Updates

Though it does feel silly at times to be almost "talking" to myself in my blog entries..

I decide to blog anyway..to treat it as a way to record memories..

Just came back home after hanging out with the Sign. Lang Peers.. Jing Yi, Joel & Sebast...

Today marks the near end of IS2, times always seems to fly.. Next week is our Test..

25 Sentences.. in which the Instructor will sign sentences to us & we will subsequent write it down..

I almost fainted at the No 25, when our Instructor told us about the Test Format on the very 1st lesson.

And to make it worst, if we miss out a particular word like "the" "a".. the words that followed after it will be marked as nil!

Was given a Mock Test today & i am indeed so proud of myself of the progress that i had made..

Cause i intially i was really darn Terrible when it comes to reading & writing the signed Sentences..

2nd part of the Test consists of :

Signing Story with Expressions.. Not Exagerrating Expressions but simply using our Facial movements to express the meaning.. w/o which all of us look like robots signing..

3rd: Signing out Picture Description..

Test is progessively harder & harder..

What's best is that next week i literally have two different signing test..

the 2nd is the Basc SL learnt in church.. as mentioned in my previous entry..

Just as i was blogging.. received a bad news.. a Price that i had to pay for my Proscratination.

A Price that is not only measured in Monetary Terms but in terms of Time wasted as well..

Told myself to be cool about it.. no amount of sadness & regret can change the situation..

Just got to think of another solution right now & to really Learnt from my Mistake..

Wish me all the best.

Thoughts:





If only i had such a dad..

I'm in love with this song.. love the soothing music, pairing up with the singer's voice(alike to that of a comforting dad's voice) and how the Chinese Sign Lang matches so well.. it makes it all perfect to pair it with this drama.

The voice makes all the difference:




Another version that i found.. prefer the former one.. more heartwarming.. more suitable for a family scenario.

My recent hobby is to visit the following website:

http://nanzinc.com/


In it contains Live interviews and good reads..

" What's the Best advice you ever received?"

On viewing it, i pondered for a while on mine...

Which advice had changed my journey in life? stirred up provoking thoughts & made a significant Difference?

There's two particular :

"If you never Try, you never Know"

This was one particular advice that i applied in Decisons-making..

Spoken to me few years back, when i was thinking wherether to use the little savings i had to put on Braces..

It would have seems to be a waste to many.. Many had adviced me to do it only when i start working full time..& i don't look tt un-pretty with my stuck out rabbit teeth (Which form a major part of my poor Low self-esteem back then).

But this was not exactly what i wanted to hear.. i have enough of all the general, popular typical,politically correct answers.. i wanted something different.. something that i can apply in my Own personal life.

And this fren spoke that phrase : If u never try, u never know..

Why does such a simple phrase particularly apply to me? To those who know me, it's because i'm not your face in the crowd.. i am different..

Taking up ACCA, working in Accounts in F&B industry, taking up Sign Lang Courses has all started by applying this advice.

So when others ask for my opinion, in regards to taking up a particular course, changing job... i will use the same words to me.. not because it's Politically correct but simply certain fears are unfounded by worrying about it even before it occurs... like:

"What if i can't handle the job scope?" "Will i get along with my colleagues?" " Do u think taking this course is the right choice?"

Always felt that answers to the above could only be found when you're in it.

Like me asking myself before enrolling in SADF course: "What happen if i can't read what the deaf are communicating to me?" "what happens if i can't sign a complete sentence?

All these never crossed my mind, as i believe when it actually occurs, then i will think of a solution..

Worrying unnecessary makes one Aged faster..

" you're a Systematic person, think you should take up Accountancy"

This came from my then Best Fren who knew i had flunk Maths in O Level..

the Clueless me back then just followed her Advice & took up Accountancy in ITE & the rest leads me to currently pursuing my ACCA Cert.

Both frens have become a past tense (Friend-ed)... but nonetheless, i am Grateful that they accompanied me for that moment & made a Difference in my life.

Updates Column:

Just received a phone call last week which brought a smile to my face, the very reason y i am in SADF..

Starting this Tues, i am in Talking Hands Ministry of CHC!!

Or rather, i am joining in by attending their own conduct Sign Lang courses.. yupz, i am starting all over again by taking Basic Sign lang Courses.. sounds all weirdz & silly when i am already in Intermediate Level in SADF, but ultimately, it does not matter.. as i see it as an Achievement.  a Milestone that i had planned a Year & plus back.

