Our 14 days Journey

Do keep in touch

2005-05-17T09:41:00.000+08:00

Well, its been 3 weeks since you all left us. Everyone still misses all of you. Its too calm n quiet now. I showed the kids the photos on the desktop and they started calling out your names whenever they saw you all.

We, the caretakers really thank God for sending all of you to Bukit Harapan. Its been an experience everyone here will treasure. Personally, I have to say that all of you really impressed me when upon your arrival, everyone started doing something. I thought you would relax first. The way our Special Persons were immediately accepted by all of you was truly amazing as most people tend to shy away from them at first.

Your stay here was a moral boost for our co-workers as they saw how much love and care our Special Persons were receiving. It makes our job/vocation more rewarding when we see how all of you and our Special Persons were affected emotionally.

Please help us further by keeping in touch with our Special Persons and co-workers. You can send them emails (in English, please) at office@bukit-harapan.org. Some of our co-workers have their own emails as stated below:

Lee - silikiah@bukit-harapan.org
Lisa - lisa@bukit-harapan.org
Suzie - suzie@bukit-harapan.org
Robert - robert@bukit-harapan.org
Maria - maria@bukit-harapan.org
Audra - audra@bukit-harapan.org

At Half-Mast

2005-05-02T19:47:00.000+08:00

Company, Sedia!

Goes the Parade Commander;

Rusok Senja-Ta!

To Shoulder Arms goes the men;

Hormat President, Hormat Senja-Ta!

Goes the entire Army;

Silently the flags whisper downwards

To hold the sacred & solemn position of being

At Half-Mast.

----------------------------------------

Malay Translations:

Sedia = to stand at attention

Rusok Senja-ta = to bring up arms to shoulder level

Hormat Senja-ta = present arms

New age Marvel superhero

2005-04-30T12:57:00.000+08:00

The wind blows in 4 different directions

North, South, East, West

But wherever the wind blows

our memories will still stay with us

like concrete

Love and care can only be shown

through action and not words.

Passion and dedication are people

who do not ask for an off day in

any day of the week.

who spent 365 days doing the

same thing everyday.

and who had lost track of all the trend

and fashion in the outside world.

We can find

love, care, passion and dedication

from a place called

"Bukit Harapan"
The Hill Of Hope.

Their heroism have touched our heart so deeply that

Everyone looks upon them as

Their beloved heroine and superwoman

They are the

new age of Marvel superhero!

p.s: indeed a true hero!

Smilez
charliez

At Home Again...

2005-04-30T12:23:00.000+08:00

Hey Justin!

Nice poem, man! Really liked it! Alot of the words really hold nothing but sheer truth on how we shld live our life. Thoroughly enjoyed it :-)

Regarding the options Rachel suggested:

1. ubin - cycling, picnic/meals at changi village
2. sentosa - sun bathing, skimming, kayaking
3. east coast park - cycle, skate, picnic, bbq, fly kites
4. lazer quest

I'm in for option 1...sounds good! But I feel we gotta plan where we wanna head to; there are different places we can to at P.Ubin.

Yupz...

Cya around ppl!

Moments in Life

2005-04-30T10:30:00.000+08:00

Juz to share with everyone.

MOMENTS IN LIFE
There are moments in life when you miss someone so much that you just want to pick them from your dreams and hug them for real!

When the door of happiness closes, another opens;But often times we look so long at the Closed door that we don't see the one,Which has been opened for us

Don't go for looks; they can deceive. Don't go for wealth; even that fades away. Go for someone who makes you smile, Because it takes only a smile to Make a dark day seem bright. Find the one that makes your heart smile.

Dream what you want to dream;Go where you want to go;Be what you want to be,Because you have only one life And one chance to do all the things You want to do.

May you have enough happiness to make you sweet. Enough trials to make you strong,

Enough sorrow to keep you human and Enough hope to make you happy.

The happiest of people don't necessarily Have the best of everything; They just make the most of Everything that comes along their way.

The brightest future will always Be based on a forgotten past;You can't go forward in life until You let go of your past failures and heartaches.

When you were born, you were crying And everyone around you was smiling. Live your life so at the end,You're the one who is smiling and everyone Around you is crying.

To those who have touched your life in one way or another;To those who make you smile when you really need it;To those who make you see the Brighter side of things when you are really down;To those whose friendship you appreciate;To those who are so meaningful in your life.

Don't count the years -
count the memories

Cheers

Justin

2005-04-30T00:11:00.000+08:00

seriously, i miss e cold water at bukit harapan. even without e heater on, the shower water feels warm here! how ironic. alright guys, thats not my point for today's entry.... here goes, we're organising another gathering. please cast your votes.

1. ubin - cycling, picnic/meals at changi village
2. sentosa - sun bathing, skimming, kayaking(if u guys are really desperate for tt, cos its not worth it there), chilling...
3. east coast park - cycle, skate, picnic, bbq, fly kites, chill....... sunbathe?
4. lazer quest!

please say your choice and also if possible, post the dates that u will be free-in details. thanks. that can solve all the confusion in the MMM - msn mass meeting. take care n see you guys around.
p.s. i'll be freeeee if i havent got a job. (:

hugs&kisses
rachel

Silly Poetry

2005-04-29T14:56:00.000+08:00

Some students of Ngee Ann Poly
Soon found themselves in a hurry
To catch a plane from Senai Airport
A choice they couldn't abort!

They all soon reached Bukit Harapan
And immediately went "Buay tahan!"
Upon smelling all the dogs
Which sat in a cage made of something cheaper than clogs.

Off to work we soon went

Removing rotting wood & nails that were bent.

But all that work made us hungry

And if the food wasn't enough, we'd be off to KFC!

Sawing, cutting, measuring and contemplating

Hammering, sharpening, watering and finally sweating!

The above routine was the norm

And nothing could stop us but a bomb!

*MORE POEMS TO COME*

Charles.

Report From li_EU_tenant

2005-04-29T12:43:00.000+08:00

Now @ home doing nothing but breathing in air.

The tempo of life back in S'pore is now kinda of boring & monotonous now => No need to wake up early; no need to do construction work; no need to tend to some kid calling out to ya; no need to worry about mosqitoes. Shld hv stayed longer in Sabah if I had the CASH..hahahas..

Sigh...also now listening to the song "All For Love" by Bryan Adams & Rod Stewart. The song seems to be able to jolt back tonnes of memories. It's been ages since I listened to the songs on my laptop. Which reminds me, quite a few of the kids at Bukit Harapan luv electronic stuff such as MP3 players.

Mr Sim Wong Hoo, if you're reading this, cld you perhaps donate some MP3 players to the children at Bukit Harapan (Sabah), please? Do it on behalf of your alma mater :-)

Btw, to Mr Ho & Mr Lau, my mummy would like to express her gratitude to both of ya 4 your care, kindness & magnanimity during the trip. And Mr Ho, I still owe u RM 1.95 for the Kopiko sweets I bought at Servay. Will pay ya back at the next de-brief. Lastly, thanks for having those dinner discussions with us!

When I came back from Senai airport, my siblings were kinda of curious about the gnash on my head...they were like probing thru my hair like monkeys plucking fleas from one another...haha..

Am now listening to "Hero" from the first Spiderman movie. There was one quote I'll always remember from dat movie. It goes like this, "With great power, comes great responsiblity"...won't ever forget that. There's so much truth in it. Till now, I still use that phrase on newly promoted Sergeants in my NCC Unit.

And ystd nite, quite a few of us were discussing where the team shld go to for the next outing....Was really comical...everyone initially started blurting out different ideas. And till now, I think we still haven't confirmed much!

*Staring blankly out of window*.........

Now listening to the "Ignition (Remix)" by R. Kelly...what else did I plan to type? Uhm...

Oh yeah...I rmb walking across the streets of Kota Kinabalu to get into this classy hotel with Firdaus & Bahkit. We wanted to use the toilet there. Anyway, after we finished using the lavatory, we were about to cross back across the road when this kid came up to us to beg for money....

I hesistated...was kinda flabbergasted & nervous at the same time. Didn't know what to do; one half of me pitied him while the other half of me told me to walk away.

I chose the latter option. Feel really guilty now...I just wonder how he gets by life. Will some street urchin pick him up & teach him wrong? Will any aid worker come across him and get him some financial aid? Will his parents do something? Does he even hv parents? If I only knew; if only I cld call upon divine intervention...

Anyways..going to watch AVP again now. Take care y'all!

Cheers,

Charles.

The aftermath of 2weeks.

2005-04-29T10:06:00.000+08:00

Our 14 days JouRnEy
yesterdae was the 1st day of outing right after we came back from sabah. only 14 of us turn up but all of us still had a great time together... it kinda remind us of the outing at KK haha... shopping.. cracking jokes ...laughing together... we still do head count n always check who's not in the group haha... this time round we nearly lost rabbany.. haha... looking at faces of every1 yesterdae ... i could really tell dat they really miss sabah esp Bukit Harapan.. including myself.. i was thinking abt them ... there's no word that can describe the feeling inside us... just hope all this outing n gathering together will keep our spirit going.

Weewee(change direction) haha.. datz wat we were doing yesterday.. all of us joke abt it... luckily we're not dancing ... haha... yup like Xue ting said.. yesterdae limelight goes to our dear missy JAIME! hahaha i will go into the details.. jaime n rabbany was mixing the sugar syrup with water den into an empty cup of hot choco den to an empty cup of my tea latte n we got a choky/milky mixture.. haha we played a game by putting no.1 - 5 n we add up the no. datz all of us put..total: 37 ..n JAIME was our lucky 37 !!! hahaha... so he have the to drink the mixture down...all of us had a gd laugh abt it...

there u go.. that's how the outing ended.. every1 bearly 1 to leave but none of us could decide on a place to go n some needed to head hm for dinner.. so every1 went separate way.

So, some1 pls pass the receipt of yesterdae outing to mr HO or mr Lau to claim $$...jking HAHA ..we always did that back in sabah.. hope do c u guys again!

:charliez:

sabah-ers outing

2005-04-28T21:18:00.000+08:00

hello!
it's been only 1 day since we had not seen each other for the recent 2 weeks. we were missing one another sooo dreadfully that we decided to meet up today to catch a movie. 14 people came that includes charles, vinson, bunny, rachel, syaiful, jaime, azizah, charlie, justin, sad, bakhit, emily, derek and last but not least me, myself and i. had a quick lunch at cine foodcourt since everyone was pining for local chows. after which played pool while playing for the movie XxX2 to start. hahaah what can i say the girls are realy bad at playing pool. hang out till 6 plus at the cafe and decided to head home for dinner..
anyway the main highlight of the outing was not the movie but *snickers* jaime!!!! bwhahaha should not go into details since a picture paints a thousand words
more meet ups next week!!
=)
i hope more people will turn up then
till then,
yours truly,
xueting

the sabo

the love, the us

Break the Barb Wire!

2005-04-28T20:22:00.000+08:00

A journey that is still fresh...

2005-04-28T08:45:00.000+08:00

Gee...Yes we are back.. Here i am staring at the monitor thinking what to write. Been doing some thinking after i reach SIngapore.How Sabah, Bukit Harapan have actually changed my life?
Memories still fresh in my mind.Especially the day when we started to know each other, the days we worked together, the ups n downs we go through together, how we settled it with an open mind, the interaction with the kids( this was the marvellous moments), the farewell party, the helpers there, mama anne and kak audra. REally missed those things we did and the people we meet. 2 weeks passed like a flash. Just when we are able to adapt to the surrounding there, we had to leave. I wonder how life there now without us. However, life has to go on.
I recalled the day when i came back with the Firdaus,Sadeli,Vinson and Justin after having a wonderful cheap feast by the sea, when lamini called me and hold my hands, drag me and gave me a present. She hugged me so tightly that i even felt a sense of love from her. I was touched. Same goes with the helpers such as Lee and Lai. They gave me a 'key chain' ribbon when we were about to leave BH. Thanks to all. Bukit Harapan really made my days there a wonderful and a memorable one. Especially the kids. Thanks again everyone.
I also would like to thank Mr Lau and Mr Ho for organising this trip. Not forgetting to the Team, miss bathing with them, sleep with them, chat and play with them,cut garlic with them,work with them and lastly the sharing session we had every night.Not forgetting the days we were having R&R. My gosh the trekking was superb..REally a long one.Gee... missing those days.
I guess my entry is too long. hehe...So team, lets keep in touch people.May we be able to have such a wonderful trip again in future with all of u...

