Gee Pee!

PW lesson takeaway

2011-01-13T12:25:00.004+08:00

Triggers/ attention grabbers

1. Provoking picture (scorpion dish) - how to market such to SGreans?
Brainstorming
2. Using a soft toy (Tigger)- to conserve endangered animals

TED video: Knowledge is empowering

2010-03-21T23:27:00.002+08:00

What does it take for an uneducated 14 year old Malawi boy to change his destiny? Channel-surfed and saw this now 22 year old man, William Kamkwamba, who built a wind turbine to generate electrical energy for his family, in a country where only 2% of its people has power generator. The power of knowledge.

SGC Draft Check

2009-10-29T21:03:00.000+08:00

Pls check the SGC draft from 11 Nov to 27 Nov during the GP lectures on 3 and 4 nov.
No other changes will be allowed after the final check on 26 Nov.

how to be a better parent or teacher

2009-10-28T14:53:00.002+08:00

Appreciate: look for positive, acknowledge and affirm, catch them doing good. Respect: command, not demand. Give before you get. Be aware of the example you are setting. Empathsize : Walk in their shoes, understand the background and culture, dont judge or condemn.

how to connect with youths

2009-10-28T14:50:00.002+08:00

be friendly, firm, fair, flexible and fun! Be friendly- be approachable: smile and adopt an open mind. Be firm - set the parameters correct so that youths feel secure and safe. Be firm - so they wont climb over your head. Be fair- youths feel they have seen too much unfairness or injustice. Be flexible- respond to change. Dont overreact or too fast. Be fun- show that you can have positive fun that is safe and good. From a course by CARE Singapore

Service Recognition Award

2009-10-10T12:14:00.002+08:00

Congrats to the following 07S3 students who will be receiving the Service Recognition Award.
Thanks for contributing so much to the school and community!

BOWLING ANNA NICOLE TAN PEI YI
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT PROGRAMME CHOY YONG EN CARENE
SERVICE LEARNING CLUB GOH MIN HUI
BASKETBALL (BOYS) MAJUMDAR KETAV MIHIR
BASKETBALL (BOYS) MUTHUKUMAR
WUSHU NG WAN NGEE WENDY
NEW MEDIA CLUB (INFOCOMM) ONG WEI LEE
TRACK AND FIELD TAN WEI EN GRACE
NETBALL TAY SHI YING

An inspiring teacher - Lee Xuan Man

2009-08-12T23:45:00.001+08:00

Teacher's Day is coming up in 2 weeks' time.
The life story of my colleague, an MI Chinese teacher, Ms Lee Xuan Man, will be featured in a Teachers' Day Special Programme on Channel 8 on 01-09-09, 10.30pm.

It is a very moving and inspiring story.
Do catch it and enjoy.

CIP Records

2009-08-05T10:38:00.001+08:00

Students please verify the CIP records by signing.You are to approach either Ms Annie Koh or Mr Nasser should there be any records that are missing or need to be updated.
The students must bring documentary evidence for record updating by Fri, 14 Aug 2009.

Wattpad

2009-07-28T21:23:00.000+08:00

I have been raving about e-books and audio books after I bought my Nokia Xpress 5800. I can read anytime, anywhere without squeezing a bulky book in my lil' tote. My favourite site is Wattpad which has an user-friendly app. If you are sick of reading your textbooks, take some time off to read or listen to a short story. I recommend The Four Million by O Henry, who was an ex-convict. Listened to the audio version during my 11-hour bus trip back from Malaysia. Hope this will help you cope with examination stress! ^_^

Turn up on Wed 29 Jul 09 for QSC survey

2009-07-27T22:30:00.000+08:00

It is compulsory to do the survey.
See you on Wed HT period.

ADEN ARID B MOHAMED SAMAD
ASHISH BEN
KOH KAISHENG
KUNG QING LING JOCELYN

MAJUMDAR KETAV MIHIR
MUTHUKUMAR
TAN YAN RUI
TEO KENG HEE
VIKARAMAN S/O RAJARATANAM

Quality School Survey

2009-07-23T20:33:00.001+08:00

07S3 please report on Monday 23 July 2009
08:20 am
O Hub
Attendance is compulsory for all PU 3 students.

Payment for KS Bull

2009-07-19T18:45:00.001+08:00

Those who ordered KS Bull, please pay $4 to me by Wed, July 22nd.
Thanks and enjoy reading!

Change in classrm on 23 July

2009-07-19T18:42:00.002+08:00

Due to H1N1 measures which will have to be taken for the Listening Comprehension A-level Examinations, PU3 afternoon consultation classes next Thursday, 23/7, will have to be moved.
* GP: F07 to 01-13
* GP: F08 to 01-14
* GP: F09 to 02-13
* GP: F10 to 02-14
* Geog: 02-01 to 02-15
* Geog: 04-01 to 02-16

Response to Week 3 Consultation

2009-07-16T20:44:00.002+08:00

First of all, thank you for your attendance and feedback for consultation.
Here are some responses to your feedback given.

1) Suggestion to practise Paper 1 and Paper 2. Mock exam. Improve time management.
Go through answers immediately in 2nd half of consultation period.
- Definitely will have timed practice. Be prepared.
- Paper 1 need time to mark so it is difficult to give immediate feedback
- Application of Paper 2 skills - please bring SSQ notes
- Time yourself using an alarm clock, like what I do in class.

2) Reinforcement of skills
- Practise, correction, consultation.

3) In-depth elaboration about marker's comment.
- Fix 1-to-1 personal consultation time with either marker or tutor. Subject to available slots and initiative.

4) Go through entire essay. Going through what or why went wrong.
- It is very draining and taxing to go through the entire essay for each student for a class in 3 hours, although I aim to do so as far as possible. Hence, today's consultation was focused on improving introduction and argument construction, and I have given personal consultation to every student.
- Understand the marker's comments and do your corrections to close the learning gaps.

5) Go through answering the essay question
- Have done that during question analysis session earlier. Handout given and gone through. Where were you?

6) Go through how to construct topic sentences.
- Since the essay is already written, it is best that you correct the topic sentences written, ask yourself if it answers the question, then seek peer or tutor's feedback. If your question analysis is wrong in the first place, your TS will most probably be wrong too.

7) Devote 1 hour to skill revision and discussion. More interaction
- Correction is considered as skill revision?
- Definitely will have time for skill revision, see 1)
- Discussion about what? Issues? We have done topical discussion for the past 2 years. Please get back to me on this.
- Interaction in terms of? Debate? Group work? 7 more weeks to end of Term 3.

8) Content for less popular topics
- Content lectures were postponed due to HINI so perhaps you can read up on the topics that you are interested in from the recommended websites earlier.

9) 2 periods of consultation only
- Not within my control.

My observations are some students are still not giving their best despite the urgency towards A Levels, as they are not focusing on their tasks, long and frequent breaks and poor attendance. So much so as I can give you professional guidance, it is your future at risk so it is your choice to decide what warrants your focus.

07S3: Bring $33

2009-07-13T11:53:00.001+08:00

For 07S3 students:
Please bring $33 CASH for Edusave co-payment by Wed

Temperature taking procedure

2009-07-12T21:17:00.001+08:00

(1) Morning temperature-taking:
* Home Tutors to conduct in the home room at 8am;
* Fill in the pink form (will be placed at Irene's counter, where you write your daily temperature);
* Submit to personnel on-patrol by 08:15am.

(2) Afternoon temperature-taking:
* Subject Teachers to conduct at 11:55 am (before period ends);
* Fill in the pink form (you may want to keep some extra pink forms with you);
* Teacher/Student submit to General Office by 1pm.

Class Photo-taking

2009-07-12T21:14:00.002+08:00

It's the annual class photo-taking session!
Argh, I can't wear eye make-up >_<"
Anyway, here are the details
07S3 15-JUL [wed] 12 40

This year we shall try something slightly different ->
- class gets to choose from 3 locations
- class can bring some props/items that give a class identity (in informal shots only) e.g. posters with big letterings etc.

Kindly inform Class Reps of the following:
Duties of Class Reps:

* Ensure class is Punctual, Properly Attired [FULL UNIFORM + PIN], QUEUE up according to HEIGHT
* Inform photographers of the chosen location [STADIUM or ART GALLERY or POND]
* co-ordinate class effort in bringing of props/items that give class identity in INFORMAL shots
[ NO OFFENSIVE SIGNAGES/GESTURES etc , else ONLY Formal shots will be on sale for that class]

Do statistics mean anything?

2009-05-31T22:15:00.005+08:00

There is a question about statistics in the 2008 Paper 1 and I didn't have much content about it until I read this article.

30 Rock

2009-05-24T23:21:00.002+08:00

Do you watch 30 Rock? This award-winning American situational comedy is a must-watch. Watch this clip of Season 3 finale, insanely funny.

Listverse

2009-05-24T23:06:00.003+08:00

Students always ask, "Where can I find concrete examples?" They are everywhere in your life, the things you read, discuss and experience but the key is not how much you know but how you apply them hence the significance and meaning of the concrete examples must be related to the question, showing explicitly the link.
One of the problems with the examples cited in the essays are insignificant or anecdotal so the task is to cite relevant and important examples. I came across a website that creates Top 10 lists of almost everything. Fed me, the info-addict, a lot of trivia. >_<"
Oh, with regards to the question, "How important are dreams?" Here is a list of Top 10 Amazing Facts about Dreams (literally)

Pro-life delusion

2009-05-22T23:04:00.002+08:00

Was thinking about the 2008 Paper 1 question "Are we putting too much faith in statistics?" and came across this article about the rise of pro-lifers in USA, 'proven' by a poll.
All statistics have a caveat that they are not 100% accurate so one cannot fault the numbers when the 0.00001% of chance results did not turn out as predicted.
Are we over-trusting the charts? If yes, why so much trust? What can happen if we trust statistics too much?

Melted honey in a tube!

2009-05-19T16:52:00.002+08:00

Ate charcoal-baked Taiwanese sweet potato which is heavenly! A golden melted honey delight :) Saw this fad diet purporting sweet potatoes as a carbo replacement, to eat as lunch 3 times a week to improve digestion. If i can get my hands on these Taiwanese tubers from the local wet markets, i don't mind eating them everyday. Even better than the Japanese purple sweet potatoes. Try these golden delights at Thomson Plaza, opposite kopitiam food court. $1.25 per 100g. A small one costs about $2

Afterthoughts on Proof

2009-05-18T12:12:00.002+08:00

Watched a play, Proof, last Friday. Thanks to Arf for buying the tickets. The play is about mathematics and madness which personally, are two traits I possess. Although I teach language, I enjoy Mathematics immensely- the elegant display of proving theories and finding solutions. There are different means to the end but eventually, the problem will be solved and a sense of gratification engulfs me. YES!!! This play shows that even with proof, sometimes the end result is nothing. Futile efforts. And madness. I identified with the protagonist, Catherine but Wendy said I resemble Claire, the common sensical sister more. Yeah, maybe the organic shampoo part and the self-absorbed ramblings. The search for clarity and identity which Catherine seeks resonates with my goals. Maybe I should attempt Paper 5, just for self accomplishment. Heh

Moblogging

2009-05-18T11:53:00.002+08:00

trying to moblog; mobile blogging. Smart phones are essential in my life. I am such a info-addict, need to seek knowledge and updates constantly that i dislike this umbilical cord-like connectedness to the Internet. However, if i continue to resent technology, i will fall behind and most likely be swept away by the tidal wave of globalisation. Oh, this phone doesn't allow me to edit the previous sentence unless i delete the current one so i am forced to express accurately. Even writing on paper has correction tape! Wonder if i will Twitter soon?

