*NSB= Neighbourhood School Boy = Leo = sometimes synonymous with ah beng (but Leo is not an ah beng)
I don't know why I have a fetish for NSBs and ah bengs. Couldn't be the ah lian in me, because I absolutely do not possess any such traits ('cept maybe when I say 妈的, which is quite seldom and only to belle. Haha.)
If the Mayday band members studied in Singapore, they definitely would have gone to school at BBSS (Bukit Batok Sec School), or something like that. Haha. So cool! Eh, BBSS is leo's alma mater :)
I used to like Sly too, because he was so ah beng, but now he's too cocky for his own good. Poseur.
Anyways, the point of this entry is to remember some quotable quotes by the NSB.
In a car along Shenton Way one night:
Leo's colleague, Q, (also an NSB) asks me: Eh, last time you what JC? Quite good one right? Hwa Chong or National right?
Leo the other NBS (in mock indignance): NOOO LAAH!!!!! She from Raffles lah!!! Raffles!!!
Q: Same what! Same standard right? I thought Hwa Chong also quite good one what!
Leo (in greater mock indignance): OI!!! You insult her school issit? I ask you, which is the best JC around?
Q: Same what! I thought Hwa Chong also quite good????
Leo: NOOO LAAH!!!!! Where got same? Pls lah. It's Raffles! Raffles!
Over the phone one afternoon:
Leo the NSB asks me: So how? How's your studying progressing?
Me: Finished the bulk of it.
Leo: WAH!!! So fast ah??? Your RJC study method soooo good!!! I told you! No need to worry one lah you...
Usually when I'm stressing over not doing something well enough:
Leo the NSB to me: You all Raffles one, perfectionists...
When talking about "kiam-par" (deserve to be whacked ie because they think the world of themselves) guys in the army:
Leo the NSB to me: I tell you, they are all from either ACS or RI, TRUST ME.
Wednesday, October 12, 2005
a little anger don't hurt
Just heard the most impassioned speech of the century from my dear lecturer, who's spent the last 20 or so years doing social work and is still every bit passionate about the profession. It's really not often that I get inspired by someone who believes so much in her cause.
1. A little anger don't hurt, she says. If not, how're you going to fight against injustice? How're you going to advocate for your clients?
2. Best if you find good supervision after you graduate, she says. Best way to learn. But, if you don't find a good supervisor in your agency, don't get trapped in a mode of learned helplessness. Search out your own mentors, like what she did. She turned to her lecturers for help with her casework.
3. I don't buy burnout, she says. There's no such thing as burnout. If you think you are burnt out, then it was you who brought it upon yourself. You didn't know how to manage your work. If you find the work doesn't suit you, by all means look for another profession. But don't use burnout as an excuse.
4. Don't be so hard on yourselves as beginning social workers, she says. For the first three months, you are going to get so much feedback about what you are doing wrong, and your self-esteem is going to go from there (she gestures with her hand above her head) to there (she brings her hand real low, near her knees). By the fifth month, your esteem will rise a little, and by the end of one year, you'll feel like you're only beginning to function as a social worker. You'll need at least three years to feel that you're really competent enough. But don't be hard on yourself, the feedback is the best way to learn.
And she goes on to talk about threats she has faced from violent clients, tricks of the trade, and lots of other things. Can't say much about the specific cases, tho they are really interesting, cos I have to abide by the code of ethics - confidentiality.
But I must say that ever since going through this course, I've learnt the big difference between a volunteer and a social worker. I never knew that so much training went into producing a social worker, and I feel really inadequate about coming out to practise after I graduate. I'm not ready!
It's really quite a science to do social work. You need to do accurate assessments of the client's situation because if you get them wrong, then your intervention methods will be erroneous. And you need to listen actively and observe keenly for the underlying problems that clients don't tell you. Quite stressful. And during all this time, you have to demonstrate empathy not only in your non-verbals, but the way you craft your sentences to reflect feeling and content (all these are skills we learn in class).
