Tuesday, July 31, 2012

haha. lost my yesterday productive high today. if yesterday was 85% of my total energy output, today is like 30%.
took this from TotallyADD.com
"In fact, one of the things I’m learning from the course is that most ADDers tend to be next to useless by late afternoon. But we’ll just try and push through it, not getting that a task we could bang off in 30 minutes in the morning, or during our second wind in the evening, can take forever when we’re in our late afternoon brain doze.

Even if you can’t crash out at work, consider scheduling your day to match your energy levels if you can. Which, of course, means understanding and appreciating your energy levels and how much they vary. Coach Linda Walker’s course has us tracking our energy as one of the stepping stones to create a new way of working that dramatically ups our output."

--> ooh! so it seems like I'm not the only one whoe experiences this! that I'm most productive from 10am - 3/4pm, and then I have another spurt around 8pm-1am. haha
The following is an article written by Dr Hallowell (with editting - mainly just boldening, from me. Bolded stuff means these are what I experience constantly. Italics are my own add-ons)

What is it like to have ADD? What is the feel of the syndrome? I have a short talk that I often give to groups as an introduction to the subjective experience of ADD and what it is like to live with it:


Attention Deficit Disorder. First of all, I resent the term. As far as I'm concerned most people have Attention Surplus Disorder. I mean, life being what it is, who can pay attention to anything for very long? Is it really a sign of mental health to be able to balance your checkbook, sit still in your chair, and never speak out of turn? As far as I can see, many people who don't have ADD are charter members of the Congenitally Boring.
But anyway, be that as it may, there is this syndrome called ADD or ADHD, depending on what book you read. So what's it like to have ADD? Some people say the so-called syndrome doesn't even exist, but believe me, it does. Many metaphors come to mind to describe it. It's like driving in the rain with bad windshield wipers. Everything is smudged and blurred and you're speeding along, and it's reeeeally frustrating not being able to see very well. Or, it's like listening to a radio station with a lot of static and you have to strain to hear what's going on. Or, it's like trying to build a house of cards in a dust storm. You have to build a structure to protect yourself from the wind before you can even start on the cards.

In other ways it's like being super-charged all the time. You get one idea and you have to act on it, and then, what do you know, but you've got another idea before you've finished up with the first one, and so you go for that one, but of course a third idea intercepts the second, and you just have to follow that one, and pretty soon people are calling you disorganized and impulsive and all sorts of impolite words that miss the point completely. Because you're trying really hard. It's just that you have all these invisible vectors pulling you this way and that which makes it really hard to stay on task.

Plus which, you're spilling over all the time. You're drumming your fingers, tapping your feet, humming a song, whistling, looking here, looking there, scratching, stretching, doodling, and people think you're not paying attention or that you're not interested, but all you're doing is spilling over so that you can pay attention. I can pay a lot better attention when I'm taking a walk or listening to music or even when I'm in a crowded, noisy room than when I'm still and surrounded by silence. God save me from the reading rooms. Have you ever been into the one in Widener Library? The only thing that saves it is that so many of the people who use it have ADD that there's a constant soothing bustle.

What is it like to have ADD?

Buzzing. Being here and there and everywhere. Someone once said, "Time is the thing that keeps everything from happening all at once." Time parcels moments out into separate bits so that we can do one thing at a time. In ADD, this does not happen. In ADD, time collapses. Time becomes a black hole. To the person with ADD it feels as if everything is happening all at once. This creates a sense of inner turmoil or even panic. The individual loses perspective and the ability to prioritize. He or she is always on the go, trying to keep the world from caving in on top.
Museums. (Have you noticed how I skip around? That's part of the deal. I change channels a lot. And radio stations. Drives my wife nuts. "Can't we listen to just one song all the way through?") Anyway, museums. The way I go through a museum is the way some people go through Filene's basement. Some of this, some of that, oh, this one looks nice, but what about that rack over there? Gotta hurry, gotta run. It's not that I don't like art. I love art. But my way of loving it makes most people think I'm a real Philistine. On the other hand, sometimes I can sit and look at one painting for a long while. I'll get into the world of the painting and buzz around in there until I forget about everything else. In these moments I, like most people with ADD, can hyperfocus, which gives the lie to the notion that we can never pay attention. Sometimes we have turbocharged focusing abilities. It just depends upon the situation.



