You have no idea how handy these cardboard boxes are. They might be quite ugly-looking but they are sure to make a pretty sturdy furniture!They might be ugly, boring looking and just plain brown. But do you know that it can be transformed into a furniture or any other useful tool in times of need? For example, during the recent passing of Singapore's legendary statesman, the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew, our fellow SIngaporeans came down to the Padang to join the 8-10 hours of queue & be on their way to pay respects to the great man. They make used of cardboards as make-shift mats and handy fans. Too bad, they didn't go the the workshop that we went last 2 Saturdays. Otherwise, they would have made a comfy sofa. Now back to the #upcycling workshop....
It was a lovely Saturday morning, 21 March 2015. Hot breakfast was waiting and I was very excited to start. Upcycling cardboards into furniture was something beyond me. Imagine me making a furniture, REALLY? I do not have any carpentry skills and I had not done any D&T lessons during my secondary schools. Well, does making a keychain count? Nah.... Hui Ching and me were back again in the Central Singapore office and were ready to start. That Saturday was extraordinarily packed and excitement was in the air. Most probably because it was still the March local school holidays. And that is why the room was crowded with kids and their mums as well as the same batch of elderly aunties from the previous weekend. I must thank Hui Ching for saving me a good seat which was near the breakfast table. Hui Ching and I had armed ourselves with cardboards (precut from the office) and penknives. And off we went planning, exploring and making. Once we started, we can't seemed to stop ourselves. So there, we thought about the problems that we had and the majority of us had the same problems; storage problem = lack of space. From drawers made out from pizza boxes to lingerie organiser using towel rolls; these inspiring "future cardboard extraordinaire" individuals do have a high level of substance in making. I was blown away (well, not so blown away by my skills though). I was impressed with the young ones, they were very adventurous and went the extra mile to make something unique. Unlike the other aunties like myself who weren't so daring to venture outside their comfort zone. I spoken with one of the mums there whose boys made a games table. Later on, during the presentation more functions were revealed, The table could doubled up as a storage for the games. There was one little girl made an art table with an adjustable legs and storage space. Amazing!!! And what did I create? A boring cabinet unit for charging my handphone and a footstool. Boo!!! I hope that there will be more opportunities like this. I don't mind stealing a couple of hours away from my munchkins on a Saturday morning to learn something new & network. Well, we had fun and were inspired to sell our furnitures (as if...), I donated my creations for the upcoming Central Singapore community event which will be happening on the 11th April 2015 at the HDB Toa Payoh hub. All for a good cause!
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Your newspapers especially the old ones have more to offer than disseminating information and getting us the news.
I knew that I missed out on something when I received only S$0.50 from the "karung-guni man" when I sold away my three months old newspapers. A "karung-guni man" is a rag-and-bone entrepreneur who would buy your old wares for a paltry sum of money. You could sell your old television, broken telephone, wonky washing machine, many-months-old newspapers, outdated electronic devices like computers and many more. The amount of money you'll get from your sale will be so negligible that you would rather tossed them in the recycling bins located underneath your HDB blocks. Or if you have bulky items, look out for your friendly Bangladeshi housekeeping custodian and pay him a generous amount to have it moved from your home. Just don't throw them out of your window and become a serial killer litter bug. You have been warned!!! Upcycle Workshop Hui Ching & I attended a free workshop on "Upcycling" organised by the Central Singapore last Saturday morning, 14th March 2015. It was located at the HDB Hub, smacked in the middle of Toa Payoh bustling shopping district. We had to search for this peculiar lift lobby that services the office. It was tough to locate it as there were many lift lobbies serving different parts of the hub. Nonetheless, we managed to find it and were rewarded with a simple array of breakfast. A free workshop with a free breakfast is the way to go to start a Saturday and I have my old newspapers stashed in my bag. Central Singapore oversees many aspects community activities and initiatives targeting various groups like the youth and the seniors. Apart from the 3Rs (Re-Use, Reduce and Recycle) they are also keen on harnessing the Maker Movement and getting the community involved in making stuff. They are gearing towards the 'Smart Nation' campaign which the Singapore Government endorsed recently. The workshop was quite a hit with the elderly women and primary school kids. There were about 50 participants took part in this upcycling workshop led by a Dr from the Singapore Science Centre (I couldn't remember how to spell her name so lets call her Dr K). Dr K and her team