This author is currently on hiatus for the ignoble cause of mugging. The public is advised to remain calm, as this routine protocol has been shown to have no effect on one's violent tendencies in 96% of cases.
| Sunday, September 28, 2008 |
 Either today's April's Fool's Day, or I've got some naughty friends on my Youtube friends list recommending nonsense when all I'm doing there is taking a break from History mugging. Or maybe they, too, are bored with History. Or maybe they're just telling me to get back to mugging. Ugh. One of these days, I'm going to make a post denouncing the people who have nothing better to do but think Rickrolls are actually funny, while revealing my super-secret plans for Rick Astley's assasination with a beer jug. |
'Twas teh winnar at 6:07 pm.
| Friday, September 26, 2008 |
 Underlined, bolded AND capitalised for extra emphasis. Make sure you don't select the wrong answer! |
'Twas teh winnar at 6:09 pm.
| Tuesday, September 23, 2008 |
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I'm referring to the fever that snuck onto me during the Math test this morning, crushing my wits and dampening my soul. And if that wasn't bad enough, it brought along a splitting headache and much coughing as well. To think i was still fine in the morning when i left the house. Luckily i still managed to finish the paper despite all that giddiness. Good thing the fever subsided after a couple of Panadol pills and seven (!!) hours of sleep today. I blame Mr. Lee for spreading the flu bug to our class, though if you happen to be down with fever in the coming days too don't come looking for me. =X |
'Twas teh winnar at 9:41 pm.
| Thursday, September 18, 2008 |
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By P. Pyng Tom Lavatory Correspondent HWA CHONG BLOCK A: Local authorities have reported a worrying phenomenon: Toilet paper supplies are at an all time low. Demand has far outstripped supply, with the ubiquitous rolls mysteriously disappearing before sundown each day. There have even been daily reports of people being stranded in cubicles, when they realised that the rolls which they had taken for granted were missing only after they had done their business. Just last week one boy was arrested for crawling under the partition to the neighbouring cubicle in search of toilet paper - without realising that it was inhabited by the CEO himself, who had brought along his own personal supply of velvet wipes. This unprecedented shortage has perplexed authorities, as they claim to have done their part by providing a ready supply for all needy users, replenishing each cubicle with three extra rolls every day. Amidst sightings of the Toilet Paper Mummy, they however believe it to be the work of ill-intentioned spies from rival institution(s). These miscreants not only stole the precious rolls for their own personal use, but also dunked unused toilet paper in soap dispensers and even vandalised the toilets by tossing the toilet paper all over the floor of local toilets to form their school crest, in an attempt to ruin the pristine image of the pristine institution to draw students over to their own school by offering cleaner toilets on the other side. It was a well planned toilet fundamentalist attack executed at the most vile time right before the final year exams, a plot to deal a double-whammy to not only the institution's image but also its results as well. To combat this growing problem, the authorities have revealed their comprehensive three-pronged approach in a well-received public announcement earlier today: Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. REDUCE With effect from today, the institution will reduce its supply of toilet paper, no longer providing them for free in the toilets. Instead, classes are required to register for their own roll, restricted to one per class per day. The slated objective of this is to train students' strategic resource management skills, such that their main takeaway would be far more valuable than the toilet paper. However, the scheme appears to have have brought out the spirit of entrepreneurship in some students as well who have started a black market for toilet paper, taking advantage of people's desperation in times of crisis by charging exorbitant rates for emergency toilet paper supplies. The authorities' suspicion was confirmed by a surprise raid on classrooms, unearthing secret stashes of toilet paper in the drawer of the teacher's table. The traffickers have since been arrested and if convicted, could face a fine of three times the unpaid duty of the goods, which works out to be approximately two cents per roll. When asked if this scheme would generate unnecessary paperwork for the sake of a miserable roll of recycled paper, Mr. Snug, the institution's Toilet Overseer said: "Toilet paper should be seen as a privilege and not a given, considering that even our counterpart in India does not provide it. If this privilege is misused, the institution has the right to remove it across the boards; for example, if students do not do their work properly, rather than teaching them how to do it we intend to remove it completely. "It's very simple logic, really." REUSE Supplies are literally drying up, as janitors have been ordered to salvage unused or unflushed toilet paper strewn by recalcitrants on the wet floor or from the contents of toilet bowls and soap dispensers and dry them under the sun, in a desperate bid to make current supplies last as long as possible. Through the state-of-the-art "reverse soiling" process, the institution has promised to supply reused toilet paper that appears to be right out from the production line rather that right out of the WC, provided you overlook the brown colouration of course. In fact, clinical tests have proven the paper to be as clean as