Lily Lee

Map Reading

2012-01-25T21:54:00.000+08:00

Revision on grid bearing - http://www.freewebs.com/lily_lee68/gridbearing/index.html
4 digit Grid reference - http://www.freewebs.com/lily_lee68/gridreference4digit/index.html
Try out this simple excercise/game on topographical map: http://www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/education/sysm/landscapes/highlands_islands/mapskills/index_intro.shtml#focus
Play this game to learn more about map symbols and legend: http://www.mywonderfulworld.org/toolsforadventure/games/adventure.html
Find out more about topographical maps: http://www.classzone.com/books/earth_science/terc/content/investigations/es0307/es0307page01

New Year artwork

2012-01-24T13:09:00.000+08:00

LMS log-in

2012-01-10T12:33:00.001+08:00

Please log in here for the forum in the LMS:
http://lms.asknlearn.com/SERANGOON_SS/Logon.aspx?ReturnUrl=%2fserangoon_ss%2fweb%2fstartpage%2fIndex.aspx

Click on school if you are logging in as a student. Click on parents if you are logging in as a parent.

Taiwan 14 to 19 Dec 2011

2011-12-20T18:12:00.026+08:00

Day 1 - Took the flight to Taipei, Taiwan by Transasia and stayed in Deja Vu Hotel 喬合大飯店 in Taipei city, Fuxing south road 台北市復興南路一段136號 (近捷運忠孝復興站). One reminder - you must change the currency at the airport as the rate is better than Singapore's. Moreover - there is NO money changer counter outside the airport in Taipei - unlike Hong Kong, Bangkok and JB where the money charger can be found in the shopping centres or tourist areas! I had to withdraw from the ATM.

After putting down our luggage, we ate at an eatery 胖子 behind the hotel as it was too early to check in. The servings are really big. we ordered 2 bowls of soup (single serving) and I must say 2 can actually share one bowl. We also bought the fried fritters from a street vendor nearby - "双胞胎" which is the same as the 蝴蝶炸" in Singapore - much softer and more fragrant.

After that we went back to the hotel. I was pleasantly surprised that there is a steam room in our bathroom. A real blessing as the weather was rather cold - I switch it on to heat up the room before taking a bath - very relaxing! The hotel also provided the Lans cable which I can use to connect to the internet free. However, the speed is rather slow. The counter customer service is always very prompt to respond and helped us arranged for transport to and from the hotel to the airport as well as an 8hr personal tour on the 2nd day. There is free flow of coffee and tea in the lounge as well as a computer for surfing the internet free. Very considerate of them - the coffee (latte, Expresso or American) is nice too with the free snacks given.

After a quick bath, we went to a shop nearby to get their phone card which cost NT350 each (around $15) - something you must get as we used it for the whole trip with quite a number of calls back to Singapore. However they need to photocopy your passport and IC. As we were already given the transit card in Singapore by our tour agency when we booked the air tickets, I just needed to top up the value in 7-11. Our hotel is just next to Zhong Xiao Fuxing station so we took that to Houshanpi station and visited Wufenpi 五分埔-成衣街(a street with a lot of wholesalers for clothes and accessories) as well as the Raohe Night market 饒河街夜市nearby. Quite a feast at the night market - smelly toufu, pig blood soup, shave ice with mango etc. I was very impressed with their dessert tofu with brown sugar and mango pudding. One snack you must try is egg roll with shrimp roe inside - unique in the night market. After that we took the train back to our hotel. As Sogo is also near to our hotel, we went over to get some snacks as well as milk and some drinks before we go for our massage just next to the hotel. The massage parlour operates 24 hr but I feel that the charge is quite steep at NT900 per hour. The location is really superb as many of the shops operate till very late (till 2pm) or operate 24 hr and it is only 3 mins walk to Zhongxiao Fuxing station which is an interchange.

Click here for more photos: Photos for Day 1

Day 2 - We took the train to Xinmenting. A lot of youngsters there. We ate at a famous local goose meat with bee hoon restaurant. I don't quite like the goose meat as it was a bit tough and the soup taste weird. After that we went over to Starbucks to have a cup of coffee. We went back to our hotel as the hotel had helped us booked a personal tour for 8 hours (NT $3500). Our driver, Mr Zhen brought us to the Taipei 101 for some photo shots first. After that my husband wanted to see the Chiang Kaisiak Memorial Hall. There were a lot of pigeons in front of the hall - I think it was called Chung Cheng square and now it is called Freedom square. There is a large statue of Chiang Kaishiak - it seemed that the former President Tan Shiu Bian actually covered the statue during his office.

We proceeded to Yeliu Geo park which was an hour ride away from Taipei city centre. There was a slight drizzle and the wind was so strong. The waves was pounding against the coast and it was quite an eye opener. Simply love the rock formation. Due to weathering and erosion, most of the rocks take in a unique shape - such as one known as the Queen's head. The softer rocks below the layer of harder rocks erode faster and many are at risk of collapsing. There are also a lot of potholes on the basaltic rocks. The wind was so strong and accompanied by some rain that it seems like a typhoon. So sad that I can't take more photos due to the weather. It was already dark when the park close at 5pm and we went over to Jiufen old street.

The street at Jiufen reminded me of Macau as there are so many stalls selling souvenirs and snacks 伴手禮. I bought the fried prawn balls from one of the street vendor - smells good but not didn't taste as good as the one I made. We tried the famous dessert taro balls in red bean soup. The shop also sell very interesting snacks such as peanut coated with charcoal batter. Most of the street vendors would offer you free sample to try - quite plentiful as it is a long street - just like those in Macau. We took the fried cuttlefish and meatball in one of the shops - the steam meatball肉圆 is actually more like a dumpling with lots of filling inside -something which you must definitely try - simply delicious! We went over to another shop and tried the grilled cuttlefish and escargot. Their cuttlefish is so much thicker than those we have in Singapore and so much more juicy! As it was drizzling, most of the shops started to close early so went to Keelung Temple Night Market.

Keelung is well known for its seafood but we will too full to eat any. My husband took some of the marinated snails. We took some more desserts over there including Mochi coated with peanut. The mango pudding was so smooth - better than the one we had at Raohe Night Market.

As it was still early when we get back to Taipei city centre - around 8pm - we decided to go to Shilin Night Market and the Food Centre 士林觀光夜市. We ordered the famous oyster omelette and a meat soup. I still feel that our oyster omelette is better as the one in Taiwan is soggy with the sauce. My husband also took the grilled blood rice cake and chicken backside (I didn't dare to try). I also tried their small sausage wrapped in big sausage - the big sausage is actually stuffed with glutinous rice and I don't really fancy that. After that I also tried their small bun wrapped in big bun. The small bun is deep fried and smashed into small pieces - it is then wrapped inside a crepe (like our popiah) together with red bean, peanut or chicken floss. Interesting - very crunchy when you bite it. The driver sent us back to our hotel.

At midnight - we decided to try the steamboat next to our hotel. The pig bone and 山药 soup base was so very tasty and you can order so many things a la cart - prawns, beef, vegetable etc - I highly recommend their fish dumpling - I took almost 20 of them! The ones in Singapore has too little fillings and is not smooth. The prawns and meat are also very fresh. What a filling night!

Photos for Day 2 part 1

Photos for Day 2 part 2

Day 3 - We woke up earlier today to try the hotel breakfast - nothing fanciful but they have Yakult. We took a cab to Window on China 小人国which is located @ Taoyuan. It is like a theme park with a lot of mini replica of famous buildings all over the the world. The place is quite big - we went to the area with Taiwan and China's famous buildings. After that we had to take a mini train to the another place for Asia and Europe's famous buildings. There were a lot of students visiting the centre and there were some performance by local artists for them. There is also a water splash area which we did not visit. You can also take a boat round the area.

The cab driver whom brought us to the place waited for us and brought us to Danshui 淡水.We could not see the sunset with the bad weather. It was drizzling so we had some seafood nearby. Don't quite like the peacock clams which they highly recommended but love the fried tapioca leaves which is so different from Singapore's. The fish is average as I find the the sauce too mild - it seems that those living in the north prefer less salt, less spice etc. I managed to buy the famous preserved quail egg 阿婆鐵蛋 (NT100 per pack) . Though there are other brands which are cheaper this is the one which is highly recommended.

We took the train to Beitou 北投 and change the train towards Xin Beitou 新北投. The train which connects Beitou to Xin Beitou is so unique with decoration simulating a spa. There are screens which are placed on tables which look like bath tubs introducing the hot spring at Beitou. We went to a hotel nearby for a private bath in the hot spring water as the sky was already dark even though it was only 530pm. A lady from the hotel was stationed outside the MRT and she called a driver to bring us up to the hotel. It cost us NT$1100 for the use of the room for an hour. The room has a big tub which we can soak in the hot spring water , after that we can have a steam and bath - everything is provided just like a hotel room.

After the bath at the hot spring, we took the train to Longshan Temple 龍山寺. There are quite a number of night markets around here. We took the peanut soup with fried fritters from a stall just above the station - nice! We then went over to Hwaxi night market 華西街觀光夜市 which my husband tried some of the exotic food. He took the snake soup which came with five small cups. The shop owner taught my hubby how to drink the five cups which contained the snake blood, poison etc. His face was so red after taking them but the owner ensured him that it is good for the skin. He also ordered fried cocoon and quail. I took a little bit of the quail but I didn't dare to try the cocoon. There are also white mice in the restaurant - I wonder whether that's part of the delicacies or for the snakes?

I also bought the corn from the night market but I still prefer the one from Johor which is more crunchy. The one in Taipei is similar to Bangkok's which is more sticky. We also bought a dumpling to bring back to the hotel as it look quite cute - very different from Singapore's.

Day 3 photo part 1

Day 3 photo part 2

Day 4 - Our hotel location is really superb as it is near to the Zhongxiao Fuxing station (just round the corner) and is a interchange for the blue and brown line. The blue line brings us to places such as ximenting, longshan temple, wufenpi and taipei train station direct to the zoo. We reached the zoo within half an hour. It is big in terms of area but does not have that many animals and there are no animal shows. We had to take their mini train from the bird area back to the entrance. The main purpose of our visit was to look at the Pandas and the red top crane. The zoo was very relaxing - more like a park than a zoo. We tried the Macdonald in the zoo - I still prefer us as their bun is smaller and the patty thinner. Their nuggets are very crispy but there is no chilli or curry sauce available.

I also went to the 7-11 to claim my free coffee with the coupon which was given to me by my tour agency together with the transit card.

After that we took a cab to the National Palace Museum as we were given free tickets to the Museum. I went to the Taiwan visitor centre at UIC building (near to Raffles city MRT) the day before our departure to get some maps and they were kind enough to give us the free museum tickets and NT200 night market voucher.
The museum was literally flooded with visitors from China. We had to queue to see their National treasure - the white jade lettuce and the jade pork belly. Not very impressed by that but was impressed with the 清明上河图 which is a picture depicting life in ancient China - they even animated it!

As the Museum is in Shilin - we decided to go back to Shilin food centre to try out more food. It seems that the government wanted the vendors to move to the basement first but we didn't see any stall. The present location next to the Jiantan station is still much more convenient for tourists. The new one is still under construction and there are street vendors near to a temple nearby. This is where I had the best mee sua in Taiwan - better than the Ah Chong Mee Sua in Ximenting which is highly recommended. It contains more ingredient and is smoother and less sour.

After that we took the train to Yuan San station 圓山站 (just a few stops away) as I heard that there is a night market near to the Confucius temple. There was an activity in the temple - going through some process of self realization. We took some pictures and walk towards the Dalong Night market nearby. We tried the braised pork rice 魯肉飯, braised pork leg and the deep fried salted chicken rice set. Simply love them! After that we took the train to Shida Night Market師大夜市 which is near to Tai Power Station. However we alighted at Guting station which is a longer walk to the Night Market. The Night Market was simply too crowded. Bought some snacks and proceed to another night market near our hotel - Liao Ning Night market. We took the famous sesame oil chicken with the dry mee sua. I love the mee sua but not so for the chicken as the rice wine made it bitter.

We walked back to our hotel and along the way, we were attracted by a strong aroma - it came from charcoal grill shop which is a la carte buffet. It is very popular and was full house. We went back to our hotel and rest for a while before deciding on going to the restaurant as I could not forget the charcoal grill smell. The restaurant operates till 130 pm so when we went back at 12 midnight - it was still crowded and they managed to find seats for 2. Love the meat and the charcoal grill favour. The sauce was fantastic and they serve this Japanese milk ice cream that was so tempting that I took my husband's share as well. There is quite a variety of dishes and free flow of drinks. I just wonder how they can survive which their charge of NT 439 (which is around S$20). I was really awed by the number of plates (at least 20) which the teenagers finished on the table next to ours!