*toodles*
*mwahs*
Syahidah

Anti-Barb Wire

2005-04-28T08:32:00.000+08:00

As MH 2619 touched down on 20th April 2005, Thursday, I cldn't help but think thru the past 2 weeks...

There was so much that we did & learnt. I really feel that we gave the kids there a hell of a time - from the beach outing to chatting with them, to just simply talking to them. Out of 4 million-strong Singapore population, I dun think anyone wld hv gone thru anything similar to us.

And even if we attempted to explain everything 2 them, there is no doubt in my mind that they'll NOT truly & fully understand wat we did. Why? 'Cos words alone can never compensate for the actions+emotions we all had.

The words of one of the kids calling out "Abang! Abang! Sini Abang!" still rings out aloud in my mind too.

And one thing for sure is this: the kids hv courage. They maybe young & unaware and perhaps naive to a certain extent but hey, they still live life to the fullest!

They still learn to read, communicate with us, play with their friends, interact with the surroundings.

I salute them!

PS: Bring the barb wire down! Hahahas...

Memories that will stay with me ....

2005-04-28T01:43:00.000+08:00

after 2weeks in sabah, all of us r back in SG.. facing the reality n materialistic world again... where we r judge by the way we look, smell n dress.

It was 1 of the best and an unforgettable 2weeks i had ... i dint expected the trip to be so gd.. i though i was there to do community service like renovation n stuffs... but i end up knowing more frens... bro n sis... learning n experiencing new things in life. After i had passed woodland checkpt, i started to miss every min of the time i had back in sabah... looking at my watch.. thinking what we will be doing rite nw.... hearing the voices of bukit harapan at the back of my head.. laughing with those kids and helpers... even though i couldn't speak their language.. but still i could communicate with them....the few words i used through out my stayed in sabah " boleh, tak boleh, malam, pagi, terima kasih, ini, sini, apa, siapa" i dont know whether had i really interacted well n let my presence known among the helpers n kids in bukit harapan, but i was certainly very happy that the kids rmb my name ....i've always find it hard to get to know kids.. but this time round i did something that i always think i couldnt. On the day of the morning be4 we left, i gave a packet of cap kuda coffee to the helpers as they love drink coffee.. then Kak Lee gave me a really nice bracelet which was made by her ... i was so so touched..the bracelet is made of leather n there's 6different colours which signify the bonding of brother n sister.. then came Kak Lai, she gave me a ring n put it on for me n said" this is something from a sister to a brother" i was really speechless there... my tears nearly burst out... but i manage to give a big smile n gave her a hug.... the feeling was so warmth.. no words can explain how i feel.. no1 had said such thing to me be4, not even any of my family members... after that, i went up the bus n look through the windows, seeing Lee n Lai crying...i cried sliently in my heart... i was quiet the whole journey....

There's lots of thing i really nv mention in all the facilitation or debrief we had...i really apologize abt it.. as im an introvert person.. so i tend not to speak or talk abt lots of things ... n for the past couple of days after we left bukit harapan.. u guys see me alone walking right in front.. not really talking much... actually i was being emotional...i just wanted to be alone thinkin abt how could i change my mindset back to sg.. as i was rather attach to the livin over there n the pple... i could open up to the pple there so easily ... where else back in sg, u can nv speak up becoz u'll be afraid of how pple judge u .... i hope u guys will 4give me if i've offended any of u in any way.. the way i talk etc... i have no intention of making enemies nor fights... im really sorry if i had hurt any of u.

i love to thx Mr Ho n Mr Lau especially, without the both of them. dont think this trip will be that enjoyable n sucessful. They r the 1st 2 lecturers that i've come across who i could chat with n being so sporty... really hope i could work with them for another project again. love to thx the team too... without u guys, i wouldnt have make so many new friends in NP, even though i seldom join u guys in group chat n stuffs, but i had gd time laughing with u guys when we're doing our interaction with the kids n when we're out for activities.. Lastly, i love to thx bukit harapan, it was the place that gave us joy n happiness. Every smile from the kids just give us that sense of satisfaction in us... they are the 1 that push us to do things that we though we can nv do, that love n care that we have not shown to any1. the helpers, mama anne n sis audra had done a wonderful job.. without them, there will be no bukit harapan( The Hill of Hope) Thx every1 for tolerating with my cooking .. hopefully u guys like it... if any1 interested to get me over their place to cook pls call my No. 94505217.. LOLz.. jking.. Hope all of us cherish the time, fun, n joy all of us had in Sabah, as this memories will follow us wherever we go. I will miss bukit harapan, esp the kids , helpers n the Team.

P.S: Hopefully we could do another project together as a team, n discuss what Must-do n Good-to-do. :D

:charLiez:

endiNg of a jouRney

2005-04-28T00:35:00.000+08:00

d daz together ended for the Sabah team app abt 1pm... it was sad saying gdbye to all as bonds were forged... so i guess a "see ya around" was more appropriate... i think i shld backdate 1st to saying gdbye to BH....
saying gdbye to BH was difficult... d kids helped enriched my life with daily lessons to be learnt from them- to appreaciate d simple things in life... towards d end, some of the kids started askin wen were we gg off, if we were coming back... dis qns i cldnt ans... scared of giving dem false hope... i'm not sure wat wil happen in future but if there's a chance i'll like to go back to BH....
emotions got d better of me durin sharing session b4 farewell... last day i was in Food team wid of cos, cheF charlie n jaime... but everyone pitched in to help... kak lai said tt BH wont b d same wen we go... for us too, kak lai... i'm missin BH!!! tears flowed wen kak lee said a few words... den it was time for soem of d kids to say gdbye as they needed to go slp... jia qi started crying and i felt she knew we were leaving... she gave me hugs and pecks b4 she left... johnny did d same thing... lamini extended her arms n gaf me a hug... den i teared... how sweet!! d next day, kak lai teared as she said gdbye n hugged me...
den gdbyes had to b done for d sabah team.... but hopefully, we can still meet up to catch up... kp in contact!!
i miss....
d helpers
d kidz
d peeps hu i met on diz trip
bukit harapan, kota kinabalu, sabah
wat will happen now? hope all of us remain in contact with each other... till next time *muackz*
=azizah=

when its over.. thats the time i fall in love again~

2005-04-28T00:34:00.000+08:00

GEez .. time sure files. i took a min to recall the whole painful incidents that i went thru. ( lost handphone + digicam, head hit in the van, fall onto the cobra rapids.) sound like one of those episodes of "the series of unfortunate events" or being refered as the most sianz trip eva.

anihowz.. i come to realize everything that happens to me has a significant reason or maybe an indirect translation of me being clumsy and flimsy over matters.in layman's term.. kanchoing. The experience in sabah deflects all the misfortunes that i encounter .. so much so that i didnt give a slight grudge over wat happened to me. the Homes.. work.. the times i spend with the crew .. unforgettable. my deepest regards goes to the workers of BH. i salute u all. let us all pat at our backs on how much have we achieved!

ciao~
-bunny-

syaiful - my last days

2005-04-27T23:04:00.001+08:00

I'm at home now...13 days seems short. Too short for my liking anyway. 13 days passed like how water would fall from a cliff...it becomes a waterfall, so beautiful and unique, and never to pass by again...flowing down the river till it reaches the vastness of the sea. The sea of memories.

It's amazing, this place called Sabah. And that Home around the corner called Bukit Harapan. Hill of Hope if you translate it to English. Hope does prevail. My days there at Bukit Harapan opened my eyes to the world and minds of the unfortunate. And it opened my eyes to the world of those who sacrifice for these people. It's funny seeing how beautiful these faces can be if you look at them in the eyes...

On the last night at Bukit Harapan, we had a small party for everyone. We barbequed hotdogs and chicken on the pit me n randy made. Very innovative guy. He salvaged some wood and wires and presto, bbq pit all up and ready to start cooking.
XueTing and me took charge of the "games" and dessert. Inverted commas because it wasn't actually games but rather some interactive songs like "If you're happy" and "Put your bla bla in" that kind of stuff. We wanted everyone to be able to take part...that's why. It was Xue Ting's idea to have fruit cocktail for dessert...naizz i tell ya...but i only had one bowl :-(. Was busy preparing it and my "speech" that i had little time to eat. Not that i'm complaining though. But i think i am...

Read that short poem to the people there...decided to leave, giving them something to remember and be proud of. They should be proud of themselves, the helpers. The mural we all designed for them was also a reflection of them.

The last day got me having mixed feelings. I was packing my stuff outside the classroom cause i didn't want to disturb the rest who were still sleeping. I recalled the days that have passed and realised how fast time flies. I could still remember clearly the first meeting we had...the electrical wiring training, the glass-cutting...and our first day at Bukit Harapan...

And so quickly the pages have turned. After Bukit Harapan we stayed in the traditional longhouse...could stay there forever you know...Then had a mighty long hike to a river which i think was polluted. The guys thought they saw UFOs (Unidentified Floating Objects) in the water. Didnt feel that well the next day...got a little bit of diaorrhea and nauseousness. I puked in the bus twice and puked all over the place at a stopover. Hahz of course i'm exaggerating but still, puking is not a naiz business to do. Thanks to the people that helped...and i bought some medicine at Centrepoint in KK. RM8 for two kinds of medicine at the pharmacy...you don't get that in Singapore that's for sure...

The hotel in KK was budget to the maximum. RM15. Period. Does that give an idea of the place?
Hahz i'll help you imagine...one room...8 beds...choking toilet....broken flush...
Can imagine now? But it was all a good experience though..Made the journey a step more interesting. What's more, Sebastian and Zhen Cong thought they heard something spooky at night...

Well, it's all done now, and this chapter has been over and done with. I know the memory will remain in that vast sea for a very long time and i will take the valuable experience with me wherever i go. Thanks Sabah. Thanks Bukit Harapan. Thanks T-Team...

Something amiss....

2005-04-27T22:05:00.000+08:00

Things doesnt seem to be the same, i miss the meeting we had after dinner and the interaction with the kids. Now bathing with shower and unlimited resource of water is a luxury to me but felt lonely.
Parting with the kids is really hard to do and holding back the tears was really hard for a guy.
Parting with the team was again another hard thing to do. Really looking forward to meet you guys as the missing feelings is building up already.
I would also like to complete my reflection that i couldnt that dae due to my breakdown. Is that i hope you guys could forgive me if i had offended you guys in anyway and also thank you guys for your cooperation and the sweet memories.
Cheers!

Justin

Mission accomplished...

2005-04-27T22:02:00.000+08:00

We finally returned home after 13 days of community service today after 2pm.

How are most of us feeling? Well... mixed feelings i guessed. On the one hand, the sadness of leaving a place where so much bonding was done while on the other hand, the happiness of being back to the comfort of our home.

Looking back, the last 2 weeks at KK was like a flash... Most of us would expect ourselves to count the days when we first touch down at KK Bukit Harapan but it was not to be like that. I myself found the passing days a breeze... everyday was filled with activities and things just happened so fast, and before we know it, it's time to say goodbye to all at Bukit Harapan.

Departure... we had a farewell party on Sunday before heading to do R&R. It was both a joyous occasion with lots of food and songs, and also a emotional evening with a lot of heart-touching moments.

Some of the students came to me and said... "Sir, you know, the kids at Bukit Harapan are asking me if they can come to Singapore and whether I will be back... and I don't really know how to answer them... it's so hard to say goodbye you know."

When it was time to depart on Monday morning, there were handshakes and hugs as we bid our final farewell and in the waiting coach, the eyes of some of our guys and gals were filled with tears. In fact, our guys and gals were already emotionally charged when we had a facilitation session earlier on Friday night. Alas, all things must come to an end any how...

