Ten Days In Cambodia

Written by Nur Nadiah Bte Zailani (08S08).

This year’s OCIP trip had definitely been an eye-opening experience for me. Most of my fellow teammates would agree that we had gained more than we gave. Besides learning new life skills such as carpentry and wall-painting, there was also a list of life learning lessons that we obtained, such as understanding how to be more appreciative, initiative and patient.

The children there are one of the strongest and toughest group of people we had ever seen or known, both mentally and physically. We were awed to witness both the boys and girls pulling hairs and pushing each other to the ground as if it was a form of a game before bouncing back up and laugh instead of crying. At one moment, a boy even pulled and stretched a dead bat, of which I assumed was treated like his toy!
























They were not only enthusiastic about learning; they provided help as we did our arduous tasks of digging the soil without us asking for it. Despite the language barrier, they were patient with us as we struggle to make them comprehend the daily lessons prepared for them. I could not help but feel envious on how such small children could be so well behaved when the time demanded for it. I dare to say that some of them acted more matured than some of us. Furthermore, we could also witness some of the elder children taking care of their younger siblings with full responsibility in school.



















One stark contrast between their school and ours' is that they have a small class consisting of 40 to 50 students at any one time. Three to four students will share a row of table and a bench that was built in a jointed manner, and there was not even a single fan in any of the classes. Imagine class during a hot day! Most of them had little or no stationery available during classes for them to take down notes, and some who were more worse off did not have extra clothes. Hence, they had no choice but to keep using the same clothes for the whole of the ten days with us. Despite the huge amount of students that we had to teach in one class, there were little difficulties faced as cooperation was given most of the time.

As we donated the items during our home-visits, we realized that some of the houses they live in were built in a very simple manner - some are even standing for 45 years and now function as a shelter to more than ten people. Most of the houses there do not have toilets as they clear their bowels in the wild. Their parents, of whom are mostly farmers harvesting rice, only earn their income when their fields are ready for harvesting (equivalent to only earning income of one term per year). Despite all the difficulties that they faced, they were still happy with what they have. They rarely complained or sighed at the state that they were in. Instead, they faced every adversity with a smile on their faces, full of determination thus erasing any signs of frustration or anger.



















Although at certain times I felt confused and hopeless as I could not help them live a comfortable life like the one I have in Singapore, more importantly it had made me realize how appreciative and happy they were at the state they were in. It had opened my eyes into discovering that they are different interpretations of living in comfort. Nonetheless, as a team, we had opened a window of opportunity for them to access some information that we know of about the world. These information never reached the Cambodia citizens in the past due to the wars that they had to constantly face, such as the Khmer Rouge and Pot Pol.



















What we had left there were a newly painted school, a nicely evened out compound for the children to run around, donations such as toys and books and a new library for them. During our final days there, I felt delighted to see them and even some of their parents eagerly opening up the pages of the new books and playing with the toys standing on the newly-constructed shelves against the brightly painted walls.

Even though most of my teammates would agree that we could have done so much more given the ample time that we we had, we were glad to have provided them with the tools that could possibly improve their lives in the future. In addition to that, I think complaining would not make a difference, as we have left the place with cherished memories and we learn to appreciate life and its wonders. Moreover, it opened our hearts towards helping others more in the future. How I wish we could stay longer!

Living In India

Written by Lee Xinyu (08S07).

I learnt to appreciate what I have from my trip to India. People, and even babies could be found sleeping on the streets. In fact, it was so common that I would be surprised not to see any homeless people within a 5 metres distance.



















The children of India. [Source]

We went to a 'Feed the Poor' project organized by interact members there. I noticed that the kids there were contented with just having a small serving of curry and naan. I believe that if we were in their shoes, we would definitely be complaining and demanding for more. I was amazed that the children there were still happy even though they were penniless. They have proven that money does not bring us happiness.

