HELLOOOOOOO

Saturday, 22 February 2014

Hihi

I'm J1!!!!

Updating this blog for the sake of updating it haha.

http://youtu.be/HpIIi1TAbwY ->how to learn this roll by Friday siah😭 I already Kenna floor burn, bruises, muscle pull from trying. And it's just trying siah:(:( ouch ouch.

Happy picture of the day:

Saturday, 28 December 2013

Kitesurfing!

Yes look at my leg in comparison with my friend's mum's leg.

Great great great experience at kitesurfing. And would definitely try it agn.! Though I now look like a 'black red eye pig'-quoted from my brother. Here's some photos!

Saturday, 21 December 2013

day 3

You can't help but wonder what they're doing and then its like hurting all over again..
Yet, you know, its time to let go

Wednesday, 18 December 2013

WED

Just emailed my reflection for TOOP and i'm gonna post it here so i can read next time haha.
PS: I found the NGO's blog! http://lovecamb.wordpress.com/

TOOP reflection 2013

This whole TOOP has been an invaluable experience and is one program that I have never regretted signing up for. The past 10days in Cambodia was filled with much fun and laughter and yet at the same time, made me realize really how fortunate we all are, to have been born in twenty-first century Singapore. Prior to the trip, I was quite hesitant as to whether I would have a fulfilling time in Cambodia because I was the youngest TOOPer and thought that I won’t be able to communicate with the seniors easily. However, throughout the journey in Cambodia, I realized that this was not even a problem and it’s really heartening to see the friendships that we all have forged in Cambodia.

In Prey Aunkunh, I saw that many of the villagers did not have much. They cooked using a fire and not gas and the only television that I saw in the whole village was in the village head’s house. Moreover, the children there did not have a lot of clothes and shoes but yet, they were still so happy every time we met them. In comparison to us, we live our lives actively pursuing materialism and aren’t happy even when we can afford new clothes and bags. The children in the village barely have enough clothes and food and yet there are people in other parts of the world who waste food everyday. Though the children live such a simple life, they still can be so happy and this is something that I believe we can learn from; finding the simplest joys in life.

At the village’s school, one thing that struck me most was the school facilities as well as the lack of basic education for a lot of the children. The village’s school had no electricity and their classrooms were stuffy and dingy and in my opinion, not suited for studying. However, the children were able to concentrate in the poorly ventilated classroom because of their passion for learning. Many of the children in the village did not have a chance to go to school and those who had the opportunity to do so, were very enthusiastic about learning from us. It was really quite hard to teach the students because we did not know any Khmer and the teacher’s command of English was also quite poor and could not be our translator. Hence, we had to make do with gestures to convey what we wanted to say to the students. Through interacting with the students at the school, it made me appreciate education much better. Education is the only way that the children at the village can get out of the cycle of poverty but yet the children there cannot even get good education because of the lack of resources. In Singapore, many of us take education and going to school for granted and always complain about the lack of amenities in schools. However, after seeing the state of the school in the village, I must say we are truly very fortunate to be living in Singapore. Also, I feel really blessed that we have such a stable government who enforces compulsory primary school education so that all Singaporeans would at least have basic education and the chance to go to school unlike the children at the village.

Throughout this whole journey, I have learned how to work with many different people and made many new friendships. I have also learned to cherish what I have and to be contented and not pursue materialism so fervently. Through the beautiful sunrise, shooting star and Padi fields that I saw at the village, I realized that when we slow down and take a look at the things around us, we would be able to discover things that we never knew were there and benefit much more from nature. Hence, while living a fast-paced and hectic lifestyle, we should also occasionally take the time to stop and appreciate the things that we have around us.

-Samantha Lye