NTU honours teacher of top students
I don't mean to bitch about life but when I read that NTU was planning to honour an ex-JC teacher and a NTU lecturer who inspired the top student, my heart sank.
As an ex-teacher who taught in a government secondary school (read: my kids as top students in a university? Yeah, right. It's not a negative comment on my ex-students - I think we all know where each stands and it'll take more than human strength to top their cohort. I'll stop here lest I get misunderstood and my remarks get misconstrued and taken out of context again.).
My point is, why JC teacher? Why not primary or secondary school teachers? Are they any less than JC teachers in spurring the student to academic excellence? Why top student? Does it mean that teachers of non-top students actually did less?
My hiatus outside education was meant to rekindle my passion to go back to teach. Yet each day, I see things that plunge my heart deeper and deeper into ice age.
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Hilarious stuff
Hilarious stuff
Just like hamburger has no ham, the blackcurrants in Ribena has four times the vitamin C of oranges simply means that - the blackcurrants has four times the vitamin C of oranges. No one said Ribena, because it is made of the blackcurrants, has four times the vitamin C of oranges. If I were to change Ribena to a glass or a bowl, are you going to claim that the glass or the bowl should have four times the vitamin C of oranges? Of course not.
But unfortunately for GlaxoSmithKline, they were fined more than NZ$200 000 for making that "claim". And the people who called GSK's bluff? Two NZ schoolgirls.
Go figure.
Just like hamburger has no ham, the blackcurrants in Ribena has four times the vitamin C of oranges simply means that - the blackcurrants has four times the vitamin C of oranges. No one said Ribena, because it is made of the blackcurrants, has four times the vitamin C of oranges. If I were to change Ribena to a glass or a bowl, are you going to claim that the glass or the bowl should have four times the vitamin C of oranges? Of course not.
But unfortunately for GlaxoSmithKline, they were fined more than NZ$200 000 for making that "claim". And the people who called GSK's bluff? Two NZ schoolgirls.
Go figure.
Sunday, March 18, 2007
America Top 40 Country Songs
America Top 40 Country Songs (18 Mar 07)
Heard No.17 and fell in love with it:
It Would Be You by Gary Allan.
Very nice.
And it is so new that even Youtube does not have the MTV yet.
I'm waiting for it.
Heard No.17 and fell in love with it:
It Would Be You by Gary Allan.
Very nice.
And it is so new that even Youtube does not have the MTV yet.
I'm waiting for it.
KL KL
KL KL
Snippets of my KL trip from 15 to 17 Mar 07
Bus journey
Always choose the bus company with a key performance indicator. In this case, choose a company that promises you the duration of the journey. We took a slow coach (pun not intended) and it took us a long time to get to our destination.
Of course, savvy travellers will know the importance of start and end points. Starting or ending at some less-than-central locations often bring additional grief.
Costs
Remember the economic principles governing quality, speed and price. It usually works. Of course, there are instances where the three are mutually exclusive. Don't be surprised if you have something quick and exorbitantly priced but yet is still not good.
Hotel room
If you don't smoke, insist on the non-smoking floor. Or suffer the indignity of smelling cheapo eau de toilettes used in liberal amounts to mask the malodourous cigarette smoke. Makes the entire floor smell like a cheap night joint or worse, some sicko hospital using fragrances to sterilise the place. And while you are at it, wash your clothes (worn or unworn) when you return home. Your clothes, especially if you launder them well, are perfect smell absorbers.
Taxis
Always insist on those whose drivers charge by meters. Jalan Ampang to Bukit Bintang is RM4.10 by meter but drivers would insist that because of the jam, they want RM15. Pudu bus terminal to Jalan Ampang is RM6 - 7 depending on traffic but they will ask for between 15 - 30. Bukit Bintang to Jalan Ampang is also RM4.10 by meter but taxis don't even want your business because they say there is a jam. So they would much rather get stuck in a jam with an empty vehicle than to drive you.