Besides that, we also helped out at Shanti Dan, a home for the mentally challenged women. The women were basically adults having the mentality of a young child. I was very touched by the way they greeted us; they were smiling and hugging. They were ecstatic when we visited them. We helped tidy their beds, wash their clothes, shave their hair, paint their nails and even sang and dance with them.



















The mentally challenged women. [Source]

The patients there were all very disciplined and obedient. Each of them had their own chores to do - some had to fold clothes while others had to hold the door open for us and they did their jobs very well. Despite being mentally challenged, they could sing quite well and were very caring. There was this particular patient who chased away a cat because she knew my friend has a phobia about cats. In the past, I tended to avoid mental patients. However, after this trip, I learnt that they are actually no different from the normal people and we should not evade them (except for those who are aggressive).

After that, we visited a home for the destitute and dying. A funereal atmosphere greeted us the moment we stepped into the building. Most of the patients were just sitting on their beds and seemed preoccupied all the time. It was as if they were waiting for their souls to be forced out of the body. It was really scary to see them in that state. Then, one of the patients opened out her hands to us. I approached her and held her wrinkled hands. When she gripped my hands tightly and looked into my eyes, I could really feel her sorrow and helplessness. I felt as if she was trying to say "I am going to die soon. I am going to die soon. But I don't want to die."

















As I await death. [Source]

As the surreal experience evaporated, I learnt that some of the patients had Tuberculosis . I trust God will protect all of us who entered the home. From this visit, I understood that we have no control over our lives, such as when or how we are going to die. However, I was also saddened by the fact that there was almost nothing that we could do for the patients who are resting on their deathbeds. We must appreciate our ability to be able to wake up every morning and live life to the fullest.

Money can buy us a house, but not a family.

Money can buy us a watch, but not time.

Money can buy us medical care, but not health.

Money can buy us the fashion and status, but not happiness.

21 Must-See Pictures For You

In this article, we have compiled a total of twenty-one pictures for you. The pictures are meant not only to inspire you, but to also draw a smile on your face as your eyes examine each and every one of our selected photos.

We have worked hard to ensure that the sources of the original photos are accurate. The captions written on each photo are our interpretations to what the photos mean.

We hope you enjoy viewing the pictures. Thank you. =)



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'Be a change agent. Change hearts. Save lives.'

Written by berlin.

That was the slogan of this year’s 30 hour Famine Camp conducted by World Vision Singapore in Anglo-Chinese School (Barker Road). I don’t know where I should start from, so I guess I’ll start from my pre-camp dilemma.

‘Eh, want to join famine camp not?’
An MSN window popped up on my screen as I was using my laptop at home.

Famine camp? What for? Go there and starve? Worse still, pay them money for starving you. That’s a really dumb idea.

I thought about it and didn’t reply my friend. From the next day onwards, she kept asking me, day after day. Since she was so persistent, I finally gave in.

I finally decided to participate in the event and sacrificed 2 days of studying during the holidays for this 'insane' camp which starved the campers. Madness, what was I thinking of? All in the name of friendship, I have to sacrifice my favourite food for more than a day! – satay, prata, pastamania, pizza hut, xiao long pao and even PLAIN bread! Furthermore, I missed sleeping on my comfortable bed and my precious study time was affected.

Walking into ACS sports hall, I was constantly questioning myself.

Why am I here? What am I doing here when I could have been at home enjoying my Korean dramas and catching up with my studies? Okay Berlin, persevere.


















The opening ceremony

We registered, received our tags and shirts and had lunch just before camp officially started. During the opening ceremony, we were introduced to a few important people from World Vision Singapore, ACS Barker and many more. However, out of these important people, there was one lady who stood out from the crowd. She had no title to her name and was just like any other – only with a dark history that represented testimony to the the unjust in this world. Yet, her speech resulted in a standing ovation in the auditorium.

