Saturday, August 21, 2010
Independent studies

I will also not be talking about food in this post, I will be talking about the new assessment method introduced, Independent Studies.

Independent Studies is a new "subject" that was introduced in Hwa Chong Institution. It is supposedly the subject to gauge and indicate if a student is capable of doing independent learning and is suitable to stay in the IP Stream. It is made up of ACE and Project Work (Projects Day), each taking up 50%. The passing criteria for promotion to the next level of education is at least a B3, which is 65%. Failure to hit the target will result in being filtered out to the O level classes, 3Q and subsequently 4Q.

Allow me to point out some of the disadvantages of this system. First of all, there are people in the school who are not good at projects and are better at independent work. True, we must encourage those people to socialise and learn how to work with other people, but wouldn't it be unfair if projects day holds a deciding 50%? Furthermore, there is an unfair competition in Projects Day. Secondary 2 students will have to compete with Secondary 4 students, who are supposedly more vocal and have 2 years more of experience. For Projects Day, in order to score a high grade, we must enter the Grand Finals judging round. However, there are limited chances and it will most probably be dominated by Secondary 4 students. How is is fair that we are unable to score in that area, but yet it decides our fate?

There has been much debate about this new system, and it is hard to decide if it is the best method of assessment. On a personal level, I detest and hate this new system because it is very unfair and furthermore, it will not hike our MSG, like ACE and OP did in the previous system. On a general level, I feel that Projects Day should not hold such a high weightage (50%), because of the unfair nature of it.

Friday, August 20, 2010
Oral Communications

Sorry to whoever is reading my blog, I was unable to keep up with my 1 post a week rule last week, because there was 4 test and I really could not sacrifice my study time to make a post. Even if I did it would have been a substandard post.

In this post, I will be talking about the new "subject" introduced in Hwa Chong, Oral Communications.

Oral Communications is the new assessment method introduced this year, together with Independent Studies. The aim of Oral Communications is to promote vocal skills and to encourage public speaking. It consist of Oral Participation in classes, English Current Affairs Discussion, Chinese Current Affairs Discussion, and a Chinese and English Interview. The highest Oral Participation marks in 5 subjects will be taken into account for your Oral Participation marks.

Now, I will point out some of the major flaws of the new system. First of all, like Independent Studies, it is unfair to a specific group of people. In this case, Oral Communications is unfair to people who are shy in nature, they are not vocal and they are not good at speaking. Even if they are encouraged to speak up, they will still not be as proficient as those who are vocal in nature and they will lose out in the assessment. Furthermore, most of the assessment such as the interviews and the current affairs discussion are all one-try, if you screw it up, you're screwed. If a student under performs on that day, his entire subject grade will be affected.

Personally, I do not really like this system alot as I am not much of a public speaker. However, I feel that I can still live with it.

Thursday, August 19, 2010
Food I Ate 2: Chicken Chop

Well I'm going to make this a really quick post because I have to prepare my NPCC uniform later on.

In this post I will be blogging about the Chicken Chop I ate at a market at Clementi. I will be talking about each portion. of the dish specifically.



The Chicken
I really liked the chicken alot. The only thing I didn't like about it was the oily skin, which disgusted me so much I had to remove it and leave it at one side. The chicken meat was grilled and fragrant, thus the crispy taste. The sauce that accompanied the chicken also went well with the chicken, together they complement each other and produce a nice taste.

The Garlic Bread
Just like any other Garlic Bread, it was toasted and of the yellowish colour. However, it could have been a tad more fragrant, that would have made it much better. One thing I've always liked about Garlic Bread was the smell of it, and other than the taste this Garlic Bread would have failed my expectations.

French Fries
The french fries taste generally stereotypical, like any other french fries. Could have been better with a bit more salt though. It would have been tasteless if i didn't dunk it in chilli sauce before I popped it in my mouth.

Salad and Baked Beans
The only reason why I'm writing about them in the same section is that they both fail and there's nothing much to talk about. Baked Beans was just like any other, canned. Salad was disgusting.

