Welcome all!

Thursday, 28 March 2013

APhO 2013 Singapore Team

The following students have been selected to represent Singapore in the 14th Asian Physics Olympiad (APhO 2013) which will be held in Bogor, Indonesia, from 5 - 13 May:

Bay Wei Heng, HCI
Tan Wei Liang Byorn, NUSH
Lim Jeck, NUSH
Jonathan Ang Yun Hao, NUSH
Sean Seet Xiang En, NUSH
Pay Shieu Ming Daryl, RI
Daniel Mark Keat Kay, RI
Ashwin Venkidachalam, RI

Sunday, 24 March 2013

Graduate Employment Survey 2012 (Published March 2013)

Graduate Employment Survey (GES) 2012 By Average Gross Monthly Salaries (in brackets are the 75th-percentile salaries)

Top Salaries
1. SMU Law (4-year programme) - Cum Laude and above - $5082 ($5450)
2. SMU Law (4-year programme) - $4975 ($5250)
3. NUS Bachelor of Laws (LLB) (Hons) – $4963 ($5200)
4. NUS Bachelor of Medicine & Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) – $4799 ($5300)
5. NUS Bachelor of Dental Surgery - $4250 ($4400)
6. SMU Economics (4-year programme) – Cum Laude and above – $4053 ($4314)
7. NUS Bachelor of Business Administration (Hons) – $3976 ($4000)
8. SMU Information Systems Management (4-year programme) – Cum Laude and above – $3946 ($4100)
9. SMU Business Management (4-year programme) – Cum Laude and above – $3854 ($4167)
10. SMU Economics (4-year programme) – $3768 ($4075)
11. SMU Accountancy (4-year programme) – Cum Laude and above – $3765 ($4192)
12. NUS Bachelor of Arts (Architecture) – $3717 ($4000)
13. NUS Bachelor of Computing (Computer Science) - $3683 ($4000)
14. NTU Business and Computing - $3651 ($4000)
15. NUS Bachelor of Computing (Computer Engineering) - $3630 ($3942)
16. NTU Aerospace Engineering - $3578 ($3809)

NUS GES
NTU GES
SMU GES

Family Gathering March Holidays

From left: Lim Jeck, Jansen, Jaren, Sean, Lim Li, Surya, Ilakya, Lim Min, Ying Yi, Choong Yin

From left: Ming Ai, Sudha & hubby, Dorothea, me, Michelle

Thanks to Sudha for inviting us to her condo for a gathering, and taking the trouble to prepare scrumptious dinner :)

Thursday, 14 March 2013

Nanyang Scholarship and University Application

Lim Min has been offered the foremost Nanyang Scholarship by NTU.

Nanyang Scholarship covers up to the normal programme duration on condition that the scholar maintains a record of good academic performance and conduct satisfactory to the University.
- Subsidised tuition fees (after Tuition Grant) will be fully covered
- Living allowance of S$6,000 per academic year.
- Book allowance of S$500 per academic year.
- Accommodation allowance of up to S$2,000 per academic year.
Applicable to scholars who reside in NTU hostels.
- Travel grant of S$5,000 (one-off) *
- Computer allowance of S$1,500 (one-off).
- Settling-in allowance of S$250 (one-off).
- Priority for Overseas Study Programme.
- No bond is attached to the Nanyang Scholarship apart from the three-year bond applicable to all Singapore PRs and international students under the MOE Tuition Grant Scheme.

Course Offered - Double Degree in Accountancy and Business (Direct Honours, duration 3.5 to 4 years)

Lim Min prefers a professional course (Accountancy) + a course that she has interest in or is confident of doing well (Computing/Math/Science). Unfortunately, NTU does not have such a double degree, so she ended up choosing NTU Accountancy + Business. Both Accountancy and Business are new to her, it is difficult to tell if she would be interested or if she will excel in these courses to earn a good honours degree at the end. She would be more confident of doing well in Math, Science and Computing modules, which has always been her pet subjects. By taking Accountancy and Business, it means she has to step out of her comfort zone into new challenges. The NTU offer is attractive - a good scholarship, with a double degree (in Accountancy and Business with direct honours) that takes only 3.5 to 4 years. Most other double degrees with honours from NTU and NUS would have required 4.5 - 5 years to complete. And according to the article above from NTU magazine Hey! Mar-Apr 2013 issue, the first batch of its double degree in Accountancy and Business who graduated last year are earning an average of $7k+ at the 90th percentile :O

