Merry Christmas!

Such a cool picture.

Yes I've been enjoying the break! I'm not rich, but let me just remind all of you that saving up is a good virtue to have.

Anyway, I've decided that this blog, as well as the EL blog will be on haitus until I use it during lessons. That's right, I intend to start up my own personal blog as well as a blog on NE (national education) because I'm the main coordinator for our school, and like I said, any feedback from you guys will be received quickly! I'll be sure to post up the URLs to stay tuned!

(Feeling lazy, so this message will be identical to the one on the SS blog.)

Hooray hooray hooray it's a holiday!

Out of Singapore.
1-12December.

Bye!

New blogs

Wassup yo,

I'm planning to start 2 new blogs. One for updating personal (but not so personal) stuff as well as stuff on SS and EL, and one for NE (national education). In case some of you have not realised, I've been put in charge of coordinating NE events in our school. With this NE blog, we can now chit chat about all things NE, and you guys can give feedback on all issues related to NE too, like what you would like to see during e.g. racial harmony day or "That National day gift (the blue bag) was not as useful as we thought." etc etc.

So,
Any ideas on how to name the NE blog?
Something along the lines of www.NEonecanplayapart.blogspot.com
But I don't quite like it because it looks like neon-e-canplay-apart, which sounds negative.

As you all know, there is no limit to how cheesy/corny/lame/stupid/attention-grabbing a blog address can get!
But ultimately it has to have some meaning.

This also means I'll be closing down this blog, as well as the EL blog when it's all set up. The NCC blog will stay of course. I love NCC!

Conditional Promotion cases

Sad post, but nonetheless a serious one.

Some of you will be / have been told that you need to retake an English paper. I will not publish the names here. Go check with your form teacher if you are not sure if you are on the list.

Regardless of your results, please continue to work hard (or for some of you: please START to work hard). Don't regret your time here come the end of your secondary school experience.

Darren Fletcher?

Today I wore spectacles, and some people ( YOU KNOW WHO ) said that I look like.....

DARREN FLETCHER?

I can't even find a picture of him in glasses.

Fans of the Princess Diaries!

Anyone out there?

Here's your chance to meet the author! Meg Cabot!

Sec 2 El Oral

Today's passage was pretty easy.

The most difficult word found inside the passage was "lethargic", which meant "tired".

Most of them could not pronounce the word "won".

I hope my students got it. I have been telling you guys that the proper way of reading it is pronounced in the same way as you would read the word "one".

"Won" only rhymes with "on" when you are talking about the Korean currency. Otherwise, as the past tense of "win", it should be pronounced as "one".

Few people in Singapore get this though. Like my students always tell me, "Aiyah cher, the person understand me, I understand the person can or-leady."

-_-''

mini-hiatus

hi·a·tus /haɪˈeɪtəs/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[hahy-ey-tuhs] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation
–noun, plural -tus·es, -tus. 1. a break or interruption in the continuity of a work, series, action, etc.
source: www.dictionary.com - http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/hiatus


As mentioned in the SS blog (you're supposed to read both haha),

I'm very busy these few days, marking SS prelim papers, writing testimonials (not those in friendster ok) etc etc. Hence I wouldn't be updating much. It makes sense, since the examination period is around the corner and you guys should be spending more time on books rather than online anyway.

Work hard, and take care. =)

Sigh

Today was so disappointing.

Was at a class. Confiscated some cards midway through the lesson.

End of lesson, I said "Class stand", but a group of people gathered and began to distribute cards. I confiscated the deck. What kind of treatment is this?

Nobody likes to nag, but it's such behaviour that makes people think that you have no idea what you should be doing (or should not be doing), hence the reminders.

I don't want to make this a big issue, but the behaviour displayed by those guilty parties was really unbecoming of a student. Please, exercise some respect and conscientiousness.

That said, I look forward to seeing you all the next lesson.

Matchmaking

80 parents turn up for first matchmaking session at Hong Lim Park

SINGAPORE: Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong first mooted the idea in his National Day Rally Chinese speech.

And now, for the first time in Singapore, dating agency Clique Wise has organised a matchmaking session, aimed solely at the parents.

The usually quiet Hong Lim Park was bustling with activity, as over 80 eager parents turned up for the matchmaking party.

They may be camera-shy, but when it comes to finding a spouse for their child, they are anything but coy.

One parent said: "A girl normally is very shy, and more cautious than a boy. And so the parents should make the first move and you know, nudge her along."

When asked whether their daughter knew of their presence there, another parent said: "I told her, and she didn't react, just gave her silent consent."

So it's the daughters, it seems, who need help the most.

And these parents certainly came prepared - exchanging personal information such as job and educational histories, contact details, and photographs.

Most have children who are degree-holders in their mid-20s and 30s.

