Monday, August 27, 2007
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
See things farther
I realize that one advantage of studying overseas is that I have little to lose. This is a good time to experiment, have fun, make a fool of myself and screw things up (not the grades though).
2 years later I can sort of start over again back home, but this time wiser and more experienced.
But I must always keep in mind who I really am and not lose myself in the process. Being myself gives me the most incentive and courage to act.
I guess I have had enough of observing and pondering over how I should be among the myriad of characers, for I could easily be myself.
2 years later I can sort of start over again back home, but this time wiser and more experienced.
But I must always keep in mind who I really am and not lose myself in the process. Being myself gives me the most incentive and courage to act.
I guess I have had enough of observing and pondering over how I should be among the myriad of characers, for I could easily be myself.
Sunday, August 19, 2007
Sunday, August 5, 2007
Diving
Diving trip over the weekend was incredible.
The reassuring stream of air from my regulator, the spectacular coral reefs and the weightless gliding... Phew!
I thought I was more of a loner... Maybe not. I enjoy being around my friends but I prefer to observe and laugh along!
The reassuring stream of air from my regulator, the spectacular coral reefs and the weightless gliding... Phew!
I thought I was more of a loner... Maybe not. I enjoy being around my friends but I prefer to observe and laugh along!
Sunday, July 22, 2007
On the last day, a retired airforce major picked us up on the roadside and drove us to our checkpoints.
Peppered in between rides were dashes to save time and to overtake the other teams. The tasks at each checkpoints were fun (rock climbing, kite flying etc...) but could be more challenging to create more opportunities for overtaking. The greatest takeaway from this race was experiencing the kind side of Singaporeans. And I realize that I get carried away sometimes and start ordering my friends around. Thanks for putting up with me guys.
Peppered in between rides were dashes to save time and to overtake the other teams. The tasks at each checkpoints were fun (rock climbing, kite flying etc...) but could be more challenging to create more opportunities for overtaking. The greatest takeaway from this race was experiencing the kind side of Singaporeans. And I realize that I get carried away sometimes and start ordering my friends around. Thanks for putting up with me guys.
Kind Singaporeans
This weekend has been incredible.I took part in this 3 days 2 night souped up version of Amazing race with my friends. It is called Race5 organized by NUS ODAC. Like the Amazing Race, we are supposed to get from one checkpoint to the next based on the clues we were given, completing tasks at each checkpoint, Unlike the Amazing Race, we were hardly given sufficient money to take public transportations for the entire race.
On the first night, we ran out of money to take public tranportation from Bukit Chandu (Kent Ridge Park) to the final checkpoint at West Coast Park so we ran. It was a jog/walk with good speed, considering that we had our bag packs on and we were already quite tired out by then. Despite our efforts, we only came in 17th out of 25 teams. After talking to the first team, we realized that they have been hitching rides for free.
I must admit it was a leap of faith for me to approach strangers for help in driving us around. Imagine how pleasantly surprised I was when a middle aged couple readily agreed to help when I approached them at the car park next morning. Not only did they take an inconvenient detour from their original destination, upon knowing that we were in a race, they even waited for us to complete our task at the first checkpoint and sent us to the second one. When it rained at the second checkpoint, they furthur offered to wait for us and send us to the third one, but we got delayed extensively due to some problems and the nice couple had to leave.
Our next checkpoint was the West Coast recreation centre. Our first positive experience gave us a boost of morale and we decided to try our luck again at a condominium nearby. We stood at the entrance and asked the drivers leaving the condominium for help. Most of the drivers could not help but they were very amiable towards us. There weren't many cars leaving the condo and I flagged down a taxi to try to bargain for a cheaper rate. All of a sudden, I heard my team mates shouting from the other side of the road. I ran over and it turned out that one of the drivers whom we have approached at the condo changed his mind and decided to help us, at his inconvenience of course. He called up his clerk to check for directions, and when we saw one of the competing teams in front of us, he accelerated (albeit a little dangerously) to overtake them for us.
We rided on the acts of kindness of other Singaporeans for the rest of the race. I would proceed to describe them, but lest their individual grace and big-heartedness become obscured in my plain wordings, I would like to remind you that each of these Good Samaritans has sacrificed their time and convenience to help us 4 average-looking dudes for absolutely no rewards.
To get to the fourth checkpoint, we encountered a helpful going Malay woman in a carpark at Clementi Central. She drove us all the way to Singapore Discovery Centre.
From SDC, we walked to SAFTI MI, hoping to encounter some army personnels who might help us to get to checkpoint 4. It was Saturday so there weren't many people around. We flagged down a taxi who agreed to drive us to the next checkpoint located at the junction of Sungei Gedong Road and Lim Chu Kang Road for 3 dollars. We got lost a little bit before we found the station masters. When we arrived, knowing that we were in a race, the taxi driver (Mr Tan Ah Ngo of SH 6922 H) did not take our money and asked us to keep it for future use.
Checkpoint 4 was in a very rural area so it was really challenging for us to get to the next checkpoint, which was the Youth Flying Club at Seletar West Camp. Despite so, a nice van driver stopped when I waved at him by the road side. However, his van was filled with bags of fishes so he couldn't take us. In the end, we took a bus to Choa Chu Kang central, and the bus captain let us on for free.
At Choa Chu Kang, a taxi driver offered to send us to Seletar West Camp for only 4 dollars. The trip took at least 20 minutes on the expressway and could have cost us over ten dollars easily.
