Week 5, Semester 2 (a.k.a. Buddhism Awareness Week)

16 February 2014

This week had been a physically the most tiring one. NTUBS held a special project called Buddhism Awareness Week (BAW) to raise awareness about Buddhism which lasted for 5 days starting from the Monday.

On Monday, I’m lazy to help setting up for 1 hour and then left for class, so I just woke up 1 hour later and then straight went to class. In the CZ1007 lab, which I finish fast, I got time to prepare more things about my CNS2014 Logistic portfolio meeting. While browsing, Shienny posted a challenge of #100HappyDays, a challenge to capture a photo of a happy moment. I thought that it will be a good challenge which will benefit me mentally and this blog (by incorporating the photos so the blog will not be just boring texts). After lunch, I directly went to BAW booth to volunteer for an hour, at Meditation Corner. Although it was just 1 hour, I served like 2-3 people. And after this, I got no more free time to volunteer to the booth that day. After the last class of the day and having dinner at Canteen B, I somehow got irritated that the Red Line (I intended to take Red Line, instead of the normal Blue Line because I wanted to shop at Giant) at Innovation Bus Stop was full. To relive it, I decided to walk back to my hall, although it was like going from an end to the other end of NTU.

#100HappyDays Day 1: Experimenting with some new things

On Tuesday, I helped to set up the BAW booth. I was told to gather at Hall 3 at 0830 and the stuffs there were one of the heaviest one to carry although we were aided by lifts. The set up finished like around 10 and at 1030 I went to class at LT2A which was just nearby the BAW booth. After lunch, I went back to the booth for just some time before going to lab and finally the Business Finance lecture. After having dinner at Canteen B, I went back to north spine to collect back from Martin my laptop which I borrowed to the meditation booth.

#100HappyDays Day 3: Not leaving any food left
#100HappyDays Day 3: Not leaving any food left

On Wednesday, my laziness struck me again because of the classes starting at 0930, but then when they finished at 1130, I went to the booth again. On this 2 hour volunteering time, I interacted with fewer people (and I think most of them were interested in the free distribution books we provided). I then went to class at 1330, attending the CM8001 Impact of Chemistry on Society class, which somehow I gained some new knowledge. The tutorial of BU8201 Business Finance after that went short and my group will be presenting at Week 7 (or Tutorial 6).

#100HappyDays Day 3: Got a mail from my parents
#100HappyDays Day 3: Got a mail from my parents

On Thursday, the BAW moved to South Spine. On the morning, I helped moved things from hall 7 to Concourse Canteen B. This time it was super tiring as from hall 7 to south spine got no lift and got many staircase. The set up finished around 10 and I were assigned to “The Origin” booth but most of the times I just went to the booth with no person. Actually I got a make-up tutorial class at 1030 but I skipped that because of the proximity of the venue and the unimportance of the contents discussed. It 1430 that I left BAW booth and went to class. I was super tired by the time I reached the class. After the lectures at LT2A at North Spine, I got 1-hour lecture at LT22 at South Spine. By the way, on the night, NTUBS will have its Dhamma Talk at LT1, on which the Resource Director (Ivan) cannot make it because he got part-time job at the night. The resource subcom were tasked to move stuffs from Nanyang House to the LT, because of BAW, many stuffs were already taken to BAW and the PIC of BAW will move the stuffs to the talk. Somehow, I were given the cabinet key and be the PIC for gather people at NYH at 1715. Because of it, I skipped half an hour of my last lecture to make me arrive there on time. Going through S3, I was so much tired when found out that the pathway from S3 to NYH was only via SSC (Student Services Center) which was on the top of a hill: the staircase was 4 to 5 level high. Arriving at NYH with Eka whom I met on the way there, Rizky and Zillion later joined us. I just realized how hard it is to be a Resource Director when the key got stuck on the door of the cabinet; and also it was hard to move out things too since there were many stuffs there. Brilliantly, Rizky utilized the mini shopping cart NTUBS had and thus the moving process was very easy. We arrived at at the LT early enough. There the talk, which was conducted by Sis. Sylvia Bay, went nicely. She talked about how Buddhism in general, and relates it to science; Four Noble Truth, and Kalama Sutta. After the talk and the refreshments prepared by the Metta team, Resource team work again to return stuffs back to NYH, this time with Ivan leading. This day was the most tiring day of the week, finally it ended here.

