Too much? Too fast? Too late?

This probably is my first official rambling on this blog. Just had a chat with an Aussie friend over wall exchanges and suddenly had so much things through my head, that I just had to let it run.

Turning 28 soon makes me wonder have I really done what I set out to do in life? Or have I done too much? Or have I just tried to race with time and did it too fast, missing out all the joys in life? Or it's just simply too late to look back and regret, which is the very first thing I told myself not too when I left my job 15 months ago.

Project Sikkim featured on Discovery Channel Magazine

Exactly eight months ago, I led a team of Singapore Rovers along with two Maldives Rovers to Sikkim, India on a Youth Expedition Project. This project was the 3rd Scouts of the World Voluntary Service project under the Singapore Base. We were there to help improve the studying conditions of two schools in two areas high up in the mountainous regions. You can read more about the expedition here.

Clementi District Games Day

17th July 2010

Clementi Town Secondary School

It's been a while since I last attended any district events. If I do not attend this one, I'm sure my District Commissioner (DC) would have something to say. Especially when I have missed the past two district meetings because of other engagements. Haha! Furthermore it's held back at my alma mater.

Reaching there was a difficult task cause it was raining and my bed was so comfortable... but eventually I got my lazy butt out of bed and cabbed down. Thankfully Iris bought extra breakfast so I didn't need to drag my lazy butt out of school to buy it. I definitely got more energetic after the food. A fine pack of hot coffee would make my day but anymore complains, probably Iris will nag at me.

Fun with Jeff and Reefs at SSA

15th July 2010

The Singapore Scout Association

I missed the first introductory session as I was still in Terengganu releasing turtle hatchlings, but without fail, attended the one next one that Jeff presented about our reefs. Unfortunately I'm unable to attend the rest as all my SSEAYP trainings also fall on Thursday nights... 

NatureScouter lands on Terumbu Pempang Tengah!

15th July 2010 

Terumbu Pempang Tengah, Singapore

You would probably be thinking where the hell that is or what the hell it is. The name itself is quite a mouthful. It is one of three submerged reefs close to each other. 'Tengah' means middle in Malay and of course the reef sits right in the middle of the other two.

NatureScouter hits Cyrene!

14th July 2010

Cyrene Reef, Singapore

I miss those days whereby I would religiously hit the shores every month during the intertidal period, be it ungodly hours of 3 a.m. or 7p.m. Unfortunately after I left my permanent job, I actually got even busier with life and it's such irony... Upon returning from Project Orion, I was checking through my emails and saw 'Cyrene' in one of the headings. Without any hesitation, I checked whether was there any slots left. Sadly it was full but dear Ria always have a way to make me happy. She hooked me up for a guiding trip for staff from Jurong Town Council (JTC) and I took it up immediately. It was surprising refreshing to go on field trip again in the wee hours of the morning.

The Adventures of Project Orion II

26th June to 10th July 2010

Setiu, Terengganu, Malaysia

Oh boy... this is gonna be a long post... so be prepared...

Within two weeks and I was back in Kampung Mangkok. This time with eight other members. Preparation for the project had been somewhat chaotic and yet things always worked out eventually. The first problem actually happened the day before the project even started...

All Aboard!

All aboard! Cause I'll be on board the Fuji Maru from 25th Oct to 16th Dec 2010.

Source

Revisiting Project Orion's Homeground

7th to 8th June 2010

Setiu, Terengganu, Malaysia

It's been almost a year since Project Orion was born. Project Orion started out as a mock proposal from the 3rd Scouts of the World Award (SWA) Discovery workshop, and who expected it to become the most successful project achieving press features in both Terengganu and Singapore newspapers, reputable recognition from World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)- Malaysia and also a long-term partnership with both the villagers of Kampung Mangkok and WWF - Malaysia.

Other than the main focus of sea turtle conservation work, Project Orion also serves the community as we strongly believe that people's lifes are often intertwined with their environment. By supporting the community through outreach, education and assistance, the environment will also gain. 

This year is the 100th year of Scouting in Singapore and Project Orion will be playing its contribution by returning back to its homeground once again. Watch out! Project Orion II is ready to rock the shores of Setiu again!