We met another team (team Titans) at checkpoint 5. They approached a lorry driver waiting at a junction and he agreed to help them. Team Titans graciously asked the driver to let us on too (great sportsmanship) and he agreed. The lorry driver took us to the checkpoint Punggol Jetty, and then to the next one at Punggol Park.
The clue we received at this checkpoint was "Find the shop that sells Heart Shaped Curry puff". We thought the shop was located in the vicinity and we searched the surrounding area for a long time without avail. Finally, we went to the library and a teenager allowed us to use his computer terminal to perform a search. Only then did we realise that this particular shop was located in Geylang Serai temporary market.
We splitted up to seek for help again. When I told a man that we were in a race and we did not have enough money for transportation, he looked concerned and asked me how much we needed. We rejected him with plenty of gratitude because it was against the rules.
After a long time without meeting with any success, we met up and went to a bus stop nearby to check if we can take a bus. A woman overheard our conversation and she came forward to inform us of the bus to take to get to Geylang Serai. When the bus came, we told the driver our situation and he told us to hop on, and helpfully reminded us to "take care of ourselves" should the conductor board the bus.
On the first night, we ran out of money to take public tranportation from Bukit Chandu (Kent Ridge Park) to the final checkpoint at West Coast Park so we ran. It was a jog/walk with good speed, considering that we had our bag packs on and we were already quite tired out by then. Despite our efforts, we only came in 17th out of 25 teams. After talking to the first team, we realized that they have been hitching rides for free.
I must admit it was a leap of faith for me to approach strangers for help in driving us around. Imagine how pleasantly surprised I was when a middle aged couple readily agreed to help when I approached them at the car park next morning. Not only did they take an inconvenient detour from their original destination, upon knowing that we were in a race, they even waited for us to complete our task at the first checkpoint and sent us to the second one. When it rained at the second checkpoint, they furthur offered to wait for us and send us to the third one, but we got delayed extensively due to some problems and the nice couple had to leave.
Our next checkpoint was the West Coast recreation centre. Our first positive experience gave us a boost of morale and we decided to try our luck again at a condominium nearby. We stood at the entrance and asked the drivers leaving the condominium for help. Most of the drivers could not help but they were very amiable towards us. There weren't many cars leaving the condo and I flagged down a taxi to try to bargain for a cheaper rate. All of a sudden, I heard my team mates shouting from the other side of the road. I ran over and it turned out that one of the drivers whom we have approached at the condo changed his mind and decided to help us, at his inconvenience of course. He called up his clerk to check for directions, and when we saw one of the competing teams in front of us, he accelerated (albeit a little dangerously) to overtake them for us.
We rided on the acts of kindness of other Singaporeans for the rest of the race. I would proceed to describe them, but lest their individual grace and big-heartedness become obscured in my plain wordings, I would like to remind you that each of these Good Samaritans has sacrificed their time and convenience to help us 4 average-looking dudes for absolutely no rewards.
To get to the fourth checkpoint, we encountered a helpful going Malay woman in a carpark at Clementi Central. She drove us all the way to Singapore Discovery Centre.
From SDC, we walked to SAFTI MI, hoping to encounter some army personnels who might help us to get to checkpoint 4. It was Saturday so there weren't many people around. We flagged down a taxi who agreed to drive us to the next checkpoint located at the junction of Sungei Gedong Road and Lim Chu Kang Road for 3 dollars. We got lost a little bit before we found the station masters. When we arrived, knowing that we were in a race, the taxi driver (Mr Tan Ah Ngo of SH 6922 H) did not take our money and asked us to keep it for future use.
Checkpoint 4 was in a very rural area so it was really challenging for us to get to the next checkpoint, which was the Youth Flying Club at Seletar West Camp. Despite so, a nice van driver stopped when I waved at him by the road side. However, his van was filled with bags of fishes so he couldn't take us. In the end, we took a bus to Choa Chu Kang central, and the bus captain let us on for free.
At Choa Chu Kang, a taxi driver offered to send us to Seletar West Camp for only 4 dollars. The trip took at least 20 minutes on the expressway and could have cost us over ten dollars easily.
We met another team (team Titans) at checkpoint 5. They approached a lorry driver waiting at a junction and he agreed to help them. Team Titans graciously asked the driver to let us on too (great sportsmanship) and he agreed. The lorry driver took us to the checkpoint Punggol Jetty, and then to the next one at Punggol Park.
The clue we received at this checkpoint was "Find the shop that sells Heart Shaped Curry puff". We thought the shop was located in the vicinity and we searched the surrounding area for a long time without avail. Finally, we went to the library and a teenager allowed us to use his computer terminal to perform a search. Only then did we realise that this particular shop was located in Geylang Serai temporary market.
We splitted up to seek for help again. When I told a man that we were in a race and we did not have enough money for transportation, he looked concerned and asked me how much we needed. We rejected him with plenty of gratitude because it was against the rules.
After a long time without meeting with any success, we met up and went to a bus stop nearby to check if we can take a bus. A woman overheard our conversation and she came forward to inform us of the bus to take to get to Geylang Serai. When the bus came, we told the driver our situation and he told us to hop on, and helpfully reminded us to "take care of ourselves" should the conductor board the bus.
~to be continued~
Sunday, July 15, 2007
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