Dear readers:
Putting the life changing HK trip into my backpack of memory I begin to wonder what should I incorporate in this section of the website and I’ve decided that it should not be an end but the beginning of wonderful ideas that is to come from the IDEAs module and beyond.

For the week past, I tasked my IDEA students to come up with a photo and a caption and I am exhibiting their work here. The background of the assignment is that we routinely see things in a certain way because we’ve been conditioned to interpret as such but sometimes if we were to look a bit more carefully we may make new meaning out of routine items and events thus breathing fresh life into it as a way of being creative. Without sounding too long winded here’s what I’ve received thus far (and I hope it’ll inspire you readers too).

Bei Xi
Sometimes we forgot how to smile from the heart.

Cassia
This is actually a device to transform long hair into a bun. I was shopping for Chinese New Year stuff and didn’t know what is it for until someone tried it on. Funny how people can come up with such ingenious ideas for easy styling of hair, as a perfect bun can take a long time to tie. This, however, just uses 5 minutes of your time, and there you go, a perfect bun!

Yeo Li Ting Chloe
This is a picture of a clock on my wall of my house. It has always been there since I could remember. Inconspicuous in a corner of my wall but really obvious at the same time because it’s always there when I needed to know the time. Annoying to see it at times because it seems to shout out ‘you’re late’ but without it, I think I wouldn’t survive. That’s my clock, the maybe-as-old-as-me clock.

Adhianto
Life is a symphony, we compose
Of a thousand unique movements,
A melody of a beautiful prose
Where we perform in this grandeur stage
That we all know as the world.

Rebeka Lai
I choose this picture because I feel that the sky is always there but we rarely look up and admire its beauty because we are so caught up in our own world, and become immune to our surroundings. There is beauty even in the simplest of things if we choose to take a closer look.

Nivedha
To be truthful, this picture was not taken by me. In fact it was done by a friend who is a professional photographer. But ever since he showed the photo, I have been rather awed by it. During the event on Saturday, when we were all enjoying what the clown was doing, the photographer paid attention to a different subject. And that brought about a whole new light to something very minuscule yet a brilliant burst of colours. This just reminded me about two things. The integral role that colours play in our lives and how the smallest of things do make a difference.

Syuhaidah
I decided to choose this picture of a fountain is because I feel a sense of fulfillment when I manage to take this in just one shot as usually fountain is very challenging to snap. Furthermore, the effect of the water droplets enhances the resolution of the picture.

Bobby
Each person has their own perspective of life. Avoid distractions and remove obstacles along the way. Just keep going forward no matter the circumstances and the road will naturally come to a stop.

Ting Hui Jun
Starfruit? It is an apple core. This shows that we can see a whole new object just by changing a angle.

Karen
At first glance, a birthday card may seem like a childish thing that only young children will make for their parents. As we grow older, we somehow neglect the fact that it is the thought that counts. We stop making cards and start buying materialistic things for them, thinking that it will make them happier. But in fact, all they want is just a reassurance from us of how much we appreciate and love them. Thus, a birthday card is a simple way of conveying love and appreciation, and it is something that can never be replaced, even by the most expensive of items. It is these kind of tiny gestures that make life so much more meaningful.

Ong Min Li
I arrive home at 12:45am last night and I notice the lights switched on and the door left open. I guess I never really noticed the litte things my father does to show he’s concerned about me returning home late. But at that moment it all just dawned upon me.

Rachel Sim
Every morning, when i wake up and sees the beautiful sunshine,
it always reminds me of the song “You Are My Sunshine” and brightens up my day.
Also, it tells me that it’s a brand new day,
and i should move on and look forward to my day ahead,
because there’s no point looking back and regretting what i did and what i didn’t do.

Atikah
Looking down on someone else job is not a wise thing to do, coz every job plays a part in the society. Even a cleaner like him contribute something to the society by keeping the environment clean and beautiful for us to live in.

Shahnaz
The above picture of the full moon was taken on a Friday night as I was having a brisk night walk down my block. The fullness and beauty of the moon caught my attention immediately. That was when i recalled a famous quote that i had come across before by Mark Twain, “Every one is a moon, and has a dark side which he never shows to anybody.” The glowing full moon that was standing out from the millions of stars that dotted the skyline reminded me again of what Mark Twain had meant. That full moon represents the bright side of a person’s character which he or she tends to show to everyone. However, the other half of the full moon doesn’t face the Earth and is hidden in the darkness of outer space. In the same way, an individual also has such a dark side, be it minor or major, which he or she tends to hide from the rest.

