Friday, October 31, 2008

Global Leadership Summit 2008

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JING HUI! :D
Hope u had a great time at the summit! :)

Juz finished an E-Lecture... Complex numbers are reli complex, dunno y muz study them, lolx... The highlight of this week has been GLS'08, in which there was much to learn and be reminded abt... It was also a most rejuvenating break from sch I muz say :D I shall focus on some of the things that are more dear to my heart :) In particular here are 3 of the sessions...


Session 1: The High Drama Of Decision Making (Bill Hybels)

4 basic steps of decision making was mentioned:
- What does the bible say?
- What would smart advisors advise me to do?
- What have I learnt from the pain of past decisions, the gain of past decisions, and the experience I have that would inform this decision?
- Is the Spirit prompting me?

Bill also mentioned "axioms" which are the results of combining the 4 above steps...

Some of the cooler ones are:

"The best way to destroy my enemy is to turn him into my friend."
"Create a clash of ideas."
"Take a flyer." (calculated risk)


Session 2: Just Courage: Charging The Darkness (Gary Haugen)

"If you want your leadership to matter, lead in the things that matter to God."

That quote was one of my personal favorites :)
Just because we are leading and people are following, that doesn't mean we're leading in the issues and endeavors that matter to God...

Gary mentioned how we should lead when
1. the task seems hopeless,
2. the task seems scary and
3. the task is difficult

1. When the task seems hopeless, we have to lead by re-centering the basis of our hope, which is to focus on who God is instead of on what we have... I suppose many of us know this already but it really served as a good reminder to me :)

2. "Jesus did not come to make us safe; He came to make us BRAVE!"
This one was really enlightening... Many times we serve God in our comfort zones, thinking that that's all we will do for the rest of our lives... In fact, God wants to call us to an exciting adventure with Him! Of course there will be obstacles but that's why He came to make us brave! Sometimes we value safety too much and we feel stuck or even miss the adventure... Are we prepared to follow Jesus beyond what we can control?

3. Leading when the task is difficult
Here are 4 choices that leaders must make to lead effectively when the task is difficult...
- Choose not to be safe
- Choose to pursue deep spiritual health
- Choose to pursue excellence
- Choose to seize the joy that comes along the way


Session 6: Finding Your True North (Bill George)

This session talks about the purpose of our leadership... For a start, everyone of us is a leader in our own way, whether we like it or not...

It talks about a new definition for 21st Century Leadership:

ALIGN people around the vision and mission
EMPOWER the next generation to step up and lead
SERVE (Servant leadership)
COLLABORATE between and not just within organizations

Keys to Developing Into An Authentic Leader:

1. Understand the purpose of your leadership (follow your life compass)

2.Gain self-awareness (get feedback from others)

3. Be true to your values (stick to your principles)

4. Follow your motivated capabilities (develop what you are good at)

5. Build a support team around you (there is no such thing as a one-man show)

6. Lead an integrated life (be the same person in all environments)


All of the above are what I would like to share, esp. with those who did not have to chance to go for the GLS... I will be picking out some of the points to learn and use... Hopefully it will help me in my leadership :)

Friday, October 24, 2008

Is It Possible?

*WARNING:THE FOLLOWING MAY INDUCE NEGATIVITY!
READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!*


I wonder if its possible to experience mixed emotions at the same time... Apparently empirical evidence tells me tat it is indeed possible... It was wad I experienced this past week =/ There were mixed feelings of anxiety, resignation, joy and sadness... Sometimes I reli wonder if I made the right choice in choosing this course... Even thought of quitting sch b4... Did I slap myself in the face when I decided to take up Econs as well?