Lines. I'm almost incapable of waiting in lines. I just can't wait, you see. That's the hell of it. Impulse leads to action. I'm very short on what you might call the intermediate reflective step between impulse and action. That's why I, like so many people with ADD, lack tact. (Always got scolded in class for speaking out of turn, or bursting out answers. First shepherd taught me to write down my thoughts as they come so that I can hold them till the end of conversation before asking). Tact is entirely dependent on the ability to consider one's words before uttering them. We ADD-types don't do this so well. I remember in the 5th grade I noticed my math teacher's hair in a new style and blurted out, "Mr. Cook, is that a toupee you're wearing?" I got kicked out of class. I've since learned how to say these inappropriate things in such a way or at such a time that they can in fact be helpful. But it has taken time. That's the thing about ADD. It takes a lot of adapting to get on in life. But it certainly can be done, and be done very well.
As you might imagine, intimacy can be a problem if you've got to be constantly changing the subject, pacing, scratching and blurting out tactless remarks. My wife has learned not to take my tuning out personally, and she says that when I'm there, I'm really there. At first, when we met, she thought I was some kind of nut, as I would bolt out of restaurants at the end of meals or disappear to another planet during a conversation. Now she has grown accustomed to my sudden coming and goings.
Many of us with ADD crave high-stimulus situations. (i LOVE rollercoasters. haha. and anything that feels dangerous at the moment - including running across the road, going to unfamiliar places and getting myself lost). In my case, I love the racetrack. And I love the high-intensity crucible of doing psychotherapy.(me too!) And I love having lots of people around. Obviously this tendency can get you into trouble, which is why ADD is high among criminals and self-destructive risk-takers. It is also high among so-called Type A personalities, as well as among manic-depressives, sociopaths and criminals, violent people, drug abusers, and alcoholics. But is is also high among creative and intuitive people in all fields, and among highly energetic, highly productive people.
Which is to say there is a positive side to all this. Usually the positive doesn't get mentioned when people speak about ADD because there is a natural tendency to focus on what goes wrong, or at least on what has to be somehow controlled. But often once the ADD has been diagnosed, and the child or the adult, with the help of teachers and parents or spouses, friends, and colleagues, has learned how to cope with it, an untapped realm of the brain swims into view. Suddenly the radio station is tuned in, the windshield is clear, the sand storm has died down. And the child or adult, who had been such a problem, such a nudge, such a general pain in the neck to himself and everybody else, that person starts doing things he'd never been able to do before. He surprises everyone around him, and he surprises himself. I use the male pronoun, but it could just as easily be she, as we are seeing more and more ADD among females as we are looking for it.
Often these people are highly imaginative and intuitive. They have a "feel" for things, a way of seeing right into the heart of matters while others have to reason their way along methodically. This is the person who can't explain how he thought of the solution, or where the idea for the story came from, or why suddenly he produced such a painting, or how he knew the shortcut to the answer, but all he can say is he just knew it, he could feel it. This is the man or woman who makes million-dollar deals in a catnap and pulls them off the next day. This is the child who, having been reprimanded for blurting something out, is then praised for having blurted out something brilliant. These are the people who learn and know and do and go by touch and feel. (experiential and visual. I read somewhere else that people with ADD tend to be a lot more visual. I agree. I've always wondered why though, as visuals have always appealed to me much more than the auditory.)

These people can feel a lot. In places where most of us are blind, they can, if not see the light, at least feel the light, and they can produce answers apparently out of the dark. It is important for others to be sensitive to this "sixth sense" many ADD people have, and to nurture it. If the environment insists on rational, linear thinking and "good" behavior from these people all the time, then they may never develop their intuitive style to the point where they can use it profitably. It can be exasperating to listen to people talk. They can sound so vague or rambling. But if you take them seriously and grope along with them, often you will find they are on the brink of startling conclusions or surprising solutions.
What I am saying is that their cognitive style is qualitatively different from most people's, and what may seem impaired, with patience and encouragement may become gifted.
The thing to remember is that if the diagnosis can be made, then most of the bad stuff associated with ADD can be avoided or contained. The diagnosis can be liberating, particularly for people who have been stuck with labels like "lazy," "stubborn," "willful," "disruptive," "impossible," "tyrannical," "a spaceshot," "brain damaged," "stupid," or just plain "bad." Making the diagnosis of ADD can take the case from the court of moral judgment to the clinic of neuropsychiatric treatment

