Dr Lee Foong Ming graduated from the National University of Singapore in 1994 with a BA (Mass Communication and Chinese Studies). She completed her postgraduate studies in Buddhist Studies from University of Kelaniya in 1995 and obtained her PhD in Buddhist Philosophy in 2003.
I’m here to spread the news! I believe this would be useful for you guys!
To help celebrate the 2-year anniversary of OverTheRainbow.sg and bring this year’s World Mental Health month to a close, OTR is organising a half-day event on Sunday Oct 26th – Wellness Circle: Planting the Seeds of Happiness, Healing, Transformation and Wellbeing.
We have a great program lined up – comprising of a wellness expert sharing forum plus experiential workshops!
Expert Sharing Forum:
– The Art & Science of Happiness – Yen-Lu Chow, WholeTree Foundation
– Nutrition for Mental Health – Menka Gupta, Balanced Living Asia
– The 3rd Brain and its Healing Power – Charles Au, Regenetec
– Energy Healing for Emotional Wellbeing – Jacqueline Yu, Basic Essence
– Sound Healing for Inner Harmony & Holistic Wellbeing – Wil Kolen, Soul Oasis
– Emotional Wellbeing using Voice Analysis – Arumugam Sivakumar, Medi Therapie
– Naturopathic Healing for Treating Anxiety & Depression – Dr. Sebastian Liew, Sebastian Liew Centre
– Mindful Parenting – Angie Chew-Monksfield, Brahm Centre
– Self-Transformation – Clarence Lee, Origin of Self
Experiential Workshops:
Experiential Movement-based Workshop – with Sujata Cowlagi, Prajna Yoga
Sound Healing Workshop – with Wil Kolen, Soul Oasis
Admission is by donations only (suggest $40 if unsure). Space is limited, so register early!
it’s quite interesting. because the first time round when I was looking through thrive.org.sg, i didn’t notice OTR.
OTR is a one-stop hub for youth mental wellness, managed/founded by this couple – Yen Loo Chow and his wife, Yee Ling.
Under their introduction page, it states their mission –
“My name is Yen-Lu CHOW. Together with my wife, Yee Ling, we have embarked on a lifelong quest to transform youth mental wellness for the 21st century. We know for a fact that, without Mental Health, there is no wellbeing, freedom, and happiness. ”
Then, I read about their son, Lawrence who had manic depression, just a few months away from his graduation, he ended his life. Upon reading about their son’s life and his struggle with manic depression, I thought about one of my school mate who took her life and at that time, she was just 15 years old.
There are times when I think about her. I would think about all sorts of questions, I would think in my head ” what if she was 25 years old, how would she look like?”, “which university would she be studying?”, “when will she be married?”
I mean these are the questions I thought to myself at times but I know I will never know all these answers. She stayed in my memory as that 15 year old girl, she doesn’t grow old. Then it made me ask questions like ” what’s the purpose of her life? or my life?”
Having that aside, back to the point about OTR, I felt really inspired by this couple. Because I felt that the website that they have set up, was indeed useful for me and to let people know that there are places that they can seek help for. I’ve yet to check out the events, but I will try this out one of these days (when I am feeling braver).
At the left column, there are information about how to get better. One thing I thought was useful was the information about how food can affect our moods. They have some suggestions on your daily meals.
My Recovery Story is a platform for sharing stories of recovery from mental health conditions.
The stigma against mental health conditions is still strong, and despite the progress we have made, people still don’t feel comfortable speaking about it. My Recovery Story aims to provide a safe, positive environment to share inspiring stories of recovery from mental health conditions of various types and severity. The stories are collected from people who feel they are currently in recovery. Often, recovery is a constant, long-term battle so it’s more about the progress made so far.
We are not medical professionals. My Recovery Stories aims to help and provide support, but it is vital that you also see a qualified doctor or psychologist for any health-related concerns.
I like their idea. Why? because there are times when I couldn’t find anyone who “understands” what I am going through. It’s interesting. I’ve gotta admit that the people around me who care for me suffered quite a bit. I think writing a journal has helped me quite a bit.
Perhaps you always need someone who has recovered from any mental health issues to convince someone else who is in it?
I hope one day I am able to use whatever I have learnt to help someone.
Recently, I’ve been reading up on how our diet affects how we feel. and I thought that kind of make sense.
as earlier on this year, when I switched jobs, i didn’t had time to exercise and ate unhealthily, I felt TERRIBLE.
