*blows off thick layer of dust that has accumulated over the one year i was away*
feels at home, again.
jan has moved to http://www.janinsingapura.wordpress.com/
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Thursday, December 25, 2008
1, 2, 3...
A very very Merry Christmas one and all! I'm back from Cambodia, safe and happy, but a part of me is missing Cambodia- the place, the people, the company and the things we did. The trip has been awesome and I must say... this would be the best YEP trip ever! Don't ask me if I would go on another trip in the near future but this is the status quo at the moment.
Lest I forget my feelings and thoughts as I have not been writing my journal dutifully (actually this is the first time I didn't write a journal proper), I shall share some of my after-thoughts here. I have to attribute the bulk of the good trip to having a good OC. The road before YEP hasn't been all smooth-sailing and in fact, at some point in time, it was over-taxing, people juggling YEP stuff with other stuff and studies. Nevertheless, I'm really glad we made it and the trip has been worthwhile. Anyway, I was forced to grow up fast in the first few days in Cambodia. Being one of the very few people who have been to Cambodia before, running the itinerary was challenging initially and I had to cope with last minute changes to the itinerary (as I was not able to discuss this with the driver before arriving and just had to trust that the coordinator had conveyed the messages to him), every single moment required some decision making. It was really an exciting experience. Back in the village, I took some time to re-adjust the expectations. The initial phase was pretty challenging as members constantly seeked help (sometimes even for menial tasks haha, ok I don't blame them as most are staying in a village for the very first time) and at some time, I stepped on the fine line between telling them everything that needs to be done and letting them find out what needs to be done themselves. It got pretty frustrating but I was glad that the team adapted to the new environment pretty fast and well and by the 3rd day, I could see them settling in.
The days in the village were very good. The villagers were very hospitable, taking the initiative to interact with us. We could very well communicate beyond language, using exaggerated expressions and hand gestures to get our messages across and sometimes ending up in laughing fits. Li Xian and Wei Jian both got a new christian name, Rosy and Tom respectively, to help our Cambodian friends remember their names better. The OC interacted well, through mural painting and the interactions and activities with the villagers. And for me personally, I think I grew a lot during this one week- I regained faith, I learnt to cope with the language barrier, the importance of keeping everyone well-informed, learnt how people could be self-sufficient with the limited resources they have, to cherish the things we possess now- family, friends and some intangibles, to learn to be contented with the simple things in life- the intangibles and of course, I learnt to harvest rice, to pump water out of a well using a generator, cook a few more dishes etc etc. Note aside, staying at this village has been fascinating. It was my first time sleeping above pigs, ducks, chickens, lots of dog, my first time stroking cows, my first time visiting a brick factory, my first time attending a christmas event at the province church.
All in all, the trip has been good. Thank you all for all the wonderful things that have happened. One of my regrets though, would be me not being able to staying throughout the entire trip. Nevertheless, I hope the trip has been equally good, if not, better for the team.
Lest I forget my feelings and thoughts as I have not been writing my journal dutifully (actually this is the first time I didn't write a journal proper), I shall share some of my after-thoughts here. I have to attribute the bulk of the good trip to having a good OC. The road before YEP hasn't been all smooth-sailing and in fact, at some point in time, it was over-taxing, people juggling YEP stuff with other stuff and studies. Nevertheless, I'm really glad we made it and the trip has been worthwhile. Anyway, I was forced to grow up fast in the first few days in Cambodia. Being one of the very few people who have been to Cambodia before, running the itinerary was challenging initially and I had to cope with last minute changes to the itinerary (as I was not able to discuss this with the driver before arriving and just had to trust that the coordinator had conveyed the messages to him), every single moment required some decision making. It was really an exciting experience. Back in the village, I took some time to re-adjust the expectations. The initial phase was pretty challenging as members constantly seeked help (sometimes even for menial tasks haha, ok I don't blame them as most are staying in a village for the very first time) and at some time, I stepped on the fine line between telling them everything that needs to be done and letting them find out what needs to be done themselves. It got pretty frustrating but I was glad that the team adapted to the new environment pretty fast and well and by the 3rd day, I could see them settling in.
The days in the village were very good. The villagers were very hospitable, taking the initiative to interact with us. We could very well communicate beyond language, using exaggerated expressions and hand gestures to get our messages across and sometimes ending up in laughing fits. Li Xian and Wei Jian both got a new christian name, Rosy and Tom respectively, to help our Cambodian friends remember their names better. The OC interacted well, through mural painting and the interactions and activities with the villagers. And for me personally, I think I grew a lot during this one week- I regained faith, I learnt to cope with the language barrier, the importance of keeping everyone well-informed, learnt how people could be self-sufficient with the limited resources they have, to cherish the things we possess now- family, friends and some intangibles, to learn to be contented with the simple things in life- the intangibles and of course, I learnt to harvest rice, to pump water out of a well using a generator, cook a few more dishes etc etc. Note aside, staying at this village has been fascinating. It was my first time sleeping above pigs, ducks, chickens, lots of dog, my first time stroking cows, my first time visiting a brick factory, my first time attending a christmas event at the province church.