Have we all benefitted from this experience? I can't speak for everyone but I believe we have. Are we not more conscious of the love from our own family members, and will we not treasure more the things that we have now?

Personally, I found this comm service a success as we have accomplished what we set out to do... Not only just the physically hardwork but also the high level of interaction.

Guys and Gals of "Hand of Love - Touching Hearts", let me just say that without all of you, this project will never be such a success and lastly to all the helpers at Bukit Harapan, you are an inspiration not only to those special kids but also to us...

Bukit Harapan... thank you for giving us a precious lesson in life. We love you.

Ho Chin Seng

MiSsinG tHeRE.........

2005-04-27T21:09:00.000+08:00

T!me really flies so fast.....but sweet memories will always b captivated in my mind & heart.........

Returned back safely 2 S'pore today...feeling quite lethargic actually..but de first thing is I felt a pang of sadness.... I miss Sabah...esp Bukin Harapan..de boisterous kids......can't believe tat when I woke up from my nap, I wasn't sleeping on de mattress in de classroom...haha..somehow or rather, got lost 4 little while...

I missed Alice....who was often called JiaQi...de last time I saw her was at de farewell party..when she was 'bout 2 leave, her eyes was suddenly welled wif tears which she wiped away quickly.Then she gave mi 2 pecks on my cheeks n waved goodbye...in tat moment I realli dio stunned sia....almost cant realli bring myself 2 sae goodbye 2 everyone....I guess maybe everyone there also shared de same sentiments.......

I missed........

Mama Anne, I prayed she will get better each day as the time goes by...
Sis Audra....
de kids.....
de helpers....

and not forgetting....

the Sabah team...

n lastly, shoppin 2....heh heh...;-P

~gRaCe~

this is home, truly...

2005-04-27T20:57:00.000+08:00

it wasn't too long ago when Rabbany and i were singing some national day song while walking back to the inn yesterday night. somehow felt a little patriotic, or maybe just a last time to feel homesick. less than 24 hours later, i am drinking straight from the tap in my bathroom - i love newater.

wot can start will also, eventually, come to an end. this community service project is no exception. however, friendships forged throughout these 13 days will never be forgotten - this is the something worth remembering. we will also miss Bukit Harapan, both place and people will have a place in our hearts. surely we can do more to help them right?!

again, i feel so blank on the keyboard... just that this time the feel of the keyboard is different. i think - i just want to welcome everybody back home... and wish everybody all the best. so see you, my friends, at the debrief session!

jaime :)

2005-04-27T20:43:00.000+08:00

we're back we're back
back in one piece.

in a short fortnight, so many things happened. rather amazed me.... e kids at bukit harapan... esp johny.. and helpers, e language barrier, e hygiene practice.. cleanliness.. we've all deal and overcame it. if memory serves me well, firdaus himself was scared twice by harry or choy at e toilets. such situations are common. anyways, i remembered vaguely when i js arrived at bukit harapan, i could not stand e stench coming from e kitchen area. i js stopped breathing when passing by, however, now, i sat at e living area's couches & floors.. tho there's saliva & crumbs.. they didnt bother me. i felt totally at home. they're my family. i love them. most of e girls told me they will tear at e farewell party, which they did and honestly, i was determined tt i wont. its js another sad situation tt we have to live through. well, guess i wasnt strong enough. when i watched netel and johny dancing to e music while shyidah tells me what e malay lyrics means, i was overwhelmed & teared. i was thinking how much i will miss johny and e great times i had with him. it is almost impossible to return to e home again and expect e kids to remember us. i felt upset tt the short term memory they suffered from will make johny will forget me. its not like e home is across my house in singapore where i can reach them conveniently and see how they're doing. i worry for their financial abilities and e increasing number of intakes of children. its as if they cannot make it. but hey look at their determination and e sparkle of hope in their eyes, i believe tt they can conquer any rocky situation tt comes by. for e moment, i js wanna wish all of them best of luck. =)

r&r was fun too. traditional long house, e bamboo hopping and dancing, white water rapids w Arkin(awwww..kidding ar!) trekking, jogging to e cold springs.. and sliding down w superman style, its way to cool.. not forgetting e canopy walk, diving sessions w justin, roof talks.. shopping w my babes(finally i got hold of e A&F polo!).. also, the day at e beach w johny, where he ran NONSTOP. outrun me seh. e corny soccer match. gosh, reminds me of Randy- and his freaking eyes..oh oh, and my birthday smash, and i meant literally. cake smashed in mine and sadeli's face. all thanks to my bunch of darlings and my dear dear mastermind, i have fugly hair now. it all sums up to e person i am now. let go of yourself and have fun. =)

til then, SABAHERS unite!
hugs&kisses
rachel

Back home

2005-04-27T17:45:00.000+08:00

Sadeli – Everybody have touched down mainland about 1400hrs. It seems that everyone is tired and can’t wait to get back home to tell their loved ones what they have been doing.

Anyway, I’m just as tired as well, but things down here are so much different in Sabah.
How I wish we could stay there a little longer, not jus for the R&R but staying @ Bukit Harapan as well. I didn’t know its going to be that bad leaving Bukit Harapan. My heart was heavy as the bas drove off. I’m going to missed most of them especially Rayner whom was close to me. He’s been asking me when I will come back with me giving no answers. There was a sad look on his face though. That look touches me so dearly. All I can do is little. I can’t promise him anything. But hopefully I can be there again one day.

To the staff of Bukit Harapan, I salute you all for the courage and loyalty and especially LOVE that you have given to the kids. There will be no one can replace you all!

Semoga kita bertemu lagi di lain masa.

syaiful- a tribute to the helpers

2005-04-25T06:41:00.000+08:00

To the helpers of Bukit Harapan,
Wherever there is light,
You are there,
In the hearts of all of them,
You are there.
Your dedication to them all,
Only God can repay.
You are the real heroes,
Of their nights and days.

Kepada pembantu-pembantu di Bukit Harapan,
Di mana cahaya berada,
Kamu disana,
Di dalam hati mereka semua,
Kamu disana,
Dedikasi kamu kepada mereka,
Hanya Tuhan dapat membalasnya.
Kamulah wira-wira yang sebenar,
Menyinarkan suasana.

Bye, Bukit Harapan

2005-04-25T05:50:00.000+08:00

In less than two hours, we will be leaving Bukit Harapan and heading for Mt Kinabalu National Park for R&R. We will be flying back home on Wednesday morning.

For the past 11 days, Bukit Harapan has been both a home and a workplace for us. We are leaving this place with mixed feelings. We missed our family and friends back home; we are also going to miss this wonderful place. Tears will be shed when we finally depart, I am sure.

Audra and the B. H. community have been so warm towards us. We were given access to almost anything, even Audra's own office and the use of her computer for blogging (you wouldn't have been able to read our blogs and follow our journey otherwise).

When we head back for Singapore, we will bring back with us photographs and memories of our short stay in B.H. For folks back here, life goes on as usual. Or will it? I wonder how they will feel when they realise we are gone.

More important, what will each one of us learn from this experience? Will it be life-changing? Will it make each of us a better person?

Thanks, Mama Anne, Audra, Lee, and all the folks at B.H. May you continue your good work at B.H. The kids need you.

laukiahwa

Rest & Relax DaY!!

2005-04-25T02:19:00.000+08:00

Hey guyZ, here I come again. KeKe!! This is the second time I am bloggin, wah look at the time it’s already past 12 midnight. Guess what, I am still not able to sleep because I felt a bit lost as we will be leaving this wonderful place today at 7.15am. As a result I started bloggin. Sob Sob…

Sharing Session
Mr. Ho and Mr. Lau led a sharing session after the briefing for next day’s event. It left a deep impact on me because out of a sudden when it was my turn to share how I felt about leaving SABAH for Singapore. I I I broken down, …. (Leaving NA NA, was like leaving my younger sister, heart broken into a million pieces). Just for your information, I had always wanted to have a younger sister to care and share my thoughts with. ;````(

Farewell Party
The Sabah team had decided to have a BBQ for this event as we got information from Audra that the kids like it. I and Justin bought a blue cap and a set of hair clip for Na Na, a 12 year old little girl that both of us have the unexplainable feelings for. We were overjoyed to see her smiled. Besides that, we also prepared a few songs to share with the kids, for examples ‘When you Believe’ and Auld Lang Syne. Not forgetting speech by Mr. Ho, Audra and Lee. A busy but fun time interacting with the kids passed in a flash. Once again, a successful event had ended with the initiative and cooperation by everyone. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Charlie the chef for the delicious food prepared.

Lastly, I would like to wish Xue Ying (Rachel) whose Birthday falls on 26 April, a very memorable one. Good night and Morning to everyone out there.

Warmest regards,
Vinson Chen

Leaving on a jet plane

2005-04-23T14:56:00.000+08:00

Seems like everyone is enjoying themselves, from the beach outing to the whitewater rafting to the KFC outside. From the photos, you are also fast becoming skilled tradespeople. The new Integrated resorts will need people like you.

As you build relationships with the children, pls bear in mind that you will be leaving soon. Pls prepare them. Tell them you will be leaving soon.

Great to have this blog site to follow your days in Bukit Harapan.
Take care & God Bless.

jeffrey yang

Let there be light

2005-04-23T06:48:00.000+08:00

Winding down
After a week of DIY work at Bukit Harapan, the students were getting a little tired. The afternoon heat made it worse for them. In any case, by then most of the things we had set out to do have been done. Though tired, some students were still looking for work to do to take away the lethargy.

Signboard
Last Thursday night, I noticed that the Bukit Harapan signboard was unlit. We learned later that the circuit board would trip each time the signboard was switched on. Mr Ho worked with Sadeli and Vinson to troubleshoot the fault. They replaced all the four ballasts and checked other electrical components. To our relief and joy, the signboard lit up.

Trouble-shooting fault

Signboard repaired

Leaking water tank
We had another problem to deal with. The 4' x 4' x 4' water tank that supplied water to the bathroom and toilets has been leaking since we arrived. At first, it just dripped. Justin and Sadeli appplied a sealant around the leaking pipe. The sealant was supp0sed to work under wet conditions. But the sealant could not bond with the pipes.

Old steel water tank

Shortly after, the dripping turned to pouring. If nothing was done, the water bill would skyrocket. After checking the team's financial position, Mr Ho and I decided to have the old galvanised steel water tank replaced.

New PVC water tank

A neighbourhood shop offered us a 400 gallon heavy duty PVC tank for RM300 - a special price after hearing that we are doing community service. We engaged a plumbing contractor to install the tank for RM200. Normal service resumed within the same day.

laukiahwa

going off soon?

2005-04-23T03:20:00.000+08:00

\wurk wurk... more wurk!/
time flies when we work and don't think much eh? i cannot remember the last time i blogged. i think i found my interest in painting - it feels good to colour wot's around.

\rest/
as much as we worked, we also found rest.

beach

the day at the beach was fun for Brian, and a little too tiring for me. he ran around a lot, waded in the sea till he had sausages for fingers, combed to and fro for hermit crabs. i think i was just as hyper (if not more restless) than Brian when i was young. i couldn't stay still unless there was something to keep me really occupied. for Brian, that 'something' came in the form of hermit crabs. he walked from one end to another just looking for the small conical black shells, overturning each one found to check if the shell contained anything moving. he was really focused on looking for more hermit crabs and had this "wow!" look everytime he found something to add to the small clump of living shells on his hand. i felt happy that he felt happy... that day, he counted so many shells till he couldn't count anymore. ok, confession: we pee-ed behind the four-wheel drive because we couldn't find the "little boys' room"... oops :P

that's Brian looking for the hermit crabs.