Day 4 photos part 1

Day 4 photos part 2

Day 5 - As we have completed almost all of Taipei city - we decided to take the high speed train to Taichung. It took us less than an hour from Taipei to Taichung as I had chosen the train which makes only one stop in between - there are some which make more stops in between. I booked the return trip as well and it cost us NT100 per trip per person for the business class (2 seats instead of 3 seats per row so it is less cramp). We booked a cab to take us to Nantou where Sun moon lake is. It seems that Nantou is the only area which is not near to the coast and is surrounded by mountains. We tried the president fish and vegetable 山苏 which is unique in the area. Again I like the vegetable but not so for the president fish as it has too many bones.

After lunch, we went to Wen Wu temple and I bought some stone key chains. The temple is very big and has a display of a boat made up of money. From where the temple is, you can have a view of the Sun Moon Lake.

After that we went to take the ferry at Sun Moon Lake - love the view from the ferry, especially the reflection of the sun setting on the lake. The charge for the ferry is NT 300 per person with 2 stops. At one of the stops - there was a performance by the local tribe and I bought the famous egg cooked in tea leaves 阿婆茶叶蛋. A bit too commercialized now and again swarmed with tourists from China.

At another stop, there is a street lined with restaurants and shops selling snacks and souvenir. I bought the dried mushroom which is also a local delicacy. It seemed that there is a famous temple 月老庙 which even local artists came to pray for good marriages. However it was destroyed by the recent earthquake. The island in the centre of the lake was partly submerged due to the earthquake as well. While waiting for the ferry, I bought the local milk tea and there is a very colourful parrot displayed outside the restaurant.

Back to the jetty, we tried the grilled wild boar meat, grilled chicken with tea leaves in a local restaurant operated by the local tribe . The local seems to like dogs a lot - there were many cute ones around. My husband gave almost half plate of the grilled wild boar meat to the dogs. The hand rolled biscuit is also very nice. I love the black sausage which is actually made up of the squid ink. Taste nice though it look awful. After that the driver brought us to the highest point to look at the lake again. However it was getting dark and the view was limited. The journey back to Taichung took us another hour.

After that we went to the famous Fengjia night market 逢甲夜市in Taichung. Took some dumpling soup which we don't quite like. Again the night market was too crowded for our liking. Most of the stuff are the same as in Taipei. We have visited a total of 8 night markets!

We took the Hi-speed train back to Taipei. Luckily we bought the return tickets as it was fully booked. We took the transit back to our hotel. We walked around our hotel and saw another restaurant which has a long queue - it was a shabu shabu a la carte buffet restaurant - the charges was even lower for this restaurant only NT349 per person (S$16). We waited for our turn and was led to the 2nd storey. A very unique way of cooking the meat in the soup and then dip in raw beaten egg. We finished 6 trays of beef and some vegetables with a dessert. There are some guests who finished at least 6 trays of meat each - that's why when we finished our food, the waiter was quite taken aback and asked if there is anything wrong with their food. Most of the guests would finish dozen of trays and would not finish so fast. I ensured them their food is delicious - 6 trays of meat is definitely a lot for us! Would highly recommend the restaurant!

Day 5 photos part 1

Day 5 Photos part 2

Day 5 Photos part 3

Day 6- our last day in Taipei. We took the train to Taipei Train station ( just 3 stops away) and went to the underground street臺北地下街 . We walked pass the National Museum to get to the 228 memorial park and had our breakfast there - the toast and rose Latte were fantastic but not so for the waffle. A very nice park with pavilions and a pond. We walked towards the President Residence and we saw some CID and police patrolling the area - the President election campaign is taking place now and security is tight. Such as coincidence as when we were in Bangkok- there was an election campaign as well. There are some tourist buses parked opposite the president residence and some tourists taking pictures. It is also the country's 100 anniversary this year. We decided to walk to Ximenting as it is nearby. I tried the famous An Chong mee sua but I still prefer the one outside the temple in Shilin.

We took the train to Zhongxiao Xinsheng (one stop away from our hotel's) to visit the Guang Hwa digital mall 光華數位新天地. It is like our Sim Lim complex where a lot of digital hardware can be found. There are many street vendors around the area and we ate at this shop which sell milk red bean soup and tempura 甜不辣. Nice - highly recommended!

After that we took the train back to the hotel and used the computer to surf the internet in the business lounge while waiting for our airport transfer.

Day 6 photos

JB getaway 5 to 7 Dec 2011

2011-12-05T20:00:00.009+08:00

Went to JB for food and medicine again.

We stayed at 11@century hotel again but this time round I could not check in early as the hotel was fully booked the night before. There was also a blackout in the afternoon and I have to walk down the stairs 8 floor down in darkness - luckily my handphone has the flashlight function.

Had lunch at a nearby shop - Ah hua kway tiao - not as fantastic as recommended on the internet. Had claypot rice in the Good Taste coffee shop nearby for dinner - only RM16 for 2 claypot chicken rice and a bowl of lotus soup - incredibly cheap. Nice!

Of course the main reason for my stay at 11@ century is that it is located opposite KSL and there is pasar malam on every Monday from KSL to Grand Paragon. I bought my favourite charcoal grilled salted baked chicken and the sweet corn. As mentioned earlier on their sweet corn is sweet and crunchy. However, it was much more crowded with more stalls than the last time I came. Thank God the weather was fine!

We went to Jusco on the second day and had lunch at my favourite Tang Sifu - had their mee sua and the abalone with scallop and brocolli. love their ginseng coffee too. I also tried one of their dessert which is good for the lung.

Took a cab to Plaza Sentosa and had my massage at Kuchien traditional massage opposite the store which I would highly recommended. We wanted to eat at Kimdo seafood restaurant (the one with the big crab sign board) but it was closed so we ate at the restaurant 101 next to it. The butter cream crayfish(RM 30 for 500g) and the Szechuan steam fish (RM24) are both highly recommended.

Students who warmed my heart

2011-11-18T22:59:00.013+08:00

It is always heartening to hear from students that they have done well in life or when they appreciated what they had learned from us.

Just got this message from Nadine who graduated from Serangoon Sec in 2010 and is now studying in California:

I'm just writing a message because I found myself explaining to my bro meanders and oxbow lakes. I'm pretty sure I have forgotten almost everything I've learned because I haven't been in school for a while and I'm surprised I was able to teach him that and other things too about the natural vegetation. Anyway it's been a year and I just wanna say that you've been one of the kindest teachers I've met and thanks for the patience you showed me. I know I wasn't the easiest student before because I was so distracted. So thanks for always cheering me on.

Got another similar message via SMS from Junming earlier this year during teachers'day but it was in Chinese.

I am glad that they have appreciated what they have learned in Geography - just like what I have told them - Geography is all around you and that Geography is everything!

It was the school's graduation ceremony yesterday and I must say I was pretty touched by the appreciation shown by the students - will definitely miss them!

Xinyi from 4ED drew this for me

Saw a blog posting from another former student, Alvin(Hougang Sec), and I must say I was pretty touched by what he had posted and heartening to know that I had made the difference in his life:

Met 2 great teachers , Mdm Ng Ai Khim and Mrs Lily Lee.
They were really great teachers, and also the only teachers that I've respected that year.
I'm in debt to Mrs Lily Lee. She's the one that pushed my failed score to a pass.
A result of 50.1/100 , Thank you.

http://xiaoxiaoalvin.blogspot.com/2011/01/past-5-years.html

Another former student of mine, Lee Kiang (Hougang Sec), came to my present school to give me this today:

She had just came back from her interview in Shanghai for the future global talent graduate program and I am so happy for her that she was selected. I had written the character reference letter for her and I must say she had been one of my most committed and diligent Geography student.

To every one of my students - we will continue to be your teacher in life and take pride in your success. All the best to my students who have just graduated again! Your attitude will determine your altittude - continue to learn and you will find Geography all around you!

Outstanding Contribution Award

2011-11-18T22:03:00.004+08:00

Went through 3 days of staff seminar and today the school presented the outstanding contribution award to the staff. I was part of the team which won the team award -60 of us who shared during Passion Day. The other teams are the PE dept and the Exam/Post Exam committee. Mr Sharin and Sofian won the individual award.

National Stamp Collecting Competition 2011

2011-11-18T21:58:00.005+08:00

One of the achievements of the year - our school won 6 Silver and 4 Bronze.

Silver awards: - http://www.spm.org.sg/programmes/school_programmes/silver_award_2011.html

Bronze Awards:

http://www.spm.org.sg/programmes/school_programmes/bronze_award_2011.html

My own team - Zijing, Xiaoli, Constance and Leroy won the Silver Award. The other team which I helped - Jaslyn, Siti Aishah, Siva and Ming Yang also won the Silver Award.

Haw Par Villa

2011-11-07T22:07:00.004+08:00

It's much more convenient to visit Haw Par Villa now that the MRT station next to it is opened. I used to go there quite often during my Uni days. A lot more sculptures have been added and it was quite a crowd being a public holiday. Didn't manage to go into the Hua Song Museum but saw some information here: http://alvinology.com/2009/12/21/hua-song-museum/

Art & Science Museum, Helix Bridge

2011-11-04T19:49:00.004+08:00

Went for an Educator's Preview of the Titanic exhibition at the Art and Science Museum today - too bad photography is not allowed in it. Not a very big exhibit but we get to see how luxurious the first-class cabin and the main staircase was like. I was also surprised that it cost almost the equivalent of USS$62,000 to travel first class then. Would have been better if there were more insights on how the survivors feel on the maiden voyage and maybe accounts from victim's family on the victims - more human touch to the exhibit.

A panoramic view from the Helix bridge using photosynth.

Multi-16 and Photo Impact

2011-10-30T01:11:00.007+08:00

Having fun with the multi-16 function of my camera and using photo impact to edit some of my photos. The shell which I drew on for my husband in 1989 is more than 2 decades old and the painting is still so clear! Forgot the effect which I made with the eye. The hibiscus edited with creative warp and Ian's photo with engraving -using lines of varying density forming a picture. Also edited a photo I took in Macau using multi-vision filter and soft spot.

Sec 1 Archaeological Trail

2011-10-25T12:51:00.004+08:00

25 Oct 2011 and 27 Oct 2011

Serangoon Secondary School Video

2011-10-24T23:10:00.001+08:00

quite impressed with the video - and so very proud of our students featured.

Circle line

2011-10-17T01:19:00.004+08:00

http://www.smrt.com.sg/circleline_handyguide/index.pdf

Photo competition

2011-09-21T22:13:00.005+08:00

Pleasantly surprised that the photo was shortlisted on ECTV
http://ectv.sg/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=72:easy-click-contest&catid=4:news
The voting will be in Dec for ECTV.

I submitted it earlier for the photo contest by Singapore Red Cross:
http://www.facebook.com/lilylee.68#!/sgredcross?sk=app_152439108153566
You can vote for the photos which I had submitted now. Click on "like" for the page and you can then vote.

Johor bahru 11@century hotel 5 to 7 sept

2011-09-06T02:05:00.017+08:00

Traffic was smooth and I got my fingerprint scanned. After that they put a sticker in my passport. We reached 11@century at around 1pm. This time round the room is much better on the 9th floor facing KSL city shopping mall. There is a mini fridge which I could stock up my drinks and milk. There is also free WiFi which I could use with my handphone to update and to check my email.

On our way to Holiday Plaza, we saw that our favourite wanton mee store, Ho Seng Kee, is still opened so we took our lunch there.

I changed some ringgit and bought some original TVB DVD. We went to KSL for our massage and bought my medicine.

Part of the reason why I stayed in 11@century was due to the pasar malam which operates on Monday stretching from KSL to Grand Paragon Hotel. The pasar malam was more crowded today. We ate the Penang laksa and chendol there. The laksa is thicker and it is very nice at only RM4.50. We packed some satay, otak, nasik lemak, corn and my favourite salt baked chicken back to the hotel. The salt baked chicken has this strong charcoal smell and the chicken tasted just like what I had when I was young.

