Helping

E-learning for social psych has been about helping. How altruistic can people be? I find it interesting that there are ways to increase helping as stated in my textbook such as alerting people to the bystander effect which is when people do not feel a responsibility to help in a group and that inhibits helping. Another way to increase helping is to tell the person that the smallest contribution will do, such as in asking for donations. One can simply say, "Just 10 cents can help a child" and one would be likely to donate more than that just because it seems selfish on your own part. Compared with asking for "$10", asking for 10 cents would result in a more positive response. :) Such is the nature of humans...hahaha

I wonder how far would I actually go to help someone? Or do I even dare to intentionally help someone? Also part of e-learning, I watched the movie, "Pay It Forward" which is about how a young boy comes up with a brilliant idea to "change the world" for his social studies assignment. His idea was to help 3 people and when he had successfully helped them, they were each to help another 3 people and so on. I was inspired by that movie and thought the idea was really novel; simple, yet effective. Actually, not really simple because it requires people to help when it's difficult to but still, it can really change the world, if people do make the effort to help. I think help comes from the heart.

My friend H. made this and gave one to me for Christmas. I think it's cute...:)

 

It's a New Year!

It's the 2nd day of the new year! :) I'm excited for what lies in 2011... I pray that it'll be a year when I can hang on in faith and that it'll be a year that's pleasing to God. Well, that said, next week is e-learning week and when school starts in full swing it's going to be busy again. I know that I've used the words, "busy" and "tired" quite often last year and though true, I think they're rather negative words...so I'll try not to use them so much this year. Maybe more words like, "joyful" and "glad" and "energetic" and "thankful". Hahahaha. :) Today is thanksgiving for the new year and I'm looking forward to hear from people in church later! :D

Tuesday

I love the cool weather. Singapore's "snow" for the December season... hahaha. The wind's been blowing all day and it feels like about 24 degrees celsius. The colourful windmill that Elaine gave me for Christmas has come in handy. Actually, it's meant to be stuck in the plant pots but it makes do as a nice decoration as well. :) Looking forward to the New Year. I like this year much better than last year, well... mostly. :) The experiential learning in NP has made learning new subjects interesting, applicable and fun. I remember that I didn't want to go to NP initially because of the stereotypes about poly and all but I'm SO thankful and glad that God placed me in NP, if not I wouldn't have joined the Navs also. :)

Top 10 things I'm thankful to God for...

In line with thanksgiving on Sunday, here are my top 10 things that I'm thankful to God for. Actually thanks also to S.M. who reminded me to think of my top 10 thanksgiving items to God. :)

I thank God for...

1. Bringing me through 1 1/2 semesters of my first year in poly.
2. Sustaining the family 
3. Navigators!
4. Refining me 
5. That I didn't fall sick often, especially during times when I felt like I was falling sick
6. His Strength and Comfort
7. a balanced and more hands-on curriculum in PCS compared to last year
8. sorrow, despair, trials and discouragement through which I've drawn closer to God and learned to run to Him.
9. Awesome parents 
10. an unchanging, unfailing, loving Father :)  

Multi-tasking

At the adolescent stage, I'm supposedly able to multi-task quite well. But, I'm quite a single-task person... hahaha. I realise that I'm unable to listen to music while I do my work. Instead of focusing on the task I need to do, I would drift off to listen to the works of the music, especially Classical music.

Right now, I think I've only ascended 1/7 of the hill of assignments. 4 group projects due in January next year and 3 more individual essays, with one due this week, one next week and another due on the Christmas break week. Well, as the Bible says, I don't want to worry over all these assignments but just care about the worries of each day.


As the 1st stanza of Lina Sandall's hymn goes, "Day by day, and with each passing moment, strength I find to meet my trials here, trusting in my Father's wise bestowment, I've nothing to worry or for fear."

Wednesday

Right now, I'm feeling queerly tired to be nervous for tomorrow's speech and also submission of social psych essay. Perhaps, it's a blessing in disguise. LORD, please grant me the strength and energy to present tomorrow and speak, remembering all that I need to remember, for Your Glory. Amen.

Tuesday

It's raining cats and dogs right now. I love it when it pours so.:) The house is pretty quiet now, with Frans in Hong Kong...hope he enjoys himself there and is safe. Speech communications today was interesting and terrifying at the same time. No, I didn't present at all but the atmosphere was crazily flustering and nervous. But I really enjoyed listening to the speeches... especially to the MacDonald speech and how laughter is the best medicine. After the 2 hours, I feel quite informed with knowledge about different things... hahaha. It'll be my turn this coming Thursday. I hope that my audience won't be too bored and that I'll be able to connect with them. :) The past few days, I've been feeling extremely tired. Flat out. It must be that I haven't been resting well. There are 3 essays to complete. I think I'm only just embarking the hill, at the foot of the hill of assignments. Today during quiet time, I was encouraged by David's hope in God and how he turns to God before he turns to anything else. In 1 Samuel 30:6 I read that although David was in distressed, he was encouraged by God and drew strength from God. As for me, despite feeling distressed, I'm reminded that I can draw strength from God during this time. :) Phil. 4:6-7

Meanwhile, it's back to doing my Prejudice and Discrimination essay...