Yet another great week=)

Interns Lunch

Teng Boon arranged an intern lunch on Thurs=)

It was raining super heavily and we braced the strong wind and rain, walked quite a distance before we reached Teng Boon's 好介绍 eating place in the neighbourhood area.

Though we kept complaining about the long journey there with water leaking and splashing from everywhere, there wasnt much crowd and the food was great!=D Worth the trip! *Otherwise we would have to compete for seats at MOE's cafeteria.*

It was really a wonderful lunch! We shared about our experiences at different branch at different levels. We ended up with the conclusion that maybe the higher the level we are at, the heavier is the workload. =P

All of us are from NUS. He: Chemistry student. She: Psychology student. Me: SDE PFM student!=D

Hope we all will have a great internship experience at MOE!=D More lunches and more updates!

Site Visit to Rooftop Garden @ MSCP

I planned a site visit to a rooftop garden at one of Queenstown multi-storey car park.

Went down to Tanjong Pagar Town Council to lias with the property manager and to find out the exact location of the MSCP. I was walking round and round the area before I found out that the Town Council is right above the NTUC. *Thanks to the friendly security guard!* The property manager is really busy and is always not around in the office, mostly on the go. No wonder I couldnt get him through his direct line.

Luckily in the end the horticulter manager replied my email=) I will be meeting him next week!=)

Made a trip to the MSCP which is just next to Queenstown MRT station. PrettyX2 rooftop garden! Abit scary at the beginning as I was all alone. Luckily it was daytime=)

The entire rooftop is converted to a garden which is accessible for public, mainly the residents at Forfar Heights=) There's benches, shelters, platforms, walkways, ramp, 2 lifts and 4 staircases leading to the rooftop. Quite user-friendly. Wonder if there are people visiting this beautiful place at later parts of the day.

Keep taking pictures! I just love site visit! Especially to beautiful places!

Hope my project will progress smoothly!=)

Radio Interview @ RSI

Poh Ling is doing her internship at one of the radio station in Mediacorp. She is working on 2 radio programme, one of them is about the water conservation topic. Jia' en and I volunteered to help her for the interview.

Interesting to see the radio station. The console board, the mic and headphones!

We were given a list of questions which she would ask us later. Jia' en and I spent super long time thinking about the answers, in chinese! We had to admit that our chinese has become "rusty" already. =S

With Jia'en around, anyone could guess that the interview session turned out to be super funny! Had lots of NGs and dead air. The most hilarious part was when we heard the recorded thing after that. *The un-cut version of the entire interview.*=D

Poh Ling is really professional! Really happy for her! She has been saying that she wants to be a radio broadcaster since sec 1! See how determined she is=) JiayouZx3! Cheer Competition

The Rag committee sent in a team for a cheer competition organized by the Sports Council. The prizes are really attactive!

The organizers video-ed us doing our cheer combo to be send for judging. We were just cheering at the outdoor stadium, with just a few people jogging before a hevy downpour. Meaning we were not cheering for anyone in the table tennis competition, we were cheering for ourselves! To put in the best effort in hope of winning!=)

As Milo is the official sponsor for the olympics (or youth olympics or both), we had to wear the super environmental friendly green Milo visor made of paper. Super funny! We even created a Milo cheer from the super solid cheer!=)

Great job to all the cheerleaders! Seeing them cheering with so much vibe and enthsiasim really made me feel their passion for Rag comm=D *clapsX3!*

ManyX3 thanks to all Year 2s who came down!=D Despite being on internship and the last minute request, they still sacrificed their sleep and showed their support for the juniors! AppreciateX2 it very much! Not forgetting those who wanted to come but were unfortunately unable to make it. I still appreciate your effort!=)

Hope we can win! However, I guess winning is definitely a bonus, even without it, the bonding created is going to last a long time! =) JiayouZx2 Rag! =) Really looking forward to it!

I love the bigX2 packet Milo! Muahahahaha... Super nice!=D
Impromtu Kbox!
After the cheer competition, Joyce and Hui Fang went HDB Hub intending to eat lunch together. We ended up going for Klunch! Whee~~~Super happy! I havent Kbox with them before!

Food was so much better than the AMK's outlet.

Feel like calling ourselves "3333". Muahahahaha... As there are 3 of us, singing in room 33 and instead of the usual 2pm, we were allowed to sing till 3pm as we came at 12pm. Muahahahaha...

Joyce is our 高音, Im 中音 and Hui Fang is our 低音. =D Nice combi! We even found songs that we 3 can sing together!