*******
Results of application to NUS and SMU is pending. (SMU interview is scheduled for 26 March)

NUS - applied for Double Degree in Accountancy and Computing (with Honours, duration 4.5 to 5 years)
SMU - applied for Double Degree in Accountancy and Information System Management (with Cum Laude latin honours system, duration 4 to 4.5 years)

Wednesday, 13 March 2013

Eindhoven Newspaper (The Netherlands)

Photo: The Singapore students follow different lessons on the Lorentz Casimir Lyceum to learn more about the Dutch education system.

In Dutch. Translated to English:

East and West meet at Eindhoven

Four pair of eyes are focused on teacher Latin Fokko Ringeling. The almost empty packet of Hollandse stroopwafels is in the middle on the table. The pupils from the NUS High School of Mathematics and Science in Singapore, are in - equivalent to - year 5 and 6. Together with two teachers and the headmaster, they visit the Lorentz Casimir Lyceum. The purpose of the journey is the learning of the Dutch education system, in particular, teaching of Mathematics.

The answer to the question as to why the Singapore education produces high achievers, the headmaster does not know exactly. He believes that the Asian culture, and parents in Asia are very focused on the education and the performance of their children. As a result students were highly motivated. “The reason why our education is so good, is that we learn from other countries", said Dr. Hang.

Indeed, learning from each other is the crux of the visit. This applies not only to the chancellor but also for the pupils. The first and second grade students get a presentation of the Singaporean education system. Cooperation between both schools already exists before the visit. Dr. Hang’s school organizes the Singapore International Mathematics Challenge every two years. Last year the Netherlands was represented by four students from the Lorentz. During the competition, Dr. Hang was invited to come to the Netherlands.

Dr. Hang has yet another reason to be in the Netherlands. His students will be spending this weekend at the international finals of the mathematics Alympiade in the Gelderse Garderen. According to the headmaster, the goal is not to win. "The pupils should enjoy the experience and meeting new people. I think that is much more important than winning," said the headmaster.

Tuesday, 12 March 2013

Student Exchange Programme Photos

Wednesday, 6 March 2013

2012/2013 Local University Indicative Grade Profile & 2011 Graduate Employment Survey

Grade Profiles of the 10^th and 90^th percentiles of A-Level Applicants offered places for courses at NUS in Academic Year 2012-2013²

NUS Courses	Representative Grade Profile 3H2/1H1
NUS Courses	10th percentile	90th percentile
Faculty of Law
Law*	AAA/A	AAA/A
School of Medicine
Medicine*	AAA/A	AAA/A
Nursing*	BCC/C	AAA/C
Faculty of Dentistry
Dentistry*	AAA/A	AAA/A
School of Design & Environment
Architecture*	ABB/B	AAA/A
Industrial Design*	BBB/B	AAA/A
Project & Facilities Management	BBC/C	ABB/C
Real Estate	BBC/B	AAB/B
Faculty of Engineering
Engineering	ABB/C	AAA/A
Bioengineering	ABB/C	AAA/A
Chemical Engineering	AAA/B	AAA/A
Civil Engineering	BBC/B	AAA/B
Electrical Engineering	BCC/B	AAA/B
Environment Engineering	BBB/C	AAA/B
Engineering Science	BBB/C	AAA/A
Industrial & Systems Engineering	AAB/B	AAA/A
Materials Science & Engineering	AAB/B	AAA/A
Mechanical Engineering	ABB/C	AAA/A
School of Computing
Computing (Computer Science)	BBC/C	AAA/A
Computing (Information Systems)	BBB/C	AAA/B
Faculty of Engineering & School of Computing
Computer Engineering	BCC/B	AAA/B
Faculty of Science
Pharmacy	AAA/A	AAA/A
Science	BBC/B	AAA/A
School of Business
Business Admin	AAA/B	AAA/A
Business Admin (Accountancy)	AAA/A	AAA/A
Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences
Arts & Social Sciences	BBB/B	AAA/A
Arts & Social Sciences (MT related)	BBC/C	BBB/B
Environmental Studies
Environmental Studies	AAB/B	AAA/A

* Courses that require interview &/or test.
²Double degrees are excluded from the table.

