campus, so went to school today. Visited the library and borrowed a ton of books for my initial reading. At first, I thought the borrowing limit of 20 was ridiculously high. But looking at my haul today, I have a feeling 20 may not even be enough... *grin*
After a long day at the library reading and hauling back a very heavy bag with the dozen books I borrowed, decided to be lazy and not cook tonight. Bought this M & S (Marks and Spencer) chicken with white sauce dish and popped it into the oven. Also made some Marmite soup. I never had all this craving for soup back home. As you might be able to see from the photo, I had a SMALL bit of the mooncake for dessert... Yum yum!
Last but not least, took this photo just now. There are a couple of similar 'artsy'-looking billboards on my way back to school. Hope I will remember to take more photos of the nice ones.
Let's see.
Was finally enrolled yesterday afternoon, followed by my course induction in the evening.
Feeling super kiasu and wanted to figure out the way around my campus, so went to school today. Visited the library and borrowed a ton of books for my initial reading. At first, I thought the borrowing limit of 20 was ridiculously high. But looking at my haul today, I have a feeling 20 may not even be enough... *grin*
After a long day at the library reading and hauling back a very heavy bag with the dozen books I borrowed, decided to be lazy and not cook tonight. Bought this M & S (Marks and Spencer) chicken with white sauce dish and popped it into the oven. Also made some Marmite soup. I never had all this craving for soup back home. As you might be able to see from the photo, I had a SMALL bit of the mooncake for dessert... Yum yum!
Last but not least, took this photo just now. There are a couple of similar 'artsy'-looking billboards on my way back to school. Hope I will remember to take more photos of the nice ones.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Enrolment! Finally!
Yeh! It's finally time for enrolment!
After twiddling my fingers (and toes) in London for the past 10 days, it's finally time for me to officially become a student! Indulged in my FIRST packet of instant noodles - Myojo Singapore Sambal Chicken Ramen - nice, hot and spicy!
Ok, took a while to get ready because must make sure I look nice when they take my picture at enrolment mah. Got to school early for enrolment and thank goodness I did, because it was a long queue for loads of admin.
1st, wait in lecture theatre. Then, queue to go into a room where they check to ensure they have your records. 3rd, queue again, to key in slowly all the details on your enrolment form - London address, family background, etc. This one took the longest time and was in the smallest room possible. It got pretty stuffy. Last but not least, queue again to take photo for student ID, and get a whole list of usernames and passwords (ALL different) for library, internet login, library login, etc. Not sure how efficient it is and how effective - but why the **** do you need different logins and different passwords for EVERYTHING?!?!
Just enough time after my enrolment to take my time and stroll back across Waterloo Bridge to get to the Waterloo campus from the Strand campus for my MA programme induction.
Ok, a decent number of people taking MA Education - mainly in English teaching. But to my astonishment... there are a TOTAL of FOUR, yes, 4!, people taking my MA ICT in Education course. Wah... super stressed lor! Discussion and tutorial sure die one!
My fellow coursemates are all gals, 2 from Cyprus and 1 from Taiwan. The one from Taiwan is also an ex-teacher, I think. The senior lecturer also very stressed, he hasn't got the reading lists ready and we were bugging him for it. My coursemates were rather stunned to hear that we only have TWO, yes, 2!, face-to-face tutorial sessions and the rest will be carried out via online discussions.
After twiddling my fingers (and toes) in London for the past 10 days, it's finally time for me to officially become a student! Indulged in my FIRST packet of instant noodles - Myojo Singapore Sambal Chicken Ramen - nice, hot and spicy!
Ok, took a while to get ready because must make sure I look nice when they take my picture at enrolment mah. Got to school early for enrolment and thank goodness I did, because it was a long queue for loads of admin.
1st, wait in lecture theatre. Then, queue to go into a room where they check to ensure they have your records. 3rd, queue again, to key in slowly all the details on your enrolment form - London address, family background, etc. This one took the longest time and was in the smallest room possible. It got pretty stuffy. Last but not least, queue again to take photo for student ID, and get a whole list of usernames and passwords (ALL different) for library, internet login, library login, etc. Not sure how efficient it is and how effective - but why the **** do you need different logins and different passwords for EVERYTHING?!?!