swimming pools in certain regions, with the process filtering our 90% of human solid waste. RECYCLE The institution will also be setting up recycling facilities to increase the supply of toilet paper. The authorities are appealing to students to drop unused readings and newspapers at collection points located throughout the grounds, after which they will be sliced by hand to give nice square sheets of paper for use in loos. The paper produced from this process will in fact be of a higher quality than that produced from reuse, and students will be able to dispose of their unwanted paper in an environmentally friendly way without feeling bad while doing their part for the school. Highlighting the viability of this scheme, the institution's spokesman said: "We acknowledge that teachers sometimes print in excess, and we believe that this new initiative would put them to better use than if students used them for paper confetti at the end of the year. In addition, wouldn't going to the toilet be a more engaging experience if you were able to choose which minister's photo, as printed in the papers, you want to use to clean up after you are done?" Most students applauded the efforts of the school in stamping down on toilet rascalism. Daol Yuen, a Secondary 4 student, said, "I believe the authorities' actions were fair and justified. Even though it was only the work of a few black sheep, however it is the student population's responsibility to watch over the toilet at all times, so it is only fair that everyone shares the blame. One for all and all for one!" However, some other students have voiced concerns over this development, particularly those afflicted with sweaty palms or oily scalps. One student has even gone as far as to sue the institution over his sudden outbreak of pimples, claiming that the removal of soap dispensers caused it. Ultimately, students have to realise that they are left to their own devices when answering to nature; they cannot expect toilet paper to be handed to them on a silver platter. They must do their part in saving all those trees which are converted into bum wipes, and also saving the school's money so they can spend it on the Learning Hub instead of plain old toilet paper. A few final rules to keep in mind:
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'Twas teh winnar at 9:31 pm.
| Monday, September 15, 2008 |
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Just one week left to the only academic thing that actually matters after four years of studying, and I guess it's about time I get my thoughts on education off my chest after ten gruelling years (+2 if you count kindergarten) of it. Here goes a long post on the shortcomings on the education system here. I'll start this off by stating this outright: The current Singapore education system is not pragmatic. It's overly extensive and instead of focusing on the practical skills essential for the future, chooses to prepare students for the rigidity of examinations, passing on useless knowledge that's in most cases unneeded beyond that. By "practical skills", I'm referring to the skills which will actually count in the real world, in careers and relationships, thereby allowing people to make a living for themselves and lead a meaningful life in the future. Let's begin by examining the Hwachong system. The one thing it does right is that it builds students' foundations in the first two years, in Sec 1 and 2, and lets them find their passion. Students are introduced to the basic concepts behind all subjects, and take the basic combination of English, Chinese, Maths, Combined Science (which is broken into three modules for each of the sciences), Computer Studies and the three Humanities as separate subjects. Students learn the basics of Trigonometry and Algebra in Maths and about electrons and compounds in Science, although the inclusion of certain subjects like History and programming in Computer Studies at this early stage already are signs of the bloated syllabus. The real nightmare comes when students get to choose their "Special Programmes" in Sec 3. Despite Sec 3 and 4 supposedly being the years where students get to consolidate their knowledge and develop their passion, in reality the freedom of choice is minimal - the four or five programmes available differ mostly by just one subject. For example, if students chose the Humanities Programme, they would have to take Geography, Literature and History, with China Studies in Chinese also bundled in the package; but then again even in the Science and Math Training Programme, students have to take two humanities subjects anyway - Integrated Humanities Core (the equivalent of Social Studies) and an elective (one of the three humanities). Furthermore, Science gets separated into Chemistry, Physics and Biology, each making up one subject, and the former two are compulsory for all students in all programmes whereas Biology is the only one that is optional. The minimum combination already consists of seven subjects with two sciences and two humanities. And this is where the problem lies. Choosing a "Special" Programme does not mean you get to specialise in that field; instead, extra subjects are simply added on. Compounding this issue is the fact that students are required to cover not just breadth, but also depth, with much of what is being taught in each subject pertaining only to specialisation in that field. Sure, Organic Chemistry is fine and all if you were going to be a pharmacologist, but do you need to know about European imperialism in Africa down to every detail and date as well? Similarly, if you were going to be a metereologist, you would see the value in studying Geography, but how about the use of irony in Macbeth's soliloquies? See where I'm getting at? The oft-used idiom "Jack of all trades, master