Grade Profiles of the 10th and 90th percentiles of ‘A’-Level Applicants offered places for programmes at NTU in UAE 2012

Grade Profiles of the 10th and 90th percentiles of Singapore- Cambridge GCE A Level Applicants offered places at SMU in 2012 University Admissions Exercise

Graduate Employment Survey 2011 (Published in May 2012)
By Average Gross Monthly Salaries (in brackets are the 75th-percentile salaries)

NUS Bachelor Laws (LLB) (Hons) – $5,037 ($5,075)

SMU Information Systems Management (4-year programme) – Cum Laude and above – $4,294 ($4,783)

NUS Bachelor of Medicine & Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) – $4,016 ($4,500)

SMU Economics (4-year programme) – Cum Laude and above – $3,999 ($4,275)

NUS Bachelor of Computing (Information Systems) – $3,911 ($4,000)

NUS Bachelor of Business Administration (Hons) – $3,871 ($4,200)

SMU Business Management (4-year programme) – Cum Laude and above – $3,777 ($4,100)

NUS Bachelor of Arts (Architecture) – $3,677 ($3,900)

SMU Accountancy (4-year programme) – Cum Laude and above – $3,671 ($4,125)

SMU Information Systems Management (4-year programme) – $3,637 ($4,150)

NTU Computer Engineering – $3,577 ($3,800)

SMU Economics (4-year programme) – $3,559 ($3,864)

NUS Bachelor of Engineering (Industrial & Systems Engineering) – $3,539 ($3,950)

NTU Aerospace Engineering – $3,489 ($3,900)

SMU Social Sciences (4-year programme) – Cum Laude and above – $3,450 ($3,700)

NTU Computer Science – $3,425 ($3,500)

NUS Bachelor of Computing (Computer Engineering) – $3,421 ($3,682)

NTU (NIE) Arts (with Education) – $3,407 ($3,500)

NUS Bachelor of Business Administration (Accountancy) (Hons) – $3,393 ($3,500)

NTU (NIE) Science (with Education) – $3,381 ($3,600)

NUS Bachelor of Computing (Computer Science) – $3,376 ($3,500)

SMU Business Management (4-year programme) – $3,369 ($3,800)

NUS Bachelor of Engineering (Computer Engineering) – $3,367 ($3,980)

NUS Bachelor of Science (Pharmacy) (Hons) – $3,346 ($3,500)

NUS Bachelor of Engineering (Bioengineering) – $3,334 ($3,800)

NUS Bachelor of Engineering (Electrical Engineering) – $3,327 ($3,600)

NUS Bachelor of Engineering (Chemical Engineering) – $3,286 ($3,515)

NTU Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering – $3,276 ($3,500)

SMU Accountancy (4-year programme) – $3,267 ($3,600)

NUS Bachelor of Engineering (Materials Science & Engineering) – $3,255 ($3,500)

NTU Business (3-yr direct Honours programme) – $3,245 ($3,600)

NTU Electrical & Electronic Engineering – $3,243 ($3,500)

NTU Mathematical Sciences & Economics – $3,226 ($3,500)

NUS Bachelor of Engineering (Environmental Engineering) – $3,215 ($3,300)

NTU Economics – $3,209 ($3,500)

NUS Bachelor of Engineering (Engineering Science) – $3,203 ($3,250)

NTU Information Engineering and Media – $3,196 ($3,500)

NUS Bachelor of Computing (Communications and Media) – $3,175 ($3,300)

NTU Mechanical Engineering – $3,152 ($3,385)

NUS Bachelor of Arts (Hons) – $3,151 ($3,500)

NUS Bachelor of Engineering (Mechanical Engineering) – $3,143 ($3,400)

NUS Bachelor of Business Administration – $3,141 ($3,500)

