ICRA Mentoring

IBM has a dedicated On Demand Community that encourages volunteers from IBM (from all business units, ages, diversity groups) to work with various community organisations such as the Smith Family and ICRA. I've been involved with both - online mentoring with the Smith Family and face-to-face mentoring with ICRA youths.

ICRA was founded by Fadi Rahman who started the centre for disadvantaged and marginalised Muslim youth in south-western Sydney. The Centre has the objectives of bettering the lives and improving the self-esteem of the youth in the community. In 2007, IBM came on board with eager committed volunteers and DIAC gave the initative the financial backing required. I was involved in the pilot in 2007 and due to the success, came on board again this year.

I've had two mentees - they are just the loveliest kids. Many people ask me what exactly we mentor these kids in - to be honest, every individual is different and has different needs. Some of them know exactly what they want - be it a high HSC UAI or get involved in an apprenticeship - and others are there just to listen to you talk about your own life and experiences. My specific mentees are both currently undertaking the HSC in 2008 and want to get the best marks possible. We have discussed issues such as motivation for school, dealing with difficult teachers, getting in trouble with the law particularly speeding, peer pressure,anger management, life beyond school. I hope I've offered some sage advice.

It's one of the most rewarding things I've done. I feel like I've made a small difference -to give a young person a different perspective on life and some skills to deal with difficult circumstances cause let's be honest, these kids have it tough. Just look at the complete racist bullshit that is happening in Camden at the moment. On a tangent, it's absolutely abhorrent that people have the temerity to be on national television sprouting disgusting racist bile. They might as well be wearing white hoods.

Back on topic, it's also really challenging for me but a wonderful feeling to build trust, respect and rapport in a mentoring relationship. I have learnt a lot from my mentees - how to be patient, a good listener, to be non-judgmental and to be a better person. I recommend volunteer work to anyone and to move outside your comfort zone. Also, they feed me dinner every Wed night - bloody yummy lebanese cuisine like falafel rolls with tabouli and hummous. :-)

Here's a link to the DIAC page with a quote from yours truly haha

The Kite Runner

My life is slipping away from me - I have nightmares about utilisation figures, resource shortages, ICAs, demanding project managers etc. Actually, it's pretty funny how consuming work really is. More specifically, this corporate lifetstyle stifling my creativity and truncating time that I can spend at the gym, with family or friends and me time! On the other hand, I've had a chance to do some really awesome mentoring programs that I will write up about later.

Anyway, I digress. I wanted to write about this book I had finished this week - the Kite Runner. Set in Afghanistan and later the USA about two childhood friends. I don't want to give away too much of the story other than to say it's a story of atonement (and not the stupid kind like in Ian McEwan's book). I really love politics you know, and how it affects people's lives. Without over-analysing myself too much :p, I think the fact that I started my life at the end of Vietnam war, the effects it had on my family, the fact we became refugees in a camp in Malaysia and eventually were granted asylum in Australia - all of these things make me empathise with people in war-torn countries. Anyway, the book is set against Afghanistan's turbulent recent history—the 1978 civil war, the Soviet invasion, the rise of the Taliban opposition, the tension between the Pashtuns and the Shiite Hazara - how these things affected these two boys lives and their families.

It's a well-written simple book to read - I read it quickly over two nights. It's profoundly sad, the pages are tear-stained (I don't know how I will handle the movie). But I'm not entirely happy with the tidy endy. I don't know.... let me know what you think. I'd give it 3.5 stars because the ending ruined it for me.

It’s so depressing to think about war - we have a world history of atrocities committed against humanity. And when you think about it quite simplistically, and I try to keep in mind that every conflict in every part of the world is different in its own way, it comes down to power struggles and economic interests at the cost of human lives. Sometimes I laugh at my naivety but maybe if Russia permits Chechen independence, if Israel permits Palestinian independence and if China permits Taiwanese independence…I mean who knows? What will be the outcome? Seen as an appeasement but somehow, the idea of not addressing other people’s grievances and understanding their motivations, it doesn’t work as a long term strategy, and certainly if we want to seek real peace and an end to carnage, doesn’t empathy help? It’s not like we all carry around these hate genes, these fixed biological factors, that make it impossible for us to co-exist in harmony with one another. I think that’s what is most sad for me, that the possibility of peace is real, well I truly whole-heartedly believe in it. I don’t know world politics, ongoing conflicts, this endless cycle of violence, they all do my head in and makes me feel helpless. Especially, when you switch on the television and all you see are these innocent children crying and covered in blood. It’s so far removed from the men who sit around conference tables making decisions that impact on civilian lives. It breaks my heart every time *sigh*

Thurka & Mahen's Wedding

Dorky, saobiscuits-loving, chocolate fiend, Ms-Tyra-Banks herself, Thurka, got married in November this year to the equally dorky and adorable Mahen. I say November as it truly was a month affair - hen's night, 5 hour long ceremony and reception. It was the first Hindu wedding I've been to and boy, was it spectucular and beautiful. Congratulations T&M!

Here are a few photos (the rest are on facebook):

A night to remember.....

This is what I wrote 3 years ago after the election:

"If our media and our democratic institutions cannot (or will not) hold our politicians to account then we need to be more vocal. As depressed as we all are, we cannot afford to be emotionally despondent for too long. I'm lifting myself out of this veil of despair (even if I cannot understand all those people who handed the Senate to the govt on a silver platter, you bastards!).