were there to facilitate with our learning and she led the workshop in a non-traditional classroom way. The session was run like a store style. You like what you see, you stay to learn more for about 15 mins. After the see, look and learn, it was time to sit down and do. So, what do you normally do to your old newspapers? Based on the responses from the elderly aunties, most of them have pet dogs. They used the old papers as a potty for their beloved paw-friends. The non-pet owner like myself would either sell or toss. This is the reason why Central Singapore had this upcycling workshop; it is to educate us on how to make old stuff useful again. Do you know that upcycling is not the same as recycling? Upcycling vs Recycling Recycling is to categorise your stuff into paper, plastic and glass; bring them to your nearest recycling bins; authorised organisation would bring those bins to the recyling plant and processed them to become other materials (of course following with strict environmental procedures). Upcycling is to turn your old wares into something more useful like turning an old jeans into a bag; bottles into creative decoration; old sweaters to socks and many more. It is simply turning old, unused stuff into something useful and giving it a new lease of life. Inevitably giving a spark to entrepreneurs to sell their creative wares made from upcycled materials. I love this idea of entrepreneurship and maybe I might sell something in the future; something made from my old newspapers; making a sale worth more than $0.50, maybe; giving the 'karung guni' man a run for his money *evil laugh*. And so my adventure to turn the old newspapers into a piece of art began. I have to thank Cheryl Lee from the NYP GeoCouncil for her ideas and guidance. Hui Ching and I simply took instructions from this younger, more experience maker. It was a breath of fresh air and we learned a great deal. I learnt how to handle a hot glue gun. It was amazing. The inventor behind this device was simply a genius. A handy tool that melts plastic (aka glue) and safe enough to use for kids as young as 5 years old (And safe enough for a Little Miss Clumsy me!). Therefore, bye-bye UHU Twist&Glue and hello hot glue gun; you and I are going to be "bestfriends" (for now). So, here are some photos that I managed to snap and pose with the glue gun. Some of you might have seen them on the Maker Faire SG FB or on my twitter feed. It was sad that we had to leave our little art project behind. But it was all for a good cause. It will be displayed in a community event in Toa Payoh HDB Hub next month, April 11th. Nonetheless, enjoy the photos and hope that it would inspire you to start making something. Who knows, it might be you selling upcycled stuff off the Amazon.com or Facebook! From 2nd to the 13th Feb, I was helping out at the Infant Library. It was nice to see the infants there and entertained their antics. Classes were back to back and time zoomed past to quickly before the 2 weeks were up. I didn't manage to get enough pictures to record but I always like the colourful library.
When there is an opportunity available, just go for it.... In this case, the mentioned opportunity was to attend a talk by Dame Lynne Brindley (Master of Pembroke College Oxford). She was a CEO of the British Library from 2000 - 2012 and was from the University of Leed where she was a Pro-Vice-Chancellor. The talk focused on the following:
Throughout the 1-hour talk, she touched on issues such as the changing communications and use of technologies, particularly by children and reflects on the enduring values and purpose of libraries. She also discussed on digital publishing trends and how it affects the future of the physical library. An interesting point she made was about how children of today no longer watch linear TV programme but more towards on-demand contents where you could catch-up on some shows. Another point was also brought up was that a bookless library would be a reality and as a librarian it is up to us to reinvent and recreate the use of library space. With the wide use of technology, not only the libraries have suffered but the publishing houses as well. The trend in the publishing sector showed that there was a rise of sales for ejournals and ebooks. Prints and ebook reader was a declining trend. So if you still have an ebook reader now, make full use of it and cherish the moments together. It might not be around in the distant future. Thus the experience with an ebook reader might be a thing of the past. Though it was a short talk, it packed with valuable insights. which I've brought away. Reference libraries:
Therefore, the role of research libraries and librarians would still be around for another 15 to 20 years. It will take a while for the video to upload from OII. But I've found a friendly link from the YouTube (watch the above). Otherwise, you might want to visit OII to watch other webcasts pertaining to the same topic..
PS: Didn't manage to take any photos - I realised that my camera is fond of making a loud 'clicking sound'. There is no way to switch it off, my bad! Maybe it was just me with the hearing problem (or reading problem). Have you ever heard of pecha kucha? It was the first for me and I first heard it as 'pecah pecah' ('break into pieces' in Bahasa). Pecha kucha is a 'get straight to the point' presentation. - well, you could Google for its meaning at your own time.