I went back to KSL to get some supper and managed to catch a glimpse of their fireworks for the mid autumn festival. It was deafening but I think the crowd enjoyed it. I was more impressed with the lanterns made up of recycl materials that was on display. I ordered the coffee and milk tea from the tea garden restaurant which I would highly recommend. To my delight, I found a luk luk van opposite KSL. However the variety is not as rich as the one outside New York hotel.

Limited choice for the breakfast in the hotel. Only like the porridge. Coffee and Orange juice diluted. Went to Jusco genesis city and ate at Tang Sifu. Love their mee sua and gingseng coffee.

Bought a t-shirt for hubby and a pair of shoes for myself. After tba took a cab to plaza sentosa. Had a massage at Guchien opposite the store and I am quite impressed with their service. They even provide free wifi.

Could not wait to eat the deboned bbq chicken wing next to Kimdo restaurant. It is easily located opposite the store with a big crab signboard. We ordered a steam fish, dou miao and roasted pigeon.

Went back to KSL to check out the EXPO and a shop called Homex which is similar to our Daiso with everything sold at RM5. Ordered the set from toastbox. The toast and coffee are one of the best tasted. The luk luk van is no longer there. There is a coffeeshop further down the road selling satay, wanton mee, fried kwaitiao etc but was too full to try.

Our world is a piece of art

2011-08-08T22:59:00.001+08:00

Random pictures taken with my handphone outside our school.

Passion Day

2011-08-05T14:34:00.006+08:00

Workshop 18: Blog Design Venue: Math ICT Lab

1 LILY SURYANI BTE MOHD SANI 1T1
2 MOHAMAD HAIREY B MOHAMAD IDHAM 1T1
3 Vincent 1T1
4 Shermaine 1T1
5 MUHAMMAD TARMIZI B TALIB 1N1
6 MUSA B ISMAIL 1N1
7 AMIRUL AZALI B IMRAN 1N1
8 LEE HOOI THONG 1EB
9 MAISARAH BTE BAHAROM 1EA
10 TEO JUN LI JINI 1EA
11 YEO WEN, LUCAS 1EA
12 CHAN WEI JIE ALOYSIUS 1EA
13 MUHAMMAD AMIN B MOHAMMED S 1EA
14 CHENG QI YING 2EA
15 LEE PEI YUN 2EA
16 WONG XUN YI 2EA
17 WEE HUI YU, FIONA 2EA
18 CASSANDRA ONG YI LING 3N1
19 TAN YI JING 3N1
20 SHAREN LIM HUISI 3N1
21 LEE PUAY TIANG 2EC
22 MOHAMED AFFAN B MOHAMED NAFIS 1N1
23 MOHAMED NAUFAL B MOHD N Y 1N1
24 SHEIKH ABDUL QADIR B SHAHOL H1ED

Quite a comfort that most of the students showed much enthusiasim and were so excited by the learning.

Best design by Lee Puay Tiang: http://srss-girlguides.blogspot.com/
touched up http://srssnetball.blogspot.com/

Caricature of me in school

2011-07-27T20:07:00.031+08:00

Caricature by Mr Kamal Dollah from cartoon.sg

Added some colours to it using Macromedia fireworks. Some of the caricatures are by Ms Ye Ruo Shi from cartoon.sg as well. More coloured caricatures below. Make a guess who they are!

Sunwoo, Elsa, Jasilyn, Shamihah, Weibin

, Ryan, Shazlyn, Wen Jie, Ms Lim Boon Che

e

Passion day sharing - Blog Design

2011-07-26T22:02:00.000+08:00

Sharing on blog design for passion day. More details are available - http://ezitnew.blogspot.com/2011/07/passion-day-sharing-blog-design.html

Using Microsoft Excel

2011-07-24T17:55:00.013+08:00

Open the link below for the excel sheet: https://spreadsheets.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AtUR3aEsvgerdENtUmE5S0N5ZGNueGozb1lqcUVTY0E&hl=en_US

Data on Singapore's temperature from:
http://www.worldclimate.com/cgi-bin/data.pl?ref=N01E103+1102+48694W

Data on Singapore's rainfall from:
http://www.worldclimate.com/cgi-bin/data.pl?ref=N01E103+2100+48694W

Calculating Temperature range:

Calculating average temperature:

Calculate total rainfall

Creating a temperature graph with Chart Wizard:

Creating a rainfall graph with Chart Wizard

Sec 1 End-of-year Project

2011-06-27T22:37:00.002+08:00

Task:
Imagine you are an official of the Tourism Board of Country X. You are to raise awareness amongst tourists visiting your country of an active volcano found in your country. Produce a PowerPoint presentation [10-15] highlighting the following points:

• Location of the volcano with the help of a map

• Information on the surrounding physical and human environment

• Benefits of living in the area

• Benefits of visiting the area

• Dangers of living in the area

• Dangers of visiting the area

• How people have adapted to the risks of the surrounding environment

You should include a map, pictures and diagrams in your PowerPoint presentation.

The deadline for submission is 8 July 2011.

You must plan carefully and allocate duties for each member of your group.

All evidence of collection of information or data or pictures must be properly filed.

You must list the websites or internet resources you use.

Sec 3 End-of-year Project

2011-06-27T22:35:00.002+08:00

Task:

To produce a powerpoint evaluating the strategies adopted in coastal management with reference to examples in Singapore or UK.
Before you begin your project, you need to bear the following points in mind.

1 What were the problems encountered by the people living in coastal areas?

2 What strategies were adopted to overcome the problems?

3 How effective are the coastal management strategies?

4 What are the future plans for the areas?

Select a name for your project.
The end-product of your project is a power point presentation comprising 10-15 slides (3N) and 15 -20 slides (3E). There will be a presentation session for you to showcase your work.

The deadline for submission is 8 July 2011.

You must plan carefully and allocate duties for each member of your group.

Fill in the forms given to you for this project.
All evidence of collection of information or data or pictures must be properly filed.
You must list the websites or internet resources you use.

http://www.scrapblog.com/viewer/vw_full.aspx?sbid=2824633

NDP video competition

2011-06-23T02:04:00.000+08:00

Our school's entry by Natalya Binte Abdullah for the NDP video competition.

Calendar 2012

2011-06-20T02:16:00.003+08:00

Bangkok 11 to 15 June

2011-06-15T15:05:00.010+08:00

Day 1

We took the 12.25pm flight by Thai airways to Bangkok. There was a slight delay due to the rain and we reached Bangkok only at 2pm (Thai time). I knew that Bangkok has a traffic problem but I didn’t expect it to be so bad – I was trapped in the jam for 2 hours! We originally planned to visit Chinatown but at the end I could only shopped at MBK which is linked to our hotel, Pathumwan Princess.

I managed to find a shop selling stamps at the ground floor. I also managed to get the SIM cards for the phones and the SIM card for internet access form the 4th floor. However the internet speed is rather low. My husband bought a pair of sandals and a China made tablet.
My husband was extremely pleased with the hotel and its service. We were given the 11th floor – I was hoping for a higher floor but the hotel is heavily booked. Too bad the hotel’s internet access is chargeable but I heard the wi-fi will be accessible free from July 2011.

We ate at the Korean restaurant Kong Ju located at the hotel. I would really recommend it, especially the wagyu beef and meat set BBQ – even the side dishes are so nice. The service is equally good – after I ordered the set and the gingseng chicken soup, the waiter actually said that would be sufficient for the 2 of us – which was very true. As the restaurant is using charcoal, it gave the BBQ meat a unique favour. The waiter would also be very attentive and change the grill netting when it was charred.

We ordered some late night supper and was pleasantly surprised when the waiter pushed in a cart cum table. I ordered 2 cups of hot milk and a cup of milo but they actually served in jugs! There was also complementary bread and cookies given. The shrimp spring roll was delicious but not so for the duck foie gras terrine.

Taking off from Singapore

Traffic jam in Bangkok - Best way to travel will be by the BTS and the ferry/tourist boat down Chao Phraya river.

Street vendors outside Platinum Mall and Central Point - photos taken from the bus on the way to the hotel.

Our dinner in the Korean restaurant in our hotel - highly recommended.

Our hotel in Bangkok - Pathumwan Princess, which is linked to MBK shopping Mall. Strange that there is a glass window to the toilet - we had to roll down the curtain for privacy.

Room service was great - treated like a king with the spread on the table brought in by the waiter. Nice warm milk and milo in jugs!

DAY 2

Took a Tuk Tuk to JJ, the weekend market. Dang, the driver, was quite friendly but brought us to 3 shops so that he can get coupons for gasoline before we proceed to the weekend market. Though he asked for 20 baht(84ct), we gave him 100 ($4.20) as we felt that it was simply too miserable.

I managed to find the banana fritters- 5 pieces for 20baht (around 84ct) and tried some other street food. I simply love the quail eggs and bbq skewers. The weather was pretty hot and I bought a small portable fan. I saw a luggage bag and asked the lady how much it cost. She quoted 2900 baht and I wasn’t sure whether I wanted it so I said I would get it if it is 2000 baht. She actually said OK and I was too embarrassed to say that I would think about it. Hubby was so mad at me as it meant we have to carry such a big luggage bag around. Got some jerseys set for Ian and took a cab back to the hotel. Got trapped in the traffic jam again and it cost us around 160 Baht to get back to the hotel.

After that we took the BTS from National stadium to Saphon Taksin BTS to take the Tourist Boat from Tha Sathon Pier to Tha Phra Arthit Pier. It was a fantastic ride down the Chao Phraya river with much to view and it only cost 25 baht ($1) for the one way trip.

We alighted at the last stop – Phra Arithit Pier to get to Khaosan Road. We saw a big crowd on our way to Khason and was shocked to see some firemen tearing down the grill from the 2nd floor of a building. It seemed that they had just put out a fire and the fire engine was so miserably small. It was quite a long walk to Khason and hubby found his long waited pig blood cake cooked with braised chicken feet in bee hoon soup. We also tried the orange juice which was so brightly coloured and I thought they added coloring but it is really bright orange. It tasted more like lime juice though much sweeter.

We took a cab to Pantip and regretted buying the tablet from MBK. The prices are like at least 1000 baht ($41)cheaper here! We bought some screen protectors and then walked to Platinum Mall which sells a lot of clothing. Hubby bought 2 pants and I bought a t-shirt as well as a pair of sandals. We then walked towards the BTS . Tried the fried noodle (30baht) and oyster ommelete (40 baht) on the way back.

We engaged the service of a Tuk Tuk. No special effects - just the fog on the lens due to the air-con in our room - it was so very cold in our room.

All the street food from the weekend market.

The weather was so hot that I had to get a portable mini fan.

Took the BTS to the Central Pier (Saphan Taksin) and bought the one way trip to N13 which is near to Khaosan Road.

More street food along Khason Road.

Took our dinner back at the cafe in the hotel - nice Tom Yum soup, fied rice with crab and wrapped duck slices.

Day 3

A tiring day today – we had breakfast at the hotel which was inclusive but we haven’t got a chance to try on the second day as we woke up late. The breakfast buffet was quite a spread and we set off to our trip to the floating market and the train market.

We engaged the service of Mai, a friend of Dang (the tuk tuk driver), to drive us around for the whole day at 2500 baht ($106). We hired a motor powered boat at the floating boat from the pier. More expensive than the paddle boat but it offered better shelter, especially when it started to rain. Many of those in the paddle boat were holding umbrellas but I pitied them as the water splashed onto them. We love the noodle soup bought from one of the boats. We also went to a coconut sugar farm and a temple.

After that we went to the train market. Too bad we missed the train as I was misinformed that it would arrive in 10mins and went to shop for clothes. It seemed that the train arrived within a minute I left. When I got back, I saw all the stalls back on the track again! Hubby tried the grilled frog which was simply disgusting. Due to hygiene, I told my husband to take only a bite as I saw flies around the frog!

After that we went back to MBK to shop and for a massage. I would highly recommend this massage parlour on the 6th floor called beauty home. Though we only asked for foot massage and foot scrub which is very cheap at 480 baht, they also massaged our shoulder and head – quite a relief to the tired muscle.

We called Mai to bring us to Chinatown at night. Though it was already near to 10 pm, it was very crowded and the traffic was very heavy. We had the suckling pig, shark fin soup and bird nest in the restaurant.. quite a feast which cost less than half in Singapore. We were advised not to get those on the street as the shark fin and bird nest might not be authentic.

Breakfast in the hotel - I must applaud their efforts to vary some of the dishes everyday.

At the floating market - we got this motor-powered long tail boat at 2500 baht for 1.5 hour. More costly than those the paddle boat but there is shelter - a relief as it started to rain.

