Life as a Testimony

I was thinking of my life and how i would compare my life to.
and it was a wide spectrum. That I could compare to so many things.
so i went about asking my friends, and one of them, Pearlyn said:
"How about? Life as a Testimony."

My first reaction was "Wow, this is really strong and unique!"
And I asked her why she compared life as a testimony.
She said “I want to live a life that brings a good testimony so that people can model after."
And so it got me thinking on what she means by life as a testimony.
Therefore, I went to ask her.
And she said "I want to leave as a good testimony to my God and I want to bring glory to Him."
So I further probe and ask her.

She did not have any concrete plans on how she could bring glory to her God.
And I ask her, if it is a want or a need to her.
She said it is a want.
Further chatting on, she shared that she tried it a few times, but was afraid of rejection. So I prompt her to read my blog entry about failures in life.
Hoping that would encourage her. :)

And so, I would also like to share my thoughts of "Life as a Testimony."

When I first heard pearlyn filling the blank "Life as a _______"
I was shocked, because I did not really expect that she will answer, (even Raffy did not give me an answer)
And she answered so well some more.
Testimony was a strong word for me, and I pondered on my view of Life being compared as Testimony.
What I felt was this.

When we are first brought to this world, we are like a blank piece of paper.
Because we have no interactions with others and so, people did not know how we are.
And as we grow up, we start to have contact with people.
At the same time, this blank piece of paper will be filled,
Based on our actions, the way we treat others and many other things that others see in us.

Upon thinking to this point, I asked myself.
What is written on this piece of paper of me (my life) currently?
I did not have a clear answer, because I did not live a life that brought out the best of me.
Only recently, when I started attending Trybe's activities I realized that Trybe brought a change in me and a prominent change of myself that even I was amazed by it.

I saw beauty in everyone's actions and thoughts.
In the past, as long as I see others actions and thoughts being different from mine,
I will not bother about them, or I would even be disgusted by them.
But after going for Trybe runs, I gradually become different.
Through the interaction with youths and the sessions that I personally benefitted,
I realized that all this while, my thoughts were wrong.
However, at that point of realization, I have already changed in fact.
Ok, sorry for digressing.

What do you want your piece of paper to fill with?
Do you want to see really colourful words and good sentences about yourself from others?
Or would you want to see just blank ink of your paper, which is dull and boring?
With all the nasty things or bad comments?
This, I asked myself. What have been the things I been doing?
Have I been impacting people's life positively?
Is my attitude right towards others?
Or was I nasty to them?
I reflected, and I decided that I am going to change.
I do not want my Testimony to be poor.
I want to leave good images and impressions to others.
But of course, these images and impressions are natural and the real me.
Not something that I acted out or just tries to be in front of them.
I want to start impacting and influencing others in a good way.
I chose my path, to leave a good testimony of myself.
What is your choice?

This testimony can also be seen as the legacy that we leave behind.
The things that we do, good or bad, will leave a print down in our lives.
We cannot change what we have done, but we can decide what we want in future.
We always say that we do not have a choice,
But it’s actually just that we never try, we do not there to try.
Hope that as more youths get to read this, your would dare to take the first step to the choice you choose.
And share it with your friends and move towards your dream/choices.

It will not be an easy route for sure.
But that's the point!
Just a simple thinking I would like to put you through.
"Would you cherish something that people give you more, or something that you put in a lot of efforts, you sacrificed for it more?
You reap what you sow.
We will celebrate success ultimately only if the effort was truly personal and not being pushed by external.

"If there is no sadness in this world, then there will be no happiness as well."
Which is same for?
"If there is no failure/setback in life, then there is no success."

Life as a Testimony is it good or bad, it’s all our choice.
The choice is yours and do not be afraid to do what you have chosen.
The road/route may not be as smooth as you think it is.
But take the setback as a lesson, to bring you another step forward.
It’s all about the mindset.
And lastly, it’s never too late to let others change their Testimony of you.

Posted on behalf of Dave

THE PENCIL STORY for all teachers

In the beginning the Pencil Maker spoke to the pencil saying, "There are five things you need to know before I send you out into the world. Always remember them and you will become the best pencil you can be".

