hmm. went to kino yesterday. blur person that I am, didn't notice that everything was 20% off. was wondering why the queues were longer than serangoon and bukit timah roads put together. couldn't leave without getting the book that i specially travelled there to get of course. the most valuable book i've gotten in a long while, for more reasons than one.
sigh. hesitation and thought make life complicated.
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Sunday, June 22, 2008
right. i haven't blogged in ages. SORRY MARIE!
It's just that I have no problem doings that might not be necessary but unfortunately tend to have this aversion to doing things that I need to:) So... An update yeah?
It's 22th June. I'm currently in Singapore. Closing ceremony was 4 weeks ago and I still remember each moment clearly as though it had just happened yesterday. It's funny 'cos it seems really far away...
yikes. update more later. have to sleep if i want to get up in time tmrw!
It's just that I have no problem doings that might not be necessary but unfortunately tend to have this aversion to doing things that I need to:) So... An update yeah?
It's 22th June. I'm currently in Singapore. Closing ceremony was 4 weeks ago and I still remember each moment clearly as though it had just happened yesterday. It's funny 'cos it seems really far away...
yikes. update more later. have to sleep if i want to get up in time tmrw!
Saturday, March 1, 2008
the hopeless blogger
yikes. 2nd post of the year. *smiles sheepishly*
Spring break ended 2 days ago, not that it was really long though.We were off last saturday right through wednesday, 5 days in total counting the weekend. I went to Budapest for the break, staying in a hostel for 2 nights, later travelling up to ishak where my room mate stays.
It was interesting, 2 asian girls going around hungary alone, knowing not a word of hungarian nor anything similar to that. Thank goodness that the worst consequence of this was ordering exorbitantly-priced chicken liver without knowing what it was:)
Other than that, last saturday officially marked the end of winter for me, with 4 weeks of cross country skiing culminating in a 28km ski marathon, which i miraculously came out of ALIVE! thought that i would have had to stay in a mountain refuge my whole life and subsist on wild berries and fruit.
In retrospect, i had a great time, learning how to ski, and having a lot more practice falling:p I guess that it's really time to buckle down to some serious studying now... till very soon i hope!
Spring break ended 2 days ago, not that it was really long though.We were off last saturday right through wednesday, 5 days in total counting the weekend. I went to Budapest for the break, staying in a hostel for 2 nights, later travelling up to ishak where my room mate stays.
It was interesting, 2 asian girls going around hungary alone, knowing not a word of hungarian nor anything similar to that. Thank goodness that the worst consequence of this was ordering exorbitantly-priced chicken liver without knowing what it was:)
Other than that, last saturday officially marked the end of winter for me, with 4 weeks of cross country skiing culminating in a 28km ski marathon, which i miraculously came out of ALIVE! thought that i would have had to stay in a mountain refuge my whole life and subsist on wild berries and fruit.
In retrospect, i had a great time, learning how to ski, and having a lot more practice falling:p I guess that it's really time to buckle down to some serious studying now... till very soon i hope!
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
Time to ponder
The best part about holidays back home must be the absence of any possible work-related meetings, practices and rehearsals which are quite impossible given the fact that everyone's scattered around the globe.
A true holiday is indeed one where there is time aplenty to read books that there never seemed to be the time for, to think about issues that always seemed to be displaced lower down the priority list by other seemingly more urgent issues.
Or perhaps it's just poor time management that has prevented me from thoughts for a long while.
The One Laptop Project was something that caught my attention in the DigiLife section of the Straits Times. Without a hard drive and various other functions that add frills and cost to the conventional laptop, the One Laptop laptops currently cost $188 a piece.
Simple yet enough.
In the pilot project, these laptops were distributed to elementary school children in Arahuay, Peru, many of whom come from families that subsist on this same amount each month.
Although teething problems are and have been a given, the benefits of this programme seem plentiful. The biggest perhaps would be the fact that information and sources on the internet and endless and free.
Wikipedia alone, save for the occasional bias and inaccuracy, provides a strong foundation for the education of a child in a society where textbooks,up-to-date ones at that, and underqualified or simply-too-busy teachers are a luxury.
With the proliferation of online teaching materials, one can learn everything from matrices to mitosis to medieval history to modern Malaysia, giving rise to a well-educated and informed society.
And yet, the setbacks are substantial. Energy sources, internet access, internet safety, technical support... More importantly, will this change the lifestyles of people for the worst?
Just as the internet stands for educational information at one's fingertips, it can also mean various forms of undesirable information such as pornography. Who, if not the teachers and parents(many of whom themselves are learning), is trained to deal with this?
Indeed, this could be well complemented with an essay on whether the internet has been a boon or bane to society.
But for now, the plan to bring easily accessible information to children around the world especially in nations with a poor education infrastructure through a common medium that is relatively well established and certainly extensive sounds like a promising one.
A true holiday is indeed one where there is time aplenty to read books that there never seemed to be the time for, to think about issues that always seemed to be displaced lower down the priority list by other seemingly more urgent issues.