Secondly, in line with this.. received a E-mail from SADF of the Volunteer Orientation on the 14th of Nov!  =D

Thirdly, going to Bali, a Day in Advance, with no extra Charges except a minimum amount of Lodging charges..
It all started by Air Asia  informing my colleague that they had to delay our flight on Fri, from morning till Evening!! Imagine our disgust having our trip shorten  by a day for no apparent reason.

So they had to negotiate for a better deal, and thus concluding the Good News. ^v^

Fourly, time for me to get back my focus to my books starting from tmr.. cutting down my usage of Internet,hanging out with frens & simply going back home straight after work to study.

Had been slacking for 4 months... another more proscratination will be a threat to my Exams result!

So i'm proclaiming to be a _______ again!


________  =

Sharing

From Nanz Inc website reading column:

Found the Top 4 Successful Women in Internet Biz:

1. Gina Bianchini

Co-founder & CEO of Ning ( Based in Palo Alto, Calif., )

This 36-year-old Stanford MBA graduate set up Ning, a popular social platform business with her former classmate Marc Andreesen in 2006 and has become a web celebrity of sorts with her charming networking skills and razor-sharp understanding of marketing on the Internet. She also sees meaning in her work, as seen by what she said during a New York Times interview, “One user told me that he and his wife were starting a site for parents of terminally ill children. Enabling those types of connections reminds me why we do what we do.” There are currently over a million Ning networks worldwide, with its business currently valued at US$750 million.



Arianna Huffington (Co-founder of The Huffington Post)

When millionaire socialite Arianna Huffington, 59, first set up news website The Huffington Post in 2005, it was seen as a showy personal indulgence. Today, according to Nielsen NetRatings, Huffington Post has over 3,000 contributing bloggers, 22 million unique user visits each month and is the most linked-to blog on the Internet. Its business is valued at over US$100 million. Known for being a Wonder Woman, Huffington has said in one of her Post articles, “Fearlessness is like a muscle. I know from my own life that the more I exercise it the more natural it becomes to not let my fears run me.”




Lisa Stone (Co-founder and CEO of BlogHer)


The former journalist, web editor and interactive media producer became interested in the potential of online communities for female empowerment and set up BlogHer, a group blog, in 2005 to connect women bloggers through conferences, a publishing network of 2,500 bloggers and a listing of 20,000 women’s blogs. “The more real relationships we have with each other as women blogging, the more we’ll be inspired and able to share what we know with each other and grow each others’ visibility online,” Lisa said in an online interview. They receive over 14 million unique visitors monthly and investors have pumped in over US$15.million into this business.


Natalie Massenet (Founder of Net-A-Porter)


Nine years ago, Natalie, a 41-year-old Londoner and a former fashion stylist and editor, foresaw that online shopping would play a big role in the fashion retail business in 1999. She painstakingly used her fashion contacts to get luxury labels on board and created a global fashion portal Net-A-Porter that combined editorial content and fancy delivery packaging with e-commerce. She has definitely proved her early detractors wrong with over 400 staff in London and New York, and generated a £55.2 million turnover in sales last year. “I was completely confident. I never thought it wouldn’t work. I never once thought it wouldn’t be huge,” she said in an interview with UK Sunday Times.

Loving Sweet Stuff:


Had checked out a new place for delicious, salivating Ice-cream cafe called:  Udders

it's a pretty small cafe located at Novena, check out the website for its location.

What makes this place different, is it's wide range of varities of Ice-cream..

Upon stepping into it, one can't help but to be drawn towards its green wall( which is actually a big Blackboard).. and chalks are available for customers to select which flavour would they want to see in the menu. I Voted for Mango Chilli!

Sadly, my lousy phone is unable to capture a picture of my order : Waffles with Lychee Martini & Rum Raisin Ice-cream.

It's simply Affordable, 1 scoop is ard $3++ and what makes customers satisfied is that its Liquor are so rich.. that can make a non-alcoholic person turns red.

Was simply In Luv with the Lychee Martini.. it got me asking for more.

A Great place for hangout with Nite-owl Frens as this place closes at 12am on Fri.

=)

An extract from Straits Times:

More signing up to learn sign language
'Hip' factor one of the reasons for interest
By Leow Si Wan

MORE people here are picking up another language: signing.

At the Singapore Association for the Deaf (SADeaf), the take-up for sign language classes has jumped in the past year.

