Watched the documentary “the child of our time” (Thurs Ch12, 10 pm – it’s very, very educational and interesting!!) and they taught 6 tests that parents can conduct on young children (4-6 years old) to find out about certain characteristics of the child.

1. leave a sweet on a plate with the child all by himself/herself. Tell him/her that he/she will get a plate full of sweets if he/she can wait for 5 minutes. (test on self-control: if the child resists the temptation, he will most likely grow up to be well disciplined)

2. ask the child to build a tower with a building block. Accidentally knock it down and see if the child will take the initiative to build it up again. (test on resilience: if the child rebuilds it again, he/she will most likely be resilient)

3. fill a bowl to the brim with water. Ask the child to walk quickly with the bowl. When the child spills the water, ask the child the reason behind the spill. (test on optimism: if the child blame it on the environment and not himself, he /she will most likely be optimistic)

4. using toy figurines, paint a scenario where the mother is cooking dinner and left the boiling pot by itself. If the child accidentally spills the boiling soup on his hands, what would mommy do? (test on level of happiness: if the child says that the mommy will show concern and comfort, then they will most likely grow up to be happy adults!)

5. ask the child to play a prank on their parents with a snakes in a can (similar to jack in a box). (test on exuberance: of the child laughs happily and loudly at the reactions of the parents (be it good or bad), they will most likely grow up to be excited about life!)

6. hide your mobile phone (with speaker) within a toy doll or stuff toy and talk to the child (with another voice) through the phone in the doll in a private room. (test on social skills: if the child shows concern for the doll more than himself and listen well in the conversation, the child will most likely grow up to be popular with good interpersonal skills)

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the day of liberation has come! they are finally freed from the bondage of exams! they now have a whale of time to do whatever they want to "de-stress" themselves for all their mugging these past few weeks! the heavy burden from their back is finally off-loaded! doesn't it feel great after exams!? I loved it when i was a student! long for it so much during the exams that I look forward to it as if it the day i will be meeting my Lord face to face!

but the irony is this: when it comes, i suddenly don't know what to do! i suddenly feel so bored and just feel like going home to have a good sleep! all of a sudden, there seem to be a loss of purpose... :P exams give purpose in life!?

oh well, now that i am a teacher, the feeling is kinda different!! when my students mug, i worry for them and try my best to prepare them for their big day! when their exams are over, i am stuck here with a big pile of exam scripts all ready for me to mark in the shortest deadline! suddenly, the red pen becomes the most powerful thing on earth! it determines the fate of my students! with it, a tick and a cross means heaven or hell! with it, 0 is a sacred number that they hope they would never see in their scripts! no wonder the pen is mightier than the sword! RED pen, especially!! LOL! :P

alright... it's time to end my break and get back to the "leaning tower of pisa" that is waiting for me at my desk! :( teachers "have no life after exams"! they mark after 'they' mug!

from the scripts i have marked so far, i felt like i am the captain of the Titanic ship.. the ship was cruising smoothly on course (the classes i am teaching were doing well for physix) but now, it ran into the ice berg (the final year exam) and it is sinking... I am trying my best to save as many people as possible but there are quite a number who may not survive...

to the tune of My Heart Will Go On,
pass, fail whatever you are, i believe that your heart will go on... and on... :D

Comment! (2) | Recommend! | Categories: exams [t], marking [t], freedom [t]

the 168 victims whom i know were "tormented" for 2 full hours.. the "killer" confused their minds totally and zapped them totally of their brain juice! They were pronounced as brain dead at 1240 pm sharp today. no matter how they tried to fight against the "killer", he seems to be invincible.. it seems as if it was impossible to overcome him..

who is he!? who is this merciless killer!?

he is none other than the year end physics exam paper that my students took today!!

judging from the results of the mcqs, it proves to be a killer paper this time round. However, it's ok since everyone experienced the same impact from the "killer"! No worries! the wisest thing to do now is to concentrate on the remaining papers and learn from your mistakes when the paper is returned back to you!

my earnest plea: don't hate physix bcos of this killer! purpose in your heart to conquer it instead! :D

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bought 3 books from the book store today! realised as i grew up that i actually love to read books but always brush this habit aside as i am busy with "more important" things than just reading! what a fool! :P

book 1: tuesday with morries by mitch albom
An inspiring book that talks about various topics in life with a never-say-die professor!

book 2: a gift from a friend by merry riana
A thought-provoking book that gets you to reflect about how you should live your life and how you can be an entreprenaur!

book 3: the purpose driven life by rick warren
A revealing book that set you on a 40 days journey to discover your purpose on earth!

rented Ice Age 2 as well! heard from my wife that it is really funny! :D may be using that for the next topic for physix: dynamics! :D

met an ex-student of mine @ a foodcourt today.. he was helping out at his dad's stall.. realised that he is repeating his o levels as he failed his sciences and that alone could not get him anywhere. find it saddening as sciences isn't really everything. why make a pass in science a compulsory criteria for entry into higher tertiary institutions?! :(

one of my students is really pro with auditionSEA. if only her nimble fingers can be translated to help her in solving maths problems... :P

thanks for the feedback about the papaphysix restaurant so far... i am beginning to form a clearer picture now! keep sharing with me about it! would love your wonderful ideas! thought of having it @ bukit timah plaza (near to king albert park)... hmmm... will this dream really come true!?

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was having dinner @ BK on wed night and this WILD and WOW idea came to me!

I was thinking that 10 years down the road, if I am not teaching anymore, I will most probably be a full-time home tutor or be doing my own little business. By then, all the students I have been teaching would be grown-ups and working in the society. I would love to catch up with them over a meal to talk about the good old times and also to find out how they are coping with life and provide advice or help as a friend by then.. Also, I hope to put my passion for physix to good use and share with others how interesting it can be! Therefore, with ALL these in mind, I thought of the idea of opening a RESTAURANT with a PHYSIX theme! :D

I thought of the name "papaphysix's selah" or "papaphysix's food gallery". prefer the former as selah (in hebrew) means to take a break (by taking a step back from the rat race and just slow down and enjoy the moment!)

as for how I am going to decorate the place and the creative and interesting things that I am going to do, I shall not mention further cos it's top secret and one of a kind! :P anyway, if you also have ideas to share with me, do tell me please!! :D

share a small example:
instead of having a simple PUSH/PULL sign at the entrance door, I would have it as "PUSH is a force" on one side and "PULL me back like a magnet!" on the other side of the door!

Comment! (2) | Recommend! | Categories: dream [t], papa physix [t], food [t], [t]

busy creating mindmaps for my students to aid them in their revision for the final year exams..

busy marking some of the prelims scripts for the graduating class..

busy helping students to revise through their work...

busy calculating CA2 marks and keying in remarks...

busy photocopying useful stuff for my students...

but in spite of these all, i just wanna to tell my students that when you feel like you are falling, I'll give you WINGS! :D

this song is dedicated from me to you all :: You Give Me Wings ::



P/S. i am also "busy" enjoying the company of my wife and my kids and my students throughout the busy days of my life!! :D

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