Very nice beehoon soup from one of the vendors on the boat.

The coconut sugar drink was nice but the factory is small compared to the one in Malacca.

Stopped by a temple on the way.

The train passed by so fast and the vendors were so quick in packing and displaying their goods along the track - the whole process was less than a minute! I miss the shot of the train! :(

Grilled frogs - not too hygienic so my husband just took a bite.

Had our dinner on the fifth avenue (food court on the 5th floor) in MBK. Nice food but a bit more costly,

Day 4

A very packed day today – we went to the Grand Palace, Golden Mountain (Wat Saket) temple, Reclining Buddha (Wat Phra Chetuphon), Chinatown and Patpng night market.

I must highly recommend the BTS 1 day pass and the tourist boat 1 day pass. With the pass, I did not have to figure out how to get the tickets from the vending machine which was quite a challenge. Moreover with the pass, we could get to Saphan taksin station which is near to the central pier which we can take the boat down Chao Phraya river. We stopped at N9 Tha Chang where the Grand Palace and Emerald Buddha are and then also took the boat from N8 Tha Thien Pier (walking distance from Wat Phra Chetphon(Reclining Buddha) to N5 Tha Ratchawong pier where Chinatown is. You will really enjoy the breathtaking view with trip down the Chao Phraya river.

When we reached the Grand Palace, it was closed and the officer said it would only be opened at 3pm. He told us to get a tuk tuk to the Golden Mountain Temple. We climbed up the long stairs to the temple and we overheard some tourists complaining how tiring that was. We ate at the stall near to the temple. Some noodles, bbq chicken, salad, thai fish cake etc with drinks – all within 200 baht. Only after that we realized that it was a bad idea getting a tuk tuk as they will beg you to go jewellery shops so that they can get the coupons for the gasoline. Went to 2 in fact as we stayed too short in the first one – we had to stay longer than 10 mins for him to get the coupon. Bought 2 stamps from the 2nd store and I must say we wasted much time.

Finally got to the Grand Palace and the Emerald Temple. Admission is free for the local but cost us 350 baht each. A Caucasian wanted to get in with his Thai girlfriend using the lane for the local but was told to join our lane though he claimed to be a Thai. After that we took a cab to the reclining Buddha temple though we could actually take the boat at the pier to N8 Tha Thien pier. I was awed by the size of the Buddha temple. There are some locals selling street food just outside the temple.

As we walked towards the pier, we saw a lot of shops selling dried products. We then took the boat to N5 which is near Chinatown. If you do want to go to Chinatown, I would strongly recommend you this route as along the way, you will be seeing a lot of shops selling products in wholesale price. We visited Chinatown the night before and ate at the Chinese restaurant. It was a totally different picture in the day. We walked down the alley with many wholesale stores at the sides. It seemed that they are only opened in the day. Bought some very cute handphone holders which looked like jeans as well as some small souvenirs. We ate at a noodle stall selling fish dumpling- really missed that so much! Hubby also ate a fish bbq with salt at only 50Baht.

We went back to the hotel to put down our shopping bags and back to MBK (Beauty Home on the 6th floor) for a massage as it was really cheap – 600Baht for 2hr (around $25).

We bought some more T-shirts and a wallet at the Patpong Night Market – you must really bargain and slash the price by half. However, this is Bangkok’s red light area and there were many soliciting tourists to go into the pubs and watch some adult shows. We were also told to be careful of pick pockets. We dined at a restaurant nearby as we were tired and hungry from all the walking.

Best way to see Bangkok - taking the ride down Chao Phraya River.

Golden mountain Temple - I must warn you that it was a pretty long climb up to the top - we overhead some tourists complaining about the climb on the way up.

Had our lunch at the food of Golden MountainTemple - very nice BBQ chicken wings, noodle and salad.

At the Grand Palace.

The Reclining Buddha

The Patpong Night Market - remember to bargain as the price can be slashed by as much as half!

Day 5

We went back to Pratumum – Platinum Mall to get some more clothings and shoes. We actually saw many locals bringing a luggage bag to buy the clothings for retail. We ate at the food court which served quite a variety of food. The only negative point is that you must pay using a stored value card so you must find out how much your food cost and then pay at the cashier first. I still have 35baht left in the card when I left.

Grilled catfish - another street food

Lunch at the foodcourt in Platinum Mall

A real bargain at Platinum Mall

Street food on the way to the mall

Happy with the wonderful service provided on board the Thai airways.

Rainbow

2011-04-10T22:27:00.000+08:00

Saw another rainbow yesterday - another beautiful day to look forward to after the rain.

Geography of Food Seminar

2011-04-09T23:21:00.003+08:00

Attended the seminar by GTA today http://gtasg.webnode.com/

Very informative and interesting presentation - must say we learned a lot from the 3 speakers.

I must say we learned much about what the AVA is doing to ensure food safety and security in Singapore from Mrs Tan-Low Lai Kim.

I was surprised to learn that the consumption of whole fish is actually declining in Singapore. It seems that the youngsters prefer fish in the form of nuggets or fillet as they don't like whole fish with fish bones.

She also highlighted interesting facts such how the chicken rice vendors came to them for help when live chicken imports from Malaysia was banned in 2003 due to the avian flu outbreak. Consumption decreased rapidly then as compared to the outbreak in 2006. The AVA had improved the situation by banning by zones in a country rather than the whole country e.g chicken was supplied from Johor when there was an outbreak in Perak.

Being a country dependent on imports, food security often pose a problem. Emerging economies with increasing affluence might export less as their people become more affluent.

There is also a challenge in declining global food supply with declinging agricultural productivity, competition for essential resoueces such as water, arable land, labour and investment as well as diversion of food crops for biofuel production.

Of course other food security challenges include climatic change, outbreaks, natural disasters, political uncertainties, restrictive trade etc.

Key strategies which Singapore deployed:
1. diversification of food sources
2. stockpiking of essential food stocks
3. enhancing local production through small local farming
$10 million food fund introduced in 2009 - R&D in farming techniques e.g. fish breeding, vertical farming, seed banking
4. Promotion of food substitudes

It really makes us ponder about the food we are eating today. There is quite a good documentary on CNA tomorrow (10th April 2011) at 7pm - a preview of the show below:

No wonder one of the speakers, Dr George Jacobs, became a vegetarian. It seems that more people are becoming vegetarian not because of religion but rather due to health, environment and kindness (towards animals) concerns. It is a fact that much food has gone into feeding animals rather than hungry people - I suppose that's why there is a movement to be vegetarian once a week - www.facebook.com/veggiethursdaysg

The last speaker, Dr Pow Choon Piew, talk about the Hungry cities.
click here to see the no. of hungry people in the world
http://www.worldbank.org/foodcrisis/
imagine a billion people still hungry in the world

Finalist for most popular video

2011-03-30T22:53:00.008+08:00

Our team was shortlisted for the top 10 most popular video - do help us to vote by clicking on this link: http://geo-prints.blogspot.com/p/vote.html Your vote is appreciated - thanks.

The competition is part of the NUS Geog Challenge 2011 http://nusgc2011.blogspot.com/

Sec 1 Mid-Year project - Human environment

2011-03-24T20:50:00.006+08:00

Human environment - Farms in Cameron Highland.
Man has cut steps on the steep slope to form terraces. Farming is carried out on the terraces as the terraces allow water to be retained and thus can be used for rice cultivation. There are some houses next to the farms - most probably to house the farmers and his family.
Place of worship - a Chinese temple
This temple is located on Kusu island. Many Chinese would actually take a ferry to the island just to pray to the dieties in the temple.

Place of worship - Mosque

This is a mosque located in Kampong Glam. The Muslim will come here to worship.

Commercial area

This is a row of shop houses found in Kampong Glam in Singapore. There are also some eateries or restaurant offering fantastic local delights.

Transportation

Man had built an extensive network of roads and expressway to connect people from one place to another. This picture was taken in KL and you can see how crowded the road is with a lot of vehicle. The government has also tried to resolve traffic congestion by building the MRT.

Agricultural landuse

This was taken in Tanjong Karang. The tour guide is standing next to a sluice gate in a irrigation canal. The farmers can control the amount of water into the field as well as to drain away the water.

Settlement - a village

This picture shows a kampong house which is found in Kampong Buangkok. The house is made of simple materials such as wood and zinc roof. It is also low lying and the villagers lead a simple life.

Secondary School Classmates reunion

2011-03-20T17:13:00.005+08:00

Back: Mee Khim, myself, Chiu Ping, Yu Lian (Christine), Tai Hwa (Genevieve), Choon Kian, Yen Ne (Jennie)
Front: Lai Har ( Michelle), Bee Kee, Li Hwee, Katherine, Lilian

Reunited - after 27 years!

FAC Finals 2011

2011-03-19T22:10:00.001+08:00

My Best YO Participation award.

I must applaud the FAC committee this year - they have put up such a good display of props and make-up (as well as acting) - explosion - casualties with burns and foreign body/ bleeding as well as heart attacks which required CPR.

Very impressed with the display for the First Aid Awareness.

Comments by the judges on the First Aid Awareness competition:

Comments on the FAC 2011 by the judges:

Johor Bahru 14 - 16 Mar 11@Century

2011-03-15T00:02:00.005+08:00

The Pasar Malam which operates every Monday starting from behind Grand Paragon Hotel all the way to KSL. You must try this salt baked chicken - simply delicious - full of traditional flavour chargrilled.

Waited almost an hour for this wanton mee at Ho Seng Kee near to the Caltex behind our hotel (11@century hotel). Worth the wait - try it and you will know.

Our room on the 3rd floor. Though it is a deluxe - it is definitely very small - smaller than New York- though the rate is the same at RM175 per night. The good thing is that there is free wifi and that the LCD TV is big.

5N2 Graduation Trip 10 to 11 March 2011

2011-03-12T00:00:00.005+08:00

More photos on the links below:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=287021&id=676019199&fbid=10150107029674200 http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=287036&id=676019199&fbid=10150107073774200

Best meal for the trip - buffet at Straits Hotel.
Group photo at the Batik centre.

Learning how to paint Batik.

At the Red Squared, Melaka.

Posing for a photo at the bridge along the Straits of Malacca.

At the factory where Gula Melaka was processed.

At the Coffee plantation - we managed to see the coffee bean as well as to sample it with fritters. The students also played gasing, ceptah etc

At the pineapple plantation.

Lunch at Yong Ping.

Group photo at the oil palm plantation

Looking at the oil palm fruits

Looking at how rubber is tapped.

Results for the Red Cross First Aid Competition

2011-03-03T19:16:00.002+08:00

Quite disappointed that our team did not win in both categories. Hopefully next year's team would be better. However I won the Best Youth Officer Participation Award. You can access the results here:
http://www.redcross.org.sg/download.php?f=a26d623bca39578395c6f248d296979f

The finals will be held in Citysquare Mall on 19 March - you might want to view the display by the winners of the First Aid Awareness competition and vote for them. The prize award ceremony will be held at 4 pm so do join us if you are free. The mall is just above the Farrer Park MRT so transport should be easy.

Competitions 2011

2011-01-22T16:10:00.009+08:00

Preparing the students for a few competitions ahead -

1. Timeline Challenge by Singapore Polytechnic - Round 1 (100MCQ) on 26 Jan and Round 2 on 29 Jan. Latest update on 7 Feb: Our team ranked 12, 18, 24 and 28 out of the 35 teams - not too bad but should be able to do better next year!

2. NUS Geography Challenge 2011 http://nusgc2011.blogspot.com/ Prelim on 26 Feb - same day as the first aid competition - looks like Mrs Lim have to bring them there as the two competitions are on the same day.
I lile the creative component though it is going to be a lot of work involved - creating a food trail for tourists on a budget in Singapore! More details will be available on 26 Feb.
Latest update on 9th Apr: Our team was shortlisted for the most creative video.

3. Red Cross First Aid Competitions - Case management Category and FA Awareness Category
http://sssredcross.blogspot.com/2011/01/first-aid-competitions.html
Latest update on 9 April: Though our team didn't get into the finals, I won the best Youth Officer Participation award.
Encouraging students to participate in the following NE competitions as well:
1. "Home" video contest
http://www.thisishome.sg/
2. "knowing our past, building our future" Lego postcard design competition:
http://www.ne.edu.sg/LEGO_BTC.htm

Singapore living

2010-12-29T18:12:00.002+08:00

Love this publication by the southwest CDC - Singapore living. Click on this link
http://editions.magsbyme.com/south_west_snippets_to_singapore_living/10013349#
to view the cartoon.