Just enough time after my enrolment to take my time and stroll back across Waterloo Bridge to get to the Waterloo campus from the Strand campus for my MA programme induction.
Ok, a decent number of people taking MA Education - mainly in English teaching. But to my astonishment... there are a TOTAL of FOUR, yes, 4!, people taking my MA ICT in Education course. Wah... super stressed lor! Discussion and tutorial sure die one!
My fellow coursemates are all gals, 2 from Cyprus and 1 from Taiwan. The one from Taiwan is also an ex-teacher, I think. The senior lecturer also very stressed, he hasn't got the reading lists ready and we were bugging him for it. My coursemates were rather stunned to hear that we only have TWO, yes, 2!, face-to-face tutorial sessions and the rest will be carried out via online discussions.
Teachers catch volunteer bug
By Tan Weizhen
MORE teachers are doing volunteer work here and overseas, with many heading to countries such as Cambodia, Vietnam, India and China to help the needy.
They are even starting to take their students along.
'In the process of helping others, the students learn way beyond what they would have in a classroom,' said St Andrew's Junior College teacher Louis Ho, 30.
The physical education teacher has been going on such overseas expeditions at least once a year, for almost a decade.
Projects taken on by such groups include teaching needy children or training teachers in poor communities, or contributing school materials.
Volunteers also set up basic information technology infrastructure or donate computers to villages.
Other popular projects involve health care, conserving the environment, and providing the poor with skills so they can get jobs.
According to the Singapore International Foundation (SIF) and the Youth Expedition Project (YEP), which subsidise half of the costs for such teams, the projects have gained popularity in recent years.
The YEP alone has seen the number of volunteer teachers climb from 78 in 2006 to 93 last year. This year, 78 have already signed up for such trips to date.
SIF also said it has seen the biggest growth in the number of youth volunteers, including educational institutions and youth groups.
Each trip for about 20 volunteers typically costs between $20,000 and $40,000, depending on the nature of the project.
Because students want to become volunteers earlier, both groups recently lowered the age criterion for them, from 17 to 15 years.
The Institute of Technical Education (ITE) has been an active participant in volunteer efforts.
Two teachers and 72 students from ITE College West have been to a remote village in Hainan, China, about 10 times to help poor farmers there improve their lives.
They have installed 15 solar lamps in the village, which has no electricity and would otherwise be pitch dark from 7pm.
'The villagers were relying on torches at night to find their way around. Children coming home late from school couldn't even see where they were going,' said ITE lecturer Pang Sher Yoon, 49.
Installing solar lamps, he said, means the poor villagers do not have to pay for electricity because each day's sunlight can provide lighting for three days.
The teams sourced for the parts in the city, then assembled them at the village.
'This project suited the ITE students, as they learn fast due to their electronics knowledge. For the villagers, it was just like magic, as the power source seemed to come straight from the sun,' said Mr Pang.
For their next project, a team of ITE nursing students and staff will provide a $4,000 delivery bed, new medical devices and train the village 'doctor', who had no proper medical training.
Explained ITE lecturer Yam Wai Hong, 61: 'Right now, the local women give birth on a creaky, rusty delivery bed - the only one in the entire village.'
Teachers say that school support has been instrumental in getting such projects off the ground.
The schools start committees focused on such volunteer work, and allow teachers time off to make trip preparations during the school term. The extended school holidays also give teachers and students ample time to go on such trips, which last up to two weeks each time.
One team which has likely covered the most number of miles in a single trip is a Nanyang Polytechnic group.
In April, 16 lecturers and students travelled to 30 different villages around the Cambodian city Siem Reap in two weeks, distributing medicine and spreading awareness of the disease lymphatic filariasis.
They are trying to help villagers eliminate the mosquito-borne bug, which introduces microscopic worms into the human lymph system. Those who are infected get very swollen lymph glands, and their immunity to germs and infections is lowered.