Muhd Nursyazwan
While this picture looks boring and mundane, it is very much suitable to be used as an album cover for what happened on 23rd January 2011. It was a tale of 5 young men, venturing from the Esplanade on a quest towards home. However, it took only a minor mistake of having dinner at 11pm to turn an easy journey home into a panic-filled disaster. To summarize, the misadventure took us from a locked Citylink entrance door to a last Dhoby Ghaut-headed Circle Line train, after which to a realization that there was no more MRT service for the day and ending off with a taxi ride to home sweet home. While this picture and description may seem boring and lame, the time Zaki, Hari, Larry, Nicholas and I spent together, without the comfort of the MRT train service, was pretty much………priceless.

Zaki
A God-given gift: friendship.

Darren Moh
Basically the photo is about a cat that i saw on the stairway. I felt it was strange for a cat to find its way up there (cos i live on the 4th floor), so i took a photo.

Wong Ying Ying
Life is a long journey with lots of hurdles, like the wide sea always accompanied by lapping of waves. It’s all about unevenness. However, if you persevere and walk to the end, the path leads you to achievement. There you will be able to savor the calmness of sea.

Lau Yi Yin
It is a survival instinct to find water and not fall inside.

Maggie Lee
This sand shoes was made during my CCA bonding (volleyball) session in Sentosa Siloso beach. My friends and I were bored, so we were thinking of doing something with the sand. My friend actually came up to make a shoes for me. I didn’t expect that the outcome was so cute. Plus,this was my first time wearing a SAND one.

Larry Ng
A signboard of a deserted building in queensway that used to be a cinema 40 years back. The MRT will always bypass this building on my way to school but i never knew the building looks so old until i took a closer look. It holds some great memories for the older generations living in queensway. Unfortunately, it may be our last few times we lay eyes on this building as it is going to be demolished in the years to come.

Nicholas Chow Zhi Jie
This is a picture of the road taken in a taxi. However I realized that if I had seen this picture for the first time, it looks like light, a path of light.

Hariyharan
These picture is actually trees but it looks like a shelter from a distant view.

Chong Xin Yi Rachelle
One of our old transport in Singapore, trishaws, can be found at Trishaw Uncle’s shop located at Bugis. One of our modernized transports in Singapore are taxis. Ironically, our old transport of Singapore charged at a higher rate than our modernized transport today. Reason due to modernization or limited reminiscence for patrons?

Vivian
To my dearest ah-ma: You are always there, beside me, watching me as I grow up, hearing my everyday woes patiently. As your hair got whiter, neither your love for kopi-o nor your love for me has changed. But, never for once did I realize that you are lonely or how much you’ve aged, for the fact that I never took the time to have a good look at you. Up till now, do I see how time has worn you out.

Ahpa SaeYeoh
“Love looks not with the eye but with the mind,
and therefore is winged cupid painted blind.”
Schizophrenic made some shiver but his love did not quiver.
Their love, has never faded even after more than 30 years of marriage.
Their love, brought them through thick and thin,
through the ordeal of her sickness.
Their love, did not come to an end. It only grew stronger.
This is Mr Raymond Anthony Fernando and his beloved Dorris.

Syazwani
People passing by take no notice of a stray cat lazing around under a signboard. Well, neither does the cat bother about goings-on around it. I guess at second look I saw the cat’s nonchalance towards its surroundings just like how most people ignore such stray cats.

Michelle Wong
There’s nothing special about this picture, just HDB, trees, a path and a lamppost. Who would care to look up when you walk down this path towards home? That’s exactly what I did, look up, and I realized there’s a security camera on the lamppost. It faces the new statue and since that discovery of that security camera I’ve found three other.

Ching Ying Ting
When I saw this notice, I realised how big an influence Apple is towards the world. Nowadays, on trains, almost everyone carries an iPhone, or maybe an iTouch. Furthermore, to buy an iPhone, you have to wait for it to be shipped, and most mobile stores do not have stocks of it, implying how hot the phone is. Hence, when I saw this notice, a thought came across my mind, would other phone companies be able to survive through this ‘Apple’ craze.