One Year Anniversary of the New Chapter

31st May 2010 marks exactly a year since I left my full-time job as the Education and Public Relations Officer at the Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research. Not that I hate the job, but rather I'm a sucker for freedom and adventure and travel. Since it's an old story of why I left my job, I will let the 'Historical Rambling' tab above tell the story.

I was counting down about a week or so back for this day, but lost track of it. It smacked me right in my head today while catching up with my ex-colleagues at the Museum after I did the guiding session. It is rather unbelievable even to myself that I survived a year without a full-time job. Very much thanks to the Museum, Jurong Birdpark and Singapore Zoo that hires me on a free-lance assignment basis. But of course, the pay can't be compared. On a good month, I may get close to half of my previous pay, but more often than not - just a quarter of it. So yes, I'm looking for more assignments related to those jobs above. Do let me know if you have any contacts.

TUNZA Vol. 8.1: Avatar: Reaching The Heart (The Biodiversity Issue!)

Tunza Vol. 8.1: Avatar: Reaching The Heart
“We should not be afraid to fight for what we believe is right”

The previous issue of TUNZA had a portion of it dedicated to biodiversity issues, but this issue is the real deal. With a great cover and great content, it's a definitely must read. Well at least for the biodiversity geeks.

Karen Eng, staff editor of Tunza magazine, one day wrote a facebook message to her regular contributors and ask what we think about Avatar and how it relates to our environment. Having seen the movie which left me quite a deep impression, I wrote my thoughts about it and sent to her (which I apparently forgot all about it, till she reminded me that I wrote something else for her after the turtle article).

TUNZA Article - International Year of Biodiversity

Tunza Vol.7 No.3: Tunza 2009 Youth Conferences
What we want from Copenhagen

2010 - International Year of Biodiversity

The year 2010 has been officially declared as the International Year of Biodiversity by the United Nations. It is a celebration of life on earth and of the value of biodiversity for our lives. Do join in the celebration for the International Year of Biodiversity on facebook. There is also another facebook page for celebrating Singapore's rich biodiversity, where you can find constant updates of news and articles of our natural heritage.

In preparation for the year, Karen Eng, staff editor of Tunza magazine called out for biodiversity-related articles. Previously I've written for Karen about Earth Hour back in 2008 and so with the call for articles, I once again wrote for her, making use of the recent sea turtle project - Project Orion.

Youth Expedition Project Publicity Video

This video was created together with YEP Journal Vol 1 for the corporate sector event in 2007. I was asked to assist in the filming, and I was asked to do quite a lot of funny things. And the result, even more interesting! Watch it and you will understand. I'm still a little weirded out by the video till today whenever they show it during YEP events.

Please note that the video is all right reserved by the Youth Expedition Project, National Youth Council, Singapore.

Rovers out with Team Seagrass!

28th March 2010

Chek Jawa, Pulau Ubin, Singapore

I've been with Team Seagrass (TSG) since it started 3 years ago. Team Seagrass is part of the Seagrass Watch, an international organisation based in Australia. It was formed in 1998 and is the largest scientific, non-destructive, seagrass assessment and monitoring program in the world. 

I was speaking to a dear friend of mine, Ria Tan, who has been supporting TSG since it's formation stage, about the possibility of getting Rover Scouts involved. She was more than glad to allow them in (But of course they have to go through the standard interview process. Haha..). In fact, this is not the first time Ria has been roped into my evil splendid scheme of getting Scouts to invade appreciate Mother Nature. I've a feeling that whenever she sees my name appearing on her mobile when there is a text message or call or even through emails, she knows that I'm up to no good. Hahaha...

Earth Hour Singapore 2010

27th March 2010

Esplanade Park, Singapore

As the story told in another post of mine, I got Scouts involved in Earth Hour somehow. This year once again, I received a call from Carine Seror (Director, Corporate Responsibility & Earth Hour Project Manager, WWF Singapore) and asked whether are we interested in the partnership again. I didn't even hesitate and said, "Hell yea!" (well... not really but I did say yes.). And that's how the Singapore Scout Association became a supporting partner of Earth Hour Singapore for the second year running since Singapore officially observed Earth Hour in 2009.

