Tzu Chi Medical Mission 11/14/10

This morning i woke up at 4am, showered and was ready to leave my house and go to manila at 4:30. I got on the car, and passed out because I had 3 hours of sleep. I was worried of Armand because he was not replying to my texts and didn't even call me nor text me. I gave him a call and he finally picked up, that guy always make people worry about him, but in the end shows up and still gets his job done.

So we arrived at the Tzu Chi Great Love Campus in Manila at around 7:30, we registered and Armand arrived shortly after getting lost with the way. We were toured by one of the committee member of the Tzu Chi foundation, she showed us where each department were, PEDIA, General Medicine, Surgery, Dental, then where the rest station, CR were. So we chilled a bit and at around 9o'clock patients started coming in, and we starting getting busy. We were put in the same section(because we requested it, hahaha) in the general medicine section. There were three main rooms there, the patient waiting room(limited to 50 people at a time), the clinic(limited to 10 people at most), and the dispensary room, where patients bring their prescription to to get their medicine. Armand was put in the dispensary room, he's job was to receive the prescriptions of patients and call out the number/names of patients once their medication have been prepared and ready to be distributed. I was put in the clinic with Anny Tien(A former brent student, who now studies in Ateneo), job there was easy, it was a nice air-conditioned room, and we just assist patients where to go, and assist doctors if they need any sort of help. In the clinic were around 10 doctors, 7 general medicine doctors, 2 OB-GNYNE/general medicine doctors, 1 dermatologist, and 2 people who measure blood pressure. Job there was pretty easy, didn't do much, but i just had a thought. For a moment, i thought, gee, these doctors are heroes, they save   lives, their life are successful, not because they're well off, but because their job is to help people, personally i want to be a doctor myself, and that inspired me a bit more.  30 minutes later, i was told to go help out the dispensary room, and from then on i was there till the end of everything... and that isn't anything good. THE DISPENSARY ROOM WAS CHAOTIC AND WAS LITERALLY HELL ON EARTH! okay, maybe it wasn't THAT bad, but it was CROWDED and people complaining EVERYWHERE! PEOPLE WERE SPEAKING TO ME IN SOMETHING I DIDN'T UNDERSTAND AT ALL! One of the committee told Armand not to let me take over his job(call out names to distribute medicine), because i was dumb and i couldnt speak tagalog or anything. Combining to the hot weather and chaotic situation, was so pissed, i mean i was only trying to help... But i let it go! At around 11o'clock we had about an hour of lunch break. After that we had around 100 more patients, it was at around 1:30 until there were no more patients. 

Some learning outcomes and thoughts:

First of all, i was really touched sincerely touched since the beginning when we entered the campus, specifically me, because unlike Armand, I had an idea and a basic background of the Tzu Chi Foundation, because i am a member myself, i donate 100 pesos a month, and because this Organization was established in my home country in Taiwan, I had a sense of pride in me, knowing how much help and support they give to the ones in need. I've always knew, but it felt completely different when your actually there yourself, you can actually feel the warm environment. And that was impacted me a lot. The doctors and committees there were mostly Chinese-Filipino and some Taiwanese, it was so heart warming seeing different nationalities helping each other. And making that happen is the best thing that one can actually have, its priceless. Maybe not during the process but really, in the end, you feel great about yourself, even though my job was just sooo so so small. 

Almost everywhere in the campus, on the walls, there were aphorisms. I read all of them, and one of them especially hit me, "A person's happiness stems not from how much he owns but from how little he complains." After all, isn't happiness what we all strive for? You don't need to necessarily have anything in particular to achieve happiness, it's just all in your mind. Often times we do things to impress people, and to seek attention so that we can feel good about ourselves. so..."Let us compete compete on who is more loving, not on who is more feared."

This is DEFINITELY a worthwhile experience, even though some parts were frustrating, but its the journey of coming out of that frustration that you really achieve something and can be deeply happy about. 

In addition to this, I learned something else....

GAMOT PO? WAIT LANG DITO! HAHAHAHA :D

tzu chi - create a slideshow with music

Update one Student Council

Four months has passed since school started, and ever since school started, the new student council has been in progress. I was introduced to my job as Treasurer, I was told that the Treasurers in the past years didn't do so well, so the pressure was on me. I was told to keep count of money, record specifically the money that comes in and out. Besides from that, everyone in the council has to come up with ideas for upcoming events, we had to brainstorm, because school spirit has died down in the recent years, we need to think more about the events we make, considering the outcomes and results, and participation of students. The acquaintance party that we planned out was a blast. We created a party which would involve everyones participation, and this made the party not boring. Everyone liked it very much. 

Student council is an extra-curriculum for us, but we must stay committed just like how we promised in our speeches. Sometimes it gets frustrating, working with our fellow members in the council, and dealing with school work and life at the same time. 