Chalene Mok
Don’t throw away your durian shells, they can be used as a jewelry holder too! What’s not to like about the King of Fruits?

Wei Ting
On the first look, this is just an ordinary lamp post found along the roads of Singapore. However, each lamp post makes a difference towards the brightness of the streets. Sometimes, something ordinary does not mean it’s not necessary. It’s just that we did not notice the importance of it.

Tan Ying Zhi
I didn’t realize that I had took the picture of a dragonfly when I was so focused on taking the picture of the lotus until I took a closer look at the photo.

Yingsin
This is a photo that I took at Pasir Ris beach during a family gathering. Although I’ve been to the beach many times, I have never noticed how beautiful the sunset is. This photo made me realise how simple and beautiful life can be, just like the sunset.

Qi Xin
A smile is everywhere and anywhere, have you worn it on you today?

Hui Wen
What a pathetic soul I am. I don’t even know why, what, who am I working this hard for. Chasing after something that I dont even know what I’m chasing is so difficult. Meaning of my life, you ask? I don’t have one now but I’m going to find it this moment onwards.

Chen Wei Ping
This photo was taken at China Town recently. From the photo, on the right, you can see the backyard of the old and kind of vintage and “British” houses. But in the background you can see very modern high rise buildings. I took this photo because this scene reminded me of the impact of industrialization, the before and after, and how much beautiful architectures were lost and being replaced by the boring looking high rise buildings. It also reminded me of the gap between the rich and poor, and also the past and present of Singapore.

Dear readers:
Its indeed been a long week past. Thanks once again for following my little adventure. I appreciate all the care and encouragements you all left on this digital space in a way I feel privileged to have a ‘support’ team behind me every step of the way. There are many others out there who are doing the same thing with just their humane body and their will to survive.

The past weekend have been excruciating to say the least I have not have as much luck walking dogs, doing the translation. So it was spending what little I have earned earlier very very very very vvveeerrrrryyyy prudently. Strangely, the adventure began to turn into how to survive with what little monies I have rather than earning more monies. And it was a big lesson I learnt which I want to share here as well.

Majority of the time I was transfixed on earning more money but sometimes, the same problem could be solved with more intelligent use of what little money that was earned. Eating cheap for example doesn’t have to be necessarily bland and tasty doesn’t have to be expensive. Found my way to this very popular 1 star Michelin dim sum restaurant known as Tim Ho Wan in Mongkok. It sells very tasty dim sum fare at very appetizing prices. In fact this is one of the places known to be one of the cheapest Michelin star restaurants in the world.

On another cold wintry night, I went grocery shopping with my friend deciding to make hotpot for dinner instead of eating out. We decided to use the instant noodle flavor pack as soup base and bought lots of vegetables making it one of the most fulfilling and cheap meals in the past week.

And of course, the trip is almost completed with a nice find in one of the corners of Sheung Wan on Hong Kong Island: KATONG LAKSA! As you can see below.

To top it off I think some of my ‘crazy’ rubbed off on my friend when he suggested something I could do too additionally. Inside, I was brimming with joy that he’s also appreciated the message I was trying to preach and the idea’s certainly something quite creative, elegant and yet very matching for me especially. Unfortunately, time’s run out for me already.

My greatest regret for this trip is not being able to repay his hospitality with a meal treat because I am running very low on funds. Speaking of which I have less than HK$10 on me now and my octopus has about HK$30. Barely sufficient for me to reach the airport tomorrow, haha I mean today. Today, I start my life anew as I carry these tales back to SG, back into the classroom.

My thanks again to everyone in making this trip a reality especially all you students!!! I’ll see you all soon!

Dear readers:
A break in transmission tonight and a mega update to follow. I’ll take the opportunity to reply the responses for now.

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Dear readers:
Keeping it short tonight. I decided to just take a 1 day break today. Simple lunch and simple dinner trying to save and spend as little as possible. Weekend’s approaching and I hope for the final push towards Tues. I miss home, I miss you all students, I miss my office in SG, I miss my bed, I miss the sun. Urgh I want to go home!

