The NKF scandal has created a big Hoo-Ha in our small little red dot. Just yesterday, I caught the news of Durai being convicted for his acts of unethical behaviour. While studying for Cost Management (...ARGH AA102...actually quite interesting), I suddenly thought of this incident and another incident that happened on Saturday. I was on my way to Tampines from Somerset when I caught sight of a man donating money to one of those flag-day charities. Nothing particularly out of the ordinary right? The thing was he mentioned specifically "as long as it is not for NKF." I recalled my cancellation of my monthly life-drop (..I think that is what it is called...) donation and how self righteous I felt at that moment. I believe, although mine was a delayed reaction, it was the same as those many people who cancelled theirs once the scandal was out.
Why am I suddenly talking about this incident? I guess it is really because of guess what? Cost-Management! I was reading about how we should be assigning cost to the correct products using the ABC approach when suddenly I realized that while we can be objective in dealing with matters such as businesses, we can be completely irrational when dealing with people. When we choose to stigmatize NKF donation drives or people who tries to gather donation for them, we are not punishing the right people. Does Durai suffers from us withdrawing our donations or do the people who need the donation suffer?
Hopefully, like I have awaken from this delusion, many others who are still in it will. I think it is not about blaming them when the situation has happened especially since they are not really being punished for it, but other innocent people.
Although I will not resume my monthly donation (because I'm broke...), I don't think I will stigmatize those people carrying out donation regardless of whether it is for NKF or not. Slowly but surely, Singaporeans will regain their trust in charities because if I can think like this, so can many others who are more educated and more loving than I am!
* Thks to dada for doing dictation and typing out this entry for me! Till next time. (Very tiring...and annoying to do dictation...)
Ciaoz...
dreamt of @ 4:03 pm
Hi everyone!!!
I haven't had a chance to blog since my computer was fried(literally... "=_=) about 2 weeks ago, hence my long absence. Well, I was actually quite touched to learn from a close friend of mine that she missed my blog entries!!! To think that i thought my blog was as interesting as chewing on cardboard for dinner. In any case, thanks gal!
Anyway, it's the exam period now and i'm still trying very hard to slog for good grades! Note that i say i'm trying very hard to slog, because it's harder trying to concentrate than anything else!Well, coming Friday will see me finishing my second paper, AA102. For those of you who don't know what it means, ( are you are Singaporean?.. Haha.. Just kidding..) it stands for Accounting module 102. Why there are 2 As in there, please don't ask me. I'm not sure since foundational modules for both business and accountancy modules are denoted as AB (accountancy and business...). Maybe it stands for ArgHHH Accounting... That's how i feel when i take those modules. Sobz.. i think the only accounting tutor i like is my tutor! Mr Chong!!! You're the man! Hmm, although i think you always look like you don't have enough sleep. Must be the sleeping debts from those years back. Well, my dear accounting friends, remember to grab lotsa sleep and water now to store up for the future. =)
Anyway, i'm currently blogging because my dear has kindly allowed me the use of his computer. (Thanks!!!! Although, why did it take you so long to offer me... Sobz!) He's on his organ now, playing some really funny ( i mean if you listen to it, you'll want to laugh, kind of funny) piece called "Journey to the West". It's very complicated and sounds like some TVB show's theme song.
Food's cooking in the background! Smells good... hehe...I don't want to end this entry because i really miss you guys!!! Still, i'm currently a bit dry in terms of things to write, thanks to the atrocious accounting module.. ;p My poor brains fried! I've got a processor that has a MCE=0. Highly inefficient.Good thing
God's a better accountant than i am.
Ciaoz for now pplz!
dreamt of @ 4:01 pm
Opps.. this is my 3rd post in around 16 hours! Hmm.. but who's counting?
I just came back from LEAP program which ended around 2hours ago. I can honestly say that i felt extremely refreshed after the teaching, sharing and the praying (thanks to Xingni,Wyn, Tim, Mei yun who took time to talk to me and listen to me talk). This is really the first time i feel very very refreshed, like as if i've had a drink of cooling spring water.