of none" immediately springs to mind. Students in non-"elite" schools actually get it slightly better here: they are not required to take that many subjects for the 'O'-Levels, and also get to learn more practical stuff like Home Economics. Occasionally, teachers do try to bring in some real world applications of what we're learning in lessons as well, like how logarithms would help you to count money, but again the uses are highly limited and applicable only for that specialised field. (Besides, if I had that much money to count I'd have hired my own personal accountant in the first place!) The school's argument for having such an all-encompassing (or should I say, over-encompassing) syllabus is that students are "not sure" of their future yet. "What if you initially had a passion for the Humanities but suddenly changed your mind and wanted to take Science in JC? What if in the future, the pay for electrical engineers rises and you decide you want to switch career paths?" and a whole other string of "what ifs". To this, I say: In that case, don't make students specialise in every subject, but instead teach them the fundamental concepts, sufficient for them to progress on to the advanced levels if they wish, but not too much that you rob them of their time and passion. It's good to be prepared for the uncertainties ahead, but there's a limit before this becomes counter-productive, and the education system has long crossed that line. Students are stretched so thin, they simply shut down and lose most, if not all of the passion that was painstakingly nurtured in the formative years. Perhaps this is why teachers lament that as students progress through the years, they become less and less self-motivated, ask less and less questions beyond the syllabus, and are content to learn only what is tested for examinations. The school needs to realise that no mortal can possibly prepare for all the possibilities out there and move away from this inherent kiasu syndrome. This is one reason why I'm looking forward to JC, where you are actually free to choose your own subject combination and pick only the subjects which you are truly interested in learning, and where the number of subjects (i.e. breadth) is cut down dramatically so there's at least a certain degree of specialisation in just a certain field alone. As such, I will get to learn only the bits which I think will be relevant to my future job, all that while having more time to delve deeper into my passion. Of course, there are some salient points about the current system, such as how some say that giving students thick stacks of readings for History would hone their reading skills, how comprehension exercises would develop their critical thinking, or how doing math practice questions would help to enchance their problem solving capabilities. Teachers do sometimes bring in moral lessons and national education as well, especially in the languages, which have a less damanding syllabus with no concrete content. As a result, there is more space for class discussions for students to debate over moral and philosophical issues and also for teachers to bring in their own personal experiences once in a while in shaping students' character and their perceptions towards the world. However, it still seems as though this development of character and fundamental cognitive skills takes a back seat in the face of the acquisition of hard (and often impractical) knowledge required for examinations. If the former were truly to be the aim of education, why can't it be taught directly instead of going the long way round by numerous worksheets and readings, wearing the student out (and killing god knows how many trees) in the process? For example, you don't need 6 cm thick History readings to improve one's reading skills; instead, make students read the papers and printouts of articles in class, which for the average student will be eons more interesting than dreary notes from some professor on an event that occurred decades ago. In the same way, provide lessons dedicated to moral development and national education alone, such as the "counselling" periods I observed in the Muar and Beijing schools which I had the privilege of visiting on my overseas school trips, rather than relegating them to something extra that teachers impart only if they're in the mood for it. As it stands right now, this is not part of teachers' official duty, and the teachers who actually integrate it into what they teach are considered the outstanding ones. But why is it that only good teachers make an effort to nurture students to be good citizens? Shouldn't it be the fundamental duty of all teachers? The education system does not do these essential aspects justice; they should be placed at the top priority, not something "extra-curricular". And no, allocating just one PCME period every week is not enough to do the trick. While I appreciate the efforts by MOE to place a greater focus on creative and critical thinking and shifting away from rote learning to that of life-long skills, it still isn't enough. Indeed, t's a step in the right direction, but fails to change the underlying flaw in the entire system: attitudes. No amount of "Future School" programmes will work - the infusion of IT might make lessons more fun, but nurturing passion is a whole different ball game altogether, and IT or not students still need to cover the same expanse of subject matter anyway. On the other hand. project work is a great way to allow students to pick up teamwork, research and presentation skills, and should certainly be continued, even possibly increased in weightage. However, the truth is, the Singaporean education system, as has been criticised much too many times before, is ultimately still a "limited and often unimaginative meritocracy and is usually