Responsibility

2009-05-18T01:56:00.003+08:00

2 weeks to the end of Term 2 and the start of June holidays~~~~~
I can' believe how fast time flies this year. I guess teaching Year 3 makes a huge difference. Marking and consultation just take up so much time that I have not much time to finish reading my library books. Sorry, Lee Hwa! (school librarian)

Tried not to fall sick as much as possible in this flu season. However, my entire family caught the flu bug so I wasn't spared too. By Wednesday, I was barely surviving so I set MC work for Thursday so that students would be able to complete the syllabus.
Unfortunately, many students do not have the discipline to finish the work set. Sometimes I wonder why I am trying so hard when my efforts are unappreciated or even trampled. My performance bonus is dependent on the pass rate but what matters more is the students who are taking the examinations at the end of the year, not me. When students take MC frivolously, miss tests or important lessons, I felt a twinge of disappointment. Not only because their grades will suffer, this lack of responsibility will harm them in all aspects of life - work, family, friends, themselves.

Seeing how irresponsibility lead to regret, hurt or worst, death, sometimes I want to tell such people to wake up and face reality. But I can't because I neither have the strength nor they want to bear the 'burden' of responsibility. Follow AW's mantra, "I choose to do it", not "I have to do it". Seeing the task as a choice, not a duty, frees my mind and my spirit is willing and my body can complete it.

I aim to be responsible, not escape. May I have strength to create new possibilities and fulfil my responsibilities.

Don't be a blogger here

2009-05-08T00:49:00.005+08:00

Are bloggers renegades? Read FP's post about the identity of bloggers and the NGO, Committee to Protect Journalists' list of 10 Worst Countries to be a BloggerCheck out the latest attacks on the press in various countries.

Debate about Marxism

2009-05-07T21:30:00.003+08:00

Is Karl Marx Right?
Yes! Thoroughly Modern Marx
No.
Maybe.
I need to read Karl Marx's Das Kapital.

Five Diseases worse than Swine Flu

2009-05-07T21:18:00.003+08:00

Swine flu has infected 1,500 people worldwide and killed around 30, almost all in Mexico. But it is far from the world's most serious disease outbreak. Here are five you probably won't see on the evening news.
1.Cholera
2.Spinal meningitis
3. AIDS
4. Ebola
5. Dengue Fever
To what extent are these diseases affecting your society? Is governmental aid the best way to prevent these diseases?

Alternative lifestyle and hate tags

2009-05-07T20:32:00.004+08:00

In light of the AWARE saga, all sexuality education workshops conducted by external vendors are suspended.

As GP tutors, we discuss controversial issues such as alternative lifestyle which everyone has their own convictions so our job is to present various POVs while trying to avoid questions about my personal view.
The rise of the 'pink dollar' and the much-debated repeal of Section 377A serve as case studies but not valid arguments. Bearing in mind that teachers do not promote such lifestyles and need to guide students accordingly, I fear that some students may misinterpret my words which explain the numerous hate tags I get.

MOE Press Release mentions:
'GP lessons are meant to promote critical thinking and discussion on contemporary issues. They (teachers) should adhere to social norms and values of our mainstream society."

As a teacher, I will not promote anything that might be deemed as negative or socially unacceptable. Hence, hopefully students will refrain from making biased judgments about me.

With regards to the discussion of human rights, I would like to emphasise the main idea - the degree of freedom is dependable on the society one lives in and one's beliefs. Taking risk is one's freedom but one needs to be accountable too. When you post hate tags, think about why you do that and what it reflects of you.

Exam Tips

2009-05-07T14:48:00.005+08:00

Besides the usual practice, be careful, spot questions, do mind maps, I shared with a class some personal exam tips and most found them amusing - to the extent of being ludicrous. Do share with me your exam tips.

Tip 1. Use the same model of pen from Day 1. Buy in bulk.
Reason: To be familiar with the pen, feel how it rolls as you write. As my friend recollected, 2 of her pens ran out of ink by her 3rd last paper during O-levels.

Tip 2: Only use waterproof ink pens, eg. ball-point pens. Never use gel-based pens.
Reason: If water is accidentally spilled on the script, the ink will smudge. Markers, who are also humans, drink water so the probability of water spillage is extremely high.

Tip 3: Learn how to tie your script with a string.
Reason: If you tie too tightly, the paper will rip when you flip them so tie loosely and the knot is tight. If you try to tie a butterfly knot, the string provided is too short. So learn how to tie the string.

Tip 4: Write your FULL name and attempted Qns no. on every page of your script.
Reason: The string may break. To rearrange the answers in order. The marker don't know your nickname.

Tip 5: Stay awake and focused.
Reason: Every minute you doze off/ day dream/ look at your crush, is one minute wasted to think about or answer the question. A close friend even refused to go to the toilet during Chemistry examinations because he was afraid of not completing the paper. In the end, he sh*t in his pants and was ridiculed for the entire year (life). Seem embarrassing but this is a sacrifice that determined students make to get an 'A'. Crazy huh?

Tip 6: Exercise your hand
Reason: Especially for essay papers, one may need to write more than 10 pages in 90 minutes so your hand will get tired. Unless you are ambidextrous like my husband who can write with either hand, do some warm-up exercises before the paper. He learnt to write with both hands because his History paper was extremely tough. Again, crazy but logical strategies that the elites adopt to achieve their goals!

Tip 7: Visualise how you will react and feel when you are doing and completed the paper
Reason: Self-fulfilling prophecy. If you feel like a failure or imagine that the paper is going to kill you, you are more likely not to do well. When I study, I like to imagine whatever I am studying is going to come out in the examinations and I can score full marks. When the examiner reads my script, he will go, "Hmm... this person deserves an A!" hahaha... sounds so silly but I don't know why, the topics that I studied (spotted) usually are tested in the examinations. Maybe this makes me arrogant - not much major failures in my life or they may be failures but I don't see them in similar ways (denial?)

Tip 8: Always check your answers. (contributed by Vivian, my Uni mate)
Reason: Check for errors to minimise careless mistakes and reduce unnecessary loss of marks. My Math prodigy friends used to do their Math paper TWICE before the stipulated time is up. To quote these geniuses, "No room for error. Check, check, checkmate!"

Tip 9: Bring a jacket (contributed by Vivian, my Uni mate)
Reason: Especially when the examination hall is air-conditioned, it may get too cold which affects your concentration. If you need absolute silence to concentrate, bring ear plugs too.

Tip 10: Good time management and practise under timed conditions
Reason: Do not listen to music when you study. Music relaxes you but you may not perform well when no music is played. To get used to examination conditions (where there is no music, sitting alone), one should always practise examination papers in similar conditions (eg. limited time).

Ok, need to set Mid-year examination questions now!

Vocabulary lists

2009-05-06T19:27:00.003+08:00

Have you been doing the vocabulary lists? Please check the answers on the noticeboard and use these words in your essay and AQ writing.

Up-to-date, I have given
1. Types of people - useful for different point-of-views
2. Virtues and Vices - philosophical or character arguments
3. Media - for media-related arguments
4. War and Peace - for war and terror, governance style arguments
5. Debate and Disposition - very useful for essay and AQ writing
6. English Language - language awareness, especially punctuation and grammar

Upcoming lists
Logic - identifying flawed arguments, useful for AQ writing

Remember you are taking the examination so please be responsible for your own learning. What I can do is to help you prepare for it.
Hang in there~

Lecture musings

2009-04-16T10:26:00.002+08:00

Haven't been updating much because I am swamped by work.

This year, I am teaching PU3, the graduating batch so have to go the extra mile.
Realised that almost 80% of my ex-students are not taught by other tutors, it is good to have a new perspective and change of methods. Some have came back and thanked me for my structured teaching style, apologised for not being more appreciated or even b*tched about me or skipped my class often because the lessons were not interesting enough.
If you happen to hate my style, voice or have whatever problems with me, it might be better for both of us to not to face each other anymore.

Started to lecture this year, quite an exhilarating and tiring experience.
300 pairs of eyes observing every single move you make. Paying attention - not to the teaching content but the clothes, the actions, the speech, picking out errors and highlighting to neighbours, sniggers and whispers.

Acknowledged that there is a slight accent when I speak and trying to get rid of it (although my colleague attributed the accent as mental pause when I'm thinking as I talk, no need to change for idiots)

Same goes for the comments that I'm a better dresser now because I'm trying to attract attention and the amusing rumour that I'm having an affair with a colleague, if you have so much time to gossip, why not spend more time on your studies?

Submit I&R and doing GPF

2008-10-31T10:19:00.004+08:00

Hi, hope that everything is going well for your OP and H1 exams.
On the day of your OP, you are supposed to submit your I&R.
Leaders, please ensure that all your group members submit and pass them to me after your OP.
Remember to bring ONE GPF cover page (Pg 13 of the booklet)
You will organise the GPF when you meet me.
Every member needs to be present.
Content of GPF
1) Cover Page of GPF
2) GPP
3) PI
4) EOM + article
5) I&R
> Repeat Steps 3, 4, 5 for individual work. (Group according to each student)
> ST to initial for all individual work.
> Check if order of GPF is correct
> Pagination

OP Audience

2008-10-22T10:35:00.001+08:00

OP Audience

3 Nov Pls turn up to support your classmates
0800 to 0900 MI072 @ 03-14 MI071 MI073

0900 to 1000 MI074 @ 02-18 MI075 MI076

1030 to 1130 MI077 @ 03-15 MI071 MI073 MI072 MI075

5 Nov
0800 to 0900 MI073 @ 03-14 MI076 MI072

0900 to 1000 MI071 @ 02-18 MI072 MI074

0900 to 1000 MI075 @ 03-15 MI077 MI073

1030 to 1130 MI076 @ 02-17 MI077 MI074 MI072

You can support more groups, but not less. if you are late, do not rush in. You may disturb the presenters

WR Submission 23 Oct @ 5 pm

2008-10-22T07:51:00.000+08:00

1. Pls submit reports to me in person

2. Submit both HARD & SOFT COPIES (as specified by Exams/SEAB). Ensure the cover page is duly completed.(available from PW task booklet).