Joyce impressed me with her 高音 and the number of songs she knows how to sing! Hui Fang impressed me with the song she sings! She sings mainly Jay Chou's songs. She even knows how to sing 信乐团's songs! Super cool!

Joyce and me were super high, even jumped onto the sofa! =P Hui Fang were asked (more of forced lah=P) to wave both her hands high up! Muahahahaha... So cute!

More of 3333 kbox sessions! Before our beloved Joyce flies off!

Xue Yan's 21st!

Sat was Xue Yan's 21st! As usual, we had great time talking to each other, joking around. Even they keep joking about my 包子脸! Wonder how my friends from primary school to uni have so much 默契!

We were sitting below her house to write her birthday card when Malcolm walked past. Then we just called out to him to sit down. Suddenly we felt like we were like some senior citizens spending our time at the void deck and catching whoever walking past! Maybe in the future we will be doing that in Bishan CC, since most of us live there=D Muahahahaha...

Although it is only recently we met up more often (because of 21st bday), we seems to have really known each other for 10 years!=) I believe my primary school friends are really those whom I can seek for true, honest comments=) We can just speak our mind, even the most sensitive topic, without worrying about someone not being happy about it. We say what we think and we accept what other says respectful. =)

It's really 难得 to still be able to keep in touch with primary school friends! Friends from smallX2 kids to young adults! Amazing~

After our sweet-looking and cute Xue Yan's 21st is our Darren's 21st already. Looking forward to it!=)

Perfect Livelihood

Buddhism admits that money and greed are often linked.

However with the right understanding and attitude towards money, we can make use of it to do good=) Especially when we have more than what our basic needs require.

Let me quote from All about Buddhism, "money has no value in itself, but derives its value from how it is created and how it is utilized." That should be the right attitude towards money.=)

For all those working hard for perfect livelihood, *clapX3!* the money you earned comes from you doing meaningful and useful tasks. With the money earned, do give it the right value by using it wisely and beneficially. =D

JiayouZx2 to all working!=) Not forgetting to take great care of your health! =)

Okie I need to orhX2 early tonight! Keep dozing off in the morning *shakeX2 head!*=P I also learnt that our mind is really much more powerful than we think. Mind over body!=)

Weekends!=D

Last weekends before my internship starts!

Lego~~~ Build-it-yourself!=)

Finally got the time to start on the lego!

Completed one of the few sets=)

Super miniature!

This weekends!
Im more appreciative of weekends whenever Im busy during weekdays=)

Sat had MC Forward Planning Session! It was unlike previous few MC meetings. We were doing more of reviewing what we have done and evaluating it for the next MC. Just felt that we have grown together=) Apart from the serious discussions and sharing, we had super crazy phototaking session=) It's a pity not all are around, though we did found a substitute for Jon. Muahahahaha...

18th MC (with Jon, Adriel, Aubrey and Kenny missing)
President and his VPs=) Muahahahaha...JMG within MC=) I like the photo!=D So JMG=)

Had informal sharing about our internship, results just like chit-chatting=)

Had lunch at Sumo House then a group of us proceeded to Vivo for impromptu movie session=D

We tested our 喜怒哀乐 on the bus to Vivo=) Muahahahaha...

We completed each with just 1 take=)

Lots of hilarious NGs for them=) Looking at them really keeps you laughing=) I particularly love their 乐! They got a few takes for it but I felt this was the most natural one=)

Wai Kei also impromptu-ly initiated an advanced bday celebration for Jun Han while on the way there=) Cool~~ We had good acting skills that he didnt even suspect anything.

The plan was Wai Kei used withdrawing money as an excuse to go buy cake while we went Giant to shop for tidbits=) Although in the end he really needed to withdraw money to buy cake from Breadtalk [they dont accept nets].

Then we met at the rooftop and surprised him with the cake! HehX3=) 30min celebration before our movie started=)

Ernest took the group picture so professional! 自拍for group!

We watched Indiana Jones sitting right in the first row! Super tiring! Keep adjusting ourselves. Especially Jun Han and Ernest sitting next to me, once they even adjusted at the same time doing the exact movements! The movie was action packed and as Jun Han said, the settings were really very appropriate! The atmosphere created was wonderful! There was wowX2 effects here and there=)

The session was supposed to end off nicely with a group photo at the mini fountain outside Vivo. Somehow, I guessed I was at the wrong place. I was targeted by Mr Ernest Tay and he dragged me into the fountain. It's not my birthday yet! Jun Han was sick so maybe I was there to substitute him. Maybe it's because I keep punching him so it's time to repay him. =P

I just had to drag Ernest into the fountain with me to get back to him. HehX2... Both of us were drenched and it was super cold on train. =S Thanks ar Ernest! Really 莫名其妙, 无缘无故, 不明不白咯!