Seriously, it's not just about having a big heart in social work. It's really about being trained as a professional with the proper skills and theoretical frameworks to partner the client in handling their issues. And it's not just problem-focused. It's also about exploring their strengths and resources, thereby helping them see that they are capable to get themselves "unstucked" from their situation.
And many more things to take note of in the profession....I'm getting quite scared! I'm so not ready!
1. A little anger don't hurt, she says. If not, how're you going to fight against injustice? How're you going to advocate for your clients?
2. Best if you find good supervision after you graduate, she says. Best way to learn. But, if you don't find a good supervisor in your agency, don't get trapped in a mode of learned helplessness. Search out your own mentors, like what she did. She turned to her lecturers for help with her casework.
3. I don't buy burnout, she says. There's no such thing as burnout. If you think you are burnt out, then it was you who brought it upon yourself. You didn't know how to manage your work. If you find the work doesn't suit you, by all means look for another profession. But don't use burnout as an excuse.
4. Don't be so hard on yourselves as beginning social workers, she says. For the first three months, you are going to get so much feedback about what you are doing wrong, and your self-esteem is going to go from there (she gestures with her hand above her head) to there (she brings her hand real low, near her knees). By the fifth month, your esteem will rise a little, and by the end of one year, you'll feel like you're only beginning to function as a social worker. You'll need at least three years to feel that you're really competent enough. But don't be hard on yourself, the feedback is the best way to learn.
And she goes on to talk about threats she has faced from violent clients, tricks of the trade, and lots of other things. Can't say much about the specific cases, tho they are really interesting, cos I have to abide by the code of ethics - confidentiality.
But I must say that ever since going through this course, I've learnt the big difference between a volunteer and a social worker. I never knew that so much training went into producing a social worker, and I feel really inadequate about coming out to practise after I graduate. I'm not ready!
It's really quite a science to do social work. You need to do accurate assessments of the client's situation because if you get them wrong, then your intervention methods will be erroneous. And you need to listen actively and observe keenly for the underlying problems that clients don't tell you. Quite stressful. And during all this time, you have to demonstrate empathy not only in your non-verbals, but the way you craft your sentences to reflect feeling and content (all these are skills we learn in class).
Seriously, it's not just about having a big heart in social work. It's really about being trained as a professional with the proper skills and theoretical frameworks to partner the client in handling their issues. And it's not just problem-focused. It's also about exploring their strengths and resources, thereby helping them see that they are capable to get themselves "unstucked" from their situation.
And many more things to take note of in the profession....I'm getting quite scared! I'm so not ready!
Tuesday, October 11, 2005
steamin'
Last evenin', I came home huffin' and puffin' after my run. Definitely steamin'. Mum says she wants to teach me steamin', double steamin'...fish on the top deck, egg with minced pork on the lower deck. So, I learnt to use the spaceship of a steamer (see picture).
love, me
was watching a mini animated movie of five episodes on the Net earlier on. A love story... It's your Meteor Garden type of Taiwanese drama, only much much shorter. Each episode lasts a few minutes. And the animation is great. But I hate the ending (spoiler alert!) because it's so tragic!!!
Anyways, if you have about 15 minutes to spare, click here to watch.
******************************
Ok, after posting the above, I watched another animated drama. This one is much nicer! Click here to watch.
Anyways, if you have about 15 minutes to spare, click here to watch.
******************************
Ok, after posting the above, I watched another animated drama. This one is much nicer! Click here to watch.
Sunday, October 09, 2005
hey hey hey, beautiful sunday
Playing for worship services on Sundays usually means a tiring day. When I get back home with leo, we just crash. It's days like these when I wish we owned a car. Then we could zip around easier (why do we live at opposite ends of singapore?), and he could stash away his heavy guitar and luggage.
Well, I call it luggage cos he's gotta bring nice dress pants, nice long-sleeved shirt, nice dress shoes to wear on stage during service. This time, he forgot his black socks, so he ended up doing a Michael Jackson - stark white socks with black leather shoes. Yep, he was so self-conscious the whole day.
Earthquake in Pakistan.