The last term of the year, which started last month, drew 17 classes. It is a spike of more than 50 per cent over the same period last year.

The classes are conducted from January to October every year, with each term lasting two months.

The overall number of participants in a year has also jumped more than 40 per cent, from 1,067 last year to more than 1,500 this year.

Most of the participants are from the hearing community, said the association's executive director, Mr Ando Yeo.

He cited several reasons for the increased interest in sign language.

'It is hip,' he said. 'Also, sign language is a visual language and can work extremely well in a noisy environment. As long as you can see a person signing, communication can take place.'

He added that others sign up to interact with deaf and hard-of-hearing family members and friends, and also because they want to volunteer their services to the deaf. Some, he added, go on to pursue sign language interpreters' positions with SADeaf.

While all these reasons were in the past, the association has been actively promoting sign language as a mode of communication over the past couple of years.

There are about 35,000 people here who are deaf or hard of hearing.

Courses are open to anyone who is proficient in English and at least 16 years old. Fees start at $12 for two three-hour sessions for the introductory level, and are $85 for six lessons at the advanced stage.

'Demand is rising so quickly that we have to increase the number of classes each week. We used to have classes on three weekday evenings, but we are conducting classes on weekends now.'

Classes are conducted at the association's two-storey premises in Mountbatten Road.

SADeaf is now in talks to offer classes at public libraries and other institutes of higher learning to cope with the increased demand.

For Ms Felicia Chia, the desire to communicate with her ex-boyfriend's deaf parents was what made her pick up sign language earlier this year.

Said the 21-year-old business undergraduate at the Singapore Management University: 'We broke up but I decided to continue because I found lessons interesting. It is not just about gestures, as your facial expressions and body language also contribute to the tone of your message.

'I also realised that there is a lack of interpreters for the deaf community so I hope this is where I can contribute when I have completed the course.'



=)

Another interesting News:


Dancers 'hear' the beat of hip hop music

BOTH picked up sign language out of sheer interest two years ago.

And when their instructors realised they were trained hip hop dancers, they asked Mr Jason Koo, 29, and Ms Nix Sang, 28, to choreograph some simple dance steps for a public performance by the deaf.

But the couple, who have been dancing for more than five years, went one further and set up a hip hop dance group for the hearing-impaired to share their passion.

The group, called Redeafination, was officially set up in July last year. It aims to redefine dance and build a community of deaf dancers.

The self-funded, non-profit group levies a nominal membership fee of $15 every three months and uses the money for its operating expenses.

Its members train once a week for about two hours in a rented studio in Cuppage Plaza in Orchard Road.

Mr Koo, who works in the IT industry, and Ms Sang, a designer, are the instructors, but they invite their friends from the dance circles to be guest instructors so members of the club are exposed to different dance styles.

Of the 13 members, nine are hearing-impaired to varying degrees. Some can hear low-pitched sounds, and the bass sounds which typically accompany hip hop music serve as a guide to them.

Those with severe hearing loss follow the class by looking to the instructors to count visually by clapping their hands, so they internalise the beats.

Group member Rebecca Lim, 25, a polytechnic student, and Jonathan Khoo, 27, a clerk, said learning how to dance has been fun.

To make up for being unable to hear, they work hard at practising and memorising the choreography.

To date, the group has given 11 public performances, the most significant being a full-length dance concert organised by the Nanyang Technological University's Modern Jazz Club.

Said Mr Koo: 'We have long discussions with our deaf friends on how to better communicate with them, and we improvise and improve along the way.'

He added that when Redeafination started out, the idea of formal dance training for the deaf was new, so he and Ms Sang had little support in terms of infrastructure and understanding.

Ms Sang said funding, recruitment and finding partner organisations were continuing challenges.

She said: 'We've persisted in this cause because the bond has been formed and the work is not finished. There are a million reasons to stop but we remember those moments on stage when we can feel the audience understands, and this is enough to keep everyone going.'

The duo hope to reach out to more deaf youth and inspire others to start similar initiatives for special-needs groups.

Social worker Cheng Hwee Fern, a hearing member of the club, said her fellow dancers motivated her.

Said the 31-year-old: 'Many of them have a very good sense of movement, coordination and groove, learn steps faster than I do, and have a better memory. They are also very willing to teach me and we learn together.'

Feel so tempted to blog away but the very thought i got to wake up 5 &1/2 hrs from now means ...