Organisers say the response had gone beyond their own expectations, and they are planning to hold more of such events in the future. - CNA/de

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/374355/1/.html







-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
People do not know how to find a date anymore? Or the parents are just too panicky and over-anxious?

How would you feel if your parents set you up on a date, behind your back? Of course, all of you are still too young to understand, but perhaps you could try to empathise with both sides of the story? How would you feel if your child at 20+ years old, does not seem to socialise, much less find himself/herself a date/partner?

school jokes

-_-

1. A little girl came home from school and said to her mother, "Mommy, today in school I was punished for something that I didn't do. "The mother exclaimed, "But that's terrible! I'm going to have a talk with your teacher about this ... by the way, what was it that you didn't do?" The little girl replied, "My homework."

2. The child comes home from his first day at school. Mother asks, "What did you learn today?" The kid replies, "Not enough. I have to go back tomorrow."

3. The teacher is droning away in the classroom when he notices a student sleeping way up in the back row. The teacher shouts to the sleeping student's neighbor, "Hey wake that student up!" The neighbor yells back, "You put him to sleep, you wake him up!"

Hope you all are enjoying the break!

2008 Beijing Olympics Final Medal Tally

Click http://results.beijing2008.cn/WRM/ENG/INF/GL/95A/GL0000000.shtml for full list.

Singapore is ranked 71st with that one Silver medal!

What would you remember from this Olympics?

Phelps with his dorky ears, yet setting a not-so-dorky record of 8 gold medals (7 world records, 1 Olympic record) to become the greatest Olympian ever?

Usain Bolt, whose victory poses regrettably reminded me of something familiar?







The advertisement can be viewed here:

Oh gosh, I would actually like to write more, but suddenly I don't feel so good. =/

Okay, let's conclude. Perhaps this will be the Olympics that many of us will remember as the one where we won our first silver in 48 years!



Seeing our flag being raised - Wow! Next goal: To hear our national anthem being played during the prize presentation (which means Gold for Singapore)!

I hope you have enjoyed the Olympics as much as I did!

Goo Goo Dolls - Iris

As mentioned in the tag board, this song by the Goo Goo Dolls is one of my favourites.


Verse 1

And I'd give up forever to touch you
Cause I know that you feel me somehow
You're the closest to heaven that I'll ever be
And I don't want to go home right now

Verse 2

And all I can taste is this moment
And all I can breathe is your life
Cause sooner or later it's over
I just don't want to miss you tonight
Chorus

And I don't want the world to see me
Cause I don't think that they'd understand
When everything's made to be broken
I just want you to know who I am
Verse 3

And you can't fight the tears that ain't coming
Or the moment of truth in your lies
When everything seems like the movies
Yeah you bleed just to know your alive

Chorus

And I don't want the world to see me
Cause I don't think that they'd understand
When everything's made to be broken
I just want you to know who I am
Chorus

I don't want the world to see me
Cause I don't think that they'd understand
When everything's made to be broken
I just want you to know who I am

I just want you to know who I am
I just want you to know who I am
I just want you to know who I am
I just want you to know who I am


--------

One of the most powerful lines I will always remember is:


Yeah you bleed just to know your alive.

Don't you feel that we are in a dream sometimes?

Meet Dave

Over the weekend, Ms Confidential and I went to Marina Square to catch "Meet Dave". It's a great show, about how a group of people from another planet are on Earth to look for more resources. Really funny! I am not typing much, because as you all already know, I've been terribly busy marking the hard work that you have put in, that is your assignments and tests.

For those of you who saw the show, did you all get all the jokes?

Fans of J K Rowling

No, Borders doesn't pay me to do this. You can also sign up to be in the mailing list.

Mad about English!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBFEgMqhOs4






The official trailer for the documentary feature "Mad About English!".

You all know there is the ongoing Olympics happening now at Beijing, China.

Many of the Chinese signed up for English lessons because of this event. They want to be able to communicate with the tourists and competitors either as volunteers, businessman or just for social/ personal reasons.

They may not be very proficient in the language, but they certainly have the determination. Do you?

Emo

[This post will be in internet lingo mixed with good English, just like how a blog post should be.]

It seems like this three letter word is getting cult status amongst the latest generation. The latest word is in everyone's dictionary.

"Emo", as you know by now, stands for "emotional".

It is often used in such scenarios:

[In a classroom. Active boy sits down and doesn't interact much with others for that day.]

[Enters good friend]

Good friend: WAH LAU EH WHAT YOU DOING THERE SIAH DON'T EMO LAH COME LET'S GO FOR RECESS.


or


[Cheerful teacher doesn't smile much that day.]

"Concerned" aka kaypoh students: CHER WHY YOU SO EMO TODAY?

--
Yes, the capital letters is a true reflection of how loud your voices are. I mean, why shout, when I'm just in front of you.

Anyway, that's a brief introduction of the word 'emo'.

