Last Saturday, I joined the crew to bring kindergarten kids to the Safari World in Bangkok. Very exciting indeed!!! Enjoy the pictures!
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Thursday, January 24, 2008
First two pictures: My latest artwork, "Birds" and "Wat Sutat" . I have stopped painting for quite a while since IB Art, but glad I started again. Now I am helping in the Graphic Room of Mercy to produce artwork of Children to send to Brisbane,Australia for the coming auction:"Through the Eyes of the Children"
Picture 3 and 4:
An Early Celebration of Chinese New Year at the Bangkok Branch Taiwan's " Fo Guang Shan" (佛光山)Buddhist Monastery. It was situated on the 32nd floor in Pra Ram 9. Brilliant performance and Lucky Draw. Middle person on Picture 3 is Miao Shi fu, the head of Bangkok's Fo Guang Shan. Picture 4 is Ya Ting and me with the 5 beautiful Buddha Statue.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Visitors at Mercy
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One of the great advantages of working here is you got to meet VIPs ( Very interesting People) from around the world.
Last Friday, a band of Irish singers and musician came to sing for the Mercy kids. With their unique traditional music instruments such as Mandolin(little guitar), Banjo, Fiddle(like the violin), Bodhrán(goat-skinned hand drum),and the bag pipe from scottish music, we clapped our hands to folk songs like "Old Mcdonalds" ( the kids were laughing so much when they made the animal sounds!) ,"Amazing Grace", and other Irish music sang by the two singers,the Burns sisters.
The climax of the performance was perhaps the part where the band taught the kids to sang ( Twinkle-twinkle little stars) 'seperately', meaning they were seperated into groups and start singing in a different timing, but somehow form a harmonious melody all together.
That evening, we sat around by Father Joe's living room, listening to live music, recalling Father Joe's childhood times when he learnt his first songs( He is half Irish).It was the most down-to-earth encounter-with-singers/musicians I have ever had.
Then yesterday(Tuesday), we had a group of journalists who are attending the Bangkok Media Conference from (East-West Centre) visiting Mercy. (More information about EWC) 20 of them came from various countries including USA, Hong Kong, Australia, China, Phillipines, Cambodia , Japan etc. I was startled to see so many reporters and editors at the same time learning about Father Joe's work.
Have you seen journalists at work? They write fast, listening to English, but writing in Chinese( or other language) on their little note pad; Always know what to ask; Usually with big cameras(:P); Good language proficiency(duh?)...
Actually by listening to Father Joe, I learn more each day about his work and the Mercy Centre. It enables me to explain to the next person (he or she wil be lucky) haha, so forth. There are a lot of reason on how to tackle different cases. For example if a child is abused, they made he or she speak about the "Teddy Bear" instead of themselves, then they could open up and tell about their stories....
Oh well.... What a day!
Thursday, January 17, 2008
The Crow
"If you can't change the environment, Change yourself. "
Its a story of a crow trying to move to different places because nobody likes it.
However, it doesn't realize the main problem is its voice.
I think that is one of the main challenge faced after we left our own society that we seems to fit well, and live in a different place.
We can either ignore the environment and people and do it our way, being a 'recluse'; or sing along and celebrate with the people and 'change' ourselves. It is easy to see here when there are a few people who don't mix with the staffs to have lunch in the canteen and stroll in the hypermarkets and Starbucks, where some follow the unspoken rule of "no business during lunch", talking about topics from dirty jokes to the weather of the day in their lunch seat.
I salude a Taiwanese social commenter/"wise man" Li Ao( 李敖) who has so much faith in the things he believe that he is imune to the environment around him. He is one of the few that manage to pull it off and get his political ideas through even he is the oddest of his people. Yet how many people have the assets to do that?
First of all, you need to bear the hate of many, you need to have rivals, including the powerful people too. You need to speak of the ugly reality where everyone else still believe that the world is beautiful. Before the truth is yet to be revealed or proven, you are on your own with no friends, facing all the mental 'defeats'.
