Photo-taking

In the last two weeks, I was actually quite busy at doing some academic assignments. Well, some of them are enjoyable and funny while some of them really suck. Nevertheless, I especially enjoy at doing the assignment for visual comm., which is about taking sets of pictures illustrating the mainstream value and the value against it.
It is interesting because when you are doing this assignment, you will find a lot of images or concepts in the advertisement are stereotyped or that we take for granted. For instance, only hot men and women can sell the fashion clothing, accessories and shoes; only men can buy diamond ring for women but not vice versa; only a man and a women with similar age can be together and happy ever after… The list can be endless if we have more time to think and discuss. These all form our preconceptions and the so-called “consensus” in our society. Anyways, what I mean is you really need to think outside of the box. This is also what we need to practice more.
Anyways, again, I have finished taking my pictures and want to say thanks to my models, Patty, Eliza, Rayji and Lindsay, and who has lent me the camera (I don’t have one), Cris and Andi. Without any of you, I can’t take any of the pictures. I am really thankful and grateful for all of you! Also, I want to give my warm heart to one of the greatest models, Yummy, which is a dog – a huge dog like a tiger.
Actually, I am afraid of dogs – I can stand with them being at the same room with me but getting close with me or licking me or nuzzling me is another thing. Don’t ask me why I chose a dog to be my model. I just think that it’s a good idea regardless of my fear towards dogs. What makes this photo-taking scarier is that Yummy is a huge and gigantic dog. Basically, at the beginning of the photo-taking, I didn’t dare to approach Yummy and keep a distance between us, as she might have bitten me. Nevertheless, despite of her size, Yummy is very obedient, submissive and cooperative - when her owner or I gave her an order or a command, she would do it. This made the process easier and I became less afraid of her. Or I should say I found her a little bit adorable though she’s really huge. I enjoy this shot, I enjoy this little challenge and I enjoy doing so. My fear towards dogs has certainly decreased too.
Due to the process of grading, I don’t think it’s appropriate for me to upload those photos but I will show you a photo of Yummy to let you all know that she’s really huge!

Catch up with you later!

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Visit to Children's Home

This entry I want to talk about my visit to Children’s Home at Mong Ha with other HCSA members at 20 March 2010. It’s been the second time I visited this kind of children’s home; I remember I have visited an orphanage with other fellows in my secondary school life.
This time I visited the home with 13 other HCSA members to have a fun time with around 20 children whose family have some economic or domestic problems. Looking at them, you wouldn’t find any difference between them and the other children. They are just normal – lively, energetic, and enthusiastic. They like to make some jokes with you; they like to challenge you; they like to make troubles. Nevertheless, these all make them human, children.
What we need is patience and perseverance to deal with them and understand them. To understand why they do this and behave like this. We can’t compare one child with the others and say, “I don’t think you are that sad. Comparing with other kids, yours is nothing.” Every child is different and every situation is different. How can we deny his or her feelings, when we are not at his or her shoes? How can we say he or she should be like this when we don’t even understand him or her? This attitude also applies to leadership. A leader should understand his or her members fully before he or she makes any judgement. How can leaders say their members are not busy when they aren’t at their situation and don’t understand them? A leader, who is not self-centred, must at least learn not to deny the members’ feelings and to be in different perspectives. I am learning it and everyone is learning it because it is natural for humans to make judgement just basing one their frame of reference.
See you next time!

Read More 0 comments | Posted by Chouin L.