KL taxi drivers should rob a bank. They probably will get rich faster.
LRT
The equivalent of the tube/metro/MRT/BTS/people mover whatever. Each time you move from line to line, you have to exit the station and buy a new ticket to continue the next leg. Just be careful how the prices stack up. Bukit Bintang to KLCC (near the hotel) for two people costs RM5. The cab is RM4.10. Sense and sensibility is a book by Jane Austen.
Prices
Exorbitant does not even begin to describe their prices. I mean, if we go by us and them earning the equivalent salaries, albeit in different currencies, then how can they afford prices twice of ours? Does it not mean that their purchasing power is halved? Although their housing is half or less of ours, but why would one want a cheap house, buy a car to drive and be perpetually caught in a jam and pay all the savings on food?
Commuter etiquette
There is no difference between us and them. They also crowd the door because they fear that the rest of the two-carriage LRT train not close to the door will not stop at KLCC. Funny how the world thinks alike, right?
Touting
They win. Seated at Jalan Alor and ordered some food. Jalan Alor is a food street (pathetic description, if you ask me - we would have many many Jalan Alor equivalents) and thus, there was this element of adventure and food tasting was about to begin when this dour bitch came over and asked for drink and food orders. The cups in the menu were twice the cups they used to serve. I know as much, so I did not order anything. I asked my friend if he wanted Penang char kway teow and he was hesitant. So we did not order. When the bitch repeated the order of one starfruit juice, she added Penang ckt. We said we didn't order that. You could see her face turn shades darker. It almost blended into the night sky. Of course, I won't be surprised if the juice came with sputum. But that's me taking the worst case scenario.
Buffet Breakfast
I went to the egg station and asked for scrambled egg. What I got was chopped egg with excessive metal taste because the chef scraped the flat pan too hard, I think... And breakfast was a all you can eat, eat all you can, you can eat all, you can all eat, you all can eat, you eat all can... but guess what? On the second morning, I found mouldy bread. 4-star hotel serving mouldy bread.
Mdm Kwan's vs Mr Tan
I guess if you drown everything with enough fermented prawn paste, things will taste good. That's a hindsight. But when I was eating there, the food was not too bad. But I was hungry since lunch (remember the slow coach) and it was nearly 4 pm that I was having lunch.
Mr Tan was different. Located along Jalan Alor in some nondescript row of food hawkers (he was beside some super unfriendly China man food stall who asked me to F-O from his seats because I did not order his pathetic excuse of food), his lo-shee-fun turned out great. While it was a bit greasy, I believe it would have beaten Kwan's version hands down if Mr Tan gave us two additional limes and lots of fermented prawn paste. At a mere RM4 vs RM16, my uncle would have helped you clog your arteries in quadruple quick time! Value for money!
Mandarin Oriental Tim Sum Place
See, that's the problem when you try so hard to be exclusive. People don't remember your name. I only remember that it is something Po Heen, and that's partly because the parts I remembered resembled parts of my boss' name. Pathetic right? And so was the food. RM200 later, the only thing that left me a deep impression was the regal toilet outside the restaurant. Mandarin Oriental Hotel has a toilet bigger than my house and it is so well decorated that it makes me hang my head in shame.
Maybe I should re-title this part... to Mandarin Oriental Tim Sum Toilet?
Hotel pool
Small but I'm not complaining. At least it has water in it. And the kids seem to love it. If kids love it, it should be ok.
Wannabes
If you want to reminisce my 1980s, go to KL now. There is a general blind following of fashion and trends. It is beginning to lose its roots and direction. Is this inevitable in the pursuit of globalisation?
Mindsets
Again, I am seeing the 1980s repeated. In the 80s boom years, our people wouldn't think twice of spending three to four times the normal price to eat something in some posh place just to show that we have "arrived". Nearing the 2010s, I see food at the same price as in the 80s. And yet, if the quality is not good enough, people pooh-poohed the food. The outlet will close down because of poor food quality. We have moved from money for no value to value for money. In fact, it is more like excellent value for money. People have grown discerning and are now more penny-wise and pound-brilliant.