For soft copies, pls burn a CD. Label MI___

3. Pls do not bind reports (as copies need to be made).
Use a plastic folder for each report (ensure the pages are in correct running order)

Venues for OP [Updated]

2008-09-30T09:57:00.004+08:00

3 Nov
0800 to 0900 MI072 @ 01-15
0900 to 1000 MI074 @ 02-18
1030 to 1130 MI077 @ 01-16

5 Nov
0800 to 0900 MI073 @ 01-15
0900 to 1000 MI071 @ 02-18
0900 to 1000 MI075 @ 01-16
1030 to 1130 MI076 @ 02-17

Please make sure at least 8 to 10 of your school friends (MI only) turn up to be the audience as well as give you support

[PW] Final Submission for EOMs

2008-09-18T07:19:00.002+08:00

Submit final EOMs (soft and hard) to me by Oct 2 (Thursday), 5 pm..

Attach the relevant readings/materials.

Pls ensure proper citation/bibliography is adhered to

Order RJC KS Bull Issue 2

2008-09-15T17:35:00.002+08:00

Issue 2 is out!
It is $4 a copy, first-come, first-served basis. Please place your orders and give your money to the respective representatives by Wednesday 24 Sept. No money, no book. Representatives, please use a class list to note down who paid. Advise you not to pay for your friends. Thanks for helping me collect the money! =D
07S1 - Benny
07B4 - Cindy
07A2 - Shimma

[Reflection] Food poisoning scare

2008-08-08T01:27:00.003+08:00

14 teaching days to GP promo exam
and I actually did not teach for 2 days.
Apologies.

My significant other had severe food poisoning and was hospitalised so I had to take care of him.
He started vomitting around 3 am and by the time I discovered, it was already 4.30 am. He drank isotonic drinks and glucose but it didn't get any better.
We waited until 8.30 am to send him to the doctor because that was the time when the clinic opens. A few minutes after he got into the car, he broke into cold sweat and his fingers, legs started cramping. I have never seen a scarier sight than to see the life of a loved one slipping away from me and there is nothing I can do for him.

I was so calm earlier, telling myself that he was a big baby, seeking attention and care.

But I broke down when I saw him in pain.

Sometimes I hate myself for trying to be logical and objective, to the extent of coming across as bitchy or even stubborn. I wasn't always like that.

When I turned 21, my birthday request to my close friends was to answer these 3 questions,
"What is one thing you love about me? hate about me? hope that I will change?"

Quite weird huh? Not a wild party with lots of booze and hunks. (I don't mind too =P)

Anyway, my best guy friend said, "Your weakest point is you are too emotional. It will be your downfall as being too emotional will cloud your judgment."

I tried to learn how to look at issues objectively, without considering the emotions involved.

In a way, the decisions made seem to be better as they are 'logical'. However, they lack the human factor. Just like when my husband was in pain, I try to rationalise that he was kicking a big fuss over a stomachache.

What did I learn from this jarring experience?

Treasure my family and friends more. (not at the expense of being irresponsible or immoral)
Trust my husband that he can make the right choice.
Balance objectivity with emotions.
Make a will.
Refresh driving skills.
Advise people to see a doctor immediately if vomitting doesn't stop after 2 hours.
Learn first aid and pick up medical knowledge.
Warn students that they should not visit a doctor just to get an MC because they are late for school/ skip PE/ don't feel like it. It perpetuates irresponsibility.
Submit a ESSS suggestion to reduce latecoming problem.

What other things do you think I can learn?

[Lecture] 4 Aug 3.25 pm

2008-08-01T10:57:00.001+08:00

Mr Wong is conducting a lecture on crime and punishment - mercy and justice.
next Monday, 4 Aug, from 3.25pm to 4.45pm @ LR2
See you there!

[LJ] The Dark Knight

2008-07-29T11:00:00.002+08:00

Since we are doing crime and punishment this term, I thought that it will be apt to watch the new Batman movie, The Dark Knight, who is the vigilante of Gotham City.
Proposed date is this coming Friday evening 5 or 6 plus, West Mall.
Interested peeps, please inform me.

[LJ] Terrorism talk on 21 Aug

2008-07-17T10:47:00.001+08:00

Resisting the Temptation of Military Force: Non-Military Strategies to Manage Global Risks in the Other War on Terror

> Speaker: Mr. Yee-Kuang Heng (Lecturer inInternational Relations & Research Fellow, Centre for the Study ofTerrorism and Political Violence (CSTPV), School of InternationalRelations, University of St. Andrews, U.K.)

> Date: Thursday, 21 August 2008

> Time: 12.15 p.m. - 1.30 p.m

> Venue: Seminar Room 3-5, Level 3, Manasseh Meyer, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, 469C Bukit Timah Road, Singapore 259772

> Synopsis: Critics of American unilateralism and its predominant focus on ‘hard’ military force tend to overlook multilateral practices that have emerged to combat global terrorism. These have unfortunately gone largely unnoticed, quietly slipping under the radar screen of both public opinion and academic scrutiny. President Bush’s address to the Joint Session of Congress on 20 September 2001 made clear that his war on terror would include dramatic ‘hard’ military strikes which have inevitably garnered the lion’s share of attention, but other initiatives would be less publicised, ‘secret even in success’. This paper seeks to address this imbalance by examining some less noticed cooperative ‘soft’ initiatives against global terror, and reflecting on the implications for International Relations theory, in particular risk and security studies.

Anyone wanna go? Tag or tell me personally.

[LJ] Bioethics Forum 16 Aug (Sat)

2008-07-17T10:41:00.001+08:00

Invitation to a Public Forum on "Mixing Human and Animal Tissues: Is such research ethical?

The Bioethics Advisory Committee (BAC) has a public forum on human-animal combinations in biomedical research on 16 August 2008, from 9.30 am to 12.30 pm.

If you would like to go, please inform me (in person or tag my blog) by 18 July (Friday)

The Forum seeks to promote discussion on ethical issues relating to human-animal combinations that were raised in the BAC's consultation paper issued early this year, on this subject.

A copy of the Consultation Paper is available at the BAC website: http://www.bioethics-singapore.org/uploadfile/55655%20PMHuman-Animal%20Combination.pdf

[PW] Heritage Fest

2008-07-11T08:58:00.002+08:00

"A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles."
Christopher Reeves (1952 - 2004)

The Singapore HeritageFest has a segment on "Who's Your Hero?” which is related to the Task 1 on ‘Journeys’. The exhibition is at Suntec City from July 12 to 27.
Anyone interested to go? We can do a learning journey. =D

Another contest which you might be interested in joining is the Heritage Marathon, ala Amazing Race to learn about local heroes and have fun at the same time.

Date	Saturday, 19 July 2008
Time	8.30 to 2.30pm (Registration from 7.45am to 8.15am)
Start Point and End Point	Suntec City Mall's Fountain of Wealth
Registration Fee	$25 (inclusive of GST) per team of four
Registration Closing Date	17 July 2008

[Admin] GP SEM Survey

2008-05-22T21:52:00.003+08:00

Can the following students complete an online GP Sem Survey?
Please inform your classmate if they do not have the habit of checking the blog.
If you forgot their MI Link password, please get someone from your class to replace you AND inform me of the change by tagging on the board.
When you have completed the survey, tag my blog. Thanks~

Instructions
Please go to MI Link and click on Survey.
Ensure that you complete EVERY question.
Complete it BEFORE Saturday. Thank you.

07S1
1) Jasmine
2) Adnan
3) Aisyah
4) Kenny
5) Pavan

07A2
1) Christina
2) Jai
3) Bernadette
4) Melvin
5) Melinda

07B4
1) Man Ting
2) Eugene
3) Syazwani
4) Belinda
5) Vans

[Rehearsal] Wed IRP period

2008-05-19T17:28:00.002+08:00

Pre U Sem presenters please take note.
Mrs Meya & Mdm Mesenas will be viewing your presentation on Wed IRP period.
We have booked LT 1 for rehearsal.
Please be prepared and bring the necessary materials for presentation.
Powerpoint slides and MM video.

[GPP] Submission

2008-05-09T17:47:00.002+08:00

After going through 3 groups of GPP,
the main problems are
1) Aims & plan don't match
2) Task requirements not met
3) Steps of plan are not clear or specific enough
4) No timeline
5) No plan to gather information

The solutions proposed are
1) Think of activities that will match the aims
2) Check the aims and plan meet the task requirements
3) Specify what needs to be considered
4) How to gather info? Survey/ Focus group/ Interview

1st draft: 09 May (Friday)
Final draft (Soft Copy & Hard Copy): 13 May (Wed)
Official submission deadline: 16 May (Fri)

For the upcoming hols, you are to do your individual EOM (drafts) & gathering of relevant primary info. Please spend your time wisely. Revise for MYE! Even if you score for PW and fail your exam, you will still repeat 1 year.
So long as individually, do your EoM which will be useful to the group's project but you are not expected to meet up more than once.
Use IT platforms effectively. Eg. Wetpaint, NLB Digital Resources, Email, MSN to communicate and compile resources.

Any question, drop me a message! =)

[GPP] Feedback

2008-05-09T09:43:00.003+08:00

Disclaimer: This only serves as constructive feedback, not an attempt to embarrass or put down anyone's effort.

Steve Irwin: Conservation effort & environmentalism

+ Clear rationale for doing the project
+ Prior research done
Eg. Previously, only campaigns on awareness is done
+ Unique activity
Eg. Pet exchange program
- Target group is not clear
- Specific steps of carrying out the plan
- Timeline

J.K. Rowling: Tackling depression

- Aims and plan needs to gel
- Target group needs to be clear.
- Eg. Survey on who? Will depressed people tell you their conditions? Such patients usually don’t know they suffer from depression and even if they do, they will not admit it.
- Why J.K Rowling?
Need to be clear about rationale.
- Do prior research.
- Activity needs to meet the aims
Eg. Maze: Know about J.K Rowling OR depression?
Choose one to be more focused.
Decision making is different from tackling depression
- Talk by a psychologist & motivational speaker
Not unique.
- Steps to carry out plan are not specific or well thought-out.
-Possible venue? Timeline?

Terry Fox
- Plan is still very flimsy. No concrete steps given.
- How many participants do you expect?
- Fund raising: What specific non-profit organisation?
- Why not for the disabled students' expenditure?

[Wishlist] Montenegro

2008-05-08T12:36:00.003+08:00

Came across this breathtaking photo of Montenegro

This country only gained its independence 2 years ago and the number of visitors surged to 1.1 million , a 50% increase in 2000. I guessed the dramatic rise can be attributed to this Times report on the top 20 style destinations in 2008.
I used to pride myself to be a backpacker who can endure creaky beds in cheap hostels, walk to any destination carrying a 5kg bag and not bathing for 3 days.
Now, I declare to be a Luxplorer, one who loves adventure but stay at luxury hotels. Nothing beats a comfy bed and a hot soaking bath after a day of excitement. =)

[Pre U Sem] Rehearsal @ NTU

2008-05-04T21:47:00.001+08:00

Please be reminded that the 2nd rehearsal will be on the 17th May (Saturday) at NTU.
The Orientation briefing will be at 9am at Nanyang Auditorium.
Please do not be late as we will begin on time. The briefing will be followed by a tea reception. If you are arriving by chartered bus, alight near Admin Building or International House. For more information, please check the NTU website for the map.