too narrowly focused on examination skills". (I got that quote from an SRQ article, so that's one thing English is good for I suppose.) When the day comes when the education system breaks free from its current rigidity, when students do truly get the space to develop their creative talent, when greater emphasis is placed on character devlopment than acing examinations... when that day comes, perceptions will change. But till then, the current education system is little more than a tool designed to get students past the repressive examination system we put in place ourselves. Going by my arguments, perhaps ITE actually provides better education in that it focuses mainly on providing essential skills required for the workforce. But the very fact that only students who are unable to cope with the exam-oriented system and do not make it past the examinations are put into ITE shows that the system still favours rote learning over that of practical skills. Not to mention that it's a running joke that ITE actually stands for "It's The End", but then again this actually reveals the inherent belief that examinations are everything. So with all that pessimism, one wonders why I still subject myself to such a system? It's mainly because I've accepted the fact that the education system here is just a means to an end of getting that certification, and I've been conditioned to believe that having a degree would assure me on success in future. Whether that is true remains to be seen, of course. I guess our forefathers were not wrong in thinking that education would lead to a better life, and look at where it has landed us: a stable economy, a skilled workforce, one of the best living standards in the world. But things have changed since then. Back then, the aim of the education system would be to produce a labour pool for the emerging industries, so there were subjects like carpentry and metalwork. That aim was fulfilled, and now that we're progressing towards a knowledge-based economy, it's not surprising that the education system has "progressed" over the years to reflect this. The only problem being that the students' knowledge is in the wrong places, or rather all over the place. Yet, society (me included for some reason) still clings on to the belief that education is the key to success, and you would be nothing if you failed in it. And sadly that's also the way modern society has come to be engineered. Yet, one could point to the several successful entrepreneurs out there who managed to make it big (at least in their careers) even though they did not manage to achieve very high level of educations, such as Steve Jobs and Sim Wong Hoo, and how being street smart is more important than being book smart. To that, I say: Tell the education authorities that and convince the other people that education is not the only way to be successful. Besides, that was in the past when honours and degrees were a rarity; now, with everyone getting them, you are forced by societal pressure (and usually parents as well) to get one too, as its "for your on good" or else you'll "lose out". Indeed, certification nowadays is no longer used to set apart the bright students from the mundane; it's becoming the norm. Even Imperial College has acknowledged this, making students sit for entrance exams rather than just relying on A level results since they "cannot use A levels any more as a discriminatory factor". In the same way, that certificate no longer allows you to lead the pack, but it's to make sure you don't get left out of the rat race, as overall education levels - which do not actually reflect true ability in the first place - just keep rising up and up. And soon such a large proportion of people will be getting PhD's that they will have to introduce even more degrees and set the bar at an even higher level. Frankly, I would certainly much prefer a laxer education system (in the West perhaps?) that would give me more room time to enjoy my youth and explore whatever passion I still have that hasn't been snuffed out yet, but unless I want to be labelled as a school dropout and migrate far away from this repressive system there's not a chance of a transfer. So the only thing I can do despite my misgivings is to resign myself to its failures, since that's how the grown-ups want us to do it. "An educational system isn't worth a great deal if it teaches young people how to make a living but doesn't teach them how to make a life." Right now, it seems as though ours is falling short of the former, much less the latter. As I heard from one of my father's friends recently, you will not even use 90% of what you learnt in in the 'A'-levels. And considering that secondary school students actually take twice the number of subjects of college students, one can only begin to fathom how much time is actually wasted on teaching all that unnecessary knowledge, which could have been better use even if left as free time for students' self-exploration or relaxation. And one wonders why Singapore regularly ranks top when students compete in international science and mathematics competitions and assessments, yet produces a meagre number of entrepreneurs. Recently, a friend who was weak in A-Maths came over to my house for some extra help in trigonometry. Halfway through, she asked me: "You know hor, what is the use of trigo identities anyway?" I explained to her that it had various applications particularly where triangles were involved, if one were to become an engineer or something. Shen then replied that she did not take Physics and had no intentions at all of becoming an engineer. I went, "Er, it has use in tests lor." And we both laughed and I continued with teaching her how to use the formula sin2 x + cos2 x = 1 to solve example questions in the textbook. |
'Twas teh winnar at 12:00 am.