Final words
Great to re-visit a city that I last visited some many years ago. A lot of things have changed. I will probably go again, just to check out where competition is. The trip was not enjoyable but the company was. That makes up for everything.
Snippets of my KL trip from 15 to 17 Mar 07
Bus journey
Always choose the bus company with a key performance indicator. In this case, choose a company that promises you the duration of the journey. We took a slow coach (pun not intended) and it took us a long time to get to our destination.
Of course, savvy travellers will know the importance of start and end points. Starting or ending at some less-than-central locations often bring additional grief.
Costs
Remember the economic principles governing quality, speed and price. It usually works. Of course, there are instances where the three are mutually exclusive. Don't be surprised if you have something quick and exorbitantly priced but yet is still not good.
Hotel room
If you don't smoke, insist on the non-smoking floor. Or suffer the indignity of smelling cheapo eau de toilettes used in liberal amounts to mask the malodourous cigarette smoke. Makes the entire floor smell like a cheap night joint or worse, some sicko hospital using fragrances to sterilise the place. And while you are at it, wash your clothes (worn or unworn) when you return home. Your clothes, especially if you launder them well, are perfect smell absorbers.
Taxis
Always insist on those whose drivers charge by meters. Jalan Ampang to Bukit Bintang is RM4.10 by meter but drivers would insist that because of the jam, they want RM15. Pudu bus terminal to Jalan Ampang is RM6 - 7 depending on traffic but they will ask for between 15 - 30. Bukit Bintang to Jalan Ampang is also RM4.10 by meter but taxis don't even want your business because they say there is a jam. So they would much rather get stuck in a jam with an empty vehicle than to drive you.
KL taxi drivers should rob a bank. They probably will get rich faster.
LRT
The equivalent of the tube/metro/MRT/BTS/people mover whatever. Each time you move from line to line, you have to exit the station and buy a new ticket to continue the next leg. Just be careful how the prices stack up. Bukit Bintang to KLCC (near the hotel) for two people costs RM5. The cab is RM4.10. Sense and sensibility is a book by Jane Austen.
Prices
Exorbitant does not even begin to describe their prices. I mean, if we go by us and them earning the equivalent salaries, albeit in different currencies, then how can they afford prices twice of ours? Does it not mean that their purchasing power is halved? Although their housing is half or less of ours, but why would one want a cheap house, buy a car to drive and be perpetually caught in a jam and pay all the savings on food?
Commuter etiquette
There is no difference between us and them. They also crowd the door because they fear that the rest of the two-carriage LRT train not close to the door will not stop at KLCC. Funny how the world thinks alike, right?
Touting
They win. Seated at Jalan Alor and ordered some food. Jalan Alor is a food street (pathetic description, if you ask me - we would have many many Jalan Alor equivalents) and thus, there was this element of adventure and food tasting was about to begin when this dour bitch came over and asked for drink and food orders. The cups in the menu were twice the cups they used to serve. I know as much, so I did not order anything. I asked my friend if he wanted Penang char kway teow and he was hesitant. So we did not order. When the bitch repeated the order of one starfruit juice, she added Penang ckt. We said we didn't order that. You could see her face turn shades darker. It almost blended into the night sky. Of course, I won't be surprised if the juice came with sputum. But that's me taking the worst case scenario.
Buffet Breakfast
I went to the egg station and asked for scrambled egg. What I got was chopped egg with excessive metal taste because the chef scraped the flat pan too hard, I think... And breakfast was a all you can eat, eat all you can, you can eat all, you can all eat, you all can eat, you eat all can... but guess what? On the second morning, I found mouldy bread. 4-star hotel serving mouldy bread.
Mdm Kwan's vs Mr Tan
I guess if you drown everything with enough fermented prawn paste, things will taste good. That's a hindsight. But when I was eating there, the food was not too bad. But I was hungry since lunch (remember the slow coach) and it was nearly 4 pm that I was having lunch.
