lee_yl:

cyberette:

If you join after Sec 4, it's only about $40k per annum. Not that bad.

I've a rich friend who sends his daughters to one of these 3 local international schools.

The international education learning environment is more enriching and flexible, according to them. There're foreigners in their small class as well. I believe there are boarding opportunities. There's no streaming. And your fellow classmates are all well-to-do kids.

My friend will send them to an overseas uni after they get their IBDP. When they come back, they might well be on par with, if not better than their peers who went through IP or O/A-level tracks.

http://ifonlysingaporeans.blogspot.sg/2015/02/home-grown-international-schools-in.html


It's a good alternative for those who with deep pockets and who don't want to stress their DC too much. :evil:

Exactly! A friend who sent her children there shares similarly positive feedback and highlights the lower level of stress the family faces as compared to when the children were in local schools. Friend also shares that after her kids enter international school, she cancels all the tuition and enrichment classes her children received, and as a result, financially, the cost of international school is not much higher as compared to the cost of local schools.

Do note that these kids buy their way in with money and not talent.

Almost all are rich. Many are very arrogant.

Well, if that's the kind of environment you want your kid to be in.

My kid knows some of them, and the verdict is no way my kid will want to be studying among them.

True scholars do not join international schools.

Steadyberry:

I noticed the parents or kids who posted in here are mainly from top schools or better schools. Maybe you do not know many from the neighborhood schools. I remember I got to know a parent with kids in nyps. When they asked me which school my kids are from, they went \"What? Where is the school? Never heard of it.\"


I can tell you, in a neighborhood school, it is not easy to achieve above 230. In a better neighborhood school, kids from 2nd or 3rd class should be able to get 230. I even know quite a few in the 2nd class who got 210 only. But in a not very popular neighborhood school, most of their 1st class kids can only get 230-240. Last yr, 1 neighborhood school had only 5 or 6 who got 250 & above. We are talking about 1st class. When you ask around, you will notice that parents from these schools are happy that their kids can go express or schools like Anderson Sec, BPGH, Riverside Sec, Nan chiau High, zhonghua sec.. To them, these schools are considered as \"very good\" schools. And recently, I heard from a tutor that her student got above 260 in prelims. But the kid added that this is not the best estimate for psle. School teacher told the kid to deduct 20 marks from the prelims.

Sorry if :offtopic:

Remember....all schools are good schools? Haha...so let's not talk about top schools, better schools or Neighbourhood schools here. At least not for primary schools whereby the cohort in each school are from a good mix of HA and average/below average students. Every school has her share of best performing students. I realise the so-called top schools do not have 100% PSLE passes compared to the lesser known Neighbourhood schools. In truth, these Neighbourhood schools really see to the overall performance of their students and ensure that no one is being left out. Every child matters. To me a school is a good and top school when it can bring out the best in every pupil, not just the HA pupils but even the weakest performing pupil.

My 2 kids came from two different so-called Neighbourhood schools. My elder kid's school had about 25 pupils obtaining 250 and above, mainly from the 1st class. My second kid's school had about 40+ pupils obtaining above 250 from 2-3 classes, with 28 from the 1st class. These two Neighbourhood schools were able to produce a fairly good percentage of above average performers. My elder kid's school had 100% PSLE passes almost yearly but my second kid's school which produced 40+ Scorers of 250 & above had 97% passes for that year. The school also did not see 100% passes in other years.

Parents and kids from 'branded' schools are clueless about other Singapore primary schools besides their own? Now look who's being 'sua ku'? How big is Singapore? The sad thing is people tend to measure one's worth from the school one goes to. Be it primary or secondary. The intrinsic value in a person matters no more. It's all about grades and status.

Let me tell you something. The high achievers in most primary schools (mainstream & GEP) are the more worrisome lot. They have good grades and that's it. Good character building in them is next to non-existent. I can attest to that based on my observations and the feedback given after DSA camps in secondary schools. Most of them have over-fed egos. Many are downright spoilt brats and you know by who. Parents need to get radical with their kids that good character is more important than grades.

For me, I am very grateful that that my two kids had moved on to their ideal secondary schools through sheer hard work and determination. One scored 271 and the other 249 for PSLE. To me, both my kids had outperformed themselves and they are bright shining stars in my eyes. With no private tuition, all these would not have been possible without the dedication and support of teachers from their so-called unbranded primary schools.