Volunteers say they get hooked on what they are doing.
'I started volunteering on humanitarian grounds. Now I find it helps me grow as a person, and I don't take what I have for granted anymore,' said Mr Ho, who persuades young teachers to participate.
Those who would like to apply for funding can call +65-6309-4070 or e-mail yep-enquiries@yep.sg
This article was first published in The Straits Times on Aug 30, 2008.
This article is reproduced from AsiaOne.
MORE teachers are doing volunteer work here and overseas, with many heading to countries such as Cambodia, Vietnam, India and China to help the needy.
They are even starting to take their students along.
'In the process of helping others, the students learn way beyond what they would have in a classroom,' said St Andrew's Junior College teacher Louis Ho, 30.
The physical education teacher has been going on such overseas expeditions at least once a year, for almost a decade.
Projects taken on by such groups include teaching needy children or training teachers in poor communities, or contributing school materials.
Volunteers also set up basic information technology infrastructure or donate computers to villages.
Other popular projects involve health care, conserving the environment, and providing the poor with skills so they can get jobs.
According to the Singapore International Foundation (SIF) and the Youth Expedition Project (YEP), which subsidise half of the costs for such teams, the projects have gained popularity in recent years.
The YEP alone has seen the number of volunteer teachers climb from 78 in 2006 to 93 last year. This year, 78 have already signed up for such trips to date.
SIF also said it has seen the biggest growth in the number of youth volunteers, including educational institutions and youth groups.
Each trip for about 20 volunteers typically costs between $20,000 and $40,000, depending on the nature of the project.
Because students want to become volunteers earlier, both groups recently lowered the age criterion for them, from 17 to 15 years.
The Institute of Technical Education (ITE) has been an active participant in volunteer efforts.
Two teachers and 72 students from ITE College West have been to a remote village in Hainan, China, about 10 times to help poor farmers there improve their lives.
They have installed 15 solar lamps in the village, which has no electricity and would otherwise be pitch dark from 7pm.
'The villagers were relying on torches at night to find their way around. Children coming home late from school couldn't even see where they were going,' said ITE lecturer Pang Sher Yoon, 49.
Installing solar lamps, he said, means the poor villagers do not have to pay for electricity because each day's sunlight can provide lighting for three days.
The teams sourced for the parts in the city, then assembled them at the village.
'This project suited the ITE students, as they learn fast due to their electronics knowledge. For the villagers, it was just like magic, as the power source seemed to come straight from the sun,' said Mr Pang.
For their next project, a team of ITE nursing students and staff will provide a $4,000 delivery bed, new medical devices and train the village 'doctor', who had no proper medical training.
Explained ITE lecturer Yam Wai Hong, 61: 'Right now, the local women give birth on a creaky, rusty delivery bed - the only one in the entire village.'
Teachers say that school support has been instrumental in getting such projects off the ground.
The schools start committees focused on such volunteer work, and allow teachers time off to make trip preparations during the school term. The extended school holidays also give teachers and students ample time to go on such trips, which last up to two weeks each time.
One team which has likely covered the most number of miles in a single trip is a Nanyang Polytechnic group.
In April, 16 lecturers and students travelled to 30 different villages around the Cambodian city Siem Reap in two weeks, distributing medicine and spreading awareness of the disease lymphatic filariasis.
They are trying to help villagers eliminate the mosquito-borne bug, which introduces microscopic worms into the human lymph system. Those who are infected get very swollen lymph glands, and their immunity to germs and infections is lowered.
Volunteers say they get hooked on what they are doing.
'I started volunteering on humanitarian grounds. Now I find it helps me grow as a person, and I don't take what I have for granted anymore,' said Mr Ho, who persuades young teachers to participate.
Those who would like to apply for funding can call +65-6309-4070 or e-mail yep-enquiries@yep.sg
This article was first published in The Straits Times on Aug 30, 2008.
This article is reproduced from AsiaOne.