Last week, my colleagues and I had a go at this new 'toy'. It was the first for most of us, putting the slides together and embedding our lovely voices to the slides. The challenge was to get your point across with just 10 slides within 100 seconds (10 slides x 10 seconds/slide = 100 seconds). - which was about less than 2 minutes. It was a great challenge for me. I am fond of telling 'grandmother's stories' but in pecha kucha, I have to cut straight to the chase. And it was quite fun. I've learnt some new stuff and had the opportunity to use the other functions in MS Powerpoint (which I rarely used). I also had a new discovery about myself *blushing* - for me to take note and for you, not to find out. It was a nice change of atmosphere this morning. I was greeted with a warm welcome in the Infant Library by Mr Farr, Yati and Jezrielle. The highlight of the day was actually the part (which I like most) when the children greeted me, "Good morning, Ms Aaaaaziiiiiii......" They were so adorable.
It is now already quater to three and I just about to settle down. Time really passed by very quickly here. I must get used to the pace here. *peace* It was a great opportunity to be sent to this conference. It was held every year and this year, it was in UWCSEA East Campus, Singapore from 10 - 12 October 2013.
The 2 day conference was exciting, interactive, eye-opening, inspiring and electrifying (in a good way). I learnt quite a fair bit of "techkie" stuff. I made new friends too (she is Denise who happens to know Ben & Jacqui - what a small world). I wouldn't mind to be sent to more of such conferences even though on a weekend *wink* (both of my boys could have the entire weekend to bond without the mama *double wink*). So below were the stuff that I had done during the course (sorry, not many photos taken as I am either busy taking down notes or whispering to my table "neighbour"). Things to have during this conference were (1) iPad (2) Laptop (3) Cables to "juice up" your devices. And you must be prepared to buy some apps online... (I bought a few, I just could not resist the learning and shopping experience!). And I won't tell you how much I've spent but it was worth it. Friday, 11th Oct 7.45am - In the UWCSEA East KM Library 8am - Sorted out my registration as they accidentally mixed up my name and scheduling (so more waiting) 8.30am - Welcome and Learning 2 talks in the Main Hall - Notes: Quite inspiring talks by the leaders and the UWCSEA students 9.30am - Stories Through the Lens (A623) Notes: Adam Clark demonstrated the different ways of capturing powerful images. The participants were given the opportunity to practice on our iPads. Some apps were shared like Haiku Deck & iMovie were recommended. This was so far the best class for the whole conference. I am bias, yes I am! 12.15pm - Networking Lunch 1.30pm - Bloggers Unite Notes: This is a sharing session for new, regular and would-be bloggers. We discussed on the implication of sharing certain contents and how to attract more eyeballs to the content. A few of us shared our blogs and I shared ours. They were very impressed with our layout and idea of sharing. I have to keep on stressing that this blog is only meant for internal TLRC staff. Overall, the would-be bloggers now have the confident to share their stuff online. I must say that this is one of the best sharing session in Learning2. 2.30pm - Break 3.00pm - Advanced iMovie - How to add special effects === >> Reader & WritersWorkshop for the 21st Century Notes: I wanted to go for the iMovie course but the class was packed with people and I couldn't get in (although I was quite early). I was disappointed, of course. Not sure of where to go to, I saw one of my 'table neighbour', Denise Jackson from the photography class earlier. So I tagged along with her (she assured me that the course is an interesting one). She works in the AIS as a library coordinator in the Junior School. Writing and getting students to write is part & parcel of her job. I guessed that it was an interesting class for me as a Library officer. One have to be able to impart certain skills and knowledge to the students to make the art of writing more efficient; by using an application called Confer (I called it conferring). This class explained about this new techkie stuff and how it made both students and teachers work together effectively & efficiently. Jeff also shared with us his wikispaces and it is packed with all kinds of information on literacy. For a novice like me or if you are interested on what he talked about, visit jdungan-presos.wikispaces.com. It is a self-explanatory site. 4.15pm - Cohort meeting 5.15pm - Home Saturday, 12th Oct 8am - Breakfast, Coffee & networking 8.30am - Learning2 Talks 9.15am - Geeking Out With Codes Notes: Attended by teachers with diverse coding knowledge & background. The class was divided into 4 groups (start from scratch, building apps, building website and Codecademy for the amateurs). I joined the amateur group and go through all the coding lessons through codecademy.com. I suggest if you are new to coding, you should get started on this. I still need more practice and more patience (and more focus). Coding is basically those 3 things that I've just mentioned. Like I've mentioned, there were people with diverse coding knowledge, someone in the class had created an app that morning. An app on cats meowing.... It was a morning of hard-core coding for me and also didn't fail to make be sorely jealous - virtual cats kept meowing, a couple of participants threw punches in the air and yelled, "Yahhh! I did it" - it was so distracting and annoying!!! Annoying especially when my codes kept flashing "Syntec is invalid etc... etc... etc..." on the computer screen. Jealous as I have not created a cool app and haven't throw any punches in the air. (Though I did punch my laptop!) 