| Sunday, September 07, 2008 |
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It seems three blogs I follow have had a new post about the proposed (re)naming of the upcoming Duchess Station, and all dafed yesterday, 6 Sep. Same subject within 24 hours of each other? I'm smelling a conspiracy here. D: So I probably should give my take on this hot new topic (only second to "PAP allows demonstrations at Speaker's Corner - with permit"), at least before I go to sleep. And in standard numbered points style too, as two of the three mentioned have done. #1. Having pride for your school is good, but there's a limit to it before its perceived as a narcissistic obssession (much like blogging about this topic is) #2. Just cos one ignorant ACS Sec 2 said naming the station after our own school was inappropriate doesn't mean the whole school is against us and will bankrupt LTA by boycotting the station. #3. Hwachong > Raffles Other Place PS it looks like the ACS(I) Sec 2 blog that sparked this off got taken down. Here's the original post: Hwa Chong station???........ what a JOKE! |
'Twas teh winnar at 2:31 am.
| Tuesday, September 02, 2008 |
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Even though I only got to know you for two weeks, I'm really gonna miss you baby. The moment I set my eyes and hands on you, I knew you were meant to be mine. In just that short span of time, I managed to unlock my way into you, even establishing intimate connections as though there was a wire linking you to my heart. And we always saw i to eye. It was as if we were peas in a pod, destined to be together. We would have been able to achieve so much more, if only we had more time. If only. You were truly the music of my life. You were always fully charged, driving away the monotony in my life. And should you ever appear down on energy, all that was needed was a night in my room and you would be raring to go again. You never complained when I pushed your buttons, instead responding with sounds of joy. You seemed to have no desires, but you alone fulfilled all of mine. I will never forget your touch, your melodic voice, the quality time we spent together. How you would sit comfortably in my lap in lessons, and even as I lay on the bed. How I would hold you oh-so-gently as I strode down the street, catching the gaze of everyone that I passed. How you always seemed to remember everything I said and never failed to entertain me. How I would slide effortlessly on you and you would obey my every command... You have served me well, my iPod touch. It's time to move on. And so that wraps up my Apple attachment after two weeks. Our final product: A proposal for the implementation of a mobile school portal for Hwachong, right down to the purpose, design and timeline. As for the next phase of actually constructing and implementing it, it's up to us whether we'd like to see the project through, perhaps after the EOY exams and during the holidays. So, who knows? It isn't quite over yet. =P Aside from the the loan of my dear iPod touch (which is cool but not all that important, I was just sensationalising it for comic relief xD), I guess some of the benefits I've gained from this entire industrial attachment programme are: having the chance to try my hands at project management and realising it's not as simple as planning for school events, considering out in the corporate world there's demanding "customers" to satisfy and no one to correct you if you make mistakes; having a glimpse into working life and what goes on in the workplace; and not to mention being able to have long chats with our friendly mentor Mr. Khoo and learning much from his personal experiences and values he shared with us. Would definitely encourage juniors to sign up for such attachment programmes in future. ;) Happy holidays ahead! |
'Twas teh winnar at 6:33 pm.