Reading the news of the calamity off the net and watching BBC. It strikes home, yet again, the temporal nature of a human being's life, his dreams, his aspirations, his hopes. Meaningless, everything is meaningless. Lord, help me set my eyes on you. There have been one too many disasters. Lord, you are coming soon.
Well, I call it luggage cos he's gotta bring nice dress pants, nice long-sleeved shirt, nice dress shoes to wear on stage during service. This time, he forgot his black socks, so he ended up doing a Michael Jackson - stark white socks with black leather shoes. Yep, he was so self-conscious the whole day.
Earthquake in Pakistan.
Reading the news of the calamity off the net and watching BBC. It strikes home, yet again, the temporal nature of a human being's life, his dreams, his aspirations, his hopes. Meaningless, everything is meaningless. Lord, help me set my eyes on you. There have been one too many disasters. Lord, you are coming soon.
Friday, October 07, 2005
not so lonely
It's been a pretty fun two days. Not cooped up at home reading textbooks, tho there's much reading to be done!
Headed down to Orchard Road yesterday to get birthday pressies for leo and cocoatina, who share the same birthdays. Finally I remembered the right dates! Big pat on my back, please! Terrible me, I've for the last two years or so kept thinking that their birthdays were Oct 5 instead of Oct 6. One's my boyfriend, and the other's my good girlfriend. I ought to be punished!
The only things that my boyfriend reads (yes, he doesn't read) are classified ads and any material to do with scuba diving, so I got him a book on fish and underwater life, complete with beautiful pictures and useful bite-sized info on each species. One of the rare times he's enraptured by something with words in it! :)
Cocoatina got a make-your-own-sushi kit, with sushi recipe book, chopsticks, big wooden spoon and bamboo mat for rolling sushi. Yep! I'll be there for your Christmas sushi party!
Finally got to meet belle for a proper lunch too. I used to cab down to our usual meeting lunchplace at Somerset during the work week, but after leaving the job two months back, we haven't had the chance to really sit down and talk! And we did shopping at Bugis, before she had to leave for an assignment. Feels so good to have new clothes :) I wore them to school that evening. HAHA. Oh, and I forgot to do my homework cos I was busy doing this-and-that the whole day!
As for today, very productive too. Went jogging in the morning. First time I hit 30 minutes. I must really do this more often. Then it was off for a jamu herbal spa with cocoatina, after which I had a tough time fending off a very aggressive sales pitch from one of the staff. She wanted me to sign up for a package. Really hard-sell man.
And then, I went for a haircut! Only to find out that my hairstylist might be uprooting soon for a more posh salon downtown. Tho he promised to give me a good discount if he does uproot, I told him to have mercy, cos I would be a poor social worker then. Hair is everything, so I still must see him!
And later rushed home to iron clothes, before heading for dinner with some church friends. Yummy crabs! So full now...but very satisfied.
After these two days of fun, it's time to get down to real work. Go, me go!
Headed down to Orchard Road yesterday to get birthday pressies for leo and cocoatina, who share the same birthdays. Finally I remembered the right dates! Big pat on my back, please! Terrible me, I've for the last two years or so kept thinking that their birthdays were Oct 5 instead of Oct 6. One's my boyfriend, and the other's my good girlfriend. I ought to be punished!
The only things that my boyfriend reads (yes, he doesn't read) are classified ads and any material to do with scuba diving, so I got him a book on fish and underwater life, complete with beautiful pictures and useful bite-sized info on each species. One of the rare times he's enraptured by something with words in it! :)
Cocoatina got a make-your-own-sushi kit, with sushi recipe book, chopsticks, big wooden spoon and bamboo mat for rolling sushi. Yep! I'll be there for your Christmas sushi party!
Finally got to meet belle for a proper lunch too. I used to cab down to our usual meeting lunchplace at Somerset during the work week, but after leaving the job two months back, we haven't had the chance to really sit down and talk! And we did shopping at Bugis, before she had to leave for an assignment. Feels so good to have new clothes :) I wore them to school that evening. HAHA. Oh, and I forgot to do my homework cos I was busy doing this-and-that the whole day!
