The road ahead is bumpy.
The road is always bumpy.
When will the road not be bumpy.
I am tired.
I am always tired.
When will I not be tired.
I want a break.
I always want a break.
When will I get a break.
I want to do a good job.
I always want to do a good job.
When will I do a good job.
What is considered a good job.
I want to be at ease with myself.
I always want to be at ease with myself.
When will I be totally at ease with myself.
When will I be able to accept my flaws and tap on my strengths.
When will I be able to find my Ode to Joy in the field that I aspire to stay in.
"After the hard and harsh Winter, the warm Spring will come."
I wonder when will my Spring come to me.
Mittwoch, Mai 28, 2008
Dienstag, Mai 27, 2008
Bread and butter #140 (What the hell.)
Try doing super outdated filing in the morning, realising stupid mistakes, missing lunch so as to persuade a resistant youth to take part in groupwork, travelling from West to North for a meeting, and then back to West again to meet the resistant youth and her parent...
...then you'll understand how I feel today.
...then you'll understand how I feel today.
Sonntag, Mai 25, 2008
Slacky and sandy Inter-agencies Retreat! :D
On 5th May 2008, three budding Social Workers got together for a mini retreat in Singapore! :) They met at Harbour Front at 1.30pm, had a sinful lunch (Carl's Junior), and fooled around at the playground area at Vivo City before they hit the beach.
The three kind and big-hearted Social Workers - Weiping, Cindy and Sabrina. They are from different Voluntary Welfare Organizations (VWOs).
Lame pose, hor?
They took up Sabrina's suggestion to go for Skyride and Luge, oh yeah, the $10 package.
The Social Workers look so excited.
Don't be fooled by their smiles. The Social Workers were actually very scared during the Skyride, because there was no big safety net below!!! What if we all drop from our seats?! -they thought.
Next up, Luge! :D
First time experiencing Luge, and the girls had loads of fun...
... and they stopped halfway to take photos. -_-
Thereafter, the Social Workers frolicked in the sand...
And they saw a starfish being washed up to the shores. As it was the first time for the girls to see a starfish up close, they got pretty excited.
Poor starfish was on his back. The girls didn't dare to touch it so tried very hard to flip it over with a stick. And then, they tried to send him back home by flipping it hard, but the poor starfish was being washed up to the shores again and again. Sabrina and Weiping were very concerned of the starfish's welfare, while Cindy insisted that the starfish must have some kind of survival mechanism in him. It must have been washed up to the shores before, and will therefore be able to go back into the sea by himself.
So in the end, the starfish was left on its own. He must have felt empowered.
Cindy and Sabrina playing childhood favourite chi-ko-pah.
Getting across to the other side.
It is assessed that, one of Cindy's risk factors is that of negative peer influence,
Sabrina's protective factor is her active involvement in sports - rock-climbing!
Gone case is Weiping, who's involved in a weird and unknown cult. 
I wonder, by hanging out with Cindy and Weiping, will Sabrina's risk factors increase... hmm...
Role-playing - who is the next top koala bear?
Waiting excitedly for the sunset! :) 
Cindy loves the way Weiping captioned this photo: Bang bang, and the sun came down. Hahaha.
Cute little birds accompanying each other.
The girls witnessed a super lovely sunset!!!
This photo is proudly taken by Cindy, using Weiping's Canon Ixus 860 IS.
And so the girls decided to head back to Vivo for dinner, and then back home... they were all sweaty and tired, but very relaxed and happy. :)
The sky darkened quite quickly.
And there goes the girls' Inter-agencies Retreat 2008! Let's look forward for more to come!
The three kind and big-hearted Social Workers - Weiping, Cindy and Sabrina. They are from different Voluntary Welfare Organizations (VWOs). Cindy got to know Sabrina when she did her attachment at Students Care Service (Clementi) because Sabrina was at the Hougang Centre! Sabrina's a very friendly person and a very passionate worker. She can spend hours talking about youth work with Cindy... As for Weiping, Cindy first met her when she was queuing for food and they smiled (or laughed?) at each other for no reason. Thereafter, they became mugging buddies, ate cup noodles and mug together at the AS3 benches during examination periods. Weiping and Sabrina, therefore got to know each other through Cindy, and the first sentence that they spoke to each other was - you're Cindy's friend, right?
Looks like the overworked Social Workers really needed a break.
After fooling around for quite some time, they decided to head to Sentosa to bum around at the beach and more importantly, to roll on the sand!!!
Looks like the overworked Social Workers really needed a break.After fooling around for quite some time, they decided to head to Sentosa to bum around at the beach and more importantly, to roll on the sand!!!
Lame pose, hor?
They took up Sabrina's suggestion to go for Skyride and Luge, oh yeah, the $10 package.The Social Workers look so excited.Don't be fooled by their smiles. The Social Workers were actually very scared during the Skyride, because there was no big safety net below!!! What if we all drop from our seats?! -they thought.
Next up, Luge! :DFirst time experiencing Luge, and the girls had loads of fun...
... and they stopped halfway to take photos. -_-
Thereafter, the Social Workers frolicked in the sand...
