"Woah, can see Singapore from up here!", I exclaimed out loud. Where was I? Halfway up a coconut tree in Tanjung Piai on the southern tip of Peninsula Malaysia. What was I doing? Taking part in the Basic Officers Training Course Residential Weekend. Climbing up a coconut tree (btw thats someone else, not me climbing in the picture) was one of the activities lined up. It feels kind of like a high elements obstacle but unlike the man-made ones that we are used to, this is au naturel and 100% organic.
When I was done gawking at the sight of home, I looked down at the people who were supporting me. There was 1 belayer, 1 anchor man, 1 backup belayer, 1 rope manager and a couple other people providing vocal support. 6 people working hard just to get 1 person to the top safely.
There and then I found a parallel between this experience and that of a typical journey in Primers. The officers and student leadership of the club play a supporting role for each Primer so that they can achieve over and above what they were ever able to do on their own. And like those of us climbing the coconut tree in Malaysia, each Primer can decide how high they would like to climb. A quarter way? Half way? Or even all the way up. We cannot haul each other up the tree but we can continue to be both challenging and supportive at the same time. Each member of the Primers family is there to help one another achieve their goals and dreams no matter how big or small.
Thats how Primers will continue to be, so that everyone of us can climb high and get to the coconuts at the top.
Its been a long time since I last posted but I will try to write at least once a month updating you guys about my thoughts and life and hopefully some great insight about life and Primers in general! It has been a tough 2 months for me in life but it was a great time of growth and I really believe I have toughen up more as a person both emotionally and physically..(i am trying to keep fitter...ha)
Well to start off this year for you I got a great quote to start it off!
The greatest handicap: Fear The best day: Today Easiest thing to do: Find a fault Most useless asset: Pride The greatest mistake: Giving Up Greatest stumbling block: Egotism The greatest comfort: Work well done Most disagreeable person: The complainer Worst bankruptcy: Loss of enthusiasm Greatest need: Common sense Meanest feeling: Regreat at another' success Best gift: Forgiveness The greatest moment: Death Greatest knowledge: God The greatest thing in the world: Love
Monday 23 Nov was the Opening of SGB 2009 in SP. Although I was not able to attend, I could feel the excitement through the facebook status updates and tweets of some of you Primers.
Not willing to be left out of the action, I shared with my students about SGB and how they can raise a food pack as a class. I wrote to my colleagues in TOUCH and my cell mates to rally their support. I went to NTUC to check out the prices, and in my excitement I bought my first food pack!
My Tweet: Bought my 1st food pack! Fingers breaking. Pray for an empty 147. $55 poorer, but million dollars happier! :)
Checking out the price means find the cheapest alternative available, the value of food pack amounts to about $40-45.
Although I had in mind to prove that you can get a food pack at $40, the outcome is vastly different.
I started to consider, what flavour of instant noodles would the family like? My personal favourite is CQYD sesame oil. I bought that and a Myojo Abalone flavoured one. Oil was priced lowest at $5.95, but Knife (branded oil ok!) had an offer. Lee Kum Kee Oyster sauce comes FREE with $7.90 Knife Brand. I think the family will be thrilled to have OYSTER sauce for their cooking! So I took that instead.
Between a pack of 15 sachets instant milo $6 vs 1.4kg tin Milo $12. A tin of milo would surely last a whole month? That is 15 servings vs 50 servings of milo drink! So milo tin it is…
I was pleasantly surprised to find myself thinking for the anonymous families. I know that we choose to give because the beneficiaries need the food items. But I learnt that I NEED TO give because I NEED the warmth in heart that comes when I give. I guess that keeps me a human. =)
In the end, it is no longer about fulfilling a food pack, but the PEOPLE behind the food pack that matters.
"Money never made a man happy yet, nor will it. The more a man has, the more he wants. Instead of filling a vacuum, it makes one." - Benjamin Franklin
This is a truly sobering quote that is runs contrary to the "money makes the world go round" school of thought. We live in a society that is entrenched in greed and many times we are caught up in the midst of it all.
We study so we can get a good high paying job and with that we will be happy. But will we? When was the last time the joy we got out of our shiny new toy or new clothes lasted for more than a few weeks? Before long, its on to the next item on our buying hit list. Is wealth just an endless cycle of amassing money and buying things?
As we enter this season of giving through SGB, we stand to be enriched much more through the time and effort we put in. Most of us may be more financially privileged than the people we are trying to help but are we truly as rich as we think we are?
“No man can tell whether he is rich or poor by turning to his ledger. It is the heart that makes a man rich. He is rich or poor according to what he is, not according to what he has."
There is much that we stand to gain, in terms of character and heart, through the journey of helping our beneficiaries and even interacting with them.
lets start with the person in the mirror, one step at at time to love, to learn, to give!
I am writing this blog entry as today marks the first day of our SGB project! The guys went out to Clementi area to distribute flyers to the residents asking them to donate a food pack each! We are aiming to get at least 100 food packs from 4000 units of HDB flats!