Weekly Review

In last week, the lecture of leadership development discussed something about charisma. Being a successful leader, he or she must have had enough charisma to persuade people to do something, to empower people to change, and to make people to listen to him or her. Talking about charisma, I immediately think of one of my friends, Kitty. She is really the person I know who has that kind of charisma. It may be due to her personality that she is helpful, maternal, and visionary that people will listen to her and follow her orders and commands! Anyways, like what I always say, Kitty is somebody I can look after.
In this lecture, there was a video clip about the fact that many people die every day owing to hunger and we saw a family eating the leftover collected from the rubbish bin of a fast food restaurant. This clip really makes me think how lucky and felicitous I am. I am healthy, I have enough food and clothes, and ... I have more than enough. I know I can’t help everybody in the world in this situation but I can try to do my best – to live my life gratefully and meaningfully and to help others whenever I can. That’s why I have participated in the visit of orphanage organized by HCSA to try to bring happiness and hope to the orphans. Last weekend, I attended a workshop about this.
In the workshop, we knew more things like the characters of children and teens, their behaviours and their personality. Even though we are still somehow teens and we have been children, the children and teens nowadays are subtly different from what we have been. The children now may be more media-savvy, more connected to virtual world, more daring but less communicative. This workshop can make us more prepared for the visit in 20 March.
Furthermore, we also played different kinds of games and designed what kinds of games were suitable for the children. At first, I think it is easy as the children only want fun and any game is appropriate. After this workshop, I know that it is not that easy. We need to think like children and experience the game like children; in other words, we need to be in the children’s perspective. Some games may be too complicated for them as their analytical skill is limited; some games may be too boring for them as they like to move around; some games may be too long for them as they can’t concentrate at a thing for a long time.

I really learn quite a lot from this workshop and I believe being a successful leader is that he or she is always able to handle an event in somebody’s shoes – he or she is able to look at a thing at many different angles. That’s what I am trying to do too.
Catch you up later and I am looking forward to the visit.

Read More 0 comments | Posted by Chouin L.

3rd Lecture

This post is about the 3rd lecture of Leadership Development at 3 March 2010.
At the beginning of this lecture, Prof. Udani asked us to go around to tell people what we were happy about. I got quite many different answers from my fellows - one was happy about going to Malaysia for a debate contest, some were happy about the weekend was coming, some were relieved about getting their tests or assignments done and you name it. I have talked so much about others and I am sure you want to ask what I did tell them. The answer is kind of simple - I am still alive.
Recently there have been a lot of natural disasters at different places around the world like the earthquakes in Chile and Taiwan. Many people were dead, many lost the one they love and many were still in the plight struggling to survive. Facing with these, I find that my troubles are not really troublesome and my worries are not really worrying. As long as I am still alive, I still have chance to do anything I like and to be the person I love. Thus, I am really happy and grateful that I am still alive.
When Prof. Udani asked us later to whom we wanted to say thanks, I thought of a lot of people. For instance, my parents who gave birth to me and are continuing provide me with a wonderful home; my friends who support and love me; my lecturers who teach me a lot of things and inspire me; the staff at a cafe, which I usually go, serving me with a cup of hot chocolate; and so on. Nevertheless, there is still one person in the world I want to say thanks for - that is me. I am not being pompous, arrogant, or haughty. I just think that no matter what the others give me, no matter how they help me, I will still be the same if I do not do it or strive for it by myself. What I have achieved is the combinations of the others' assistance, luck and my effort. Thus, I am only giving myself enough credits. =]
In this lecture, some of the advantages and disadvantages of being leaders were revealed and discussed. Just like many other things, jobs and statuses, they have their own pros and cons. One of my fellow classmates said "No pain no gain" was the best piece of advice he has received from others and I kind of agree with it.
During the class, a video of an cartoon comparing between Italians and people from other European countries was shown. It was quite funny in some senses; nevertheless, we need to be alert and aware of the stereotypes in the video. In a certain degree, this video has uglified Italians and concluded that all Italians behaving the same way. I have not been to Italy, so I don't know what they are like. However, I am extremely sure that not every Italian is acting the way illustrating in the cartoon. Stereotype sometimes can help us to know the characteristics of a person more quickly, but at the same time it can also hinder us from knowing the true qualities of a person. Then being a leader need to be alert and aware of it even for the sake of entertaining others.
That's pretty much I want to say in this entry. Catch up with you later!

Read More 0 comments | Posted by Chouin L.

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