JB getaway New York Hotel 2010

2010-12-24T20:21:00.009+08:00

Stayed at New York Hotel, JB this time round. We were given a room on the 17th floor - fantastic view of JB- esp at night. Had our lunch at Restoran Hao Bi near Holiday Plaza, opposite Caltex gas station. The restaurant is famous for its roasted duck and meat.

The popular wanton mee from Ho seng Kee next to Hao bi was sold out and it was only 1230pm

Had dinner at the hawker centre behind Hotel Grand Paragon. Highly recommend the claypot chicken rice, penang kwai tiao and bbq stingray.

This morning we had dim sum breakfast at Restoran Kak Kak - opposite Plaza Pelangi.

Took a cab to KSL - the new shopping mall near to Holiday plaza. Saw another branch of Tang Si Fu. Highly recommended - the mee sua from Tang Sifu which I had introduced earlier on when I patronised the one at Jusco Tebrau.
We went over to Fizzio (opp Sri Taman Tebrau) for a massage and then walk to Teck Sing restaurant - well known for its paper wrapped herbal chicken.

After dinner, we walked towards the STORE and saw this restaurant selling bbq items - it has a large crab on its sign board. Fell in love with the debone chicken wings - only RM1 each!

Ayam Penyet from Bonafe opposite New York Hotel - you can see how good it is from the crowd.

Went to this restoran Ka hoe on 25 Dec morning to try the famous kwai tiao soup. However I think I like the roasted bun and goreng pisang in the restaurant more! The coffee was good too!

Hong Kong 13 to 16 Dec 2010

2010-12-18T02:36:00.008+08:00

We reached Hong Kong around 3pm but we had to wait for our luggage. The HK Dream Travel Agent was kind enough to get a tour guide to see to our transfer to our hotel. As we had arrived earlier, they had to book a taxi for us and they bore all the charges.
We checked into Kimberly hotel and the room was much smaller than Hotel Sintra. We also do not like the fact that the fridge is in the toilet - they should really change it to below the pantry area rather than having another area for the wardrobe. After putting down the luggage, we went to shop at the Apliu street where there are a lot of sales for cheap electronic goods. I bought the Sim card for surfing the internet here. The day usage sim card for broadband (3Gshop) cost HK28 wheras another one which is stored value of HK68 was sold for only HK50. In fact this is the place to come if you want to get cheaper sim card e.g. those with face value of HK98 was sold at HK80. We went to Temple Street and I bought some keychains. My husband stopped at this shop which .sells snake soup. It seemed that many well known artists had patronised this shop. My husband loved the snake soup. I ordered another soup which was scallop soup but it turned out to be some sort of a lizard - I didn't dare to drink it and my husband finished it up for me. Finally managed to eat the famous mango pudding on ice from "Xu Liu Shan". We ate dinner at an eatery nearby after we saw the long queue for the famous clay pot rice which I wanted at first. My husband liked the salted broiled chicken and the roasted pigeon.

We woke up pretty late and missed breakfast on day 2 in Hong Kong and the manager was kind enough to change the coupon to 15 Dec instead. We took the MTR to causeway bay station as we saw this advertisement for a promotion in electronic goods in the causeway bay building next to the MTR station. The office is located on the 21st floor in Causeway Bay Plaza. We bought the MP5 and android phone with TV receiver. After that we took the tram to Shau Kei Wan terminal which was near to the "Sheng Wan" temple. We took our lunch at a restaurant. I love their dim sum esp the 3 treasure which is the char siew bun, siew mai and prawn dumpling. We love the osmanthus jelly. I bought a bag with the world map design in one of the stall here.

We went back to Tsim Tsai Tsui for our dinner at Tan Yu Tou Hotpot. Quite expensive but the beef slices and prawns were good. The prawns were still moving through they were stringed to bamboo skewer. We had a combination soup base - tomato and fish.

My legs were tired out and we had a massage at the Comodo Spa Beauty and Heath centre at 14A Cameron Road - the rate is much cheaper (almost half of that in front of our hotel).

We spent our day 3 in Hong Kong at the Ocean Park. The pandas were so cute. The theme park is very big and the 2 areas are separated by hills and are accessible by cable car or monorail. However the monorail was under maintenance. We took the cable car but the wind was so strong that the service was almost terminated. We spent almost the whole day there and at night we went to Mongkok. We had dinner at the Han He Korean Restaurant. It was the most economical meal so far in Hong Kong = I would strongly recommend this place. The marinated meats are not impressive but the cooked dishes and the soups were fantastic.

On the last day in Hong Kong, we took the MTR to Sheung Wan station. We walked along Wing Lok Street and saw a food centre. We patronised 2 stalls there - one selling dim sum and the other selling toast and coffee. The dim sum was not as good as the one we had at Shau Kei Wan. I like the French toast - bread dipped into egg and fried, covered with sweetened condensed milk.

After that, we walked towards Wellington Street as I wanted to try the food at Lin Heung Tea House and Mak Noodle. On our way there we passed by the Antique Street and guess what I found? More stamps and first day covers which I had quite a good bargain. Further up, we visited the Man Mo temple and I bought 2 necklace which was blessed. Lin Heung Tea house was so crowded so went to Mak Noodle. I loved the Wanton noodle - the noodle was so thin and the wanton was so big with 2 prawns inside each. After the lunch, we walked further up to the mid=level elevator, it got colder and colder - I think the temperature was around 9 degree celcius.

After that we took the train from Central back to Tsim Sha Tsui. We walked towards the Star ferry by the subway - a popular place for TVB shows. We walked down the Avenue of Stars and it was so cold that I could feel my nose frozen.

We went back to the hotel and was surprised that a guide was already waiting. Equally shocked that he asked for HK160 tip when he did not even help us with the luggage up the coach.

As I had printed the boarding pass in the hotel, checking in was a breeze and we ate dinner at a Teochew restaurant. Love the braised goose and stir fried kailan with the congee.

We flew back to Singapore by Cathay Pacific CX715 - quite a small plane. Dinner was the same as lunch -fish with potato.

Macau 12 to 13 Dec 2010

2010-12-14T03:07:00.012+08:00

Checked in at Changi airport at 930 am for the 1145am flight. This time round we took the Cathay Pacific and I must say I felt better off in the SIA flight I took to HK better. Lunch was either steamed chicken with chicken rice or fish with potato. The fish with potato was a much better choice.

My agency booked the ferry to Macau at 6pm. I am glad that the staff from Turbojet was kind enough to change it to 6pm. The staff also mentioned that there is free upgrade to super class as I had checked in online but I have already paid the $60 extra for the upgrade – what a waste!
While waiting at the airport for the ferry, Lee took the porridge. After that I bought 2 HK sim card at HK98 each.
Light refreshment was served onboard the turbojet – we had tuna sandwich with cheese cake , a red bean biscuit, orange juice and yogurt/oreo biscuit. The sea was rather choppy but thank God we did not have motion sickness. The ride was 45 mins but it took some time before the hotel shuttle bus arrived. It seemed that the shuttle bus bring the customers to both Hotel Sintra and Lisboa as both belong to the same owner.
Our window at Hotel Sintra faces the Grand Emperor Hotel – a pretty sight with all the advertisement for its artists.
We walked towards Grand Lisboa as we had already booked a table at Grand Buffet which many had claimed to be good with its 100m long spread.
On the way we stopped at Yishun milk and tried out the double steamed egg and the pork bun – my goodness it was so delicious. The papaya milk was average though. The bill worked out to be HK51.
Not very impressed with Grand Buffet and pay a hefty HK532 on it. The only outstanding dishes were the roasted suckling pig and the boiled live prawns. The queue was extremely long and the restaurant turned away many customers who did not make reservation. I still prefer the Vienna International Seafood Buffet (Novena Square) or Parris International Buffet(near marina square) in Singapore. I tried my luck at the casino but lost all my HK100.

After that we took a cab to the city of Dream where Venetian is. I was so impressed with the Marco Polo Canal – the whole sky is man-made but looked so real – seemed like as if it was still in bright daylight though it was near to 11pm. We ate the Portugese tarts at Lord Stow’s – the original creator of the tarts. The crust was so crunchy and buttery whereas the filling was so soft and fragrant. We took a cab back to the hotel and I went to the 7-11 to buy 2 bottles of milk – Kowloon Diary – wish we have this in Singapore.

On day 2, we walked towards the Ruins of St Paul's and I stopped by the tourism board t o collect some brochures and maps. I also bought some first day covers and stamps form the post office nearby. At the foot of the St Paul's ruins is a lane full of sales assistants promoting their products - they will let you sample dried meat, biscuits etc. I bought some souvenirs back from "Koi Kei" - the most popular outlet for pastry such as almond biscuits and egg rolls. Other than the fort remains, we also saw a "Na Tcha" temple. There is also this alley called the "love street" as the houses were built so close to each other and the lovers living across can just talk to each other from their house. We had breakfast at the eatery next to the famous Margaret's Cafe de Nata where they sell the famous egg tarts. I must say it did not taste as good as the ones we had at Lord Stow' bakery though the queue was so long.

There were not as many eateries here as compared to Hong Kong - just a lot of casinos, pawnshops, jewellery shops and medical hall. Many of the eateries and restaurants were closed. I learned from the tour guide later on that that life is very relaxed in Macau and many of the shops are not opened until late in the afternoon or at night. If someone is short of a player for mahjong, they will just close the shop and join the rest for the game. The citizens are well taken care of by the government who provides free education for the students till high school and the retirees are paid a sum of HK6000 every month. Many of the coastal land were reclaimed and a bridge linking to Hong Kong is under construction and will be ready by 2014.

Our tour guide brought us to the Lotus Square and the Grandpix and wine museum opposite it. After that he brought us to the Statue of the Goddess of Mercy. He explained that the statue is unique as it was built by a Westerner and the statue face landwards instead of seawards. The statue also resembles the Mother Mary statue and was known as the Western Goddess of Mercy. He then drove us to Macau tower but we did not stay long there as we did not intent to go for the sky walk.

After that he brought us to the "A-Ma" temple where I bought a set of coins which shows the 12 Chinese zodiac signs from all over the world as well as sampled the famous local ice cream. After that he drove us to the custom check to China's Zhu Hai. Some of the coastal strips are so near to China that you can just swim across. He mentioned that in the past, people from mainland China would swim over to Macau but now it is the other way round. He said that near to Chinese New Year, there will be boats offering to take some of these people back to China illegally and they only paid HK500 instead of HK2000 to get through the custom.

We decided to go to Hong Kong earlier as there was nothing left to do in Macau. We took the 2pm ferry instead of the 5pm one. This time round, the super class is on the lower deck and not the upper deck and it was very crowded.

meal reservation turbojet superclass

2010-12-11T23:35:00.004+08:00

Checked in online and printed the boarding pass for both the flight (Cathay Pacific) as well as for turbojet. As I have upgraded the ferry to superclass, I was able to select the meal from the list below from Macau to Hong Kong. I could not do so for the trip from HKIA to Macau though. I have chosen the Swiss Chicken. I learned from a documentary that the chicken wing got its name when a foreigner commented that the soy sauce chicken wing was "sweet" and somebody misinterpreted that he said Swiss and that was how the name Swiss Chicken wing originated.

JB Crown Crystal Hotel 24 to 25 Nov 2010

2010-11-25T17:15:00.009+08:00

Reserved a room at Crystal Crown hotel via email @RM155 nett per night. Quite a breeze getting through the custom today. Our driver, William, brought us around JB after checking into the hotel at a rate of RM15 per hour -paid him RM75 for his 5 hour service. Of course that was on top of the S$50 getting us from Singapore to JB.

We went to this wanton mee stall (Uncle koh) recommended by William for lunch. On our way there we stopped at a stall and bought my favourite goreng pisang. After that he brought us to Sutera Mall - nothing much there - bought the prepaid broadband card there and then went to Merlin tower to buy my medicine. After that went to taman pelangi area- a shop called "bao zi lin" for the massage and then the nearby hawker centre for dinner - the claypot rice and penang kway tiao were fantastic!