Today woke up with muscle ache for both arms, especially my left arm. Im still wondering what I did. Only till evening then I realised it's Ernest's doings. No wonder I felt so drained when I reached home yesterday. It was really like wrestling with him. It's the SECOND time already, Mr Ernest! First time during NUSSU Camp @ swimming pool. This time even small fountain also can.

Sun
Had a good night sleep!

Met up with KS after tuition to have lunch and just shop around J8 leisurely.

Had our own simple dinner at my house=) It's called BreadX2 combo.

Staying at home really feels great! With no school and project work to worry about, weekends are really relaxing=) Looking forward to coming weekends! Whee~~ Time to orhX2 already and get recharged for a new week! =)

1st week of Internship@MOE PDM

Started off the Civil Service Programme Internship Programme (CSIP) with a Welcome Tea at The Treasury=) Got to know more about civil service and know fellow interns from NTU, SMU and even from other faculties in NUS. They were really thoughtful as the music they played before it started was very hip=)

1st week at Projects Development and Management Branch

Margaret is a really super nice supervisor and Mr. Eng is our deputy director. They give me alot of freedom to do my project according to my plans.

PDM has a really cool and helpful group of colleagues. The branch is really relevant to PFM=) The projects they deal with are mainly building of schools, rebuilding them under PRIME, managing the facilities.

I have been attending meetings and functions almost everyday. Really like it! Whenever my colleagues ask me along to sit-in for meetings, I will be super excited! =D Better than having to stay in my work cubicle.

Been working on my rooftop garden project=) Really love it! Interesting! Go green! Hopefully my final presentation and report will go well=)

Every Tue there's Senior Heads meeting which Im very privileged to sit-in. Interestingly, there was a discussion on whether they still need to engage PM for school projects. They even asked me for my view since Im a PFM student. Super interesting! During lunch time, some even reassured me that my course still has future. Haha...

Friday went Yishun Town Secondary School for site visit. Found out from research that they have rooftop garden. Although technically speaking, their rooftop garden is just a garden on a rooftop instead of an integrated greenery on top of roof structure, Im reallyX3 glad!

The teacher in-charge of it is a senior teacher who has totally no background in biology or chemistry, but he knows alot about gardening. Im really inspired by his passion and enthusiasm despite him retiring in 2 years time!=D He even invited me to share my knowledge with the school. Really motivated me alot to do well for my project=)

The smallX2 yellow thing is honeydew! Ooooo~~~ The teacher said when its harvest time it's very beautiful! I can almost imagine that!
Greenery around the school is really so pleasing to the eyes=) Especially on a hot, sunny day=)
Besides the rooftop garden, the school also has an eco-garden and a fern garden=) The principal is really very supportive of greening the school and he even asks me about vertical greening. Perhaps I can include that into my project if I have the time=)

Hope to plan another site visit to another rooftop garden in multi-storey carpark @Queenstown.

Hope I can get to contact the researcher who specializes in rooftop garden in SDE=D

Amazing jellyfish!

Photo courtesy of National Geographic website (that's box jellyfish)

Primitive animal, with no bones and no brain.
BUT a jellyfish has 24 eyes! Strategically allocated at 4 corners of its bell.

It visually responds to different colours.

THE VISUAL EXPERIMENT

When white pipes were placed standing in a tank, jellyfish just swim directly into it, just like some blinded creature.

However, when it was changed to black pipes, it swam around it in some figure of eight motion.

It responded even more drastically with red pipes, swimming really far away from the pipes. It was apparent that the jellyfish was avoiding the red pipes.

Really amazing, something which the scientists has been trying to answer.

IT STINGS!
AND they really kill!

[No wonder mr crocodile man was fatally killed by it. =S] Muahahaha... Just realised I mistaken a stingray for a jellyfish =S Thx KS for highlighting it=P

Similar to snakes and scorpions, jellyfishes release powerful venom. Each venom specifically targets a particular area. For snakes, it attacks the skin cells while for the scorpions, it attacks the nervous system.

Astonishingly, for the jellyfishes, the venom does it all! =S No wonder it is the deadliest venom in the animal kingdom!

While most of them are generally not deadly, the box jellyfish and the Irukandji jellyfish are considered fatal.

Interestingly, sea turtles are unaffected by box jellyfish and eat them regularly.

A mature Irukandji jellyfish is only approximately around the size of an adult's thumb.

Irukandji syndrome hits victims with severe headaches, uncontrollable muscular movements, nausea, hypertension, chest and muscle pains.

