.:: Esprit De Volontaires ::.

During the first session with the boys in the hostel, I enjoyed it and was

having a great time with them. Before going for the first visit, I was actually

quite worried, as I thought I will be having a hard time getting to know

them. I do not know how they would react to us. But it turns out that they

are actually quite a friendly bunch of youngsters to me. They gave us due

respect and they give me a feeling that they are all very good- natured

youngsters. Perhaps they are just more playful. I enjoyed the time with

them and I really look forward to seeing them again in December! Liwan,

Thank u so much for being such a wonderful leader!! Great job!! well

done!! keep up the good work!! i really look forward to seeing u again!! jia

you for ya exams too

Yi Wen

It was a refreshing experience for me as I didn’t know how the boys at the

boys’ hostel spend their time there. They show no signs of dissimilarity

from other guys except that the terms they use are cruder. They opened up

to us after some time and there wasn’t much of a distance between us.

Have to admit they get bored easily. They all seemed very bonded and it’s

kind of heart-warming to see that they found such genuine friendship as

they seemed to understand each other very well during the game of taboo.

Hope I can be of positive influence to them and not make them lose hope in studying.

-Germaine

This first session was a enjoyable experience for me. The boys are friendly

and seems relatively easy to get along. This was my first impression. How

true it is, only time can tell. Perhaps, through more sessions and interaction

with the boys, I will get to know them better then. Playing "upwords" and

especially "Taboo" with the boys was fun. They are very expressive with

their actions and through the game, I observed that they are very creative.

Though we were having fun, it was regrettable that I did not manage to

remember their names and might have neglected some who are quieter. As

a volunteer, I should have been more observant and ensure that everyone is

engaged in the game.

I am looking forward to the next fruitful session.

Serena

It was quite a pleasant surprise to me that the boys at the hostel were not

as hostile as what i expected them to be. In fact, they are very interactive,

friendly, heart-warming and welcoming. I enjoyed playing the "Munchkin"

game with them. By being warm and welcoming, they have livened up the

atmosphere and added much fun and laughter to our group during the

game. I was actually feeling stressed on that day but having fun with them

kinda cheered me up. They showed much enthusiasm for the game that we

were playing and their cheerfulness made me happy. It seems that they

were spreading happiness around. Hahahaha~

Yes, they have showed me how simple happiness can be. =)

Zi Min

Being my first time as an official volunteer, I felt the warmth and also the

urgency to help the boys there. They are a jovial bunch of people and they

never fail to make you laugh despite how bad your day may have been.

They make me look forward to each secession that I have with them and I

hope that I will be able to help them as much as possible. However, I also

feel that sometimes the boys can be quite cheeky but the good thing is that

their peers could also help check on them and this helps me alot. I do look

forward to more secessions with them during the holidays (:

amanda

wei wei~ it's me leh! *duh*

as requested(due to some unavoidable reason), i have to write an entry about our movie outing today. so here it is...

the chosen movie was 'murderer' starring Aaron Kwok. it was again, suggested by someone. actually the response for the outing wasn't that gd, only des, nicole, fred, liwan, lionel, hancong, yeansang, san san and me turned up this time.

anyway, we went to cathay cineleisure for the movie. i should ellaborate a little more on the movie. Aaron Kwok acted well in the show, he really looked like some psycho and mad guy in the show. i would say that without the 'bu lau zheng' part, the movie could be a rather a gd one that is worth watching. unfortunately, the twist was a rather lame one, and i almost burst out laughing when i heard the kid talking in a mature man's voice. i'm sure the rest felt the same too? hah.
after the movie we went to a restaurant called 'Mussel Guys something' at orchard central to have dinner, after which we walked around the mall and window shopped for a while.
we headed home after that as there was nowhere else which we could spend our time, and some of us have lectures early in the morning the next day.

time really flies!(or flew?) school is starting today!!!!!
here i'm wishing everyone to have a great start and enjoy our first day of school!!!
and pls be reminded, there's session on wed! and we shall all wear the blue wsc tee cos it's wsc day! XD

last but not least, someone promised she will never choose any movie again in the future after being 'condemned' for so many times. but before that, someone wanna request to watch the new ghost movie directed by jack neo. anyone interested? hahah!

take care!

chenhui

This year's Father's Day event was held at Bishan Park 1 on 20th Jun.