NUS Bachelor of Science (Hons) – $3,138 ($3,450)

NUS Bachelor of Dental Surgery – $3,136 ($3,400)

NUS Bachelor of Engineering (Civil Engineering) – $3,126 ($3,200)

NTU Psychology – $3,125 ($3,450)

NTU Mathematical Sciences – $3,125 ($3,200)

NTU Civil Engineering – $3,115 ($3,400)

NTU Bioengineering – $3,094 ($3,500)

NUS Bachelor of Social Sciences (Hons) – $3,088 ($3,350)

NUS Bachelor of Computing (Electronic Commerce) – $3,075 ($3,500)

NTU Sociology – $3,055 ($3,403)

NTU Materials Engineering – $3,047 ($3,300)

NTU Chinese – $3,044 ($3,300)

SMU Social Sciences (4-year programme) – $3,043 ($3,500)

NTU Environmental Engineering – $3,034 ($3,300)

NTU Physics & Applied Physics – $3,024 ($3,300)

NTU Biological Sciences – $2,981 ($3,250)

NTU English Literature – $2,976 ($3,200)

NTU Communication Studies – $2,960 ($3,200)

NTU Chemistry & Biological Chemistry – $2,956 ($3,200)

NTU Maritime Studies – $2,906 ($3,000)

NTU Accountancy (3-yr direct Honours programme) – $2,900 ($2,900)

NUS Bachelor of Applied Science (Hons) – $2,890 ($3,150)

NUS Bachelor of Science (Real Estate) – $2,888 ($3,000)

NUS Bachelor of Arts – $2,763 ($3,000)

NUS Bachelor of Science (Project & Facilities Management) – $2,760 ($3,000)

NUS Bachelor of Business Administration (Accountancy) – $2,759 ($2,800)

NUS Bachelor of Science – $2,741 ($2,900)

NUS Bachelor of Science (Nursing) – $2,718 ($2,800)

NUS Bachelor of Applied Science – $2,647 ($2,800)

NTU Art, Design & Media – $2,563 ($3,000)

By Permanent Employment Rate (in brackets are the median salaries)

NUS Bachelor Laws (LLB) (Hons) – 100.0% ($5,000)

NUS Bachelor of Medicine & Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) – 100.0% ($4,000)

NTU (NIE) Arts (with Education) – 100.0% ($3,300)

NTU (NIE) Science (with Education) – 100.0% ($3,300)

NUS Bachelor of Dental Surgery – 100.0% ($3,000)

NUS Bachelor of Engineering (Civil Engineering) – 100.0% ($3,000)

NUS Bachelor of Science (Pharmacy) (Hons) – 98.9% ($3,300)

NUS Bachelor of Arts (Architecture) – 98.6% ($3,500)

SMU Accountancy (4-year programme) – Cum Laude and above – 98.6% ($3,225)

NUS Bachelor of Computing (Information Systems) – 98.1% ($3,400)

NTU Maritime Studies – 98.1% ($2,800)

NUS Bachelor of Computing (Electronic Commerce) – 97.2% ($3,000)

SMU Accountancy (4-year programme) – 96.9% ($2,900)

NUS Bachelor of Science (Project & Facilities Management) – 96.7% ($2,770)

NTU Accountancy (3-yr direct Honours programme) – 96.3% ($2,700)

SMU Information Systems Management (4-year programme) – Cum Laude and above – 96.0% ($4,200)

NUS Bachelor of Science (Nursing) – 95.6% ($2,750)

NUS Bachelor of Computing (Computer Engineering) – 95.5% ($3,100)

NUS Bachelor of Business Administration (Accountancy) – 95.5% ($2,700)

NUS Bachelor of Engineering (Computer Engineering) – 95.1% ($3,000)

SMU Information Systems Management (4-year programme) – 94.6% ($3,215)

NUS Bachelor of Business Administration (Accountancy) (Hons) – 94.4% ($3,000)

NUS Bachelor of Science (Real Estate) – 94.4% ($2,800)

NTU Computer Engineering – 94.0% ($3,250)

NUS Bachelor of Computing (Computer Science) – 94.0% ($3,000)