Our advisor, Ms.Pascual has asked us all to have our own project within the school year, which is to have a fundraiser, either for the council, or for a charity/cause. Everyone has come up with their ideas, except me, i feel like I've been slacking off a bit, I need to get back to it. Couple of weeks ago, before our 5 day weekend, our SC president, Diana An, had her fundraiser, which was to sell korean halo-halo. It was to be honest, the worst planned out plan ever. She did not double check things and so during that day of the fundraiser, it was a mess. I must say, we must be careful with what we do, and make sure things work out and runs smooth as planned.

Right now, i need to stop worrying about others business, and start worrying about my own. I need to push myself to brainstorm and think of fundraiser.

FORM #1: CAS Activity Proposal

This form must be submitted to and approved by the CAS Coordinator BEFORE you begin your work.

Full Name *

William Ou

Grade *

•  11
•  12

Activity Name *Give your activity a title

Tzu Chi Medical Mission

Activity Description *Describe the activity you wish to undertake. Identify your role and responsibilities. If your activity is collaborative in nature, list down your collaborators.

Tzu Chi is a Buddhist foundation founded in Taiwan. The foundation has supported and helped many people in need, such as the Haiti earthquake, Ondoy typhoon in the Philippines and many more. On November 14 they are having a medical mission in Manila. The main purpose in this medical mission is to provide health care, medicine for free to the less fortunate people in need. My role and responsibility in this event is to help out the doctors with anything they may need help with. There will be a lot of people there, they will need help. My collaborators would be the patients, nurse, doctor, collaborators of the event.

Activity Status *Is this a new activity or an ongoing project?

•  New
•  Ongoing

Activity Core Value *Which core value does your activity address? (Select all that apply.)

•  Creativity
•  Action
•  Service

Goals *What is/are your personal goal/s for this activity? What do you hope to achieve?

My goal is to help out and support as much as I can in this medical mission. The goal of the mission is to provide health care for no cost.

Impact *Who will benefit from this activity? How?

The patients will benefit from this event the most, because mission is made for them. They can receive health care at last, and can be healthy. Everyone else will benefit from experiencing and learning from involving in this event.

Timeline *Where, how often, and for how long will the activity take place? (specific dates if possible)

This event will be held on November 14, 2010 at the Tzu Chi Great Love Campus in 1000 Cordillera corner Lubiran Streets Bacood, Sta. Mesa, Manila. The event last from Sunday morning until Sunday afternoon.

Name of Supervisor *

Mrs. Fang-Lin Chen

Supervisor's Organization *

Tzu Chi Foundation

Supervisor's Information (if not from Brent Int'l. School Subic)Contact Address, Email, Contact Number(s)

Email: fnhsu@hotmail.com Address: Binictican Dr. Mahogany St. 37F SBFZ Contact Number: (047)2500274

Student Agreement

I will commit to the activity at the above-stated time/s and given duration to the best of my ability. I understand that it is my responsibility to see this activity to its completion, and once approved, can only be cancelled through negotiation with the supervisor and the CAS Coordinator. (Click the SUBMIT button to signify your agreement.)

Results

(YES! I COULD FINALLY LOG IN!)
Even though its already been a week since ISAC, but i think this is important...
So what were the Results?
The Obvious:
We played really well. Won 6 games and lost 2. Finish 2nd place. Everyone Improved.
We played as a team.

The biggest gain for me though, was the lessons i learned throughout the season. We played well and finished second place(though disappointing), there's a reason why we could get so far. All the practices, frustration, paid off, because we played our hearts out(maybe not in the final, but ya). I could say that this is the best team I've been in so far(maybe because its my first time), but I still felt like this was a great team, and it's because none of us were playing for themselves, but for the team. After this tournament, it made me enjoy sports a lot more, not because of winning, but because of the unexpected learning experiences I've encountered. And now I feel more of an athlete now, and I've learned to love the intensity of a game especially when you are competitive and focused. During the games in ISAC, i was felt really competitive, and I really wanted to win, unlike games in Subic, in which I just wanted to perform well, and impress coaches and look good. I don't really believe in God, but when Mr.T was praying, my feelings were complicated, but i felt like tearing up, and so i was praying too, for a minute i believe in God, after praying, I just felt like things were more meaningful. When Mr.T said he was proud of us, my eyes were watery, because even Mr.T was nervous, and i felt like it was worth coming this far, i felt accomplished and i felt good.

For me personally, the biggest lesson i learned from this year's volleyball season, is controlling my emotions. Thanks Mr.T :). It wasn't just a lesson for improving my game in volleyball, but for me as a person. I learned that when you're frustrated, you can't perform well. Most of the time errors and little mistakes throw people off, they lose their temper, because they don't wanna do bad. But you need to know your not gonna do well with your temper like that, getting frustrated does you actually NO GOOD AT ALL, it makes you perform worse, AND IT DOESN'T FEEL GOOD. So why be frustrated? Learn from your mistake, let it go, try again :).