Brian isn't the only one interested in hermit crabs: Xue Ting helping Brian with the shells.

my mouth was wide agap when i heard Mr Ho say that this trip was the first time out for the kids in a long long time. that explained why Natel was being a little too emotional for a while outside his room after returning back home. Brian too had tears in his eyes when he came back from the beach. he ran to my bed (i cursed under my breath because he carried sand with him on my bed!) and just sat there (normally he would give some frown) when Bakhit told him to get out of our dormitory. it didn't take long to see his eyes swell with tears... overwhelmed by the trip? i guess so.

white water rafting
i remember the instructor saying, "no sign, no rafting... olright?". he was refering to this indemity form that we had to sign on the bus... and he had this accent that was too cool to imitate, i find it hard just to describe how it sounds!

waiting time - long enough to bore you out: Firdaus

sweating it out in the train (from left to right): Derek's back, Syahidah, Shi Wei's back, Sadeli, Vinson, Azizah, Xue Ting's back

like this all the way for hundreds of kilometres

too hot on the train? Emily doesn't mind Charles' BO (from left to right): Charles' armpit hair, Charles, Emily

for pimples, zoom in: Firdaus and Rachael

this isn't part of a magic show: Syahidah

the train ride seemed to take forever to start because of the delay and the journey took an eternity. BUT the sight along the way was most exhilarating - green, green and more green mountain landscapes.

i seem to have more pictures than thoughts to share tonight eh? still, i hope it brought good memories to all!

ok - done feeding the mosquitoes,
jaime :)

syaiful- my other days

2005-04-22T23:21:00.001+08:00

Hi hi again.

Beach outing. The beach was awesome...and it looked like East Coast Beach in Mr Lee Kuan Yew's dreams. Well, hope i was accurate. It was, putting it plainly, beautiful. Soft sands, blue sea, cool breeze......what a wonderful world. I wish i could cut the beach and put it in my room.
Naizz..

Anyway, what we did was we played soccer, walked at the coast and made the logo of our trip (the hand with the heart) on the sand. And we had fun, basically. I didn't want to bathe in the water maybe because i was afraid to get wet. Now to think of it i guess i regretted not doing so. Maybe it was because i had a bleeding toe from the soccer and i was afraid of the pain. I hate pain. Spoils the fun. Again, i tried to be macho.
Then we entertained the kids abit with alittle singing...
And took plenty of pictures...

It was nice seeing how happy these kids were. I heard just now Mr. Ho said that these kids have been outside the home for only 10 times in 5 years. Yeah that's a thought to ponder on. It's like being trapped i feel....though i never see them actually fretting about it. Still it was a naiz idea to actually bring them out and enjoy nature outside.

I was partnered with Alivoo. He's 23 years old and i think his condition is that his mind matures slowly. When i have a talk with him, it is actually quite difficult to tell if there is anything wrong with him. To me, he seems like any normal guy. We talk about the things normal guys do. I wish him well...
Actually i was supposed to be partnered with Chia Kee (Alice) but i exchanged with Xue Ting cause i feel Alivoo communicated with me well and there was a connection between us. Thanks XT... Chia Kee is this cute girl who i think is hyperactive. I can communicate with her too but i think XT communicated with her better than Alivoo.
I think everyone is in love with Angelie....She's the little girl who i think had a condition of having too much water in her brain. Wah...very cute and lovable...called me handsome somemore...That's what i call a polite girl..hahzz

Then yesterday we went white-water rafting. Was in the same group as Xue Ting, Sebastian, Jaime, Charles, Rachel, Emily and Derek. It was incredible i tell ya....incredible. Our group was quite hyper so it made it all more "funner". And i didn't even feel tired after the whole thing. Even after soooo long of no exercise. Got to float around on the river and even did a "rodeo" which was to sit in front of the raft while going through the rapids. There was one part where i fell back into the raft and then Rachel fell back after me (and on me) and i was basically a smashed cookie. The yellowish water further pounded me and made me like a tea time snack(Tea Tarik with Smashed cookie). Not the prettiest of sights seeing how clumsy we both were. But it was all fun and i'm glad i walked away unscathed. Rambo. Hahz.

The "High-Tea" after the ride was the best. The lamb chops is seriously one of the best lamb-chops i have ever tasted. You get that honey and bbq taste...superb. Even the bones seemed edible. But then we were rushed as we would miss the train if we stayed on for too long so i didn't manage to lick the tray....of lamb fats...yummy yummy i needa lamb in my tummy.
In fact the whole journey was great. It took around 3 hours to go there but it was naiz. The train was as efficient as the MRT on fake Eveready batteries but with good company, all is forgiven. It was a valuable experience.

Went to KFC again tonight...hahz...favourite hang-out it seems...Talked to Bunny and Sebastian about the other day when some of the guys were playing soccer near the septic tank. Septic tank. "A sewage-disposal tank in which a continuous flow of waste material," as stated in the FreeDictionary.com. i repeat...soccer near the septic tank that was leaking. Excellent game they had eh? hahz...I'm a little worried about playing around that area. Furthermore the ground there is a little wet. Where does that moisture come from eh.......

Yep and tonight i got a present from Lamini. I haven't opened it up and see what it contains. I'm really thankful for it but all i did was just smiled at her at times as she couldn't talk. I was alittle shocked getting that from her....it's just amazing how a smile can go a long way... But i still feel bad about it though...i thought she shouldn't have spent on me...i don't think i deserve it and i'm being serious about this. Im certainly gonna get her something but im not sure how to give it to her. I feel quite bad...but at the same time, maybe i feel quite proud that i made her feel happy.
My charms are maybe hard to resist...hohohoho....just kidding.

Yeah i guess that's about it for now....till next time.

Pictures again

2005-04-22T20:39:00.000+08:00

The gazebo king

2005-04-22T14:49:00.000+08:00

When we came to Bukit Harapan, one of the first things we were warned about was Choy, the man in the gazebo.

"Don't get near him. He can be violent and he's strong", came the warning.

Choy is 25 and has Down's Syndrome. Bad experiences at the hands of his previous caregiver in his younger days has turned him into a recluse. He confines himself to the gazebo in the garden for much of the daylight hours. The gazebo is his 'sanctuary', that's what we were told.

Everyday, Choy would sweep fallen leaves off the garden and dispose them in a large waste bin that he pulls along. The garden is kept so spick and span any town council would have been proud of it.

Choy joins the children at the dining hall for meals, but would sit in a corner of the hall all by himself, with his face turned away from the children.

In the one week that we have been here, we haven't seen him turn violent. The closest it got was during one lunch time. There he was, sitting in the corner of the dining hall with a plate of rice and a bowl of soup. For some unknown reasons, he got up and headed towards his gazebo. Before reaching, he yelled, threw his plate of food and bowl of soup to the ground, and stormed into his gazebo.

Hardly anyone talks to Choy. Only a few of our students tried to do so . Maybe we have taken the warning too seriously.

I saw Audra and Mama Anne speaking to him on that day when Choy got angry. But they did so from a respectable distance. It seems that Choy is afraid only of Randy, one of the helpers.

The closest I got to inteacting with Choy was to call out his name from 3 m away. I would wave at him and give a thumbs up sign. Almost without fail, he would return the non-verbal greetings and then promptly turn away.

At least he reciprocated.

laukiahwa

birthday boi~

2005-04-22T00:47:00.000+08:00

huhuhu.. sumthin to add on tonite~ todays sadeli's birthday.. yeay~ best wishes from me and the rest of the bukit harapan crew. May all your wishes come true bro. ^_^V

bunny

White Water Rafting

2005-04-22T00:07:00.000+08:00

Today was a fun-filled day. We all woke up at 6am and left for a 2-hour bus journey at 7:15am followed by a 1½ hours train ride. It was my 1st time taking a train. I was very excited about it and it was a great experience travelling through all the forested area, the air was cool and the scenery beautiful.

The river raft ride was super, with all the bumpy river terrain and water splashing all over everyone. The impact of the splashes was so strong that we could feel it trying to capsize our raft. At around midway, The waves pulled Rabbany's paddle back and carry him along with it. It gave us a shock and we had no idea how to react to it, we just continue paddling so that we can reach the calmer waters, Rabbany managed to swim to the side of the river after having a tough fight and the instructor walked up to him. We were glad to see him back without any scratches. The next part was even better as we get to play the role of rescuers, we went to save 2 people who had fallen overboard and later transferred them back to their own raft. The rafting experience ended with a sumptious bbq lunch and a 4 hour ride back to Bukit Harapan.

Thats all about my 1st time taking a train n rafting.

Nitex to all, Zhen Cong

syaiful- the story so far

2005-04-21T11:50:00.000+08:00

These few days had been a wonderful experience.

Like i said before, i am not one who can handle kids well. So the first day when we arrived the home, i felt a little intimidated and questions marks of whether i would enjoy this small journey of a fresh experience appeared. I would be lying if i said i wasn't shaking inside as i was afraid that it could be damaging for an untalented and inexperienced "child-handler" like me to interact with these kids who have special needs. If it wouldn't be damaging to them, could it be to me?
Yeah, these were the questions that popped in my head.

Well, 4 days have gone by, and i was proven wrong.
Facing up to my fears i tried my best to straighten myself up and interact the best i can with the kids. It was, i guess, infinitely heartwarming seeing how comfortable the kids were with strangers. Strangers, namely, me, who has a kid problem like a torn in the underwear.
I have seen my non-malay speaking friends interacting with the kids and it's incredible seeing how care is not bounded by language and communication is not restricted to words.

Other than that, the rest is pretty straight forward. Work, Work, Work. And of course that trip to the city...
Visiting the Sunday market was the highlight for me. It wasn't the common night market that we see often in Singapore- not that we see that often though. And sure i'd like to see them more often. The handicraft market was pretty ok...alot of traditional stuff and had the local ice kachang beside the market.

KFC here in Sabah is hot. Literally. The Zinger is seriously the best i ever tasted. This is what i call hot and spicy unlike the Singapore version of it which i think is just bland. Visiting it almost every night, well, i still haven't got sick of it and that's amazing i feel. The chicken meals are also served in plates and i think that it's really presentable. That's called service, man.

Yep, and a part of my elbow became the victim of the rice cooker. Burned the skin when i was helping Charlie prepare lunch. Well, so much for being Iron Chef. The only thing that was Iron about me was my ego. Yes, it was hot. Very hot. And yes, i was trying to be manly about it. Hahz. Had a straight face all along. Yesterday evening i tried to be Spiderman and helpe dismantle the scaffold for the contractor who wanted the scaffold back. Even spiderman get injured. My burned skin peeled while i was going down from the scaffold. How naizz...

But seriously speaking, I'm quite surprised that there was zero trace of fear when i was climbing the scaffold both to dismantle and also to paint. I had always been nervous when in high places especially with little support and on a flimsy rusted scaffold. But when i wasn't this time and yeah i find that amazing. I'm getting closer to finishing Basic Spiderman Course level 1.

And bathing here is not that bad. At times i just feel it can be pretty relaxing at times. Meditation. Yep that's what you could actually do when you bathe here. Cause the water flow is so slow, you find that you actually have time to sit down at the toilet bowl and just meditate. And after doing business with the toilet bowl, you'll find that the toilet bowl will be so pleased with your "fruits of nature" that it's not even willing to clear itself.
Well, at times feel i could just buy the mineral water and use it for bathing. Or even get down to the nearest 7-11 and buy some ice and melt it so i could bathe. Perhaps it could even be faster.The incredible (incredibly slow) water flow made the girls bathe even longer. Understand the equation; 8 girls + sad state of water flow = 1 1/2 hours of bathe time. 13 guys + sad state of water flow = 2 hours of bather time. Therefore, we can conclude; 13 guys is not equal to 8 girls. And 13 guys + 8 girls + sad state of water = IRRITATED x STINKY SYAIFUL.
Yeah i guess when people can just get too hygienic and impatient. see eg. 1.

eg.1.
SYAIFUL

Hahz. Anyway, we will be getting back our results today. I'm so excited my heart is pounding like a jackhammer on the walls of Bukit Harapan. How fitting. Bukit Harapan means Hill of Hope. And i'm hoping my results will be good. I hope all the good i've done here will help me. Hahz. Yeah i'm exaggerating but i think it makes a good read. Right? It doesn't matter what you think cause i have the password to this blog and you don't. Haha.
Sebastian says he always check the results at 4am in the morning of release. Hahz i thought he would camp at Audra's office at 330am and click the refresh button until the results are updated. But he's still asleep now so too bad. But yeah, whatever results i get, i'll accept. And lets go to another topic. This is supposed to be a holiday.