Do you know the origin of this word? It is actually used in the music industry, where it represents a genre of rock music. In Singapore, people like Paul Twohill (and his hairstyle) comes to mind. Then it spread its coverage to include people who were perpetually sad because of whatever reasons. Out popped emo cartoons. If you have not heard of pon and zi, OMG where have you been these few years man?




Go google 'pon and zi' and check out the images. You might need some tissues too *sob*.



English words are fascinating. Just some years ago, you will never find 'google' in the dictionary. Now you can use the word 'google' as a verb! I just showed you the example above: google for something. I will google it. Interesting isn't it?

Back to our case at hand.

When we talk about emo, what's the erm, most 'emo' sentence you have ever come across? Do share them with everyone! Or tell me what you have conjured up?

Here's mine. I saw this somewhere and I thought it was wonderful.


"I wish I am grass so I can cut myself."


Powerful isn't it? Do remember though that that should never happen. There is always help available. There is no problem too huge; just seek help. =D

Samba football coming to town.

Int.Friendly : Singapore vs U23 Brazil
Date: Monday 28th July 2008
Time: 8pm

Ticketing detals: Tickets for the match go on sale from Tuesday, July 22 at all Sistic outlets Grandstand:$120 Gallery:$60 Student U-16:$15


Brazil Olympic squad: Diego Alves (Almeria), Renan (Internacional); Breno (Bayern Munich), Alex Silva (Sao Paulo), Thiago Silva (Fluminense), Rafinha (Schalke 04), Ilsinho (Shakhtar Donetsk), Marcelo (Real Madrid); Anderson (Manchester United), Lucas (Liverpool), Ronaldinho (Barcelona), Diego (Werder Bremen), Hernanes (Sao Paulo), Thiago Neves (Fluminense); Alexandre Pato (Milan), Jo (Manchester City), Rafael Sobis (Betis), Ramires.


Wow I miss being a student. =x

If I go with my girlfriend Miss Confidential, that will be 60 x 2 = $120 down the drain! Well not really, it will probably be like this:

Tickets: $120
Petrol + parking fee: $20
Medical fee after shouting our throats hoarse: $20

EXPERIENCE: PRICELESS???

Just to watch Ronaldinho, Pato and the rest of the samba squad play is definitely enticing. Oops I just salivated onto my keyboard. (That was obviously a joke. -_- )

Anyone agree? Anyone of you intend to go? Or have already bought the tickets?

What's in a name?

Juliet:
What's in a name? that which we call
a rose by any other name would smell as sweet

In today's Straits Times, there's an article highlighting interesting names.

























pic source: straits times































Amongst them, there are names like Twelve, Diva, Butter, Purpink (he likes purple and pink), Lingual, Bright, Furniturewella and so on.

Go check out today's papers!

What's the most unique name that you have ever seen?
What's the most unique name that you would want to call yourself, or to call your kids in the future?

You may make use of the 'comments' tab at the end of this post.

Lesson for today

It being the first lesson we're having together in a computer laboratory, let's start with something light and simple.

Today we'll be having a short online grammar test.
3 sections.
50 questions.

The link is provided here:
http://www.world-english.org/diagnostic_grammar.htm

Click it, and follow the instructions.

At the end of each section, look through your mistakes and remember the score (you might want to jot it down somewhere).

At the end of all 3 sections, just post your score in the COMMENTS SECTION JUST BELOW THIS POST.

NOTE: DO NOT POST YOUR SCORES ON THE TAG BOARD.

There's an example I've made. You may click the comments link.

[Kindly exercise your integrity. This is not in your CA, but do tell me the accurate scores which you have obtained. There is no point lying.]

Have fun!

Miss USA falls during Miss Universe competition for second year in a row

NHA TRANG (Vietnam) - FOR the second year in a row, Miss USA has fallen down during the evening gown competition at the Miss Universe competition.
It was a nightmare come true for Miss USA Crystle Stewart, a Texan, who tripped on the train of her bejeweled evening gown as she made her entrance.

During the 2007 Miss Universe contest in Mexico City, Miss USA Rachel Smith also tumbled during the evening gown competition and became an unintended star on YouTube, where the video was shown over and over again.

Like Ms Smith, Ms Stewart quickly stood up after her fall and continued on as if nothing had happened.

Ms Stewart, 26, is a motivational speaker who is working on a book called 'Waiting to Win.'

Her mishap occurred just after the judges had narrowed the field of 80 to the final 10: Miss USA, Miss Kosovo, Miss Australia, Miss Spain, Miss Mexico, Miss Colombia, Miss USA, Miss Dominican Republic, Miss Russia, Miss Italy and Miss Venezuela. -- AP

Source: Straits Times 14 July 2008

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Miss USA 2007, Rachel Smith, slipped and fell during last year's competition.