Participants who are not involved in the 2nd Parallel Presentation Rehearsal may leave after the briefing and tea. However, all presenters and teacher advisors will need to be back at the rehearsal venue at least 20 minutes before the rehearsal time.

In your case, the rehearsal will start at 3pm.
Please note that it will be at LT 2A . LT 2A will be where you will be presenting on the actual day as well. As you have ordered lunch for 8 people, please do stay to get the lunch, which will be at 1pm. If your students wish to travel out of NTU it is possible, but just take note of the timings for lunch and the time that they need to be back in LT 2A.

Please remember to bring backup copies of your presentation material in case hardware fails on 17 May. And remember to bring any wires, adaptors, etc that are crucial for the projection to work. Bring backup laptops as well just in case.

[Lesson] by Mr Wong on 6 May

2008-04-30T12:35:00.005+08:00

Mr Samuel Wong will be conducting an extra lesson on Paper 1 on
Tuesday 6 May at 4.05 pm LT 1
Check my blog regularly for updates!

[PW] Mass Lecture T2 Wk 7 to 10

2008-04-26T23:28:00.001+08:00

Take note of the PW mass lecture arrangements

Class: 07S1	Gp members attending Dr Ng’s Workshop on Creativity	Gp members meeting up with STs
*PW Group 1*	Jasmine See Hui Fen	Nur Aisah Nordin
	Hainoon Jahria Bte Hassan	Benny Low Zhi Hao
		V Jeevitha
*PW Group 2*	Chen Guanwen Marcus	Pavandirjit Kaur
	Nur Aisyah Bite Mohd Ghazali	Kalvindar
		Ooi Xian Hua
*PW Group 3*	Daryl Ng Wei Bin	Loke Gabriel
	Ding Kun	Huang Pengrong
		Ng Yao Yang
*PW Group 4*	Tan Yan Ping	Tan Wei Min Kenny
	Ling Shu Hui	Sandy Neo
		Teo Jin Tong
*PW Group 5*	Adnan Ramdani Agung	Daliah Binte Mohd Ishak
	Nicholas Tan Keng Chuen	Md Farhaan Ho
		Neo Joeveen
*PW Group 6*	Md NurRudin	Nor Atiqah Bte Hassan
	Rafeah Insyirah	Amelia Jean Palmer
		Abdul Rahim Hassan

Names in Red/Blue/Green: Students who had already attended Creativity Workshop in Term 1 & Term 2

[Make-up test] Compre 3

2008-04-24T21:15:00.002+08:00

Those who have not done the timed assignment Compre 3, please complete it.
Instructions are pasted beside my pigeon hole, No. 12.
Some of you have not done any compre this term, please do at least one before the mid-year exams.
If none is done, ZERO will be recorded.
Choice 1: Friday 1.30 - 3 pm
Choice 2: Monday 7 - 8.30 am

[Order] RJC GP Bulletin

2008-04-23T18:43:00.002+08:00

If you would like to purchase RJC GP Bulletin which is the RJC version of MIsays. Please place your order with your class's GP rep. The price is not fixed yet but last year, it costs about $3 - 4 a copy.

[GP file] Final reminder

2008-04-23T18:37:00.003+08:00

GP file check during lesson time.
07A2 & 07S1: Thurs
07B4: Tues
Those who left the files on top of my pigeon hole.
Please collect. I will check again during lesson.
You must include the timed assignments in the file
Do not include last year's work.
I need to submit the files to my boss next Friday!

[Congrats] Kar Yee

2008-04-22T22:13:00.002+08:00

Congrats to Lam Kar Yee who clinched a Best Speaker title in the 2008 MOE Invitational Debating Championship preliminary rounds!

MI students can emerge as victors if they set their hearts on achieving their targets.
よくできました

[AR] Upload to Wetpaint

2008-04-22T22:05:00.004+08:00

2 more weeks of AR presentation.
Thanks to the students who have prepared and presented so far.
Bernadette, Champa, Melinda, Melvinand Kar Yee.
Apologies to Isabella and Sara about the technical glitches.

Please remember to upload your research onto Wetpaint.
If possible, upload earlier so that your classmates are better prepared for discussion.

Those who have not presented and always absent on Monday, please turn up. Your absence is deeply missed and unfortunately, recorded.

[Review] Feet Unbound

2008-04-21T21:12:00.003+08:00

Watched 'Feet Unbound' today. The cinema was sparsely filled, less than 30 people. The lacklustre turnout was expected, similar to the lukewarm response from the students. It is not a blockbuster movie, no action or horror so people will not be motivated to watch it. I wondered if I should encourage students to watch movies which are not well-packaged. Money is hard to earn and to spend $7.50 on a movie which is equivalent to 3 plates of chicken rice needs some careful consideration. One of my concerns as a GP tutor is students do not have a broad perspective hence they tend to be slightly narrow-minded. When they write their essays, they come across as myopic and self-centred. I will do my best to organise learning journeys and feature some movies that will widen your perspective yet entertain. However, it will require your participation. For instance, one of the Earth Week's program is showcasing 3 movies about the environment so I would recommend that you can catch at least one. Remember next week, you are supposed to do a timed assignment on Environment.

Looking through the eyes of a young Beijing reporter, the torturous Long March was recounted by the few surviving members. The young reporter even tried to light a fire in the freezing snowstorm. She was trembling while she spoke her lines. The most memorable ones was about the Western Route (WR) soldiers had nothing to eat on the frozen grassland. When there was nothing to eat, the yak's sh*t has some crop seeds which were digested while they were eating grass, the WR's soldiers ate the sh*t. When there was no yak sh*t, they cooked the belts which were made from yak's leather.

War is only a power struggle between politicians, the casualties are the people. Those who lost their lives are praised for being martyrs, those who survived are left with indelible memories. At the end of the WR, the final destination was in the middle of the Gobi Desert; no food, no water, no amenities. One of the old ladies said that the favourite slogan was "Go back to Dalian to eat rice!" so they persevered, hoping to achieve the goal of eating rice one day. Their wish is so simple yet unattainable in those hard times. Peace is priceless.

The young journalist reflected and realised for the past twentyodd years, she was a playgirl.
We always complained about how our lives have been hard, terrible or even unbearable. All the sh*t that I am going through now is nothing compared to the iron ladies. If war was to strike, how many of us will stay to fight for our homeland? I really admire their guts and recommend you to watch the movie. It is ending its run this Wednesday so catch it soon!

[LJ] Watch Feet Unbound

2008-04-18T14:30:00.002+08:00

Keen to watch a movie about the journey of

China

's female soldiers of The Long March?

Shot by a Singaporean director, Ng Khee Jin, this movie is about a young woman retraces the footsteps of China's female soldiers of The Long March and encounters untold stories of courage and hope in the face of extreme deprivation and brutality.

This is the never-been-told story of the Chinese Red Army's teenage female soldiers of The Long March - a massive military retreat of over 200,000 troops on foot over 12,500 kilometres that lasted from 1934 to 1937.

You can find out more about the film at the official website

Suitable for people who are interested in gender discrimination, history, or those who are still clueless about PW.

Date: 21 April (Monday) 6 pm

Venue: The Cathay (near Dhoby Ghaut MRT) not Plaza Singapura . Transport is not provided so please make your own way there.

Price: $7.50 (I absorbed the booking fee)

- Pls give me the exact amount by Monday

- No cash, no booking, no ticket.

Don't have to wear school uniform! =)

[Outlook] Term 2 Wk 6 to 9

2008-04-15T11:55:00.002+08:00

Hey Millennians,

It's Week 5! Halfway through the term, 5 more weeks of torture to go.
Counting down to my honeymoon~

A brief recap of what we have done for the past 5 weeks.

Paper 1: ideal VS practical, short run VS long run, how to create logical arguments (kindly & brilliantly taught by our jolly Mr Wong)

Paper 2: short structured question (SSQ) strategies, summary 'Crack the sentence' , AQ 'evaluate stupid ideas'

What to expect for the next 5 weeks?
Timed assignments! *groans*

Wk 6: Paper 2
Wk 7: Paper 1 - on environmental qns so research and practise writing arguments
Wk 8: Review Paper 2 qns
Wk 9: Review Paper 1 qns

Please do your IRP responses at the same time.

07A2: Upload your AR pages! My boss will check >_<"

[MI Essay] Last Call

2008-04-09T21:40:00.002+08:00

Finally, some people submitted their essays.
Thanks Bernadette and Geran.
The rest?

Eh... your essay is featured in MI Essays. Your name, your first byline.
At least 3000 copies are printed.
Your first big break, your mother can show off to your uncle, auntie, neighbour, stranger on the bus so if you still want to submit your essay, please drop the photocopy into my pigeon hole, No. 12
by Friday morning, 11 April 11 am. Thanks!

[PW] Trail Blazers on CNA

2008-04-06T17:33:00.002+08:00

Hopefully, you are writing your Preliminary Idea reports now.

For Task 1: Journeys, you may like to watch this TV program for some ideas or for 'evaluation of materials (non-print)'.
'Trail Blazers' is aired on every Monday 8.30 pm, starting on 7 April.
Repeats on Mon (12.30am), Tue (1.30pm), and Wed (5.30pm).

Trail Blazers - an English documentary series on pioneers in Singapore

MOE and Media Development Authority of Singapore (MDA) have jointly commissioned an English documentary series titled Trail Blazers. This 8-part half-hour series will feature Singapore pioneers who have contributed significantly to our nation in various fields. The featured pioneers are Mr Kuo Pao Kun (Art & Culture), Prof S.S.Ratnam (Science & Technology), Dr Ee Peng Liang (Social & Community work), Prof Chao Tzee Cheng (Medicine), Dr Ruth Wong (Education), Mrs Wong-Lee Siok Tin (Media), Haji Wandly Yazid (Music) and Mr Wong Peng Soon (Sports).

Each episode would also feature a different inquirer who would embark on a journey of discovery to uncover aspects of the pioneer’s life, achievements and contributions. Some of the inquirers include Hady Mirza, Eunice Olsen, Phin Wong, Annabelle Francis and so on.

Trail Blazers is scheduled for broadcast on Channelnews Asia on 7 April at 8.30 pm. One new episode will be aired a week, and there will be three additional runs for the same episode in the week at the following times: Mon (12.30am), Tue (1.30pm), and Wed (5.30pm).