Only when I started exercising, I felt much better. So I began to read up about food/diet that helps to fight against depression.
From most of the articles, they mention to cut down on sugar, caffeinated drinks and processed food. Sounds easy?
Honestly, if you were to ask me, this is definitely challenging. there can be weeks which I can have fast food as a meal every day. So I’ve decided to be more aware about what I put into my mouth, and I started a food journal. starting from today i am going to cut down on my coffee intake.
When I was working full time, I would take up to 3-4 cups of coffee a day. Long black is my favourite. However, what I noticed is that I get really nervous and anxious after my 2nd cup of coffee during the mid day. I guess when you are more aware about how you’re feeling after a certain thought/action, you are able to decide on whether you want to change. As for me, I realised that I should cut down my coffee intake to 1 cup per day, so that I won’t be so anxious throughout the day. And when I feel like drinking coffee, I will drink green tea as a substitute.
Why Green Tea ?
As I’ve read on online that green tea it contains theanine, an amino acid that gives flavor to green tea and to promote relaxation. So i’ve decided to give it a try.
Back to the food journal part, so I was searching online for a food journal log template which I can print and start logging down my diet. I read through http://www.healthfulpursuit.com/ and thought I like her food journal version the best as I can write down my physical activities for the day.
Please click on here for printable version food journal.
Date: 12 Oct 2014, Sunday Time: 9.30 am to 11.00 am Venue: Ven. Hong Choon Memorial Hall | Level 1 | Classroom 8 Content: 1. Why should one take 3 Refuges and 5 Precepts?
2 Benefits of taking 3 Refuges and 5 Precepts?
3 Merits of taking 3 Refuges and 5 Precepts?
4 Important points to remember when taking 3 Refuges and 5 Precepts?
5 How to keep to the Precepts?
6 How to integrate the Precepts into our daily life?
The Monastery conducts Precept-taking Ceremony on regular basis for devotees. It is scheduled near the Auspicious Birthday, Enlightenment and Renunciation Day of Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva.
3 Refuges and 5 Precepts Preparatory Class
For more information, please visit the following website:
previously, when we bought it, it cost S$49 per person for 2 sessions of 2 hours SUP. Currently, for the same deal, it’s going to cost S$61.
In any way, it’s still worth your money! if you are going to walk-in without a Groupon deal, then it’s going to cost you $25 per hour on weekdays and $30 per hour on weekends!
Today I would like to introduce everyone to ActiveSG
“ActiveSG is an all-encompassing and inclusive national movement for sport, brought to you by Sport Singapore. Poised to be a lifestyle destination for Singaporeans, ActiveSG will offer individuals, families and communities ample opportunities to experience and share the joy of living better through sport.” — ActiveSG Website
Basically, every Singaporean and Singaporean PR are given ActiveSG$100 when they register.
Purchase of MyActiveGYM™ and MyActiveSWIM™ schemes
Personally, I used the ActiveSG$100 for puchasing MyActiveGYM™ scheme.
As I have most of mornings available, so i purchased the monthly MyActiveGYM pass(off peak) at $15.
Which I thought was super worth it. I will visit the gym every morning before work. and definitely, by exercising, it lifts my mood up for the whole day 🙂
I visit the gym more than 10 times a month, which works out less than $1.50 per entry. What’s even better is that I don’t need to fork our a single cent for this gym pass.
Here are the other schemes available for MyActiveGYM
Category
Monthly unlimited access
during ALL operating hours
Monthly unlimited access
during OFF-PEAK hours only
(Mon-Fri, before 4pm)
Adult (18-54 years old)
$30
$15
Student (Below 18 years old)
Senior Citizen (55 years old and above)
$18
$9
Category
6 months unlimited access
during ALL operating hours
6 months unlimited access
during OFF-PEAK hours only
(Mon-Fri, before 4pm)
Adult (18-54 years old)
$160
$40
Student (Below 18 years old)
Senior Citizen (55 years old and above)
$95
$40
Category
12 months unlimited access
during ALL operating hours
12 months unlimited access
during OFF-PEAK hours only
(Mon-Fri, before 4pm)
Adult (18-54 years old)
$300
$80
Student (Below 18 years old)
Senior Citizen (55 years old and above)
$180
$80
After you have purchased the gym pass, all you need to do is to log on to your ActiveSG app, scan your QR code (VCard tab). Alternatively, you can just scan your NRIC if you do not bring your phone when you gym. The super awesome part about this ActiveSG app is that you’ll be able to check how filled is the gym before you leave for the gym.