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Dear readers:
I am worried from time to time that I have bit off more than I can chew initiating this whole exercise. Today is one good example. It just gets tougher and tougher! And there are many times I just want to throw in the towel and pretend the challenge I set myself did not exist.

The day started off with me spending HK$23 for noodles with vegetables for lunch. The auntie was quite surprised thinking I am vegetarian. Then it was a HK$50 top up for the octopus. That was before making any money at all. Today I was determined to do the hot tea thing on the HK streets. It was bitterly cold going as low as 8 deg. It did not help that the reception I got was just as chilly. The first guy as you can see from the photos below just brushed me off very rudely. I had to think on the spot and improvise my approach making it short and straight to the point in rehearsed Cantonese (I am only semi-conversant in this dialect). I realized immediately it was much tougher than the previous attempt because I no longer have the luxury of open-hearted Caucasian tourists. The Hong Kong heartlanders were generally more reserved and wary.

With a new location with greater traffic and new approach I tried again and failed. Continued towards the city and largely failed again. I thought I must have approached at least a hundred odd passerbys. That was until I met this great auntie and uncle who were having a group meeting in the public piazza in Shatin Central. They were munching on some buns and the hot tea came in handy. I described my project to them in broken Cantonese in greater detail and the auntie bought even more packs of tea from me. I was so touched I swore I could have done anything for her if she asked. The both of them were my only takers for the day.

Still I have made enough to last me a bit more through Friday at least as fatigue from the trip begin setting in. I spent another HK$50 for dinner and am left with about HK$80 on my octopus. Cash wise I have slightly less than HK$100. The day has taught me many lessons one of which is to be very sensitive to the environment you’re in and continuously adapt to get the best outcome sometimes there is no time to sit and analyze and difficult decisions have to be made there and then and I had to live with the consequences of the decision. The other was that there is no room for shyness at all. You’re either 200% out there or you are not. It may come as a surprise to all that I am deeply introvert though I mask it up very well in class. So it was tough to say the least to play out of my usual character. Will retire for the night now for the week is long head still.

Again students/readers my heart felt thanks for persistently supporting me throughout the pass few days and dropping me suggestions along the way. Without which the light would have been a little dimmer for the next day. I am glad my little project here has made some of you rethink about the value of creativity and entrepreneurship. I hope one day in the not too distant future, all of you will bear the fruits of my labor, showing the rest of Singapore and the world your nerves are made of steel as you excel in various areas in your lives – academic or otherwise. 3 cheers!!!

Dear readers:
Thanks again for keeping track of my progress from colleagues to students to everyone else following my little adventure. All the suggestions and encouragement and silent support, I will hold close to my heart and remember them as I go out each day.

Today did not turn out well unfortunately. I spent the whole day calling every international school I can find. This idea was suggested by one group which is to sell the idea about IDEA teaching fellow HK colleagues and students about infusing creativity into their lives and in the classroom. They came up with a whole list which I used, I dug around for more and must have called every single establishment that had ‘school’ in their name asking if they could arrange an impromptu session for me. Some of them were quite rude on the phone. One of them saying nobody is in school now and slammed the phone on me. There were also very pleasant ones who even wished me a Merry Christmas!

Still no positive replies thus far. Its quite unfortunate as most are having exams this week and it will be winter break next week till the new year. I wanted to execute another idea in the evening – which was serving instant hot tea along the walking path lining Shatin river but the weather was not kind to me and started pouring the moment I stepped out. I abandoned the idea because the crowds would be mostly indoors besides the fact that I’ll probably be chased out of the shopping malls even if I had gone in. Wanted to improvise and do an umbrella service but I did not have an umbrella in hand and was hesitant in spending money to get my hands on one.

Sigh, so I spent yet some more on transport and HK$22 for dinner – it was noodle soup and the cheapest I can find around. Skipped lunch and munched on some of the snacks my students bought for me (phew!). I am thinking about tomorrow and hope the weather will be good. In fact it will get much colder which means the drinks idea will really take off if things go well. I can also do dog walking in the day too and even do more Polaroids. But only if the weather is good.

I am down to my last HK$120++ now having been really prudent on the wallet. Tomorrow will see my use a big chunk of it to top up the octopus card and spend on meals. If I don’t earn enough I may not be able to get through Friday. So it’ll be a big day for me. This is one time I wished the trip ended sooner (wry laugh).