[Reflection] Hate tags

2008-04-03T23:08:00.005+08:00

What crimes can one do under the cloak of Internet anonymity?
phishing, credit card frauds, illegal downloading, industrial espionage, child pornography, kidnapping children via chat rooms, harassment, scams, cyberterrorism, creation and/or distribution of viruses, spam , the dirty list just grows longer and longer.

Although I embrace the power of Internet, I bear the brunt of it too.
Last year, one of my posts got me into trouble and I was advised to close this blog.
However, the objective of this blog is to inform students about activities and track my progress as a teacher so I decided to keep it going. However, the posts are generally restricted to administrative matters.

This term, I started teaching Mr Wong's classes.
The co-teaching arrangement evolved from my desire for my students to write better essays and Mr Wong's wish that I can impart Paper 2 skills to his students.

For the past two weeks, my students benefited tremendously from his lessons; learning about the major environmental issues and the components of logical arguments. They raved about Mr Wong's vast knowledge and sharp insight. I also learnt how to frame issues using analogies as well as the theoretical explanation of logical arguments. [My husband uses Hegelian arguments.] Thanks, Sam! :)

Although only 2 periods are exchanged, I missed my classes.
I missed 07A2's witty retorts.
I missed 07B4's attentiveness.
I missed 07S1's studious attitude.

I guessed the rapport I have with you is stronger than I thought.

Even irritating buggers like JT, BS, PL have better manners than some of his students.

Since last Wednesday's lesson, some student(s) have been posting hate tags.

How can I be so sure it is NOT my students who are the culprits?

If it is my students, they will post such tags last year -which one of them did and I happened to know who.

I may appear to be brainless; using simplistic teaching techniques and discussing frivolous topics.

Please keep in mind that appearances are deceiving.

You can continue to bombard me with your hate tags but this is the last time I am responding.
"An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind." - Mahatma Ghandi

Thank you for taking time to visit and tag my blog.

Since you commented that my teaching is like the blind leading the blind, I would like to end this post with a quote from a real blind woman who is the first deaf and blind person who earned a college degree and became a great educator.

"What a blind person needs is not a teacher but another self. " - Helen Keller

[MIsays] Submission

2008-03-29T23:58:00.002+08:00

Students who score 30 and above for your essays,

Please photocopy or type your essays for MIsays submission/ prizes!
Email or drop into my pigeon hole, No. 12 by 2nd April (Wednesday)

Offhand, I can only remember
07A2: Bernadette, Geran, Joyce, Zul, Kar Yee

[938 Campus Live] Podcast

2008-03-29T23:41:00.002+08:00

MI hosted an episode of the NewsRadio 938 Live programme "Campus Live!". This programme is a youth discussion forum which is led by a panel and involves students. The students selected were from Pre-U Sem. The producers commended our students' active participation and might do a 2nd episode with us again.
Good job, people! =)

To catch the episode
Topic: Literature and the Youths; is literature a much hated subject among young people? why so? and why not?

Hear it here.

[Common Test] Top GP performers

2008-03-21T21:38:00.002+08:00

The top PU 2 GP students for Common Test 2008 are:

07A2 JOYCE TAN MAN FANG
07A2 LAM KAR YEE
07A2 HOW XIN HENG BERNADETTE

All from my class!~~~ *Woots~*
You will be getting book vouchers.
Please maintain the good results.
Remember, my performance bonus is dependent on you! >_<"

[LJ] Old SG Movies

2008-03-20T23:36:00.002+08:00

Before Eric Khoo, Roystan Tan and Jack Neo, there were Yi Sui, Salleh Ghani and P Ramlee who are pioneers of the Singapore movie industry.

Anyone wants to watch the movies which your parents used to watch when they were young?
Please contact me. It can be a learning journey. =)

PERSPECTIVES FILM FESTIVAL
The Film Lovers' Guide to Living Well

Bask in the nostalgia of the good old days, when bell-bottoms were fashionable and going to the movies was indulgent.

From 31st March to 4th of April at the National Museum of Singapore, Perspectives '08 presents the classics from the Golden Era of Singapore cinematic history. Over a period of five days, be touched, inspired and entertained by the imaginative works of yesteryear.

Get ready your pen and paper, as the films dispense pointers on living a good life. Come laugh, cry, scream and sigh with us!

About the Festival
Perspectives Film Festival is organised by the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information, NTU in partnership with the National Museum of Singapore. The student-led festival is part of the new curriculum in the school which aims to expose students to greater hands-on experience beyond the classroom.

Film Screening Information

31 March (Indoor screening at Gallery Theatre, 7.30pm)
Lion City
Dir: Yi Sui
1960 / Singapore / 105 min / Beta / PG

Widely regarded as the first Chinese-language film produced in Singapore, Lion City stands out among the Malay movies in the Studio Era. A delicate romance between two young lovers from different backgrounds plays out amid political and societal change. The movie also features numerous panoramic and travelling shots of Singapore in the sixties, providing a nostalgic journey through the Singapore streets.

01 April (Indoor screening at Gallery Theatre, 7.30pm)
Tun Fatimah
Dir: Salleh Ghani
1962 / Singapore / 98 min / Beta / PG

Based on a historical personality, the film translates Tun Fatimah's drive and high-spiritedness into the eponymous character's desire to uncover the truth behind her family's unjust death. Alluding to the feminist movement, the women in the movie display resilience and a fighting spirit which rivals the men around them. The portrayal of the rowdy Portuguese also signals the director's anti-colonialism sentiments.

02 April (Indoor screening at Gallery Theatre, 7.30pm)

Sumpah Pontianak

Dir: B.N. Rao
1958 / Singapore / 83 min / Beta / PG

The third of the original trilogy made by B.N. Rao in the 1950s, Sumpah Pontianak is also the last surviving one. Originally a feared spirit in Malayan folklore, the pontianak in the film takes on an anti-hero role, protecting her daughter even as she needs to feed on the blood of the living. Despite its rubber masks and oversized fangs, the legacy of the legend of pontianak remains today, with much credit to these films, where it all began.

03 April (Indoor screening at Gallery Theatre, 7.30pm)
Hang Jebat

Dir: Hussain Haniff
1960 / Singapore / 123 min / Beta / TBA

Hang Jebat, with his unconditional love for Hang Tuah, seeks revenge on the Sultan of Malacca for the unjust execution of his blood brother. In a twist of fate, Hang Tuah who escapes the execution kills Hang Jebat under the Sultan's order. The film was controversial at the time for its heroic depiction of Hang Jebat defying the Sultan. But, it was also a box-office hit, garnering great acclaim from critics and the public alike.

04 April (FREE Outdoor screening, 8pm)
Seniman Bujang Lapok
Dir: P. Ramlee
1961 / Singapore / 119 min / Beta / PG

A parody of the film-making industry in the Studio Era, Seniman Bujang Lapok chronicles the trials and tomfooleries of the three bachelors who aspire to be movie stars in this installment of the Bujang Lapok series. The humour of their struggles in their careers and lives hides the latent anxiety of the common folk in a time of rapid change. The film also brings us to the Malay Film Productions' studio at Jalan Ampas, treating the audience to rare footages of the actual Shaw Brothers production studios in Singapore.

Ticketing Information
$7 per screening ($6 Concession Rate).

No admission for infants in arms and children below six years old. Tickets are required for all patrons (Except for free outdoor screening on 04 April 2008). Concession rates are available to students, seniors, NSF, National Museum Members. Passes have to be presented when purchasing tickets.

The first 200 people to purchase tickets at the National Museum Visitor Services Counter will receive complimentary ZOUK entry passes (one ticket per pass).

Counter Sales:
Stamford Visitor Services Counter: 10 am - 7.30 pm
Canning Visitor Services Counter: 10 am - 5 pm

Online Booking: www.nationalmuseum.sg
General enquiries: (65) 6332 3659 / (65) 6332 5642

For more information & latest updates,

please visit www.ntu.edu.sg/sci/perspectives or email us at perspectives@ntu.edu.sg.

[MI Link] The Arena 2

2008-03-10T22:11:00.003+08:00

The Arena Season 2 has started on Channel 5. Did you watch the crossfire between RI and St Nicolas? Personally, I think that RI team was better last year. The short Indian boy was quite sharp when he shot the POIs. Intellectually 'stimulating'. >:P
The 3rd girl, Claire Tan from St. Nicks was the best speaker IMHO. Apart from her feisty approach, the points she brought up was supported with good examples whereas the RI speakers made a lot of assumptions. St. Nicks could have won if they pointed out those baseless comments during POI. However, the first speaker wasted a lot of time.

Despite some of the weakness pointed out, The Arena is a good starting ground to learn about how to structure an argument as well as how to critique arguments. The teams selected had to auditioned to get to the preliminary rounds. The 3 judges (supposedly unbiased) will give their (not so in-depth) critique for their mark allocation.

Share your views on the thread on MI Link.

The Arena 2: Foreign athletes

[PW] Briefing on 17 Mar 8 am

2008-03-06T22:14:00.001+08:00

All PW students have to attend a short briefing on 17 March (T2W1- Mon) at 8am for the collection of their Project Task Notes.

The respective venues for their briefing / collection of task notes are as follows:

	Centre Stage	LR2
1	07A2	07A1
2	07A5	07A3
3	07A6	07A4
4	07B1	07B2
5	07B3	07S2
6	07B4	07S4
7	07B5
8	07B6
9	07B7
10	07S1
11	07S3
12	07S5
13	07S6
14	07S7

E-learning Day on 3rd March

2008-02-28T11:11:00.002+08:00

A day without the teacher's physical presence.

Instructions

1) Log in to MI Link

2) Go to Read the article designated for your class
07S1" Damn if we do, damn if we don't"
07A2 "Preservation for preservation's sake"
07B4 "Lewis Hamilton in an electric car?"

4) Click on the 'reply' button and post your response to the particular article.

Write your name & class.
Write 1 argument &
1 counter-argument
Your response should contain no less than 2 FULL paragraphs consisting of 2 opposing views - 1 for, 1 against. You can write more if you are contentious. I also encourage you to read and respond to other articles on Mr Samuel Wong's blog. :)

5) Complete your response before 12pm, 3rd March 2008. Thank you and enjoy learning online.

[Pre U Sem] Post interview notes

2008-02-01T00:35:00.000+08:00

Was reading Mr Wong's blog post about child geniuses and decided to reflect on the issue which some students claimed that the Pre-U Sem interview was traumatic.

Being one of the interviewers, I would like to apologise for any misunderstanding that occurred and any trauma inflicted was unintended. I applaud your effort in turning up for the interviews and was impressed that many prepared for it. In fact, those who put in effort to research and willing to take the challenge, voicing their (justified) opinions are selected. Maturity does not occur overnight so I do not expect an 18 year old spouting philosophical quotes. Neither can I. If you ask me, what was I looking for in a candidate? A confident team player who is willing to go the mile. Knowledge is a bonus but not a necessity as it can be acquired.