Whatever results a child has managed in the PSLE, as long as the child has outperformed himself/herself or done his best, that is truly what matters.

buds:

A wise lady once shared, eat also die, don't eat also die.
I agree.

:rotflmao: :rotflmao: :rotflmao:

That's true. Eat wrongly, die faster.

In truth, even food in restaurants are not that great in taste and quality now. Nowadays, prepared food are no longer made the way they were used to be. Everything has been compromised except the price which has hit rocket high. The value and quality of foodstuff is not in tandem with its price charged to consumers. The sad thing is people gladly pay for them.


Yes, like what some said, they eat to live. They are also paying for convenience. Only the discerning ones beg to differ.

Good thing that in life, one can choose what to eat.

Is silicon bakeware really safe for use?


I’m not too sure about this especially when Low grade silicon may contain fillers. This element used in cooking ware is somehow quite new and not enough studies have been conducted on its safety when exposed to high heat. Although food grade silicon bakeware may be FDA approved, I don’t take their word and prefer to play it safe by sticking to stainless steel, ceramic and glassware.

So yeah, Teflon, plastics, aluminium and silicon wares are out from my kitchen.

ZhenghuaParent:

ZhenghuaParent:

Hello can I ask will I get 250 and above if I get the following results?

English: 88
Chinese: 88
Mathematics: 98/99
Science: 85

Can someone answer me please? Will I get 250+?

From how I see it, you should be getting above 250 and maybe near to 260. As you know, the standard deviations will transform your raw scores depending on how the whole cohort has performed.

It is hard to gauge your marks for the languages as there are many components in these two subjects. You wouldn't know how your compositions and orals will be assessed.

What you should be doing now is to enjoy your hard earned break after months of mugging for PSLE. It won't do you any good speculating on your t-score.

Funz:

Jennifer:

[quote=\"Funz\"]Har Gow, Siew Mai and Chee Cheong Fun


Bought the har gao and siew mai from NTUC. Brand is CP. Turns
our pretty good for such prepacked ready to eat stuff.

What about the Chee Cheong Fun? Also CP brand?

No, CCF is the one on styrofoam tray, think NTUC carries 2 types, this and the other one in a plastic box. Cannot remember brand. Nothing fantastic but edible lah after adding my own onion oil, shallots, soya sauce, etc.[/quote]Frankly speaking, the dim sum selection from NTUC like white radish cake, chee cheong fun, Siew Mai, har gao etc all taste horrible to me. Even the Kong Guan Bao not so good now.

For fresh and soft Chee Cheong fun, you can get them at the wet market stall that sells tofu, beancurd, bean sprouts etc. I think it is about 40-50cents per piece. For me, I buy it at the wholesale kueh supplier shop located at Geylang Lorong 25. The shop is right at the end of the Lorong very near to Aljunied MRT station. Shop name is Mayflower. They make and supply fresh kueh kueh to many stalls at food centres, wet markets and eateries. They have all sorts of Nonya kuehs, carrot/yam cakes, Huat kuehs etc at wholesale prices. One piece of soon kueh costs only 40 cents and one kueh lapis costs 30 cents. If you buy them at coffee shops or stalls in wet markets or coffee shops, they easily cost twice the amount.

I usually buy their Chee Cheong fun and Indonesian Ambon kueh. The Chee Cheong fun comes in packs of 10 very long pieces and are freshly made. It costs only $2.20 for per pack uncut. I also buy the sweet Chee Cheong fun sauce from them at 50 cents per pack.

About the photos, they will display your pictures on the first evening. Not cheap though. Don’t buy immediately because they actually knock down the price by 30-40% (not sure) if there are no takers by the 3rd or 4th day.

junemum72:

Thank you Kittycatz for sharing your experience.


Yes, you are right, the stopover is Port Klang, Penang and Phuket. Never been to Port Klang and Phuket but I think there is nothing much to offer at Port Klang.

Will try to check out if I can plan the itinerary in advance for Phuket.

I wonder if the ship is full (which I reckon mostly likely), will it be difficult to enjoy the facilities there.

Can also share what are the must do activities for the kids.

Thanks again.

If your kids are between toddler to 12 years, you can enrol them at the kids club (can't remember exact term) immediately after you board on the first day. Go to the top level (Deck 12 or 13) to register them. They will take care of your kids and keep them entertained with Programmes and fun activities throughout your stay. I saw most of the kids having a whale of a time there.