Everyone gathered at AMK MRT at 7.30am and due to usual late coming etc etc, we left the place late and due to a slight hiccup (my fault i admit), the setting up was delayed and dragged abit longer than planned.

The event started at about 9.30am slightly later than expected with a large group of restless parents and boys having waited since about 9 but all was well when things got going i believe. I do believe the boys and their parents had fun and i did see quite a large number of sporting parents who actively participanted in all the activities planned during my rounds.

The event ended at 11+ before we headed for lunch at Bishan followed by a movie. Paisei to all for the long afternoon 'exercise' (kk my fault again). Should be an unforgettable lunch for Zheng Hua especially :P but the movie rather sucks (Chen Hui ur recommendations...).

A big thanks to all the volunteers involved as well as those from Blk D who came to offer their assistance. The event could not have happened without all your help and cooperation.

With this, i should have ended my final major assignment as center head and we can now prepare for official handover in Jul. Girl, good luck :p

Desmond

Finally we managed to take a group picture after we have been together for almost a year. Still not the complete family photo but lets hope 1 day we can really take a complete 1 with everyone physically with us and not just their 'spirits' :p






















Good Luck to everyone for your exams and hope to see everyone back together again when the exams are over.

Regards,
Desmond

hello everybody!

nothing much to say, just wanna wish everyone all the best and good luck for the coming finals!



hang on there, don't be stressed. and if you are, think of the coming 3 months break!

jiayou!!!



<3 cHeNhUi

Hey guys,
how's life?
I guess everyone's burying their heads into books now..
jiayou jiayou!

hmm.. if you are too bored studying... take a five minutes break and think of who this person is (one of hostel's volunteers)!

WANTED!!!



























Hint: this disturbing person poked me in NTU open house yesterday (:

oh! don't forget to turn up for session next wk,
Sherri's giving her presentation on her overseas volunteering experiences!
Must support her!
Cya~

-Nicole

4 of the SHBL volunteers, Huimin, Chenhui, Sherri & Fredrick (Right to Left) went for Deafinition 2009, an annual basic sign language course organised by WSC RSP HI! This is to create awareness about the hearing impaired community and imparting a language that we not in our elective! Besides learning how to communicate with basic 'signing', we played games to reinforce what we had learnt! The 'proudest' of ours is mastering the song, 'My heart will go on' in sign language!

If you happen to meet any one of us, do approach to teach a few words or fingerspell your name!

Sherri

BOO! YEAH!

Went down to Singapore Boys' Hostel on thursday. "A" got back his results for chemistry ! ha. He used to get 20-30/100. I was so scared that he wont do well but i was very proud of him. He got 19/30. He told me this is his first time passing CHEMISTRY! His teacher was taken aback too. Ha. Then "A" told his teacher that NTU students helped him a lot. I was damn happy to hear that. I hope that he can continue to do well... =]=]=]

Friday was our YOUTH REUNION DINNER! just want to thank those who came down to join us and of course special thankz to YEAN SANG AND LIONEL for helping up in the kitchen. I think the 2 of them really know a lot. Well, put it this way, i think i know nothing! haha. I enjoyed myself on friday. I hope everyone enjoyed too.

LIWAN LOVES ALL OF YOU!

Well, here something made by TAN YEAN SANG! hey, thank you! Hopefully we will always stay together =]=]


Session on thursday was as usual! well, i realised something about myself ! I can be quite naggy! ha. I can repeat the same things week after week ! I hope "AN" and "A" wont find me an irritant. But no matter wad i will still continue to repeat myself till the day they left the place =]..........

LIWAN

Get One At - Friendster Comments

Hey yo.. happy 牛 year~~
cheerios!
Nicole (:

hi everyone! wonder how many people are reading our blog but that will not stop me from posting ! haha.. Yea, its me LI WAN!

session was as usual on THURS. I wasnt very excited on thursday because i was mentally prepared. i learnt something during the session too. I learnt that trust is important. When one said " yes, i believe you" , does he or she really believe you?...............