And they saw a starfish being washed up to the shores. As it was the first time for the girls to see a starfish up close, they got pretty excited.
Poor starfish was on his back. The girls didn't dare to touch it so tried very hard to flip it over with a stick. And then, they tried to send him back home by flipping it hard, but the poor starfish was being washed up to the shores again and again. Sabrina and Weiping were very concerned of the starfish's welfare, while Cindy insisted that the starfish must have some kind of survival mechanism in him. It must have been washed up to the shores before, and will therefore be able to go back into the sea by himself.
So in the end, the starfish was left on its own. He must have felt empowered.
Cindy and Sabrina playing childhood favourite chi-ko-pah.
Getting across to the other side.It is assessed that, one of Cindy's risk factors is that of negative peer influence,
Sabrina's protective factor is her active involvement in sports - rock-climbing!
Gone case is Weiping, who's involved in a weird and unknown cult. 
I wonder, by hanging out with Cindy and Weiping, will Sabrina's risk factors increase... hmm...
Role-playing - who is the next top koala bear?
Waiting excitedly for the sunset! :) Cindy loves the way Weiping captioned this photo: Bang bang, and the sun came down. Hahaha.
Cute little birds accompanying each other.
The girls witnessed a super lovely sunset!!!
This photo is proudly taken by Cindy, using Weiping's Canon Ixus 860 IS.
And so the girls decided to head back to Vivo for dinner, and then back home... they were all sweaty and tired, but very relaxed and happy. :)The sky darkened quite quickly.Samstag, Mai 24, 2008
It's now or never.
After the outing, I was in an exceptionally good mood. Felt at ease with myself... troubles seem far far away... and I just want to do whatever I can do now. Don't wish to think too much or too far. Just concentrate on the present.
Bread and butter #139 (Misunderstood.)
Brought some children for an outing today, and I've gained some new insights.
Many of our children are misunderstood. Usually the people around them tend to take their behaviour superficially and would not go in depth to understand why they act in certain ways. A child may misbehave because he wants to help his teacher, for e.g. Boy X threw a pen at Boy Y who was playing a fool in Miss Z's class. Boy X had good intentions, but may ended up being scolded because his action can easily be seen as a misbehaviour.
So, there was this parent who was very critical of her own children, and the words she used were not pleasant to hear too. (If I were her child, I would be an angry one.) I thought her children will be difficult to deal with... In the middle of the outing, the girl fell down and dirtied herself. I brought her to a wash basin and washed away the dirt on her legs. She looked at me gratefully and said thank you gently. Totally unexpected. I was surprised.
I have another boy, who is labelled as "lazy and naughty" by his teachers. The interesting point to note is that, in contrast to his behaviour in class, he does his work conscientiously during our groupwork sessions and he will always be very eager to show me his work. I wonder what made the difference.
I wonder, if adults are willing to try to see the children in a different light and touch them in a different way. I wonder if that's possible.
Many of our children are misunderstood. Usually the people around them tend to take their behaviour superficially and would not go in depth to understand why they act in certain ways. A child may misbehave because he wants to help his teacher, for e.g. Boy X threw a pen at Boy Y who was playing a fool in Miss Z's class. Boy X had good intentions, but may ended up being scolded because his action can easily be seen as a misbehaviour.
So, there was this parent who was very critical of her own children, and the words she used were not pleasant to hear too. (If I were her child, I would be an angry one.) I thought her children will be difficult to deal with... In the middle of the outing, the girl fell down and dirtied herself. I brought her to a wash basin and washed away the dirt on her legs. She looked at me gratefully and said thank you gently. Totally unexpected. I was surprised.
I have another boy, who is labelled as "lazy and naughty" by his teachers. The interesting point to note is that, in contrast to his behaviour in class, he does his work conscientiously during our groupwork sessions and he will always be very eager to show me his work. I wonder what made the difference.
I wonder, if adults are willing to try to see the children in a different light and touch them in a different way. I wonder if that's possible.
Donnerstag, Mai 22, 2008
Bread and butter #138 (A pinch of salt.)
I need to finish seeing 10 students today, so I reached super early to grab a cup of coffee and a bun for breakfast before I start my l-o-n-g day of being a naggy old grandmother. I started off with the students who have a higher possibility of playing truant... and it went pretty well, I thought.
There's this boy who was grinning from ear to ear when I asked about his report book. He said he passed every subject, and I cheered for him. It was hard not to believe him because he was smiling throughout the whole individual session! Called the guardian in late afternoon, and guess what. The guardian said that he failed every single subject. By right, any usual adult will believe in what the guardian said. But I still hold on to the belief that my student did not lie to me. And I'm starting to be concern about the reason behind his lie, if let's say he really lying...
And this, reminded me of what one of my colleagues said. Always take kids' words with a pinch of salt. They may promise certain things and not deliver them. They may lie because of various reasons. They may not tell you everything too. Just like how my youth refuses to tell me what happened when something did happen to her.
Back to the kid who lied to me this morning, the guardian sounded tired, and started ranting about how slow the kid is, how playful he is... and that he has not improved any bit. I questioned his expectations for the kid, asking how much time would he give the child to prove that he can perform well academically. He said "half a year". And when I asked, "do you think he can improve within half a year?", he said "no".