What is the treatment all about? Anything that turns down the noise. Just making the diagnosis helps turn down the noise of guilt and self-recrimination. Building certain kinds of structure into one's life can help a lot. Working in small spurts rather than long hauls (I've been putting in a lot more breaks for myself too. haha. and just the constant change of tasks is good.). Breaking tasks down into smaller tasks. Making lists. (I've been doing this. In that before I go into a portion of the day, like for eg, the time after work, I'd take 15-20 mins to just write out exactly what I'm going to do, what I need to get. I mentally rehearse the whole process of going out of school, taking the mrt, going to XX MRT, buying blah blah...So now I actually have 2 main planning times per day. One is at 4+pm before I end work, to work out what's to be done in the night, including when to sleep by, when to wake up by the next morning, what to get prepared. The next is at night, when I write out what's to be done the next day during work, exactly who to target/call/counsel/paperwork to be done/when to do/get who to do what...night time is also the time when I'd write down any creative ideas that pop into my mind to be done later.) Getting help where you need it, whether it's having a secretary, or an accountant, or an automatic bank teller, or a good filing system, or a home computer - getting help where you need it. Maybe applying external limits on your impulses. Or getting enough exercise to work off some of the noise inside. Finding support. Getting someone in your corner to coach you, to keep you on track. Medication can help a great deal too, but it is far from the whole solution. The good news is that treatment can really help.
Let me leave you by telling you that we need your help and understanding. We may make mess-piles wherever we go, but with your help, those mess-piles can be turned into realms of reason and art. So, if you know someone like me who's acting up and daydreaming and forgetting this or that and just not getting with the program, consider ADD before he starts believing all the bad things people are saying about him and it's too late.
The main point of the talk is that there is a more complex subjective experience to ADD than a list of symptoms can possibly impart. ADD is a way of life, and until recently it has been hidden, even from the view of those who have it. The human experience of ADD is more than just a collection of symptoms. It is a way of living. Before the syndrome is diagnosed that way of living may be filled with pain and misunderstanding. After the diagnosis is made, one often finds new possibilities and the chance for real change.

The adult syndrome of ADD, so long unrecognized, is now at last bursting upon the scene. Thankfully, millions of adults who have had to think of themselves as defective or unable to get their acts together, will instead be able to make the most of their considerable abilities. It is a hopeful time indeed.

Monday, July 30, 2012

hahaha. having a mental refractory period now (in which I just cannot plan or think or do any work). Like my brain refuses to move, the neurons are refusing to fire.
i think it's time to rest before i do any planning.
there's bullying going on in the school. >:(
and the stress of the teachers are filtering down to the students.
Just a few weeks ago I was complaining that I was bored.
Today I'm swarmed. it's madhouse Monday.
Had 2 counselling referrals in the morning, and I settled 3 cases of student issues in the morning, with one meeting with the teachers.
Am taking the time to plan out and look at my caseloads (and to see how many students I'm actually handling) now cos I have 2 counselling sessions later.
Am doing individual plannings for each of the students I'm handling now. I think it's gonna take a longgggg time. haha.
At first glance, just for my direct cases, I have 22 cases ongoing at the current moment, of which 5 are pertinent counselling cases, 5 cases require me to be in constant contact and liaising with external agencies. I just had 2 referred RTC cases (plan making and negotiation), and I've not had the chance to look through the whole school's attendance to do prevention work (which means a lot more cases to count to do something about).
I do follow through on about 5-8 cases per day (cos some require weekly monitoring, some daily), that's in the midst of entertaining childish issues and having to do mediation in groups, doing administrative matters, planning..
haha. okay. I think I know why I feel swamped today. But I'm happier when I'm swamped. Just that I really need the time to plan out properly for each of my 22 cases. It's like planning for 22 sheeps. hurhur.
I can't find the last post in which I updated the books in the Agatha Christie collection which I've finished reading...I shall just roughly estimate and give an update to where I am at the moment:
Finished:
Mrs McGinty's dead
Murder in Mesopotamia
Murder is easy
Murder on the links
Murder on the orient express (which takes place after Murder in Mesopotamia. haha)
N or M
Nemesis (this one was pretty interesting because Miss Marple had to discover what it was that she was entrusted to find out, as well as figuring out the truth at the same time)
One, Two, Buckle my shoe

Am currently at Ordeal by Innocence (which sets forward an interesting premise as well).

I'm really quite amazed at the different styles that Agatha Christie has employed through the many books that she wrote. haha.

And the above are the books that I've not finished reading :X Of which 3 are not even mine :X

Thursday, July 26, 2012

Sometimes I think that one of my purposes in life is to let other people know that one can have diffculties and still go through them, or maybe to be able to identify on a personal level what people go through, and to maybe share what may be helpful and what may not be so helpful?
haha. i thank God I've never gone through some stuff (e.g. rape, bullying, hallucinations), but I've pretty much had other interesting stuff around.
more of the areas which i'm really passionate about I guess.
and I really do enjoy the whole range of emotions which God has created me to be able to experience as well, cos it makes my life so much more colourful (though of course going through them was not very fun).
And I really take heart in knowing that Jesus understands what I go though as well. that I have a high priest who can identify with my every need. haha.
i also find it amusing that what I have are pretty obscure/taboo/secretive things? like people may have a misunderstanding towards it, or don't want to go near it, or don't want to talk about it. I guess it's important to educate people on it.
There were times when I felt frustrated/pissed off cos of certain things people may say which are so judgemental, but I think nowadays I do try to explain a little bit more. haha
the thorns in my flesh. if it's not for them, i'd probably be less dependent on God. hahahaha
July has got to be the longest month of my life.
I am SO looking forward to the drama practice on Saturday. lol
oh. and looking forward to the Pulau Ubin trip with my students tmr :) haha. i should really find a job that allows me to go everywhere everyday, and still make an impact in people's lives. and changes siuation everyday. and allows me to earn money.
LOL.
the idealist is permanently dreaming of a future ahead.
looking forward to heaven too! with my 5 taps and the library of books in the midst of a swimming pool on top of a large tree :D
one only realizes how many animes one has watched in the past when one realizes that one knows ALL the songs that are presented in the youtube sidelist, and the songs are from various different animes. haha.

