Default title

We are ready to kick start 2020. Are you? A few reminders: 1. Lessons start NEXT WEEK, from 6th January, not this week. Plenty of rest this weekend and we will go full gear. ? 2. We just renovated our premises during the Dec holidays. To make the Study Room environment as cosy as possible,[…]

Did you make any new year resolutions? While some may scorn at the thought of believing in a new-year-new-me concept because we almost always fail at it, I encourage it. Goals help us to become more focused. Here is a top-five list on how to keep your 2020 resolutions. 1. Make reasonable goals They should be within reach. If you are failing your exams and you want to get 100 marks for a very subjective paper such as composition writing, you know that’s next to impossible. Set a reasonable goal with a timeline. E.g. From 48% to 50% by term 1, get 55% by term 2 and by the end of the year, get 60%. Keep to one or two so that they can be fulfilled. 2. Write it out and paste it where you and your friends can see it all the time. – This is to remind you what you had wished for in March, June and even November. – By putting it out in public, it forces you to act on it. – You can even put it on social media and add it in one of your highlights so that you can be reminded of it. 3. Be ready to tweak the goal, reasonably. What if I aimed to get 55% by term 2 and I got only 54%. The answer is not to give up. Tweak it so that you are still on track. You need to give yourself scope when things don’t turn out as planned. Planning and reality are always different. 4. Think about it every night before you sleep We get caught up in life. It happens. During the December holiday, life is more idyllic and we have time to reflect. When we are busy with CCA, school work, projects etc, what we had planned may be in the back burner. Give yourself five minutes before you sleep. Not to play games on your handphone, but to recall your resolution. Have you been acting on it and how far are you from it? 5. Include a resolution that’s not about you. We can have two resolutions. Make one about others. For instance, make a resolution to say something kind daily or to do something nice for your family every day. I believe that this will help with our overall wellness. Let me know if you have other methods or if you find these tips useful. Share with us your resolutions. ☺ #thurswithwei

Posted on January 2, 2020May 23, 2026 by Wallace

Did you make any new year resolutions? While some may scorn at the thought of believing in a new-year-new-me concept because we almost always fail at it, I encourage it. Goals help us to become more focused. Here is a top-five list on how to keep your 2020 resolutions. 1. Make reasonable goals They should[…]

Yesterday, on Christmas Eve, the Straits Times published a letter by modern-day Ebenezer Scrooge. A mother wrote to the national spread sheet, saying the year-end school holiday is “too long”. She said her children are too restless and she had to plan activities to occupy their time. She also mentioned how her children will forget the mother tongue with a lack of practice, recommending making March and Sep holidays two weeks instead. A few thoughts to my mind: 1. Selfishness Just because you cannot handle your children, you want everyone else to have a shorter holiday too. 2. Language Why isn’t there a complaint about English? Surely, it hasn’t been taught for six weeks too? If you are concerned, then get your children to read and write Chinese for the six weeks! Why is there a need to deprive children of holidays because of this? It is insufficient to just rely on lessons to improve your language anyway. You MUST use it daily. 3. Cut your holiday I don’t think your children can handle having you at home in one stretch too. You will get restless and think of appalling ideas. I need to suggest to your boss to only allow you to take two-three days break at any ONE time. 4. This is why Singapore cannot be creative Every time someone meets an obstacle, he/she thinks about having a rule/law imposed to resolve the issue. There isn’t any effort to try to go around the problem. Also, the year-end school holiday is one that the children look forward to the most. After a long year of studying, one can finally take a break. Isn’t it right that we need a break to rejuvenate ourselves? Isn’t it right that we need a break to stop and think about the important matters in life? Isn’t it right that we need a break so we can spend quality time with our family? To this concerned parent, the children have earned the right to be a tad restless this Dec holiday. Have some Christmas spirit and let them enjoy themselves before working hard again next year. If you put your mind to it, I am sure you can think of ways to bond with your family without making everyone else suffer with you with a shorter break. Merry X’mas! Ktksbye. #thurswithwei Photo credit: Jim Carrey’s 2009 A Christmas Carol movie poster

Posted on December 25, 2019May 23, 2026 by Wallace

Yesterday, on Christmas Eve, the Straits Times published a letter by modern-day Ebenezer Scrooge. A mother wrote to the national spread sheet, saying the year-end school holiday is “too long”. She said her children are too restless and she had to plan activities to occupy their time. She also mentioned how her children will forget[…]

Today, you would have received the SMS notification of your child’s secondary school. Congrats if you got into the school of your choice. If you didn’t, it is okay. Fortunately, schools in Singapore generally have a decent standard. The school matters, definitely. However, the child’s attitude and the parents’ support matter even more. For the students, regardless which school, they are facing more subjects, spending a longer time in school, knowing new friends, getting a new school, discovery of one’s own body, discovering independence, and becoming more self conscious. For parents, you are learning to deal with a more rebellious child, face the fact thata your child is growing up without you (at times) and letting go. With a school of your choice or not, the path ahead isn’t easy. But that’s what life is all about. Facing new challenges and becoming a better/stronger person. Don’t dwell too much about the school choice. More importantly, look forward and do the best. Focus on what you can control. Good luck. #secschlife #secschposting #psle

Posted on December 20, 2019May 23, 2026 by Wallace

Today, you would have received the SMS notification of your child’s secondary school. Congrats if you got into the school of your choice. If you didn’t, it is okay. Fortunately, schools in Singapore generally have a decent standard. The school matters, definitely. However, the child’s attitude and the parents’ support matter even more. For the[…]