I found out that the body clock is an incredible system. In singapore, i automatically wake up at 6.30am. Here, i automatically wake up at 5am. Naizz eh? The sun rises and sets quicker here than in singapore. The days have an earlier start and end to it. Therefore, i hypothesize that our body clock relies on our eyes to gauge time. It uses the walls of the eyelids to see how much light falls on it (maybe that's why eyelids are thin) and know exactly when we want to wake up. If you could realise, when we close our eyes, we can see specks of black and white and when the sun falls on our face, it turns to a orangey hue. Another hypothetical conclusion is that these black and white specks is what the body clock uses to exactly pinpoint the time. That is why the clock's accuracy isn't 100%. Yes, nobel prize for me. Hahz, just kidding. But anyway, i do feel that time goes so fast here. When we are working i guess it feels like time is just sprinting. Good company of friends makes it even faster i guess.

12am- 20th April
Was at the wrong place at the wrong time. Was writing this up on paper when everyone was sleeping and suddenly Justin whispered "Oi....It's Sad's birthday..It's Sad's birthday..." So i was like "......" Nevermind it was fun..hahz. Toothpaste in the face of Sad and we ran to our mattresses. I couldn't help laughing at that time that i was shaking while pretending to sleep. In the end, he said we got wrong info and that his birthday is on the 22nd. Sorry Sad. lol. Hhaz nevermind...he's a great sport.

Alright i needa go....be back to ramble on the beach outing.

BeAcH OuTiNg wItH E KiDs ;P (ViNsOn&Sadeli)

2005-04-20T18:30:00.000+08:00

Today’s the day where everyone of us went wild, I must say that both mi & Sadeli really enjoyed ourselves!!! ; --) Bleah.. If we were not wrong, a total of 35++ people attended today’s outing. 1st thing in the morning after breakfast at about 0630, all of us prepared mash egg sandwich, hot dogs & drinks for the picnic session that we planned earlier on. OkOk.. Enough of the brief introduction. KeKe!!! @@ (Look) Sadeli going to complain!!!

Anyway because of time constraint, I & Sadeli are taking our turn to type this blog together. So now, we would like to announce that today’s outing was a success. Everyone returned back SAFE & SOUND. Oops,, only a girl name EMILY injured her toe while playing beach soccer, but she’s fine now. Guess what, she’s also known as the Funny Face of our Sabah team. Extremely funny girl sia… Hmmm our girls get to challenge the sabah staff in beach soccer and beat them by 1-0… wasn’t that good??

Lastly, I “Vinson” the citizen of Singapore would like to take this opportunity also to Wish Sadeli A very happy 24 Birthday.. He He!?!?!?!

My turn….. Sadeli here…. Wah they say I complain too much. Of course must complain mah, if things were not going the way I planned. Some more I kena sabo yesterday night with colgate. It’s not even my birthday, it on 22nd. I heard they still wanna sabo me again…. Die siah!!! (c”,) Dinner Time is 7pm liao.. SobSob.. :```( ^^^^GoOd da ByE^^^^

Warmest regards,
ViNsOn & SaDeLi

Sadeli-Btw I'm 25 now not 24!! (c",)

joy and hope

2005-04-20T07:47:00.000+08:00

Princess
(from left to not-so-left: Ai Ping, Angeline, Grace)

this was taken yesterday afternoon. i suppose the biggest smile would belong to Angeline... who won't be happy to be posing princess? at least it brought joy to the kid for a moment. we wish her all the best :)

this place is called Bukit Harapan, or Hill of Hope. hope seems like a very 'big' word, doesn't it? i think that "hope" means to work towards 'something' you want to achieve, but with no assurance that that 'something' will actually come true or materialise.
over these past few days, i have seen the workers here take care of the kids. they seem to be ever so patient with the shortcomings of the kids; some disobey, cannot understand, or just plain blur. they are the ones who have been feeding, clothing, teaching, bathing and playing with the kids. to them, it is not a 14-day community service trip or something that they can 'screw up' and move along - it's something that they have put their life into. they put their lives into a hope... hoping that one day the kids here can live normal lives despite their disabilities. they will leave a deep impression because i see them as angels. it's not like there aren't such people in Singapore for me to experience the same thing back at a local community service... just that we are actually living with them now... and seeing them living the same lives everyday just for the kids can be something a little too emotional to handle at times. gawd: as much as i want to head home as soon as possible - i will also hope the goodbye will be short, sweet and drier in the eyes.

jaime :)

Never say die!

2005-04-19T22:55:00.000+08:00

Never seen such a team with such an high enthusiastic spirit before, not even in my N.S platoon. Which most of the time we were following orders and things done were need to be told. But over here we were so eager to help out with the things that were define as 'must do'. No one was seen to be skiving, we were all taking initiative to help the other groupmates ( Total: 3 groups).

One very important moment that had left a deep impression in my heart, was that althought everyone was tired after a daes work no one complaint about the jobs but instead they contributed more by interacting with the kids. The spirit of this team is really like an energizer battery!

Not forgetting our lecturers who also had put in their expertise to solve problems, for example Mr Lau fixing the sinks and Mr Ho fixing the lightings and electrical components. They were like fathers to us, always showing care and concern. Last but not least, I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for giving me all this touching memories.

Mozzie attack

2005-04-19T20:47:00.000+08:00

Charles wrote: "All the myths about the mosquitoes aren't really true... I did work w/out my shirt...but didn't get a bite..."

I am amazed that Charles could go about bare-bodied and didn't get any mosquito bite.

I was sitting in the garden early this morning reading a book. In the morning sunlight, I noticed both my arms were covered with red spots. Oh no! Could I have contracted chicken pox? My mind raced back to a week ago. Did I come in contact with anyone who has chicken pox?

I ran my fingers over my face and also stole a glance at my upper body to see if there were red spots. There was none. I concluded that it must be the mosquitoes.

It left me wondering about the anti-mosquito body that Charles has....

laukiahwa

Half way point

2005-04-19T19:53:00.000+08:00

Days has passed... and now we are at the mid point of our trip. The food here are okie but we went out for supper almost everynight. I still have not tried the KFC chicken but the zinger was delicious and spicy.

The weather wasn't as hot compared to Singapore and YES! it finally rained today, well it was just drizzling. FYI, we were going to the beach tomorrow and white water rafting on thurs, cool 2 water activities in a row :D.

Anyway a message to my family as i don't call back often, I doing fine and well here.

tata, Zhen Cong

EU_ropean Union

2005-04-19T17:57:00.000+08:00

Hey all! So far, things r really interesting here at Bukit Harapan, Sabah... did alot of construction work & chatted a bit with the kids. It's kinda educational :-)

The day here starts early; the sun comes out at around 6 am plus...and it gets dark here at arnd 6pm plus..

The food here is so-s0 but thankfully, we do have some really good chefs in our team. Most of the time, every1 is hungry and just eats wad's on the table. We also hv 2 do dinner duty where we're supposed to either cook something or wash-up - and there's 23 of us! But nvm lah..dinner duty groups consist of 3 ppl.

Initially, I felt kinda of apprehensive when I 1st arrived at the Home. But things r getting better...playing with the kids can b both tiring & fun. A few of them also quite like my Adidas watch. They like to see the watch light come on & also like to play with my handphone games... 2 of them fought over it...hahaha...kinda of funny..

The 3 bags of Yupi sweets which I brought are now dropping in quantity - both the team & the kids like them. However, the Home's care taker, Mama Ann, said that the kids can't hv too many sweets.The sugar in it can make them too active.

Also had a nasty cut on my head.... was washing 1 of the dogs when the dog shook itself and I moved back & got a nasty cut across my head.... my friend said that next time, when i get a shave in NS..the scar will be visible...Hmmm....

All the myths about the mosquitoes aren't really true... I did work w/out my shirt...but didn't get a bite...Ok..the others r waiting to blog too...

Cyaz.......!

2005-04-19T17:13:00.000+08:00

heyhey.. i'm here.. survived 6 days. have our ups and downs here. pretty upsetting, but of cos it strengthens our bond. anyways, our work load now is lighter and r&r days are here. tomorrow to be exact. we're gg to e beach w e kids here. yay! and prolly get my darling pups along too. 3 of them, 1 brown & 2 blacks, are apparently named aft me, emily & vinson by my dear bakhit. they're so adorable tt i wanna smuggle 'em back to spore. heh. anyways, today's a painting job for me. in e high room & e fountain ceiling. and meals are getting better........ by chef charlie. :) anyways, i miss my family and friends back sweet home & of cos my scrubs and spas shower. =/ mahas. alright, js wanna report safety and as a leader, tho i'm one of e youngest here, i would like this trip to remain as a good memory for everyone, including e harapan residents.. take care dears. hugs&kisses. -rachel

2005-04-19T16:52:00.000+08:00

well the place here is ok! yae! enjoy it. the kids are ok if u get the time to get to know them. Well we did some repairing in the toilet 2dae. did some painting... all of us are tired but at the end of the dae we all feel happy that we did contribute to Bukit Harapan... -Bakhit-

raining in Sabah

2005-04-19T16:43:00.000+08:00

YAY!!! for how long we've been here.... this is the 1st day it rained!!! woohoo~
the gals painted another toilet and of course as jaime has mentioned- it's a "high" spot for all of us at Bukit Harapan... some did the mural, some did the repair work for door frame and roof, some replaced the ceiling boards for the rooms....
we started the day with a marvellous bfast(fried beehoon) prepared by our very own chef- Charlie... [mr yang- contact Charlie if you want any catering services... hahaha] then we headed to the work awaiting us.... we had to cut short for the day as it started to drizzle....
waiting for dinner now.... more updates coming ur way later....
waiting to have fun tomorrow............

*toodles* *muackz*
Azizah and Syahidah

Harry and his broom

2005-04-19T10:37:00.000+08:00

One morning, Justin was enjoying his egg mayo sandwich that Derek had made when Harry came up and stood right in front of him. Harry is in his twenties. He's spastic, and also deaf and dumb. He spots a moustache which gives him a menacing look.

Harry pointed at the sandwich that Justin has just taken a bite of and in the next moment, snatched the sandwich off Justin's hand. He chomped at the sandwich and finished eating it before Justin could say 'excuse me'. Justin took it in good spirit and joked that perhaps Harry was trying to show him the proper way to eat a sandwich.

Harry's territory is the kitchen and the grass patch in front of it. He prowls his domain, always clutching a broom made from the stems of coconut leaves (I don't know the proper name for this). As his pastime, he would pull out one of the long stems and then insert it back.

The helpers told us that he likes to drink water. He waddles from one place to another, peering into anything that resembles a water container, looking for water to drink. He's very protective of Mama Anne we were told. He's one of those we find hard to relate to.

This morning, I walked past Harry on the way to breakfast. I stopped to greet him and he motioned to me that he wanted a second helping of milo. I dutifully refilled his cup.

After he had his breakfast, he brought his plate and cup to the sink, picked up another plate that was placed there for washing, and drank the water in it.... Welcome to Harry's world.

laukiahwa

View from the roof

2005-04-19T07:20:00.000+08:00

The roof over audra's office has been gathering leaves over the months. We decided to clear the leaves off the roof.

The roof is far too high for a ladder to reach. We erected a scaffold, which we found stacked in another part of the compound. The scaffold was unstable as there were no nuts to secure the diagonal bracings. I ran to the hardware store some half a kilometre away to buy the nuts.

The adventurous ones got onto the roof - sadeli, vinson, firdaus, charles - not all four at the same time of course. We feared the zinc roof cannot take their weight. They tried to stay close to the rivet position for that's where the timber supports (purlins) are. It can be pretty scary up there I am sure.

