Singapore, an island with limited resources - how did we survive? Credits goes to our amazingly efficient port operators dealing with exports and imports 24/7, meeting Singapore's needs via trade :)


Port of S'pore Authority (PSA) international, handling about a fifth of the world's total container throughput, should deserve more than just a word of praise or mere acknowledgement by our fellow Singaporeans :P

Let's hav a peek into the intricate PSA Singapore Terminals, flagship of PSA international. Discover the Human-Touches that made our port worked so successfully!

Container Equipment Specialist - "my office.. is the yard-crane"


Senior Mechanical Engineer - "our mission's to keep PSA's port-cranes working - containers after containers.."


Operations Executive - "..make sure that the operations in our ports ran smoothly"


Senior Systems Engineer - "..computers are now a major part of our lives, here at the port.. is no different"

Each and every individual plays a role! Not just restricted to biz but to life in general. So what is yours?

Welcome to this post! =D

Animals are unique beings, each having their individual personalities and characters. They respond to love, care and concern, the same way that any other human being would.

Let's find out more about the people who take care of these animals, what drives them in this career, this calling.

-----------------------

Gurusamy Permalo, headkeeper of Singapore Zoological Gardens, is in charge of the well-being of numerous animals.

Besides tending to their basic needs - nutrition, water & shelter - he showers them with care and concern. Animals look forward to seeing him, the loving touch he offers and, naturally, the food he brings along.

'The Zoo,' Gurusamy shared, 'imparts lessons.' The loss of natural habitats and wildlife is a very grave issue in today's world. Through the educational campaigns offered by the Zoo, he hopes that everyone would learn to cherish, respect and love Nature.

To see the animals thriving under his care would, to him, be one of the simplest, yet greatest, pleasures in life.

-----------------------

Dr Serena Oh, assistant director of the veterinary department of the Singapore Zoo, shares with us her perspectives on treating sick animals.
Ever since she's young, Dr Oh always wanted to treat sick animals and make them better. It's always a comfort to see sickly creatures return to full health.

However, being a vet isn't always smooth-sailing. To Dr Oh, it's heartrending to be treating animals that reject her.

Animals don't like vets - they equate the vets' presence with pain, bitter medicine and injections. It's equally distressing to treat animals that they've been working with for years, watching them suffer in ill health.

Despite the amount of 'heartwork' involved, Dr Oh remains unfazed. She will continue to shower care and concern on the beloved animals. :)

Realisation: Dr Oh probably has the largest collection of pets - including but not limited to antelopes, lions and elephants - in Singapore.

wow! haha :D

-----------------------
As Operations Executive for the Jurong Bird park, it is Mr Ng Kim Seng's job to ensure smooth operations in the Park.

He does that by going around the park to check on the various exhibits and to make sure that all the facilities are in flawless conditions. The reason behind such dedication? Mr Ng wants to let guests have enjoyable experiences; his best reward for his efforts would be the smiles and gratitude of the Park's guests.

As a 'nature lover', Mr Ng feels extremely uncomfortable if he were to dress in office garb and carry out the office work. For now, his office is the entire Jurong Bird Park and he's enjoying every moment of his work :)



-----------------------

It's often easy to forget the efforts of these people while sight-seeing. (P.S. I must confess that I only thought of the animals whenever I was at the Zoo or Birdpark. )

Behind the success of these award-winning parks are the continuous efforts of many people. Hope that our readers (aka you) would remember to thank these people for the wonderful experiences you had the next time you see them at the Parks!

Just some interesting but random photos that we love:
(Below) Some of the zookeepers saying Hi! :)
Check out more photos from the Flickr albums!:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ndpeeps/sets/72157619814167528/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ndpeeps/sets/72157619814150066/

Kids - they are the future pillars of our society, aren't they... It's imperative that we impart our knowledge to them, guiding them to be the best that they can be, to realise their potential to the fullest.

And this week's Human Touch will focus on the people who worked selflessly and dedicated themselves to children - the childhood educators.

We dropped by Jenius Kindergarden in Hougang and spoke to some of their wonderful teachers there. It was an inspiring experience, to speak to these people and find out what motivates them to pursue teaching as a career, a calling.