NTU Civil Engineering – 94.0% ($3,000)

SMU Economics (4-year programme) – Cum Laude and above – 92.0% ($3,500)

NUS Bachelor of Engineering (Materials Science & Engineering) – 91.7% ($3,000)

SMU Business Management (4-year programme) – Cum Laude and above – 91.5% ($3,500)

NTU Mathematical Sciences & Economics – 91.4% ($3,200)

NUS Bachelor of Engineering (Industrial & Systems Engineering) – 91.1% ($3,500)

NTU Information Engineering and Media – 90.6% ($3,200)

NUS Bachelor of Applied Science (Hons) – 90.3% ($2,800)

NUS Bachelor of Engineering (Mechanical Engineering) – 89.4% ($3,000)

NUS Bachelor of Business Administration (Hons) – 89.2% ($3,300)

NTU Aerospace Engineering – 88.9% ($3,500)

SMU Economics (4-year programme) – 88.9% ($3,200)

SMU Social Sciences (4-year programme) – 88.5% ($3,000)

NTU Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering – 88.4% ($3,200)

NUS Bachelor of Engineering (Electrical Engineering) – 88.4% ($3,100)

NUS Bachelor of Engineering (Environmental Engineering) – 88.4% ($3,000)

NUS Bachelor of Business Administration – 88.1% ($2,975)

NTU Physics & Applied Physics – 87.9% ($3,000)

NTU Chinese – 87.7% ($3,100)

SMU Social Sciences (4-year programme) – Cum Laude and above – 87.5% ($3,500)

NTU Business (3-yr direct Honours programme) – 87.4% ($3,000)

NUS Bachelor of Arts (Hons) – 87.3% ($3,200)

SMU Business Management (4-year programme) – 87.3% ($3,020)

NTU Electrical & Electronic Engineering – 87.2% ($3,100)

NTU Mechanical Engineering – 86.8% ($3,000)

NUS Bachelor of Science (Hons) – 85.3% ($3,000)

NTU Computer Science – 85.1% ($3,200)

NUS Bachelor of Social Sciences (Hons) – 84.9% ($3,000)

NTU Environmental Engineering – 84.8% ($3,000)

NTU Sociology – 84.5% ($3,150)

NTU Psychology – 84.4% ($3,200)

NUS Bachelor of Engineering (Chemical Engineering) – 83.9% ($3,184)

NTU Materials Engineering – 83.6% ($3,000)

NTU Mathematical Sciences – 82.1% ($3,100)

NUS Bachelor of Computing (Communications and Media) – 81.6% ($3,000)

NTU English Literature – 81.1% ($3,100)

NTU Communication Studies – 80.3% ($2,900)

NUS Bachelor of Engineering (Bioengineering) – 79.5% ($3,250)

NUS Bachelor of Engineering (Engineering Science) – 78.3% ($3,170)

NTU Economics – 76.9% ($3,150)

NTU Chemistry & Biological Chemistry – 75.1% ($2,950)

NUS Bachelor of Arts – 73.8% ($2,700)

NTU Bioengineering – 72.7% ($3,000)

NTU Biological Sciences – 71.8% ($3,000)

NUS Bachelor of Applied Science – 70.6% ($2,500)

NUS Bachelor of Science – 67.2% ($2,600)

NTU Art, Design & Media – 55.8% ($2,500)

Monday, 4 March 2013

Student Exchange Programme with Lorentz Casimir Lyceum

Lim Jeck is participating in the Student Exchange Programme between NUS High School and Lorentz Casimir Lyceum from 3 - 10 March, in the Netherlands.

Delegation from NUS High - (from left) Dr Hang, Ling Yan Hao, Lim Jeck, Jonathan Ang, Dee Pei Fang, Mr Low Chin Han

Ms Joyce Seow Chwee Loon (in white blouse with black cardigan) is also part of the delegation.