12.15pm - Networking Lunch Notes: I was so hungry due to the mentally-drained morning that I had a few servings of prata and butter chicken. Free lunches were always delicious... 1.15pm - Arresting with Aurasma Notes: This was my favorite class as I have tried creating an Aura before. The app which could be created also on the computer has gone through several updates. Now it is much easier to use. I had a go with it on my iPad and it was fun. Sharing videos and capturing other 'table neighbours' auras. Nicky Hodges from Y6 Junior School teacher was also in my class. She was mesmerized with Aurasma and said that using the auras made her lessons more exciting. I would definitely try to incorporate these Auras in my display boards. I am going to play around with the app first though. Glory Goh, the presenter is a Singaporean who is now teaching in Suzhou is the Head of ICT in the Dulwich College - Junior School. She also shared the ups and downs of internet content in China. Well, guess that we (those living outside of China) must not take the internet connectivity for granted. 2.15pm - Break 2.30pm - Be the Photographer in your classroom, Learning through Visuals & Learning through Gaming Notes: I was very impressed with this section of the conference. These 3 talks were conducted by the UWC students themselves. It must have been very brave and at the same time, daunting for them to present and interact with us. I found it very interesting to view learning from a different perspective - the students' perspective. They prefer interactivity, dynamic content and impactful images, unlike the way we learnt during our school days. They wanted learning to be more alive and captivating. These presentation were done in the library and I could sit-in in any of the talks. It was set in an informal way - I like it, it was relaxing. 3.45pm - Cohort meeting 4.45pm - Speak Up! Transforming Classroom... Notes: This was my least favourite class. Or maybe it was the fact that it was the end of the day and I was gearing to get home. This class was heavily focused just for the teachers and I was a little bit left out. I should have chosen my favourite class e.g. Stories through the Lens. Nonetheless, it is always good to know what the teachers are up to. 5.15pm - Home I didn't stay till the end as my boys were missing their mum and I had a dinner to prepare. Therefore, I skipped the raffling and socializing part. But overall, I would describe this whole learning experience as a worthy conference to burn your weekend for. And I wouldn't mind travelling to Bangkok for Learning2.014 (of course with the Mr Husband in-tow). He is very interested in some of the stuff offered in the conference. And of course, he is very interested in the travelling bit. PS: Being a CBTL fan, the best part would be the free-flow of Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf beverages throughout the session. And of course, the handmade lanyard for our nametag & your own free mug to help yourself to the coffee and tea. Also gained a few twitter followers and am stalking a few. *peace* This is my second attempt using Prezi and first presentation. It is easy to use however I must know what the contents are. Initially, I wanted to use MS Powerpoint but the software is not available on the reference desk 2. Out of desperation, I decided to use Prezi for this short presentation and demo. I must say, "Not bad!" - for the flexibility of the Prezi. I could retrieve the file online via email. Aside from the above, we had a training on Photoshop. Atiqah shared her tips and tricks on using the software. During the hands-on training, I managed to do the image below (not entirely). This is a dedication image to our tutor, Atiqah!
It was nice to come together as the whole team, TLRC and able to mingle with the Junior TLAs. We had some fun, meet other new colleagues, shared some valuable insights of working in Tanglin and of course, find out what Bluesky is all about. I am sharing some photos below where we are all busy discussing on the jobs we do (1) regularly, (2) occasionally and (3) no or limited opportunity to do. Based on our team's discussion, we found that all of us, LOs have been handling different and diverse aspect of library work. What LO A is doing is different from LO B and of course the different target audience we are dealing with. Also, we found that we have a pretty long list of (3). We took this chance to single out a few things listed in (3) that we thought might be interesting to include in our line of work. The photos below are based on my teams effort, therefore it is not unanimous as the whole TLRC or Senior Library. So, what have I learned? I learnt that a LO's job is not a generalist. We are not a stereotype where people think that we read books all day. NO! The job itself is challenging and fast paced as we work with technology. We can be more powerful than Google and other search engines - just look at our TTS Libguides & interactive zone (organised information, simplicity & facilitate learning in an interactive way). We are, of course & definitely, not an introvert - you can meet the lady who sits at the bottom of the stairs (a.k.a Mdm Battleaxe - just kidding). But most of all, LOs are kind and the nicest people. Am I right? (*I could hear a standing ovation*). |
Who am I?An autism SAHM. Mommy to #3kiddosunder5. A wife to an adoring husband (a.k.a a Trekkie & a hardcore LOTR fan). Currently taking a break from my full-time job (as a Librarian and maker) to taste the livelihood of a 'tai-tai'. Categories
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