As for today, very productive too. Went jogging in the morning. First time I hit 30 minutes. I must really do this more often. Then it was off for a jamu herbal spa with cocoatina, after which I had a tough time fending off a very aggressive sales pitch from one of the staff. She wanted me to sign up for a package. Really hard-sell man.
And then, I went for a haircut! Only to find out that my hairstylist might be uprooting soon for a more posh salon downtown. Tho he promised to give me a good discount if he does uproot, I told him to have mercy, cos I would be a poor social worker then. Hair is everything, so I still must see him!
And later rushed home to iron clothes, before heading for dinner with some church friends. Yummy crabs! So full now...but very satisfied.
After these two days of fun, it's time to get down to real work. Go, me go!
Wednesday, October 05, 2005
The freaky train ride
You won't believe my freaky train ride on the NEL. Actually, my mum burst out laughing when I told her the story.
Yesterday, I had boarded the train and was preparing to do some readings for school. This middle-aged woman, seated four seats away, suddenly asked me in Hokkien if she was on the right train. And to let her know when we'd reached her stop at Chinatown.
I went back to reading. Three minutes later, she started talking to me again, asking me where I was going, which block I lived in, (get this) HOW OLD I WAS, etc...while inching her way towards my seat. So, finally, she ended up right next to me and she's firing me questions like she's my best chum. More like an interrogator parading as best pal, actually.
Wah lau, I have friendly face or what????
I tried to be friendly cos I figured she probably had no one to talk to at home (!), but at the same, who the hell was she that I had to give away my private life just like that??? If I didn't want to answer, I simply said, in Hokkien, "don't want to say", "don't know how to say in Hokkien" or "mumblemumblesomethinglikethatlah!"
What are you studying? (don't know how to say in Hokkien)
How old are you (she asked me five times)? (don't want to say) to which she replied: "Aiya I'm auntie already leh, you so much younger than me, no need to be paiseh lah!" (don't want to say)
What course are you taking? How long is it? How much are your fees? What do your parents work as? Do you have a boyfriend? What does he do? Does your mum like him? How much does he earn? HOW OLD ARE YOU? Are you getting married soon? You look so young, your mum must be very young?
To make her stop asking, I made her talk about herself. After only one question, she spilled her 33-year-old unmarried son's entire life history on rejecting the girls she's tried to matchmake him with. This went on for the next 20 minutes. I even now know that he makes $3K a month teaching IT and he gives $500 to her as pocket money.
Being nice, I replied: "Aiya auntie, your son got no girlfriend never mind lah. Slowly...one step at a time. Most importantly, he loves you!" (which elicited a "CHEH!" from her).
She then said she would be meeting her son at some NTUC somewhere and he would be taking her for dinner.
And guess what! On my way home from school five hours later, SHE WAS ON THE SAME TRAIN!!!! WITH THAT UNMARRIED SON OF HERS!!!!
Is that freaky or what???????? She recognised me too and smiled! Thank goodness I had one classmate who was taking the train all the way home with me. Once I exited, I walked damn fast home man. No woman, no more talking please!
Yesterday, I had boarded the train and was preparing to do some readings for school. This middle-aged woman, seated four seats away, suddenly asked me in Hokkien if she was on the right train. And to let her know when we'd reached her stop at Chinatown.
I went back to reading. Three minutes later, she started talking to me again, asking me where I was going, which block I lived in, (get this) HOW OLD I WAS, etc...while inching her way towards my seat. So, finally, she ended up right next to me and she's firing me questions like she's my best chum. More like an interrogator parading as best pal, actually.
Wah lau, I have friendly face or what????
I tried to be friendly cos I figured she probably had no one to talk to at home (!), but at the same, who the hell was she that I had to give away my private life just like that??? If I didn't want to answer, I simply said, in Hokkien, "don't want to say", "don't know how to say in Hokkien" or "mumblemumblesomethinglikethatlah!"