I could not agree more with Mr Wong's observation and at the same time, be reminded of the times I felt such peer pressure when some of my JC classmates laughed at me when I was reading (not notes or textbook) during break time. I stopped reading. Hey, I was 17! At least not reading in front of such 'friends'. However, I managed to make friends who like to read and discuss issues with me. These friends are the few who passed GP and still keep in contact.
Although friends should not be categorised, instinctively one knows who are the true friends and who are not. A true friend will not laugh at your efforts or put you down. In fact, he/she will help to become a better person.

In spite of my job, my friends still call me a bimbo which I do not take offense because I am an airhead. I feel that I have too little time and want to learn/do too many things. Therefore, I am quite upset that some students have too much time and have no idea what to do (anything but study), decided to vandalise school property. Even during my rebellious days, the idea of destroying things was never on my agenda. When I asked ex-vandals the rationale behind their actions, they replied, 'Fun what!' This joy they achieved from destruction is barbaric and obviously, they do not respect or value others' property. To quote my colleague, 'Stupid is relative' so vandalism is the lowest, morally decadent form of catharsis yet some take pride in it. Anyway, that was a random note on vandalism.

Back on the issue of learning, I appreciate the time and effort given by my students, friends, colleagues who are willing to share their knowledge and experience with me. Thank you for 'dumbing down' for me and listening to my superficial comments. @_@

[Quote] Aristophanes

2008-01-24T23:08:00.000+08:00

Youth ages, immaturity is outgrown; ignorance can be educated, drunkeness sobered -- but stupidity lasts. ~ Aristophanes

[Pre U Sem] Selection Interview

2008-01-24T23:03:00.000+08:00

Pre U Sem interviews will be conducted at the following dates. Please be on time.

First impressions matter. If you are punctual, it signifies that you are responsible and serious about the position.
If you have a valid reason for not being able to turn up at the scheduled date and time, they are to see either me, Mrs Sharie Ng or Mdm Yani personally to explain and re-schedule.
We will finalise the participants by Fri, 1 Feb.

Interview 1

Date: Fri, 25 Jan

Time: 1330-1600

Venue: Library Instruction Rm 2

Classes involved: 07A1-07A6, 07B1-07B3

Interview 2

Date: Wed, 30 Jan

Time: 1400-1700

Venue: Lib Instruction Rm 1

Classes involved: 07B4-07B7, 07S1-07S7

[Pre U Sem] First Briefing

2008-01-18T14:26:00.001+08:00

PRE U SEMINAR 2008 BRIEFING

We are looking for 25 intelligent, confident, exuberant students to represent MI in the 2008 Pre-U Seminar.

We need researchers, writers, presenters and multimedia experts on this team.

What can you gain from joining Pre-U Sem, other than it is really, really fun?

a) A glowing addition to your resume

b) Develop critical thinking, communication and various skills which will help your studies and future.

c) Networking and bonding.

d) Be involved in special activities that challenge you to exercise teamwork and resourcefulness as you work with students from different institutions.

e) Be an active citizen. This year, you will examine and suggest how Singaporeans can effect change and transform their lives and those of fellow citizens.

f) Gain new perspectives and knowledge through exchanges with political, industry and community leaders, and amongst participants themselves.

MI’s Parallel Presentation

Doc Tours: Singapore as Medical Tourism Hub

Captalising on Singapore’s location in the heart of South East Asia and riding upon its well established reputation for cutting-edge medical practices, well-trained specialists and comprehensive facilities, the local medical industry is working hard to woo potential patients from overseas and turn the country into a major medical hub in Asia. From Indonesia, Vietnam, China and even Saudi Arabia, well-to-do patients have been coming to Singapore for checkups and surgeries, and sometimes even bringing their families along. If the trend continues, the term ‘Doctours’ may longer be a pun (upon the word ‘doctors’ and the popular tourist joyride Ducktours), but an economically viable reality.

Some questions that can help to prepare you for the interview

1) What do you understand by the term ‘medical hub’?

2) What are some of the steps undertaken to promote Singapore as a medical hub?

3) Who do you think are suitable to talk on this issue?

4) If you are an official working in the team to set up the medical hub, what suggestions do you have?

5) Why should we select you to represent MI for the Pre-U Sem? What can you contribute?

Visit Pre-U Seminar 2008 website for more details http://www.mjc.edu.sg/preusem/

Schedule of Key Activities & Submissions

Activity/ Submission	Deadlines & Other details
Submit names to Ms Yani or Ms Sharie Ong personally	21 Jan (Mon)
Interview with interested candidates	23 Jan (Wed)	Venue and time to be announced
Synopsis for parallel presentation	19 Mar (Wed)
Multimedia report submission	16 Apr (Wed)
First rehearsal	30 Apr (Wed)
Check in camp Closing ceremony	26 May (Mon) @ NTU 30 May (Fri)	This is a five-day residential camp. (Participants stay in NTU halls for five days.)

Chancello's Challenge Shield

2008-01-14T13:15:00.000+08:00

Interested students, please approach me to sign up.

Chancellor’s Challenge Shield (CCS) is an annual event organized by the CCS sub-committee under NUSPA. This event was inaugurated and formally endorsed in July 1992 by the late Dr Wee Kim Wee, former President of the Republic of Singapore and then Chancellor of NUS.

It is of great importance to promote political awareness amongst the undergraduates as well as the younger group of students. CCS seeks to encourage youths to keep up with current affairs and understand the importance of being a well-informed member of society through a series of challenging and interactive quizzes and games.

Quiz Format

Preliminaries

All registered teams are required to sit for this round. Individuals will answer a total of 50 MCQ and their individual scores will be totaled to form a team score. The top three teams will proceed to the Finals.

Finals

Round 1

Part A: Teams will be provided with a whiteboard on which they will put down their answers to each of the questions asked.
Part B: Teams will be given 3 coloured placards (green-yes, red-no, amber-not sure). Teams are required to flash the placards in response to the questions asked.

Round 2

The highest scorer of the previous round gets to start the round first. Teams will take turns to answer questions from 6 different categories (Singapore, World, People, Sports, Environment, General).

Mr Samuel Wong's blog

2008-01-14T12:20:00.000+08:00

Mr Samuel Wong has joined the blog community!
Focusing on interesting news that serves as food for thought, his blog is a good place to start being an active learner.
Do visit the blog and post your comments.
He can also guide you to formulate strong arguments. (He always manage to convince me! ^_^)

[Reminder] MI Essay collection

2008-01-07T14:05:00.000+08:00

Please bring MI Essay collection for lessons this week.
We are going to deconstruct essays to understand the components of a good essay.

[Reminder] 2007 Promo essay

2008-01-06T11:35:00.000+08:00

Dear 07S1, 07A2 and 07B4,

Welcome to the new school year.
I hope that you had a good break and look forward to an exciting learning journey ahead.
This term, we will be focusing on Science & Technology and Ethical & Religious issues.
Very progressive and controversial topics which will hone your critical thinking skills.
IT presentation will commence on Week 3 so please start your research soon.

Bring your 2007 Promo Exam essay this coming week so that we can review the essay types.

[Reminder] Haircheck

2007-12-29T16:55:00.000+08:00

School is starting on 2 Jan 2008.
Just a friendly reminder, make sure your hair is black and dyed.
Boys, make sure your hair is short.
If you do not pass the haircheck on Wednesday, you will be sent home and your parents will be notified. Word of advice, do not get in trouble for such a small matter.
See you on Wednesday! =)

Merry Christmas!

2007-12-25T11:27:00.000+08:00

Spread the joy, love and cheer. Merry Xmas, darlings~

Christmas song sung by cats

6 days to school reopening and the end of my holidays!

[Quote] Yu Dan

2007-12-04T02:06:00.000+08:00

可与言而不与言，失人。
不可于言而与之言，失言。
知者不失人，亦不失言。
--- 《论语：卫灵公篇》

看百家讲坛之于丹《论语》心得

Was watching Prof Yu Dan's speech on You Tube, realised that one of my mottoes "Live life with no regrets" is unattainable. I hope to do things right the first time but in life, that is impossible. Life will always have disappointments. In other words, shit happens. (forgive me for putting it crudely)

When shit happens, what should I do?
Grumble, complain, whine, seek revenge so that justice will be served?
If it was the old me, it will be "an eye for an eye" but I am not who I am ten years ago.
Like what Prof Yu suggested and Confucianism preached, maintain an open heart and open mind. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. [Matthew 7:120]
Forgiveness is an undervalued virtue which I hope to seek and cultivate.
What I can do is to bravely acknowledge my mistake and try my best to amend.

"Live life with least regrets. Let go and look forward."

[Reflection] Radio days

2007-11-26T03:32:00.000+08:00

最近发生一些事情，有的关于自己，有的是身边的人。
或许脚步缓慢下来，所以注意的事情比较多，也可以聆听别人的意见。
能和自己对话，仔细想想过去，为未来计划。

那天，回电台和旧同事吃饭。淑君硬拉我录节目，好久没有说华语，有点不习惯。她说当作和同事哈啦，不必字正腔圆。可是上节目，如果犯语病，我真的对不起我的师傅们。

走进睽违已久的播音室，让我回想起在电台的时光。九个月，天天打中文字、说华语。被师傅，老板，听众骂华语说得很烂，一个星期做5个节目，绞尽脑汁想专题，累到爆肝。
我最爱听做音乐有关的节目，听新专辑、看演唱会、访问艺人。喜欢和淑君漫游狮城，发现这座小岛好玩的地方。向往打长途电话给区域的朋友作连线，了解他们的近况。期待和新新人类做接触，拥有最新的资讯和动向。

我不停和时间赛跑，赶节目,忙到身体失调。老板说进度不够快，或许我不适合这个行业。苛刻的环境能让幼苗萎缩，也能成长。无可否认的，我在最短的时间长大了，心理受到的创伤也很重。虽然做播音人的日子很苦，但是很快乐。因为广播是我的梦想。谢谢桂珍姐给我这个机会。梦想实现后，应该梦醒，望前看。

再次听到自己的声音在播音室荡漾，有一种莫名的感动。淑君说有些听众到现在还会点歌送给我，记得我唱《孤单北半球》。谢谢你们的关心，简单的我只希望能为他人带来快乐。听到自己的烂华语，我转行未必是件坏事。话说回来，如果让我重新选择，我的第一份工作还是广播。No regrets！

写中文还是比较顺手。呵呵

My favorite lines from Why Why Love

2007-11-22T02:45:00.000+08:00

没有恶意，不代表是做法正确的好意! ~ 江小南
自私的小孩过得比较轻松 ~ 嘉蒂的妈妈
我对你的态度是取决于你对我的态度 ~ 霍彦
没有人应该因为失去一个人而活不下去。想不开，更是软弱的表现 ~ 童嘉蒂
能够改变自己命运的是你自己的决定。不管是好是坏，你都要自己面对。你必须为自己的人生负责。如果你不能够面对你自己的错，那这个错会永远跟着你，它会成为你的梦魇。~ 秦阿姨
克服恐惧最好的方法就是面对它。 ~ 霍达

Quotes from 趙寧

2007-11-19T17:42:00.000+08:00

Watched an interview of a Taiwanese professor, Zhao Ning on TV and I am very impressed by his insights on life so I searched for articles on him. After getting his doctorate, he became an university lecturer, author, newspaper columnist, television host, consultant, curator and school principal. His capability and success came after going through many life's trials and tribulations which any normal person will give up under similar circumstances. Below are some of his quotes. I will try my best to translate them so non-Chinese students can understand and gain motivation.

