Notebook of DREAMS

three cheers for me.

this blog belongs to DESIREE tan zhi ying.
desiree will be turning 21 on the 24th december 2009. she will love anything you give her, including your hugs and kisses.

you can add desiree on msn at crushgirl_18@hotmail.com or add her on facebook.
desiree studied in st. anthony's canossian primary and secondary school and later moved on to tampines junior college.
she is currently in SMU, doing her bachelors in business management and hopes to graduate by 2011.
right now, she doesn't need anything except an INTERNSHIP.

desiree is a CATHOLIC and she attends the 11am mass in the Church of the Holy Trinity every sunday with the SERAPHIM choir.
desiree is attached to the FIDES family in SMU. her life would be so different if she didn't have her Faith.

she loves to eat any kind of ICE CREAM and wouldn't mind chocolates as well.
she loves to shop and has a soft spot for shoes and dresses.

11:22 PM

Friday, June 06, 2008

It’s been quite a long time since I last updated my blog, so I think I should make the effort to.

It’s been exactly a week since I got back from Cambodia.
Funny how time flies in Singapore.
In Cambodia, everything slows down, maybe because of the lack of technology, the lack of the hustle and bustle of city life.
There is nothing we need to chase after, nothing to worry about (maybe except the bugs).
The Cambodia experience will be one that I will never forget.

It's funny how we are always chasing after something in Singapore, knowing that even if eventually we do attain what we strive to achieve, we will still want more.
If we do fail (which is seldom the case) we will change our direction and go for something else, but nevertheless, chase after something we so badly want to get.
We seldom stop to appreciate what has been given to us.
In Cambodia, because we are thrown into a world which can only sustain our basic needs, we learn to start thanking God for everything in our lives.
(I don't know if I am speaking for the rest of the team, but it is definitely true for me.)

Looking at the village children, you can only see a face of innocence and fulfilment in their eyes.
Never once will you see anger, selfishness, hatred, despair or anguish.
Every single one of them seem so pure, so contented with their lives.
They may not receive the best education in the world,
They may not grow up with the best sanitisation facilities,
They may not get lavish meals on their tables every day,
They may not have the latest fashion trends in their wardrobes,
But they are happy with their lives.

So what if they live ‘poorly’ according to our standards, at least they are richer in kindness, in compassion, in living their life to the fullest.
We will never smile like the village children in Battambong, and we will never be able to understand how they can be so happy with just so little.
And that is our loss.

At school. All of them are secondary school children.

Taking a photo with our banner.

The girls at school whom we were closer too.

We were having our village 'tour' when the children just gathered with us. At first, they were a little scared of us, but after a while, they were willing to take photos with us. Aren't they adorable?
Faces of innocence. Children will always be children. =)

The landlady, her two out of four grandchildren and I. I love Hanei especially, the little girl in the picture. She makes me feel like i should have children of my own NOW! Haha.

More photos are on facebook. =)