The PSLE (Primary School Leaving Examination) is a momentous event in the Singapore education system, where all Primary 6 (12 year old students) sit for the national exam that will determine their future secondary school (or even beyond, in the case of Integrated Programme).
PSLE is not everything
Despite the overall importance of PSLE, it has to be noted that PSLE is not everything. There are countless stories of late developers who later pursued successful careers, despite a bad PSLE Score.
Read about the miracle story of a student who scored 181 for PSLE (technically still a pass grade, but considered not so good), but later entered NUS Medicine, the most prestigious course in Singapore.
This seems to be a frequently asked question. There are still many options, one of them is NorthLight School, which was featured in the Straits Times. NorthLight School is a specialized school that takes in students who fail their PSLE. Each year, the intake of NorthLight School is around 200 students.
In 2009, Assumption Pathway School was also set up to take in students who fail PSLE, ensuring that students have a place to go to further their education.
After graduating from NorthLight School or Assumption Pathway School, around 45% of students go on to enter Institutes of Technical Education (ITE). After that, they can move on to Polytechnics.
According to experienced parents at Kiasuparents, the only problem of failing one subject in PSLE is that it will drag down the overall PSLE T-score. It has been estimated that failing one subject in PSLE would most likely cause the overall score to be below 200 (which can still enter many neighborhood secondary schools).
PSLE takes into account all 4 subjects. So even if you failed English or Chinese or any subject, it doesn’t matter. what matters is your combined score that determine whether you go express or normal academic.
Hence, if the student does well for other subjects, it is not a big problem for failing one subject in PSLE, be it failing PSLE English, failing PSLE Chinese, or failing PSLE Math.
When one gets a bad PSLE result, or fail PSLE (one or all subjects), the important thing for the student is not to get overly disheartened. It could well be the case that the student is a late developer, or that certain negative events out of the student’s control have impacted the student’s family, which resulted in the bad PSLE results.
The 2020 Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) results will be announced on 25 November 2020 (Wed). Given the ongoing COVID-19 situation, students will receive their results from their respective primary schools – in their individual classrooms instead of gathered as a cohort in the school hall – from 11.00am on 25 November 2020.
The exact cut off point is not out yet, but based on previous years’ cut off points, we give some estimates of the PSLE 2020 Cut off point (for entry to secondary school in 2021).
IP schools cut-off point
The most popular schools are definitely the IP (Integrated Programme) schools, since they are the most prestigious, and also students get to skip the O Levels which is a major source of stress for the students and their parents.
IB schools are also very popular, since it is well known that the IB syllabus is easier to score than the ‘A’ levels.
These are the top elite schools in Singapore. MGS (Methodist Girls’ School) COP has risen to this level in recent years, while HCI, RGS, RI, NYGH are the traditional top 4 secondary schools. In order to have a secure chance of entering these schools, the estimated COP or cut-off point is around 260, not considering affiliation. In certain years, a high 250s score such as 258 or 259 may also suffice, but it is quite risky.
‘A’ Tier Secondary School PSLE Cut-off point 2020
The ‘A’ Tier top secondary schools are:
Dunman High School (IP)
National Junior College (IP)
CHIJ St. Nicholas Girls’ School (IP)
Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) (IB)
Catholic High School (IP)
Cedar Girls’ Secondary School (IP)
These schools are very close to the ‘S’ Tier elite schools mentioned above. For these schools, traditionally, a score of around 255 and above is the usual COP or cut off point.
Note that some of the above good schools also have an ‘O’ level track whose COP (Cut-off point) is typically around 5 points lower, or around 250.
PSLE Express Cut off point 2020
Historically, the PSLE cut off point for express stream is around 188. For example, the following schools (express stream) have their PSLE cut-off point set at 188, for the 2020 secondary school intake:
Assumption English School
Bartley Secondary School
Bedok Green Secondary School
Bendemeer Secondary School
Boon Lay Secondary School
… and many more, all the way to Yuhua Secondary School and Yuying Secondary School.
This is easy. The velocity is the first derivative of the position. First derivative with respect to time, if you must know. That hardly needed an extra week to write.
Yes, there’s more. There is always more. Velocity is important by itself. It’s also important for guiding us into new ideas. There are many. One idea is that it’s often the first good example of vectors. Many things can be vectors, as mathematicians see them. But the ones we think of most…
Many people find math to be a difficult subject to excel in as compared to any other subject. However, it is not the case at all. Math only needs one to have a positive attitude, an excellent tutor, and lots of practice. It is quite an interesting subject to learn and proves to be handy on many different occasions.