Ups and Downs of Life

15th March 2010 to 18th March 2010

Manila, Philippines

Well, it's about time. Many of you wouldn't have known about this trip as I have only told a few. Secretly went in and out of Singapore for that few days.

Some time back, the Asia-Pacific Regional (APR) Scout Office in Manila opened up a position for a Development Support Officer. The position consists of a dual scope - regional role of assisting with the development of regional National Scout Organisations (NSOs) and international role of overseeing the environmental programme globally (which was decentralised from Geneva's main office). I got to know about the job through Syd Castillo, Rod Abson (who previously was the unit manager for the environmental programme) and a few others. With their encouragement, I eventually applied for the job and to my surprise I got short-listed. This was why I made the trip to Philippines for the interview.

NatureScouter goes Black

In support of Earth Hour, NatureScouter is going black.

A little history...
With its origin in Sydney in March 2007, Earth Hour is a movement to urge people to take action against climate change by switching off all electrical appliances including lights, for an hour on the last Saturday in March. And indeed 2.2 million Australians and 2,100 businesses turned off their electrical appliances, including the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Opera House! This created such a huge media sensation that it was repeated on 29th March 2008, with many other major global cities joining in.

YEP Journal Vol 2

The Youth Expedition Project (YEP) Journal Vol 2 was launched tonight during the 10th Anniversary celebration. Once again, I was asked as a mentor to write a short paragraph of my experience with YEP and what keeps me coming back. It's the same logic why I'm still involved in Scouts since 1995 - it's the passion and love for the interest.

Once again, please note that the journal is all rights reserved by the National Youth Council.

YEP Journal Vol 1

The Youth Expedition Project (YEP) Journal Vol 1 was launched at an event targeting the corporate sector for YEPs. I was invited to be the facilitator for environment and conservation projects, together with Yizhen (who was my team mate for Project Sirius - Rovering with Rhinos).

It's seems that the journal so far exists only as hardcopies given out at the event, so I thought I'll just upload my article for viewing. For the journal, I contributed an article in regards to environmental projects. Below are the pages from the journal of the article. Ain't very clear as it was tough trying to photograph it. Perhaps I should ask YEP whether do they have the soft copies...or I should get a better camera. But anyway, they are as it is for now. Please note that the journal is all rights reserved by the National Youth Council.

YEP A.ten.tion!

13th March 2010

*Scape Youth Park

Ten years! Can't believe it's been around for that long. Youth Expedition Project (YEP) is now ten years old! Since the programme started in 2000, 19,000 youths have gone on 900 expeditions all around ASEAN, China and India!

Having experienced my first YEP as a participant in December 2003, I eventually returned in June 2007 to lead my first YEP under The Singapore Scout Association and that was how Project Sirius - Rovering with Rhinos was born. It was highlighted by the YEP as an example of environmental/conservation project. In June 2009, after pursuing it for almost 3 years, finally got WWF Malaysia as a partner and Project Orion - Rovering with Turtles happened. Yet again, it was featured as an environmental/conservation project by YEP. It was also featured in Strait Times on 1st August 2009. The latest addition was my 4th YEP - Project Sikkim, just only in December 2009.

Channel News Asia's report on Singapore Scouts 100th Anniversary Dinner

27th February 2010

Channel News Asia

Singapore Scouts - 100th Anniversary Dinner

27th February 2010

Suntec International Convention Centre Ballroom

Preparation had been done by the committee led by Malcolm Tan for almost half a year and the big day has finally arrived. Having been in the loop for the event, I knew it was just going to be another fun night and lots of catching up with old friends. The APR committee who was having their meeting in Singapore was invited to the dinner, including our YAMG Chairman Maeed. Jack and Gai from Thailand also was there (much to the jealousy of others who couldn't come. Hahaha...), dropping by for a short getaway.

From boys to men... to leaders

1st March 2010

The Straits Times, Page A21

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That's me, Scout's honour

28th February 2010

The New Paper, Page 26

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吴资政：“随时做好准备”童军座右铭正是政府价值观

二月二十八日二零一零年

联合早报，第七页

点击图片可取放大图像

Raise tough leaders, not 'fragile strawberries'

28th February 2010

The Sunday Times, Page 6

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Scouting Challenge: He's prepared

27th February 2010

The Straits Times, Page A16

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100 years of Scouting

22nd February 2010

The Straits Times, Page B7

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Happy Founder's Day!