Only a person with a high EQ can translate the negative emotions to positive and continue to fight. In Li Ao's memoir, he mentioned: 'I am one among the 4000 illiterates, therefore I am still manage to influence my environment,but in this era, its hard to persuade people to listen because most people are 'educated'. However the most knowledgeable person will never step foot in politics, their primary choice would be the finance and commerce, the source of wealth, only then politics, therefore there are not many smart people in politics '
To make a statement as this, pinning all politicians are not the smartest people, and still jokes after it, who would have such guts now?
A smaller scale to the environment that I am currently in: People got married in young age, have many kids, works in the same area they live in for as many years as they can; The tea seller next store is there for 20 years; the teachers who work in the kindergarten I teach have been there for 30 and 15 years respectedly... In the nutshell, they are all depending on each other. All the relationships among the people are somehow connected through different stories for decades that is is really hard to "Tear down their faces", meaning have a real fight/disagreement. It is like not caring about their 20 years relationship.
Therefore, one of their favourite slogans is "Zhai yen yen", meaning "heart cold cold", not to argue, wait if you can, as long as you can, don't get angry easily, your heart is supposed to be cold, even the ants are burning at the top of the pot..
As many may know, I am a fast temper and a fan of efficiency, ....so you can imagine...
Another note about my current environment, Gossips. It can be about anything, but it spreads like a thunder. At first it was crazy to understand why the news of me drinking a can of beer during lunch ( alone in a stall) is then 'Questioned' by my boss right after lunch; Only then i realize two of them know each other for more than ten years, and she has breakfast every morning in her stall...
I used to be angry, ( cause of my overheated heart) until yesterday, as I "complaint" about the recent gossip about me with my favourite security guard from Mercy, He said: " Si Jie, You need to understand, our work is the same , its repeated, its boring, its the same people, same faces, over the years,more than your age, we can't talk about serious stuff, there are too much Do's and Don'ts except gossips, its our only entertainment....
Reason accepted, for now...
Its a story of a crow trying to move to different places because nobody likes it.
However, it doesn't realize the main problem is its voice.
I think that is one of the main challenge faced after we left our own society that we seems to fit well, and live in a different place.
We can either ignore the environment and people and do it our way, being a 'recluse'; or sing along and celebrate with the people and 'change' ourselves. It is easy to see here when there are a few people who don't mix with the staffs to have lunch in the canteen and stroll in the hypermarkets and Starbucks, where some follow the unspoken rule of "no business during lunch", talking about topics from dirty jokes to the weather of the day in their lunch seat.
I salude a Taiwanese social commenter/"wise man" Li Ao( 李敖) who has so much faith in the things he believe that he is imune to the environment around him. He is one of the few that manage to pull it off and get his political ideas through even he is the oddest of his people. Yet how many people have the assets to do that?
First of all, you need to bear the hate of many, you need to have rivals, including the powerful people too. You need to speak of the ugly reality where everyone else still believe that the world is beautiful. Before the truth is yet to be revealed or proven, you are on your own with no friends, facing all the mental 'defeats'.
Only a person with a high EQ can translate the negative emotions to positive and continue to fight. In Li Ao's memoir, he mentioned: 'I am one among the 4000 illiterates, therefore I am still manage to influence my environment,but in this era, its hard to persuade people to listen because most people are 'educated'. However the most knowledgeable person will never step foot in politics, their primary choice would be the finance and commerce, the source of wealth, only then politics, therefore there are not many smart people in politics '
To make a statement as this, pinning all politicians are not the smartest people, and still jokes after it, who would have such guts now?
A smaller scale to the environment that I am currently in: People got married in young age, have many kids, works in the same area they live in for as many years as they can; The tea seller next store is there for 20 years; the teachers who work in the kindergarten I teach have been there for 30 and 15 years respectedly... In the nutshell, they are all depending on each other. All the relationships among the people are somehow connected through different stories for decades that is is really hard to "Tear down their faces", meaning have a real fight/disagreement. It is like not caring about their 20 years relationship.