Monday, July 23, 2012

"Personally, I just believe that independence has become a socially acceptable term for selfishness," he said. "'You need more time to live for yourself' and that's not the Gospel. Our life in Christ is 'deny yourself.'"


to take up the cross and go where it's uncomfortable. to continue to serve and meet needs even when tired. but to also know when it's time to take time out just for sitting by Jesus' side and resting in Him.
to say honestly to God that 'God i'm struggling with this and this, and whether it goes away or remains as a permanent thorn in my flesh is Your will, but regardless of what happens i choose to believe in Your promises'
to just tell God at times that life is pretty tiring, and not exactly very comfortable, but as long as i'm here, it means that You've chosen to place me here for a purpose, and unti the day You take me away, i will continue to be faithful with what you've given me, or do my best in it, or just to continue to struggle in it.

Friday, July 20, 2012

hahaha. in my other blog from long time ago, i wrote this:

"so interestinG:)


u noe watz? seriously i think if i wasn't born to be a buddhist, i would haVe been a VERY dedicated christian:)"

Thursday, July 19, 2012

this is interesting. haha. appeared in Guardian just a few hours ago

"Who'd be an actor? According to a recent study conducted by researchers at California State University, people who are both imaginative and emotionally vulnerable.


In the journal Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity and the Arts, Paula Thomson and S Victoria Jaque wrote: "Our study adds to the body of research that suggests there is a psychological cost for participants engaged in the creative arts."


Having conducted interviews with 41 professional actors living in Los Angeles, Toronto, and Cape Town, South Africa, focusing on the relationship to loss and trauma, Thomson and Jaque compared results with a control group of non-actors, drawn from other artistic disciplines, athletes and art lovers.


They found that actors are more likely to struggle to discuss past traumas, suggesting that they find it harder to resolve emotional problems. "Even though there was no difference between the two groups for past traumatic events," the researchers wrote, "more actors were unable to maintain narrative coherence when discussing memories of past trauma and loss."


Thomson and Jaque go on to describe how, despite an increased ability to "remain engaged, regulated and coherent during the interview process," members of the actors group were more likely to display signs of confusion, prolonged silence or "unsuccessful failures to deny a traumatic or loss event". They argue that this suggests "a greater vulnerability for psychological distress". However, the study also suggests that the actors have higher than usual imaginative facilities than members of the control group.


Thomson and Jaque caution against thinking of an acting career in therapeutic terms: "Actors may have enhanced their imagination through the practice of acting or they may have entered a career that supports their heightened predisposition for fantasy.""

what about a counsellor who's also into acting? haha.

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Jaci Velasquez You


:) one of the songs I really liked as a young Christian. first heard the song on 98.7fm and attributed it to a person. subsequently God came into my life and i realized Who it was really meant for :)
Got this from online:

"Similar to the ballmer peak, being tired can make us focus better simply because when your brain is tired it has to focus! There isn’t enough left-over brainpower to afford losing concentration.


I seem to get the least work done right after drinking too much tea or having a poorly timed energy drink. Makes me hyperactive and one second I’m checking twitter, the next I’m looking at hacker news and I just seem to be buzzing all over the place..

You’d think I’d work better – so much energy, so much infinite overclocked brainpower. But instead I keep tripping over myself because I can’t focus for more than two seconds at a time.

Conversely, when I’m slightly tired, I just plomp my arse down and code. With a slightly tired brain I can code for hours and hours without even thinking about checking twitter or facebook. It’s like the internet stops existing.

I feel like this holds true for most programmers out there. We have too much brainpower for ~80% of the tasks we work on – face it, writing that one juicy algorithm, requires ten times as much code to produce an environment in which it can run. Even if you’re doing the most advanced machine learning (or something) imaginable, a lot of the work is simply cleaning up the data and presenting results in a lovely manner.