The election result is a setback, but apathetic, doubtlessly self-interested constituents are perennial. But then so is our power to continue to believe that we can cause a change to occur and win this bestial war against ignorance based on small individual effects for the greater good. Being mindful to ensure that those effects are not diluted by mendacious confusion induced loss of focus aimed at personal vulnerabilities (such as interest rates…argh!).

Political activism should not end for an individual because the party they favour is not in power. Electoral promises are just mutable deliberately partial and interpretive working documents attempting to generate credibility in the fragile and volatile environment of opinion. This is the art of spin, jingle-writing and propaganda. Therefore, we have a necessity to be more vocal and politically active. The population needs to become more resistant to easy election talk.

So in a long-winded way, join a party (Greens maybe)! Or if that is not your cup of tea, pick a cause and become active. Talk to as many people as possible but don’t harangue. Give people an alternative, to be better informed, to hear out your perspective. Whether it's about not having two-tiered education and health systems, not detaining innocent refugees, advocating reconciliation, equality in marriage, not engaging in illegal wars, respect for international laws, fair demarcation of boundary lines with East Timor, signing the Kyoto protocol, protecting workers and so on.

Besides, there are a lot of people who don't support Howard (damnit, he was taken to preferences in his own electorate, tradtionally, a safe Liberal seat)! And moreso in 3 years time. It's time to capitalise on that. . "

All I can say 3 years down the track is HELL YEAH!!!! :-) I am ready for a more decent, compassionate, caring and egalitarian Australia. And kudos to Maxine McKew and the voters of Bennelong. My faith is restored.

Wake up in the morning, gotta shake the feeling

"Wake up in the morning, got to shake the feeling. I've gotta face a day at school. What's to be afraid of I can ask a question, and maybe even bend the rules.

I'm seaching for a place where I fit in, there's a way, if I look that I can win. Yeah I can see I'm not alone. I can face the unknown."

I make sure that I leave the office no later than 5:30pm these days because DEGRASSI HIGH IS ON ABC2 EVERY WEEK NIGHT!!!

Gosh, this was seriously the best TV show during my youth (along with Monkey Magic). It was an incredibly progressive show portraying teenagers in a realistic light; kids of various ethnic and economic backgrounds in an inner-city neighbourhood as they navigate gritty serious issues like drug abuse, pregnancy, cancer, homosexuality, suicide and also mundane issues like the opposite sex and popularity. It was sensitive, funny, intelligent and just plain real (aided by the fact that most of the cast were non-actors and that, they were the actual age their characters were unlike say 90210). It showed that school is the best of times and it is the worst of times.

I used to read the Degrassi books as well. I LOVE DEGRASSI!!!

Punks and Hippies

Had a pretty tiring week, frustrating workwise coupled with being deliriously sick with a cold. Persevered to the end of week and had my Friday night mapped out: quiet dinner with Patrick and in bed early to finish Anne Tyler's Saint Maybe (great book). Turns out I was peer-pressured into attending a work party@ Verandah Bar (infamous for skanky underaged asians on RnB nights). The theme was punks and hippies. Glad I ended up going. It was great to catch up with people I hadn't seen in ages. The food, music, and drinks were suprisingly good. I did wake up on Saturday morning/afternoon with a hungover. But it's nice to not be so responsible sometimes. ;)

Ajay and I were coping so well with the loud music, people and alcohol. Head was hurting.

Topic 1 : Climate Change

Sango says I don't blog enough. The issue is I have so many musings and contemplations going through my head during the day BUT I'm not disciplined enough to refine those thoughts into something articulate for others to read. In my quest to write more and challenge my own laziness (and to satisfy Sango :p) , I've decided to blog weekly on the topic of my favourite show, Insight.

For those who are not aware, Insight is a discussion forum focussing on a single issue with the participation of a studio audience (which ranges from experts, politicians, to your average person off the street). It covers many issues and topics, engages in often heated debates (this is hardly surprising considering it delves into contentious topics like euthanasia, Iraq, IR laws, racism), and encourages Australians from all walks of life to have their say. It is hosted in great style by Jenny Brockie - who I have to say is outstanding in remaining objective, fair and unbiased yet still asks the hard questions. Insight is shown on SBS every Tuesday night @ 7:30pm. (Along with the Amazing Race & Survivor, it is one of the only shows our household rarely misses!)

This week's topic was "Climate Change" and here is my perspective on the issue.

To be honest, the thing that irks me most are people who deny the causality between climate change and human behaviour ie. that it's all part of the natural cycle. I mean, I'm not saying that the reason for climate change is due to only human factors nor am I dismissing arguments that climate variability and change are normal. But evidence suggests that the amount of increase is actually outside natural variability in climatic cycles. Certainly, there are scientifically trained people who question the proposition. But very few of these are climate scientists and bear in mind, most of these contrarian scientists are funded by the fossil-fuel industry.

However, even if there is no causality, what would be wrong with slowing our use of fossil fuels, conserving it & saving the environment in the process?? Also, we have (non-Co2) substitutes like solar energy worth pursuing as well. It's not like there are no alternatives.

And while I'm on the subject, what is the deal with Australia refusing to ratify the Kyoto Protocol. Are we going to ignore the opportunity to use emission trading to finance investment and is there really a viable alternative to multilateral cooperation on climate protection?

From an economic perspective, it makes little sense. What is going to be the possible cost for Australia of not being a signatory to the protocol and being barred from participating in the global emissions trading regime that would be established? I'm viewing it in a more long-term perspective I guess. From an environmental perspective, well, I think we have a moral obligation to ourselves and to future generations to protect our environment and live sustainably. It's a big lose-lose in both terms and thus, we do really need to act on it and governments need to legislate.

It really is demoralising when our own government are denialists.