Therefore, one of their favourite slogans is "Zhai yen yen", meaning "heart cold cold", not to argue, wait if you can, as long as you can, don't get angry easily, your heart is supposed to be cold, even the ants are burning at the top of the pot..
As many may know, I am a fast temper and a fan of efficiency, ....so you can imagine...
Another note about my current environment, Gossips. It can be about anything, but it spreads like a thunder. At first it was crazy to understand why the news of me drinking a can of beer during lunch ( alone in a stall) is then 'Questioned' by my boss right after lunch; Only then i realize two of them know each other for more than ten years, and she has breakfast every morning in her stall...
I used to be angry, ( cause of my overheated heart) until yesterday, as I "complaint" about the recent gossip about me with my favourite security guard from Mercy, He said: " Si Jie, You need to understand, our work is the same , its repeated, its boring, its the same people, same faces, over the years,more than your age, we can't talk about serious stuff, there are too much Do's and Don'ts except gossips, its our only entertainment....
Reason accepted, for now...
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Chinese Calligraphy Class
先学会了立，再学走和跑。。。老师这样说明学写书法的过程， 先正体，再学行书和扫书（看不懂的那种字体）
写书法要慢， 是培养修行的一种方法，养身修道，向内看。。。卢老师竟能看得出我哪些字是没有专心写的，写得特别快，不愧是写了三十年书法！ 对啊，在曼谷竟能找出和我同姓的人！
图一：中间下方，就是我卢某人的正楷，还不错，老师说，基础有了，但须领悟字的结构！
图二： 中间就是卢老师（中国），左边就是我的台湾朋友，雅婷，右边是刚认识的同学，雅丽（香港）和杨安娣（台湾）。
图三：这是我们写书法的客厅，是位师父住的地方，叫《云水居》。 挺写意的吧？
写书法要慢， 是培养修行的一种方法，养身修道，向内看。。。卢老师竟能看得出我哪些字是没有专心写的，写得特别快，不愧是写了三十年书法！ 对啊，在曼谷竟能找出和我同姓的人！
图一：中间下方，就是我卢某人的正楷，还不错，老师说，基础有了，但须领悟字的结构！
图二： 中间就是卢老师（中国），左边就是我的台湾朋友，雅婷，右边是刚认识的同学，雅丽（香港）和杨安娣（台湾）。
图三：这是我们写书法的客厅，是位师父住的地方，叫《云水居》。 挺写意的吧？
A Hurry Day from ss2 to Bangkok(click)
I didn't desribe in detail how I got to Bangkok on the New Year's Eve.
I woke up rushing to SS2, which is a half an hour away from home. I met with high school friends whom I haven't see in ages, some more than two years! It was fun eating toasted bread and Nasi Lemak, chatting with them about now and then.
I even brought my newly edited photo album, which I boasted I have been working 48 hours non-stop for the album!
Now that friends from Malaysia are scattered from Australia, to Malaysia, to England, it is already miracle that we could manage to find almost ten high school's buddies!
Then, I rushed back home for my last minute packing, and to bus interchange station. ( Yeap, my parents no longer worry about me going abroad) I took an hour and a half to reach the airport by bus and off I went!!
I didn't imagine the night blue sky of Kuala Lumpur can be that beautiful as well!! People always think that " the Moon looks better on the other side of the world" ?:P
Lucky me, I have an aunt to go to right after I arrived. The taxi driver was asking me whether I am going to count down, but staying at my Aunt's is way better than Count Down!! The view from their window oversees the horizon of Bangkok and the fireworks shot up at the same instance from different spot in the city!!!
picture 4: My aunt's home cook food!Yummy!!!:P
Sunday, January 6, 2008
New Year New Task
On the news, the King’s Sister at the age of 84 had just passed on. All people of Thailand are wearing black and white for 15 days or more to mourn for her. She has been a role model to many. Suddenly the streets of Klong Toey became black and white, leaving me no choice but to also bare in mind the latest color code. Does wearing black really show that you are mourning? And other color meaning you don’t care?