And when your brain isn’t working at full capacity it looks for something to do. Being tired makes you dumb enough that the task at hand is enough."

ya. i'm not a programmer but I guess I understand. In that being awake and alert my mind would be running away in lots of directions (like oh! there's a project i wanna do, oh! i can do this next time, oh! i need to schedule in whatever!, oh! i need to plan out when to meet my kids, oh! i should be doing this too) all at the same time. hahaa. yay. found another strength of ADD
interestingly, despite sleeping for 4-5 hrs for the past 2 nights, I find myself being able to concentrate better (although I am slightly drowsy, like halfway in a dream world, but alert enough to do work).
i think the mind shuts down other distractions (like too tired to bother about other things and thus becomes able to keep only one strand of thought at one time) and thus it becomes easier to focus? hahaha.
i was doing a stream of consciousness exercise the other day (in which you just write down whatever comes to mind in 5 mins and continually write it out), and i realized that i had 2 streams of consciousness going on at the same time (which is pretty interesting because one stream would be the thought stream, whereas the other is the metacognitive stream which will analyze and comment on my original thought stream). whereas for now tt i'm tired, there's only 1 stream of thought.
on the addforums, it seems like almost everyone is simillar to me in being night owls (like being able to do work so much better at night, especially midnight to 3am or whichever. haha).
Has the school gone mad recently?
lol.
yesterday there was a sudden influx of cases, and all of a sudden, today there was a sudden influx of referrals for counselling.
and of serious cases.
why in the world were they not surfaced earlier? o_O
4 hrs of sleep doesn't go well with the sudden need to continually provide a safe environment for students while fighting for some other students not to be kicked out of school, and at the same time having to handle a stubborn old man, and an impulsive adhd student.
I find it interesting how some aspects of ourselves don't change. was reading my entries from 2002 (haha. yes sometimes i do things like this to see how much I've changed and how much I've not), and I realized that  I still echo the same sentiments now at 26 (versus at 16).
"i like talking to people:) like actualLy u noe... talking to them in real-life, not just online or something...
'cos in real-life u can hear the voice, and u can actually try to visualize how the voice would look like... like perhaps very round or just a deep pool of water or maybe it's like really airy or somethinG:) then u can feel the emotions they're radiating out... and occasionally touch can be established:) it feels satisfying to be touching someone... the ruffling of the hair, the patting of the back..."
--> of course, I don't type like the above anymore. haha. but the sentiments are really pretty similar.

the heart is deceitful above all else.

---

yesterday i dreamt that i was giving my left eye to someone to eat as it will help heal the person, and that eyes could be regenerated. lol. what a weird premise for a dream!

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Today during breakfast, it was with sudden realization that I have lost the vision for being a school counsellor. As in, I've lost one of the initial reasons why I've wanted to be a school counsellor - that I wanted to speak up for the students who deserve a second chance, and to speak/fight for people who are not able to speak up for their rights.

120608 Girls' Generation - TTS(TaeTiSeo) - Interview & Twinkle - LIVE Mu...


seriously speaking, between Paparazzi and Taetiseo's songs, I really do prefer Taetiseo's songs better. hahaaa. probably because the vocals are much more emphasized in TTS' songs, versus SNSD's songs which have to be an infusion of dance, pop music and group vocals. haha.
Taeyeon and Seohyun are, as always, wonderful in delivering live vocals, with Tiffany capturing the crowd with her strong stage presence. hahaha.
should really see Tiffany in real life during concerts. I learned quite a bit from  her (and Seohyun) with regards to stage presence during the concert. hoho.

4MINUTE - 'Volume Up' M/V


haha. i hesitated putting this song up for a few months because of the provocative MV. maybe just listen to the song without the MV? LOL
i really like the music in the song though.  haha. powerful vocals? :P

Monday, July 16, 2012

"This Road" by Jars of Clay

how did Jesus manage to stand under the great burden of the sins of men?

So steal my heart and take the pain
and wash the feet and cleanse my pride
take the selfish, take the weak,
and all the things I cannot hide
take the beauty, take my tears
the sin-soaked heart and make it yours
take my world all apart
take it now, take it now
and serve the ones that I despise
speak the words I can't deny
watch the world I used to love
fall to dust and thrown away
I look beyond the empty cross
forgetting what my life has cost
so wipe away the crimson stains
and dull the nails that still remain
so steal my heart and take the pain
take the selfish, take the weak
and all the things I cannot hide
take the beauty, take my tears
take my world apart, take my world apart
I pray, I pray, I pray

take my world apart "Worlds apart" - Jars of Clay

i cried the tears you could not cry
said the words you tried to hide
felt the pain you felt before
prayed with you right by your side
heartened by your love for God
burdened by the pain you fought
waiting for the day to be
of healing done and grief to cease

Sunday, July 15, 2012

went for my first drama training yesterday morning :) it was a small group of around 10-12 of us, but was pretty refreshing! the view from room 601 is indeed pretty =)
quite refreshing to learn from others, and to really just learn. haha. i guess engaging the body helps as well.

haha.

my linguistic abilities are stunted this morning.
just two things.
i guess we all need to continually forgive
and to remind one another to continually trust in God
watching kokoro connect. but so far the plot's a little messy :\

Friday, July 13, 2012

I finished preparing the training for the resident counsellors and presentation of case study! yay! simple one though, but the RC meeting is a simple meeting, so i guess it would be sufficient.
i'm brain dead. and i've got to be in school by 7.40am D:
i'm quite a softie for beautifully written descriptions/words. haha.
i'm quoting these from some article written on Thought catalog:

"Your smile is a surprise every time I see it — it cracks onto your face like it shouldn’t be there and my heart lifts and takes flight like a little duck making its first attempts at leaving home."