I talked to "AN" before i went to help "A". I asked him if he did what he promise me during the last session. Indeed, he told me that he smoke lesser . I doubted him and started asking him a lot of questions. I wasnt convinced by him, so i continued to tell him how i feel etc .. But i always taken aback when he asked me to trust him and believed him. I felt very bad at that point of time. I guess i should take things easily =]=]

After that i approached "A" ! He seems to have short term memory. I explained a lot concepts to him and I repeated a lot of times. He told me that he feel v bad ! He was afraid that i would be irritated. I explained how i feel when i am teaching him etc. I dont mind repeating but as long as he is willing to learn =]=]. I gave him "homework" to do. I hope he will do =]=]

Alritez , i will stop here. ANyway, HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR TO ALL !!!! LOVE YOU GUYS!

liwan

Boo! i'm back again! hmm, actually i spent quite a while to think what to write for this entry =]Sometimes, we just cant use words to express how we feel over certain things and issues .

Last thursaday was my 5th session. I looked for toward to it. Realli! But i must say that i was super disappointed! "A" promised me to work hard but when i reached there, he told me that he lost his textbook and he left his assessment books in school. I was quite disappointed. He said he did his work etc.. Should i believe him? Once again , its the word " trust" . Deep inside my heart , i knew that he was lying! After that i approached " AN". Glad that he still remember me =] . I decided to teach both "A" and "AN" since "A" didnt have any materials with him. I started teaching them on Atoms,elements and molecules. Yep, I tested "A" and " AN". I realised that both of them are quite smart. I could tell that " A" is just plain laziness. As long as he could work harder, he should be able to make it. I gave them a lot of qns to try on , and slowly they got the hang of it and find that chemistry is not too hard.

After that,I got a chance to talk to "AN" . He said he needs money to buy cigarettes. I started to ask him a few questions. WHy smoke? is it very cool? Will that make you happier? he said its not cool and nice. He said that its just short term happiness. Well, then i asked him if his parents are OK with him smoking? ( cos i know some parents are OK with their children doing that )His answer was NO! Then why smoke at the expense of others unhappiness when he can only live in short term happiness????? yea, i posted him this questions. HA. He promised me that he will smoke less. Can i trust him? we shall see...After that we talked about studies etc too. had quite a long chat ! hmmm, but he was a very sweet boy. He thanked me and said that i am really good! am i ?? ha. But that certainly made my day!

Sigh, i guess somehow i really hope that my boys will do well both non academically and academically =] . I know i may face disappointment next week again. I will not give up. Disappointments are there to spur me on! How i wish i can go there everyday to interact with them =[ ! i know my wish will not come true but i will treasure every sec over there to push my boys. YEA =]

when one has already given his best , it is really the best =]=]

LIWAN

UPDATE!!!

this thursday's session was like any other. we met for early dinner at cant A, except for some who pangseh-ed us because of the untimely concert of Genie. and expected enough, most of them were guys. =]

despite the fewer number of volunteers this week, this week's session in my opinion was a much more organized and successful one. we were able to settle down fast and started the session. and guess what! i thought the boy whom i've taught last week would not remember me but surprising enough, he actually came and approached me without me having to approach him!

anyway, i was helping this boy with his chemistry work. he was asking me a lot of random questions. for instance, he would come up with a question regarding balancing the equation while he was doing chemical bonding. and while he was trying to balance the equation, he would suddenly ask me questions like whether is it better going to O level or ITE etc etc.

so i practically had to help him stay focused while trying to answer his various queries throughout.

when it was almost the end of the session, the boy suddenly mumbled something which made me feel quite pleased.

'aiyarr.. how come the session ONLY until 9 pm arr? why not longer?'

i was a bit stunned when i heard that.

it has never crossed my mind that he would see it as such a positive thing. and he actually valued the time i spent with him! i'm not sure about the other boys but in this particular case, it gives me the motivation to come every week to help him.

volunteerism is really not a simple thing. it's not just about teaching. it's also about responsibility. when trying to interact with them, we have to make sure we do not in anyway affect their attitude towards studies in a negative manner. our job is not just to make sure they understand their work, but also to make them understand the importance of studies, which i think is the hardest of all.

anyway, i'm sure our passionate and cute volunteers will try their best to guide the boys. =)

remember,

we are not the best, but we can always do our best.

smiles! =)


loves, chenhui(:

Hey everyone. Fred here. For those who have read my blog before, you would know that I sometimes go on funny tangents of weird thoughts and start going on and on about some weird issue or another. And I'm about to do that now, so I'm sorry if I'll bore you.