FIRST: You will be able to do many great things, but only if you allow yourself to be held in someones hand.
(Teachers allow their students' talents to be made accessible)

SECOND: You will experience a painful sharpening from time to time, but this is required if you are to become a better pencil.
(Teachers sharpen their students to develop their potential)

THIRD: The most important part of you will always be what is inside.
(Teachers point students to their beauty within)

FOURTH: You have the ability to correct any mistakes you might make.
(Teachers help students see their mistakes, so that they learn)

FIFTH: No matter what the condition, you must continue to write. You must always leave a clear and legible mark no matter how difficult that situation.
(Teacher encourage their students to live purposefully even when the going gets tough)


Wishing you a Happy Teachers' Day!

from Trybe

You are an inspiration to all our students! Thank you for all that you do!!!
- Nicholas

To teach and not be weary is love... Thank you!
- Jaime


To find out more about us click here

Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams

September 18, 2007, A professor at Carnegie Mellon named Randy Pausch gave a powerful lecture in front of 400 people in the university. His lecture was about "Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams," he talked about his lessons learned and gave advice to students on how to achieve their own career and personal goals. He also wrote a famous book based on the same principles entitled "The Last Lecture", celebrating the dreams we all strive to make realities. He may have lost his battle to cancer, but his last lecture will always inspire people.

Watch the video and be inspired... thanks You Cheng for the links.




this is from the website of Carnegie Mellon University about Randy Pausch...
"Almost all of us have childhood dreams; for example, being an astronaut, or making movies or video games for a living. Sadly, most people don’t achieve theirs, and I think that’s a shame. I had several specific childhood dreams, and I’ve actually achieved most of them. More importantly, I have found ways, in particular the creation (with Don Marinelli), of CMU’s Entertainment Technology Center of helping many young people actually *achieve* their childhood dreams." - Randy Pausch, Oct. 23, 1960 - July 25, 2008

My Summer Adventure

Remember last year I wrote an entry titled My Summer Romance, (You can read it here.) and some of you thought I had come to California and bagged myself an American surfer dude. (No I did not, for your information, still very much single and available.) And for all of you who haven’t got a clue to what I did last year, here goes: Last summer, I decided to head to America for the famous American Summer Camp experience. After logistical nightmares, administrative battles, I made it there, a special-needs camp in a lovely valley in Cupertino, California. Was this what I had chosen? No. I never thought I was someone who could work in a special-needs camp. But I was 21, and who would turn down California at 21? No one. Besides, three seasons of The O.C. later, I was filled with fantasies of California, a single state in the West Coast of the USA, that is more than 600 times the size of Singapore. (Not kidding, go Google it yourself)

Halfway through winter this year, I looked out of my window; the grey clouds pay their daily visit to English skies, the more than miserable weathers that consist of rain and sleet. I used to tell myself that I’d handle sub-zero degrees if I had the pleasure of playing with snow. Didn’t happen. I looked at my fading tan and started yearning for the sun. Having been brought up in Singapore with Sentosa just a bus-ride away, the sun is almost a given in my life. After two harsh winters in England, I decided that I wanted sun.

If I said I came back to California only for the sun then I’d be lying through my teeth. Besides, if I wanted the sun, there’s always Singapore, and I get easy access to prata at home!!

If you are a Trybe volunteer then you’d definitely know what I mean. You don’t go back to Trybe sessions just because you enjoy waking up at 7am on a Saturday morning, jump on that MRT and travel across the island just to meet a bunch of students. You don’t go to Trybe sessions just because you enjoy hanging out with other Trybe volunteers (even though they are the coolest people in the world to hang out with). You don’t go to Trybe sessions just because you think the Trybe logo is cool and you want to wear the Trybe T-shirt. All the above might be a part of the bigger picture, but most importantly you go to a Trybe session because you believe in the programme. Because you believe that you can make a difference. Because you believe. And here I am, back at Camp Costanoan because I believe. I believe in this 13-acre land that makes me so happy. I believe in the people here, the wizards who conjure up magic every summer, people filled with love, not here to glorify themselves but everything other than that.

This place has seen me at my worst, my total and utter breakdown, it has seen me sitting in a corner, sobbing and crying for mummy. It has seen me sitting by the payphone trying desperately to call a friend but constrained by time difference. But this place has also seen me at my best. A place where I conquered fears, won personal battles, made people that I’d never ever had the chance to meet, fall in love with people that I’d never even speak to. Last year’s experience gave me a new pair of eyes to look at the world with, and it taught me things that I’d never otherwise learn. Like I always say there are so many things in life that you never knew you could until you did and things fall into place as quickly as they fall together.