Besides clearing the leaves off the roof, we also replaced the rotten fascia boards (the horizontal timber boards that lined the edge of the roof) with three new pieces we bought from a hardware shop. The supplier normally wouldn't deliver three pieces of timber boards for free. But knowing that we are volunteers from Singapore, they gladly offered free delivery service.

I did not go onto the roof (scared?), but was observing and directing the work from below. When the work was nearly done, I discovered, while standing under the zinc roof and looking up, that light was coming through the roof. Oh no! The trampling of the guys on the roof has taken its toll. The thin zinc sheets have bent under the weight and tiny holes appeared in scattered locations.

We quickly thought of a solution - patch the holes with silicone. This we promptly did. From then on, those heavier than 55 kg are not allowed to get onto the roof. We will do a water test to make sure there is no leak. Phew!

laukiahwa

toilet - a place to get high, or just get pissed.

2005-04-19T02:46:00.000+08:00

\pee and self discovery/
was doing some work in the toilet when this boy came into the loo with his fly down. we gestured for him to use the toilet bowl, removing our tools that were in his way. he stood just in front of this bucket containing water (for cleaning) and lifted his flood gates - without closing the toilet door. the glee of relief on his face (on the way out) translated to that of slight disgust on mine. i had earlier used water from the same bucket to wash up the toilet floor before we started work, and i noticed the water wasn't as 'clear' as should be. after rinsing the whole bucket of dissolved pee into the toilet bowl, it's hard not to think how that water used to clean the toilet floor had some colour to it.

ok, he needs toilet training... and i need to get a grip. just complain less, right?

\bathing/
wot you have: 2 large water buckets, 3 hand-sized water buckets, a water supply cut and an external water supply running into the large buckets using a long water hose, 4 guys.

you know wot to do; just do it.

some words of advice: wait for the large buckets to fill up or take the risk not to wait. if you have to choose the latter option, pray hard while you soap your head.

wot happened: 4 guys didn't wait for the large buckets to fill up... and the flow from the hose reduced to a squirt halfway. yes, i bathed using a 'water gun' today - and it's nothing like the "super-soaker"!

still trying to figure out why the water supply gets cut in the evenings and the unsteady flow rate of the hose. the team has plans to do something about the leaking water tank :D

the countdown continues, 6 more days!
jaime :)

ps:
big thank you-s to Syahidah for servicing this blog, Zhen Cong for taking time off sleep to upload the pictures... it's tedious work, Sabastian and Emily for sharing their gift of photography through recording our every step of the way :)

More Photos

2005-04-19T00:34:00.001+08:00

Painters at work

Busy Chefs

Interaction with the kids

A day out at Kota Kinabalu City

Some night activities

Helping Apple with her therapy

Meet the dogs

Marketing session

3 heads are better than 1......

2005-04-18T22:28:00.000+08:00

Yesterday we went to Gaya street.. it was bustling with activities... dogs, cats, rabbits and hamsters can be found everywhere... cute.. but poor thing (will they be a food source or kept as pets.. so so so sad..) .. we had a fun time shopping although it was a hot day...things there were really cheap.. also took some pictures over there..

Today breakfast was very very very delicious... haha.. coz it was prepared by us including azizah, xueting, shayhidah...haha.. just kidding.. went to work after our delicious breakfast.. hahah....

Actually there is nothing much to say... just want to say that we are fine and doing well, and looking forward for more outdoor activities..hahah.. more SHOPPING if possible..hahah...still have not shopped enough..hahha...

shiwei & aiping & grace

A girl called Apple

2005-04-18T19:06:00.000+08:00

Today we had a physiotheraphy session on a girl called Apple. She is a pretty 14-year old girl with a very sad past. Things that happened in the past made her give up the will to live in this world ... not wanting to talk, to eat, in fact not wanting to do anything...

When she was brought to Bukit Harapan, she was totally devastated and traumatised by the suicide of her mother, I was told. However, thanks to Momma Anne and the staff here, she survived the ordeal but the scar of the trauma never left her. Till today, she cannot walk. I was told that when she was a little girl, she could walk and run like any other kids. How sad it is for us to see her always lying on the floor or sitting on a wheelchair...

Today, we tried to help her walk again. The advanced walking aids are just too expensive. So we improvise... We tried to tie her to a strong person, feet on feet, knees behind knees, legs to legs and arms to arms. We want her to remember the way to walk... to let her brains register the functions of her legs.

Alas we failed... She was just to shy to let strangers attend to her. She was just too attached to her two personal assistants. The 3 strong male students who valiantly volunteered to be tied to her are just remarkable. Firdaus, Charles and Charlie... I salute you.

We will try again and again every day this week until the day we leave. Hopefully we could see a miracle happen...

Ho Chin Seng

Hi guys

2005-04-18T12:27:00.000+08:00

Hi everyone,

I see that you are all having a meanigful time at Bukit Harapan. Great trip with learning skills for manual work, manual work done (be careful, your mom will want you to do such work at home when you return), interacting with the residents there, plus shopping at Gaya St & Centrepoint. Pls ensure baggage does not exceed 20kg when you return.

Glad to see that you are finding the trip meaningful, and that you will continue with comm service even after you return. Sometimes, in Singapore, comm service forced on you plus no need to pay money, and you find service meaningless. Volunteer, and pay money and you find meaningful. Maybe, in Singapore, we should charge students to do comm service! I guess staying in helps to make it meaningful. Also must have a few days to get used to the residents around you before you feel comfortable with them.

What are your thoughts about Kota Kinabalu? During pre-trip discussion, some said it would be like Singapore 50 years ago. Did you think you could cope with some place so ulu? What do you think of KK now that you have been there a week?

Who is the chap who has been cooking? Must get him to cook for us when you return.
Who knocked his head? Is he OK?

Hey, the syringes is not for you to administer medication to the participants. It is for, just in case someone sees a doctor, and doctor does not have disposable syringes, to ask the doctor to use our disposable syringes. Disposable syringes are safer medically (worry about spreading HIV, Hep B, etc) and less painful as the needles are very sharp (1 time use).

Take care. God Bless. My thoughts are with you. Wish I were with you.

jeffrey yang

Reaching out to the kids

2005-04-18T06:12:00.000+08:00

Before I came over here, I read the post-trip report by the previous NP team that was here a year ago. They recommended that the next team spend more time interacting with the children. Will it be easier said than done, i wondered.

A few members of the team had experience working with MINDS or orphanages and old folks' home in Singapore. (Some confessed that they felt forced to do it because CIP is a requirement in schools.) Still, nothing really prepared us for what we were to witness here in Bukit Harapan.

On the day we arrived, many of us skirted around the residents. Those residents with less disability, we were more at ease to get near. Others we kept at arm's length. I mean, how do you communicate with those who are unable to speak normally? It's difficult enough for some of us just to string a few words in Bahasa Malaysia. But how do you continue a conversation with someone who simply gives you a blank stare or a weak smile? Maybe that's why some feel more comfortable doing house repair and maintenance work than to mingle with the kids.

But we kept reminding ourselves that community work is not merely clearing thrash, painting walls, or repairing leaks. If we had done all the physical stuff and returned without interacting with the kids, would we have made a real difference?

But our guys have done well. They overcame their initial fear and unease and soon warmed up to spending time with the kids. They would talk to them, touch them, hug them, teach them, and just be with them.

Some of the kids were naturally getting more attention than others. I noticed one boy who sat all by himself. He is in his early twenties, but still looked like an adolescent. He has a personal history too painful to recount, one that had traumatised him and made him what he is today. He doesn't speak; he just grunts. He keeps waving his right hand in the air in a jerky circular motion. I did not have much success trying to reach out to him initially. I think I am making some headway. I still cannot communicate with him through language, but I guess there's the non-verbal language of love. I will keep trying...

laukiahwa

2005-04-18T01:44:00.000+08:00

wat can i say.... the prev entry has said wat has happened today.... well i'll jus input my thoughts:
i guess the day was ok as the outing let us all relax and experience wat many wanted to do- SHOP!!! well newayz, though the day was HOT, it was fun as everyone got to take the day off from the home and have some fun (not that we dun have any at the home) everyone was tired and we headed back... BUT there was an incident where lessons were learnt....
the nite- we had a sharing session where everyone had to show off their drawings to everyone abt their "Life Journey" i talked abt ma galz who have been there for me since sec daz.... a little teary eyed thinking abt the stuff we went thru.... but all's well...
*muackz*
=azizah=

Outing aLL The WAY!

2005-04-17T23:50:00.000+08:00

Hello there peeps...
Today we took a day off from work. We went out to shop at Gaya Market and few shopping centres such as the centre point and wisma. Not forgetting we passed by the wet market cum fish market. We also went to the handicraft market. Some of us bought souveniers there. We had Ice Kacang also known as ABC in Malaysia.After chilling under the umbrella drinking Ice kacang, we went to centre point and then we headed back to Bukit Harapan.
2 incidents happened today. Charles had a cut on his head while he was showering the dog.He is very strong...Secondly, We accidentally left Sebastian in the shopping mall.Luckily on the way back, Justin and Charles recall about him and we found out that he was not in the bus with us. Panic arises and everyone was worried. According to the sharing session we had, Sebastian was not scared although he tried to call some of us but to no avail. It is due to network problem.
We had a long sharing session today as we shared our life journey and also what we learnt from the incidents that had happened. The heros and heroins of the SAbah team really learnt a lot today. We have another week to work to meet our mission that we set. Although only one week had passed, we hope that there will more time we could spent down here as we felt that we have already deeply bonded together. WE really make a lot of friends.Thats all for today. Pray for our safety and hopefully our days will be more memorable.

....Don't Worry we, Heros and Heroins, will take care of ourselves...
*toodles*

2005-04-17T22:10:00.000+08:00

Hi Everyone,

The detailed blogs & joyful pictures tell a heartwarming story of your time at Bukit Harapan.

I can tell that all of you are genuinely enjoying yourselves while working hard & touching lives. In Singapore we can get so caught up with our work, studies, material possessions & other issues that we forget to be grateful for the simple joys.

Thank you everyone for sharing your Sabah journey through the blogs.

Grace Quah

My thoughts at Bukit Harapan...

2005-04-17T06:11:00.000+08:00

Hi, this is our fourth day at Bukit Harapan. We work and stay here at the home with some of the children.

Well... Over the last 3 days or so, I have all praise for our Ngee Ann guys and gals who have worked very hard both in their labourous effort to repair things here as well as in their effort in socialising and bonding with the children of this home. Bravo!!!

While it is relatively easy to provide the much needed labour for the repair work, what strikes me most is the willingness on the part of our students to share some moments talking and providing accompanyment to the kids of the home. This I think is most difficult as the children here all have their sad story to tell (only if they can...they are mostly unable to speak out how they feel...)

Kids at this home all have different medical problems and social backgrounds, and are usually ignored by their parents or society. What they look forward most is... just a little care or just a little touch of their hands from fellow human beings. I mean, alot of our guys and gals cannot speak Bahasa Malaysia... but are trying forge a bond with these kids. Some of us actually have initially a fear approaching these unfortunate kids in the beginning but all these fears have all gone...

Well... we count ourselves fortunate being born normal and have a complete family unit. Seeing these kids here who mostly have been discarded by their family makes us treasure our own family and loved ones more than before. It makes me appreciate the love my parents endowed on me over these 30 over years and also makes me understand how delicate the feelings of my own kids are... I think this experience will make me a better man.

Ho Chin Seng

so carefree

2005-04-17T01:15:00.000+08:00

just 2 things to share tonight...

\socialising session/
that night, we (residents and the team), gathered for a song session. one of the children, Natel (spelling.. oops?), took to the stage and sang to the tune on the electric guitar. He turned idol for the night we - his fans that couldn't really grasp wot he was singing. one of the workers at the Home sang pitch perfect! it was fun joining the children to play without any worries on our minds. if only we all could live without thinking wot's next to come.