The thought I'll be picking up on is what Liwan posted in her last post. She said "service is never a simple act". I can't find myself agreeing more. Of course it is possible to look at it as just another mundane job of simply explaining the boys' homework to them, but that's missing the point. What we are really doing is changing lives. And I'm not exaggerating in the least.

You see, these boys all have their own stories, their own difficulties, their own paths, their own futures. The fact that these boys are there means they are at a sort of tipping point. They may have got a bit lost on the pathways of their lives and ended up doing something they shouldn't have done. They are being given second chances, and you are there to help them make the most of it. I believe every single one of them really are good people and deserve this second chance. What you do can and will change their lives.

And I won't lie here. Its not going to be easy. The burden of lives is immeasurable. The boys aren't always going to be cute and cooperative. They can be defiant or simply uninterested too. Things really aren't always going to turn out the way that you want them to. It can be absolutely frustrating. But if you give your best, the rewards will also be great.

What I want to say now however is not about the boys but about all of you. Because what you do can be so tiring and difficult and with the need to take care of your own lives as well, there would definitely be times when you feel burnt out or simply tired. Don't give up, because these boys need you. If things aren't going well for you, whether it is related directly to the boys' hostel or not, there is always all of us here with you. All of you are important and greatly valued members of our little club now, and I want all of you to feel free to approach us with anything troubling you.

Gosh I'm making myself twist in funny directions typing all that. But the point still stands. We'll be there for each other when we need it. Let's get through this patch of our lives together.

Frederick

Hmm, it is me again! Looking forward to read my post?

I had a wonderful time during the session. Once again , its the sense of achievement that i had gotten =]. I was very happy that my boy was very friendly. He was very willing to share with me his feelings. I asked him about his studies too. We talked a lot. I told him to study hard and asked him about the dreams he has. i could tell that he had not found one yet! He sounded dejected and lost. I shared with him my experience and told him not to give up. After that he told me that he will try his best. I "scolded" him ! ha. I told him that i dont want to hear the word " try". I want him to say " i will try my best ". From then on , he started to use " will" . I was very happy =] . He asked me what happen if he didnt manage to do well? He said he dont want to disappoint me. I felt pleased at that point of time. I told him that i will be very proud of him even if he failed to do well because at least he tried his very best. That is what i want to see! I made him speechless! Yes, after that i started teaching him chemistry! he promised me to practise more questions. I want to see! i cant wait for thursday to come! I felt good when he thanked me after everything. Even when he was at the assembly ground, he turned his head and waved at me to say "bye".

After the session , i had a bad sore throat! well, i really feel worth it. I dont mind having sore throat because of him. I learnt a lot during each of the sessions. I love what i am doing now. I love interacting with people, guiding people or probably share with them my feelings.

Well, WSC youth let me realise what i really want. I hope to stay on for the next few years and pray that my parents are OK with it.


Service is never a simple act; it's about sacrifice for others and about accomplishment for ourselves, about reaching out, one person to another...

liwan

With the start of the new year, we started our first session on 8th jan with a very large turnout of 22 volunteers making up of almost all but 3 of the new volunteers, the regulars and some returning seniors as well. This should be 1 of the largerst turnout to hostel since i myself started as a volunteer and it looks like a very good start to the new year.

With volunteers outnumbering boys quite abit, things were abit messy with many volunteers being clueless of what to do and ended up chatting among themselves for awhile (sounds familiar to some of the seniors?). Things slowly settled down slowly and it was good to see that most of the volunteers were starting to interact with the boys and about half the volunteers have already decided on the boys they would be teaching.

To all the volunteers who have found their place in hostel, I hope to have your continous commitment and to those are who still finding their purpose, hopefully you will find your place soon and be able to get the type of satisfaction and enjoyment that i believe most of us get that motivates us on.

With about 11 more sessions to go this semester before we break for exams, hopefully the attendence stays high and we would be ending this academic year with a record number of volunteers.

Volunteers are seldom paid; not because they are worthless, but because they are PRICELESS!

Desmond

Its me again! i am very sober now but somehow i dont know how to continue writing this entry. Perhaps let me start by posting 2 pictures.