Or perhaps it's just poor time management that has prevented me from thoughts for a long while.
The One Laptop Project was something that caught my attention in the DigiLife section of the Straits Times. Without a hard drive and various other functions that add frills and cost to the conventional laptop, the One Laptop laptops currently cost $188 a piece.
Simple yet enough.
In the pilot project, these laptops were distributed to elementary school children in Arahuay, Peru, many of whom come from families that subsist on this same amount each month.
Although teething problems are and have been a given, the benefits of this programme seem plentiful. The biggest perhaps would be the fact that information and sources on the internet and endless and free.
Wikipedia alone, save for the occasional bias and inaccuracy, provides a strong foundation for the education of a child in a society where textbooks,up-to-date ones at that, and underqualified or simply-too-busy teachers are a luxury.
With the proliferation of online teaching materials, one can learn everything from matrices to mitosis to medieval history to modern Malaysia, giving rise to a well-educated and informed society.
And yet, the setbacks are substantial. Energy sources, internet access, internet safety, technical support... More importantly, will this change the lifestyles of people for the worst?
Just as the internet stands for educational information at one's fingertips, it can also mean various forms of undesirable information such as pornography. Who, if not the teachers and parents(many of whom themselves are learning), is trained to deal with this?
Indeed, this could be well complemented with an essay on whether the internet has been a boon or bane to society.
But for now, the plan to bring easily accessible information to children around the world especially in nations with a poor education infrastructure through a common medium that is relatively well established and certainly extensive sounds like a promising one.
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
mid-year contemplation
Phew. Just finished clearing the cobwebs on this blog.
Joy to the world, the Lord is come...
Boy am I excited at the impending holidays; christmas, going home and taking a break from everything:) After talking to Foong yesterday, I realised how out of touch I was with everything and everyone. Life here seems to work on a totally different time zone(nevermind that it actually is), and it frankly seems like I've been here forever.
Not that i'm not enjoying myself, I mean with climbing and activities every minute and hour, it's almost impossible to ever feel bored. Making pancakes at 2am in the morning? Heh:) And, tomorrow's St Nicholas Day, which is an excuse good enough for the Commune to hold a christmas party in the main piazza, complete with hot wine and performances:)
It's not that we don't do work here, why any of the second-years (and some first-years too) can probably write an extended essay just based on the things that they need to do, but then they'll never finish, because the work never does too. I'm taking time now to enjoy my first year, when i dont have to worry about university apps, ees, tok, basically all and sundry.
The thing though is that despite the work, there's just so much else on offer. And I mean activities:p MUN club tomorrow, carolling practice today, concert on Sunday, street bazaar, SOSudan, anything and everything. The only thing about many of the official events is that lots of it is in italian and so I don't understand all that I would like to. I mean seriously, speeches are often quite interesting?
And yet, at the same time, many of us seem to wonder why we deserved to get this chance. It's definitely not only about bringing young people from all over the world together, and allowing them to have a cultural exchange. Why, if that was so, it could be done in many more less costly ways.
United World Colleges makes education a force to unite people, nations and cultures to ensure peace and a sustainable future.
Personally, much of what we contribute back to UWC and the sponsors will take place after we leave the college, while in our different environments, spreading the simple messages of greater understanding and an interest in the world in those around us.
But that should also not stop us from doing something while at the college, making use of the vast talents and expertise of everyone here. Something that is able to effect a practical change in a situation that needs help. Something that must be sustained and constantly and persistently worked on.
We need to do more.
Joy to the world, the Lord is come...
Boy am I excited at the impending holidays; christmas, going home and taking a break from everything:) After talking to Foong yesterday, I realised how out of touch I was with everything and everyone. Life here seems to work on a totally different time zone(nevermind that it actually is), and it frankly seems like I've been here forever.
Not that i'm not enjoying myself, I mean with climbing and activities every minute and hour, it's almost impossible to ever feel bored. Making pancakes at 2am in the morning? Heh:) And, tomorrow's St Nicholas Day, which is an excuse good enough for the Commune to hold a christmas party in the main piazza, complete with hot wine and performances:)
It's not that we don't do work here, why any of the second-years (and some first-years too) can probably write an extended essay just based on the things that they need to do, but then they'll never finish, because the work never does too. I'm taking time now to enjoy my first year, when i dont have to worry about university apps, ees, tok, basically all and sundry.
The thing though is that despite the work, there's just so much else on offer. And I mean activities:p MUN club tomorrow, carolling practice today, concert on Sunday, street bazaar, SOSudan, anything and everything. The only thing about many of the official events is that lots of it is in italian and so I don't understand all that I would like to. I mean seriously, speeches are often quite interesting?
And yet, at the same time, many of us seem to wonder why we deserved to get this chance. It's definitely not only about bringing young people from all over the world together, and allowing them to have a cultural exchange. Why, if that was so, it could be done in many more less costly ways.
United World Colleges makes education a force to unite people, nations and cultures to ensure peace and a sustainable future.
Personally, much of what we contribute back to UWC and the sponsors will take place after we leave the college, while in our different environments, spreading the simple messages of greater understanding and an interest in the world in those around us.