"You make me feel like sweet sugary candy that leaves sticky imprints on a little kid’s eager fingers. Like sugar matted to plump cheeks. Like golden juices from biting a kiwi or a watermelon. You make me feel pink and flushed. You make me want to spin around and watch glitter cascade off my skin, floral skirt flapping in the soft, clean wind."

"Cue the fast-forward and the bud grows into a bursting violet flower, reaching its tendrils up, up, up to the pressing daylight"

haha. bright cheery words :)
i'm quite excited cos I'm meeting someone dear to me on Sunday evening~

Thursday, July 12, 2012

looking at train travel between Singapore and KL now (a.k.a procrastinating on doing the resident counsellors training and presentation tmr).
i wonder if there's a job that sponsors me to travel and write reviews for people? LOL

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

"For I am a bear of very little brain, and long words bother me."
--- haha! that's so funny!

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Jon McLaughlin - So Close (High Quality)


:) song from Enchanted .
I was going to comment that I think my medication for inflammation and cough has a positive effect on my ability to concentrate as well...hhaaa. but it seems like it's the same. I still lose concentration after 15 mins, but at least i'm more on task now. am starting to try out some of the strategies suggested by some other people in the ADD forums.

Friday, July 06, 2012

in a way, i'm quite glad whenever we have to stay back in school for a school event. haha. it gives me the time and space to be able to pace out my work such that the more boring things are done in the evening (e.g. now). and i won't feel like i'm doing overtime or something.
and i really can concentrate better =)

Thursday, July 05, 2012

haha today one of the teachers deliberately moved over from sitting with the new teachers to sitting with me during breakfast.
contact time was refreshing cos talked to one of the adjunct teachers to find out more about how the adjunct system is like and why she chose it. nice to talk to her cos she's got a calming and cheery presence. haha.
then another teacher (whom i haven't seen for some time) just walked past the room and said hi.
one of the strategies for promoting wellness - beware of one way caring relationships.
"an advanced practitioner will turn to other sources for understanding human behaviour"

Career sustaining behaviours:
- spend time with partner/family
- maintain sense of humour
- maintain balance between professional and personal lives
- maintain self awareness
- reflect on positive experiences
- engage in quiet leisure activities
- try to main objectivity about clients
- maintain professional identity
- discuss work frustrations with spouse/partner/family
- engage in formal relaxation activities
- receive regular clinical supervision
- participate in personal therapy
- discuss work frustrations with friends
- participate in peer support groups

Areas of counsellor vulnerability:
- client's readiness to change
- living in an ocean of emotional stress
- elusive measures of success
- the covert nature of the work
- elevated sense of anxiety
- cognitive deprivation and boredom
- complexities of the school system

i'm experiencing 5 of the above 7 D:

Wednesday, July 04, 2012

i think good fits are quite important for shepherding relationships.
as in, i believe that the heart of loving a sheep is more important than skills, but beyond that, the personality and spiritual giftings of each person plays a part as well.
and to help someone grow, a good fit is important. skills are important too, that's why we continue to learn and grow as well.
i guess shepherding is an area i feel a lot for. lol. people matter so much to God.
If you have ADD, you know how easy it is to get bored. Your mind is just turning in so many directions, and they're all way more exciting than filling the dishwasher or dusting the house. So, what happens? You do the things that are more exciting and forget the rest. Right? You could have dirty dishes piled to the ceiling. You might have lost the cat because there's so much stuff on the carpet. Oh, he's there somewhere, but who knows? I mean, the dust on the television alone could have choked a horse, let alone a purely defenseless little cat. Just about the time you get worried, he surfaces from under the sweatshirt you've been meaning to throw in the washing machine for two weeks and it's not making the house smell any better, either. But laundry is so boring and your ADD just says, "So, what?"
But you don't have to live that way. Cats like messy places, it's true, but if you ever plan to invite people over, you'll have to make an effort to keep things straight. They have to be done, no matter how much you hate doing them! And here's the funny thing... There's an easy solution. In fact, what I'm about to share is so easy that it shouldn't even work.
Here's how you can have ADD and a clean house, too...
Let's say you want to dust. OK, get your .mp3 player or blast some music from your CD player really loud. It doesn't matter what kind of music it is, as long as you like it. It can be alternative or it can be jazz and you have to be able to really hear it. Then, get some scents going. Try a candle or some incense or any other scent that you like. The last part is to taste something. So, get some sugarless candy or gum and try that, unless you have a better idea. Remember, your hands will be occupied and you can't dust what you can't see, so all of your senses will be working and your ADD brain will be amused.
Want more? What do you really like to do? If it's bowling, put on your bowling shirt and shoes while you're dusting or if you're into painting, put your painting clothes on. Whatever you really enjoy is how you can dress.
Then, you're really set! Dust that house in record time! You know how bored your ADD brain gets when you try to do stuff like that without making added effort to keep your brain busy. We can hyper focus like crazy on things we like to do, but getting things done that just bore our ADD brains to meltdown won't get done unless we make some extra effort. Or... You can hire someone to do the things you hate to do for you. You can delegate the responsibilities away. No matter what the job is or how much you hate doing it, these solutions will make them easier for you and your life much more organized. Who doesn't enjoy that?
Did you ever talk to God above?