Here’s a Youtube video to show how to buy Gym Pass
Apart from this Gym Pass, I think their programme list is quite useful too. there are programmes such as pilates, yoga , kickboxing and the list goes on. For the programmes and activities, there is a cap at 30% of the cost for each programme/ activity. So example, the programme cost $100, you’ll need to pay $70 from your own pocket. I guess in that way, people will feel the need to attend those programmes they have signed up for since they are paying part of it with their own money!
Overall, I thought ActiveSG is quite a cool campaign. It has indeed made me more active.
and there has been questions about like ” who am I ?” , ” what’s the purpose of my life?” , “what exactly is the truth?”
I went for one of their sharing session “Awakening to Happiness” by Danny Lee
which I thought was really insightful. I’m not telling you that once you’ve gone for one of the sharing session, your questions about life will be answered. but it is more of, “ohh…. that made sense!” kind of feeling.
There are days when I wish I could just get by each day, following whatever rules I need to follow. But I realised I can’t, and that’s why my thoughts made me suffer quite a bit. For example, “why was she so mean?” , ” why does she not have the same value system as me?” and the list goes on. I tried to lead a life day by day not asking “why?”.
Then I realised if I don’t ask “why?” , I felt that my life have no meaning. What’s the point of living a meaningless life?
I guess that’s who I am.
Initially, when I went there, I felt so out of place. Firstly, because I wasn’t a Buddhist. I was in a room filled with Buddhists and there was this really big poster of Buddha on the wall. Secondly, the place was relatively quiet, you can hear some whispering. BUT guess what? at the end of the day, when I left the room. I brought home with me some stories, some knowledge and I get to talk to a few people. It’s quite interesting. We met for the first time, yet we were able to listen to one another. to have a proper conversation. Yet sometimes, we can’t have proper conversations with people whom with known for many years. Bizarre isn’t it? Anyway, I’m really glad that I went for the sharing session. and because I went for the sharing session, it has proven my initial thought about the room being filled with Buddhists. Hahaha. some were just people searching for answers. you just need to come in with a open mind. It’s really true.
Personally, I was exposed to Buddhism since young. I kept rejecting the idea of it. I just thought I should believe in what I see. But this year was kind of different, I realised I no longer could make sense of what I was seeing and feeling. So I went searching for answers. just hoping someone/something could enlighten me. So I guess, I was ready to receive knowledge from Buddha now, when I have a open mind to receive knowledge.
Anyway, there’s another talk on 25 Sep 2014 at Awareness Place Well-Being Centre
The topic is on Joyfulness in a Quiet Mind.
Here’s more information :
Do you feel bored or awkward during quiet moments? The Dhamapada states that there is no sweeter joy than having a quiet mind. Venerable Chao Khun Keng Khemako has many years of meditation experience in Santi Forest Monastery and he is the first Singaporean monk to be conferred the title – “Chao Kun.” Join us as he explains why “Quietness is the sweetest joy.”
Date: 25 Sep 2014, Thursday Time: 7.30 pm – 9.30 pm Venue: Awareness Place Well-Being Centre
Blk 261 Waterloo Street #01-42 Waterloo Centre Nearest MRT: Bras Basah Registration: Register online Enquiry: 6849 5345 / ytalk@kmspks.org / poster
Speaker Profile:
Venerable Chao Khun Keng Khemako a.k.a Ajahn Keng is a Singaporean monk from the Thai Forest Tradition of Ajahn Mun Buridatto. He was ordained in 1987 under the recommendation of Ajahn Geoffrey (Thanissaro Bhikkhu). Luang Pu Jiak Cundo, the later generation of Luang Pu Mun disciples, was also one of his teachers. He was conferred the title of Chao Khun in 2013. Currently, Ajahn Keng is the Abbot of Santi Forest Monaster y (JB), President of Palelai Buddhist Temple (Singapore) and Religious Advisor to Singapore Polytechnic Buddhist Society.
For more info, please visit: http://youth.kmspks.org/y-talk/joyfulness-in-a-quiet-mind/
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