While watching the show called "Centurion" during the holidays, I encountered a very interesting and totally different form of leadership.
In the movie, this is what one of the man say about their general.
"In training he is our scholar, At the feast he is our father, In the ranks he is our brother. And in battle he is the god we pray to save our souls."
Another says this.
"He is a ruthless, reckless bastard. And I'd die for him without hesitation"
I think that this is one of the most fundamental aspects of being a leader, to be respected in the right places, and also to be in-tune with the people you lead.
I really admire the hierarchy of leadership that exists within the ranks of the armies of Ancient Rome. Whoever said the Romans never gave us anything lasting eh?
Monday, April 11
~Ivor~
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Invictus
Out of the night that covers me, Black as the Pit from pole to pole, I thank whatever gods may be For my unconquerable soul.
In the fell clutch of circumstance I have not winced nor cried aloud. Under the bludgeonings of chance My head is bloody, but unbowed.
Beyond this place of wrath and tears Looms but the Horror of the shade, And yet the menace of the years Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate, How charged with punishments the scroll. I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul.
William Ernest Henley
This encapsulates all that I think right now. Its an awesome poem!
Sunday, February 20
~Ivor~
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Once again, I promised somebody I'll do a post before I go on cruise, and so, here it is.
The only problem is that I have no idea what to write about. So, yeah. I was looking for inspirational stories for my Welcome Week booklet, and stumbled upon this story. And I felt that it was really meaningful, so I'm going to share it here.
One day, the father of a very wealthy family took his son on a trip to the country with the express purpose of showing him how poor people live. They spent a couple of days and nights on the farm of what would be considered a very poor family.
On their return from their trip, the father asked his son, “How was the trip?”
“It was great, Dad.”
“Did you see how poor people live?” the father asked.
“Oh yeah,” said the son.
“So, tell me, what did you learn from the trip?” asked the father.
The son answered: “I saw that we have one dog and they had four. We have a pool that reaches to the middle of our garden and they have a creek that has no end. We have imported lanterns in our garden and they have the stars at night. Our patio reaches to the front yard and they have the whole horizon.
“We have a small piece of land to live on and they have fields that go beyond our sight.
“We have servants who serve us, but they serve others. We buy our food, but they grow theirs.
“We have walls around our property to protect us, they have friends to protect them.”
The boy’s father was speechless.
Then his son added, “Thanks Dad for showing me how poor we are.”
I think this ties in very well with the lessons learnt in NLLC. And this also teaches us to cherish whatever we have, from the necessities in life, like food, to things we may often overlook when it is in abundance, but notice its absence when it is gone. Something like friendship.
So this Christmas, cherish the things that you have, the food you eat, the water you drink and the company of friends, for there are those out there who have none of this.
I just realise this is such a sad post. But oh well. MERRY CHRISTMAS!!
Thursday, December 23
~Ivor~
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Here's to the feeling of helplessness you feel when a friend is in need, but there is no way you can help.- It sucks.
Sunday, December 19
~Ivor~
Sunday, December 19, 2010
So quite recently, I've returned from a camp that I was reluctant and hesitant to go for in the first place. This was so as it was the first day of my holidays and I really wanted to go out with my friends, which I won't get the chance to since they were heading back to their countries or going on a long holiday. But I guess that everything happens for a reason. And this has been one of the more cathartic experiences that I have gotten throughout this convention. I'll explain more in a bit.
So on the first day, I was really reluctant, I didn't want to leave my family, I didn't want my dinner to finish. I just wanted to stay in Singapore and enjoy my holidays. But this feeling disappeared as I got closer and closer to Ipoh.Instead, a feeling of both expectancy and of fear arose in me. I expected this to be a good camp, as hindsight had shown me that Lasallian Encounter was awesome. But there was also fear that I will not be able to make friends as well as I did in previous camps. Also, I was really worried that I would not be able to fit in with the large group of Malaysians that we were expecting.
