HOPENHEGEN!

Just fropped by SAM's blog and was really excited to read what she saw outside SP's library. Shall we kickstart smth too? *HINT!*

In September'09, I received a mail to join one of avaaz.org's petitions for a "WORLD TO APEC: HOPE IS NOT ENOUGH!". Since then, I start to take small actions daily to do my part for climate change. Encourage public transport/carpooling, saving energy...I wished i could have done more then.

On Sep 21st, I was not able to join the Global Climate Wake-Up call flashmob at Orchard ION, but throughout the world, over 1900 events around the world took place. Huge masses gathered together, took out their mobile phones and dialed the office numbers of respective leaders of their country. For Singapore, we were given the numbers of PM Lee and our grassroot leaders.

On FB, a fellow St.Margs alumni set up a Go Green Rally. Was surprised to know that she cares alot abt this issue and that so many of her friends are joining her in this!! :D

Here's wad SAM posted.

"On December 7, leaders from 192 countries will gather at the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen to determine the fate of our planet. Let's turn Copenhagen into Hopenhagen. Hopenhagen is a movement, a moment and a chance at a new beginning. The hope that we can create a global community that will lead our leaders into making the right decisions. The hope that by solving our environmental crisis, we can solve our economic crisis at the same time. Hopenhagen is change - and that change will be powered by all of us.

Help lead the leaders by visiting hopenhagen.org today. Sign the petition. Become a citizen of Hopenhagen. Fuel the movement. More important, pass on the story of Hopenhagen to your friends and family. Encourage everyone you can to get involved and sign the petition. Because the more of us who do, the more our leaders will recognize the world is serious about change.
Let's turn Copenhagen into Hopenhagen."

http://www.hopenhagen.org/home/map

Let us all do a part. Sign the petition against Climate changes! (:

I really miss my old blog. I miss typing an entry everyday, whether there is anything to say.

The last whole weekend had been hectic.

Woke up late on Friday morning...letting Sam wait at Serene Centre for TWO HOURS!! Sorry babe!! Still, we had an enjoyable time at Island Creamery! :) Huimin and Sam has gone there. WHO ELSE?!

On Sat, joined Pei Cong, Teck Yong and many other NP students to help out at Jerry's I&E book collection drive at AMK. Even though not many families had children who were still schooling, those who contributed really make up a lot of books that would provide needy children the textbooks, workbooks and assessment books for their education.

At lunchtime, rushed down to Toa Payoh Town Park for the FD Coaching post-exam celebrations!! Sorry I couldn't stay for long..

Together with CAPTAs, (or SNOWFLAKES) we helped out at XX's twenty first's birthday @ NSRCC. It was pretty embarrassing (and extremely brave of us) to accept Dennis's initiative of hosting & singing at the party to tens of unknown guests. Still, hope our dearest birthday girl enjoyed herself thoroughly!

AND SUNDAY...

I spent the WHOLE day researching for my World Issues report, a fact sheet on Racial Discrimination. Edited and improved on my report up til 5.45am this morning, before I surrendered to my weariness and went to bed. AND WOKE UP AT TEN THIRTY AM!!!

Class was at TEN! You wouldn't be able to imagine my panic and frustration. haha...luckily I was in pretty high life condition today, managed to write a email to the lecturer to explain my absence from class and hand in my assignment in due time. :D

THIS WEEK will be just as hectic. Will be staying in the school loft throughout the week in preparation for the EE Idol competition. Will date you all during the weekend! SEEYA!

Replies.

SHEEREEN - the huanted BoonKeng thing really freak me out. LOL.

haha. YEAP! I really didn't speak!! (Except for a occasional unconscious whisper) I know its really unbelievable I would take such a challenge. Just wanted to challenge myself. It's an unique way to spread the msg. Because of fear of rejection, thosw with STDs/AIDS dare not speak up and share that there's really nth the public have to be afraid of.

By donning on red and black and tying the pledge cloth, we hope to remove the sigma of those who are afraid of these patients.

HUIXIAN - YESH! RuiZhen did the pledge too!! :)
Could you be more specific? haha...UPDATE WAD?

Let's meet soon!! We have to research on our chosen study topic, remb?! :D

POST.

My life's in turbulence now. How I wish all these will be over soon. I need to get used to me.

Everyday, I push myself to initiate a new change in my life. It's funny. Haha. As I'm typing this post, my mum's telling my aunt how to carry out our Human Revolution.

HR (Human Revolution) - An individual's inner transformation could actively change their circumstances and their environment.

1) Spent the last whole week in the school hostel (the Loft) with AVTians.
It had been fun and also very energy-consuming.