Mr Tan was different. Located along Jalan Alor in some nondescript row of food hawkers (he was beside some super unfriendly China man food stall who asked me to F-O from his seats because I did not order his pathetic excuse of food), his lo-shee-fun turned out great. While it was a bit greasy, I believe it would have beaten Kwan's version hands down if Mr Tan gave us two additional limes and lots of fermented prawn paste. At a mere RM4 vs RM16, my uncle would have helped you clog your arteries in quadruple quick time! Value for money!
Mandarin Oriental Tim Sum Place
See, that's the problem when you try so hard to be exclusive. People don't remember your name. I only remember that it is something Po Heen, and that's partly because the parts I remembered resembled parts of my boss' name. Pathetic right? And so was the food. RM200 later, the only thing that left me a deep impression was the regal toilet outside the restaurant. Mandarin Oriental Hotel has a toilet bigger than my house and it is so well decorated that it makes me hang my head in shame.
Maybe I should re-title this part... to Mandarin Oriental Tim Sum Toilet?
Hotel pool
Small but I'm not complaining. At least it has water in it. And the kids seem to love it. If kids love it, it should be ok.
Wannabes
If you want to reminisce my 1980s, go to KL now. There is a general blind following of fashion and trends. It is beginning to lose its roots and direction. Is this inevitable in the pursuit of globalisation?
Mindsets
Again, I am seeing the 1980s repeated. In the 80s boom years, our people wouldn't think twice of spending three to four times the normal price to eat something in some posh place just to show that we have "arrived". Nearing the 2010s, I see food at the same price as in the 80s. And yet, if the quality is not good enough, people pooh-poohed the food. The outlet will close down because of poor food quality. We have moved from money for no value to value for money. In fact, it is more like excellent value for money. People have grown discerning and are now more penny-wise and pound-brilliant.
Final words
Great to re-visit a city that I last visited some many years ago. A lot of things have changed. I will probably go again, just to check out where competition is. The trip was not enjoyable but the company was. That makes up for everything.
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
Where do I go from here?
Where do I go from here?
For those facing the daunting task of choosing a university course, here just a little nugget of my experience that I can share with you.
Go and meet your JC teachers and talk to them. Speak with university department subject coordinators or counsellors who may be able to throw some light on what you might like. (They will be very frank whether or not you are a fit because the last thing they want is you going to them and flunking for years on end.)
Remember, if writing a 2,500 word essay makes you break out in cold sweat, then Arts and Humanities, Law, and maybe even business may not be your cup of tea.
If solving mathematics tutorials give you cramps, then sciences and engineering are generally out.
If you hate lab work, then subjects with lab are out.
If writing computer programs is not your cup of tea, computing and computer sciences are unlikely to go well with you.
If you think you want to find a subject that will line your pocket with lots of cash, your grades will bankrupt your standing in the university and you'll drop out.
Remember - INTEREST is very important. At least for me.
For those facing the daunting task of choosing a university course, here just a little nugget of my experience that I can share with you.
Go and meet your JC teachers and talk to them. Speak with university department subject coordinators or counsellors who may be able to throw some light on what you might like. (They will be very frank whether or not you are a fit because the last thing they want is you going to them and flunking for years on end.)
Remember, if writing a 2,500 word essay makes you break out in cold sweat, then Arts and Humanities, Law, and maybe even business may not be your cup of tea.
If solving mathematics tutorials give you cramps, then sciences and engineering are generally out.
If you hate lab work, then subjects with lab are out.
If writing computer programs is not your cup of tea, computing and computer sciences are unlikely to go well with you.
If you think you want to find a subject that will line your pocket with lots of cash, your grades will bankrupt your standing in the university and you'll drop out.
Remember - INTEREST is very important. At least for me.
