Attention Please!

To be an air stewardess or now more commonly known as cabin attendant is my ambition when I was young. (I think I mentioned it before in my post on Racial Harmony Celebrations)

I love the idea of working in the sky, travelling around the world with everyone.

But, I never seem to grow tall enough. (minimum height requirement is 1.58m for safety reasons)

And, I suppose I'll never be growing taller anymore given my age. Well well, it's okay. I found something else that I love to do too. =)


To many people, cabin attendant seems to be only someone who's there to serve you when you are traveling.

But, that's not the case.

Their main responsibility is to ensure your safety when flying with them!

As I watched this Japanese drama "Attention Please", I saw another side of cabin attendant that I have not known. The drama was mainly about how a girl (Yoko Misaki) overcomes many obstacles to become a cabin attendant. (By the way, this is not a new drama, it was aired in 2006.)

I love her energy level! No matter what happens, she is always so energetic and passionate about what she is doing. She is also very positive about herself (okay, maybe way too positive at times). She faced a lot of challenges but she never give up.

She used to do things her way without considering the feelings of others. Through the journey she understands the importance of teamwork in ensuring a safe flight for everyone.

At the start and end of her training, her mentor posted this question to them. "What is a cabin attendant to you?"

It struck me thinking too.

What is a special eduation teacher to me?

Next year will be a very challenging year for me, is my energy level ready?


Gambatte Ms Clover!

Yosh!

Pencil and Eraser

Nobody is perfect,


everyone makes mistakes,


that's why there is often an eraser on every pencil!



and big erasers available for BIG mistakes. LOL

#Mistakes also lead to new discovery! =) You just need to figure out which are the good ones to keep.

Teaching and Learning

the line between teaching and learning

lies before us like a log;


some never see it,

others leap across it,


and the truly fortunate bestride it with joy.


- from a Java Book

Aerobics Workout

It's amazing to know that I have completed 2 terms of aerobics workout! =)

Initially, I was worried if I could survive the first lesson as I have not been exercising for quite a long time. But, after the first lesson, I realised I was so refreshed after it! I didn't had any aching body parts which I was expecting after such a workout.

Some of the movements may seem very easy and relaxing, but if you keep doing it, your muscles can get real tired. haha

When you get tired, all you need to do is rest for a while. Then, you can do the movements again without the tiredness.

And, it is always good to have a motivating trainer! She would push us to do that little bit more when she knows we can. She also provides explanation on the movements that we are doing so that we know the purpose of each movement.

One thing we would love her to do more will be to help us count. It is always easier to do the movements when we know we are reaching the end of the count. Lol.


Motivation~


#Get moving and do some real exercising!

Virtual Technology

Just wanted to share a website made by me and my project groupmates. =)


Know a little more about the technology that we have been using everyday and what it has for us in the future.

Virtual Technology

#Can we survive without technology, just for one day?

Push your limits!

I have completed 6 of my yoga lessons (out of 12).

It was refreshing and relaxing~~~~


However, as the lessons continues, we have to do more challenging poses. There is this pose which i seriously cannot do at all. My classmates seem to be able to do it easily. Lol


The pose looks something like this:























We are supposed to have our legs over our head. But, my legs can only stretch or move till around 130 degrees. My teacher is understanding and asked me to do a simpler version first.


"You may not be able to get the full pose correct for the first time. But, with more practices, you'll be able to do a closer version of the pose." - Teacher J


In yoga, it is not about forcing yourself to do things you can't do. It is more of stretching and pushing your limits bit by bit till you can get it correct. =)


Overdoing or over-pushing yourself will only cause you injuries.


It applies to anything you may be learning~



#You don't have to get it right the first time, you just need to keep it going and do it right subsequently.

My very first yoga lesson

I was (or I should say still am) having very stiff bones. I can't do bending exercises as easily as someone of my age. So, I finally plucked up my courage to take up Yoga lessons.

My goals for learning Yoga:

1) Make my body more flexible

2) Strengthen my bones

3) Flatten my (growing) tummy


Today is my first lesson at Sengkang CC. Hence, my petite teacher shared alot on what she knows about Yoga, how will it benefit us, more talks than actions for the first lesson. But, it really widen my impression of Yoga.

The first thing we learnt is breathing.

Take a deep breath now.

Do you feel your breath from your chest?

Do you feel your breath from your stomach?

Or you don't feel anything? Lol, are you sure you are alive?


Many may have short breaths, which means breathing from our chest area. In actual fact, we should be breathing all the way from our abdomen. The longer you can breath, the longer you can live. I am not sure if that is scientifically proven, but, longer breath makes you relax and allows you to control yourself better at difficulty situation. The next time when you are feeling very angry or nervous, take in a few deep breaths.


Inhale and exhale slowly~























#Take one minute off what you are doing now, close your eye and relax your whole body.