The holidays are a good time for you to go and try something that might just make everything fall apart. Think of it this way: you’ve got a month (or more) on your hands (I know you’ve all those holiday assignments but no one does them anyway) you’ve got nothing better to do except sit at home and watch TV (don’t get me wrong, I love watching TV), so why don’t spend all that time going on an adventure. I came to America last summer because I wanted an adventure, but I got more than what I’d bargained for. Most of the times this is what you’d get, and I am not going to lie to you, most of the times it’ll make your world fall apart. But I reassure you, it will fall into place as quickly as it falls apart. Perhaps not the way you are used to, but it will fall into some sort of a ‘place’.

So do me a favour, let me feel that I am all cool and inspiring: do something new this holiday. Be it taking part in more TRYBE sessions, or doing another flag day or old news-paper collection, or even just packing out your room and donating things that you’ve grown out of to the Salvation Army, or fund raising for the earthquake in Sichuan and the disaster in Burma. Just do something this holiday, something that you won’t normally do. Go on that adventure that you never thought you could take on, you might discover something new about yourself.

This little adventure might just spark off a change in you that causes a domino effect, and before you know it, you are that one single person who changed the world. Go on, roll your eyes and think I am being idealistic again. But give me one second after you’ve rolled your eyes, just one little second: and realize that there might be a chance for me to be, actually, not that off the point.

So good luck on your adventure, and write me to tell of tales and exciting stories! Have fun! I am sure you will.

Battle Scars

Like a lot of you, I am a fighter; I fight for what I want. But more importantly, I am a dreamer. I dream. I dream of big things, I dream of better things, I dream of me being big, I dream of the world being my oyster, I dream of being the change that is in the world (thanks, Gandhi), I dream. And then I fight for my dreams. It seems almost idealistic to be fighting for this somewhat utopian like place that I dream of. And we all know that utopias don’t exist. But I choose to differ.

Bear with me.

If you are a Trybe volunteer, ask yourself, did you think you could do what you are doing if you hadn’t tried? There are so many things in life that you never knew you could accomplish until you did. For example, when you were 12, you could never in your wildest dreams comprehend that in a few years time you could be leading a Trybe session, or inspire a class of students, but if you are a Trybe volunteer, chances are, you already have.

Take me for example, I have always been an emotional and sentimental person, no one could have ever imagined that I could work with special needs, but I did, the whole of last summer, and going back for more this summer.

There are so many things in life that you never knew you could, until you do.

We live in a difficult world; I am not going to deny that. This is a world where we have to fight – very hard to be. But like they say, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger (yes, cheesy I know, but true too, you can’t deny that). Each day is a battle and at the end of the day we kick off our battle armour and heave a sigh of relief because we’ve conquered yet another day. And sometimes we sit on our couches in front of a steaming bowl of noodles thinking, ‘I cannot do this anymore’, and we complain and whine, but when the dawn breaks we throw on that armour and we keep going. We keep going.

We find it difficult to see the light at the end of the tunnel, I do. And I am always scared that there isn’t a light at the end of the tunnel and that this dark and cold tunnel goes on and on. But being scared is good. Us being scared is us giving the world a chance to reassure us that all is good. And at the end of it all, we pack up and we go home, bearing the scars of the battle that we so bravely fought.

Life throws things in our faces, that’s just the way it is. Last summer when I hit rock bottom I made a teary phone call to my mother, who very wisely told me: ‘You’ve got two choices, either you suck it up, and continue doing what you went out there to do, or you admit defeat and come home. Sure I will welcome you, and take you out for prata, but will you welcome yourself?’ That is the reason she is my mother. With that I hung up the phone and went on to have the best summer of my life.

Life throws things in our faces. We can duck and we can hide but it never stops coming. It is exciting, really. And the more battle scars you collect, the more stories you can tell when you are old and breaking apart.