Tell Him that you need a friend to love.
Pray in Jesus’ name believing
that God answers prayer.

Have you told Him all your cares and woes?
Ev’ry tiny little fear He knows.
You can know He’ll always hear
And He will answer prayer.

You can whisper in a crowd to Him.
You can cry when you’re alone to Him.
You don’t have to pray out loud to Him;
He knows your thoughts.

On a lofty mountain peak, He’s there.
In a meadow by a stream, He’s there.
Anywhere on earth you go,
He’s been there from the start.

Find the answer in His Word; it’s true.
You’ll be strong because He walks with you.
By His faithfulness He’ll change you, too.
God answers prayer.

From an old hymm. Song popped into my mind. That's the kind of God I have :)

First stage over. one will never know the full extent of the impact one has, or how much one is loved, regardless of who we are.
thankful for my RO who spoke words of encouragement today and did his best to empower me.
thankful for my cluster supervisor who previously spoke to me to find out how i'm coping with add in my life.
thankful for being alive, that even though there's a lot of pain in life, and a lot of grief at times, there're also instances when life is sweet.
thankful for God, for without Him, life's meaning is lost, and that i'm probably somewhere around wallowing in lots of sins (if i'm still around on this earth, that is).
am burdened once again.
i wonder,
when Jesus teared, was He also tearing for the many unshed tears hidden in the hearts of people?
when Jesus took the floggings from men, was He also experiencing the pain caused by invisible whips done by hurtful words and deliberate bullying?
how broken He must have been, as He looked upon the world and see its invisibilities, and identified with the pain that people carried in their hearts, things which they feel are too shameful to bring anywhere near a glimpse of light.

He who holds eternity in His hands, also holds the bottles which store our tears.

don't lose your way
with each passing day
you've come so far
don't throw it away
live believing
dreams are for weaving
wonders are waiting to start
live your story
faith hope and glory
hold to the Truth in your heart

i nearly got into a car accident this morning. haha.
dad was driving me to school, when this car suddenly swerved and switched lanes, like right in front of us... dad had to swerve his lorry to the left lane, and thank God there were no incoming cars, and no cars were turning out from the left at that moment.
or else there's a high chance i probably won't be typing this tonight. lol.
dad was pretty angry at the driver cos he really very narrowly just missed the other car.

SeoHyun(SNSD) & Yonghwa(CNBLUE) - Banmal Song


ah. i miss the goguma couple. hahahaa.

Tuesday, July 03, 2012

recently, we re-hired back our former cleaner (she quitted after her sister moved house) just to come back to clean the room for 2 hours per week (cos the room deteriorated BADLY after she left. dust was gathering, room was not properly taken care of...). it really made a difference cos she's very detailed and she genuinely is passionate about creating a comfortable physical environment for people.

she brought home the curtains and table cloths and rugs to wash, and beauitfied the room with fake flowers.and she got me a cushion! hahahaa.




i love it when i see people being passionate about what they're doing cos it rubs off me.
sudden demise of a staff

I'm so glad!

drama trainings are starting again! :) and just when i've been thinking of it much more recently :) God is great!

if the working world goes according to how i design it,
work will start at 1pm and end at 9pm. all socializing activities are done in the morning cos i'm more awake in the evening and definitely can concentrate better and plan out things better in the evening!
all job interviews will come with a personality test to determine job fit, and all agencies will allow applicants (or finalized applicants) to have a trial attachment of one week to see if the company environment and job scope fits how they are as a person.
work environment will always be set to a temperature of 22 degrees celsius, with hot tea readily available at any time.
nap times will be included in the work rest schedule (but not specified), as well as a dinner hour. nap rooms will also be available. productivity should be emphasized in companies and not presence at their work desks.
every wednesday would be creative day, in which the 2nd half of the day (after 6pm) is freed up for employees to do what they've always wanted to do/learn (as long as it's relevant to their job scopes).

