Fallin' For You

In view of the imminent Grand Prix in Singapore, I have been spending more time thinking of Formula One (F1) car racing. For those who have not been following my blogs, I carry the torch for Finish driver, Kimi Raikkonen. As a lady fan, I even have one friend asking why I am following Formula 1 (F1). There you go!

Almost everyone has an idol at one point in his life. However, my primary motivation for idolizing someone is help me relate /attempt to understand the sports better. Decades back, I was drawn into local football frenzy. It certainly helped me to understand the game better when I had my eyes on 'The Dazzler', V. Sundramoorthy - a Singaporean footballer in the 1980s and 1990s, and widely touted as one of the country's most skillful and talented footballers ever.

However, I do realize that idolizing people is one of the most risky things that most of us do. It is true that some people educe reverence and admiration and it is likely that they become our role models. But as long as we don't go overboard, it is still fine.

The main reason why we shouldn't do this is because when we idolize a person they seem to be beyond our reach, we tend to believe that we can never be where they are. In idolizing others, we tend to lose all our self confidence which should not be encouraged.

And the greater the number of role models the worst is the situation. We believe that the people whom we idolize are a class above us that we can never be like them. In doing so, we would contradict the sayings of Nelson Mandela who rightly pointed out that "greatness is not in just some of us, it is in all of us".

Now, shall we start by boycotting "Singapore Idol"?:)

Whatcha Say

Had a post-birthday dinner with some co-workers last nite. The topic of carpooling came up for discussion. It all started as I currently have a carpooling arrangement with another colleague. For some reason, it did not resonate well with them.

Oh well, that's not my focus for the blog. In fact, I like to share with you the multiple benefits of carpooling, particularly in the tiny island of Singapore. They include but not limited to the following:

• One helps to protect the environment when you share a ride on top of saving money on petrol and wear and tear on your car.

• By reducing traffic congestion,carpool participants also ameliorate the country’s air quality.

• When it's not your turn to drive, you can relax and make use of the time to prepare for the big meeting for the day, grapevine, read the papers, take a nap and list goes on.

• With fewer cars on the road, traffic congestion will be lessened.

• Save money on parking/maintenance fees through carpooling payment.

• Meet new people and socialize!:)

I Want To Know What Love Is

Took my Flyby bike last Sunday with a friend to an exclusive hideout in sunny Singapore. It was one of those days when I felt bored and purposeless. More importantly, I wished to reaffirm my interest in my latest sports pursuit.

It was an enjoyable ride as I was more confident to ride on the road, embracing the notion that no driver wishes to kill cyclists. Of course, having a better control with the gears and brake also made the journey a smooth-sailing experience for me. On occasions, I even managed to chat with my friend briefly.

Guess what I am trying to say is fear is a mind game. As long as you are predictable and not show signs of wobbliness, you will be treated with respect on the road and there is no reason to be apprehensive.

After cycling for almost 9km (see attached route), we touched down at the destination - Seletar Air base. At the entrance of the air base, we were greeted by the picturesque backdrop. It was almost like The Village movie directed by M. Night Shyamalan. Drawn by the pristine landscape, we crossed beyond the boundaries of the city into the unknown.

With the help of a passerby, we hit the little walkway that led us to Sunset Grill and Pub. Personally, I found it rewarding to visit the no-frills cafe with a spectacular view of the airway donned with different private jets. Not to mention we got to enjoy beautiful sunset over runway free of charge. Now who's complaining?:)

Realize

Just realize the joy of lending my time to community work:) Recently, an organisation contacted our School on the possibility of engaging our students and facility for a IT workshop for our senior citizens for free. The instructor and training notes would be provided by the company. It also aims to foster inter-generation bond. I said, why not? It sounded meaningful and beneficial for the students.

So I proceeded to touch base with the Profs and students respectively, if they would be willing to go for a pilot test early September before committing it on a long term basis. All was agreeable as long as it did not take a toil on the students. A quick briefing was also provided to the student volunteers to aid them in the community work.

On Friday, we met up with the group of seniors, the trainer and the organisation staff to kick start the Thematic workshop for the elderly. As the target audience was a group of seniors, he was very patient and guided them step-by-step. Basically, the workshop aims to teach the matured folks how to write Chinese characters using the USB input pen.

As I have volunteered to write an article on this samaritan act, I also joined in happily. And even pulled along a colleague of mine to make up for the shortfall in the student volunteers. All went well as we tried our best to engage in the right language (be it English or Mandarin) to assist to their queries better.

Overall, it was an enriching experience for both the seniors and the students. For the former, one lady from Hong Kong told me that she could now use the technology to write Chinese email to her friends in her home country. For one student volunteer, he confessed that it had helped him to be more patient when communicating with the seniors. And it felt so good, I want to do it again!