'What are some of the challenges faced?'

Miss Lim said that kids nowadays have as much access to information as them and that they have to constantly 'update our knowledge to provide students with guidance', not an easy task to say the least.

'The greatest challenge is to keep having patience with the kids,' says Mdm Angie Chua before continuing,'with this patience, I could bond with the kids and make the learning process fun and exciting.'

'And the greatest satisfaction?'

Mdm Shazwani said that she derived the most happiness from 'helping students achieve their milestones in life' and that teaching is a 'noble profession'. This, we agree. Teaching requires lots of love, patience and determination, especially when dealing with the 'little ones'.

Look at the way the kids are enthusiastically responding to the Teacher!

Click on the above photo to view the NDPeeps@Flickr album on these teachers and their students!

For this episode of the Human Touch, we bring you on a visit to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA). Actually, I'm sure most of us have heard of the place. But, how many have gone down to the place themselves? Personally, I didn't even know where it was and in fact, before I went, I was unclear of what exactly the SPCA does.

After talking to the Shelter Supervisor, Mohan s/o Veerasamy, at SPCA, I realised that many people in Singapore share the same sentiments as me. He highlights that this is indeed a serious issue, this lack of awareness among Singaporeans. He shares that adults should be more well-informed about the situation of animal cruelty in Singapore.

When talking about his choice of this job, it was really heart-warming to watch him explain his reasons enthusiastically with a smile on his face. Meeting animals that welcome you happily everyday when reporting for work is unlike working in an office where office politics and backstabbing abound.

Getting a pet is really a big decision and in fact, SPCA helps those who wish to adopt a pet and a lot of guidance is offered to help them adapt to a life with a new companion. They offer an array of services, including a 24-hour service to pick up stray animals.

If you have the time, a visit to them is very worth it. On top of that, the Bartley station of the Circle Line has just opened beside them, making them much more accessible. Take the chance to understand the animals through those working there, like Mohan, and the volunteers. It was a fruitful trip for me and I do hope that many others can benefit from it too. =D Check out more photos at NDPeeps@Flickr and the interview below.

This time round, we'll share with you people the stories of two seasoned nurses - what motivates these ladies in white to selflessly preserve and sustain life.



'Nursing is not a job, it is about caring for people,' says Sister Alicia,'it is the love for people that keeps me going.' It is evident, from the way Sister Alicia tends to her patients, her concern for these people. Under her care, even strangers would feel as though she's family.

Sister Alicia tending to one of her many patients

We all know that it's heartbreaking if someone we care for departs... Perhaps that is why nursing is a calling that requires so much heart, so much soul. Qualities that our nurses have aplenty.

Sister Prema reaffirmed that it's actually the interaction with people which motivates her. And it must have been a compelling motivation for her to stay in this line of work for nine straight years!

Sister Alicia (Left) and Sister Prema (Right)

'As I go along in nursing, I love the job more and more.' Sister Alicia confessed. 'I hope I'll continue to care for people as long as I live.'

---------------

We all know that TTSH has been designated as the H1N1 screening facility. This blog entry, we hope, is a timely tribute to the efforts of our healthcare professionals as they seek to contain the virus. Take a look at more photos at NDPeeps@Flickr.

Bye, everybody! Do remember to take care of yourselves too!

A cute little note we saw on the wall. 'hot staff' indeed!

Any words of encouragement for the nurses? Share them here!

Sree Narayana Mission Home for the Aged Sick graciously accepted a request from us to do an entry on their nurses and residents. Here, at NDPeeps, we thank them for their assistance to make this interview a success. =D

It was a heartening experience to see our elders take care of themselves, determined to be indepedent, with our dedicated nurses patiently stepping in to help as and when required.

Life here at the home's good. The elders get to participate in a mass workout every morning (kind of like our army's 5 BX) before engaging in a slew of activities. They can choose to do some gardening, read newspapers and even play mahjong in their leisure time!

Here, the residents are hard at work, sorting out the laundry for their fellow friends

The below's a video done up by our friends. Do cease whatever web activities you're doing and listen to this video with not only your ears but your mind and heart too...