2) Friday was my dad and Jerry's birthday, but I spent it with my chapter leaders. Jerry gave us a pleasant surprise by attending the mtg too! :) NINETEEN years old. A significant age. I remembered how much I grew when I was 19 too. That night, my appointment and transfer from district 3 to district 4 was announced too. Went back and celebrate it with my dad. I wish I knew how to share with him more about my life and vice versa. Planned to get him a guitar. Then we can learn together! ^.^

3) Thanks to Xingyi, who recruited Yingting, Yijie, Chrisitine and me for the REDBULL audit. It's really not easy to source out 370 shops that carry the Austria RedBull product. Some stores were reluctant to let us carry out our work. Still, this experience allowed me to open my eyes to people-watch and tour the local neighbourhood shop houses.

4) Special mention:

HAPPY NINETEENTH BIRTHDAY, SAM!!! <3

Really hope you had an awesome day!! Even though majority of the time was spent on projects and homework, still, continue to strive on courageously towards your goals!

I owe you one ISLAND CREAMERY feast! :)

Today's Guidance:

"LIFE is a drama. Since we are going to perform on the stage of life anyway, we ought to live vigorously and joyfully, and enact an inspiring drama of successive victories. We have to win in life. We have to win in society. We have to win a resounding victory for kosen-rufu."

PLEDGE OF SILENCE.

Signed up with 800 fellow NP students for the POS. Ten other educational institutions took part in it too.

It's a campaign against the silence of HIV/AIDS. Society needs to recognize that there is still silence surrounding HIV/AIDS which is caused by stigmatization and discrimination. This will in turn impedes public awareness for HIV/AIDS and dis-empower infected individuals.

In an effort to combat the stigma, I pledged EIGHT hours of silence on 30th October, 2009. When the pledge ends, I will actively remove myself from the cycle of silence that only drives HIV/AIDS further underground.

Signing on the pledge card, I look through the contents. There were choices for the pledgers to choose. We have to strictly adhere to the conditions, limited by our own comfort zone.

Besides pledging absolute silence, we could also choose to limit our speech to 5 words or be in silence without hand gestures to anyone / without eye contact with anyone / without the use of mobile and wireless communication. I didn't had enough determination to choose the latter few choices.

Sadly, there were a countable number of times where I broke my silence too. I still continued to see through the rest of my pledge though. To me, the significance behind this pledge is great. Even IF there was a disqualifying condition, I would still stay mute for 8 hours. Courage and perseverance were essential to this campaign. If I had given up mid-way deliberately, I'll probably never forgive myself.

"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."
- Martin Luther King, Jr.

Initially, I was afraid that I would face discrimination. How would others view me? Then, a thought pushed away all my worries. "I cowardly hide away from the crowd, because I don't know how others view me. Then, for our fellow sick friends, how would they feel having to shy away like this, for life?"

Thankfully, my classmates and lecturers were supportive too! haha...besides the guys' occasional disturbing, I managed to last til the end of the last lesson! It's not the end yet. There's still more to do until we eradicate this silence in our society.

To those out there who are ill because of HIV/AIDS, please know that there are many of us supporting you!! Don't give up! :D

she said he is confused. confused by my actions. he isn't sure how to love me now.
i don't even dare to think abt it. can't you see we are the same?
i'm scared to love you.
you will be hurt, because I dunno how to love you well.

The Colour of Champagne

Champagne Rose.

-=-

i'm thankful. :)

I know this is awfully belated. Just wanna say how grateful I am to every single family and friend in my life. September hasn't been an easy month to pull through. October is almost ending and i'm still lost in my 21st year resolutions. But because of this eventful period, I got to understand myself better. No longer do I wish to wallow in self-pity.

Days ago, a girlfriend and i had an argument. We had different views about life. I didn't like her cynical remarks and she finds me fake at times too. Fake probably because to her, I don't let myself see the world negatively. And I had my reasons. But I was glad we talked about it. Even if in the end, our views were still largely biased, it made me reflect a lot about myself.

I realized how much I yearn for emotional detachment. Detachment does not mean ignoring an experience, but immersing yourself in it. By experiencing wholly, one is able to let go, to detach.

If I am proud and pleased with myself for accomplishing a deed, I hope to feel the pride and satisfaction thoroughly. When someone does something unreasonable, I hope to feel anger or frustrated.

Things are not as easy as it seems. I yearn it but I fear that this detachment would overwhelm me too. Especially allowing myself to feel the more negative emotions like jealousy, arrogance, loss, anger...

I even fear to feel happy and loved, because how would I know I wouldn't be hurt in the end?

Sigh. I am learning still. I am so scared I would fall off the path I have forged for this long. I wanna know how I can achieve this, and yet, still stay firm and rooted in myself.

...
...
...

I am human too. Eventually, I have to get over being afraid. Only by immersing myself fully in all these emotions, can I fully understand how others feel.

I will face my fears. I don't wanna leave regrets.

Thanks to you! - a few loved ones whom had unknowingly, with your random encouragements, spurred me to push myself, to create change in my life. I will do my Human Revolution.