Monday, September 15, 2008
Boring day
Boring day today. Went out for a brief walk to the National Theatre - dun the "green" furniture look fun? It's quite comfortable. Just a little difficult for me to get on. *bleah*
Finally got my care package of the week. Being waiting for it till my neck is damn long already. Inside got 2 double-yolked MOONCAKES! Yum yum!!! And I nearly cried when I saw the 2 tins of luncheon meat that my mum put in. I love such pleasant surprises! And I continue to be amazed at how much better my mum knows me than myself sometimes.
Last but not least, a simple dinner of fried egg, new potatoes with herb butter and some left-over fried chicken from my wagamama dinner some time back.
Finally got my care package of the week. Being waiting for it till my neck is damn long already. Inside got 2 double-yolked MOONCAKES! Yum yum!!! And I nearly cried when I saw the 2 tins of luncheon meat that my mum put in. I love such pleasant surprises! And I continue to be amazed at how much better my mum knows me than myself sometimes.
Last but not least, a simple dinner of fried egg, new potatoes with herb butter and some left-over fried chicken from my wagamama dinner some time back.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Thames Festival
Die lah... Haven't blogged for so long I can't recall what I did 2 weeks back already!
And I have stopped taking photos of EVERYTHING and EVERYWHERE... So, makes it even more difficult to recollect my activities and etc.
But well, the main points of each day are still clear in my mind, so better blog all these now while I still have some time before my full curriculum starts.
Let's see. I called home again this morning... She seems to prefer me call in the evening (Singapore time) because she always sound to keen to put down the phone when I call her in the afternoon (Singapore time). Anyway, it turned out that it was Mid-Autumn Festival and my family was just sitting down for dinner. I knew that Mid-Autumn was close, but I didn't realise it was today! So my mum actually sounded very happy to hear from me today. It being the festival for family together-ness and everything.
Then, went down to the Strand campus today afternoon to get updated letters for the bank with my new address after my change in room. Wanted to finally get my SIM card so that I can be contact-able in London and saw this advert in the Metro with free 5 pounds credit - good sign! Also saw an Orange shop along the main road from my campus so that was my first stop after my admin at school.
However, to my astonishment, it was CLOSED! Now, why would they close a handphone shop on Sunday?!?! Never mind. I have plenty of time before the Thames Festival in the evening. So, I decided to take a loooooong walk to Oxford Street, under the assumption that the main shopping road in London should have their fair share of OPEN handphone shops. Yup, I was right. Right at the end of the road, I found my Orange shop. But the staff were super unfriendly. Esp after they realised I was there for the free SIM card, and not going to spend any money buying any handphone sets, etc.
Let's cut to the chase... Fast forward to the evening, around 6.30 pm. I had a great time perched upon the railing at this pier with a great view of the street performers. My timing was just right and I got to see ALL the performers as they go past me. I would prefer a closer encounter but was too lazy to stand for 2 hours at the railing along the road.
The performers cleared within 2 hours and with the setting of the sun, it started to get real cold... With the cold wind, lonely surroundings and dark skies, I got real depressed. Things got real depressing as I see the full moon arising, and started to feel really sorry about myself. "Why was I subjecting myself to such loneliness? Why did I take myself away from everything that was familiar and loved?" I was in such a catch-22 situation. There was nowhere for me to go even if I wanted to leave my perch. I got a good seat at one of the best positions to view the fireworks, facing the OXO building in between the Waterloo and Blackfriars bridges. So there I waited...
Ever grateful to the Moon goddess (there must be some magic with it being the Mid-Autumn Festival), a group of Hong Kongers walked past my perch and decided to settle there to light lanterns and eat mooncakes. I gave them advice when they had difficulty lighting their lanterns and they were real nice to give me an extra one. They also shared their mooncakes with me. I never savoured and appreciated a piece of mooncake more in my life. It was just heart-warming to be able to share a special moment with some people who share the same language, the same culture, even if they were perfect strangers. Of course, I'm also ever grateful to my grandparents forcing me to speak almost-perfect Cantonese.