Apparently, the National Geographic programme on Jellyfish Invasion is highlighting the issue on the blooming population and the increasing presence in the seas and oceans.

Hopefully we can coexist with them. Otherwise, dramatic ecological imbalance in the marine ecosystem may arise.

Let's love the nature more and not over exploit it. I believe we are part of the ecosystem, what we do will eventually impact us still.

Long weekends!

Sun

Went Msia for Grandfather's death anniversary.

Spent the rest of the day shopping at Jusco. It's the must for my mummy, sis and I!=D

As usual bought many affordable clothes=)

Took lots of photos on the car due to the jam.

I think this looks really funny, very me. Muahahahaha...

Mon Vesak Day holiday

Ahhhhhh~~~~ I love nature!=)

Whee~~~ Went ECP for cycling! It was a very last minute plan due to special reason=P

It turned out really relaxing=)

Nice weather, sea breeze and scenery=)

My second cycling since end of exams, following the JMG night cycling. Other than that, I havnt been exercising YET. *Luckily, I managed to go for a jog just now! FINALLY~*

Cycled leisurely with KS. It's really different to cycle in the day, really crowded on a PH. *I still prefer night cycling, can enjoy the breeze and the calmness.*

The only thing good is that we got to take really nice photos under the nice sun and beautiful scenery. =)

Then went to KS's grandmother's house for a visit. She is already 80 plus yet she still can differentiate between KS's sister and me. Impressive!

Went AMK for dinner and then rushed to PS for movie.

Awww~~ Made of Honor is reallyX3 nice and touching!=D It is really important not to take your loved ones for granted=)

Holiday-ing~~~

Sculpture carving
Alright... Last time it was cancelled due to rain. Yesterday when we went there we couldnt do anything also. There's no water supply so we cant use the diamond cutter. The pro wasnt there to update us about the latest design. Apparently, design has evolved so we blurX2 tried to figure out what the pro was trying to achieve as the end product. We failed to do so *not artistic enough*=S

In the end, only discussed about the progress and mainly had a great talk with Adrian. He is our school's new marketing personnel (he has an even more pro and longer title to his position actually). Really glad to know the plans he have in mind to increase the awareness of SDE and he is also very interested in what DE club and the student body are doing.

Impromtu miniX3 JMG dinner
On the way to take MRT to Pasir Ris to attend Derek's 21st bday party, Wai Kei called as he saw my sister at Raffles Place mrt station. So I ended up meeting him and Mervyn at City Hall.

Great! They were comfortably sitting at Ink Club Bar at Swissotel while I had to navigate around to find it. Grrrr....
Then we headed to Cafe Cartel for dinner and Mervyn spotted Jun Han! Haha... In the end, the 4 of us had our super impromtu dinner!=D They were all dressed so smartly in their formal wear! Really nice!
Derek's 21st!
Then headed to Pasir Ris and luckily Dawn and Xu Wen were going down! So I had my free ride! Otherwise, I might not be able to find the super ulu Aloha Loyang by walking, late in the night somemore!

NiceX2 Derek saved Awfully Chocolate cake! Super duperX3 nice! =D

Hope he will enjoy the book me and Dawn bought for him. It's a book by John C. Maxwell, a Christian too. His collection is generally more of leadership, not just in terms of career but also in terms of personal life and for this particular book, spiritual path. So hope he will find this book useful.=)
Bye Bye Xiu Hao!
Oh~~~~ Xiu Hao is already on her way to her work and study trip! 3 months! We will miss her very much!
She is so sweet and thoughtful that she msg almost everyone to apologize for her absence for any birthday parties during her trip! Luckily, she will be back before my bday! Whee~~~=)

Take great care and have fun!=)

[Impromtu] Kbox with my mummy and sister!
Actually thought it was cancelled yesterday night as my parents need to extend the validity period of my brother's passport early in the morning today. In the end, my mum woke me and my sis up to go kbox! *Dont know who yesterday night still say not going loh!*

We had great fun! Muahahahaha... FIRST time singing kbox with them! We always have our own singing sessions at home=P

And now, Im starting to have sore throat=S Not due to excessive singing, think it's overdose of my new found favourite chocolate Cadbury's Boost! Super duper nice! *Think I ate more than half a packet!*

It's the rare long weekends! Hope everyone is resting well! I know many have started internship and it is tiring! JiayouZx2!=)

Superman!

Vesak@Orchard Sun 11th may In front of Ngee Ann City

Attended a dharma talk 1st thing in the morning before I started to tend NUSBS booth. *Nice!*

Topic: How to identify Buddhist youth?

Actually the main the venerable was trying to bring across to the audience was very simple.