Yes , i joined WSC ( youth ) because i really hope to lend the boys my ears and of course guide them along the way. I want to motivate and inspire them. The results will definitely be very rewarding! But what i have now is more than that. I got to know a few friends along the way and slowly i learnt to organise outings. I picked up a lot of things along the way. I really treasure it.

Now i have a sister and a daddy. Its like a family. My sis cares for me a lot so does my daddy. Let's talk about what happened yesterday. We had bbq yesterday. We had a lot of fun playing cards and starting the fire. Thankz for those who bbq food for me to eat . AFter that i tried VODKA.. Yes, i was kind of a bit drunk yesterday. I controlled myself. Sis, pls dont blame fred that he gave me a concentrated one. I asked for it =] .. Sis , rmb the day b4 we had the bbq , i said that i will help you drink ? i said i will looK after you ? Yes, i was afraid that you will really drunk so i helped you to drink most of the ones that were concentrated. You must be wondering why i wanted to help you when i was also not very good at drinking. Sis, because i love my sis =]

Yep, after that we went up to fred's house. I was running for toilet =X. Yup, they threw a party for me. They bought me a bear, a card, a hamper and a cake =] . I was speechless because i opened the hamper just now. I was really very touched esp when i saw what were inside the gift bag. I know that my sis , fred and daddy were the "masterminds" . Thank u ! and of course not forgetting those who made the party successful! I love u all. Sorry that i wasnt sober enough to thank all of u yesterday . BUT I LOVE U GUYS k? Yup.

I think i shld stop here because my eyes are wet already =[ A BIG THANK YOU!


liwan

High concrete walls stood tall and erect as if protecting what was confined within. The surrounding area looked decent but had an air of hostility to it. Upon entering the boys’ hostel, the first sight that greeted me was the canteen-like layout which didn’t give me much sign of cheeriness.

I had not expected nor visualized much prior to my first RSP Youth session. Based on the outlook of the area though, I got a first impression of how serious the condition might be. There were certain measures to ensure that the place was secure. Despite that, I was very eager to discover what might lie within.

The sole activity for the session was a game of ‘wacko’ using sheets of rolled-up newspapers. Knowing this, I was highly puzzled as to how a simple game might be able to last for one whole session. I thought we were going to crack our brains in no time pondering over the next game to play with the remaining time. My unfounded worries were nevertheless dismissed in a few moments.

Upon entering the room, the initially subdued boys were suddenly filled with astonishing vigour and were exceedingly playful. Some self-generated amusement was created and disorder ensued. Unable to comprehend the situation, I stood by the side at lost while the seniors tried to restrain the boys. At this point in time, I began to feel slightly nervous as thoughts of violence and uncontrollability ran through my mind. It was merely innocent fun though and nothing much to be concerned.

As we finally got the game in proper motion, I had the opportunity to talk to some of the boys. Although originally hesitant, the boys gradually opened up after some casual chats. They were in fact quite friendly once they warmed up to us. They were even willing to share some stories with the volunteers in spite of it being the first session.

Losing track of time, the whole evening came to an end surprisingly fast. There were incessant laughter that were mostly truth be told, unfunny but ended up funny. There was plenty of merriment and sheer fun. There was also a brilliant but failed attempt by the boys to lure the volunteers into dancing by shuffling to some random dance moves and encouraging the volunteers’ participation. Ultimately, the session ended with some bonds forged and a better understanding between the boys and the volunteers. Some volunteers came away with a special connection fostered with some boys while the rest had an evening well spent.

I’m sorry to say that I had to leave only after one semester but I’ve certainly enjoyed my time with WSC albeit a brief one. Thank you to all the wonderful people for the amazing time of karaoke and steamboat that day, not to forget the lovely wishes on the card as well as the most adorable teddy bear! Special thanks to Li Wan for arranging everything. I will remember all of you. You all have such big hearts!

I am undoubtedly grateful to get a chance to at least attend a session too and it was certainly a meaningful one. It is with utmost regret that I couldn’t attend more. I hope you all manage to bond with the boys and spread your warmth to them as well help them in whatever ways. I’m sure they’ll be touched and appreciative of what you all do. Keep up the good work! My best wishes to all of you and hope to see you all someday. If I happen to visit Sg again when there’s a session, might I be allowed to join you guys for the session? =) Keep in touch then and love you guys!

Happy early birthday to Li Wan too!

Jolene