Older kids or teens can also try various activities and sports like rock-climbing, golf, Basketball, Table Tennis, tennis or go ice -skating. The ice-skating is very very popular and they have limited slots for each 1/2 hour sessions. Book early. There is a games arcade on the same level as the kids club room. Those who want to swim can do so at the indoor or outdoor pools but be mindful that they use sea salt water except the jacuzzi. Chill out at the open-air jacuzzis and watch movies on the big monitor screen. They also have air-conditioned mini theatres to screen movies.

Adults can have a go at the casino or chill out at the bars and pubs.

Ladies can do some shopping at the various shops and they do have sales for high end merchandise at great prices. Think they are duty-free too.

Everything on board is paid in USD. Although tipping fees and gratuities is already inclusive in your cruise package charges so you need not tip anymore, do take along some USD notes in case you want to tip certain staff for their extra WOW service rendered to you on board.

We boarded the Mariner of the Seas last year in Dec. It was a pretty enjoyable cruise. Time is at your disposal on board the boat and you literally eat to your heart’s content with the numerous food options.


The boat is really humongous and its class is a cut above others. The balcony room facing the sea is wonderful. Rooms are really clean and well kept. In fact the entire boat is very well maintained and cleaning staff are always seen wiping and scrubbing away at every nook and cranny. Staff of RC Mariner of the seas are mainly from regional countries like Philippines, China, Thailand & Indonesia. Performing artistes are from USA, Australia and Europe. They are all very well trained, speak well and service oriented. You see friendly smiles thoughout the boat. There are recreational facilities and activities on board to help you while away the time. They have night entertainment shows every evening and I must say the ice-skating show is a must-watch.

With regards to food, I don’t actually quite fancy the food served there especially the buffet. The food seemed very mass-produced and by the 5th day of our cruise, we were picking at our plates. Somehow the dishes served had no character of their own and the international dishes were not authentic. We love the fine dining at the restaurants though and service was impeccable. The dishes were carefully created, cooked and presented. We made sure we ordered a bottle of wine for food paring every evening. Love all their desserts as well. For breakfast, try to get up early and go for breakfast at the fine dining restaurants whereby breakfast is served at your table from 7.30am - 9.30am. Eating at the buffet restaurant can be a nightmare especially when you go late at around 10am as the place becomes jam packed and every table is occupied.

Mariner of the seas docks at Kluang, Penang and Phuket. We did not get down at Kluang and Penang as we had been to KL and Penang numerous times. We went to Phuket instead. We did not book the day tour at RC’s tour desk as their packages are really expensive. We did not choose to do island hopping or adventure tours as these tours need at least 8 hours and that leaves little time to get back to the boat.

After breakfast, we disembarked and a big bumboat took us to the shore. Once you walk out of the jetty, numerous touts and tour Operators will approach you. They offer day sightseeing tours using their own taxis, private car or mini vans. You need to bargain as the prices can be ridiculous. My hubby managed to slash the price from 1200 baht to 500 baht for 5 paxs altogether. The driver cum guide took us for a round the island orientation tour in his Toyota private car. He brought us to wherever we wanted to go. We went for elephant rides, sightseeings, visit souvenir shops and a cashew factory, places that he was very eager to take us to because he could get commission or tokens from shop owners for bringing in customers to these shops. For lunch, he brought us to a seafood place that catered to tourists, much to our disgust as we specifically told him we wanted authentic Thai food that the locals go to. We rounded up the trip by making a last stop at the popular Ceylon Shopping Mall (can’t remember the exact name) where it was just like another mall in Singapore. In summary, we were not too happy with our private tour as we ended up paying tourist prices for most things and food because the driver took us to places at his disposal although he let us choose wherever we wanted to go. Such irony. We should have explored on foot and we would have stumbled on the many shops and eateries along the stretch of road from the jetty. Not easy to get lost actually. Ceylon Shopping mall is just a 15 mins walk from the jetty and along the way there are so many interesting shops, massage and spas.

Overall, we enjoyed our cruise with RC. Will we go again? Maybe not because it is quite expensive for a five-day cruise at $5K plus for 2A & 3 kids. However if we were to go again on a cruise, we will definitely choose RC as it sure beats the other cruise liners.