After an opening ceremony, the camp started of with a game which I wont bother explaining because it’s simply too complicated and I shall save the agony of you readers trying to comprehend it. Basically we had to do many simple tasks that would drive people up the wall. For example, to stimulate water supply in third world countries, we had to ensure that a cup with a hole below it had constant supply of water by refilling it with the help of a teaspoon. This showed us how difficult it was for them to even get basic necessities like water.

Anyway, the highlight of the day was a poignant speech, up close and personal with a 20-year-old Cambodian lady, Srey Mom, who was child-trafficked when she was merely13-years old and sold into prostitution in a good-for-nothing brothel. Yes, she was the person I mentioned in the previous paragraph. It was a totally new experience for my friends and me as we often hear such stories before but merely brushed them aside. However for this time round, the story seemed to come to life as it was happening right before our eyes - how could we ignore such atrocities occurring so close to us?


















Be a change agent. Change hearts. Save lives.

The next morning we were freshened up with an hour of aerobics and a couple of drinks. After learning so much, how can we sit back and watch them suffer? Thus we took upon the challenge to raise funds for them by collecting newspapers and old clothing. Our collection would translate into monetary terms which will go towards helping needy families of HIV/AIDS patients in Singapore. For example, 20kg of old newspapers which cost around $2.80 would be able to buy one bottle of 1kg cooking oil. The collection drive was held in Tampines. (Yes, the exact same area where we did our newspaper collection drive for Dover Park Hospice!) Our group of 10 people had to collect newspapers from six HDB blocks! It was horrible collecting newspapers during lunch hour when we walked by houses that were cooking their lunch. It smelt really great!

Later, we returned to ACS and attended the closing ceremony. There were performances by bands like By Definition, EIC and a dance performance by NTU MJ Dance. We watched a few clips by World Vision Singapore and it was finally time to break our fast.

It was an unforgettable camp.

What I gained from this camp:
1 - FRIENDSHIP.
2 – Do not discriminate people with HIV/aids. You will NOT contract HIV/aids from them by being in close contact.
3 – Be the change agent. Do your part in saving the Earth.

TPJC Puree: 'LIVE' Discussion On GP Topics

Written by azhar.

Our Head of Department (HOD) for General Paper, Mrs Toh, once said that the greatest weakness of tpjcians when writing their GP essays is their inability to provide substantial and concrete examples for their points. Furthermore, we tend to lay out a feeble argument with respect to the question. The inability to present our points well has reduced our potential of getting high marks, or even a mere pass.

Therefore, I have decided to initiate a new feature here in TPJCian magazine. It is known as TPJC Puree and it aims is to give a broader perspective to what we learn for GP in college. TPJC Puree will provide a mash of news, examples and opinions from different individuals who will engage in a 'LIVE' discussion in this online magazine.

I really hope that this initiative will at least help boost the number of points that can be applied a relevant GP topic. Moreover, this feature will also help practice your critical or higher order thinking skills. You will get to witness different opinions and hence able to exercise your analytical and evaluative skills. From here, we can make sure that the relevant content is already available in our fingertips when we sit for our examinations.

A good GP grade is an imperative prerequisite for anyone who wishes to enter a university. A good command in language will also broaden the choices for the university courses offered to you. Let's work hard together and achieve great results for it.

The details for the first 'LIVE' TPJC Puree session is as follows:

Session 001
Topic: 'Is Monetary Aid The Best Solution To Help The Less Fortunate?'
Date: 1st June 2008 (Sunday)
Time: 8-9.30pm
Venue: TPJCian magazine
Panelists: Ng Ding Jie (07A07), Lee Wen Jie (07S02), Lim Wei Liang Daniel* (07S30), Sharon Ho Pei Pei (06S07)

*awaiting confirmation

Please write your name if you attending below. I need to collate how many people are participating. If the response and feedback is good, I will present this to the GP department. Who knows, we shall be the first college to conduct 'LIVE' discussions among teachers and students every week. Thank you.

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