Just to let older users know - “slmkhoo” has now become “sharonkhoo”!

A few days ago, my “slmkhoo” username was accidentally deleted/removed - not sure why or how it happened. Thanks to the KSP support team, although they couldn’t resurrect my original username, they were able to let me register a new one, and have my old posts gathered under the new name. My profile says that my new username has over 15K previous posts, so it seems to have worked.

Special thanks to @thebottomsupblog who has been my contact through this process!

@Raajbeary I do sympathise with the situation your son is in. Unfortunately, not all schools are accommodating to individual requests, and there’s the issue of fairness to other students who may be in a similar position.

If the school is unwilling/unable to do more, one option is to follow zac’s mum’s advice and opt out of CCA altogether, but it does mean that there may be repercussions later on if CCA record is a necessary prerequisite (e.g. participation in other activities, trips etc.)

I’m sure you’ve tried already, but is there any way you can persuade your son to accept the CCA he has been allocated? Can he participate in the most low-key way, just doing the minimum? Attendance is better than not having any CCA at all.

I don’t want to offend, but is there a reason why your son is so against accepting what he has been allocated? It was his 3rd choice, so is it something he really hates or can’t cope with? There are many kids who accept what they have been assigned, however unwillingly, and grow to at least tolerate it, and maybe even like it. Learning to accept what he doesn’t like can be a learning experience. Of course, none of us would want this for our kids, but sometimes it can’t be helped.

My younger daughter returned from overseas in mid-Sec2 and also had a similar experience trying to get into a CCA. She was refused by her first few choices, but was finally accepted (after appeal, interview and audition) by one that wasn’t among her top choices. We encouraged her to make the best of it, and although she didn’t always enjoy all of it, she made a few friends and gained some experiences that she otherwise she wouldn’t have. Overall, she now looks back at it with fondness for what she learned and experienced.

Wishing you and your son all the best in making your decision.

@thebottomsupblog said in New to the KiasuParents forum? Tips and Tricks!:

@slmkhoo
I think your view settings are for newest to oldest. The default setting is from oldest to newest.

I didn’t realise this! I don’t recall changing it. I’ve set it to “oldest to newest” now - I think I’ll find this more intuitive.

@thebottomsupblog Are you the new official guru/moderator? Hope to see KSP revive!

I have a request about arrangement of posts - I like that the original post is pinned at the beginning, but could it be marked out in some way? Like a different colour, with a label saying “original post”? It’s a bit confusing that the first post is at the top, then the rest are in reverse order (with latest first).

@thebottomsupblog Thanks! Maybe give us at least 12 to 24 hrs? Sometimes, I only realise I made an error much later, definitely not within a few seconds or even minutes.
On the old board, the poster could edit without any time limits.

@thebottomsupblog said in New to the KiasuParents forum? Tips and Tricks!:

We just received a user question on how to edit posts:

Simply click on the three dots at the bottom right of your post, to reveal the menu. You may not be able to see all of the options shown in this screencap, but you can definitely edit or delete your post.

Whenever I try that, I get a message that I can only edit a post within 5 seconds of posting. That effectively means that I’ve never been able to.

@thebottomsupblog What kind of dance? Ballet? Social? Ballroom?
A couple of my friends go to Aure at Bukit Timah Shopping Centre.
https://www.aurestudios.com/

I haven’t joined them (no interest), but they are enjoying themselves learning ballroom, Latin, social dance. They only started in the past couple of years and are on the older side - 60-ish!

@thebottomsupblog said:

I have finally completed my course!

Happy to share regarding these programmes and the actual employment leads that came about from them, if anyone is keen:

• Specialist Diploma in Career Counselling (RP) https://www.rp.edu.sg/lifelong-learning/courses/specialist-diploma-in-career-counselling/

• Specialist Diploma in Business Analytics (RP) https://www.rp.edu.sg/lifelong-learning/courses/specialist-diploma-in-business-analytics/

• Generation Singapore Bootcamp: Junior Data Engineer https://singapore.generation.org/sctp-jrdataengineer/

I’ve taken them all; maxed out my SkillsFuture like a good citizen

Congratulations! You’ve really done a lot!

I’ve been a bit busier the past few months with travelling, volunteering etc. I’ll still be rather busy till about late-Oct. I plan to do a couple of EdX courses (Just noted that my annual subscription runs out on 16 Oct!). I was thinking of doing a couple of LinkedIn Learning courses (free and short!) on AI uses through NLB, but then found that I am unable to access even though my login and password are correct. I’ve reported it, and hopefully they’ll get back to me.

@thebottomsupblog I’m about a third of the way through a course entitled “Masterpieces of World Literature”. Quite interesting, but there’s a quiz (20 MCQs) at the end of every work presented. I do a section when I have time.

I also decided to see what annual subscription I could use my expiring SF credits on. I have signed up for this one:

EdX and Ngee Ann Poly
https://stms.polite.edu.sg/student/ihlcourse/detail/993e9e57-2c5b-4d5e-b25a-f8e42b9bf3b9

Access to courses on a variety of topics (including more “arts” ones, not all science, biz and IT) for a year for $216.91. I had $185 expiring, and I still had over $400 left of those non-expiring credits. Will try out a couple when I have time!