Buddhist youth is no different from normal youth.

We still study, play, shop, blog, msn, sms etc... Whatever that youth does=)

Buddhist youth only stands out when there's a crisis.

When we are met with obstacles and our enemies, we can overcome them better.

In Buddhism context, our enemies can be categorized into 3 main types, namely greed, anger and delusion.

We deal with greed by not giving in to our unnecessary desires, we are contented with what we have.

We deal with anger by recognizing them, not getting attached to the feeling and letting it go. Being angry with someone else's faults is equivalent to torturing ourselves with other's wrongdoings. Totally not worth it and unfruitful.

We are thus not controlled by the factors that make us angry, but we are in control of how we deal with them. To me, the main aim should be to focus on the things we can control and deal with them to solve the problem. Getting emotional will not get us anywhere right?

We deal with delusion with understanding. By having a full understanding of the matter we are dealing with, we can then make better decisions without misconceptions, biasness and ignorance.

The venerable gave a very good example to explain the misconception regarding whether Buddhist should aim to achieve goals. Some may argue that if we can overcome greed and delusion, then Buddhists should not aim for anything. Doesnt that lead to desires?

She explained that it is not wrong to have desires IF we have a full understanding of what we are striving for. And most importantly, if what we are aiming for will only results in good and no harm, then we should strive for it.

Hence, she described a Buddhist youth as a Superman.

In normal circumstances, Superman is just an ordinary guy working as a reporter. However, whenever there's crisis, he will transform into Superman to solve it. That makes the difference between ordinary people and him.

Similarly, a Buddhist youth is leading an ordinary life just like our peers. But when faced with challenges and obstacles, we are less likely to succumb to them.

Initially, I thought the venerable was attempting to use Superman to encourage more youths to become Buddhist.

However, at the end of it, she just wanted to let us understand that being a Buddhist doesnt mean that we can no longer enjoy what other youths are enjoying. As simple as that. I think it is really true. Guess that may be why not many Buddhist youths are actively involved in Buddhism related activities.

On the other hand, I am also happy to know from other highly active Buddhist youths that there have been an increasing number of youth participation. *Im one of them! Still learning...*

Hope more youths can learn more about Buddhism instead of merely being a Buddhist by name. There are many organizations with lots of interesting talks, sessions and camps for youths! *NUS Buddhist Society is also a wonderful place to learn about it!* =)

On a side note....
The Buddha statue is there not because his "spirit" is there. It is there so as to remind us of his teachings and for us to carried out puja.

Puja is simply an act to show respect to the Buddha and his teachings (Dharma). When we do puja, the simplest form is to be on our knees, palms together and give 3 bows. This is to acknowledge our smallness and humility. Simply to be humble and hence showing willingness to learn.

Hence, seeing the Buddha's statue to me is a form of reminder that I should continue to learn the teachings of the Buddha and to see the Buddha as my role model. =)

Happie 21st!

Tsz Ching!
YippieX2 celebrated our beloved Tsz Ching 21st on Sat at her condominium=) It was well-decorated with purple and green balloons.

Xiao Qian, Joyce and Joel they all must have put in alot of effort in blowing up the balloons! Joel's masterpiece came in the form of bunches of grapes! *equivalent to blowing small balloons* Haha... But it was rather creative too!

Played interesting games and had a mini catwalk by the nominees for best dressed awards.

SDE got 3rd (urmm.. yah there's only 3 groups=P)! Xiao Qian won the best dressed for female with her super creative and impromtu song item=) *ClapsX3!*=D

Each of us got a pretty medal with Tsz Ching photo on it!=) Really thoughtful!

Hope Tsz Ching likes the bag from Wai Kei, Wei Juan, Chin Khiang, Jun Han, Fei Fei and me!=D

Yen Soon!
Hey! My primary school partner during P5! And also one of the actor for "City Beat" skit during P6 performance=D

Went to his party at Costa Sands with a group of primary school friends! The key phrase was "10 years". YesX3, we have already known each other for 10 long years, and it is still counting! Really seems like very long ago since we first know each other~~ 10 years!

Had a great time catching up with them! The guys are exceptionally lame today, especially Jason and Darren! We just kept laughing! There's never a dull moment! Initially I thought we would ran out of topics to talk about but it turned out great!=D

Yen Soon has been a great host! He shook hands with us for at least 2 times!

Thanks Malcolm for driving us home! It's good that we are living so near each other!=)

Looking forward to our next 21st bdays - Kai Wei (May), Xue Yan and Darren (June)!

Not forgetting our 10th anniversary event!=D

May our friendship be like the ferris wheel that goes on and on=)