But that should also not stop us from doing something while at the college, making use of the vast talents and expertise of everyone here. Something that is able to effect a practical change in a situation that needs help. Something that must be sustained and constantly and persistently worked on.
We need to do more.
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
HEH
Whoops.
I kinda promised to update this blog at least once a week, but it's been almost one month now.
It's 8pm now, and im sitting in a classroom, procrasting. Was supposed to have a meeting half an hour ago, but could not find anyone. hmmm.
Life's been good. Just returned from Villach, an Austrian border town about 2 and a half hours away from Trieste. It was really nice, especially since autumn has arrived and the trees are turning colour! Time is passing soooo quickly, and yet it seems like i've been here forever. The feeling's just so wierd.But i am enjoying it haha
I was supposed to have a math test tomorrow, but found out that i need to go down to register my fingerprint for the permit thingy. Alone. Goodness knows how im going to communicate with my barely-there Italian:p.
Have lots of homework including 2 lab reports to do, and yet i still find myself sitting in front of the computer, hoping that the reports will do themselves (nothing suggestive here)
I look forward so much to thursdays cos that's when we go climbing! Unfortunately, there's no climbing this week since all saints day falls on thursday...We will be going to Rome and Milan in 2 weeks time! I think i'm more excited about going together with everyone else rather than the idea of going itself. Furthermore, since our tutorial group will be staying with several other interesting tutorial groups, i reckon we might just have a mighty interesting time...
Congrats to all who finished promos and I really hope that you all are happy with your results:) School is ending for so many and barely starting for me....
I'll be back in Singapore on Dec21!!!!!!!! Can't wait to see everyone again:)
I kinda promised to update this blog at least once a week, but it's been almost one month now.
It's 8pm now, and im sitting in a classroom, procrasting. Was supposed to have a meeting half an hour ago, but could not find anyone. hmmm.
Life's been good. Just returned from Villach, an Austrian border town about 2 and a half hours away from Trieste. It was really nice, especially since autumn has arrived and the trees are turning colour! Time is passing soooo quickly, and yet it seems like i've been here forever. The feeling's just so wierd.But i am enjoying it haha
I was supposed to have a math test tomorrow, but found out that i need to go down to register my fingerprint for the permit thingy. Alone. Goodness knows how im going to communicate with my barely-there Italian:p.
Have lots of homework including 2 lab reports to do, and yet i still find myself sitting in front of the computer, hoping that the reports will do themselves (nothing suggestive here)
I look forward so much to thursdays cos that's when we go climbing! Unfortunately, there's no climbing this week since all saints day falls on thursday...We will be going to Rome and Milan in 2 weeks time! I think i'm more excited about going together with everyone else rather than the idea of going itself. Furthermore, since our tutorial group will be staying with several other interesting tutorial groups, i reckon we might just have a mighty interesting time...
Congrats to all who finished promos and I really hope that you all are happy with your results:) School is ending for so many and barely starting for me....
I'll be back in Singapore on Dec21!!!!!!!! Can't wait to see everyone again:)
Thursday, October 4, 2007
This past week and weekend in particular has been simply fabulous. We had this long weekend last week, where we got friday off, in addition to sat and sunday, making it a 3 day holiday. Together with about 15 others, I went to this mountain range called the Dolomites. It's basically part of the Italian Alps, on the border with Austria. The best part about it was that it happened to be snowing the day before we arrived and so we couldnt do what we originally planned to do, which was to climb a mountain, about 2500m using this other system of rock climbing called the via ferrata system, and so we kind of spent a whole morng walking up a mountain with snow up to almost our knees. some pple were really experienced, but for tropical pple like me, it was really quite an adventure. i think i spent more time falling in the snow then i did walking in it.
The best part was probably going down the slope. Because it is usually used for downhill skiing, its not too steep nor too gentle. Instead of walking down in a dignified manner, we all ended up running down the slope, trying to pretend that our hiking boots were frictionless. THat was seriously FUN. the snow was still fresh and soft and perfect for sliding down on. It was about 3pm when we got back to our mountain refuge, which was this cute little rustic house kind of in the middle of nowhere. We played board games and tried to warm up while some pple went by van to the nearest village. Crazy as i was, i decided to join some others who were taking a "short walk" up a mountain, which was actually quite nice. As it was pretty late, we could only walk for abt an hour before we had to head back for dinner, which was prepared by our guides. And then, after dinner, i totally lost my mind and agreed to go on another walk, despite having already walked pretty much the whole day.
That was the icing on the cake. Seriously. About 5 of us took a 5 minute walk to a nearby stream, where we spent abt 1/2 an hour in silence whether lying down or standing up, simply thinking. Indeed, its moments like these that remind you what life's about. aNyhow, it was a great weekend as expeditions always are. oh we also finally managed to do a bit of rockclimbing cum hiking up this ~2200m mountain called ponte fiames, which was tiring but great. Inshort, expeditions ever fail to brighten my day, week, month, year, and this certainly didnt break the trend.
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