Looking for a tutor online to help you figure out your math problems can be quite a daunting task. It is relatively easy to get the wrong service provider when you need to find help for your child. You need to check the best online math tutoring websites, which will help you find the best services online for your child or student. It is quite common to find a service provider who will not give you the value you desire online. It would help if you took into account reviews, which will guide you to make the best decision.
The Princeton Review is recognized as one of the best platforms in the tutoring arena. The platform does not only provide tutoring services but also helps with the completion of the assignment. The service providers offer students different options during the signing up process. There is a one-time option available that grants students tutoring over a period of time and a monthly subscription.
For students who require regular tutoring, the monthly subscription costs $40 per hour, $80 per two hours, and $115 per three hours. If you would like a more flexible schedule, you can opt to pay $350 for 10 hours or $950 for 30 hours.
2. Chegg
This is an excellent site for math tutoring services as the services are available 24 hours. The student is automatically matched with the suitable instructor after keying in the problems they have. The user can opt for a live class, text, or audio.
For an off-chat lesson, the class costs $11 and $20 for unlimited chat lessons for a month. For those who would like a video call subscription, they will pay $30 for a month. You should also check out Math videos on YouTube to help you learn more and faster.
3. Learn To Be
This is an NGO based site that aims to provide equal opportunities to all students. Students fill in an application and detail the issues they need assistance with. Within seven days, the site will reach out to the student with a suitable tutor to arrange an online meeting.
This is a great service provider as it does not cost the student anything. A portion of the money donated to the site is responsible for helping students access algebra tutoring services or paying the tutors.
4. Revolution Prep
It is quite famous for having tutors available for most of the day. The site uses highly interactive sessions to teach students math. They aim to make the subject fun to develop a positive attitude towards the subject. The sessions incorporate flashcards, posters, and other tools.
The tutoring services cost about $1398 for every 12 hours, and their group sessions cost $499 for 12 hours. Each group has four to eight people.
5. Prodigy
This is an exceptional site if you prefer a one-on-one session with your tutor. The site offers different levels of maths by tutors who are suitable for your needs. The company’s goal is to enable each student to achieve their highest potential.
The site charges £30 per half an hour, and it’s discounted to $24 if you pay for three classes or more. You can also opt to pay for five classes at $120. During each first session, the tutor, parent/teacher, and the student discuss the service’s goals.
Conclusion
Math is quite a phenomenal subject to study that can lead to a very prospectus life. There are plenty of options available to choose from when it comes to studying the issue. There are online group classes, individual tutoring, and even in-person course. The available platforms, schedule, optimal studying style, and budget will influence which platform you will use. The list above will guide you in selecting the best service providers so you can be the math guru you were meant to be.
Neon Tetra Disease is a mysterious disease that strikes mainly neon tetras, but other fishes are also susceptible to it. The online opinion is that there is no cure, some even suggest euthanizing the poor tetra to avoid it spreading.
Neon Tetra Disease Signs
The signs of neon tetra disease include some of the following classic symptoms:
Loss of color in a patch of skin
Fin rot
Curved spine in advanced cases
Our neon tetra exhibited two of the classic signs (white patch and loss of color near the head), and fin rot near the tail. For more pictures and graphics of the symptoms, see the video below.
Neon Tetra Disease Cure (Melafix?)
We seem to have stumbled upon a cure for neon tetra disease using Melafix. Melafix is a herbal fish medicine based on tea tree oil, and is targeted at bacterial infections of fish.
After one dose of Melafix, and over 9 days, our neon tetra has shown a dramatic improvement (as seen in video below). The white patch of loss of color is gone, and the fin rot near the tail is gone as well. In addition, the fin tissue near the tail has grown back to normal levels.
There is also a closely related disease called “False Neon Tetra Disease”, which is caused by bacteria. The symptoms are so close that it is impossible to tell apart the two diseases without a microscope in a laboratory.
According to famous fish keeper Cory from Aquarium Co-op, Neon Tetra Disease is caused by Mycobacterium, which also causes fish tuberculosis.
Neon Tetra Disease Cure
Based on our experience, Melafix certainly seemed to cure the Neon Tetra Disease. Then again, theoretically Melafix works against bacterial diseases but not parasitical diseases. Hence, it may work for the cases of Neon Tetra Disease which are caused by bacteria, but not for those that are caused by parasites.
