2017 Secondary 2 Week 10 Update

Before I start updating this week’s school update, a shoutout to WordPress – I like this new format, slightly different, but lovely. This was the last week of school before they break for a one week holiday and then start term 2.

This was the last week of school before they break for a one week holiday and then start term 2. So in both schools, it was a time for them to do stuff other than regular school curriculum.

GG’s school had a camp for all Sec 2 students. Unfortunately, they didn’t go out anywhere but just stayed in school. On the first day, they stayed in school and did some leadership and other life skills study and on the second day, they went to Sentosa Island (for non-Singapore readers, Sentosa is an island off the mainland, which was developed as a pleasure island and can be reached by a small bridge/causeway) and did some trekking and other outdoor stuff. Then they ended the week with a Cross country run at the Marina Barrage. This is super far from both home and school and though the school had arranged for transport going there, the students had to make their own way coming back. I was a bit worried actually for GG as this was the first time she was going to downtown Singapore and had to make her own way home. The school did arrange for guides along the way to show the students the way to the train stations, so that was useful and she came home safely. I was happy for her that she managed to be independent here!

BB’s school was also supposed to have an overseas learning camp in Malaysia, which got cancelled this year due to logistics reasons. The students were disappointed, but that happens right? Instead, they did a History Investigation by going to a new museum which was set up and which showcased the Japanese occupation of Singapore (which incidentally they are learning in History this year) and a Geography Investigation where they walked around the neighbourhood of the school to learn about the different rocks found there. They also did a Maths trail where they went to a mall and tried to apply maths to real-life concepts (like car park charges, store receipts etc). They also had cohort days where they worked on some Lifelong learning modules. Their school uses art and music as their lifelong learning module and BB has signed up for acapella music and video photography.

This week is a holiday, but GG  has to still go back to school for choir practice since SYF is round the corner. We also need to start working on the mid-year exams and I need to get both to clean their rooms and most importantly, their book shelves!

2017 Secondary 2 Week 9 Update

February just flew past like a wind, I felt!

School is on for the two of them and this coming week will be the last week for this term. Next week is their term break and then on to term 2. Both will be busy with camps this week, so that should also go past fairly.

Yesterday we went to GG’s school for a Parent Teacher meeting as well as a talk from the school about the Secondary 3 streaming. It basically just reinforced to me that this is a really crucial year, especially to someone like BB who only has Science in his head. The other day when I asked him what was his Plan B if he could not get double or triple science as he wants, his response was a blank stare! He just has not thought of a life beyond science and engineering. So for someone like him, this is a super crucial year!

That’s all for the week from my side. Have a happy Sunday folks!

 

2016 Week 46 Update

Wow! What a week this turned out to be! I was so busy this week, that almost every day I was out and had to actually think back on what I did each day.

For one, the US elections took centre stage this week and we all now know what happened. I also penned down my initial thoughts a couple of days back in this post.

On Thursday morning, after I woke up, I was reading my Facebook feed when suddenly my phone blanked out. I was initially flustered and then took to Google to see what the issue was. Long story short, after checking websites, chatting with Apple advisors online as well as speaking to a local Apple advisor, I decided to bring my phone to the nearest service centre to see if it can be repaired. My phone was nearly 2 years old, but working well, so I was pretty confident it was a small issue. When I saw an associate at the service centre, I was told there was water damage to the phone and it was pretty much unrepairable! I was upset (understandably) and so had to buy a new phone stat! That was some serious cash outlay which I didn’t want to spend in the first place!

I also took BB & GG to the Singapore National Museum later in the week as I wanted them to have a look at what Singapore went through, especially since this was what they were learning in school. Before we went there, they didn’t tell me they had already been there before (yikes!) but we had a good couple of hours there checking out the various exhibits. I also want to take them to the other museums while I can.

Our India trip is just days away and we are all super excited! I’ve also finalised the photographer and videographer for the poonal and now all I need to do in Mumbai is fine tune the guest numbers for the caterer and also see if we need to add/delete any items from the catering list.

So that’s all folks, have a great week…..

2016 Week 45 Update

Somehow in the planning for the Sumangali Pooja later today, this week just zipped by. 

Last Sunday, all of us (the four of us plus S’ mum and aunt) went to the Little India district to buy some of things for the pooja like sarees and long skirts to give the people sitting in the pooja as well as some other things. The rest of the week, I was fine-tuning the recipes to be cooked as well as taking advice from my mum and mother-in-law. 

Most of the dishes are done now, the house is clean and lamps lit. The ladies will come home in a couple of hours and then (fingers crossed) everything goes well. I done the bulk of the cooking and hope they taste nice. We can’t taste the food as it has to be offered to the Gods and so cooking for such occasions is usually a test of your skills as a cook. I’ll do a proper post on this function later in the week as putting it down will not only help me later, but perhaps help others who are in a similar situation. 

I also met GG’s English teacher earlier this week as I had not met him earlier during the Parent Teacher meeting. He also had some good things to say about her, especially her command of the language and her writing style. So that is good for her, especially since she wants to further her studies in Humanities. 

I also had some issues with the photographer I had contacted in August for BB’s poonal. Early in the week, after chasing him for almost 10 days, he messaged me that he will be unable to photograph the function. I was so mad at him being so unprofessional, that I messaged him back quite a strong note. Lucky for me, some friends came through with recommendations and I have now 3 quotes which are within my budget. I’ll decide one by tomorrow. Also the original photographer came back saying he can now do it, but I will not go with him for sure!

Ok, gotta go now, cooking to complete. I took a small break to update since I have been up from 4 am cooking. More later. Have a wonderful week folks!

2016 Week 44 Update

We’re at the end of October and there’s just slightly more than 60 days for thr new year. 

This weekend was Diwali and so pretty much the week was spent getting ready for one of the biggest festivals in India. 

I was busy this whole week, but it was all home related except one day when I had to GG’s school for the parent teacher meeting. 

I haven’t yet heard from the company I interviewed more than a week back, so I will write them off. I do plan to give the HR person who liaised with me on the writing samples I had to produce for them just to get closure. 

As for my reading, I’m at book number 164 with my revised target being 175 books at the end of the year. My actual target (if I manage to get there) is to read 200 books this year, a double from my 2015 book challenge!

Also for the rest of the month, till we fly off to India is my planning for BB’s thread ceremony for which there is still work to be done. 

Enjoy the last day of October and have a wonderful week!