Music Notes - Learning it differently

Never have I thought that I would be able to read music notes so easily! =)

In my secondary school days, I joined porta sound (digital keyboard) as my CCA. It was a torture for me to read the music notes. I had no idea on how to remember them. So, I used a "shortcut" way to understand the notes, which is to simply write the notes in the letters representing them. It may seem simple, but it took me quite a long time to even do so. And, another issue is that I am not able to remember which key on the keyboard represents which letter. So, again, I used a "shortcut" which is to paste the letters of the key it represents on the keyboard. This may be useful in the short run, but it is definitely not going to help me in the long run.

However, I didn't get the chance to play much as my CCA was closed down. It was sad as I did enjoyed the times although it wasn't easy.

Until recently, I finally got my hands on a digital keyboard. Yes, I own one right now! haha

I started to explore new ways of reading the music notes.

And, to my amazement, I manage to read it easily without having to write it down. I also learned how to identify the keys on the keyboard. Yeah! =p

This what I do originally:

Refer to the standard notes, and fill in each letters to the song I am learning. This is what I call matching. Lol..







This is what I do now:












For each alternate dots in between the lines, it would read F-A-C-E.
For each alternate dots on the line, it represents Every Good Boy Does Fine.
(Got this great info from Youtube videos!)

Now, whenever I cannot remember the letter, I would start to think of the sentence and it works! =p


As for the keys on the keyboard, this is what you can use to remember.
These are the 7 keys that repeats throughout.

C - Chopsticks
F - Fork



to represent the black keys.













So, if you see "chopsticks", the white key will start with C. Same trick goes for "fork".
(thanks to a friend who shared this with me~)


Learning music notes can be made easier when you know the right way or the suitable way for yourself. The same goes for learning other new things!



#Learn as much as you can while you are young, since life becomes too busy later.

Focus on what you want!

A lot of times, we tend to focus on things that we do not want without realizing it.

An example would be when someone asks you this question:

“What do you want to eat?”

Ans: I do not want to eat this, but I do not want to eat that too…

So, what do you really want to eat??

Hmm.. You start to shake your head.

You may laugh and think that this is just a simple matter.

However, in life, there are many other incidents where similarly, you choose to focus on things that you do not want. Such as, the type of exam results you don’t want, the type of work you don’t want, the type of place you don’t want to be. There are so many things that you know you don’t want. But, what is it that you really want?

Start to think about the things you want and focus on them. If not, what would happen is that all those that you do not want will happen.

Credits to D50@manchesteruk's photostream

#All that we are is the result of what we have thought.

I'm Back!

Hi peeps, I'm back!! =)

Lucky for me, it's now my school holidays and it's for 3 months! some of my friends are still mugging for their upcoming exams. all the best to them!

This will be my last long holidays as I will be graduating next year. I wonder if i'll miss my schooldays, but, I'm sure I'll miss the holidays. haha =p Once you start to work, I believe you can't get such holidays anymore.

Unless...


you build your own business and be financially FREE. that'll be different.

I attended a motivational talk by Adam Khoo recently due to a marketing competition held by Great Eastern. It's my first time hearing his talk. And, meeting more than I expected, he is a very energetic and charismatic person. Throughout the 1 hr talk, I believe everyone is engrossed in what he is saying as he constantly ask questions and requests the audience to finish his sentences.

Though some of the things that he mentioned is already known to me, it pushed me to do some serious thinkings as the same stuff are presented across more vividly and interestingly.

The 4 steps to SUCCESS:

stay tune for more~

#Whether you think you can or whether you think you can't, you are right.

Always behind you..

Have you heard of Command?

I guess not..but you most probably have heard of the name 3M. Command is actually one of the products under 3M. It is more commonly known for its strong hooks.

We are tasked to create awareness for this poster strips of command. And, we came up with this creative theme : Always behind you.

As in, physically, Command is always behind your pretty posters and frames. And, it is always behind you, supporting you.

Isn't it a nice theme? haha



think for a moment pls..



the answer..



what does the following pictures/poster mean to you?




In case you did not notice, the wall is still clean though the size of the picture/poster changes. =)
In general, each of the posters are part of your growing up cycle..

The above 2 ads is one part of our BIG idea : Always behind you

And, to our amazement, we won the FIRST RUNNER UP in this Command Marketing Competition! All our hard work and efforts paid off!

Great teamwork is one of the key factor. Each one of us is committed to the project by contributing to the best of each ones strength.

All in all, it has been a great learning experience with practical usage of marketing.

Hooray~~

Fun with Marketing

Are you familiar with marketing terms?

Here is a simple way for you to learn.