We had a great time, speaking to the elders, learning from them. They really have interesting stories to share. One uncle was telling me all about his life - his work and family. Really heart-wrenching to have to bid him farewell =(

wilson shaking hands with one of the residents after interviewing her

Me speaking to one of the residents

On hindsight, I won't hesitate to say that this visit was an emotional experience. I was buffeted by a spectrum of heartfelt opinions. The determination to survive despite all odds. The desire to be free and indepedent. The overflow of love for people. Who can remain indifferent to all this?

Don't believe me? Volunteer at the Home to truly experience this for yourself!

Wishing to volunteer? Heed those words from your heart and Click here!

Any similar experiences volunteering? Any thoughts on Singapore's elders that you would like to share? Do let us know your thoughts and opinions =)

in bugis, my friends and i came across an uncle selling hand-made crafts. the exquisite vases, recycled from used cans, stood neatly in rows within a styrofoam box. no one stopped to chat with this uncle; perhaps no one noticed his existence.

intrigued, we decided to interview him and make him the next protagonist of our 'the human touch'.

as we were interviewing this uncle, a crowd gathered.

we learned that he worked from 7 am to anywhere between 5 and 8 pm daily, be it rain or shine. such draining hours!, i thought, i wouldn't want to lead his life. can you imagine a life of long working hours and a low yet unstable income?

'uncle, how's your business nowadays?' my friend asked out of concern.

'ai yah, the economy's bad now and who would want to buy such stuff from an old man like me?' he sighed and answered.

as the interview unfolds, we found out more about him. this uncle, he didn't want help from others. he wants to depend on himself, on his craftworks to make a living, not survive on the charity and sympathy of others.

emotions - admiration, respect, joy - threatened to overwhelm me. admiration for his nifty skills; respect for his independence; joy in his indomitable spirit. words deserted me. i couldn't help but be impressed by this uncle. i also felt a twinge of shame. how often have i bypassed these people without noticing their presence?

the crowd circling around us didn't purchase any of his finely-wrought vases. it's okay, i guess, if one didn't have sufficient cash to buy any of his handicrafts. but it would be decent to chat with this uncle, instead of simply ignoring him.

a little 'hello', a little 'how do you do?' goes a long way, friends. next time you see an uncle peddling his wares, ask after him. and perhaps, in chatting with him, be inspired by his determination to live and make a living.

interested? find out more about this craftsman..

every year, our parade focuses on the achievements of our nation, of our many accomplishments and awards. but, what about those people who made such achievements possible?

from the sweepers who clean our walkways to teachers who educate us, from buskers who perform to soldiers in national service, we aim to uncover the little ways in which everyone contributes to our nation. their efforts, we feel, should not go unrecognised...

let us draw inspiration from these people, our people, and find out more about them, their weaknesses and strengths, their frailties and attributes. let us know more about their stories and lives so that they would not merely be strangers along the roads.

and in our search for inspiring characters, may we define the spirit that is unique to Singapore.

the human touch - touching stories, touching lives
---------------

Walking past the Paragon in Orchard Road, we came across a busker playing an electronic keyboard. He was sitting on a wheelchair with an amputated leg. Adroit with the instrument, melodious tunes resounded within my ears. We decided to approach him and express our interest in an interview.

Flipping through his scores, we saw songs from varied genres presented and musical notes denoted with numbers instead. As we conversed in Mandarin, I found that I was speaking to Mr Zhang and that he has been performing for the last 3 years. He spoke with an air of carefreeness and optimism, displaying pride in his music.

'Music is my hobby', he said, 'and it transcends all language barriers.'




Performing to share his music with anyone who is appreciative has become a essential part of his daily life. When asked about how the opinions of others affect him, he firmly replied that what others feel did not matter. All he wanted to share was his love for music and to him, that's the most important; Money was secondary.

Being one who enjoys music, I share his sentiments and passion for music. His wish to perform for others was a simple one and his disability was no hindrance.

We did not enquire about his past. There was no need for it. What lies ahead of him should be the focus. If his health permits, he would continue his daily performances.

In the hustle and bustle of Orchard Road, would you notice the lone musician and his music? Halt your footsteps and let your ears do the job. Savour his music and the story behind it.