Yan Hao's parents on the left, Jonathan's parents on the right

Programme for the Student Exchange Programme
- Classroom observations
- School-based activities
- Math competition (Wiskunde Alympiade)
- Sight-seeing in Holland

Sunday, 3 March 2013

RI Testimonial

Friday, 1 March 2013

GCE 'A' Level Results

The results of the 2012 GCE 'A' Levels were released today. Lim Min did well, scoring 7 Distinctions. Her results are as follows:

H2 Physics - A

H2 Chemistry - A

H2 Mathematics - A

H2 Economics - A

H3 Numbers and Matrices (NTU) - Distinction

H1 General Paper - B

H1 Project Work - A

H1 Chinese - A

Calculation of University Admission Score (UAS):
4 H2 A - 20 x 3 + 10
PW A - 10
GP B - 8.75
Total - 88.75
Add H1 Chinese A - (88.75 + 10) x 0.9 = 88.875
Final UAS = 88.88 (maximum score 90)

Well done, Lim Min :)

Wednesday, 20 February 2013

Home Tuition

*Important Note: from 1 August 2013 onwards, this post is no longer valid*

Interested in having home tuition for your kids?

We are a group of ex-students from RI(JC) giving home tuition. We teach in the North, West, East, North-East, Central (Redhill-Queenstown area).

We teach the following subjects:
Pri 1-3: Math, English
Pri 4-6: Math, Science
Sec 1-4: Math, Chemistry, Physics, Biology
JC 1-2: Math, Chemistry, Physics, Biology, Economics, History

Grades of tutors will be provided upon request, please be rest assured that we get As (or A* for PSLE) in the subjects which each of us are teaching, and that we are confident enough to teach them :) :) Most of us have prior teaching experience too (home tuition or relief teaching).

Interested, please email me (Lim Min) at happybalamjl@gmail.com

Posted by Lim Min

Bollywood movie - 3 Idiots

I have watched this Indian film recently on Youtube.

3 Idiots is easily one of the best Bollywood films that I have watched. One important theme in the movie is "follow your heart". In Singapore, it is common for parents to want their children to pursue a degree in Medicine or Law, hoping that they will become successful doctors or lawyers in the future (after watching the movie, I guess in India, the most prestigious job is Engineer). It is as if other degrees/jobs are considered inferior.

I would strongly urge all high school students and their parents to watch this movie. Parents - do let your children pursue their dreams! Passion leads to excellence!

Sunday, 10 February 2013

Happy Lunar New Year 2013

Saturday, 26 January 2013

QS World University Ranking 2012/2013 (NUS vs NTU, World Top 3)

2013/2014 ranking is here.

QS World University Rankings	2012 / 2013

Top 50 at a Glance	(Full Listing)
	NUS	NTU	World #1	World #2	World #3
Overall	# 25	# 47	MIT	Cambridge	Harvard
Medicine	# 21		Harvard	Oxford	Cambridge
Biological Sciences	# 31		Harvard	MIT	Cambridge
Psychology	# 15	# 42	Harvard	Cambridge	Stanford
Pharmacy/Pharmacology	# 3		Harvard	Cambridge	NUS
Physics & Astronomy	# 29		MIT	Harvard	Stanford
Mathematics	# 11		MIT	Harvard	Stanford
Environmental Sciences	# 11	# 45	Stanford	UCB	Harvard
Earth & Marine Sciences			Harvard	Cambridge	Princeton
Chemistry	# 13		MIT	UCB	Harvard
Materials Sciences	# 7	# 31	MIT	Stanford	Cambridge
Comp Science & Info Sys	# 9	# 26	MIT	Stanford	Carnegie M
Chemical Engineering	# 7	# 30	MIT	UCB	Cambridge
Civil Engineering	# 5	# 13	MIT	Tokyo U	UCB
Electrical Engineering	# 11	# 31	MIT	Stanford	UCB
Mechanical Engineering	# 5	# 16	MIT	Stanford	Cambridge
Philosophy	# 43		Oxford	Cambridge	Harvard
Modern Language	# 10		Harvard	Oxford	Cambridge
Geography	# 5		Oxford	UCB	Cambridge
History			Oxford	Cambridge	Harvard
Linguistics	# 38		MIT	Harvard	UCLA
English Lang & Literature	# 22		Cambridge	Harvard	Oxford
Statistics & Ops Research	# 5	# 18	Stanford	UCB	MIT
Sociology	# 13		Harvard	UCB	Oxford
Politics & Intl Studies	# 12		Harvard	Oxford	LSE
Law	# 10		Harvard	Yale	Oxford
Economics & Econometrics	# 16		MIT	Harvard	U Chicago
Accounting & Finance	# 8	# 32	Harvard	MIT	London Bus
Comms & Media Studies	# 3	# 23	Stanford	Columbia U	NUS
Education		# 20	Harvard	Stanford	Cambridge