What are you studying? (don't know how to say in Hokkien)
How old are you (she asked me five times)? (don't want to say) to which she replied: "Aiya I'm auntie already leh, you so much younger than me, no need to be paiseh lah!" (don't want to say)
What course are you taking? How long is it? How much are your fees? What do your parents work as? Do you have a boyfriend? What does he do? Does your mum like him? How much does he earn? HOW OLD ARE YOU? Are you getting married soon? You look so young, your mum must be very young?
To make her stop asking, I made her talk about herself. After only one question, she spilled her 33-year-old unmarried son's entire life history on rejecting the girls she's tried to matchmake him with. This went on for the next 20 minutes. I even now know that he makes $3K a month teaching IT and he gives $500 to her as pocket money.
Being nice, I replied: "Aiya auntie, your son got no girlfriend never mind lah. Slowly...one step at a time. Most importantly, he loves you!" (which elicited a "CHEH!" from her).
She then said she would be meeting her son at some NTUC somewhere and he would be taking her for dinner.
And guess what! On my way home from school five hours later, SHE WAS ON THE SAME TRAIN!!!! WITH THAT UNMARRIED SON OF HERS!!!!
Is that freaky or what???????? She recognised me too and smiled! Thank goodness I had one classmate who was taking the train all the way home with me. Once I exited, I walked damn fast home man. No woman, no more talking please!
Tuesday, October 04, 2005
The Chronicles of Narn-iang
Heh heh, pardon my brilliant play of words in the title...the former members of the NTU Nanyang Chronicle meet again! With the inclusion of a little tot called Ethan who ingests blended brocolli and blended chicken (Ahbeng says: HUH? Don't remember eating such things when I was a baby)!!!
Presenting Three Men (can't-wait-to-be-daddies) and a Baby..From left: gahmen servant Lich, I-love-chasing-salacious-news-and-Shu-Qi-Ahbeng, and oooo-Ethan-loves-me-cos-we-wear-matching-colours-Ben.
And so the conversation before Emperor Ethan arrives revolves around what's happening in our lives. And when the long-awaited dignitary arrives (well, actually we were more like looking forward to see the mother), the conversation turns to "how to use the manual focus function on the digital camera" and err...cat food.
Presenting Three Men (can't-wait-to-be-daddies) and a Baby..From left: gahmen servant Lich, I-love-chasing-salacious-news-and-Shu-Qi-Ahbeng, and oooo-Ethan-loves-me-cos-we-wear-matching-colours-Ben.
And so the conversation before Emperor Ethan arrives revolves around what's happening in our lives. And when the long-awaited dignitary arrives (well, actually we were more like looking forward to see the mother), the conversation turns to "how to use the manual focus function on the digital camera" and err...cat food. Taking a look at a big container of "Finger Foods For Babies Learning to Self-Feed - Fruit Puffs - Puff Grains with Real Bananas (in mummy-to-ethan-speak-that-thing-is-simply-NANA)", ben goes: "Err...looks like cat food..."
Cat food it may seem, but a fan it has found in Ethan! YUMMY!
Nice Ahbeng (while still fantasising about Shu Qi in Ibiza) then teaches Belle (the lucky one who got to interview Shu Qi in Ibiza and whom Ahbeng hates as a result) and I how to use the manual focus function on our cameras. And I use the cat food, Ethan and mummy as models. Fwah! Works leh! But takes some practice...
1) This pic below shows a focus on the cat food, while the background is blur.
2) This pic below shows the Emperor in focus, during a frenzied bout of feeding :)
And of course, Emperor poses for the trigger-happy me, while Belle and Ahbeng (in the background) SPY ON MY PRIVATE LIFE (in the O2 mini) without my permission. Very good hor Ahbeng, after that can still say "Eh, I found out your secret..."
But I must say, Ethan, though you look very cute in all these smiley pictures, I still like you best when you look tur, when you have that DUH look on your face. Well, sometimes, it's also a "I'm-so-constipated-Godma-I-wanna-pang-sai" look. Like this:
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