#100HappyDays Day 4: Dhamma Talk by Sis. Sylvia Bay
#100HappyDays Day 4: Dhamma Talk by Sis. Sylvia Bay

On Friday, I helped move things again from hall 7 to the booth area. Just some minutes after we finished setting up the booth, I went to class already. And after the class, I went to work part-time at CITS at  LWN Library. This time the faulty computers was much less than the previous weeks. Besides that, my speed in checking the computers increased; instead of moving mouse and checking if the monitor displayed something, I pressed a key on the keyboard on every unoccupied computers of the row and then see if they wake up from sleep. Right after the work, I went to NYH again to help moving things. This night, NTUBS got a meditation workshop. But just when we were ready to move things out, it rained. Heavily. This was the first time I experienced rain during the moving stuffs out from NYH. Covering the stuffs with plastic sheets, we moved the stuffs to Canteen 2 and then got to bus which sent us to TCT-LT bus stop. It was at this bus stop that I got wet, really wet, while still protecting the dry cushions which must be delivered to TR102. In turn, after moving stuffs there, we went back hall, and while Ivan went back to the workshop early, I went back there just to move back things to NYH.

#100HappyDays Day 5: Few spoiled computers at LWN Libary
#100HappyDays Day 5: Few spoiled computers at LWN Libary

On Saturday morning, I quickly had laundry before having a CNS 2014 Logistic portfolio meeting at 10am at Block 54 TV Lounge. All of the logistic subcom and HH, who is my coordinator, and also Long Khor, who is the camp master, attended the meeting. The meeting went well and ended early around 11.15am. After the early lunch at Canteen 11, we were dismissed. Around 4pm, I made a cup of tea but burnt 2 of my fingers (of my right hand) by hot water. Quickly I put my right hand to the running tap water. And when the pain relieved for a while, I quickly went back online to search of the first aid. Nowadays, searching online was more effective than asking people around. But some times have passed and the pain of my 2 fingers seemed cannot be relieved. I chatted with my parents and they suggested to apply toothpaste and then search for friends who got the medicine. I called Steven Hartawan though as I remembered that he ever got burn too. He said that he will be back in his room around 8. Okay, for this times, I just applied toothpaste. The pain relieved, but I couldn’t continue to do my tutorials. I was like a man without right hand: I ate my dinner only using left hand, which took a longer time, but I still finished it. Hence, I just read things I found online to spend time. Around 8.30 I went to his room to get the medicine. When I removed the toothpaste, I think that the pain was not there anymore. Nevertheless, thank you Steven.

#100HappyDays Day 6: A Nice cup of tea
#100HappyDays Day 6: A Nice cup of tea

On Sunday, no pain can be felt anymore from the fingers. I, Dhika, Nardi, and Agung (an Indonesian NTU alumni) went to Buddhist Fellowship to attend the normal Sunday Service. In this talk, the speaker, Dr. Ang Beng Choo, talked about choosing a life partner which she related to Noble Eightfold Path. After that, we went back. And because I somehow can fully use my right hand now, I continued to do my tutorial (after cleaning my room).

#100HappyDays Day 7: Clean room
#100HappyDays Day 7: Clean room

The week has been a tiring one. I just remembered that on Saturday and Sunday, the Indonesian students were having NTU UEE; I can also tell by the rise in the stats of the numbers of who viewed my posts about NTU & NUS UEE, haha. And those from Medan who take the exam at Singapore will have a school tour tomorrow accompanied by us, the NTU students from Medan. Looking forward to take them around.

FYI, this blog has more than 5,000 views now. Yay!

Over 5000 views!
Over 5000 views!

1 thought on “Week 5, Semester 2 (a.k.a. Buddhism Awareness Week)”

  1. Pingback: 2014 in review | Kenrick's notes

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