“人生最好不要找到，找到就是句點，句點就是完蛋！你不停地去找，這就是快樂，你一旦找到就無趣."

In life, one should never and should not seek an end. If you continue seeking, that is joy. If you find the end, life will be meaningless.

“人生是平等的，有時你要蹲下，向下一代學習。人生在世要不停地做一件事，推牆和搭橋。親子之間年紀和知識不同，你要從孩子那裡瞭解他們。”

Life is equal. Sometimes you need to lower yourself and learn from the younger generation. As long as one lives, one should break down barriers and build bonds. To overcome generation gap and knowledge differences, one needs to interact with the young to understand them.

“心中有愛，目中有人，耳中有歌”

Love, respect and music

“Never give up no matter how hopeless.（不管多沒有希望都不能放棄）是電影《鐵達尼號》裡沉船後男主角對女主角講的最後一句話，

能把人生的不愉快變成快樂，這才是人尊貴的地方。

Transform life's sorrows into joy, that is where one worths respect .

‘哭泣不但不能夠減少昨日的哀傷，只能消除你明天前進的力量。

Tears not only cannot reduce yesterday's pain, it eliminates tomorrow's motivation.

人生的過程像坐電梯一樣，降到最底下無路可去便自然往上走。

Life is like an elevator. When it is at the lowest level, it will automatically go up. That is. when life can't get any more worse, it will definitely improve.

我喜歡就沒有放棄！一直去做！

I like so I never give up. Just do it!

一直以來，大家都在不停地羨慕別人，移民來移民去，大家都在追逐一個地方只有笑容沒有眼淚。其實世界上任何一個地方都不是，桃花源就在你自己的心裡。”
彩虹是由雨水和陽光構成的，雨水是淚水，陽光是笑容，人生所有的美麗都不會有例外，沒有淚水，就不可能有彩虹。

We always envy others. Migrating here and there; we are seeking a place where there is only smiles, no tears. Actually, no such place exists in the world. Utopia exists in your heart. Rainbow is formed from rain and sunshine. Rain is tears, sunshine is smiles. Everything beautiful in life is the same; without tears, there will not be a rainbow.

人和人交往的時候享受到甜蜜，但你不知道明天會發生甚麼事，分開後最重要是不能說彼此的不好，你要敬重她、祝福她、希望她一切都好。

Enjoy sweet bliss while it lasts as you do not know what will happen tomorrow. After break up, what is important is not saying who is wrong. Respect your partner, give your blessings and wish her well.

成是我運，不成是我命。

If one succeeds, it is luck. If one fails, it is destiny.

人物簡介

趙寧，63歲，美國明尼蘇達大學傳播學／哲學博士，現為佛光山大學校長。他曾任紐約州立大學電視藝術導播副教授、台灣《中國時報》主筆、中華電視台顧問、台灣師大圖文傳播系主任暨視聽教育館館長。

[Holiday job] Interviewers

2007-11-14T12:51:00.000+08:00

Would you like to earn some pocket money during this holiday? Please email your particulars (name, IC no., mobile no., home number) by 15 Nov 8.30 am so that I can recommend you.

> Type of Job : Conduct telephone interviews (using a simple survey form)
> (Training will be provided)
> Time & Duration of assignment : 19 Nov to 17 Dec 07 (estimated about 1 month)
> Remumeration : $5 an hour
> No. of students required : About 4 (Prefer those with good language/communication skills and from a mix of the different ethnic groups.)

MI Essay Submission

2007-11-12T17:03:00.000+08:00

I reached my 100th post! Milestone for someone who always give up.

Do you want to publish your essay in MI Essays Vol. 2?

You can submit your essay (type-written, font 12, Arial) with your name and class to my email box by 19 Nov (Monday).

Requirements:
1) The essay should be one of your timed assignments.
2) Grammatically correct with improvements made, hopefully.
Look at the comments made and re-write the topic sentences.
Elaborate more by providing concrete examples and link back to the essay question. You may need to research and read more on the topic itself. It is not quantity but QUALITY.
Most importantly, you need to answer the essay question and be focused.
I strongly encourage you to submit your essay. Even if it is not published, at least you tried and took steps to improve your essay writing instead of playing PSP all day long.

I look forward to reading your improved essays.

[Floorball] First Aid Course 12 - 14 Nov

2007-11-06T12:21:00.000+08:00

The scheduled First Aid Course from 12 to 14 Nov will be conducted at Lecture Theatre 2.

The course will be conducted from 8am to 6 pm for all three days. Lunch and refreshments will be provided = )

Zaihasrah Binte Nasir
MUHAMMAD REDZWAN B ABD RAHMAN

Zaihasrah, who is the final replacement for you? Please inform me as soon as possible.

We have paid for the course and it is essential that at least one person from the team has first aid knowledge as we often have injury cases. In fact, Coach Sonia wanted to send everyone for the course. First aid knowledge is exceptionally useful as it may save one's life. Any changes, please tag me on the board so I can inform the person-in-charge as soon as possible.

Refrain from calling me on my mobile phone. I appreciate you for giving me space and privacy. Thank you.

How to improve your GP grade

2007-10-31T14:02:00.000+08:00

Cautionary note: This is not a guaranteed solution

1. Start to use your brain.
Remember the 5-Whys? No? Basically, it is why, why, why, why and WHY. Think critically. Find out why a certain issue occur. The basics. The core. Develop depth. How to develop depth?
2. Read, read and read some more.
What to read?
The MI library is fantastic. It is always stocked with new arrivals and the librarian is such a great help. Factual books are the best but if you have trouble reading them, you can start with the thinner ones. What to choose? Much depends on your preference. Just refrain from reading chick lit and Harry Potter. Previously, I have recommended books such as Freakonomics and Discover your Inner Economist in class.

If you read The New Paper, it is time to spend that 70 cents on The Straits Times. You get a lot more pages and content. Although the Sports and Life! sections are more digestible,
the Review and Insight are a must-read to develop critical thinking. If you have no idea, get some ideas here from those who have. Do not take things at face-value. Critique.

3. Have an opinion with concrete evidence.

It is not just a baseless view. From the information you gather, you will have some ideas swimming in your head. Organise them and you will have a better argument. Discuss it with your peers, teachers or even your elders. They might even be impressed by your insight! =)

4. Improve your grammar.

Buy the Preston Primary 6 grammar exercise book and practise.

A GP tutor also answered the same question. You can read his post here.

[Floorball] First Aid Course

2007-10-31T13:54:00.000+08:00

Please attend the first aid course. Details are as followed:

12, 13 & 14 Nov (Mon, Tue & Wed)
8 to 5 pm
School

Zaihasrah Binte Nasir
MUHAMMAD REDZWAN B ABD RAHMAN

Your role is extremely crucial as our players are always injured during games. If your fellow team mates will like to attend, please tag their names and IC. Thank you.

[Floorball] Nominations for Combined Schools

2007-10-24T12:12:00.000+08:00

SFA will be forming the Singapore Schools Floorball Team (Boys / Girls) that will be playing in the Singapore Floorball Association Division 1 Men’s and Women’s League respectively from January to Mid April 2008.

Students nominated please attend the Singapore Schools Floorball training trials and selections on Saturday 3rd, 10th and 17th November
from 9-11.30am (Girls) and
11.30am-2pm (Boys)
at ITE College Central (MacPherson Campus).
All nominated players must report for the first trial on 3rd November.

Siti Suhaila Bte Rahmat
Priya d/o Kakanajothi

MUHAMMAD NADZIR BIN AZMI
MOHAMMAD RIZAL B ISNIN
DINESH RAJ S/O SUPPIAH
SHAWN SYLVESTER SILVER RAJOO

Steps to take if you are counselled to exit

2007-10-23T09:05:00.000+08:00

Deepest sympathies to those who are counselled to exit.
I guess you will be extremely confused and lost now as you are unsure of your future.
Take note that the following advice given below does not guarantee success of appeal.

Ask yourself: Are you sure you are suitable for the 'A' Level course?

At this moment, are you ready to study? If you have other pressing matters to handle or not in the right frame to sit down and mug, perhaps you should settle those issues first.
It is not the end of the world if you do not take the usual path. One year's worth of lessons would have enable you to decide whether you are cut out to pursue the academic route.

2. If you decide not to pursue the 'A' Level course, you can consider other routes which are recommended in the hand-out given to you. Some of them include polytechnic, ITE, SHATEC, La Salle and private courses.

3. If you decide to pursue the 'A' Level course, you need to write an appeal letter addressed to the principal stating the reasons why you should be given another chance.

It is not just "I am very sure that I have the potential to do well. If I am given another year, I will graduate the top of the class." or something to that effect.

You need to write down why you performed so badly this year and concrete steps to improve your studies next year.

If it is all talk and no action, you are going to waste another year and you will find youself in the same situation next year which you will definitely be asked to leave.

Bear in mind that you will be using 4 years to complete the 'A' Level course and you might not even graduate with a full certificate.

Are you prepared to take that risk?

Those who are advanced/ retained to submit their application/ appeal form by 25 Oct, 12 pm.
Please attend a briefing by VP on 26 Oct, immediately after assembly, at LR1

Leadership camp 5-7th Nov

2007-10-22T19:10:00.000+08:00

Compulsory briefing this Wednesday 24 Oct 07 after HT period from 1:25 – 3 pm at LR2.

Those who do not turn up will not be selected for the camp.

Students who are to be Counseled to EXIT will not be considered. Retained or Advanced Students can still attend.

Nominees from Floorball

MOHAMMAD RIZAL B ISNIN

HENRY IZZUWAN BIN KHAIRUDDIN

Phee Guanting

Zaihasrah Binte Nasir

Nominees from 07A7

Md Zulhimi Zainal [Hockey]
Shimma Bte Abdul Rahim[Hockey]
Patrick Fehroz Shah [Drama]
HUMAIRA BTE ZAINAL ABIDEN [Modern Dance]
H Archana Esther [Band]
Joyce Tan Man Fang [Band]
Gayethiri Devi d/o Utrakumaran [Indian Dance]

My 26th birthday

2007-10-20T23:15:00.000+08:00

Felt so weird when so many friends messaged me, "Happy birthday, Mrs Ng!"
Not that I don't like my new title, it seems as though I am not an individual any more - a part of Mr Ng. Anyway, I felt blessed when my friends called or messaged me birthday wishes. Thanks~

[The following is shameless raving about my birthday, totally irrelevant to GP so don't read if you are not interested.]