Miss USA 2008, Crystle Stewart, slipped and fell during this year's competition.



Who shall win the best fall?
Cast your votes right now!

Are heels more of a necessity or for aesthetic value? Feel free to discuss.

Your new time table is out!

http://eblaze.regentsec.net/


Check it out now.

Hancock

Pic source:
http://moviesmedia.ign.com/movies/image/article/885/885469/hancock-20080701034244060.jpg






Hancock is the latest blockbuster from Will Smith. It's an interesting storyline because it depicts Smith as a person with super powers. He is not seen as a superhero though, because he is also a person with a bad fashion sense, bad manners, and usually smelling of alcohol. One day he rescues this professional working in PR (public relations) and the guy advises him how to improve his image. It's a real comedy with some action too.

I love movies from Will Smith. I have enjoyed his works ever since he was the star of the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. The sitcom was aired from 1990-1996. Primary school days for me. Then there came, in that order, Independence Day, Men In Black, Enemy of the State which I totally loved. Didn't watch Wild Wild West, The Legend of Bagger Vance and Ali, but found myself appreciating MIB 2, Bad Boys 1 and 2, I,Robot, Shark Tale, Hitch, and more recently, I am Legend. Still haven't gotten the chance to catch The pursuit of Happyness, which I heard was great. Will Smith is a terrific actor, and deserves all the plaudits he gets.

In a nutshell:


Pretty funny movie with many laughable moments, but it was a great plot that failed to meet its potential, as I find it a bit weak and rushed. Still, it's worth the ticket, so try and catch it!

You can watch the trailer of the movie here:


Note: As I've always said, if you want to discuss a movie, remember not to reveal stuff that will spoil the fun for the viewers (aka SPOILERS).

I'll leave you with two words for those that have seen this flick.

GOOD JOB!





Official site: http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/hancock/

Random about 2-6

Random things about 2-6.

Yong Chang tried to be a paparazzi today and desperately failed in his attempt! Please exercise integrity! Ask him for more details.

Jeong wasn't sleeping so stop sabotaging her!

Some one likes to write APST on pieces of paper.

Jee Fei refused to believe his friends that the answer they gave him was correct. Haha that was really funny. (Please pay more attention next time!)

And finally,
there was an incident about a boy whose name I shall not mention, but his name starts with "D" and ends with "N", and the letters in between are "ONAVA".

It was his turn to read, and he read "dos and don'ts" as "dots and dont's"! The whole class erupted with laughter.

Here's what would have happened to Mr Ng if the floor was padded with a good mattress:




















(taken from http://www.secraterri.com/faint.jpg)


Words from Mr Ng's heart (don't get all emo now):
All these mini anecdotes are just for fun and laughter. We have built a pretty good learning environment. We learn together; we have fun together. When people are unsure of certain words, we emphatise and do not laugh at them. When there are people not focussing while reading and thus making the mistakes, we laugh at them; we laugh at ourselves. Nobody should take offence. We all pick ourselves up after each fall, and that is what makes us stronger. Learn from our mistakes!

Hmm after I wrote that, I'm not quite sure if some stranger or passerby will understand what I'm trying to say about laughing at people. I'm sure only those present in the class will understand. =) That said, if ANY of you really takes offence, do tell me personally. I'm not singling out anyone. I myself make mistakes at times and I get laughed at as well. -_-

See you all on Thursday!

Euro 2008

What kinda football fan misses the Euro 2008 final?

I'm sad and ashamed to say that the fan is me. =x
I paid starhub a $25 subscription fee for this football channel 30, but I haven't watched a single LIVE match over the course of the European Championsips. Everytime I set my alarm, I either woke and fell asleep with the television on (yes, bad for the environment too!), or I simply pressed the button and off I went to snoozeland.

I guess I'll just have to watch the re-runs.

Spain won! Viva la Espana~!

Spain 1-0 Germany Euro 2008 Finals Highlights

Old school

Here's some "oldskool" music. Back in 1993, this song "Ditty" by Paperboy was one of the most famous ones.

Now on IMEEM! Click >>>

Don't like it? Click it again. =x

Speaking of school. Back to school in over 12hours! Weekend flies!


Edit: Hmm. I have trouble setting the song as 'auto-play'. I don't know why it doesn't work. Oh well.

Sharks and their fins

Today, for both 1-4 and 2-6, I've distributed the "Just English" magazines for your reading pleasure. We talked about the article on sharks, and we did some practices on speaking and posture. I also mentioned about the situation with sharks and their fins. Once again, I would like to highlight that I'm not preaching, but merely raising your awareness.

Here are the youtube videos we watched.





Any comments / questions which you didn't get a chance to raise in class? You may raise them here. =D

Welcome!

Hello curious stranger.

If you're a student hoping to excel in English, this is your spot!

Please give me some time to revamp the site. I know it doesn't look really appealing right now.