N the question is not whether u are struggling but how well are u struggling? On the day b4 my Linguistics Quiz, Calculus Midterm results were released... I got 89%, and the cohort avg. was 75%! It was a reli unexpected and pleasant surprise, which spurred me on to study for the next day's test... 30 MCQs, think I tik kam abt 10, lolx... But overall still not tat bad I suppose... Then on Wed C++ Midterm results were released... I got 3.5/10, which was somewhat the best possible score considering tat I didnt do more than half the paper... My first so-called failure, but somehow I knew tat I shdnt juz gif up like tat... Then today got back my Foundations of Math Quiz 1... 65%... Reality is harsh and competition is tough... There can be crazy ppl out there who get 100% for the above 3 tests tat I mentioned, and to them its juz a piece of cake... Sometimes I juz wonder what I'm getting myself into...

Of cos everyone knows tat results r not everything, and shdnt define your self-worth, but I guess in Singapore it has juz become so practical... No paper no job... Oh God help me to learn to look at the bigger picture and not to lose hope... I reli need better time management... Somehow the pressure is on to do well in this first sem... Who doesnt wanna do well? But the sad truth is tat in Uni sometimes the amt of effort u put in juz isnt proportional to the number of marks u get... I can totally understand all the students out there in which this kinda thing happens... U seriously and truly study hard, but at the end of the day the results u get seem to tell u tat u might as well not study, cos u'll prob get the same results... Some ppl say its a matter of studying hard but not studying smart... In any case, the feeling's juz not gd...

20 more days to Doomsday :(((

32 more days to Freedom :)))

Still, in the midst of all this gloom, there's still stuff to look forward to =)

Got an appt with Kai Lun this Sunday; its been a long time since we last met up and I wonder how he's doing in NUS :D

Mon and Tues's GLS!! Last yr was a gd exp and I'm certainly looking forward to it this yr! That shall be my break b4 I reli mug all the way :D

Actually there's so many stuff tat I wanna post but have been uber busy the past week... Do expect less frequent updates from now till 25th Nov, which is exactly one month from now where it'll be my last paper! :)

Oh ya b4 I end this post juz wanna show off some pics I took in sch when Dad came down on Wed to sign my Study Loan Agreement... When you take time off to appreciate stuff, sometimes u see things tat u dont usually see :)



Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Give blood! =)

I gave blood for the first time in my life today! Waited for almost 2 hrs b4 I finally got to donate blood... So many admin matters, from filling in the registration form to letting the doctor check ur temperature, weight, blood pressure... Then still got poke my finger to draw out some blood to dip in some blue liquid see got chemical reaction ornot, lolx... After tat was basically queuing and more queuing... The actual process was surprisingly quite painless... Apply alcohol, then inject local anaesthetic, and b4 u noe it, the needle's in! Looked at my bag of blood slowly filling up while occasionally clenching the pumpkin ball that they gave :D The whole thing was over in less than half an hour, including the resting time and bandaging time... Quite a positive first exp. in donating blood! My next eligible donation date is 7th Jan 2009 :)





Monday, October 13, 2008

Stocking up...

With exactly one more month to judgement day I decided to stock up my rm with some fd, so tat I dont faint with hunger late at night... Went to tm to get my stuff after going for K at Katong ytd... We reli 自-highed and went crazy sia, lolx... Its been a long time since I ever did anything like that liao :D

Oh ya, I managed to take a few pics of our new main hall, by special request of Gab :) Paiseh didnt manage to take the sub-hall and 3rd floor yet, but I promise they'll be up soon...





And this is my nice little souvenir from Han En who juz came back from HK! :)


Thanks sis!! :D

Friday, October 10, 2008

Do you agree?

Your Personality Style Description:
A team player, Samuel readily relinquishes personal interests and goals to accommodate those close to him. He is loyal to a fault; but others may sometimes question his unwavering dedication to current relationships and methods. Samuel values security, and usually does his best to avoid sudden changes in his environment or situation.

Neat and orderly, others usually see Samuel as practical. He needs adequate information to make decisions, and he will consider the pros and cons. He may be sensitive to criticism, and will tend to internalize his emotions. Samuel likes to clarify expectations before undertaking new projects, and he will follow a logical process to gain successful results.

A warm, outgoing person, Samuel enjoys having a high level of interaction with others. He usually finds the "silver lining" in a difficult situation, and typically enjoys the thrill of trying new things. He has a gift for influencing those around him and is viewed as an instinctive communicator. Others find Samuel easy to approach and enjoy his easy, open rapport.