Thanks Mr.T and my team, for making me smile more, making me a better player and person, made me learn so much, and giving me the chance to experience what it's like to be an athlete.

It's not the destination that counts, it's the journey
Either way, 2ND PLACE IS STILL PRETTY GOOD :D

I'm going to miss my teammates. I'm gonna miss seeing all of us so into a game. I'm going to miss our team bonding, our 1,2,3 razorbacks, our praying and meditation sessions.I'm going to miss cheering for each other, seeing each other improve. I'm gonna miss practice, and getting back up when we fall down.
In short it means, I'm gonna miss volleyball, because all this is what the game of volleyball is about.

Thanks Mr.T!

I'M DEFINITELY JOINING NEXT YEAR!!

P.S.
IM GONNA MISS EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENED!
BUT THERE'S NO WAY I'M GONNA MISS HAVING PINK EYE!

Goal of the week:

ISAC CHAMPIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! that's it :)
i am so excited and ready.

Last game of the season till ISAC

Last thursday, we had our final game in our school and before isac, this game was terrible, especially for me. The team we played against was pretty easy, nothing special about them, they just receive, set , the get the ball over, nothing more. Our floor coverage was okay, but we need to stop making silly errors. I was feeling down after making a really really inappropriate bad receive. From then on, i wasn't playing my game, it bothered me all throughout the game. This same thing happens to the team sometimes, we need to start working as a team, and not let some errors put us down. From this, i learned that i need to cope with my emotions. Overall, im disappointed at myself for disappointing coach, and letting my emotions taking over me. 2 more practices left, my goal is to polish my clip, i need to keep in my mind about the clip, normally i don't and my palm ends up closed making the hit a flat ball.

HOME STRETCHHHHHHHHH

one more week to go until ISAC. I'm pumped up! But today's practice was okay, had some school work issues, and  then came to school late, and i felt so guilty of myself, so practice wasnt good to begin with But Im ready. My body feels GREAT, no pain, flat feet pain is good, shoulder's good, legs are good, hip's feeling good, and i dont know, somehow my hair made me feel lighter, hahaha. Im starting to get my hit right, especially contact with the ball. I found out a trick for myself, which is to be light, relaxed and QUICK. Speed = power. I learned that not just killing the ball can give you a strong hit, swinging your arm quick can do the same, it saves energy AND it doesnt strain your shoulder. Just like what mr.t said, its all in the mind now. Im ready, i just need to polish everything and be at 100% when game day comes. This week I wanna focus on my receiving, our receives were terrible today, 1st ball is the most important. LETS GOO RAZORRRBACKKKKKKKKKKKS!

FORM #1: CAS Activity Proposal

This form must be submitted to and approved by the CAS Coordinator BEFORE you begin your work.

Full Name *

William Ou

Grade *

•  11
•  12

Activity Name *Give your activity a title

Student Council

Activity Description *Describe the activity you wish to undertake. Identify your role and responsibilities. Indicate if your activity is individual in nature or collaborative. (If collaborative, list down your collaborators.)

Student Council is group of elected members that are voted to represent the student body. I am the Treasurer in the student council. My role is to keep track of the money coming in and going out. This activity is collaborative, we discuss as a group, in the group there is a Student council president, vice-president, treasurer, secretary, P.R.O., middle school representative and our 2 student council advisors.

Activity Status *Is this a new activity or an ongoing project?

•  New
•  Ongoing

Activity Core Value *Which core value does your activity address? (Select all that apply.)

•  Creativity
•  Action
•  Service

Learning Outcomes *Which Learning Outcomes will this activity touch on? (Check all that apply.)

•  Increase my awareness of my strengths & areas for growth
•  Undertake new challenges
•  Plan & Initiate activities
•  Work collaboratively with others
•  Show perseverance & commitment
•  Engage in issues of global importance
•  Consider the ethical implications of my actions
•  Develop new skills

Goals *What are your personal goals for this activity? How do these goals relate to the Learning Outcomes you selected above?

Become the most successful Treasurer the school has ever had! Come up with fun ideas, activities, and initiate good causes.

Impact *Who will benefit from this activity? How?

The school and our community. Student Council is here to make the most for the student body. We represent the student body, and therefore our school, we will have events to support causes and help our community in any way we can.

Timeline *Where, how often, and for how long will the activity take place? (specific dates if possible)

We have a meeting every Thursday after school, sometimes meetings during lunch break. The activity will be on for the whole school year august 2010 till may 2011.