But as this whole project gets on the way, a deep stirring in my heart began to happen, as its been quite some time that I have been as involved in the project as I am this year! (the previous few years I was more or less somewhat of an advisor, the last time I really actually did something was way back in 2005!)A question beckons, why do I, Kenny Foo choose to do SGB? What is something that I can learn/grow from this journey? As a family why do we do it?
Well whenever I start thinking like this a song comes to my mind! A Michael Jackson Song ( I am a MJ fan k....even though i do not approve of his lifestyle but his songs are really good!)
Man in the mirror
I'm Gonna Make A Change, For Once In My Life It's Gonna Feel Real Good, Gonna Make A Difference Gonna Make It Right . . .
As I, Turn Up The Collar On My Favourite Winter Coat This Wind Is Blowin' My Mind I See The Kids In The Street, With Not Enough To Eat Who Am I, To Be Blind? Pretending Not To See Their Needs A Summer's Disregard, A Broken Bottle Top And A One Man's Soul They Follow Each Other On The Wind Ya' Know 'Cause They Got Nowhere To Go That's Why I Want You To Know
I'm Starting With The Man In The Mirror I'm Asking Him To Change His Ways And No Message Could Have Been Any Clearer If You Wanna Make The World A Better Place Take A Look At Yourself, And Then Make A Change
I've Been A Victim Of A Selfish Kind Of Love It's Time That I Realize That There Are Some With No Home, Not A Nickel To Loan Could It Be Really Me, Pretending That They're Not Alone?
A Willow Deeply Scarred, Somebody's Broken Heart And A Washed-Out Dream They Follow The Pattern Of The Wind, Ya' See Cause They Got No Place To Be That's Why I'm Starting With Me
I'm Starting With The Man In The Mirror I'm Asking Him To Change His Ways And No Message Could Have Been Any Clearer If You Wanna Make The World A Better Place Take A Look At Yourself And Then Make A Change
(of course there is always a video in my blog entry!)
Doing community service many times I hear people say how noble so and so is, or how noble I am when I choose to give, but for me? I always want to give, choose to give so that my heart will always remain tender to the needs of the poor. So that my heart is still a HEART, not one that is self centered or materialistic. I believe that in giving to others, I gain much much more than what I have given! An experience, a smile, a realization that I can only do so much, so little for the people around.
This caused me to even treasure the people around me more, not to take them for granted, and always taking God for my situation around me. The challenge like the song sings, it always starts from the person in the mirror. One step at a time, one person to care for at one time! I challenge you to give to this project just like me, I have given both time, money and more importantly my heart into this!
Come on Primers lets do a good job to feed the poor out there!Remember you are only as poor as you cannot give! And when you are tired, remember the 250 families out there awaiting for the fruits of our efforts!
Kenny Foo
In case you wanna know some other songs of MJ...one more clip for you guys! This is a guy who did a medley of just SOME of the songs of MJ!
Yes guys, I promise to post more often and I am starting to write again and consolidate some of my thoughts again. But here is a post to start it off that I read off the net!
When we create, we come alive; we’re making love to life. We use our unique talents, perception and skills and make the intangible tangible. Most of us generally know what we want in life. For every person, the answer to what brings us joy will be unique. For some it’s playing guitar or dancing. For others it’s writing, hiking, spending time with family, photography, or drawing.
So if we know what makes us feel alive, why do we resist it? Why do we avoid doing what we love to do?
I think there’s a number of reasons that can help us explain this elusive phenomenon. Hopefully in discovering the blocks toward pursuing what is dearest to us, we can overcome them.
So why do we resist?
1. The inability to accept imperfections. Do you think that Mona Lisa was Da Vinci’s first painting? We think, if it’s not perfect, why bother? But when we pursue the creative act, it’s crucial that we suspend judgment. After all, you can always cull the fluff and ridiculous later.
What to do instead? Resist your temptation to have everything figured out before you start. Failure is fundamental to the creative process. If you don’t fail, you’ll never improve. Suspend your judgment and remember that whatever you don’t like, you can always take out or re-do.
2. Not respecting the gestation of improvement. Say you have a passion for dancing. The only problem is, you’d make a blind man cry. Remember that mastery of any art or skill takes time. No one starts out being a natural Michael Jackson. And anyway, look what fame did to him. Are you sure you want that?
What’s a poor Napoleon Dynamite to do? Respect the fact that mastering any skill takes time. Instead of thinking about all the things that aren’t right, think about what you can do now to improve.
3. Not accepting your creative identity. All great artists, poets, musicians and creators, excelled by accepting their artistic identity. The truth is, we are all artists. We’re creating the story of our life in each moment. We’re not just humans living, we’re artists shaping a story. Accepting your identity as an artist is accepting your creative nature.
4. We’ve turned our passion into work. Anytime you feel that you must do something, you lose inspiration. You lose your sense of excitement. In our society and in general, we have a clearly separate work and play. “Work hard, play hard!” is a common motto people tell others to make them feel a little better about their drudgery. We don’t have to dread work, it’s a choice. That’s the problem when our passion has also become our work. We tend to think it’s our passion has become something we must do. There’s no fun in that.