He is setting the kid up for failure lor - having unrealistic expectations of him... -_-
*
Stayed back in office till about 9 plus. Wanted to start typing my closure report, but ended up reflecting and drawing a picture of my dear boy. Oh, that's because I do not have a proper photo taken together with him and I want to make something for him.
*
Just try my best. Oh yeah, I agree with you, Seng Meng. :)
There's this boy who was grinning from ear to ear when I asked about his report book. He said he passed every subject, and I cheered for him. It was hard not to believe him because he was smiling throughout the whole individual session! Called the guardian in late afternoon, and guess what. The guardian said that he failed every single subject. By right, any usual adult will believe in what the guardian said. But I still hold on to the belief that my student did not lie to me. And I'm starting to be concern about the reason behind his lie, if let's say he really lying...
And this, reminded me of what one of my colleagues said. Always take kids' words with a pinch of salt. They may promise certain things and not deliver them. They may lie because of various reasons. They may not tell you everything too. Just like how my youth refuses to tell me what happened when something did happen to her.
Back to the kid who lied to me this morning, the guardian sounded tired, and started ranting about how slow the kid is, how playful he is... and that he has not improved any bit. I questioned his expectations for the kid, asking how much time would he give the child to prove that he can perform well academically. He said "half a year". And when I asked, "do you think he can improve within half a year?", he said "no".
He is setting the kid up for failure lor - having unrealistic expectations of him... -_-
*
Stayed back in office till about 9 plus. Wanted to start typing my closure report, but ended up reflecting and drawing a picture of my dear boy. Oh, that's because I do not have a proper photo taken together with him and I want to make something for him.
*
Just try my best. Oh yeah, I agree with you, Seng Meng. :)
Mittwoch, Mai 21, 2008
Bread and butter #137 (Half-day off again!)
Took PM off with TW to go for the free wellness treatment at some wellness place. It came as a voucher in our Social Workers' Day goodie bag. So me and TW wanted to try it out. The wellness treatment was good to begin with. They offered herbal tea and were super polite and patient. It was a simple treatment, haa, but it's good enough because it's free.
But, at the end of it, we had to face a rather tactless lady who immediately insisted that we needed a 15 session treatment which will cost S$1500. So you guys are just here to enjoy the free treatment only? - The lady snorted at us bluntly. To be honest, I think we might consider to sign up for further treatment if that lady were to be more polite. But since she's not sincere in securing her potential customers, then yes, we came for the free treatment. Afterall, isn't that voucher supposed to reward Social Workers' hard work because it's found in my Social Workers' day goodie bag? Pui.
Anyway, remember that I won the first prize for the Amazing Race on SCS Staff Day? We got ourselves Robinsons' vouchers! And with that, I bought a new pair of bermudas. My other shorts or pants are too tight, too uncomfortable, too short or too long. Now I don't have to keep wearing the same bermudas for every outing or activity, yeah!
So happy with my purchase! I was practically chirping at TW. Only paid 9 bucks for it! And it's such a practical purchase - will definitely need it for work purposes.
Met up Kaifen for high tea and dinner thereafter. And after the chat we had, I'm inspired to
Yummy spread for dinner.
But, at the end of it, we had to face a rather tactless lady who immediately insisted that we needed a 15 session treatment which will cost S$1500. So you guys are just here to enjoy the free treatment only? - The lady snorted at us bluntly. To be honest, I think we might consider to sign up for further treatment if that lady were to be more polite. But since she's not sincere in securing her potential customers, then yes, we came for the free treatment. Afterall, isn't that voucher supposed to reward Social Workers' hard work because it's found in my Social Workers' day goodie bag? Pui.
Anyway, remember that I won the first prize for the Amazing Race on SCS Staff Day? We got ourselves Robinsons' vouchers! And with that, I bought a new pair of bermudas. My other shorts or pants are too tight, too uncomfortable, too short or too long. Now I don't have to keep wearing the same bermudas for every outing or activity, yeah!
So happy with my purchase! I was practically chirping at TW. Only paid 9 bucks for it! And it's such a practical purchase - will definitely need it for work purposes.Met up Kaifen for high tea and dinner thereafter. And after the chat we had, I'm inspired to achieve something in my life, and also to pick up something that I really love but didn't have the time and money to go after. Suddenly, I'm just so aware of what I hope for myself and what I wish to achieve. Check out my updated wishlist!
And I definitely agree with KF that we should always spend money to make ourselves happy. Afterall, if we don't love ourselves, who will? - This was something that went through my mind as we were sharing how we love to spend money on ourselves and on things we like. Of course, I'm saying this because I've always been financially independent since when I was young.
For instance, I am so happy with my latest purchase, my dear Canon Ixus 860 IS, such that I keep snapping and snapping away. And I took a total of 200++ photos! So satisfied with the design, the memory card, the functions, the whatever. I'm just very happy to buy it for myself.
Yummy spread for dinner. Achieve something, and be proud of myself. Oh yeah.
Abonnieren
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