Can't believe how God spoke to me during the teachings today. About reading His word, mediating on it, about being familiar with His words and so much more.
Thanks God for not giving up on me.. I'm gonna try to really grow my faith.
Grateful and Refreshed ciaoz!
dreamt of @ 12:14 am
Act 1: Scene 1 MRT train (Simei Station) Ah ha.. caught you in the act of photographing! Act 1: Scene 2 MRT (Simei Station) No... we're not a couple... we're just friends... Stop taking those pictures!!!!
Hey.. just realized that i haven't been posting up pictures for a long time, so here's to all the picture hungry folks out there! =)
Oh... alright...just one more picture for you. =)
Act 1: Scene 4 MRT (Kallang station)
Hmm.. don't bother us, k? We need to be at Tampines at 10am! Pretty Please? - jas
Act 2 Scene 1 JP's LJS- Ah Xian!
Mmmm... Don't you just wanna bite of my wrap... Ad perfect!!!
Act 2 Scene 2: Immunity for the photographer
Twist! i promise that pic will be good!
Act 3 Scene 1: Canteen B- Yileng, Nina and Moi!
The 3 mustketeers united!!! Battling the big bad FYP monster!
Act 3 Scene 2: Outside TRM 159- Joanne, Joanne and Fredrick =)
We are... we are Psychos!
Act 4 Scene 1: Meriden Food Court
Sisters of the world unite! Flash those pearlies!
Act 4 Scene 2: Meriden Food Court
Hey.. we're cool... we're the brothers, k?
Act 4 Scene 3: Food Court Near City Harvest
What's better than a big feast to end the play? =) * Quick... i'm hungry! The food smells good...*- Tim
dreamt of @ 7:00 am
Went blog surfing earlier on. Ok.. actually i only went to da, pam's and an ex-teacher's blog.=) Well... was quite drawn to what the teacher wrote in her blog because it really highlighted the level of personal dedication she had for what she was doing. It was also great to see cute pictures of little kittens, puppies and my juniors.
Hmm.. i used that term rather loosely because i've almost never gone down to visit them since i graduated. It's like i left without a trace.. =P Well, there are times in life in which we leave memories for others and there are other times in which we are the recipients of beautiful memories that people leave for us. I'm sure that the teacher has left many for all her students, despite the short tenure she has had.
The one thing that struck me as i read through her postings was how she struggled and is probably still struggling with her fellow tics, the school and the administration (i.e. the system) . This is what my Prof in negotiation would call a conflict of interests. Apparently, the two camps have different focuses: self and others (namely the kids)
Well, as far as anything goes, i know, having been in my dear blessed "home"(MDBH) just 4 years ago (wow! that is long!) how dedicated this teacher is. To call her a teacher does not really do her justice for she seems more like a friend than a teacher. Hmm... i think she's rather deserving of the salutation: mentor.
I remember how tough it is to try to get our voices heard, even in "the yellow and blue" place (YABP). The struggles we had, with the administration, tics, juniors,peers,the bulk of teachers (one of which had called us a funeral band! pooey to you! =S). These struggles were not so apparent to me in "MDBH" because i wasn't really in a position of contact with the system, despite being in the com.However, we did have a few minor skirmishes with our leaders... (*winkes slyly...Sorry Jeff, for deliberately spelling your name wrongly and for giving your partners a hard time but..=P)
Thing is... i used to view it as them against us. My psych prof calls this the in-group, out-group tendency. A lot of time, if people disagree with our ideas, we often bristle up and get angry. Then we kinda shut off and refuse to accept their ideas. We sometimes forget that happens. I know... coz i guess i was like that. =)
Phew! This is getting to be an extremely long post... but bear with me, i'm coming to my main point. Well, the point is we need all kinds of people to keep a band alive and i'm not talking about the players. It's great to have a teacher who's always on our side, student-centric. Unfortunately, it's also a necessity to have teachers who are on the counterside... especially when the band spends a rather large portion of the school's budget, probably has got more activities than most and thus causes the school admin a lot of hassle. I realised that administrations like to see some form of representation (on people on their side) in places where they've had the most trouble dealing with. It's kinda a guarantee that things are going their way, even though half the time, the kids still try to do things their way =P. Why do kings in the past install their own nobles to lands that they just conquered? The same reason.