Uncle Roger (real name Nigel Ng) is a very popular YouTube comedian, who shot to fame with his “egg fried rice” critique videos. Not many people know that Uncle Roger was actually a bona fide Data Scientist, who graduated from Northwestern University.
His classic viral video is the video critiquing BBC’s egg fried rice recipe. It has struck a chord with many Asians internationally, since the way BBC prepares egg fried rice is totally “wrong”, according to the traditional way fried rice is made in Asia.
Uncle Roger Rice Video
The below video is the classic original “egg fried rice” video that propelled Uncle Roger to stardom on YouTube. As of November 2020, this video has hit 18 million views, which is considered a lot on YouTube. Based on an estimate of USD$1-$5 CPM, this video alone has netted Uncle Roger USD$18,000 to $90,000.
As a continuation, Uncle Roger has also made various videos related to egg fried rice, for example the video featuring Gordon Ramsay.
Another popular video is the one featuring Jamie Oliver.
Nigel Ng (Uncle Roger) Data Scientist
What is not known by many is that Uncle Roger (aka Nigel Ng) used to be a data scientist, dubbed the “sexiest job of the 21st Century”. Nigel Ng first studied at Chong Hwa Independent High School, Kuala Lumpur, and then moved to the US to pursue his studies at Northwestern University. He then relocated to London to work as a data scientist at various companies, before transitioning to comedy full time in 2019.
Uncle Roger (Nigel Ng) even has a GitHub page featuring the code he wrote: https://github.com/nigeljyng. From his GitHub code, we can see that he works with Deep Learning using Keras.
Uncle Roger is actually quite young, his age is only 29 years old, and he is born on 15 March 1991.
Uncle Roger’s GitHub page, where he shares his data scientist code.
Uncle Roger Wife
Uncle Roger’s ex-wife is a fictional character named “Aunty Helen”. Not much is known about “Aunty Helen”, though there is a fan-made horror Halloween short movie featuring Aunty Helen.
Uncle Roger Fuiyoh and Haiya
Uncle Roger’s favorite slang is “Fuiyoh” and “Haiya”. “Fuiyoh” appears to be a Manglish (Malaysian English) slang word, spelled as “Fuyoh” on Wikipedia. It means exclamation of amazement / wonder / marvel, basically same meaning as “Wow!” or “Awesome!”.
“Haiya” also appears to be a Manglish (Malaysian English) word, spelled as “Aiya” on Wikipedia. It is a word to express surprise or dismay (more of dismay).
Uncle Roger Net Worth and Social Blade
According to Social Blade, Uncle Roger earns a whopping USD $77.5K – $1.2M based on his YouTube ad revenue alone. The range is huge due to fluctuations in YouTube CPM (cost per thousand views) based on region and other factors. But even the lower range USD $77.5k is a very high amount for a new channel like Uncle Roger (mrnigelng).
This shows that humor, or comedy, has timeless appeal. Even in the ancient times, or the futuristic era, laughter is always the best medicine.
Jinx is the “mascot” of Wild Rift, which is the recent mobile version of League of Legends. Jinx is a worthy hero to play because of the following reasons:
Excellent ADC (Attack Damage Carry). Very high AOE and single damage output.
High Skill Cap. It actually requires a bit of skill to use Jinx, especially in terms of positioning and not dying. The art of switching between the two guns also requires skill.
League of Legends Jinx Wild Rift Build
The default build “AOE Marksman” for Jinx is actually quite good. The items you should get are:
Infinity Edge. The damage, and more importantly Crit, is especially important for Jinx. The increased 230% Crit damage scales even more under the attack bonus of Fishbones, the Rocket Launcher.
Runaan’s Hurricane. This item further increases Crit chance and Attack Speed, and strike 2 additional nearby enemies. This helps you to farm better in the initial stages, and deal massive AOE damage in the later stages.
Quicksilver Sash. This is important as Jinx is very fragile when under crowd-control effects. There is also some lifesteal worked into this item, which is helpful as in this build Jinx has no early game lifesteal.
Rapid Firecannon. Increases attack speed, crit chance further, as well as add even more range to Jinx.
Bloodthirster. Great for lifesteal and damage.
Last Whisper. Good for more armor penetration if there are many tanks in the game. Otherwise, you may wish to get Guardian Angel instead, for more survivability.
10 Kills, 0 Deaths, 3 Assists and MVP with Jinx in Wild Rift.
Jinx Wild Rift Role
Officially, Jinx is supposed to play as a Marksman (together with a support hero) in the Dragon lane (Duo lane).
If you are the only ranged hero, Jinx can also go in the Mid lane.
