2.27.2009

Sheng Long

All youths have that something in them and what actually is lacking is a chance to showcase and nurture that part of them.

Sheng Long being one of the few pioneer members of SP.PRIMERS chose to continue serving in this family even after graduation. Always setting high standards for himself and his EXCO, he is a man who leads by example.

As a BB Boy in his secondary school days, he had knowledge of SP.PRIMERS even before he came to the polytechnic. However he was not considering it as a long term CCA as the club was deemed too dull and inactive to satisfy and fuel his passion to try new things.

He often criticized the programs run by the seniors. The reason Sheng Long was always so disgruntled was that the club lacked vision, thus he decided to quit after attending the first ever combined orientation camp with NP and NY Primers.

However a simple phone call changed his journey. Kenny had invited Sheng Long to join them in a time of planning for the new academic year and through this he got to know Ps Danny whom shared his heart with him. In that time of sharing, he wondered how a person could have so much passion and belief in something that is unseen. He later found out the answer – faith.

He saw the vision that Ps Danny had and committed himself to assist in building the club up. After a tough time planning for recruitment (which is now known as YOUcampaign), he found joy working with the people around him for a common goal.

Sheng Long believes that all youths should be given a platform to shine and unleash their potential. All youths have that something in them and what actually is lacking is a chance to showcase and nurture that part of them. He is committed in giving them that platform. To him, it is more important to be willing to put in effort and heart into doing something rather than seeing the results.

His very own principle is to lead by example. He never suggests things that are unrealistic or unachievable. He makes sure that he is competent enough for a certain task before delegating to the younger ones. From there, he walks through the journey of learning with them.

Despite his hectic and inconsistent schedule in the Air Force, the spirit of the family in Primers keeps Sheng Long going. He is always encouraged when he sees how each and everyone in Primers stick it out in bad and stressful times and share the joy in good times.

This officer loves to discover new things and enjoys designing and experimenting with colors in his free time. His outgoing personality renders him the one normally initiating a chat or sharing his experience in a group. His advice for the youths out there is to take that first step and try and you will not regret it!

Check out Sheng Long's
Facebook: - HERE
Twitter: - HERE




2.26.2009

My Birthday

Have you appreciated your mom for your birthday yet?

Yesterday was my birthday, and there was alot of well wishes and gifts for me. I am thankful for all of them and never felt more loved in all of my 29 years of living.

I really did not realised how much friends and loved ones I have, and its been a time of thanksgiving personally to God and the community of people that have stood by me all these years!

But I have always kinda struggled with the issue of birthday celebration and the big hoo ha about this special day. I have not made a point to celebrate on the day itself and felt that it is anything but a special day. I cannot fathom the deep attachment and at times "reverence" that some of us have towards our own personal SPECIAL day.

What is the big deal?

Well maybe you will be wondering if I have changed my stand in this thinking, but nope I have not. Rather I think an even more amazing person that I feel should be honored in my birthday. Which is my mom!

She carried me for 9 full months till the day of 25th Feb 1980. Bearing with all the discomfort, pain and tiredness with her and finally I came out!  I believe she had joy and comfort along the way, but the sacrifices that she had to make are tremendous in nature!

She is the BEST and I do love her alot. So I also want to say if she is ever reading this blog post, MOM I LOVE YOU! And thank you for having me and bearing with all the nonsense I have given you during the 9 months and more so the past 29 years of my life! You are my hero and someone that is most dear to me!

Kenny Foo

2.20.2009

Huishan

Huishan believes youths can make a difference in the choices they make

Huishan is a faithful young lady who never fails to show enthusiasm in meeting people. Care and concern never seems to depart from her. She is always seen getting people involved and making a constant effort to help everybody blend in.

Huishan was introduced to Primers by her seniors even before she was in SP. Back then, she was not really considering Primers as a CCA but the friendliness of the people in the club brought her from one event to another. She joined the team for a humanitarian trip to Sri Lanka, in the Tamil Tiger Region to help in the Tsunami. Through it, she built a closer and stronger relationship with her fellow Primers.

In 2006, Huishan was invited onboard to serve as Vice-President of the club. Despite her inexperience and lack of skill set, she trusts in the leadership that she was the best person to be put up for this position. The journey was not easy for a young girl like her but the constant care and support she gets from Primers keeps her going on. Shenglong and Kenny were also very supportive in coaching and guiding her in her role. The thought of giving up never sink into her heart.

Graduated in 2008, Huishan chose to continue to serve in Primers as an officer. She is committed into building the lives of youths as an elder sister to them. She constantly take time to listen and share her experiences with the youths. She enjoys doing so as she sees her youthful self in them. The people in the family is the most important reason why she is still around. She sees them as family members, people who are close to her heart. Witnessing how they love the people, it gives Huishan the desire to replicate this love to the youths, and have more people to experience the goodness she went through.

Huishan believes youths can make a difference in the choices they make. She is interested in helping them analyze and make the right choice. At the same time, she believes in giving support to youths to build the courage in them in making choices. The process is more important that the product. Her principle of coaching is by relating her experiences with the youths.
This young lady shows that it is important to excel in your own personal development and relationship with one another. It is not a matter of ‘When’ but a matter or ‘Will’. Being a cheerful person, she enjoys seeing smiles on faces of people she meets. She is currently working at a student care centre at Pei Tong CareHut, as a programme coordinator.