I've been blessed in that i've had the chance of experiencing being one of the "voices" of the band as well as having to be the "voice" of an administration (namely the YABP's alumni), which in short was kinda like offering up poison to your own people, the latter of course. I really hated it. I fought with them at first, unwillinging to compromise, seeing no merit in their suggestions except to fulfil their own agenda. However, i grew to understand that the best fought battles are not obtained by blindly banging against a wall, but knowing how to be flexible . Negotiate. Give up a little something that you know will not affect you much, but may make the person happy coz it's still a concession. For e.g.implementing a mointoring system for grades. (i think it was in place in the past.. not sure if it's still around)The system likes to see results, or at least some form of control to obtain what they want. It takes little to obtain and probably makes the students grow coz they now are accountable to themselves and the band to perform well both ways.
The other thing really is about knowing what to say. I'm not an expert on this (i often say the wrong things and offend people, luckily i've got very accomodating friends and a reputation as a filter-less noise maker.. bad reputation.. but useful, wanna change it =P) but this is just my two-cents worth. It's great to mingle with the kids, great bonding. However, there are somethings that are better left unsaid.. especially when they can have access to it. I remember my teaching stint at a childcare. I had been full of ideals and love for my kids.. wanting to smother them with love and care, that i would even think ( though i didn't.. Thank God for my boss!)of sharing with them gossips. My boss had intelligently told my colleague and i to be careful of what we share with children because they, more than other people (being of a tender age)would tend to say things in the wrong context. It's not malicious, but it's kinda like a child tendency. They are brutally honest.
Even though the kids in question at MDBH are much older than my kids, but i maintain that somethings should not be known to them. Simply because it's unfair to involve them in more than their share of worries. At that age, they are also very impressionable and might deliberately exhibit retaliatory behaviour to those who have been identified as the "enemies". The hardest thing to understand is how can something like " Oh... he's really hard to deal with." or "He doesn't like the plan" be processed as " He's always against us". I guess that's the saddest thing because it wasn't intended to be read this way, but it becomes so. Afterall, 17-18 is an age still of raging hormones and blessed, innocent impulsiveness. I sitll remember the shock a young alumni member from my YABP alumni gave us when he and the young 'uns(sec 3s actually) had dashed into the principal's office, "argued" their stand about wanting the band room open ( we were told they kinda scolded the people in the office). That is bravery in the eyes of the band. Yes... very brave, but like i always say, there's a fine line between bravery and fool-hardiness. Thank goodness it was a one-off thing and as his senior, i still admire his passion and love for his cause. Still, there are better ways to do things. I'd rather give in a little than give the band up because of something little.
Well, that's basically it... sorry for all who have had to hear me ramble on! Have to finish my negotiation summary for april!Hope things would be fine with this mentor and that she may continue to work well and have the passion for the band!
Tired Ciaoz!
dreamt of @ 5:04 am
Sometimes, it's better not to write anything... so i've ended up decorating my recent entries with little snippets of information that may or may not be true.
dreamt of @ 11:01 am
You Should Get a MBA (Masters of Business Administration) 
You're a self starter with a drive for success.
You'd make a great entrepreneur.
Haha... shucks.. that means i won't get a chance to do something else!!! =( ehehe... but i'm secretly happy... =p
dreamt of @ 11:41 pm
Your Life Path Number is 3 
Your purpose in life is to express your unique self.
You are a creative and artistic person with an interesting view on life.
Witty and outgoing, you enjoy sharing your crazy ideas with anyone who will listen.
A total social butterfly, you're the life of any party.
In love, you inspire and enchant your partner. You are often an object of fantasy and desire.
While you are very talented, you sometimes lack the ambition to put your talents in play.
And while your wit carries you a long way, you occasionally use it to mask your true feelings.
Your natural abilities can bring you all the success in the world ... if you let them