Went to the hawker centre 大马花园 near to the hotel - many stalls are still closed so we took a cab to Jusco Tebrau. I bought my daily disposable contact lens - the moist type which cost $60 in Singapore but only RM90 a box over there. After that, we went to "Tang Shifu" for lunch and love it. The coffee contains ginseng and the mee sua we ordered have some sort of herbs in it. I ordered the one with scallop and abalone. Lee ordered the one with wine herbal soup. The price aren't too high either - paid less than RM50 for the 2 of us. I also bought some of the TVB series on promotion over there. Imagine buy one get one free - I paid RM39.90 for 2 TV series which is like a quarter of the price I pay in Singapore - and they are original discs! After that we took a cab to merlin tower as I need to change some more ringgit. I must say the rate there is the best so far - $100 to RM239.2. I bought some titbits from the Indian stall as well as the deparmental store. After that we went to the restaurant outside Merlin tower.. I love the "chee cheong fun" and the steam fish (thai) style.

I realised that this time round -traffic was pretty bad - quite jammed along the roads.

Went to Fizzio massage centre which is located opposite taman seri tebrau (大马花园) for a second round of massage. I must say the massage here is much better. After that we went to 大马花园 for dinner. Not really impressed with the food there though it seemed to receive high recommendations on the net - maybe I will try other stalls tomorrow.'

Humanities logo

2010-11-01T00:35:00.006+08:00

Staff Dinner 2010

2010-10-23T13:51:00.002+08:00

Quite a relief- my last major event as chairperson of SWC. I must say I was pleasantly surprised by the strong support by the staff, even the more senior ones, in dressing up for the dinner in line with our Halloween Theme. It was a wonderful night -I must thank the young ones in the committee- Imran, Aileen and Meiling with the planning of the activities. The food was pretty OK for the Chinese table but I heard that the Muslim food was not as good. I will have to work on the AAR soon.

2N2 Hip Hop lesson

2010-10-22T11:28:00.005+08:00

HIke cum Heritage Trail with Hougang Secondary Red Cross

2010-09-09T23:51:00.006+08:00

It was a tiring day for me as I brought 17 of our Red Cross cadets on a combined hike cum heritage trail along Singapore river with Hougang Sec cadets today.

Students climbing up the 90 steps from the MRT station up to clark quay. Group photo at Clarke Quay

going under the coleman bridge using the underpass

Group on Elgin Bridge - our first heritage spot understudy - the bridge which connects North Bridge Road with South Bridge Road.

Looking at where Raffles landed and reflecting on his vision - Singapore as the port and trading centre in the Far East.

Combined Unit activity at the Merlion Park

The NCOs from 2 schools

Working on the reflection logs....

Introducing the NCOs from HS

The NCOs from Serangoon Sec

The Sec 2 cadets from HS

The Sec 2s from SSS

The Sec 1 from HS

The Sec 1 from SSS

Walking down Boat Quay

I must applaud esp the Muslim cadets who turned up for the hike as they are still fasting - one thumb up!

Teachers' conference 6 to 7 Sept

2010-09-09T23:10:00.004+08:00

Learning journey to the Apple company located in AMK on the first day of the teachers' conference. I must say it was a fruitful trip - getting to know how Apple become so successful today as well as hands on in using the Mac book.

Learning points:

Time machine for backup. Hard disk plugged into USB of router.

Design of hardware together with software such as ilive and iwork

Use of iwork – just like photoshop – alpha – delete background easily (similar to lasso)

Spotlight on top right hand corner – can be used to search for file, as a dictionary and calculator. Shortcut for spotlight – command and space bar

To zoom – hold on to control and 2 fingers on touch pad.

Photo booth – interesting way of using video and photo with special effect and background.

Work with many universities to launch iTune U. Great resources - many applications created by the universities free for download. Development of ebooks from University of Florida e.g. Moby Dick

Emphasis on using the best men – many have PHD/master in education

Millions of ipod sold, branches into ipad and even rechargeable batteries for their wireless mouse, track pad and keyboard.

I like the concluding statement made by Ms Seah in her address on 7th Sept:

Have the conviction, make the choice, be humble to learn and be courageous to lead

Attended 2 sharing sessions on the 7th September.

The first one is on the implementation of integrated humanities by the teachers from East View Secondary.

Making use of the Integration Model - Natural, conceptual and thematic

I also like the idea of their IH Credit System – credit points given (look very similar to the Elsa's dollar) as a form of reward system – positive stroke for the students and effectively engaged the students.

In terms of their Pedagogy, they have made use of:

Cooperative learning

Experiential Learning

CL – Jigsaw, informal learning groups, think pair share, round robin, games

Experiential learning – fieldtrip to Singapore River
Use of sch heritage wall to learn about change and continuity

ICT based - e-portal lessons, photoblogs, SBQ skills -students to formulate their own inferential questions based on the pictures they have taken. Environmental through photos,
Map reading skills via google maps

The 2nd sharing which I attended was Using Assessment of concepts to increase metacognition and disciplinarian thinking.

A bit more complex as the study was made with students from RGS, some under the gifted students programme.

However it seemed a bit too challenging if we were to apply that to our neighbourhood schools. However one learning point is the use of common meta-lang across disciplines all the way from yr 1 to yr 2
System, Change, Scale, Model

Look similar to the Understanding by Design Model that we are working on.

Using the meta-language of the Geog discipline – spatial and temporal dimension, interaction of the elements which resulted from the man-land relationship.

e.g. Earthquake
1st draft : When earthquakes happen, the damage is more when people are caught off guard
Improved – the severity of damage is determined by the preparedness of the place, whether the people are prepared or in terms of their building structure.

Further improved - The extent, type and severity of the damages caused by the earthquakes are determined by the level of development of the country

Sec 3 – students are required to show the following:
Change is inevitable and it occurs over time, and that the impact can be both positive and negative
Illustrate both metacognitive abilities and disciplinarian thinking
There is explicit use of overarching concepts “system” and “change”

Happy Teachers day

2010-08-31T11:38:00.001+08:00

Trail in the sky

2010-08-13T23:02:00.005+08:00

I took this picture in the school. One of the students asked me about the line across the sky. It was actually caused by a jet which just passed by. Like cars, jets have exhaust, which is the gas or vapor that is created when an engine burns fuel. When the exhaust escapes from a jet engine, it leaves a trail in the sky. It is freezing cold very high in the sky and the stripes the jets leave behind are ice crystals and cooled water. The water droplets and ice crystals are very light, so they can actually float in the sky! They are also called “vapor trail” or “contrail.”

Results for National Stamp Collecting Competition 2010

2010-08-13T20:26:00.005+08:00

Our school won 1 Silver and 8 Bronze in the National Stamp Collecting Competition. 2 teams received Certificate of Participation.
The Prize Presentation is on 4th Sept @ National Library 3pm. Only 1 team who won the Silver will go up the stage to receive the trophy.The other teams will receive certificates.

JB getaway

2010-08-07T23:36:00.005+08:00

First time staying in a budget hotel, Meldrum Hotel @RM130 for deluxe with one queen and one single bed (only RM90 if it it is a superior with 2 single beds). It is located just opposite one of my favourite wanton mee stall near to Merlin tower.

I went to get my medicine from the pharmacy and then shopped at City Square. I bought the Maxis prepaid broadband sim card at RM8.80 and top up RM5 as the stored value is only RM4 and the cost of the one day broadband is at RM8. I must say it is really worth it as I can also make phone call to Singapore with the sim card too! I actually paid RM30 for a day access to broadband in one of the hotels - should have bought this if I had knew about it. It will expire in 3 months but I can continue to use it if I top up the value within the 3 months.

Took a cab to Jusco Bukit Indah in the evening and had the Thai massage.as well as bought 2 t-shirts from FOS. Bad choice as it was so difficult to get a cab from there. The taxi fare to Jusco Bukit Indah was less than RM20 as he took the highway (with toll) and we reached there within 20 mins. The return trip took us almost an hour and cost RM22! Had dinner along the lane - was surprised that many had already packed up at 1030 pm!

N3 Cluster Humanities Debate (NA)

2010-07-28T18:17:00.003+08:00

Accompanied the team to Punggol Sec for the N3 Cluster Humanities Debate (NA). Elsa was so proud of the team when they made it to the round 2 and emerged as the Champion. I was equally happy for the team. They were very nervous for the competition but had delivered their stand well.

Red Cross Current Affairs Competition 2010

2010-07-17T19:44:00.005+08:00

Our unit is the Champion for North Zone. Evergreen runner-up and Nan Chiau 2nd runner-up.

Overall Comments by the judges for Category 3:

1. There is a need to maintain eye contact with the judges - some cadets were simply trying to memorize their script and forgot about eye contact.

2. One group impressed the judges with their creative presentation in the form of Q&A. In doing so, the judges could actually understand how the game was played better.

3. The judges were impressed by the creativity of one group which presented the board game in the form of a world map. It truly reflect the global nature of Red Cross. The game started with Geneva and ended up in Singapore. Through this game, the player also get to know more about IFRC as well as Singapore.

4. The font size for some of the brochure were too small. Some were quite good in presenting the work of IFRC on one side of the brochure and ICRC on the other side. A reminder by the judges that the emblem of Red Cross must be respected - there should not be any writing inside the emblem and that it should be on white background.

5. Overall, the judges were very impressed with all the presentation and said that all the 20 finalists should be given a prize. However, they were constrained by the rules laid - in fact they feel that 7 teams should be given a chance to go into the final!

Thanks to Chee Jean, Ahmad and Kittima who were also there to support the team.

Elective Modules -Small Business Operation Learning Journey to Changi

2010-07-06T21:31:00.002+08:00

Harris Resort Batam

2010-06-14T14:31:00.009+08:00

Extremely crowded at the ferry terminal. The Ocean Raider (Batam Fast) was slightly late and we had to make a stop at Sekupang before reaching the Waterfront terminal. At the Harris Cafe now - waiting for our nasi goreng and pizza. As you can see from above, the pictures near the pool look nice - however, nothing prepare me for the bad experience which followed: The wooden planks were loose and one of the nail in the room came out and cut my boy’s toe. They should definitely replace the wooden planks especially those near to the bath area as the water had weaken the wood or the ground below it.

The incident which upset me was when I could not open up the safe box the second day. The room was quite a distant away and I had to go all the way to the reception to get help. When the housekeeping came, he told us that the battery was low which caused the problem. I moved all the content to the other room. When I wanted to go back to room 18, I realised that I could not open it with the card and had to rush to the reception again. The staff told me it could be my handphone which had affected the magnetic card – I reassured her that it was nowhere near my handphone and there was nothing wrong with the other room card which I had placed together. I reconfirmed with the staff that the new card was ok and she told me no problem. I rushed back to the room and realised that it still cannot be opened! I had to rush back to the reception which I had mentioned that was quite a distance away. Finally one of the staff came and told me that battery was low which made me real mad as I had never came across a hotel which locked the guest out due to low battery for the lock! Shouldn’t they change the battery more regularly for something so important as the safe box and door lock?

In fact when we checked in, I was already quite disappointed with the long queue and the lack of activities there. They did not allow us to top up our breakfast to lunch though I told them we could not wake up in time for the breakfast.

The air soft gun was sent for repair so my son did not have much to do. Thank god there was a DVD player. The wi-fi did not work in the room either though the staff told me it is available everywhere. The only place you can access wi-fi was the cafe. By the way, if you eat in the cafe – you will have plenty of flies for company –it spoilt my appetite as we have to chase away the flies with one hand and eat with the other. The food was expensive and the chicken wing which came with the nasi goreng was cold and tough! My total bill for 2 pizzas, 2 nasi goreng and some drinks came up to S$97!

The worst part was departure from Waterfront terminal – we went there at 12 noon so that we could check in early for the 2.10pm ferry. However after waiting for almost 2 hours, a church group came and they were given express check out! The Harris management did not mention that there could be express check out if you pay a fee. Quite unfair for those who came early and did not know that you can have express check out for a fee!

The only pleasant part of the Harris stay was the staff – very courteous and patient. However the resort and the system was a nightmare. After the lock incident, the manager sent a voucher for a night stay for 2 in the funky suite (with some T&C expiring in Sept- said will extend if I want to) and some fruits/cookies to the room. After such a nightmarish experience, do you think I will go back to Harris? I had stayed in different hotels in Batam (Planet, Panorama, Goodway, Harmonia, Formosa) but never had such a bad experience before .

Singapore Calendar 2011

2010-06-13T19:29:00.001+08:00

NYEC Enmazing Race

2010-06-05T19:00:00.008+08:00

A total of 10 teams from Sec 1 to Sec 3 enrolled in the competition. They were all exhausted racing around Singapore - from Bedok Reseroir, Kallang, East Coast Park, Esplanade to Marina Barrage, completing the different challenges at the stations such as educating the public on environmental issues such as energy saving and water resources in Singapore.