Last but not least, I managed to grab a piece of souvenir!
And I have stopped taking photos of EVERYTHING and EVERYWHERE... So, makes it even more difficult to recollect my activities and etc.
But well, the main points of each day are still clear in my mind, so better blog all these now while I still have some time before my full curriculum starts.
Let's see. I called home again this morning... She seems to prefer me call in the evening (Singapore time) because she always sound to keen to put down the phone when I call her in the afternoon (Singapore time). Anyway, it turned out that it was Mid-Autumn Festival and my family was just sitting down for dinner. I knew that Mid-Autumn was close, but I didn't realise it was today! So my mum actually sounded very happy to hear from me today. It being the festival for family together-ness and everything.
Then, went down to the Strand campus today afternoon to get updated letters for the bank with my new address after my change in room. Wanted to finally get my SIM card so that I can be contact-able in London and saw this advert in the Metro with free 5 pounds credit - good sign! Also saw an Orange shop along the main road from my campus so that was my first stop after my admin at school.
However, to my astonishment, it was CLOSED! Now, why would they close a handphone shop on Sunday?!?! Never mind. I have plenty of time before the Thames Festival in the evening. So, I decided to take a loooooong walk to Oxford Street, under the assumption that the main shopping road in London should have their fair share of OPEN handphone shops. Yup, I was right. Right at the end of the road, I found my Orange shop. But the staff were super unfriendly. Esp after they realised I was there for the free SIM card, and not going to spend any money buying any handphone sets, etc.
Let's cut to the chase... Fast forward to the evening, around 6.30 pm. I had a great time perched upon the railing at this pier with a great view of the street performers. My timing was just right and I got to see ALL the performers as they go past me. I would prefer a closer encounter but was too lazy to stand for 2 hours at the railing along the road.
The performers cleared within 2 hours and with the setting of the sun, it started to get real cold... With the cold wind, lonely surroundings and dark skies, I got real depressed. Things got real depressing as I see the full moon arising, and started to feel really sorry about myself. "Why was I subjecting myself to such loneliness? Why did I take myself away from everything that was familiar and loved?" I was in such a catch-22 situation. There was nowhere for me to go even if I wanted to leave my perch. I got a good seat at one of the best positions to view the fireworks, facing the OXO building in between the Waterloo and Blackfriars bridges. So there I waited...
Ever grateful to the Moon goddess (there must be some magic with it being the Mid-Autumn Festival), a group of Hong Kongers walked past my perch and decided to settle there to light lanterns and eat mooncakes. I gave them advice when they had difficulty lighting their lanterns and they were real nice to give me an extra one. They also shared their mooncakes with me. I never savoured and appreciated a piece of mooncake more in my life. It was just heart-warming to be able to share a special moment with some people who share the same language, the same culture, even if they were perfect strangers. Of course, I'm also ever grateful to my grandparents forcing me to speak almost-perfect Cantonese.
Last but not least, I managed to grab a piece of souvenir!
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Cultural today
Decided to visit the National Gallery with 2 new found friends from the same hall.
We spent some time walking along the river bank, enjoying all the stalls set up for the Thames Festival. Wish I had the budget to try all the food, but well... Learning to do without the tangibles and enjoy the intangibles... *grin*
Then, spent some time at Trafalgar Square just resting, enjoying the sunshine, and the free Concert going on to celebrate the start of London Peace Week. Decided to take part in the 5k Peace Run the coming Saturday. A great way to force myself to (finally) run in London. Just hope the weather will stay good and sunny!
Finally, time to go into the National Gallery and get some culture! *laugh*
Boy, was it an enlightening experience! Seeing the paintings upfront is really different from seeing their pictures in books, online, etc. Some of the pictures are really huge, and reading about their history and process brings them to life and i definitely felt a deeper connection. I mean, how can someone spend 12 years on a painting? The effort and attention to detail of some painters are just astonishing. Of course, much admiration came from this visitor that day. I found that i really enjoyed the pre-17th century painters more and the modernists and impressionists. Their sense of lighting and texture is just amazing with the limited resources they have access to. I wasn’t as engrossed as a lot of the visitors in Van Gogh’s Sunflowers. I much preferred one of his scenery ones.