Because he values relationships, Samuel prefers to withdraw from conflict and avoid issues that may be confrontational. He may have a tendency to question his own ability to take charge, so he will tend to join in with a team or submit to strong authority. Samuel is a "team player", and typically is excellent in a supporting role.

*Btw, Happy Birthday to Shuqi and Joelle! :D

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Lecture Tidbits...

Ok this is wad I've been learning these few days; random stuff from my lectures... The 2π is ultra cool la!!! :D



I drove for the 4th consecutive night to and from sch and its reli v cool la :) Got many opportunities to brush up on my driving skills, esp. driving during heavy traffic and parking the car... Now the car is in sch, but of cos I promised not to drive it ard as and when I like, lolx...

Things are looking better now, as in academically... I actually was curious enough to go try out the C++ past yr exams ytd night and almost got hooked on trying to solve the problems, lolx... The technical parts of Linguistics seemed abit easier to grasp now, prob due to the exposure I have... Calculus lectures are getting more and more interesting, and at least I understand the other Math lecture... Econs is getting harder, though I somewhat still understand wad the lecturers are saying... The equation for Philips Curve seems cool nonetheless :D



*Sometimes I'm amazed tat I'm learning all these stuff and I actually understand what they're all about :)

Monday, October 6, 2008

Get serious...

I suppose I need to be more serious... Literally flunked my C++ midterm and I'm hoping for 70% for Calculus midterm, which is not too gd... At least Calculus was more doable than C++, but I'm reli glad its over... Finals are in ard 5 weeks time and today my Micro tutor told us tat she'll start assessing us during tutorials... We'll hav to go up, draw our diagrams and explain to the whole class how we arrived at the answer... I was like OH NO!!! Still have to explain??? Guess I better start making sure I attempt every qn b4 tutorial, lolx...

After killing zillions of brain cells by taking 2 midterms within 3 hrs, I headed down to Tampines to meet Jasmine, Weilin and Joel, supposedly to study... But obviously who in their right mind studies straight away after an exam right??? So I juz took out my Math text and started reading something random, like Mathematical Induction... I would say tat it was quite a fruitful study time for them except tat Joel was a little bit too hyperactive and he kept toking to us, lolx... But of cos we keep suan-ing him until he got nothing to say, then he'll start again from another topic, hahaz...

After tat met up with Chengxin, Sing Heng and Alvin for dinner... First time seeing them botak!! :D It still reminds me of myself nearly 3 yrs ago! Cell was at Jasper's place after tat and it was reli a long long never-ending discussion which will prob nv end if we keep on toking and toking, lolx... Some things juz dont have a direct ans, or in fact many things, so let's learn to hold on to wad we believe in and move on, if not it'll juz be a vicious cycle again and again :)

Sunday. Felly's Birthday. HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY!!! :D Went out with Li Juan, Kaiqi, Chengyi, and Ivan to celebrate. Ate at MOF at Suntec, then Chengyi went upstairs to work and Ivan had to leave... We then went arcade to play basketball (which is super addictive) and the spot-the-difference game... After tat went to Andersson's and ordered their classic set... Spent some time there chilling and toking b4 heading down to her place... Hung ard for awhile then went down to the coffeeshop for dinner... The prata is superb la!! :D N the ice-milo was oso very nice... Juz like tat, one whole sunday almost gone liao... N I still went down to JJ's chalet after tat for his 21st Bday... Missed the BBQ but at least I managed to wish him in person :)






I wonder if I can go like this, and stick to my plan of studying onli on weekdays and playing/going out on weekends... I certainly dont wanna study 7 days a week, cos I'll go crazy, but it seems like I dont hav enough time to complete my tutorials, lolx... Anyway for now, the plan is to start studying for finals, somewhere, somehow... 5 weeks is not long, and I dont wanna go into a nervous breakdown the week b4 exams... One good thing: after this wk I'll be much more free cos 2 of my students finish their exams and I will end my last CCA session... Next week onwards, I'll turn into a die-hard mugger, provided I manage to convince myself to mutate into one...