All in all, the trip has been good. Thank you all for all the wonderful things that have happened. One of my regrets though, would be me not being able to staying throughout the entire trip. Nevertheless, I hope the trip has been equally good, if not, better for the team.
Monday, December 01, 2008
soon!
with vigour, savoury, perfection, strength, compassion...
... no more excuses, pessimism, procrastination
Nothing is, everything is becoming.
... no more excuses, pessimism, procrastination
Nothing is, everything is becoming.
Friday, November 28, 2008
overloaded
... with events happening around the world! it's pretty tough to retain some optimism when the world's currently fraught with catastrophic events that will bring about rather serious ramifications. Besides many facing financial loses, lives are at stake right now in some parts of Asia.
sigh. i can only hope for the better.
back at home here.. i'm in a semi-holiday, semi-depressed, semi-lost mood. Though i officially stepped into adulthood yesterday, i don't feel that it's much of a big thing. well, i definitely have more responsibilities now and some decisions that i may make in the future are gonna carry weight in the eyes of law. also, i believe.. time's gonna fly by faster than before....... i've thus embarked on an accelerated journey to.. ermm.. seniority.
all right all right, with the not so positive global outlook at the moment, i shan't make things worse by harping on stuff beyond my control and i shall.. in fact resume mugging for my last paper!
LAST CHANCE! and 4 days'll pass.. very soon!! :S
anyway, just a sidetrack from depressing issues, my 21st birthday was somewhat special.. no birthday parties, no elaborated meetups, had an exam in fact.. haha.. but i'm very touched by the efforts of JCUBE- the conspiracy.. collecting birthday well-wishes from my friends, secondary to uni, granting almost ALL my wishes and of course, spending a special evening with me. :) and not forgetting, having dinner with my family. anyway, i'm treasuring family dinners even more so now as i will be missing out on this for a year!
before i end, wanna say:
THANK U ALL for making my day! :)
sigh. i can only hope for the better.
back at home here.. i'm in a semi-holiday, semi-depressed, semi-lost mood. Though i officially stepped into adulthood yesterday, i don't feel that it's much of a big thing. well, i definitely have more responsibilities now and some decisions that i may make in the future are gonna carry weight in the eyes of law. also, i believe.. time's gonna fly by faster than before....... i've thus embarked on an accelerated journey to.. ermm.. seniority.
all right all right, with the not so positive global outlook at the moment, i shan't make things worse by harping on stuff beyond my control and i shall.. in fact resume mugging for my last paper!
LAST CHANCE! and 4 days'll pass.. very soon!! :S
anyway, just a sidetrack from depressing issues, my 21st birthday was somewhat special.. no birthday parties, no elaborated meetups, had an exam in fact.. haha.. but i'm very touched by the efforts of JCUBE- the conspiracy.. collecting birthday well-wishes from my friends, secondary to uni, granting almost ALL my wishes and of course, spending a special evening with me. :) and not forgetting, having dinner with my family. anyway, i'm treasuring family dinners even more so now as i will be missing out on this for a year!
before i end, wanna say:
THANK U ALL for making my day! :)
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
out of sight, out of mind
i'm going to chuck my textbooks into the cupboard and i'm so not going to take them out until the time comes when i NEED to pack my stuff.
perhaps i'm not trying harder. 2 scenarios have proved this case:
1) For the 1st paper, i could have written equations, but i didn't.
2) For the 2nd one (which just ended), the exact same diagram was right smack in front of me but i chose to ignore it.
=(
why?? I hope God will be kinder to me tomorrow since i'll be officially stepping into adulthood.
perhaps i'm not trying harder. 2 scenarios have proved this case:
1) For the 1st paper, i could have written equations, but i didn't.
2) For the 2nd one (which just ended), the exact same diagram was right smack in front of me but i chose to ignore it.
=(
why?? I hope God will be kinder to me tomorrow since i'll be officially stepping into adulthood.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
wow
i'm pretty impressed with myself. i managed to abstain from blogging.. for 2 weeks! that's an achievement..
anyway, i'm feeling really sleepy now but.. i've tons of notes to read.. so it's either sleep or risk getting bad grades :S
why can't we be ourselves like we were, yesterday?
coffee again?
sigh.. i resolve to kick my caffeine addiction after exams!!!! no more slave to caffeine.. boohoo
anyway, i'm feeling really sleepy now but.. i've tons of notes to read.. so it's either sleep or risk getting bad grades :S
why can't we be ourselves like we were, yesterday?
coffee again?
sigh.. i resolve to kick my caffeine addiction after exams!!!! no more slave to caffeine.. boohoo
Thursday, November 06, 2008
ssshhhhh i've a secret..
sheesh man.. how should i put it? i'm gonna be one of the lowliest paid interns and i've to top up my own allowance.. up to S$450 a month! =( kind of shitty as i'm so not gonna burden my parents.. and so i'm not gonna tell them...
mans! maybe i should set up a "feed janicia" fund.. arrrggghh
mans! maybe i should set up a "feed janicia" fund.. arrrggghh
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