Monday, July 02, 2012

Idealists want to search for Self, to become themselves, to have a goal, a purpose in life, to be self-actualized, to be and become real, to be what they are meant to be and to have an identity which is uniquely theirs, to become self-actualized into a perfect whole and to have an identity which is perfectly unique, to have meaning, to have their significance appreciated, or at the very least, recognized as existing, to have integrity, that is unity, with no facade, no mask, no pretense, no sham, no playing of roles, to be genuine, to communicate authentically, to be in harmony with the inner experiences of self, to avoid a life of bad faith, to live a life of significance, making a difference in the world, to experience life as a drama, to be sensitive to the subtle gestures and metaphoric behavior in relationships, to help others become kinder, warmer, and more loving human beings, to reform the world, to romanticize their experiences, their lives, and the experiences and lives of others.

haha. what's a life of bad faith? o_O
i think the authenticity and meaning in life part and reforming the world part is quite true though. haha. romanticizing would probably come in the part of sacrifice and passions.
i guess it's always disheartening to know that 'oh. quite a lot of people are mainly concerned about money, or possessions, or how faous they become..' not that i'm not concerned about them, but i always always believe that there's so much more than this. but i'm limited as well, with the resources that i have, by the selfish desires within me.
it's true that the worst thing u can possibly do to another person is to be apathetic. it's like the person's not even worth you dispensing any ounce of emotions anymore. not just to a person, but to a cause, or to what one has always fought for.

whatever is worth it is never easy.

there's a continual need to ask God for a renewed heart. and for the courage to not be scared of being hurt again. a continue fight for the passions to be kept alive. to shine and show the apathetic world that life is beyond just the apathy, or the mundane, or being resigned. that there're still things worth fighting for in the fallen world, to an eternal cause commissioned not by us, but by the God who created us.
we're called to live, and not just called to be living.
that we're called to fight, to be sparks against waves of sluggishness.
and called to share our lives, called to support, empower, be faithful, persevere, to love, to forgive, to continue to strain to grasp hold of what is worth it.
i think it gets very hard-going when a large part of the time, i'm continuing on with my job because of not wanting to leave the students in a lurch, and because I really have a very good cluster supervisor whom i want to continue to learn from.
other than that, my office environment affects me quite a bit cos of the temperature and the inability to concentrate, not to mention that it kinda discourages me from meeting my students because i'd have to change venue for privacy.
i'm not disgruntled. i think i really do need a job when i can be more hands-on and less paperworky. haha.
i love evenings because that's when i'm most awake. and things that don't appeal to me so much (e.g. cleaning up room and organizing things around me) will suddenly appeal to me as well. wahaha. and when i'm more awake, i'm more creative, so i really like that as well.
i really like tea as well, and i do miss my 105 yen 1.5litres tea :(
when i say i am a Christian,
i still feel the sting of pain,
i have my share of heartaches,
so I call upon His name

was watching Hyouka's episode 11 when i thought it was interesting what they brought up! haha. they were trying to resolve a mystery in a self-made class video, to find out the original intent of the person who wrote the mystery cos she fell ill before she could finish writing it. the person who 'solved' it said that the writer used a narrative trick (in which the narrator was the murderer), but was subsequently challenged cos the writer who wrote the mystery has only read Holmes before (the sherlock holmes series) and said that it's not possible as Holmes never had a narrative trick. it only came out during Christie's time.

having read all of the books in the Sherlock Holmes series, and endeavouring to finish all of the books by Christie now, i can say for certain that that was a fact that was correct! Actually in Christie's books so far, i've only read the narrative trick once. hahaa. but it's true that Holmes had never had a narrative trick!

i feel so proud to be able to ascertain a fact used in the anime! LOL

Sunday, July 01, 2012

weezi finally returned my Last Friends DVDs to me! wahaha. i completely forgot what the show's about actually. just searched it up and i was like 'ohhhh...'. lol. reminds me of my social work modules. wahha.
lending her Jin after this. quite glad that what i bought can be shared. i wish i can do more of that with my books. hahaa. always glad when i'm able to share something of mine with someone. haha.
'My experience with ENFJs is that they are very good in person, but not so good on paper. I don't know if that's true for all ENFJ's, but the ones I know prefer to present their charm in person because that is where their talents lie. To them, email, texting, etc. is more like paperwork and therefore an inferior way to interact with other people. Heh. Especially when discussions are held over emails D: Only when I'm more awake though. When I'm tired, I switch from sang to mel. Then it becomes tiring to talk. Lol