\simple pleasures of life/
another boy appeared in the guys' quarters sometime in the afternoon and refused to go out. he was just lying on Bakhit's bed and looking at a clump of rafia strings in his hand. he seemed to be contended just lying down and admiring the rafia swaying against the wind from the fans above. we may never understand why he refused to give up on that rafia, but one thing for sure was that he found satisfaction in something so simple.

tomorrow's rest day!
jaime :)

TIME FOR SOME PICTURES

2005-04-17T00:17:00.000+08:00

Meet The Team

Meet The Children

Lesson Time

Food Preparation

Time To Work

Look At Our Harvest

Flute Performance

DAY 2 AND 3 SUMMARY

2005-04-16T23:40:00.000+08:00

- started replacing window panes.
-cleared the rubbish at the back of the home
- levelled the soil there.
- replaced the ceiling boards near the entrance of the home.
- played with the kids...
- sharing session with the group....we were told the day before to draw something that represented our "LIFE JOURNEY"....and had to present it to the team...time wasn't sufficient so we had to continue the presentation from other members in another time.
- decided to paint a mural at a wall in the home near the dog's cages and we decided to paint our logo.

DAY 3
- some went to the market to get ingredients for the meal.
-Charlie cooked steamed fish for everyone and Syaiful and Derek helped out...
-rubbish on the roof of the classrooms block was cleared.
- started painting the mural by first whitewashing the wall as it was multi-coloured.
- the background turned out too bright so we decided to get another darker colour..
- watched FINDING NEMO with the kids....and Charlie made desserts for all...
- group went out to the supermarket and we camped at KFC for awhile.
- came back finding Mr Lau and Mr Ho asleep...zzz

DAY 1....THE THINGS WE DID....

2005-04-16T23:32:00.000+08:00

DAY 1
8.55am- Everyone left Kranji MRT for kota raya.
9.30am- Reached kota raya bus terminal and left for senai airport. so far, everything has been smooth.
9.45am- In the bus, feeling sleepy.
10.00am- The ride seems long...well, it IS long.
10.10am- Finally saw the Senai signboard...
10.15am- Traffic jam.....lucky the driver is playing the radio.
10.20am- Reached alredy lo...
10.40am- Checked in our bags and there were very few people around.
11.05am- Dunkin Donuts at airport...naizzzz
11.30am- Just slacking at the restaurant nearby in the airport. Mr Lau bought a meal for RM5.40...not bad...but still it's a little expensive for Malaysians maybe.
12.15am- We are finally in!!! But still must wait for boarding at the waiting lounge.
12.45am- In the plane...woohoo...
1.45pm- Lunch is served in the plane...Garlic Rice With Fish and Curry Chicken With Rice were the choices.
2.04pm- Cleared lunch
3.15pm- Arrived at Sabah..
3.35pm- Bag collection..Derek had a scare as his bag came out late...he almost cried...nah just joking...(sorry Derek's mom)
3.45pm- On the way to Bukit Harapan in the van...3 vans for the kids and one van for the bags.
4.09pm- Reached Bukit Haran..just as we saw in the photographs by Mr Ho in Singapore.
4 .50pm- Changed and settled in the classrooms which were to be our domitories.
5.10pm- A talk by Li....one of the helpers there. After that, the girls had to clean the rooms while the guys cleared the trash around the back of the classrooms. Mr Ho, Mr Lau, Justin, Sadeli, Vinson, Firdaus surveyed premises and identified things that needed repair or replacement.
6.23pm- Prepared the rooms for sleeping.
7.00pm- Rested for awhile...
7.30pm- Dinner.....
8.00pm- Queued to bathe in groups...girls first, then the guys.
10.00pm- Planned next day's work...

Bukit Harapan, the untold story

2005-04-16T18:25:00.000+08:00

We have all started telling our own stories about our experiences here. I guess we should have started by telling you something about the Home that we are helping. It's called Bukit Harapan or 'Hill of Hope" - a therapeutic community, that's what the pamphlet says.

There are supposed to be 48 residents here. We were told that eight have gone missing in action (the army term is MIA). Every resident is special - some have Down's Syndrome, epilepsy or celebral palsy; some are hyperactive, or have been abandoned or abused in childhood. Others have conditions we have yet to find out. We probably will in the days to come.

You cannot help but have admiration for Mama Anne and Audra, the mother and daughter team that started the home some ten years ago to love and care for people with special needs, people whom society may find hard to accept.

Ironically, Bukit Harapan is located right smack in the middle of what looks like a rich man's residential district. Maybe not for the wealthiest, but the homes are huge and imposing enough, and all seemed extravagantly renovated or rebuilt. The premises of Bukit Harapan stands in stark contrast. The front looks decent from a distance. But when you enter, you will soon realise that many parts of the buildings have either been patched up or are in need of being patched up. In its midst is a lovely garden, complete with trellises and gazebos.

It is evident that love resides here. Here, people who were unloved found love. People who were uncared for found more than a roof over their heads. There's a quiet peace in this place.

If you were to ask the residents, I think they would rather be here than in the princely mansions in the neighbourhood, or anywhere else.

That's the power of love.

laukiahwa

Greetings from Singapore

2005-04-16T11:54:00.000+08:00

Dear Staff & Students -

Really great to read all your blogs! Can imagine that although conditions are quite primitive you are all mentally prepared to rough it. Certainly know that you are all an adventurous & passionate bunch as you had initially applied to go to Banda Aceh.

Do work hard but also remember to take sufficient rest so that you do not fall sick.

Wishing you a wonderful experience in Sabah & looking forward to seeing all of you in a fortnight's time.

Fond Regards,

Grace Quah

a few words from each one of the sabah-ers

2005-04-16T02:02:00.000+08:00

xueting: trip is enriching, fruitful and i'm enjoying myself. miss my family and friends though. =) i'm seeing the world in another vision.

emily: Tiring!! My bag is too heavy for me!! haha.. An eye opener trip from me!! and i stil have 12 more days to go!! Kids here are so cute!! but they like Don Like Me =( okie ciaoz.. To Be Cont.

rachel: i'm here! i'm here! after only 2 days of slaving, i'm still alive. yay. bag's heavy, plane gave me headaches... but still there's e fun & funk. mahas. from digging rubbish... mahas. alright. adapting well to e meals and lodging. bitching keeps me going. yay. see you guys around. hugs&kisses.

Syahidah: Holla! WEll, the 2 days here been okie. FUn..We've been getting ard very well with each other. We lack of water n guess wat i lost count the number of bottles we buy. Gee... More fun is coming up. Looking forward for it! so dear readers, I heart all of u.. esp, my family n frens...Mwahs...

Rabbunny: day 2. wheee~ finally.. stepped to the good ol' sabah. lol. oh btw, i got the heaviest bagpack weight of 17.7kg! ngiahahaha.. nuthin much to update. getting the grip of it somehow. till then ciao.

Charles: Yawnn...Now it's 1101 pm. Just came back from a night walk to 7-11. The things here r definitely cheaper. The work we do can also b real tiring. Had to clear loads of rubbish today. The kids are also really hyper. But it's kinda satisfying to teach them or make them smile...sian, ah...miss Hainanese Chicken Rice.Cyaz!

Zhen Cong: SHiok... just finished 2 bottle of choco milk from 7-11 ;) Today is a tiring day, few hours back were singing and dancing with the children.I'm one of the 3 photographers around, so stay tuned to the pics.

Justin: Oh lala so tired after a daes work but its all worth it. Seeing better living conditions for the kids and also we had a lot of fun in the evening listening to the kids singing and performing and our teams members interacting cheers.

kiahwa: Hi! There's just too much to write in this restricted space. Will leave it to our 'official' bloggers, Jaime, Syaiful & gang, to tell the long story. We really packed in a lot of activities since touching down yesterday afternoon. This group of students is great...a joy to be with. Responsible, willing to work, always wearing a smile. You can't ask for more.

Sebas: singapore's KFC has alot to learn from the malaysian ones

jaime: not the "official blogger"! we all blog and share as much as we can? :)
a first for everything...

\dove, just before i go/
1/4 moisturising cream (and 3/4 something else) felt good on my head in the shower - i knew there wasn't going to be any more hair conditioner or any type of luxury for the next 2 weeks.

\the trip up north/
the rumbling of the mrt train reminded me that i was still in Singapore. still home, for now.

\gather and go/
good news: i was early. bad news: 30 minutes early was way too much time. good thing Sadeli was already there at Kranji mrt station too. he handed me a black polo-tee... *now i am officially a member of the team!* :)

a company of 2 soon grew to a crowd of 24. we set off.

the yellow bus bringing us across the causeway seemed to resemble a TIBS bus in terms of exterior colour - but the interior was very spacious!

the way through the causeway was unexpectedly smooth, most probablty because of 'off-peak' traffic time.

\Kota Raya/
the yellow bus brought us to this transit lounge in Kota Raya. it was a like an air-conditioned oasis in the middle of very wide roads leading further into peninsular Malaysia. snapshots, both posed and candid, continued to be something important to many of the girls. the guys chose to take a quick bite at the snack bar - just in case on-flight lunch won't be satisfying?

\are we there yet?/
another yellow bus, read as: the causeway link, picked us up after around 15 minutes of lazing around in the lounge. this time, the bus was larger and had a compartment for all our bagpacks. not quite there yet, but closer at least!

the bus travelled for a long time on this expressway. one cannot possibly miss out the flags that line the expressway. 4 blue flags (each with a crescent and star) protrude from each lamp-post; i felt a little intimidated by this patriotic fever that heated up on either sides of the road and calmed myself with the landscape.

one of the things that Malaysia has MUST be the land space - highrise residences were really rare. in fact, only one was spotted the whole way through. distances seem to stretch further than you could see - the road signs display city names that are hundreds of kilometres away. so far, everything seemed to be comfortable... even the ears were pampered to "perfect 10" (a Singapore radio channel) on the bus radio receiver.

\welcome to Senai airport/
the "hissing" sound after the abrupt stop awoke my senses.

bags off the bus, on the trolley, into the check-in, snack at dunkin' donuts (why don't they have such great sinful snack shops in Singapore anymore?!) , last group shot and we were ushered into a domestic flight bound for Kota Kinabalu.

\take off/
my first take off in a plane was not any short of excitement. the feeling of having your whole body lifted off the ground (much faster than in an escalator) is the closest to weightlessness i think i will ever get.

rice farms, housing estates, forest greens, rivers, lakes; partitioned land from 8000 metres above looked like mosaic art - way too cool.

fastforward the in-flight lunch (which was not bad leh!), in-flight nap above South-China Sea... and ended up in Kota Kinabalu International Airport.

\airports/
sidetracking a little...
i prefer Senai Airport than the Kota Kinabalu Airport. Senai had this really cosy setting that Kota Kinabalu could not provide. maybe it was the time spent slacking at dunkin' donuts and chatting at food court that made me feel this way?

\last transfer/
a convoy of 4 mini buses drove us to the home. good thing the bus was not airconditioned; it provided a first-hand experience of the sights - and even scents in this part of Borneo. the roads seemed to have cheese lingering in the air-exhaust. external water storage seemed to be standard issue in all buildings.

\here, finally/
the gate opened - a sign of welcome. a few of the kids ran out to greet us, shaking our hands and saying "salam". they looked very lively, even perhaps too lively. a girl from the Home tried to run out too but was restrained by a staff. was she trying to say "hi" or attempting escape? her frown, as she was pulled back in, set me stoned for a while. i told myself such would be norm for the next 2 weeks - so get used to it. there were residents in wheelchairs watering the plants... they do wot they can to contribute, setting an example for us to follow.

\the rest of day 1/
we were introduced to the rest of the residents living in the Home. as 40+ names flashed through my mind, nothing got in... and i knew Bahasa Melayu was going to get confusing.

cleaned out the classrooms and we had our sleeping quarters.

looking at the pile of rubbish that accumulated at the side gate... i think we have a lot of work to do in these 2 weeks.

it's not just mosquitoes that fly around in the night... expect any other six-legged assorted creature on your bedsheet.