What I truly wanted for my birthday is a holiday
which I didn't get.

MOE education officers (teachers) need to seek approval from HOD and the principal before going overseas. Anywhere beyond Johor Bahru, I have to seek permission so goodbye impromptu getaway holidays. I didn't realise this after I have signed on the dotted line. It was not even in the fine print. A lot of things are not in the fine print.

What did I get for my 26th birthday?

French dinner

My pre-celebration with my secondary school buddies was at Ma Maison. Fabulous Japanese -Western fusion cuisine. We had cha-soba salad, cheese fritters and garlic butter escargots for appetisers. Their signature hamburger steak and squid ink spaghetti as main course. I strongly recommend this French cottage-styled restaurant for dates. The pricing is similar to Swensens but the food and atmosphere is much better. The first shop is at Bugis Junction and a branch just opened at The Central. If you go to The Central, stop by Paisley and Cream which sells mouth-watering cakes! My ex-colleague from Discovery Channel who learned baking in Le Cordon Bleu (if I remembered correctly) opened this cafe. A chic cafe to chill out on a weekend.
Enough blatant advertising....

Hong Kong dim sum breakfast
I can't go to Hong Kong so we had dim sum breakfast at East Ocean (Lido). This place serves the best custard salted egg yolk bun! The filling flows out like liquid gold. My favourite way of eating it is to suck the salty sweet filling before eating the bun. Another dim sum worth mentioning is the sharks' fin soup dumpling, only $6.50! I know I need to be environmentally conscious but it is my birthday so just let me eat that sliver of sharks' fin....

Chinese Tui-na
My husband said that he wanted to give me a 'relaxing birthday' and my bag of bones is falling apart so we went for massage. I wanted Swedish massage but after prodding my bones, the masseur recommended Chinese Tui-na as my body is severely tense. She warned that as she pressed my congested acupuncture points, I might feel slight discomfort.
What slight discomfort? It was so @#$% painful that I screamed silently and fight not to cry. I need some comfort food.

Japanese teppanyaki
Lunch was at my favourite Japanese restaurant at Far East Plaza. I am not telling you the name because it needs no more publicity. Sometimes, you have to wait for more than 15 minutes because there are less than 20 seats and only one person cooking. The place is so coveted that the chef actually charges $2 for each seat and it is compulsory to order at least one dish! A tiny dinky shop that one will definitely miss. When my journalist pal first brought me there, she said, "It feels like eating in Tokyo."
You sit at the cramped counter, huddling shoulder-to-shoulder with other customers. Slabs of fish meat are displayed in full view. The stoic yet meticulous chef prepares the sashimi right in front of you. Although I have tasted better Japanese food elsewhere, this shop's flavour suits me the most - fresh, simple and claustrophobic.

Hollywood B-grade movie
Balls of Fury is one of the worst movies I have seen but Maggie Q is really hot! The usual serious Christopher Walken dressed in post-Elvis garage sales costumes, acting as a villain is a riot. I was surprised to see Jason Scott Lee acting as a minion beefcake. The hit-to-the-groin jokes are lame, Asian characters are stereotypical, the plot is so bad that I cannot believe that I actually paid $9.50 to watch it. I wanted to watch a comedy so it was between Balls of Fury and Super Bad. Either one provides mindless humour. I chose Balls of Fury due to Maggie Q. She is sizzling hot!

Red shoes, Nail accessories and MP3 player
Being the dutiful daughter-in-law (shameless), I went to pick out kitchenware with my parents-in-law at Plaza Singapura. My husband allowed me to shop at Daiso and gave me a budget of $10 which I only spent $8! He is trying to curb my spending habit.
I bought a pair of red flats within 5 minutes today!
I also purchased magnets from 'Action for Singapore Dogs', doing my part for charity.
Did I mention that I am reading 'Confessions of a Shopaholic' by Sophie Kinsella?
In case you are thinking that I married Mr Scrooge, he bought me a new Panasonic MP3 player which only cost $49; extremely value-for-money.
Mr Ng saves, Mrs Ng spends. Match-made in heaven.

Halal Raspberry Cheesecake
My birthday cake was a slice of Raspberry Cheesecake from Secret Recipe. We are too full from our breakfast and lunch so we just ordered a slice of cake and a cup of mocha latte while our parents ate dinner. I never knew Secret Recipe was a Halal restaurant until my colleagues bought a separate cake here to celebrate the Muslim teachers' birthdays. To celebrate my birthday and be racially conscious, I shall eat a halal cake. Sheesh, I feel so _____ typing the previous sentence. This shows that my brain is infected after marking so many nonsensical scripts.

Oh, I forgot to make my birthday wishes.

1) More money
2) Win 4D
3) Strike Toto
4) Salary raise
5) Huge performance bonus
which will not come true.

so just be healthy and happy will suffice!

Checking of Promo exam scripts

2007-10-17T23:29:00.000+08:00

After assembly on 22 Oct (Monday), PU1 students will check their promo exam scripts.

Please make sure you are not absent and turn up punctually.

No changes can be made after 10 am

as I need to update the records by 11 am (deadline fixed by the school Exam Committee)

Therefore, it is your responsibility to check the scripts thoroughly and inform me the necessary changes.

If I cannot attend to your concerns at that particular moment,

take a piece of paper, write down the error, the correct mark and attach the paper to your script.

You CANNOT take the scripts home.

I have more than 200 scripts (Paper 1 and Paper 2) so please understand my constraints and pressures.

Thank you.

Haircheck on Wed

2007-10-16T16:12:00.000+08:00

Haircheck tomorrow (Wed 17/10/2007) in home rooms after morning assembly.
Those who fail the haircheck are to sign-out according to procedure to get their hair done.
Parents will be informed.
Don't say I never warn you beforehand

It is the wRITE thing

2007-10-08T00:30:00.000+08:00

I am so sick of bad handwriting.
There, I said it!

Day after day, I try to tell myself, "Be professional. There are hundreds, thousands or even millions of netizens reading your blog. Do not write anything that can get yourself in trouble."

At this moment, I just want to say, "This is my space and I just want to write whatever I am feeling right now."

If you are from MOE, I would advise you to stop reading because what you are going to read is not going to reflect well on my work performance and mostly likely, affect my bonus. (if I am going to get any this year after so many mistakes made)

After marking so many sub-standard essays, I question myself and the education system. Are we doing the right thing?

1. Poor, illegible handwriting

Writing is one of basic language skills. Why do some students, at the age of 17, 18 cannot even write proper A, B, Cs? I am not expecting longhand or cursive handwriting, just clear, legible written words which I do not need to decipher. Is that an 'a' or a 's' ?
Boys' handwriting are characterised by chicken scrawls. It seemed that they were upset by the exam questions so they were trying to make the marker's life difficult - write in code. If I cannot read, I cannot mark. Fail-proof strategy indeed. While I was marking such scripts, I was tempted to run to Popular bookstore to buy those Learn-To-Write ABC books so that these 'chicken scrawlers' can learn how to write again.

The most drastic measure I took while marking was to dig out a magnifying glass to read this girl's script because her words resembles an ant's handwriting (if ants could write).

The current trend of tYpiNg cApiTaL lEttErs with sMall lEttErs also appeared in some scripts. Once, I pointed out this MSN-inflicted habit when I was marking a Sec 2 student's work when I was at YISS. She scolded me in her blog and said that her 'long-term' teachers never had problems, why was I, the relief teacher, picking on her.

Why I am harping on such a insignificant issue? Handwriting reflects one's personality. Some human resource departments even select potential employees by handwriting analysis. Although we are moving to a tech-oriented society where one is required to have basic technological skills, handwriting is not going to be obsolete, at least not in our lifetime. One will need to take written examinations, take notes or even write Thank-You cards.

To share an amusing anecdote, during my teenage years, my best friends and I used to read letters written by our admirers and guess the person's personality. Those who chicken scrawled did not even get a date. Boys with flowery handwriting, dotting their 'i's with hearts are usually playboys. We ended up dating boys with clear, upright handwriting and their letters have minimal grammatical errors. This may seem like an irrelevant or superficial example. I thought, to students who care so much about their love life, one will understand why we pick these boys?

Linking back to the topic sentence, writing is the one of the basic language skills. If one is able to write well, it is probable that this person can communicate better. Hence, writing poetry or letters is one of the ways to win a girl's heart. Looking at the bigger picture, one's handwriting can influence one's grades, job prospects and future.

If you cannot decipher your own handwriting, in other words, unable to check your work after you have written it, you ought to consider learning how to write again. It is the Right (write) thing to do after exams.

That reminds me the thing I have to do now is get back to my marking.
MOE, please do not sue me. I'm just trying to de-stress! >_<"

Nominees for leadership camp

2007-10-04T08:31:00.000+08:00

In our quest to groom future leaders, the annual Student Leadership Camp will be held from

5 to7th November 2007 . This camp is meant to imbue our (about 140) student leaders with a sense of the schools’ core values and leadership perspectives, an opportunity for working among peers at organizing events.

These students will be likely candidates for Students’ and NE Council.

I have nominated 4 students from 07A7, please inform me if you have prior engagements on the particular dates above so that other students can take your place.

MUHAMMAD ZULHILMI B ZAINAL

HUMAIRA BTE ZAINAL ABIDEN

JAIGANESH PANNIRSELVAM

NURULHUDA BTE ZAYANI

* Final selection will depend on a holistic view of the student with input from the Discipline committee too. ( ie Nomination does not equal Confirmation)

Watch Bridging Minds on Arts Central on Monday 10 pm

2007-09-21T10:57:00.000+08:00

Bridging Minds is an English debate for pre-university students and is jointly produced by MediaCorp TV12 and Radio Television Brunei. It was first held in Brunei in 1997 as part of a Memorandum of Understanding between the governments of Singapore and Brunei Darussalam concerning cooperation in the field of broadcasting.

Bridging Minds 2007 was held in Brunei between the 16th and 24th of Aug. 5 students from AJC, ACJC, MJC, RJC, and VJC represented Singapore. Mr Masagos Zulkifli, Senior Parliamentary Secretary (MOE) was the GOH from Singapore. The motion was "The Price of Envy Is Destruction".
The winner of the debate was the opposition team under teacher advisor Ms Jessie Lina Bte Hj Haliluddin from Brunei and theatrical coach Vadi Pvss, an Economics tutor from Raffles Junior College.

Please catch the telecast on 24th September, 10 pm, on Arts Central.

Floorball 2007

2007-09-20T20:17:00.001+08:00

Informal 1

My first home class

2007-09-20T20:08:00.001+08:00