In a team fight, your role is to stand at the back, stay alive while dealing as much damage as possible with your guns.
Jinx Wild Rift Runes
The two preset rune builds for Jinx are quite good.
The default (Set 1) of runes are: Conqueror, Triumph, Loyalty and Sweet Tooth.
This set is good for maximizing damage (Conqueror can stack up to 30 Attack Damage, which is as good as half an Infinity Edge). Triumph also helps you to deal more damage to low health enemies to secure those kills.
The second default set of runes for Jinx are: Fleet Footwork, Gathering Storm, Spirit Walker, and Sweet Tooth.
Fleet footwork helps with mobility, and also the healing effect is good in the early game, especially in builds where Jinx does not have early lifesteal.
Gathering Storm builds up AD more and more, in preparation for the late game. The slow resistance for Spirit Walker is also great for a fragile hero like Jinx.
Jinx Wild Rift Skills
The way to learn Jinx’s skills is very easy to remember.
Just prioritize: Switcheroo>Zap>Flame Chompers, and learn your ultimate Super Mega Death Rocket whenever possible.
The most useful skill is surely Switcheroo. Zap is hard to hit, since it is blocked by any minions in front of the champion. Flame Chompers is only for your last resort escaping, or for punishing enemies who push too near to the turret (by throwing it behind them and prevent them from retreating).
Jinx Wild Rift Summoner spell
The meta seems to be to pick Heal and Flash. Basically, these two skills are the best to help Jinx escape and avoid dying.
I assume that last week I disappointed Mr Wu, of the Singapore Maths Tuition blog, last week when I passed on a topic he suggested to unintentionally rewrite a good enough essay. I hope to make it up this week with a piece of linear algebra.
A Unitary Matrix — note the article; there is not a singular the Unitary Matrix — starts with a matrix. This is an ordered collection of scalars. The scalars we call elements. I can’t think of a time I ever saw a matrix represented except as a rectangular grid of elements, or as a capital letter for the name…
Score less than 65 marks for Chinese (Mother Tongue), and it is Impossible to Enter Good IP Schools under the new system
This is a totally new era, where all previous PSLE strategies are outdated. Do share this article with your relatives/friends, where we show (using official evidence), that students scoring below 65 for Chinese (Mother Tongue) have virtually zero chance of entering good IP schools.
Since language (especially Mother Tongue) is the hardest subject to improve within a short period of time, students starting from as early as Primary 1 have to take note and adjust to the new PSLE scoring system. The Achilles heel for many students is actually Chinese language (or Mother Tongue), since it is very common for the entire family to be speaking English at home, at work, and with friends.
Our source of official evidence is the Straits Times, where it is indicated that the Official MOE Indicative AL COP range for 2019 PSLE for Express [Integrated Programme (IP)] is 6-9 points. For independent schools (which form the bulk of the best IP schools), the cut off point is 6-8. The same information can be found on Today Online, and Channel News Asia.
Indicative AL COP range for 2019 PSLE
Course
Government and Government-aided schools
Autonomous schools
Independent schools
Express Integrated Programme (IP)
7–9
7–9
6–8
Achievement level (AL)
Marks
1
90 and above
2
85-89
3
80-84
4
75-79
5
65-74
6
45-64
7
20-44
8
Below 20
Score under New PSLE System (for child weak in Mother Tongue)
Let us suppose the child scores:
>90 for English (AL 1)
>90 for Mathematics (AL 1)
>90 for Science (AL 1)
<65 for Chinese/ Mother Tongue (AL 6)
His/her total PSLE Score will be 1+1+1+6=9, which is not good enough to enter Independent IP Schools (requirement of 6-8 points). Independent IP Schools include schools like Raffles Institution, Nanyang Girls’ High School, RGS, HCI, and more. From common sense, the top IP schools’ COP is in fact likely to be on the lower end closer to 6 (or even lower?) rather than 8.
Score under Old PSLE System (for child weak in Mother Tongue)
Under the old PSLE system, the child’s score is likely good enough to enter even the best of IP schools:
>90 for English (e.g. 91)
>90 for Mathematics (e.g. 98)
>90 for Science (e.g. 95)
<65 for Chinese/ Mother Tongue (e.g. 64)
Estimated PSLE Score = (91+98+95+64)/4 x 3 = 261
The actual old PSLE T-score formula is slightly different (depends on bell curve and relative performance), but nevertheless, the estimated PSLE score of 261 is good enough to enter the best of IP schools like Raffles Girls’ School (RGS), RI, HCI. In fact, it is common knowledge that in the past, many students relatively weak in Chinese managed to enter RI and RGS due to their excellent scores in other subjects. Students in NYGH and HCI tend to have better grasp and mastery of the Chinese language.