Good thing though, all these fears were all gone as soon as the Malaysians started flooding in. The first few people I knew, were my room mates, Willy and Shiuan, who were already in the room when I got there. Though they were quiet, I did manage to get a couple of decent conversation topics with them that day. I remember that I was really scared when Tze Thong walked into the room, as he looked big and scary. But of course, anyone who went for the convention would know, that he's an awesome guy, and really a great pleasure to talk to and really get to know, something I did throughout the convention. So the first day was really fun, great ice breaker games, got to know so many more people that way. It'll take me way too long to list out what we did everyday, but I think the main thing that I got out of the first day, was the recognition of a wider and larger La Sallian Community outside of Singapore, and also, I made lots of new friends from all over Malaysia.
So throughout the days, I had lots of fun, not only interacting with my new friends from Malaysia, but also learning more about the Lasallian mission. I feel that the most amazing activity was the Creative Workshop. This really pushed me out of my comfort zones as I am not a creative person, and trying to do creative things would have only led to disaster. But through this workshop, I feel that I have learnt a new way to express myself, a way that was never open to me before. But that aside, I had lots of fun doing all the activities. It was really fun doing the mirror thing with Deborah, playing the hand slapping thing with Tze Thong, and basically doing the Waka Waka dance with everyone! That would have been the highlight of the convention for me, in terms of fun at least.
On a more reflective side, I felt that the sessions that were held, especially the peer-led sharing on the different exposures was extremely enlightening as it showcased and highlighted issues that would otherwise have been lost or forgotten in a world where money and position are the new "in" things. Also, the reflections that were given to us were further effective in creating a sense of solidarity between ourselves, those around us, and those who were in need, the last, the lost and the least.
And thus ends my reflection on my NLLC experience. One last thought. I remember the feeling when the Singapore delegation got back to La Salle Centre after shopping for the entire day. We walked through SMI, and I was thinking to myself, that this will be the last time i'll walk through this shelter for a long time. And when we got to the window of the dining room, I expected to hear and see the racket of delegates chatting, playing games or simply just sitting around. In fact, all I saw were some OTs sitting around, and that really hit me. That the convention was over. It is impossible to summarise those wonderful 6 days I had the honor of sharing with my Malaysian brothers and sisters, but at least I've tried. I left Ipoh unwilling to go back to my family, unwilling to finish my dinner, and unwilling to go back to Singapore. During the convention, they spoke about Paradigm Shifts, if this wasn't a huge one, then I don't know what is anymore.
And in the words of the person I had a deal with to write this, and I'm glad I had that deal with her, as it has really helped me to relive the memories of that experience, it is possible to say these 5 words:
I think I miss it.
Actually, I don't have to think, I really do miss it.
And therefore, this post is dedicated to Deborah Yaw, you better have had a good sleep, cause I stayed up till 3am to finish this!!
~Ivor~
Saturday, June 05, 2010
Saturday, June 5
~Ivor~
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Tuesday, May 25
~Ivor~
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Inspired by the Music and Musical Night in School, these videos are extremely inspirational!
Sunday, May 23
~Ivor~
Friday, May 21, 2010
Seeing that music is the window into the soul, I'm quite contented to just post videos here, and from time to time, maybe add a few words, but nothing too much! That is of course if anyone even reads this blog anymore!
Cheers!
Friday, May 21
~Ivor~
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Hi all, who ever read my blog. I'm going to introduce you to a new blog, a really interesting one! Has lots of meaningful stuff on it, and is more awesome than mine.
http://blissfullyignorant.tumblr.com/
Enjoy
Wednesday, May 19
~Ivor~
Monday, May 17, 2010
"There is no more noble occupation in the world than to assist another human being to help someone succeed." - Alan Loy McGinnis
It really sucks knowing that there is a friend who is undergoing tough times, and you can't do very much to help. I really hate the feeling. There must be something I can do to help. There must be something I can say to make the pain disaooear or just get better. Why must life be so hard? Why can't there be a simple answer to everything? I feel so helpless, I feel so lost. What can I do?
Monday, May 17
~Ivor~
Monday, April 05, 2010
Monday, April 5
~Ivor~
Monday, March 22, 2010
So I was watching this on YouTube and I realised how interesting and meaningful this, otherwise funny parody really is. I think this video is self explanatory, and as I leave for Tioman tomorrow, the message that this video shows, the message of not letting the past stand in the way of our future will remain in my mind for the hours I'll spend on the road, and the at sea.