So be very afraid each step on the way, but fight anyway. Because when that last battle is won and you collapse with extreme ecstasy, there will be a faded smile on your face that will touch the world. And that is how you will become the change that is in the world.
☺

A view of NYC Youth Think Tank Camp

With some reluctance, my Dad finally agreed to lend me his precious Nikon camera. With it, I had being entrusted with a new task, to be a photographer for the NYC Youth Think Tank Camp! For the first time, a camera will be my aperture to a camp. Right from the start there I was, armed with an expensive Nikon camera, busy snapping away, very eager to get a good shot.
I was constantly trying to capture that pleasant smile, the occasional burst of laughter, bodies in the thick of action and minds deep in thoughts. Delightfully, these I found a lot. As I roam around looking for more, I caught a glimpse of a student in a distance on his fours, furiously jotting onto a piece of blank A4 paper as his teammates debated on a topic. I stood facing his back and took a shot; the flash catches his attention, he turns his head briefly, flashes me a quick smile before scrambling back into his routine. As I stood to inspect the shot I took on the camera display, I realized that I wasn't part of all these! This dampened my otherwise joyous mood subtly. It brought back reminiscences of past camps where my role as a facilitator to a group brought much joy and satisfaction. Not to be disheartened, I came to realize the importance of my role. I am the ambassador to this camp's joy and laughter! Through my photos, everyone will come to know of how much fun these campers had! I shall convey to everyone about the success of this camp!
In every different project that we do, different people have different roles to play; no one is of lesser significance or importance. Know that you are important! Know that you can do it! And know that you are the best! NYC Youth Think Tank Camp 07! Woohoo!

Posted on behalf of Bingyu (He is currently an intern with Trybe)

What defines beauty for you?

The world out there is trying to tell us so many things.

That is why it is so important to be aware of what we see, hear and receive as values. When we loosely allow an influx of messages of all assortments come into our minds, our self-esteem can get damaged silently and gradually.

Who and what define beauty for you today?

Whose Dream Job is Acting?

If you love Jay Chou this man is way much better when it comes to acting. Did you know? Dy's dream job is to be an Actor. And he sure learned alot from his wife (Ky) who is soon to be a mom. But this friend is really a man of many of talents which is why we believe he will do great in whatever he does.

Run the Race with Perseverance

Last December as a personal challenge i took part in the Standard Chartered Half-Marathon (21km) - my very first! To a person who dislikes running and did not enjoy my 2.4km runs in school, i felt almost like i paid $30++ for registration, just to push myself into a pit . But hey, the more i was not comfortable in doing it, the more i wanted to take up the challenge to push myself beyond my limits.

These were my take-aways from the race:

^Pain in the joints between the legs and the torso

^Bruised toenails (Ouch! They dropped off after that!)

^Bad headache

^Over-exerted strain on the stomach (i forgot to eat breakfast! gosh)

Now you must be thinking "Mirabel you siaoz ah!".

But i had NO REGRETS! I AM A WINNER! I conquered myself!

Yes the temporary conditions above tried to discourage me from finishing the race. I felt like my body was breaking into two pieces. But in mental strength, i saw my finishing line right from the start, and crossed it in the end!

And guess what, i was healed from these right after the race. My toe nails are nice now. Ha.

Do not be mistaken that i was one of the top runners to finish the 21km. I didn't care how fast the others ran. I was running my own race, and the most important thing was that i finished it.

I want to use this little experience to epitomise my whole life - to finish the race of life well and strong, even with bloody knees after falling!

How are you running your race (of life) today?

Are you too busy comparing your speed with others that you don't push yourself the maximum?

Do you keep looking backwards, wondering how you had done in the past? Remember you cannot change the past, but you CAN determine how your future will be.

Have the end in mind, run the race with perseverance, look AHEAD and stay focused!

April Coughlin, of New Paltz, celebrates as she crosses the finish line at the 2001 Utica Boilermaker Road Race, Sunday, July 8, 2001. She was the second female to finish in the wheelchair race.

Posted by Mirabel.

Rick and Dick: Team Hoyt

After I broke my arm last year, I've been inspired to compete in triathlons and there are few tougher competitions than the Ironman. The Ironman competition involves 3 components: a 3.86km swim, 180.2km ride ending with a 42.195km run.

It is in the context of this grueling race that many amazing stories of the strength of the human spirit are told.

Here is one of my favorite videos of all time. A father and son team called Team Hoyt. Made me cry the first time I saw it. Makes me cry almost every time still. Enjoy. :)



"Our message is 'Yes, You can!'. You can do anything that you want to do. As long as you make up your mind, you can do it." - Dick Hoyt