Please take internet advertisements of tutors that help students improve from U to A with a pinch of salt. The tutor does it by selecting the students with potential to do well and rejecting the rest. After the $250 trial session of a tutor, we have been nudged out when the tutor suggested that my daughter should be sitting for the International A levels, instead of Singapore-Cambridge ‘A’ levels Biology. Or that if she wishes to continue, he sets her a formidable task of tuition two times a week and completing many questions before each session. Biology is not the only subject my daughter is taking for her exams, she needs to spend time on other subjects too. A good tutor should be committed to teaching students who genuinely need help. Too bad that some tutors are only interested in maintaining their stellar records.

To save electricity, you can accumulate your dishes and wash after dinner. You can put the breakfast dishes and wet them in the sink in the morning. After your family finishes dinner, just load everything and do one wash.

micollh:

kitab:

[quote=\"micollh\"]still i cant settle on the dinenr portion as i feel proper meals is very important for my kids.. any more idea...no tingkat (not healthy).. steam all the time.. i will go crazy...

Milcollh, i think soups in slow cookers are good. i boil lots of soup... even vege is cooked in steam rather than stir fry. fish and chicken either stew or baked also can. i think we should share receipes...... i'm sure we can all make it to maidless world. jy

i wish i can go maidless.. cos i dun want to depend on maid during my kids growing up years.. can share more of ur recipess.. like mon to fri what u cook.. heee.. so i have the courage to go ahead..once my maid contract expire this coming July..[/quote]Hi all, the cooking part should not be a problem. You just need to plan ahead for the week. Write down the dishes you want to cook from Monday to Friday. Eat out for the weekends. Use Sunday for marketing and preparing some dishes. For example:
Sunday-Cook a large quantity of spaghetti bolognese sauce. You can add peas and carrots to the sauce to increase the vegetable component. Freeze half the amount. Marinate the chicken using jamie oliver's recipe, reference: http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/chicken-recipes/roast-chicken-with-lemon-rosemary
Menu
Monday-spaghetti bolognese
Tuesday-roast chicken, serve with green salad.
Wednesday-salmon with teriyaki sauce. Put the sauce on the salmon fillets together with spring onion and ginger. Wrap into parcels using aluminium foil and grill. Serve with rice and miso soup. Put green vegetables and tofu into the miso soup.
Thursday-potatoes in bolognese sauce. Wash russet potatoes and prick skin all over with fork. Microwave wet potatoes till soft. Microwave frozen bolognese sauce. Remove potato skin and serve with cheddar cheese and bolognese sauce.
Friday-claypot rice using rice cooker. Reference:http://www.noobcook.com/chicken-lup-cheong-rice/
Reading the food blogs and talking to friends give me ideas for easy and healthy home cooked meals. I want my children to look forward to coming home for dinner.

SMH FOREST:

Feeling kinda lost as I have just sent off my maid for stealing ciggies and smoking...


So far, have done takeaways for the past few nights, but it is not something that I wanna do long-term... Any suggestions on how i can dish up quick meals with minimal clean ups??

Have suggested to my hubby to visit Tangs sales for cardmembers tomorrow and see if there are any appliances that can help us, but he doesnt want... SIGH... any one has good suggestions on whats a must have or good to have?

Thanks!

There are many dishes that are easy to cook and much better than takeaways. One pot meals are the easiest. Just dump a chicken (get the seller in the market to chop it up into big pieces) into a pot with an onion, potatoes and carrots and boil it with water until everything is soft. Season to taste and serve with rice or bread. I find the thermal cooker or crockpot very useful; but any ordinary pot will also do. Idea is to have meat and vegetables together to have a balanced meal. Other variations may include pork ribs and sweet corn soup; seafood hot pot (just make the soup out of pork and chicken bones and put in fish slices, prawns , toufu , fresh mushrooms, vegetables and fishballs); chicken, lotus root and peanut soup and bakut teh (buy packet spices and serve soup together with fried green vegetables). If your family members do not like soup, then you can try to make simple pasta dishes and stew.

Claudine Heng:

Hi, can someone recommend me a good microwave oven - those that can grill, heat up and bake even. Due to space constriant, i thought of buying a \"all-in-one\" machine to do all these. Most importantly to grill and heat up. Thanks

You can consider Panasonic microwave convection oven, which bakes cakes beautifully. I used the oven for eight years before my maid destroyed it, together with many other electric appliances. Panasonic comes out with new models every few years, so you need to make inquiries before buying.

Stick to the suggested combination and secure good scores to enter Business

Admin. The jump from E/A Math to H2 Math is very big and more suited for those who are good in Math. NUS does not show a preference for people with H2 Math. You should not compare Business Administration to Economics for at the university level, Economics relies mainly on mathematical models. (H2 Economics is very different from university Economics.)

If I were you, I would choose AJC. This is ancedotal but my observation of NJC students is that they have no life other then studies . You will also be placed in separate classes from the IP students and there is a perception (but not necessarily true) of a difference in treatment between IP and non-IP students. AJC students also need to study very hard, but all the JC1s start with a clean slate.

Saza:

Ah I see. Okay, but as I have taken higher mother tongue for o levels and got a distinction for it, I need not take it again for a levels.


Yes I think I've decided to take biology either because I cannot do chemistry nor physics and my bio isn't very strong.

Actually the reason I want to take 4H2 is because it would increase my chances of getting a scholarship. A 3H2 and 1H1 would stand a smaller chance. Correct me if I'm wrong

I am encouraged by young people like you who humbly seek the advice of others in planning for your future. Yes, if you are aiming for a scholarship, 4H2 is the way to go. With careful selection of subjects and hard diligence, you can do well for the 'A' levels. Remember too that the organisations are looking for someone who has embraced a holistic education so you need to work on your CCA and develop your leadership qualities. All the best!

Hi Saza,


Regarding KI, it is a subject closer to philosophy. A distinction in English is a necessary but insufficient condition for taking the subject. I notice that your humanities subjects are A2 and this may put you at a disadvantage in KI. You will also be ranked at the ‘A’ levels with a small selected group of top students, mainly from RI (JC) and HI and it will be more difficult for you to secure a good grade for your KI. Will be better to take other H2 subjects and stick to GP.

Don’t waste your time appealing to VJC.

MJC puts in a great emphasis on academic performance and the students normally do well enough to move on to the university. As to how the college does it, you should do some research and talk to the former students about it. Personally, I will favour MJC more than NYJC because of the high value added scores that the former produces.

This is what I have learnt from my years of dealing with maids: be totally in charge and keep the husband out. One of my former maids commented that she preferred to deal with my husband as he was the nice guy and I was the fierce one at home; that really freaked both of us out. After that incident, we agreed on a division of labour.Even till now, my husband rarely talks to the maid and instructions will be given by me.