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It was generally a nice meal, at least the main part of it (the chicken) was decent. Garlic Bread and French Fries could have been improved, and they should have replaced the Salad and Baked Beans with a 'Soup of the Day' thing or something, would have been much better. At least for me.

Note the interesting/lame fact that the Western dish was served on a Japanese Style cutlery plate, haha.

Okay I'm off to prepare my NPCC Uniform.

Monday, August 9, 2010
National Day

Today is 09 August, a joyous celebration, National Day. I wish everyone a very happy National Day. Stay tune to local channels to watch the National Day Parade later. Even though most of the people will be looking forward to the fireworks at the end, I will be looking forward and paying the most attention to the parade and ceremonial segment.

I <3 SINGAPORE.

Fireworks! Stunningly beautiful.


Fire Of Joy!!
Kawalan Hehormatan, Akan Tembak Feu De Joie, Isikan Perluru, Hormat! TEMBAK!


Kim Yao

Picture Credits:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3483/3755480415_80cb2f3c15.jpg
http://www.christianphansen.com/images/singapore_flag.jpg
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJzNROp8jzCPMAQ4tXjy1XJfZ84Y6zO5RBxr5TnMDVkk1pCaiXCu-Rs0ipJ_g1vqSOtP2q37kr5-OEdD3E6RsXfwg1WFZmbN38meeyggE1xez68Rexces61B8poY9NFsKcAx8lFyEQ-lI/s400/100_4926.JPG

Saturday, August 7, 2010
Food In Singapore 17: Teh Tarik

In this post I will not be talking about a dish, but instead a drink, known as Teh Tarik.




What's Teh Tarik?
Some of you people may not know what is Teh Tarik, as it is in Malay language.It is a hot tea beverage that can be found in Malaysia and Singapore. Its name is derived from the interesting pouring process of "pulling" the drink during preparation. It is made from black tea and condensed milk.

Interestingly, the preparation of Teh Tarik can be considered a performance. The ability to drag a long stream of tea well over their heads seems to be a very popular act

In Malaysia, Teh Tarik brewers oftenly get together to perform and participate in competition.



Preparation of the Teh Tarik
The mixture of black tea and condensed milk is poured back and forth repeatedly between two vessels from a height, giving it a thick frothy top. This process cools the tea to drinking temperatures, and helps to thoroughly mix the tea with the condensed milk. It is also done to enhance the taste of the tea.

This drink is a fairly simple (and yet difficult) drink to prepare. The steps are simple, but not everyone can do the pulling (pouring the tea back and forth) of the tea.

Personal Opinion

Personally I prefer looking at people prepare this drink more than I drinking it. I am the type of "spectator" that will never get bored of people brewing Teh Tarik. This is because I believe that each tea brewer has his own style and method of brewing, so each brewing method will be unique. Thus, it has always been a pleasure to watch people brew Teh Tarik - you'll probably not watch the same thing twice.

When it comes to the taste, I feel that it should not taste too milky as it will put people off; it should not taste too sweet as it will ruin the entire taste of the tea. I feel that the froth at the top is really nice and the Teh Tarik will never survive without it. A good Teh Tarik should feel frothy, smooth and sweet to a certain extent.

Food for Thought
This drink is usually prepared by Malay stall vendors. Have you seen any Chinese vendor prepare this drink? (I'm not trying to be racist or anything)

Credits:
http://jeffonthe.files.wordpress.com/2009/08/teh-tarik.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teh_tarik
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwOf8Z4ZnLxxGZ-ar0lEtZCVRlDKT5lWkoRbyL0uxz5pxqiN9tkKl_W5GnOnZU6sOakJq9kTrCSTjgPiU351vkEIMB5Abis8TYSOZb_Xvigvts6-ucRmMwiO2xT1F_T6LKdNpClRU50wU/s320/TEH+TARIK.jpg
ttp://www.grampianspyreneespcp.org.au/Image/Agency%20Logos/Food%20For%20Thought%20Logo%20Reversed.jpg