Happy Founder's Day to all Scouts out there!

Source

Project Sikkim

1st December 2009 to 15th December 2009

Sikkim, India

Earlier in September, I went on the recce trip and eventually after a couple of months of preparation, I'm back here again like I've said. But this time, leading another Youth Expedition Project (YEP) team consisting of 6 Singapore Rovers and 2 Maldives Rovers, as part of their Scouts of the World Award (SWA) Voluntary Service project. The Maldivians (Zau and Ashraf) were with us as they had also attended the SWA Discovery Workshop back in October, and since they were interested - why not? And boy it was hell lot of fun!

6th Asia-Pacific Region Scout Youth Forum

21st October 2009 to 26th October 2009

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Having been representing The Singapore Scout Association (SSA) previously at the 5th Asia-Pacific Region (APR) Scout Youth Forum and 10th World Scout Youth Forum and Conference as a youth delegate, I was more than glad to return for another APR Youth Forum. But this time, it's a little different.

A quick historical background: I have been Scouting since 1995, but only joined Rovering in 2006. I was already 24 by then - a ripe old age for Rovers. Rovering is till 26 of age, so I guessed no harm in joining and that's how I got involved the 1st National Rover Council. So I only had three years, but surprisingly I experienced the best of Scouting in these three years. And of course, the World Scout Youth Forum was my last forum as a delegate for I'm already 27.

Sikkim Recce Trip

2nd September 2009 to 8th September 2009

Sikkim, India

This was a trip organised by the Singapore Scout Association in collaboration with Jet Airways (National carrier for India) and I was asked to tag along to look into possible projects for Rovers. Definitely a trip not to be missed, and I'm glad I didn't.

First of all, the hospitality and generosity of the host HelpTourism India was great. And with Jet Airways as a partner, flying with tons of luggage and boxes was with ease. When we landed in Delhi, it was wee hours and we only had a few hours to crash in at a hotel before catching the next domestic flight to Bagdogra. Once we reach Bagdogra, we began the arduous journey up the mountains. Well equipped with plenty of turns and plenty of bumps, the mountains really made our trip. We stopped every now and then (and I meant very often) for tea breaks cause we really need the break from the ride... However, the journey was definitely worth it. We visited several organisations, villages and two schools, and were warmly greeted as special guests always.

The Land of Thousand Smiles (and Fun!)

21st August 2009 to 30th August 2009

Petchaburi, Thailand

Hurray! Back to Thailand again! This time for something even more fun - three camps in ten days! Woot!

For those who doesn't know yet, I actually have an adopted family in Thailand. Well, I was sort of 'adopted'. I have two elder sisters Ammy and Ally, two younger sisters Af and If and a brother Earth, who is the youngest. Of course that is on top of my real sister. Oh did I mean all five of them are Scouts and so are my god-parents!

The African Adventure

29th July 2009 to 15th August 2009

Swaziland, South Africa and Mozambique, Africa

A childhood dream realised! Very much thanks to the invitation of Bheki Metfula who is the National Programme Commissioner of Swaziland for the Thirst for Life Expo 2009, and of course SSA. Also thanks to my dear friend Manga for his hospitality during the trip.

My mission was to join in the camp both as a staff and participant. I was there to help Bheki promote the Scouts of the World Award (SWA). I met this kind gentleman during the World Scout Conference in Korea after I finished my presentation about Singapore SWA programme to the conference plenary. We had a great chat over lunch and he sounded the idea of the invitation and that's how it came about.

Project Orion - Rovering with Turtles

20th June 2009 to 5th July 2009

Setiu, Terengganu, Malaysia

The first adventure of the New Chapter and one of the most interesting. Having been involved in YEP since 2003 and since leading Project Sirius-Rovering with Rhinos in 2007, this was the most treasured. It took me almost three years before I finally found someone from WWF Malaysia and convinced her to take in a group for two weeks. For the usual sea turtle conservation work, they take in individuals who only volunteer for a week. Never had they taken in a larger group with a scope stretching beyond just conservation, but humanitarian too.