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Exams...

I repeat, its seriously NOT fun when you and ur students hav exams in the same week =/ That's wad I will be facing, at least until the end of next week... With C++ and Calculus coming up this Sat, and 2 of my students having their EOYs next week, time juz seems to slip by pretty quickly... The one week break made me super slack, and now I'm having difficulty adjusting to the hectic sch pace again...

Anyway I got back both my Econs quizzes... 8/10 for both Micro and Macro... For Micro it still seems quite average, but for Macro there's like alot of ppl getting 9 or 10 la... I finally understand how competitive it is in Uni... Usually if I get 80% for any test I would be rather happy, or at least I noe tat I did quite well... Now its like 80% is the norm or even below average... How to survive liddat? No matter wad, I still wanna thank all the ppl who encouraged me and told me to continue to strive hard :) Indeed, eventually I'm competing with myself, pushing on and on to realise my full potential... That will be the day when I noe its not me but God working with me :D Gotta tell myself to hang in there!!

Went for the IHG (Inter-Hall Games) Badminton trials ytd and apparently I got in, or at least the IC asked if I would like to play for the Hall and said tat she'll send us the training schedules... Well, I juz got myself occupied on Tuesday nights for badminton trainings... Dont reli noe wad its gonna be like but I juz noe one thing for sure: I dont mind playing badminton on a regular basis! :D IHGs are held in Dec but it doesnt reli matter... If I'm not free I think I'll juz gif it a miss, the most impt thing is I get to play in sch every week, lolx... Chances are I wont be able to play in Dec cos there's lots of stuff coming up... For this yr, on top of the usual end-of-year church activities, I'll prob be helping Weiting with her YMCA camp... Plus I may go on a family holiday too and I noe I need to go for IPPT in Dec as well... Sounds crazy enough? I juz hope tat this Dec will be a crazily busy and hopefully FUN period for me! :)

Today I went to study at the airport with Kaiqi, but didnt reli cover alot... Finished onli abt 50% of Calculus... The surprising thing is how come so many ppl knew I was studying at the airport, lolx... I didnt reli puzlicize it and somehow it seemed as if the whole world knew, haha... Terminal 1's BK is reli a gd place to study, and given the number of ppl studying there, u would think it was some study corner instead of a fastfood restaurant... Its crazily scary, saw tons of 'O' and 'A' Level students mugging like there's no tomorrow sia... Of cos, I'm oso one of the ppl mugging there la, but its like I dont rmbr studying THAT hard for 'O's... I mean last time I studied hard la, but the sight was simply insane... Ppl can camp there for one whole day juz to study!

Random pic coming up... I thought it was nice... This is Weiming's farewell a few weeks ago at the airport... I chionged there on Mon morning b4 heading down to sch for lesson :)


It is amazing how true frens juz happen to be there for u at the right time... Sometimes I marvel at the exactness of the situation, be it a timely sms, phone call, or juz somehow knowing tat ur frens reli do care... The following quotes are dedicated to all my friends, be it new or old and I juz wanna let all of u noe tat I cherish each and every one of you :)


"Walking with a friend in the dark is better than walking alone in the light."

"It is not so much our friends' help that helps us as the confident knowledge that they will help us."

"A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out."

"A friend is one who believes in you when you have ceased to believe in yourself."

"Friends are God's way of taking care of us."

"Friendship: a building contract you sign with laughter and break with tears."

"Everyone hears what you say. Friends listen to what you say. Best friends listen to what you don't say."

"The most beautiful discovery that true friends can make is that they can grow separately without growing apart."

"True friendship is sitting together in silence and feeling like it was the best conversation you've ever had."

"The best things in life aren't things...they're friends."

"The best gift in life is knowing that we have someone who loves us unconditionally, who can make us laugh, who is there to listen and who warms our heart. The best gift in life is a best friend."

"Be yourself because the people that mind don't matter and the people that matter don't mind."