Name of Supervisor *

Ms. Pascual

Supervisor's Organization *

Brent Subic

Supervisor's Information (if not from Brent Int'l. School Subic)Contact Address, Email, Contact Number(s)

Student Agreement

I will commit to the activity at the above-stated time/s and given duration to the best of my ability. I understand that it is my responsibility to see this activity to its completion, and once approved, can only be cancelled through negotiation with the supervisor and the CAS Coordinator. (Click the SUBMIT button to signify your agreement.)

Frustration!!!

And so the part of the season has come, FRUSTRATION. We had a game with Major Major MIX, i was pretty hyped up and was expecting a exciting game. So the first set started, they were pretty bad compared to what ive seen them do, and so we won the first set easy, but i thought we didn't do that great as well, they were just BAD. 2nd set began, and i guess we just sorta gave it to them the score was like 25-10. The rest of the sets.. i believe, we could've taken it, IF WE HAD A LITTLE MORE FOCUS. For some reason, the gym felt dead today, and so were we. Just like what the other team said, were good players, and we can hit, BUT were not hitting! It was especially a TERRIBLE day for me, im not hitting like how i hit in practice, and this was bothering me A LOT, because it continued throughout the game.

There will be many games for us  the next 2 days. We gotta forget about our frustrations, and just play our game. We gotta get pumped up for them, learn, play, enjoy, and HIT

So far So good

So its been about a month since volleyball started. The teams developing quite well, its better than i expected to be! Last Friday we got some good games in, here at Brent. There were a lot of strong and SKILLED teams, we learned a lot, from watching and playing with them. Even though the teams played at higher level than us, we still hanged on and won a couple of sets, and this pushed us to get better. Our floor coverage was mediocre, we got some pretty good hitters on the team, but i realized most of them aren't hitting THAT much, we need to get low and have a good first ball to the setter so the setter can have a good set, which will give a good spike.Like what mr.T said, we gotta stop thinking about our mistakes while in the game, shake if off, and get it back. For myself, I need to learn how clip the ball when I spike. Lately i found out  what seems to be my problem, my swings seems to be like baseball pitch, my elbow does not lock and extend to its fullest, causing my wrist not clipping right, if i get this down, my spikes can be more accurate and actually IN the court. ISAC is in a about 3 weeks! I'm excited and motivated and I'm pretty sure the team is as well! :D SO FAR SO GOOD!

FORM #1: CAS Activity Proposal

This form must be submitted to and approved by the CAS Coordinator BEFORE you begin your work.

Full Name *

William Ou

Grade *

•  11
•  12

Activity Name *Give your activity a title

Boys' Varsity Volleyball

Activity Description *Describe the activity you wish to undertake. Identify your role and responsibilities. Indicate if your activity is individual in nature or collaborative. (If collaborative, list down your collaborators.)

The boy's varsity volleyball team is a volleyball team consists of 15 chosen upper school boys. My role is to play as an open hitter in the team. Volleyball is a team sport, so it's definitely collaborative. I have to collaborate with my teamates(Adam, Jack, David, Andy, Armand, Chris, Allen, Dong Yeon, Henry, John An, John Kwak, Cryon, Stin,Kevin) and as well as my coach Mr.Tolentino. We all will learn and develop as a team.

Activity Status *Is this a new activity or an ongoing project?

•  New
•  Ongoing

Activity Core Value *Which core value does your activity address? (Select all that apply.)

•  Creativity
•  Action
•  Service

Learning Outcomes *Which Learning Outcomes will this activity touch on? (Check all that apply.)

•  Increase my awareness of my strengths & areas for growth
•  Undertake new challenges
•  Plan & Initiate activities
•  Work collaboratively with others
•  Show perseverance & commitment
•  Engage in issues of global importance
•  Consider the ethical implications of my actions
•  Develop new skills

Goals *What are your personal goals for this activity? How do these goals relate to the Learning Outcomes you selected above?

My goals this year in the team is to make the ISAC team and through out the process i want to develop more discipline, perseverance, sportsmanship, as well as becoming a better volleyball player(become a player that my team mates can depend on). To achieve these goals I need to stay committed, not give up and correct my

Impact *Who will benefit from this activity? How?

The players and coaches who take part in the activity definitely, because sports are always about developing. Everyone will have to learn and deal with frustration and improve in the game of volleyball. Maybe even the whole school, because it builds school spirit cheering for our own teams.

Timeline *Where, how often, and for how long will the activity take place? (specific dates if possible)

Every school day from 4-5:30 at the gym. Ends after the tournament on October 10.

Name of Supervisor *

Mr. Tolentino

Supervisor's Organization *

Brent Subic

Supervisor's Information (if not from Brent Int'l. School Subic)Contact Address, Email, Contact Number(s)

Student Agreement

I will commit to the activity at the above-stated time/s and given duration to the best of my ability. I understand that it is my responsibility to see this activity to its completion, and once approved, can only be cancelled through negotiation with the supervisor and the CAS Coordinator. (Click the SUBMIT button to signify your agreement.)