Happy New Year means back to work. My remaining three months, I want it to be fruitful. Slowly, workloads are coming in. We have the new applicants coming in for interviews for Norway; we have younger ones coming in to test for the Grade 8 seat in Singapore UWC; the potential students were sent to an International School for prep, starting next Monday, which means I have to help them catch up with homework.
Despite everything that is happening at the same time, I feel that I have waited long enough for it to come. Sometimes, waiting is a must do procedure to lead to the fruit at the end of the path. Some applicants have no idea of what they are applying but they are simply being called in. The good thing about this place is the sponsorship department has a big list of sponsor students to choose from. Some children were given sponsorship since pre-school, given that they are going to school persistently. The department monitors their school performance, and when they are scholarship available, they just have to call them in.
I always feel glad, after seeing Kun Usannee, the director browsing through the lists of names and immediately spell out their family history; though it is the big community I am talking about, but they are well taken care of! They are really in great hands.
I had a chat with my co-year, Muyambi from Uganda, who is currently studying in Bucknell of United States, brain storming for questions to ask in the interview. Yeah, the children’s faiths are partly on my shoulder!
One of my favorite questions came out from our discussion is -“Is it fair that some children have everything and some do not?”
I have to say I felt very emotional after listening to some of the answers. One girl replied, “It is not fair, but we can’t change our faith. Children who have everything sometimes do not treasure their opportunities while children who wanted one have nothing to hold on.”
Another confident answer sounded like this, “It is not fair. However, Children who have everything can’t really stand on their feet, while I can. I can search for my way to get something. I work hard, I study hard, and I will gain as much knowledge as possible to change my faith, so that I can have something at the end. I am poor, but I never complain about it, I just look at the bright side- I am independent and have the ability to fight!”
So, RCN members, the results are not out yet, but just look out for this particular fighting spirit in this coming August, that might be the girl whom I am talking about!
Happy New Year means back to work. My remaining three months, I want it to be fruitful. Slowly, workloads are coming in. We have the new applicants coming in for interviews for Norway; we have younger ones coming in to test for the Grade 8 seat in Singapore UWC; the potential students were sent to an International School for prep, starting next Monday, which means I have to help them catch up with homework.
Despite everything that is happening at the same time, I feel that I have waited long enough for it to come. Sometimes, waiting is a must do procedure to lead to the fruit at the end of the path. Some applicants have no idea of what they are applying but they are simply being called in. The good thing about this place is the sponsorship department has a big list of sponsor students to choose from. Some children were given sponsorship since pre-school, given that they are going to school persistently. The department monitors their school performance, and when they are scholarship available, they just have to call them in.
I always feel glad, after seeing Kun Usannee, the director browsing through the lists of names and immediately spell out their family history; though it is the big community I am talking about, but they are well taken care of! They are really in great hands.
I had a chat with my co-year, Muyambi from Uganda, who is currently studying in Bucknell of United States, brain storming for questions to ask in the interview. Yeah, the children’s faiths are partly on my shoulder!
One of my favorite questions came out from our discussion is -“Is it fair that some children have everything and some do not?”
I have to say I felt very emotional after listening to some of the answers. One girl replied, “It is not fair, but we can’t change our faith. Children who have everything sometimes do not treasure their opportunities while children who wanted one have nothing to hold on.”
Another confident answer sounded like this, “It is not fair. However, Children who have everything can’t really stand on their feet, while I can. I can search for my way to get something. I work hard, I study hard, and I will gain as much knowledge as possible to change my faith, so that I can have something at the end. I am poor, but I never complain about it, I just look at the bright side- I am independent and have the ability to fight!”
So, RCN members, the results are not out yet, but just look out for this particular fighting spirit in this coming August, that might be the girl whom I am talking about!
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