Check out Huishan's
Facebook: - HERE



2.19.2009

Mount K Climb

Mount K Climb 1st week of April, S$750. Interested call Kenny or your respective officers.



This is an entry I pulled off from another blogger, I feel it best describe the whole experience of the climb.
So if you are interested pls do call up either callers, or respective officers to them you are interested.

"As I said in a previous post, Mount Kinabalu stood at 4095.2 meters ASL (Above Sea Level). I was starting at sea level and within 24 hours I'd be shivering triumphantly at the top, completed in four stages, this is my story and how I achieved success.

Stage 1. Getting out of bed

7am, not an easy start I can tell you, I managed to get some toast with lashings and lashings of peanut butter to fill up on fuel for my walk to catch the bus. The journey was two hours long with smatterings of trying to be social and continuing with my sleep. It was tough. We arrived at Park HQ, about 1600 ASL, 88KM from KK. After an amount of bureaucracy that I've not seen for a while we were allowed to start climbing. Apparently the paper work is to do with making sure everyone that goes up makes it back down....

Stage 2. A very quick 4K

I originally thought that the park HQ was the starting point of the trail, but no, myself and my happy group of travelers bounded into a minibus and were driven 4KM up a windy road to the Power Station (A real indication of how Malaysians treat their rainforest), I'm now 1866 meters ASL, almost halfway, and it's been a breeze.

Stage 3. Hike to Laban Rata, when the going gets tough, I start complaining

An ascent of 1800 meters stood ahead of me (by coincidence exactly the height of Ben Nevis in Scotland). We started, and we started by going downhill, I knew that for every meter down they'd be an extra meter back up and although it seamed fairly funny at the time I didn't realise that once it started going up, it kept going up. The climb is 99% uphill and according to the Lonely Planet it's 'unrelenting', I could certainly have come up with something more descriptive that that that that, hey LP put me on the payroll, how about 'mind numbingly painful', 'make's grown men cry', 'knee surgery inducing', you get the idea. The first section is only 6KM in length with rest stops roughly every 750 meters. You really start to crave these stops, just to avoid the man made steps that have been built into the side of the hill, and of course to try and catch your breath. Since we'd come from sea level that day we decided to take our time, thankfully there weren't any mad climbers in our group and we all stayed together.

It was great chatting to the people that were coming down. They were all genuinely pleased to pass on their best wishes any to say how spectacular it was. As we approached the 3300 meter night stop it started to get a little chilly and as we arrived it was downright cold. We'd taken 5 hours to cover 6KM, we arrived just in time to tuck into the all you can eat buffet, and we ate loads, all in the name of carb loading you understand. The main room wasn't heated and I was starting to get too cold sitting there in my hat and several layers. Just after 7pm we decided to call it a night, and headed for bed. When I booked the bunk I didn't realise that there was a choice of room types, namely unheated for 17 Ringgits (2 pounds 50), or heated 34 Ringgit (5 pounds). I'd booked an unheated room and was starting to get a little worried about it. My room had 4 bunks and when I turned up there was a Japanese couple already in the bottom bunks looking rather snug in their 4 season sleeping bags. I had to make do by basically wearing almost all my clothes from my backpack....

2 pairs of thick socks

1 pair of underwear (non-thermal)

1 pair of long shorts

1 pair of trousers

1 long sleeved T-shirt

3 short sleeved T-shirt

1 tracksuit top

1 hat

2 pair of gloves

1 cotton sleep sack

1 blanket from my bunk

1 blanket from the unoccupied bunk beside me

1 prayer

1 waterproof jacket on standby

1 windy night

1 drafty room

2am rise to look forward to.

Stage 4. The reach for glory

I met my fellow mountaineers at 2:30 the next morning ready for the 800 meter push to the summit, they'd all stayed in the heated rooms. They barely got a wink of sleep as it was too hot! They'd lay there with as few clothes as possible with the window open just praying for a little sleep. I meanwhile had managed to get about 5 hours sleep between 7pm and 2am, I was awoken by my bladder at 11pm. There was no way I was getting out of my cocoon to satisfy one bodily function when all other bodily functions and organs were happy where they lay, a vote was taken, it was a landslide victory. We originally planned to get going around 2:30, but by the time all the faffing was completed we set out around 3am. I was still wearing all my night time attire with the exception of the cotton sleep sack and blankets, and the inclusion of the emergency waterproof jacket. I was still cold.