NUS - National University of Singapore
NTU - Nanyang Technological University of Singapore

Congratulatory Note from NTU

Lim Min has received an offer of a place in the NTU Double Degree programme in Accountancy and Business.

Monday, 14 January 2013

What's in store for 2013 ...

Since December 2012, Lim Min has been giving 1-1 home tuition, and she has 14-15 students so far. She is charging $20 - $30 per hour, and makes a princely sum each month, from these tuition assignments. Lately, there are more and more new tuition requests, and she has been passing them to her friends. From Lim Min's experience, it shows tuition industry in Singapore is certainly a lucrative business. I can't imagine how much full time tutors who charge much more, and who are giving group tuition, could earn each month. It is perplexing why the students do not approach their peers, seniors and school teachers for help/consultancy (free!) and instead, look to tutors for help (and incurring much of their parents' hard earned $).

Lim Min would be giving relief teaching at RI (JC). There is a confirmed 10-day assignment for her, to teach Math, from 18 Feb to 1 Mar. She intends to read a double degree in NUS, possibly Accountancy and Computing, or Engineering, or Math (any two of these four disciplines), and has applied for an NUS scholarship. The NUS new term will start in August 2013.

This year in his Year 6 at NUS High, Lim Jeck is in both the IMO and APhO/IPhO national training team. Training for IMO is held every Sat morning at NUS Math Dept, whereas training for APhO/IPhO is held on Wed afternoons and Sat mornings. He has decided to call it a day, for the IOI training which is supposed to start this week. Since both IOI 2013 and IPhO 2013 dates clash, and clearly it is not advisable for one to pursue 3 olympiads, naturally one has to go. Though both IMO 2013 (18 to 28 July 2013, at Columbia) and IPhO 2013 (7 to 15 July, Denmark) dates do not clash, if he were to be selected for both olympiads, I think he should perhaps pick only one to go. This is because the intensive training for both olympiads fall in the same period, June to July. If I were him, and if I qualify for both IMO and IPhO, I would opt for the latter. I feel that he had already won 2 IMO Gold medals, and had achieved #1 in the World and perfect score (that is, there is no more room for improvement), it is timely to retire at his peak, from IMO. However, if he indeed qualifies for both national teams (selection tests will be held in April and May 2013), the choice would be for him to make. Let's see what's his choice, when the time comes. [if he has cleared both selection tests, it means he has earned his right to participate in both competitions, shouldn't he be allowed/supported to take part in both competitions? Must he make a choice?]

For Year 2 NUS High, Lim Li has to select 2 out of 3 Art/Humanities/Music modules. As she has no affinity for Art, she opted for Music and Geography. In NUS High, one has to take all the core Math, Physics, Chemistry and Biology modules for Year 1-4, and only 1 Art/Humanities/Music module in Year 3 & 4. I think she is likely to choose Economics or Geography then.

Tuesday, 8 January 2013

QtPS 6A'06 Gathering

Queenstown Primary School 6A Class of 2006 Gathering @ 28 Dec 2012

Mr Ng and Ms Chai (Mrs Ng) reciting marriage vows in front of ex-students.

The 4 musketeers and best of friends

Er Xue from 6 Care '2011 (Lim Li's classmate) also joined in the fun

Playing cards

Watching movie

Special wedding cake for Ms Chai (6A'2006 Chinese/Higher Chinese teacher) and Mr Ng (6A'2006 Form/English/Math/Science/... teacher)

Friday, 4 January 2013

Family Gathering

Gathering at MA's house @ 30 Dec 2012

Kids playing card games - German bridge, saboteur, hearts etc. J is busy solving Rubik's cube while LM is explaining the rules of the game. Where is CY?