The truth is, we’re often the most productive when what we’re doing has absolutely no dateline no pressure. We come alive when we’ve lost track of time, doing what we love.
Perhaps its not our weakness, but our greatness that we fear the most.
So question time, what is your passion? What is your dream? Let me list you a couple of mine that I have at the start of my Primers Journey.
1. I would like to lead a team every year on an overseas trip 2. I would want a Primers event to be held at Zouk 3. I would want SP.Primers to be featured in news 4. I would want to do a flash mob in our YOUcampaign (thats why you see so many videos on flash mob)
Any idea which of these we have achieved as a family?
no matter what skills sets a person has, he believes most of all in the development of the inner self, the moral values of each person that he comes in contact with.
Kenny, as a graduate from Ngee Ann Poly, choose to come to Singapore Poly to invest his life in the youths. Always seen as a cheeky, funny and entertaining man, Kenny is a man with knowledge and great advice. A man with a serving heart.
He started out his journey in The Boys’ Brigade as a 3rd year student helping to kick start a new Primers company in Ngee Ann Poly. The journey undertaken by the team was arduous and many lessons were learnt in the grueling 6 months that went past. And so from a non-existent club it drew an initial 100 freshies to it through the welcome party, which subsequently ran many big events like SGB@NP . Through his involvement in Ngee Ann, he was the facilitator of the 2nd team that went up to the BB learning center in Siem Reap to do the building project of the current center!
The experiences that he had during his six months with Ngee Ann caused him to hope for more young people to come and join in this journey of self discovery!
In the year 2004, a door opened for Ps Danny and Kenny with a team of adult leaders to take over the leadership of SP.Primers. They swiftly overhauled the programming of the company with a vision for it to become a Youth Organisation of Choice.
3 months into their new land, they ran a highly successful recruitment drive (which is now known as the YOUcampaign) having an estimated attendance of close to 600 who attended their various events. That sets the precedent for the next generation of youth leaders to follow and currently SP.PRIMERS has an average attendance of 80 people for their events!
A visionary and an articulate teacher, this officer pushes the boundaries of what student led club should be. He excelled best when he mentors the leaders in making, believing that “Youths are the leaders of today!” and never expecting any less from his Executive Committee members.
His principle of coaching is a simple approach of building into the character of each of his young students trusting that the depth of the person will determine the breath of his/her achievements. So no matter what skills sets a person has, he believes most of all in the development of the inner self, the moral values of each person that he comes in contact with.
Kenny has been known as someone who does not minced his words when he expects things to be done but there is a softer side to him which only the closest people that he works with sees it. Being a people person, he best enjoys sitting down in a café and chit chatting with his friends. The heartbeat he has for the youth is always that they are able to understand their destiny in life and that there are no impossibilities to what a person can achieve!
Check out Kenny's Facebook: - HERE Twitter: - HERE
he hopes to bring up the pop culture and spark creative ideas
He is always seen as the cheerful and caring brother to the family of Primers. Being the youngest in a family of five, it was a reversal of roles as he is the one now taking care of others instead of him being taken care of.
Although sporty isn’t a word to describe him, he does enjoys sports and outdoor activities. However, he usually spends time surfing the net and finding out new updates about the IT world.
Yaohan hopes to teach and empower youths to reach their fullest potential. Being trained as a combat medic during his National Service days, safety has become second nature to him and is always looking out for people.
Having worked 2 years in the television industry,he hopes to bring up the pop culture and spark creative ideas so as to make SP.PRIMERS a club that is not only current but one that sets the culture that others would want to follow.
Check out Yaohan's Facebook: - HERE Twitter: - HERE
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
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.
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.
He's seen as an easy-going, joyful and fun-to-be-with man. Yet, within him, one would be able to see the passion and heart he has for the youths out there. He never fails to speak wisdom into us. Married to Pastor Evelyn, Primers seen how his life changes and even get to know him more personally. Now came along his Princess, Ignez, Pastor Danny's love and care for her is seen in our eyes. Even so, Pastor Danny never lesser his time with us. A person who looks far and with GREAT faith.
KENNY (Officer Commanding) Kenny, as a graduate from Ngee Ann Poly, choose to come to Singapore Poly to invest his life in the youths. Always seen as a cheeky, funny and entertaining man, Kenny is a man with knowledge and great advice. A man with a serving heart.
He started out his journey in The Boys’ Brigade as a 3rd year student helping to kick start a new Primers company in Ngee Ann Poly. The journey undertaken by the team was arduous and many lessons were learnt in the grueling 6 months that went past. And so from a non-existent club it drew an initial 100 freshies to it through the welcome party, which subsequently ran many big events like SGB@NP.
YAOHAN He is always seen as the cheerful and caring brother to the family of Primers. Being the youngest in a family of five, it was a reversal of roles as he is the one now taking care of others instead of him being taken care of.
SHENG LONG 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.
HUISHAN 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.
BEN LEE 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.