Since we went into the Gallery pretty late, and my fren and I both spent a lot of time reading each and every piece of painting in each room, we only managed to cover like 7 rooms in the 2 hours we spent there. Definitely a place for a return visit! It helps that it’s within walking distance from my campus.
Friday, September 12, 2008
Last day of orientation programme
Got some good information about banking, etc. Took the initiative to speak with this Indian gal, who turned out to be my flatmate! What a coincidence! It was great to meet with her and her friend, who was doing the same course. It’d be so nice, to have a friend, come all the way here, and have the chance to do everything together. Definitely a bunch of help when one needs to check class notes and remind each other about deadlines, etc!
As the finale for the orientation programme, we got the chance to take a free cruise down the Thames. Must say we were pretty lucky. The weather was sunny and great, and we came upon the Tower Bridge just as a clipper boat was coming in and the Tower Bridge had to open up! Lots of cameras went crazy! Including mine... *grin*
Walked back with this new gal fren from the same hall. It’s 30 minutes each way to the Stamford (it’s fate... a Raffles connection?!?!) campus where my lessons are also gonna be at. Debating whether to get a bicycle (aka pedal cycles here in UK) to break the monotony of walking.
Got back to my hall and bumped into my previous flat-mate (before they moved us all to different flats). She invited me to join her and her flat-mate for dinner. Sigh... I wish my printer was here! I have these Wagamama 1-for-1 vouchers which SLY emailed me but cannot use them as yet... So, broke my budget to have dinner out with them. Well, the company was priceless, I guess.
It was interesting, then, as my ex-flat-mate spoke to me about how afraid she was of London, especially at night. But, there I was, feeling pretty alright, because I know the area pretty well from all my walking. I just hope I have not gotten complacent and taking my safety too lightly... But well, I was with a crowd and I was aware of my surroundings and environment... *fingers crossed*
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Orientation progamme starts proper
Today was a full day out at the Waterloo campus for the orientation programme proper. Met another Singaporean doing her Masters of Law, and a group of gals from my hall. Was supposed to carry on with the evening and spend it over at Tutu’s, the KCLSU student night club, for some English pub quiz.
But was paranoid over whether I locked my room door and went back home after the day activities ended. After that, was too tired to walk over to the Strand campus and really craved a good hot meal. In the end, went grocery shopping and spent over £10 at Sainsbury. However, I actually had some Sainsbury vouchers left over from my previous trip (yes, so many years ago) which I found in my not-so-recent spring cleaning, and brought over. Surprisingly, I could still use them! So, in the end, I only had to pay less than a quid for everything! *laugh*
That's one of the 'good things' about doing things on your own. I can change my mind last minute and is not accountable to anyone. (yup, dat's one way of consoling myself when i have no friends... *sob sob*)
Anyway, couldn't take another meal without proper meat and vege and something steamy hot. Decided to indulge and splurge on some meat patty from Sainsbury (can't afford a steak lah) and also used my M & S (Marks and Spencer) pans for the first time!
But was paranoid over whether I locked my room door and went back home after the day activities ended. After that, was too tired to walk over to the Strand campus and really craved a good hot meal. In the end, went grocery shopping and spent over £10 at Sainsbury. However, I actually had some Sainsbury vouchers left over from my previous trip (yes, so many years ago) which I found in my not-so-recent spring cleaning, and brought over. Surprisingly, I could still use them! So, in the end, I only had to pay less than a quid for everything! *laugh*
That's one of the 'good things' about doing things on your own. I can change my mind last minute and is not accountable to anyone. (yup, dat's one way of consoling myself when i have no friends... *sob sob*)
Anyway, couldn't take another meal without proper meat and vege and something steamy hot. Decided to indulge and splurge on some meat patty from Sainsbury (can't afford a steak lah) and also used my M & S (Marks and Spencer) pans for the first time!
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