____________

You see a gorgeous girl at a party.
You go up to her and say: "I am very rich. "Marry me!"
That's Direct Marketing"

You're at a party with a bunch of friends and see a gorgeous girl.
One of your friends goes up to her and pointing at you says:
"He's very rich. "Marry him."
That's Advertising"

You see a gorgeous girl at a party.
You go up to her and get her telephone number.
The next day, you call and say: "Hi, I'm very rich. ¡°Marry me
That's Telemarketing"

You're at a party and see gorgeous girl.
You get up and straighten your tie, you walk up to her
and pour her a drink, you open the door (of the car)
for her, pick up her bag after she drops it,
offer her ride and then say:
"By the way, I'm rich. Will you "Marry Me?"
That's Public Relations"

You're at a party and see gorgeous girl.
She walks up to you and says:
"You are very rich! "Can you marry me?"
That's Brand Recognition"

You see a gorgeous girl at a party. You go up to her and say:
"I am very rich. Marry me!"
She gives you a nice hard slap on your face. "
That's Customer Feedback"

You see a gorgeous girl at a party. You go up to her and say:
"I am very rich. Marry me!" And she introduces you to her husband.
"That's demand and supply gap, do your market survey first"

You see a gorgeous girl at a party.
You go up to her and before you say anything,
another person come and tell her:
"I'm rich. Will you marry me?" and she goes with him.
"That's competition eating into your market share"

You see a gorgeous girl at a party.
You go up to her and before you say:
"I'm rich, Marry me!" your wife arrives.
"That's restriction for entering new markets"

Isn't this an interesting way of learning marketing? Haha

# There is always a different way to learn the same old stuff.

Happy Teachers' Day

A day to remember who has helped you, changed your life for the better, make you look at things differently, ...

Till now, there is this teacher that I have always remembered. She is my primary school chinese teacher, Miss Chang or Chang Lao Shi.

I might not have remembered what she has done exactly to me, but subconsciously, I know she has done alot to help me when I was all alone in the new school, not even knowing the basic language of communication. A petite lady who had went all the way out to help me, making sure I fit into the class, get the right education I suppose to be getting ... without expecting anything in return.

Thank you for making a change in my life.




A note from Ryan. Thanks! =)



#The best present for a teacher is not the most expensive gifts, but the great improvements shown by the students!

Left and Right

Click the colour and not the word! Test out the game here. My current high score is only 75. =p How well can you perform?

During Cognitive training, there is an activity that requires the student to read the word and colours of the word. Blue Green

This is training the student to switch between using the left brain and the right brain.

Most of the time, we are only using our dominant side of the brain. But, to enhance our learning and thinking process, we need the balanced participation of both sides of the brain.

Test out which side your dominant brain is here.

When learning something new, we tend to learn it in our usual comfortable way (the dominant brain). It is alright to do so. However, if you want to have more ways of learning, that is, learning in a more efficient and effective way, your brain may not be able to accept it as it is so used to the dominant side of the brain.

This is why we need to train both sides of the brain! =)



What did you see? (2 items)


#Maximize your learning!

Mistakes or Not?

When you made a mistake in front of your others, what would you do?



There is this lecturer in my school who teaches Management Science. His notes and solutions always has several typo errors. These are clearly mistakes made by him, but, he explained that these mistakes are actually placed to test our understanding of the topic. If we are able to spot the mistakes, it would mean that we have understood the topic. Initially, I do not agree with what he did as I felt that he is just shirking his responsibilities.

But after teaching more students, I realise the importance of directing all mistakes made to become a learning topic for the students.

By doing that, you will not lose the respect from the students and they will be impressed that you are actually teaching them something different.

A good example would be what I saw earlier on this week in a School. Norman is showing the students how to solve the Rubik's cube. But, due to some talking, he missed 1 step and he has to re do it. (his record is currently 2 minutes plus to solve the cube) Before the students start to complain, he told them that solving the Rubik's cube is like solving math questions. When you missed/skipped a step while solving math questions, you may not be able to get the correct answer and end up redoing the question just like what happened to the Rubik's cube. Hence, it is very important to follow the steps of a strategy. By doing this, he actually directed their attention away from the part that he did not solve the cube, to the part that made them understand the consequences of not following steps.




#Everyone makes mistakes, the only difference is that did you learn something from it?

My Job

I am a NUS Business Year 2 (going to) student. Currently, I am supposed to be having my holidays. But, I choose to work at Norman Tien Mathematics. I have been with them for around 1 year. It has been a very good experience working with them as the job is something I love to do, which is, to interact with students and help them improve their cognitive and math skills. Math has been my favourite subject since young, which is an added bonus as I can then share the joy of solving Math questions with my students.

Other than teaching, I am constantly being exposed to many other areas as well. I have done preparation of materials such as notes and powerpoint slides, telemarketing of workshop, liaising with parents and more.. I am grateful for the experiences. It is something that I will not be able to learn in School.

Of course, out of all my job scope, the time spent with my students is still the best. I have meet many extreme cases of students, varying from the smart but choose not to use their smartness to those that are not that smart, but they make it up with their hardworking, the hyperactive and chatty vs the super quiet, the gamers vs the readers, the high scorers vs not that high scorers, and of course, the talented ones. There is the singer, dancer, beat boxer, athletics, pianist and many more.

All in all, I have learnt something from each of them. And, I really enjoyed each of their company and till now, I am still keeping in touch with some of my last year's P6 students. =) I believe what all students need is a friend who can help and care for them rather than a teacher who only knows how to teach them. Remember, I am a student too!




2006 PSLE Preparation Class by Norman Tien.
*I am the one in the pink jacket with a pair of bunny ears.Lol..



#Teaching is not just about imparting knowledge, it is more to making a difference in their life.