Monday, March 22
~Ivor~
Saturday, March 13, 2010
So after many months, I have finally decided to blog again. So, today and a couple of days back, many things hit me that got me thinking about my life. It was as if, throughout the whole day, messages kept hitting me over and over again, and they were usually links to each other. Call me one who thinks too much, but I guess that those messages that hit me today really does have an effect on my life, and got me thinking even more about my actions and stuff.
So it was during the International School Track and Field Competition, just before my team, which consisted of Koon Peng, Robert, Paul and myself, was about to run the 4x400m relay.So we were really scared before the race started, as from the looks of the competitors, we didn't think we had much of a chance.So we decided on a very interesting team philosophy "lose then lose, win then win". This shows how indifferent we were to the result, as long as each individual runner ran a good race and pushed themselves to the limit. Also, we stood firm on the thought that if we won, we would win as a team, and if we lose, we would lose as a team, and this really gave me comfort and determination to push one. As I was the second runner, and lined up on the track, ready for Paul to pass me the baton, one thought raced through my mind "God, don't let me mess this up, please, don't let me mess this up". As Paul drew closer, and I got the baton from him, my mind went blank and all I could remember for the first 200m was Koon Peng's encouraging voice, urging me on. When I overtook a runner, and as I got closer to another and the finish line, I regained my sense of thought and as the baton was passed, a sense of joy came over me. So what if I was not the first few people to finish, I did it! And that was all that mattered to me at that time. After that passing moment, I cheered my other team mates on as they ran.We all put in our best shot, and I was certain of it, the result wasn't good, but we did our best, and we weren't last. I felt so much like a winner after that, I really did, although we didn't win anything, the biggest challenge that we won, was the obstacle of ourselves. This is what got me thinking about all the troubles I have had recently, with friends and with school, how I should not let them hold me back.
As the special Olympic saying goes:"Let me win but if I can not win, let me be brave in the attempt", so this really gives me a sense of security that in life, you can't always be a winner, but as long as you so called "finish the race", the race of life, everything will be worthwhile. We should look forward to each day, and not look back!
Saturday, March 13
~Ivor~
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Wednesday, December 30
~Ivor~
Monday, December 28, 2009
Monday, December 28
~Ivor~
Saturday, November 28, 2009
So, the IGCSEs are over, and so is Rendezvous, so now, it is time for me to relax. Everything turned out well, but i'm still too lazy to blog, so more videos!
Saturday, November 28
~Ivor~
Saturday, October 24, 2009
So, my IGCSE starts on Tuesday, so this will be the last one before that. Just a couple of music videos, cause I'm too lazy to write anything.
Saturday, October 24
~Ivor~
Monday, September 21, 2009
So, yesterday was my sister's birthday and so, we went to Sentosa for the Luge. I found it rather fun, although, being scared of heights, the chair lift really scared the life out of me. Imagine this, me, grabing on to the safety bar so tightly for the 5 minute chair lift. But anyway, this is not the reason why I'm blogging today. Yesterday, I went to York Hotel for the Penang Hawker's Food Fair. The place was so crowded that I had so much time to think of the following two equations in my head:
1) The amount of time spent waiting for your food is inversely proportional to the satisfaction gained out of it.
In other words, s= 1/t
Where t= time waited for food, and s being the satisfaction gained out of it.
2) The amount of time you have to put sauce on your plate of food must be less than or equal to the amount of time taken by the cook to make the next plate.
In other words, q <>
Where q is the amount of time taken to scoop sauce and t being the time taken to make the next plate.
This should be an indication of how long I had to wait for my food, considering that I was able to come up with these two equations. But overall, the food was good, and I'm getting fat!
Monday, September 21
~Ivor~
Tuesday, September 08, 2009
Apologies for the non-existence of a post on this blog for 2 months. I know I did promise Rome pictures but there is so many that I can't choose which one to put, plus I'm a lazy boy. Anyway, just a couple of nice music videos, very nice. P.S. I wonder if anybody still reads this.
Tuesday, September 8
~Ivor~
Monday, July 06, 2009
Okay, I know i did promise the pictures from Rome, it is coming, soon, but for now, a nice song, really good and worth a listen! Enjoy! Ciao!