The lucky one who won a $10 voucher in the lucky draw.

Will I be the lucky one?

Finally - the last group which is a Sec 1 team coming in. Phew!

The pretty and energetic ECs. Simply love the camera!

The exhausted ECs.

Camera shy 3N team

The 3EAs - best sportsmanship as they attempted to complete all stations. Camera shy too!

Frustrated 2N/3N team - did not managed to complete all stations as they went to the wrong place.... could be better.

Missing a member but determined! Bobby's team (Sec 1) simply love the race though they were misled and lost time in Kallang!

The first team from SSS - well done guys..

JB Grand Paragon June 2010

2010-06-02T16:54:00.006+08:00

Getting into JB was a breeze yesterday. Left my place at 10.55am and reached the Grand Paragon hotel at 1135am - just 40 mins instead of the usual 1.5 hr journey.

After we left the luggage at the conceige, we took a cab to Merlin tower to buy my medicine from the pharmacy and then lunch at City Square. We tried the buffet at Seoul Garden - not too bad considering that the price was almost half for the 4 of us - RM137. They actually allow a free choice of soup such as tomyam, abalone and ginseng chicken but my sons wanted the normal chicken soup. Free flow of drinks - soft drinks, coffee etc. Shopped around and bought 2 t-shirt for my son and a t-shirt for myself. My son also bought a set of Japanese cartoon DVD.

Took a cab back to the hotel and checked into our D'Paragon room which has 4 queen sized beds. then we went for a swim. We had the whole pool to ourselves!

Breathtaking view as the pool is on the 11th floor - just 1 floor directly below us. Ian was quite exhausted after that and took a nap. We went to Chez Papa for our dinner - thank God we had already made reservation as it was fully booked. We had foie gras as usual with the escargot. My sons tried a little bit of that too. They ordered Bologneise Sphagetti and we ordered roast spring chicken and steam fish. They loved the toast with butter so much that they went for second round! Went to Pelangi Plaza and bought the kueh lapis from lavendar cake shop - my son's favourite. Could not find the cable which we needed for our DVD player to the TV so we took a cab to Danga City Mall where there are quite a no. of IT shops on the 2nd level.

We went back to the hotel and watched the video as we could not get our internet connected (only managed to do so today). We decided to get some supper so we went to this hawker centre that is just behind the hotel - I think it is called Centre point hawker centre. We bought some BBQ chicken wings, satay and oyster omelete. My sons love the chicken wings - I will get some more tonight.

Took a cab to Aeon Tebrau City and had lunch at Arashi Shabu Shabu. Hubby had Wagyu Rib Eye Shabu set plus oyster with Japanese Kombu Brooth and I had the Chinese herb broth with tiger prawn and scallop. We also ordered the salmon shasimi and Chris had the unagi set with rice and additional udon. Ian just wanted rice as he was still quite full from the breakfast buffet. I ordered KFC takeaway for him later. Bought some more DVDs from speedy video and also some t-shirts and shorts for Ian in Jusco. Ian also bought another car model from Toy R'us. Bought the kueh lapis again from lavendar and also some egg tarts from a portugese restaurant - their kueh will get you to come back for more!

NE manager Sentosa LJ

2010-05-25T21:02:00.005+08:00

A learning journey to Sentosa was organised for the Sec 1- 3 NE managers on 25th May by Ms Liang and Mrs Lily Lee. As part of the training, the NE managers had a better understanding of the NE messages through their visit to the Images of Singapore and Fort Siloso at Sentosa.

National Education Messages
Singapore is our homeland; this is where we belong.We treasure our heritage and take pride in shaping our own unique way of life.

We must preserve racial and religious harmony.We value our diversity and are determined to stay a united people.

We must uphold meritocracy and incorruptibility.We provide opportunities for all, according to their ability and effort.

No one owes Singapore a living.We find our own way to survive and prosper, turning challenge into opportunity.

We must ourselves defend Singapore.We are proud to defend Singapore ourselves, no one else is responsible for our security and well-being.

We have confidence in our future.United, determined and well-prepared, we have what it takes to build a bright future for ourselves, and to progress together as one nation.

At the end of the LJ, the students handed in their reflections and were rewarded with a badge that was designed by Ms Loo.

National NYEC Enmazing race 2010 briefing

2010-05-22T11:56:00.007+08:00

http://nyec-challenge.org/events/

The NYEC National En-mazing race is back! This year we have entered 10 teams and look out for them as they race around Singapore on 5 June 2010. The race will end before 4 pm and the closing ceremony will start at 6 pm. You might want to support them at the closing ceremony at City Square Mall (Farrer Park MRT). The theme for this year's race is based on water conservation and energy efficiency to fight climate change. All the best to all the 10 teams!

Please remember to report before 7.30 am at B1 Fountain Square at City Square Mall on 5 June (Sat).

During the briefing at Commonwealth Secondary today, the students were reminded the following:

1. To bring their pens, ezlink cards (with at least $10 value), fully charged handphone, the handout which contains the emergency contact no. of event i/cs.

2. The participants have to report before 7.30 am in the event t-shirt, shorts and covered shoes. They will be issued a race kit which includes poncho and a bottle of water.

3. The participants must travel as a team all the time and make use of public transport. They are given 20 mins at each station.

4. They must safeguard their team's scorecard and ensure that it is signed by the station master.

ELMO 3B03
nuriwani, filzah,jiaohao, shairul,melvin

Synergy 4C03
bobby,nayan,don,muazum,justin

Unity 1D03
felisa, fiora,jacob, sara,xue ying

EC Roar 2C03
danish,naresh,jiayi, syazwani,aishah

DMC 2B03
darrel, firdaus, syafiq, aleem, meng lam

Titans 5C02
cindy, huiyan, bryan, cassandra,jasmin

H2O 1B02
mirza, zhixun,solihin, iswandi, choon hao,

Oasis 2D05
karen, chintana, akmal, muhammad, dinesh

GEEKZ 1C03
syafiqah, ayu, nabilah, hasmin,haiqal

Coolio 3C02
charlene, stella, andreana, yue ying, yanli

National Stamp Collecting competition training workshop

2010-05-19T19:23:00.006+08:00

8 teachers and 42 students from Serangoon Secondary attended the training workshop for the National Stamp Collecting Competition at the Philatelic Museum.

I think the students learnt a lot from Ms Lily Samuel and were actually given some materials for a simple hands-on session. The students learnt about the different philatelic materials and the proper way of mounting them to the exhibition sheets.

Some advice from the trainer.

1. All presentation must be in protrait and not landscape orientation.

2. There must be an introduction, body and conclusion as well as a captivating title just like telling a story.

3. To use only white paper and no fancy or coloured fonts. It must be typed and the font size should be 14 for title, 12 for boday and 10 for caption.

4. The 1st page which is the content page must contain the page number.

5. There must be at least 16 exhibition sheets - other than the content page, all pages must contain at least 60% philatelic materials.

6. The students should use a variety of philatelic materials e.g first day cover, zo cards, aerogram, used stamp, mint stamp, minature sheet, commercial cover, postal cancellation, metal cancellation, watermarks, postcards, slogan canellation and of course gems like colouur trail, progressive sheets, odd shaped stamps etc.

7. Stamps must not be torn and the images should be properly seen. It must be detached from paper by floating.

8. The students should only write the group's name at the back of the exhibition sheet and not the name or school.

9. The philatelic materials must be mounted upright and not slanted. A proper margin for the mounting strip and stamp must be observed.

Promenade station on circle line

2010-04-18T01:25:00.004+08:00

11 more stations opened on 17 April for the circle line - I decided to try it out and made my way to Suntec city. The journey from Hougang station to Promenade station with a transfer at Serangoon station took me around 30 mins.

Picture I took in the Promenade station.

I have always been buying my grocery from Carrefour at the Plaza Singapore outlet as there is free delivery for purchases above $150 and they normally do it the very next day. This time round I decided to try the one at Suntec City. To my horror, after buying a whole cart of items, I was told that the earliest they could deliver was on Tues. I had to go to customer service to get help from the manager - he then told me that they will deliver on Sunday. I hope he kept his words -this would be my last shopping at Carrefour, Suntec City.

After that we went for dinner at Sizzler. I must say that the salad spread was impressive and I love the soups - the cream of mushroom and clam chowder. My husband love his steak and salmon. I tried the pork chop and the Swiss chicken which I would just rate average. The price was very reasonable, considering the variety served at the salad counter with dessert such as cut fruits, jelly and yogourt as well as the sumptuous spread of vegetables, pasta, mushrooms etc.

Staff Bonding Activity 2 and Red Cross Award Ceremony

2010-04-17T00:18:00.007+08:00

A truly busy day for me on Friday- staff bonding activity 2 which is bowling at downtown east from 2.30 pm to 430 pm followed by the Red Cross Award Ceremony in Dunman Secondary from 7pm to 10pm.

Silver for EUA (Based on 2009 assessment)

My silver star award (10 yr long service)

visitors to my blog

2010-04-03T22:21:00.002+08:00

I must say that the flag counter is a wonderful tool - just got to know that I have a total of more than 4000 visitors from 84 countries since last October!
http://s03.flagcounter.com/more/I6dX/5

The internet is a powerful tool - I must say it is quite comforting when visitors from overseas commented that the blogs are useful to them. One of them is Jean from Mauritius who had used my Econs blog to communicate. Of course most importantly, I hope that my students will use them to enrich themselves in the learning of Geography, SS and Econs.

First Aid Refresher course and exam

2010-03-26T22:18:00.005+08:00

I was on the 2-day course yesterday and today - glad that I passed the test. I thought I have got all correct for the first aid theory but it seemed that I got 27 - wonder which 3 I got wrong? I think one of them was that I should use a large arm sling for lower arm fracture but instead I chose elevation sling which is for lower arm bleeding. The elevation sling should only be used for dislocated shoulder, ribs or collar bone fractures.The questions are more difficult than the last one I took - at least I had the highest score and there were some who had to retake the theory paper.

I must say that the course really refresh our first aid skills - esp now they have used crepe bandage instead of triangular bandage for bleeding. It makes more sense as in reality, we have been using the crepe bandage to treat open wounds. Of course, it is a must for the YOs to have the first aid cert so that the unit can also be credited with more points for the EUA.

Also learnt from Mr Thiru, our trainer, that for pregnant woman, instead of recovery position, we can support the neck and the right hand with the waist and tilt it to the left.

Mr Thiru also told us that for heart attack cases, the casualty should be seated on the floor (in case he loses consciousness) and an ambulance must be called. In the mean time, if the casualty has his medicine, we can put one under his tongue. However, we must ensure that the medicine is his and that it is not expired.

The examiner pointed out some questions which most of the participants got wrong or had difficulties with:

Hematoma occurs when bleeding gets into the tissue.
Hypoglycamia occurs when the sugar level is too low - glucouse or sugar water should be given.
Asthmatic patients should be place in a comfortable position and not lay down on the floor.
Broken glass can cause incised wound - in some severe cases, the flesh is sliced off and avulsion occurs
For sprain, RICE is applied - the R stands for Rest and E stands for elevate
Sign of heat exhaustion is profuse sweating and not restlessness and confusion/ dry skin with high temperature above 40 degrees (heat stroke)
Alert, Verbal, Pain, Unresponsiveness to check for responsiveness

For the practical test, we are tested on bandaging and CPR.

The part on bandaging was quite interesting as the examiner gave us the different scenarios - some of which I could remember:
1. Fall from the escalator - dislocation of the jaw and bleeding on the back of the hand.
2. Being hit in the market and fell - left elbow fracture and left check got cut.
3. Was hit by glass in a football game - eye injury and right wrist bleeding.
4. Was carrying some items when the item crashed on the hand - wrist fracture and bleeding on the hand.
5. Carrying some items and was pushed from behind - the eye hit against the ground and was swollen, there is bleeding on lower arm
6. Saw a casualty leaning against the wall looking very confused and could not move his arm - shoulder dislocated, finger fractured as well
7. Fight in the hawker centre - cut on the head and elbow cannot bend (fracture)
8. Fell down in an amusement park -lower arm broken with bleeding on the face.

I was also quite nervous for the CPR as during the practice, Mr Thiru pointed out that my marking for the hand for the compression was too low. Thank God I got all right for the practical test - thanks to Mr Thiru!