A similar effect for students weak only in Math
The above effect is not unique to Chinese/ Mother Tongue. There are many students who excel in languages (English, Chinese), and Science, but are weak in Math for some reason or another.
The exact analysis also applies in this scenario, unfortunately. Basically, in order to enter top IP schools, no subject can be below 65 marks no matter how excellent the other subjects are.
Update: To ensure that our list of best majors in Singapore is always updated, we have a poll below to reflect the updated views of readers. Do vote and check out the latest results!
Poll on the Best Major in Singapore:
Why is there a need to consider the Best Majors in Singapore?
There is an old Chinese proverb, saying that “The greatest fear of a man is to choose the wrong occupation.”. (男怕入错行，女怕嫁错郎.) Despite being thousands of years old, this proverb still holds true in the 21st century, even in advanced regions like the USA, Europe, and Singapore.
Basically, the choice of major directly or indirectly determines the future occupation or career path of a student.
Ancient Chinese Proverb:
“The greatest fear of man is getting into the wrong occupation. The greatest fear of woman is marrying the wrong man.”
(The first part still holds true, the second part may be outdated?)
男怕入错行，女怕嫁错郎
Best Majors in Singapore
There are many sources on the best majors in university or college, but focused on other countries such as the USA. Do take a look to see the general trend, but there are several majors that are “uniquely” good or bad in Singapore.
Best Majors in Singapore (Tier List)
Firstly, the best major in a sense is based on one’s interest and passion. For example, if one has totally zero interest in being a medical doctor or healing patients, it does not make sense going into the Medicine major in university. One may even burn out while attempting to do so.
That being said, if you have passion for multiple subjects, but have problem narrowing it down to a single major, it may be good to look at which one has the best prospects.
S Tier Majors in Singapore
Medicine
Dentistry
Based on the ageless theory of demand and supply, medicine and dentistry are bound to be the best for years to come. Demand-wise, humans are bound to get sick, and even more so with an aging population in Singapore. Supply-wise, the supply of doctors and dentists are strictly controlled by limiting the yearly cohort of medical students. In general, there will always be a shortage (or just enough), and never a surplus of doctors/dentists in Singapore.
Dentistry, though not as prestigious as medicine, actually have good earning potential as most visits to dentists are surgeries which cost more. From an official Youth.SG government website, the salary range is $5,000 to $7,000 per month for fresh dentistry graduates.
In general, both medicine and dentistry are always among the highest paying degrees in Singapore. According to anecdotes online, there are people who are even willing to sell their house in order to send their child to medical school overseas (e.g. Australia); such is the attractiveness of the Medicine major in Singapore.
A Tier Majors in Singapore
Law
Computer Science (or other computer related majors)
For Computer Science, there is no need to explain, it is needed in all companies nowadays in the shift to high tech. Big data, data science, machine learning, is the hottest thing now. The only reason why computing science is only ‘A’ tier instead of ‘S’ tier is because there is no control on the supply of computer engineers/scientists in Singapore. Theoretically, it could happen that there can be more and more computer engineers/ data scientists trained (including from overseas) until the entire field is over-saturated. Also, from history, the technological sector tend to experience things like “AI winter” or “Dot-com bubble”.
Computer Science (and data science) is also recently one of the highest paying degrees in Singapore, with good job prospects. It is also quite compatible with the current “work from home” climate across the globe, it is unlikely to be disrupted by disease epidemics such as COVID-19 or future viruses.
For architecture, the pay is good and attracts top students. And also, even though Singapore is a small country with limited land, there always seems to be construction projects going on here and there all the time. For pharmacy, due to the laws, there is a constant demand for pharmacists required to dispense medication (for example every Guardian/Watson pharmacy needs one) and other duties. Hence, unless the laws regarding medicine change, there is always a constant demand for pharmacists.
B Tier Majors in Singapore
Note that “B Tier” still means good, while “A Tier” means very good!
Engineering (except computing)
Science (Physical science or hard science majors such as: Physics, Mathematics, Chemistry.)
In Singapore, engineering majors are “B” tier since they are still good in the sense that you could still most likely find a job related to what you study. Why they are not “A” tier is again due to the theory of demand and supply. The demand is not as high as say Computer Science, since Singapore is already slowly transitioning out of the manufacturing industry (e.g. do you see any big factories in Singapore?) For supply, again the number of engineers are not controlled, when there is a huge number of engineers (either trained or imported), wages will get suppressed.
