STOREEZ

Mindfulness Vs Mindlessness

 

Ellen Langer (1986) in her book "Mindfulness" talks about cognitive states of mindfulness as opposed to mindlessness. Mindfulness is a cognitive state where one would be flexible enough to be aware of the environment and situation she finds herself in. When being mindful, she would be sensitive to the context of the situation at hand and respond differently to different situations. She would actively take note of any new things in the situation.

This Diamond

 

 

This Diamond you see

did not come to be

From a life of fun

or time in the sun

 

It had not so much luck

Starting life in the dark

Fondly looking above

And yearning for love

 

There wasn't much pleasure

being faced with much pressure

Or confront all its fears

Over a gazillion years

 

But Strain makes it harder

And Cuts make it Glitter

Though YES these things BURN

But they're lessons to Learn..

 

Now it sits on a ring

It's ready to sing:

"I am ready to start

To touch someone's heart!"

 

"But I would not be here

If I shedded no tear

Or found myself last

many times in the past"

 

"Now,

 

"Let me share something witty:

Though you think I sit pretty

 

"Of All the gems:

ONE THOUSAND AND ONE

I think I'm the strongest

I'm Second to NONE!"

 

 Md Fareez

 

 

 

 

Questions Questions

 

 

There are times where you feel like a plastic bag tossed about in the wind, meandering about with the other floating whatnots.

What is our purpose in the grand scheme of things? 

How to go about conducting social action against what might be happening naturally within this "grand scheme"?

What exactly is "natural" or not in this grand scheme anyway?

What's the purpose of MY life?

What's the purpose of me writing this blog anyway? 

Does what I do even matter?

And why oh why oh why,

do men have nipples?

 

Questions questions questions.... 

 

“Every clarification breeds new questions.”

Arthur Bloch

Movie Review: Shutter Island

 

Was watching shutter island  on DVD with the wife and some good friends of ours the other day. I define good movies by how they make you think and ponder on the story and content, even much later after you watch the show. If that is the case, Shutter Island is definitely a great movie as it has still left me thinking about its plot and implications to my own practice even now, after I watched the movie last Saturday. 

Oh No! It's THE CLIENT!!

 

I think, most, if not all, social workers have had a life turning moment in their professional  life when they meet THE CLIENT. I use capital letters when I refer to this certain phenomena, as THE CLIENT is not like any client, for he or she, or client system that we meet that we find exceptionally  difficult to handle.

Happy Social Worker's Day: reflect beyond your box..

 

It's Social Worker's Day in Singapore today.

One would think that I would be excited for this day, I remember being part of the very first one we had many years ago (where I had the unfortunate opportunity to become an emcee). Certainly I am very proud of how it has evolved over the years, and that I manage to play some small part over the years. 

However, I'm even more perturbed by how affected I am with things happening in Japan, where countless millions are suffering from the current quake-tsunami disaster, and the possible death toll reaching 10, 000 and counting. 

Award Quality versus Quantity: Programmes by GROs

 

This was an email I sent to the Straits Times Forum page. Not sure whether they will publish it so will just post it here.

 

I understand that the People’s Association (PA) gives out awards to Residents Committees and Community Centres to recognize their achievements within the respective zones and boundaries they preside over. Grassroots’ Organisations (GRO) would be given different grades (up to 4 –Star) in accordance to how active they are in the community.

 

Professionalisation leads to increased rationalization?

 

Social work in Singapore is slowly undergoing a transformation. Where social services used to be dependent on the philosophy of the respective Voluntary Welfare Organisation or Family Service Centre, services are slowly being monitored and assessed by the governing bodies such as the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS) and the National Council of Social Service (NCSS). Outcome measures and policy guidelines are slowly being developed to ensure that social service agencies are able to be consistent in their intervention and more importantly, provide a high standard of service delivery.