The CPR test was quite straight forward, unlike the test which Mr Thiru would add in surprise elements or the component on choking.

1. Check for Danger
2. Call for help - call ambulance 995
3. Knee down with legs in between shoulder and then tap on the casualty asking him 'hello are you ok? to check for Response.
4. Open the Airway with head tilt chin lift - must ensure that one hand is on the forehead and the 2 fingers (index and middle fingers) on the chin nearer to you to lift it up as well as that the elbow is on the ground.
5. Next, using the thumb on the jaw to open up the mouth to check for foreign objects.
6. Put face near victim's face and look towards the chest to check for Breathing. Look, hear and feel for 10 secs.
7. No breathing - give 2 blows. Must remember to pinch the nose and blow fully into the mouth.
8. commence CPR - using the 2 fingers to locate the marking - from the rib cage to the centre and place the 2 fingers above it. Then move the other hand which was on the forehead above that marking.
9. Lock the hand and the elbow and start the 30 compressions ....1and 2 and 3 and 4 and 5 and 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and 10.......
10. Repeat the 2 blows and then 30 compressions.
11. Stop only when the casualty has breathings, when help arrive or you are exhausted.
12. Check for external injuries and then place casualty on recovery position.

I am now so exhausted - from the MOE healthy lifestyle activity and then this course and exam.

MOE healthy lifestyle day

2010-03-23T20:01:00.003+08:00

4N Kukup trip

2010-03-15T06:26:00.007+08:00

There was a long queue at the Malaysia checkpoint and after we cleared the custom, we went to a coffee shop for our breakfast.

Our first stop was the batik centre and I must say the prices were quite steep. We then proceed to the chocolate factory - Cocoa Rich which is located at jalan Ah Siang, Tanjung Puteri. I think the students love the place as they learnt how chocolate is processed from the cocoa seeds and also get to sample the chocolate drink and varieties of chocolate. The students bought quite a lot of the hot chocolate sachets as well as chocolate.

Our next stop was the pewter industry and the students saw how pewter wares was made from casting to polishing. The students also bought some of the keychains.

We reached Kukup around 1 pm and had our sumptuous seafood lunch - chilli crabs, sambal prawns, sweet and sour fish, mussels, beancurd, vegetable, fried cuttlefish ball, cuttlefish in satay sauce and of course the crackers. However the students do not like the tea so I bought for the class Pepsi. We could not go for the village walk as it poured heavily. Instead we went to Jusco at Bukit Indah and spent an hour there.

We were back in school at 7.10 pm.

You can see below the slideshows of the photos which I took with my handphone and also the 3 video clips. I have also use the photosynth sofware to create the 3D experience at the restaurant.

View Larger Map

Johor Bahru 14 Mar

2010-03-14T20:57:00.003+08:00

Went to City Square for more shopping and lunch at Sizzling stonegrill. Hubby ordered prawns and ostrich meat and I ordered prawns and scallops. The prawns are nice but the scallops a bit blend.

Johor Bahru 13 Mar

2010-03-13T23:35:00.010+08:00

Went to JB again to buy some of my medicine and more makan...

I checked into Crystal Crown hotel at first and had to purchase the wireless service at RM30 per day. When I got up to the room on the 11th floor, there was no connection and I went down to the reception to get it connected. However, when I went back to the 11th floor it got disconnected again! I got so fed up with the wireless internet connection that I checked out almost immediately. Took a cab to Selesa Hotel which is near to New York Hotel. Again over here I have to purchase the wireless service at RM21 but at least it worked!

We went to a small restaurant near Pelangi Plaza and wanted to try the famous "guo tiao" but was told that it was already closed at 12.30 pm so we tried the laksa, fried bee hoon and the pork ribs instead. Over there I saw a "mai kai" that was cooked in a bun!

After our lunch we took a cab down to Trebau City Jusco. I bought a pair of shoes and a bag while hubby bought a pair of jeans and a earphone.

We then we took a cab back to the Pelangi Mall and then proceeded to the resturant Chez Papa which we had made a booking. I missed the foie gras and escargot. This time round we ordered the foie gras and escargot again for starters. For the main course, hubby took the ribeye and I took the stuffed quail. The ribeye was a bit tough though.

We returned to our hotel and went out for supper at night. To our delight, we found the luk luk van down the street. We ate a total of 13 sticks of assorted food such as small crabs, prawns, quail eggs, mushrooms, bak kuai etc.. You can have it cooked in hot water, fried or grilled and then dip in the satay sauce, chilli sauce, thai chilli sauce or sweet sauce. Love the deep fried small crabs which was sprinkled with salt and pepper. Each stick cost RM1.60.

Bush fires

2010-03-10T14:39:00.006+08:00

Our school was engulfed in smoke from the fire near the Tampines Service Road where vegetation over an area of about three football fields was razed yesterday. According to the news report on Straits Times it took 90 firefighters more than three hours to bring the flames under control. Twenty officers stayed overnight to ensure that all the embers were fully put out. Five fire engines were dispatched and a total of 12 water jets were set up to bring the blaze under control. The SCDF reported that no one was injured from the fire.

Students were asked to leave the school if they had nothing else on but many of us stayed in the hall for the briefing for the overseas learning journeys. I supposed I was quite badly affected as I had irritated eyes and running nose whole night as well as a bit of whizzing. I had to see the doctor today as I feared it would worsen my asthmatic condition.

According to the report on 10 March, there had been a total of 206 bush fires here so far this year, with more than half occurring last month. Last month was the driest ever February and one of the hottest on record. Experts have blamed the recent bush fires on the El Nino weather pattern which is linked to the warming of the Pacific Ocean.

Videos below showing the smoke from the bush fire at around 4 pm. It was stronger around 1pm.

The Enmazing race is back!

2010-03-08T18:46:00.002+08:00

Many of you had been asking me about the challenge - its back! However this time round you must pay for the registeration team of 5 for $50. This $50 covers the Dri-fit Race Tees, Snacks and Drinks in the Race Kits, Photo-taking at the finishing point, Certificates of Participation, and Insurance. Payment will be made on the briefing day for participants, which will be 22 May 2010 at the Commonwealth Secondary School Auditorium, tentatively

iCTLT

2010-03-04T13:30:00.014+08:00

iCTLT 4 March 2010

Theme: Advancing Learning with ICT
Innovate Collaborate Transform

Will be down for the conference for today and tomorrow - posted on http://ezitnew.blogspot.com/

I have really learnt a lot from the conference e.g. http://photosynth.net

4N2 CIP - DPA Flag Day

2010-02-20T14:27:00.003+08:00

4N1, 4N2 and 4N3 raised fund for the Disabled People's association flag day today.

Vote for me in the "I will" competition

2010-02-19T00:54:00.001+08:00

Join in the pledge and vote for me http://www.iwill.sg/pledge/pledge_details.aspx?vote=yes&type=&c=&pledge_code=ftHvsPrUDuYV&b=&c1=&k=
Please do add in the tag "Serangoon sec" and I will vote for you too!

Total defence week

2010-02-12T00:56:00.004+08:00

Had been so busy preparing for the staff bonding activity 1 (5 Feb) and the Total Defence week that I fell sick again. Imagine climbling up and down 4 blocks from 7am to 4pm with 8 periods of lessons, rationing exercise and juding the inter-class notice board display competition all in one day! I am happy that we managed to raise $540 for the Needy Pupils' Fund. Through the rationing excercise, I hope that the students will empathise with the difficulties and constraints faced in war and the need for Total Defence. I think the display at the foyer is quite impressive too - thanks to the help of Ms Loo.

Journey learning 4N2

2010-02-04T17:33:00.001+08:00

More photos at

http://picasaweb.google.com/mrslilyleepictures/LearningJourneyToChangiAirportAndChangiChapelMuseum?feat=email#

Common Test 1

2010-02-02T23:37:00.002+08:00

Sec 2 Geography Chpt 1- 3

Sec 4N Geography - River and coast, Geography of food

Sec 4E5N Geography
Section A - Answer one question either on river and coastal studies or natural vegetation
Section B - Development

Please log into the humanities portal for the slides and notes. http://theoneandonlychris.com/
You can find the password in asknlearn under forum. Please also reply to the questions posted in the forum.http://www.asknlearn.com:443/eduservice/student/Logon.aspx?securitymessage=Authorization%20Required%20for%20Edu-Learn.

Sec 3 Geography Project work

2010-01-21T07:54:00.001+08:00

A very good video clip on how to use window movie maker from Youtube. Pay attention to how you can insert the pictures, music and the titles. You can enhance your video clip with transition effect. Just remember to publish your video by saving it as a movie file as shown in the last part of the video.

A Geography Project Task was given out to the students this year - to submit a 5 min video clip based on the river journey from the source to the mouth. The students also need to submit a short writeup with the synopsis (the content of your video) as well as credits given to your group members and the list of reference for the video.

One example of a video clip can be found @ this link -http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjZLAw_lgZ4 which is a similar project done by a group of students.

For sounds of river or waterfall - you might want to download from http://www.jetcityorange.com/SoundFiles/nature-sounds.html Just right click on the icon next to the track and select 'save target as'. Some of you might want to mix the sound with another piece of music which you have - the trick is after you have publish and save the video clip, import it and then add in the new audio track - you can right click on the audio timeline to adjust the volume.

As the file size is big - students were advised to make use of http://www.sendspace.com/ - just browse and upload the file and enter the email address of the recipient e.g. lily_lee68@yahoo.com.sg. I can then retrieve the file from sendspace with the link sent. A reminder - DO NOT sent the project file (mmv) send only the movie file (wmv). The project file should be kept by you in case you need to make amendments. If you send us the project file we would not be able to see the video as the pictures and music are actually stored in your computer. We will only be assessing the end product which is movie file (wmv) which you have created.

Sec 2 Population Density

2010-01-16T22:49:00.001+08:00

Click on the map for a larger image.

CCA recruitment and Inter-UG activity

2010-01-09T13:43:00.000+08:00

Click on the photograph below for more photographs:

CCA recruitment

Release of O level results 2009

2010-01-06T21:34:00.002+08:00

The results for 2009 O level will be released on 11 Jan which is this coming Monday. I must say that I did not expect it to be so early. Praying hard for all the students that they have done well in the Humanities.

Puteri Pacific hotel JB

2010-01-01T22:10:00.008+08:00

Another quick getaway in Johor. This time round we were given the 9th floor and I must say I missed the view from the high floor. I am very impressed with the free high speed internet access and the free items in the mini bar (6 cans of drinks, 2 mineral water and a pack of banana chips). Of course the room rate (RM300++) is higher than what we paid for New York hotel (RM180) but I supposed it is worth it with all the complimentary. The hotel's service is good but the room needs an upgrade badly. The safe was not working because the battery was weak. Three lights not working - the maintenance managed to replace the bulb for the bed light but not for the one at writing desk. At the end he brought in a standing lamp. I like the idea of a separate standing shower area next to the bathtub as well as the smell of the body wash and shampoo as well as the body lotion and conditioner. However quite disappointed that they do not have extra blanket and pillows.

We had our lunch at a coffee shop 好比 famous for herbal duck after I got my medicine from the pharmacy in Merlin tower. You must really try the herbal duck and the chestnut sugarcane drink in this shop - heavenly.

After checking into the hotel, we got a cab to pelangi leisure mall as I heard there are quite a number of massage centre there. Found this Thong Yee Thong 唐醫堂and had my 2hr massage including 拔罐(cupping technique used in traditional Chinese medicine). The charges are quite reasonable - RM118 for 2 hr massage and RM28 for 40min foot reflexology.

It seemed that it rained when we were having our massage. We were so lucky because when we took the cab to Merlin tower, the rain had stopped. The street hawkers lined the street next to Merlin tower and the rich aroma filled the air. We ordered a BBQ stingray, fried kuay tiao and fried oyster omlette. Simply delicious. We packed chicken wings, satay, goreng pisang and the Malay pancakes back to the hotel for supper!

Morning buffet breakfast in the hotel. The spread is better than New York Hotel and the nasi lemak and the fried mee siam are highly recommended.

pinhole glasses

2009-12-22T01:28:00.002+08:00

Bought this from Guardian - quite amazing - you can see without a prescribed glasses using this. It is supposed to improve your vision too. I am trying this out as other than myopia (shortsightedness) and astigmatism, age has also given me presbyopia (longsightedness). You can read more about this on http://www.thebatesmethod.com/pinhole_glasses.html