We were still in the tree line so were relatively sheltered. After about an hour this changed and we reached the point where it's too cold and windy even for plants. A huge expanse of rock with a white rope to lead the way. One of our group was starting to suffer and eventually we split taking our guide with her, so the five remaining went forth with only the white rope to lead the way. The path was still 'unrelenting' as it continued uphill. Eric the Norge had been suffering from a headache the previous day and it returned as he gained more height, he was suffering from the altitude and the fact that we'd not had enough time to properly acclimatise. At about 4:30 we reached the summit checkpoint where we checked in before continuing. It was a strange sight ahead watching a stream of torches all heading the same way. Just after the checkpoint the incline increased to about a 45 degree angle and officially became 'mind numbingly painful'. The only way up this section was to take it slowly and zig-zag from left to right. I passed a group that were using wine-gums as their major source of energy and amusement (at this point the mountain wasn't providing amusement), myself and my peanut MMs passed them with relative ease, obviously a superior mountain snack.

I knew that the sun rose at approximately 6am, I wanted to be at the top for this so I had to push on. I found myself on my own, but there was no way I was waiting for the others since I'd just get cold. I passed a few very cold looking souls on the way up, but it was just me, the white rope and the impending sunrise that kept me going. A little before Low's Peak the sky started to change colour and I knew that the sun was almost here. I made it just in time, found a little cove in the rocks and watched as the sky changed from a very thin red line through to a more yellow flourish of colour. I took my gloves off in order to use my camera without the fumbling. Within two minutes I couldn't feel my fingers and even after the replacement of my gloves my fingers were still numb for about half an hour. David and Jackie arrived at the summit not long after me and I climbed the last 10 meters to get my photo with the plate at the top. I was so happy that I'd made it that I celebrated by immediately descending to get out of the wind.

I'd not seen a thing in the dark more than 20 meters either side of white rope on the way up, but with the arrival of sunlight the whole mountain opened up to me. Walking back down I looked across one of the most famous shots of Mount K, a vast smooth granite rock which is then twisted at the very end into the shape of a shark fin. Maybe it was the cold, or the tiredness, or the altitude, or maybe it was the realisation of what I'd done, of where I really was, but tears came to my eyes as I started walking down looking at the shark fin. I was just so happy to be standing staring at the view. The view that I'd been familiar with over the last number of years through photos, yet here I was seeing it for real, it was one of those moments in life where you have an amazing feeling of well-being and contentment which just makes you glow from the inside. We meandered our way back down to Laban Rata, arriving around 8am. Out of the six in our group, five of us made the summit. Poor Rachael was so close but was forced to turn back due to the cold, she was perhaps only 30 minutes away and able to see the summit but it wasn't to be. The attrition rate on the hillside is quite high as it really is a tough climb, so her story is an oft repeated tale.

Stage 5. The Secret Level

I guess it was the heat of the moment, but in all the excitement I completely forgot about the walk down from Laban Rata to the power station. After we demolished a fair portion of buffet breakfast each we started our decent around 10am. It didn't take long before the heat of Borneo came back to us and we were able to start taking off layers of clothes. Back to shorts and T-shirts, that's what holidays are about. We were in a jovial mood resting each of the shelters. We'd chat with the new arrivals that were heading up the hill passing on gems such as "Good Luck", "Wrap up warm", "Slow and steady". We'd then be rather rude and talk about them behind their back, "They only had two t-shirts and a fleece", "They don't have a hat", "They don't have a bed booked at Laban Rata!".

It didn't take long before the steep steps down started to really take their toll, my thighs were really starting to ache with each downward step and the knees were taking a good old knock. People walking up were probably looking at me and starting to worry. In the end it took us 5 hours to decend this section. Exactly the same length of time it'd taken us to ascend, that just goes to show how knackered we were by the time we got to the bottom. From start to finish it took us 28 hours, 15 hours of those were walking and 13 hours resting. I got a bus back to Kota Kinabalu after the climb and was in my bed around 8pm, I slept for 12 hours and when I awoke everything was sore, even my arms! I need some more rest time before attempting to get on with anything else. I'll always look back at the climb as one of my highlights of this trip, I loved it. "

Ben Lee

He believes that through sharing and building bonds of trust, he can influence, support and encourage others to achieve over and above what they previously would have thought impossible.

Ben is currently Computer Science undergraduate at NTU, he graduated from Temasek Polytechnic in 2004. Not someone who enjoys the hustle and bustle, he prefers to concentrate on the simpler and quieter things that are around. Laid back but yet pragmatic with an eye for details, he adds another slice of diversity to the personalities of the officers in SP.Primers.

His journey with SP.Primers began in 2008, answering the call to help develop the next generation of leaders through SP.Primers. His experiences with the club so far have further fueled his desire to see even more lives enriched and changed.
As someone who values relationships greatly, he enjoys building close relationships with those he works with. And to those he shares such bonds with, they will discover that beneath the seemingly dull exterior is a personality that is as colourful as any other. He believes that through sharing and building bonds of trust, he can influence, support and encourage others to achieve over and above what they previously would have thought impossible.

Check out Ben's
Facebook: - HERE



2.14.2009

Reunion Dinner 2009



Here's the photos for Reunion Dinner! Thanks to all who helped to buy, prepare and cook the food!! And also all those who were here earlier to helpsetup the place!!

2.13.2009

Orhlympics Videos






Orhlympics Photos

2.09.2009

Chick Class

For those who are really studying non stop, just a funny lecture for you to watch.


This is the lecture notes so that you can follow it closely
Chicken