\more rubbish - sai1 kang1 warriors unite!/
broken window louvers and ceiling boards were replaced with new ones - these were among other things that went on in the morning.

my day 2 morning was spent together with a handful of teammates clearing out rubbish from this area behind and under our sleeping quarters. stretchering trash out proved to be tricky at sharp turning points... but we managed!

it took almost all of us in a time of one and a half hours to flatten out 'hills' of peat to the area surrounding the Home. that was a lot of soil moving...

will have to continue again tomorrow or something... the night is taking a toll on my eyes... and i feel guilty taking up so much space already!

wat a Fantastic 2nd day.

2005-04-15T22:38:00.000+08:00

Our 14 days JouRnEy
it's our 2nd day over ay KK... the 1st day when we reached here... was feeling rather awkward.. seeing those unusual faces and environment.. but it took us less than a day for us to adapt to the place.. in the morning , we had our 1st breakfast over here... had bread n hot milo... then the host brought some hotdogs crossiant... was MUCH much more delicious den wat we had.... it was a rather quick breakfast...i was expecting all of us to slack.. take our sweet to do our duty n stuffs.. but guess wat.. we went to work straight.. all of us was working really hard ... even though it was so dirty n stinky (fr the dogs) haha.. we still managed to get through it... i believe it will be a better day tml =D

AFtermoon petang..lunch was DELICIOUS .. haha.... had kang kong, curry chix ... i tink the best part was the watermelon.. WoooHOO.... the 1st bite just felt like HEAVEN... haha... it just cooled the heat down man.. lolx...

just before dinner.. i was playing soccer wif 1 of the helpers here n wif 1 of the kids here... was really a great fun... managed to interact with them... even though we couldnt speak melayu.. but we still were able to communicate quite well... after dinner, all of us went to interact wif the kids n helpers... the kids were singing, dancing.. haha.. was great fun.. they were amazing ... all of us did joined in the fun...singing along n stuffs.. i did a dance with rachael ... kinda forced to do it... haha... anyway ... it was a GD day .. selamat Malam!

charliez

Our thoughts are with you.

2005-04-14T09:27:00.000+08:00

Hi Folks,

Even though we cannot accompany you to the trip, our thoughts are with you, as we take this as a BE event. All the anxiety and last minute rush will prepare you well for the journey.

All the best.

Tsang Pui Sum

2005-04-14T01:37:00.000+08:00

Hiz!

Time check: 1:38am

Oh gosh! is so late and i am still awake..I just simply can't get to sleep, i am scared that i forget to bring my stuff haha.. So i am thinking hard now.. Wondering how am i going to squeeze myself in the train and hope my bag will not bang onto anyone as my bag is seriously "small" haha.. Okok tHink i better go and get some sleep now *wondering who is still awake haha*
Cya Guys at Kanji in less than 6 hours time! Ciaoz!

-EmLY ^^

2005-04-14T00:43:00.000+08:00

it's 12.50am..............n i'm still awake
my bag is so heavy, my eyelids r starting to feel heavy, n there is a match at 2.35am. argh
time passes so fast, it's already 2 weeks after the exams n we're just 8 hours away from departure while i'm 7.5 hours away from meeting rachel n emily at boon lay mrt station. -_-, hope i wun b late for that
sigh. again, my bag is so heavy.

*my backpack is very light. looks big only.AHHAHAHAHAHA

8 hours before the journey

2005-04-14T00:26:00.000+08:00

Wonder how many of you still awake at this hour. I'm so excited about this trip that i don't feel tired. I cant imagine how am i going to make my way to Kranji carrying a huge bagpack squeezing throught the crowd on the bus and mrt, i certainly hope i dun catch too much attention. BTW heres a pic of my huge bag ;) hopes it doesn't exceed 20KG LOLx.

See ya later people...Signing off...
Zhen Cong

midnight thots

2005-04-13T23:55:00.000+08:00

It's midnight. Inspired by Syaiful's and Jaime's blogs, I am taking time off from packing to share some thots. Looks like I won't get to sleep till 1.30am.

I guess you guys have it easy. Exam is over. No classes to attend. Jaime could start packing his bag at 2pm. I had a whole day of meetings. On top of that, have to get all the documentation for the trip done. Didn't leave the office till eight. Starting packing at ten, but still not done yet. Was distracted by various things, like stopping to blog.

At least, I have a bag that I think is twice as large as Jaime's and Syaiful's. But being of small built, I wonder whether I have the strength to carry it to Kranji MRT and be there by 8.30am.

On the subject of comparison that Jaime mentioned in his blog. Ya, he got it right. The statement in the handout refers to making insensitive and boastful comparison in front of the host community, not to self-reflection for own learning.

We must thank Syahidah for setting up the blog. We must also thank Sadeli for volunteering to be the postman, delivering the T-shirts to just about everyone. Called him at close to 11pm and found him on the way to deliver a T-shirt to one of you... I won't say who.

Thanks to everyone for availing yourself to serve others. I am looking forward to spending 14 days with all of you. Can't wait to see how we can resolve the issue of 23 ppl sharing a bathroom cum toilet. This could be the ultimate test of our team spirit.

Got to get back to packing...

laukiahwa

flashback

2005-04-13T23:06:00.000+08:00

\coincidence/
i remember Mr Lau shot me a question the other thursday in the seminar room. question: wot do you think Kota Kinabalu will be like? wot are your expectations of Kota Kinabalu? i thought for a brief moment and answered, "maybe... Singapore minus 50 years?" it was only later that i saw on one of the handouts: refrain from making comparisons (or something along that line...). a few days later my father and i were having a small talk on the trip when he told me Kota Kinabalu would be something like "Singapore in the 1950s". so my wild guess would become of my father's advice... how strange.

so ok... back to comparisons. subconsciously i will compare, deep down there in my mind... how is this or how is that different from wot i have at home? so i think wot the handout means is: don't express your comparisons... but reflect upon them? well... enlighten me.

\packing/
only started packing 2pm this afternoon... anybody later?! lol. still - no rush... which is why i have some time for some finger-tapping on the keyboard.

found my bag to be a little small: 35-litre capacity bag that cost me $34 - did i get ripped off (again)? had to leave the sleeping bag behind, let the winds of South China Sea chill. well... maritime influence - lowers atmospheric temperature up to 16km inland, how nice eh?

home economics 101 - didn't know a pack of 20 clothes pegs would cost $2.30 at ntuc... hey, that's expensive!

going to be carrying this old panasonic pouch around. my mother said it was for some camera and described it as "hen2 xiao3" ("very small" in Mandarin) - could fit only one camera and nothing else 10 years ago. now it holds a wallet, passport, handphone and also - the digital camera. technology shrinks stuff, shong4 bo2?

the first aid kit. ok... let's hope the syringes don't get us stuck at customs. normally they are for diabetic cases (or epipen for anaphylactic shock - severe allergy thingy...), but we don't even have insulin!

\last thoughts/
we won't be too far away eh... just 1457km and at a bearing of 069.4 degrees from Singapore. i hope m1 delivers wot they promise: anywhere under the sun - which includes Kota Kinabalu right?

with clips snapped in place and tag tied in... i know my trip has started,
jaime :)

ps: and yah, don't forget the toothbrush and facewash!

syaiful-1 day before

2005-04-13T22:14:00.000+08:00

Tommorrow's the day we'll leave for Kota Kinabalu and i told myself that i'll sleep early today... Hmm, i'm really not sure how i feel about this trip. I had Banda Aceh in mind when i signed up but yeah i guess safety comes first. Feel sad for the people that their lives have suddenly changed due to the tsunami. For those of us who have never experienced such tragedy, it is hard to imagine what these people are going through now. But while we continue and feel for the people of Aceh, i guess we shouldn't forget that there are those living in poorer countries who see death everyday for their entire lives. And i hope there will always be people to reach out their hand to these people.

I have no doubt though that i'll try and contribute as much as i can for the home. This is the kind of experience that i look for. Something that is so different from what we see and do everyday. This is adventure....although there is no climbing mountains or exploring jungles involved, this is adventure to my definition. And i have always been the person that look for adventure. Provided that it's cheap lah...

Well anyway, the briefing on monday made me alittle...well...intimidated. Hahz...i have never handled children well and i have always preferred baby animals to baby human. Sound alittle rude eh? But that's me and sometimes i wish i could just raise baby animals instead of baby humans. Maybe it's because they never cry... But still, i'm gonna try to contribute as much as i can for the home cause they are doing something great...social workers are the real heroes of the world. And since i'm not a good "child handler", i think i'll be doing more of the labouring than playing with the kids...hahz. We'll see...

Finished packing just now and i think i took about 3 hours just to get it settled... Packing a bag is like solving a mathematical equation. All i'm afraid of is that the straps would just snap. Let's hope not... Trying to fit everything requires more skill than i thought. Since my bag is a little small, i tried to attach external bags and i guess that's what made it unstable. Furthermore, the straps have some plastic parts. Plastic. Who in the right mind would make bags with plastic parts... And its a field pack! Army field pack, mind you... What if the soldiers were fighting in the war with the field pack on and suddenly the plastic parts just snapped? Then the soldiers would effectively have to drag the field packs and thus couldn't concentrate on fighting. Then the war would have been lost because the less than innovative designer had to design field packs with plastic parts. Shame on you field pack designer!

Ok, it's getting late. I hope the experience there would be one i won't forget. 1 day before departing- and i feel it will be.....

Before we go...

2005-04-12T12:30:00.000+08:00

In January/FEbruary
our NP lecturers, Mr Jeffrey Yang, Mr Lau Kia Hwa, Mr Ho Chin Seng, Mr Aaron Chua and four other lecturers planned an expedition to ACEH. We were to have gone right after our exams in Apr 05 to help the people affected by the 26 Dec 04 Tsunami. We were supposed to go under the banner of SIF-YEP. Almost 50 students from Ngee Ann Poly signed up for the trip.

Preparations were done and all participants were briefed on what to expect during our expedition. Then Mr Yang went with SIF project managers to recce Banda Aceh.

After Mr Yang came back from recce-ing the place, the trip was called off. Called off as in we can't go to help the people in Aceh. It was due to some safety reasons. Emails came by and informed participants. Many things happened, some parents were worried, participants were unsure if they're still going, and many things remained unclarified.

Shortly after Mr Yang's recce, a massive earthquake struck Pulau Nias. Perhaps, the decision not to go was right after all.

Although the trip was called off, our lecturers didn't want to disappoint those who have signed up and changed the community trip to SABAH. That is where these 21 wacky and enthusiastic 'kids' came by.

The names...

What we will be doing in Sabah? A gd question but who got a gd answer?

Mr Yang and Mr Ho went to Kota Kinabalu last week to recce the Home where we were supposed to work in. It's called Bukit Harapan Home. They found out that there are some renovation work that needed to be done, like some wiring stuffs and replacing of rotten ceiling boards.

NP students have actually gone there to paint the home a year ago and here we are another team going there to renovate the premises for them.

WE had pre-trip training on the 7th april and 11th april. WE had briefing, ice-breaking games to know our teams n members well and not forgetting a hands-on session on cutting glass, wiring and nailing ceiling board. Sounds hard but it was fun. Imagine learning new things during the holidays. blurh... Not only that, we are going to do white water rafting there too...

So , this is what we'll be expecting down there. Will be hoping for some fun. So check out on our updates!

*toodles*

Opening

2005-04-12T12:02:00.000+08:00

Holla!
OUr bloG is Up! but rite, the blogger got some problem that is why it turns out like tat. dun worry will chg the pixs to better ones once we got pixs..gee...Mr lau n Mr ho, pardon me...For the time being this is the layout. Will post a better one. So to those who know, u r welcome to chg it.

1st ly: Anyone, who hv a better skin and can create a better one, pls pls do so. i dun mind as it is everyone's blog n u all got the password to it. Help me clear the popping thing that came out in the blog. I can't clear tat. I have one in ma blog too.

2nd ly: U all hv ur say! So write down anything k. Link ur bloggies if u guys hv one.

Lastly: For the time being, this is what i can do due to internet lagging n the blogger got error.

Till then *Toodles*
mwahs