@thebottomsupblog Err - not sure I can take the serial killer one! And not so interested in romance. The ones I’m considering:
https://www.singaporewritersfestival.com/programmes/still-killing-it-agatha-christies-enduring-legacy

https://www.singaporewritersfestival.com/programmes/based-on-real-life-a-beginner-s-guide-to-writing-biography

https://www.singaporewritersfestival.com/programmes/at-home-elsewhere-writing-migration-travel-and-belonging

@thebottomsupblog Singapore Writer’s Festival! For the reading-writing inclined.
https://www.singaporewritersfestival.com/
13-22 Nov, various venues. Some events are free, others are ticketed.
SG Culture Pass eligible, and currently there’s an early bird discount (they don’t say until when).
If you’re 55 or older, you get 20% off anyway, so there’s probably no need to get the pass.

I haven’t looked closely at the programmes yet, but I usually try to make time to go to a few of the events. Anyone interested? Maybe we can meet up!

@thebottomsupblog You still have the lists? I never kept mine. Can’t remember what I put on them now. And there’ll be a lot of new stuff available now.

@thebottomsupblog Great idea if you have a kid who likes to read. I have crafted other booklists for my kids when they were school-age (long ago now) for their long vacations - I tried to put in subjects and genres that they would probably like, as well as a few classics or history or whatever for variety. Possible spin-offs they could explore is to draw, write a story, create a puppet show etc. based on something in a story they read.

Other things for the vacation period (though supervision may be needed for some of these, especially when starting):

• arts and crafts of some kind
• music
• sports, walks
• house chores (I’m serious! Learning to do some of these is really valuable to them for independence and self-esteem, even if they grumble)
• cooking/baking
• something related to Christmas/year-end festivities (making cards, gifts, organising a party?)

Enjoy!

@thebottomsupblog What kind of dance? Ballet? Social? Ballroom?
A couple of my friends go to Aure at Bukit Timah Shopping Centre.
https://www.aurestudios.com/

I haven’t joined them (no interest), but they are enjoying themselves learning ballroom, Latin, social dance. They only started in the past couple of years and are on the older side - 60-ish!

@thebottomsupblog My first gynae was male - my uncle! He recommended me to another, also male, for infertility treatment. Later, in the UK, both my pregnancies were managed by a midwife and a GP (both female) under the NHS. I didn’t choose in the sense that the female GP was the one I was registered with when I first arrived in the UK, when getting pregnant wasn’t something I considered. Both deliveries under the NHS were handled by female midwives; I never saw a gynae of either gender!

Personally, I never had an issue with male gynaes. I didn’t even consider the issue!

@motherhoood_love said:

I’ve been suffering from terrible gout lately, and it’s becoming really difficult to manage, especially while taking care of my kids. Has anyone else dealt with gout? Are there any home remedies or lifestyle changes that actually helped? Also, can anyone recommend a good doctor to see for gout?

I notice you’ve had a lot of medical issues lately, and someone always responds with a recommendation of a named specialist. Call me suspicious…

@thebottomsupblog said:

@sharonkhoo Thank you

Btw I came across a video about a sewing studio (in an HDB flat), where they hold classes!

https://www.tiktok.com/@togather_sg/video/7678659884090543367?_r=1&_t=ZS-99KrW6Ljtpq

LinkedIn quite often gives a month-long trial for their premium membership, where I think you will also be able to access their learning courses!

For the next month or two, I’m going to focus on trying out pickleball and dance, for starters!

I saw the add for home tutoring - still thinking about it…

I got the answer from NLB - I was using my library password instead of the default password (birth year!). My mistake. And LinkedIn Learning is free if you log in through NLB.

I’ve started swimming once a week. I can’t play anything that involves hand-eye coordination! And I gave up dance years ago - too uncoordinated.

@thebottomsupblog said:

I have finally completed my course!

Happy to share regarding these programmes and the actual employment leads that came about from them, if anyone is keen:

• Specialist Diploma in Career Counselling (RP) https://www.rp.edu.sg/lifelong-learning/courses/specialist-diploma-in-career-counselling/

• Specialist Diploma in Business Analytics (RP) https://www.rp.edu.sg/lifelong-learning/courses/specialist-diploma-in-business-analytics/

• Generation Singapore Bootcamp: Junior Data Engineer https://singapore.generation.org/sctp-jrdataengineer/

I’ve taken them all; maxed out my SkillsFuture like a good citizen

Congratulations! You’ve really done a lot!

I’ve been a bit busier the past few months with travelling, volunteering etc. I’ll still be rather busy till about late-Oct. I plan to do a couple of EdX courses (Just noted that my annual subscription runs out on 16 Oct!). I was thinking of doing a couple of LinkedIn Learning courses (free and short!) on AI uses through NLB, but then found that I am unable to access even though my login and password are correct. I’ve reported it, and hopefully they’ll get back to me.

@thebottomsupblog said:

@sharonkhoo From a quick read, it seems the younger guy bought the elderly man a drink to apologise (and may have thought the matter was “resolved”).

Not sure about the actual timeline, but if other family members were aware or present during that time of “reconciliation,” I wonder why they didn’t bring up having the older man checked out for possible injuries following the shoving.

Maybe everything happened too fast, and by the time they realised he required medical attention, they also didn’t have contact details + were forced to go to social media, which proved to be very effective!

Thinking about this more, I suppose one takeaway (even for women) is about balancing between guarding our own boundaries/safety and causing hurt to someone who never meant to do anything more than be warm/friendly. It’s frankly hard to tell sometimes, and it does feel like it’s easier to be on edge these days!

Oh, I didn’t follow closely. I do feel that social media, while great to get wide coverage to find the other party, lends itself too easily to people who like to blow things up. More calm and goodwill on all sides is needed!