Tuesday, March 06, 2007
Why repeating is a good idea
Why repeating is a good idea
Because you've completed the syllabus already and you know where you ought to work harder
Because it's time to learn self-discipline
Because it's easier the second time around
Because if you need help, you know you have to find someone to help you
Because you've done it before, this time you can try to do it better
Because you have paid for this second chance with a year of your life
Because you know how badly you want it
Because you're worth it
and mostly
Because you really ought to do yourself some justice and repeating it and doing well in the end is the best way to repay all those you've disappointed the last time around
Good luck!
Because you've completed the syllabus already and you know where you ought to work harder
Because it's time to learn self-discipline
Because it's easier the second time around
Because if you need help, you know you have to find someone to help you
Because you've done it before, this time you can try to do it better
Because you have paid for this second chance with a year of your life
Because you know how badly you want it
Because you're worth it
and mostly
Because you really ought to do yourself some justice and repeating it and doing well in the end is the best way to repay all those you've disappointed the last time around
Good luck!
Coming to one's senses
Coming to one's senses
It's hard to come to one's senses when everything then seemed so right. Fortunately for me, I didn't see it that right because practicing till midnight because of some time wasters saved my ass.
I gave up my ECA (it was called PDP then) in JC to concentrate on my studies. I switched ECA halfway. Not only did my ECA take up too much time, it was not going anywhere. I love what I do, but I hate wasting time.
Practices often started late. People came late. Section practices were late. Sometimes people waited for a good hour and went home. In one hour, I might have completed 4 to 5 mathematics tutorial questions. Maybe a good section of Chemistry tutorials. Or even attempted a GP Comprehension passage. Or even if I got rested so that I won't feel so tired during classes.
Practices never ended on time. Because practices had to double up as section practices. And people never wanted to put in effort. People thought their clowning and time-wasting antics were very funny.
Soon, I had enough. My Physics lectures and tutorials were spent researching the bottom of my eyelids. I was doing ok for my mathematics and chemistry. But the time wasting was something I wasn't enjoying after a while.
Looking back, either a person was a trouble-maker or s/he was very 'fed-up' with the whole thing.
I left the ECA and from then on, the teacher-in-charge and I never spoke to each other in non-insulting terms again. He called me a quitter. I laugh. Who laughed at quitters when they ace the A levels and get awarded a scholarship? Who, I ask?
I was only too happy that my ECA then did not require me to commit myself even more. For it would have been even harder to extricate myself from the mess.
Enthusiasm is not a bad thing. Neither is commitment. But priorities should remain in the principal focus.
It's hard to come to one's senses when everything then seemed so right. Fortunately for me, I didn't see it that right because practicing till midnight because of some time wasters saved my ass.
I gave up my ECA (it was called PDP then) in JC to concentrate on my studies. I switched ECA halfway. Not only did my ECA take up too much time, it was not going anywhere. I love what I do, but I hate wasting time.
Practices often started late. People came late. Section practices were late. Sometimes people waited for a good hour and went home. In one hour, I might have completed 4 to 5 mathematics tutorial questions. Maybe a good section of Chemistry tutorials. Or even attempted a GP Comprehension passage. Or even if I got rested so that I won't feel so tired during classes.
Practices never ended on time. Because practices had to double up as section practices. And people never wanted to put in effort. People thought their clowning and time-wasting antics were very funny.
Soon, I had enough. My Physics lectures and tutorials were spent researching the bottom of my eyelids. I was doing ok for my mathematics and chemistry. But the time wasting was something I wasn't enjoying after a while.
Looking back, either a person was a trouble-maker or s/he was very 'fed-up' with the whole thing.
I left the ECA and from then on, the teacher-in-charge and I never spoke to each other in non-insulting terms again. He called me a quitter. I laugh. Who laughed at quitters when they ace the A levels and get awarded a scholarship? Who, I ask?
I was only too happy that my ECA then did not require me to commit myself even more. For it would have been even harder to extricate myself from the mess.
Enthusiasm is not a bad thing. Neither is commitment. But priorities should remain in the principal focus.
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