For Science degrees (especially physical sciences like Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics), it is a solid “B” tier because the student actually learns useful and real quantitative skills that can be transferred to other domains. For example, it is very possible for physics or mathematics majors to transition to the finance industry after they graduate. Also, teaching in schools (public or private) is a valid option for Science majors.
Useless Degrees in Singapore
Many people actually search for “useless degrees in Singapore”, presumably to avoid them?
There is actually no such thing as a “useless degree”, since every degree from a recognized institution in Singapore does impart knowledge to the student. In the worst case scenario, they are still regarded as a general degree which will be recognized in the civil service or most major companies.
There is a notable mention to “Life Science” (Biology) degrees in Singapore though. Basically, the “Life Science” undergraduate degree in Singapore is widely regarded as not sufficient in itself to get a Life Science related job in Singapore, further degrees such as masters or PhD may most likely be required.
seriously it (Life Science Prospects in Singapore) is not good.
my batch people who went into life sciences are not doing well.
most have changed industries.
jobs are still few and not well paying.
i receive quite a lot of resumes from them, trying to do a mid career switch to engineering.
I was a life science grad specializing in biomed. Graduated in 2015
I would say out of my circle of friends, only one person went on to do research for a year for his masters. Everyone else went to do other things that were not life science related.
hi!! to be vv honest, life sci is q a bad place to be in rn (unless u are intending to do the duke-nus grad med track; which again, entry is vv competitive). i have friends who’re in life sci and they’re all desperate for phd bc degree really means nothing; they constantly joke about degree-holders being test-tube washers lmao. in nus faculty of sci, the dean’s list is often filled w ppl from life sci whose CAP are v high. that’s bc life sci mods are generally easier than other sci courses, and the cohort is bigger (so more bellcurve tankers). and when a degree is relatively easy, u can imagine it’s prospects
An excellent world-class post on why the Life Science / biology hype died down worldwide, not just in Singapore:
It died down worldwide imo. There was a lot of hype about genetics and biotech in the 90’s, but after the Human Genome Project was completed in the early 00’s everyone realised that there are several more levels between genes and phenotype, e.g. epigenetics, mRNA regulation, proteomics, nutrition, lifestyle choices, pathogens, behaviour… And we can’t even be certain that there aren’t more levels which we are currently unable to perceive.
Despite the predictions of futurists in the 90’s, we still can’t fully explain the pathways that lead to cancer or Alzheimer’s or heart disease, let alone fully formulate rational treatments for them. And forget about designing artificial life from scratch.
There was a mountain that science hoped El Dorado lay hidden behind, but after climbing it science found only a bit of gold, and 5 higher mountains in front. It’s just the way the universe is really; nobody could have known that the 5 mountains existed before climbing the first.
There are quite a lot of good deals on the Guardian website, that may not be found in Guardian physical stores. The reason is due to the limitations in size of Guardian physical stores, they can’t carry all possible products whereas the Guardian website can.
For example, some of the promotions that are ongoing now are:
Up to 40% off vitamins and supplements
Buy 1 get 1 free for Facial Masks and Cleansers
20% off selected Skincare products
2 For Deals, up to 400 products
Free Portable Juice Blender, with $100 spent on health products
Guardian Promo Code
I don’t think Guardian has a Promo Code, and even if there is, I don’t think the Promo Code can stack with the online discounts from the Guardian website.
Guardian Passion Card
The member card for Guardian is the PAssion card, similar for Giant supermarkets. Other cards that are beneficial at Guardian include the “UOB One Credit Card“, and “Golden Senior Card“, which is for adults aged 50 and above.
When You Speak They March: Alumni Network Rules of Engagement
Like schools, universities and other institutions, alumni play a pivotal role in the success of non-profits and foundations.
Organizations quickly realize the potential of keeping past participants connected and aware of institutional activities. In that context, these bodies need rules of engagement, modes of engagement, and ways of measuring impact.
Provide practical value in alumni engagement
Alumni are defined within the premises of shared identity or experience. But these factors may not be enough to keep your members engaged forever after the event or outreach is done. Consider creating practical value for members in exchange for continued association with the alumni.
Modern-day alumni expect a unique, balanced value proposition when they share their time, donations, skills, and attention. You can meet them halfway with support platforms for networking, referrals, or skills development.
The derived value from the engagement will strengthen the shared identity and fuel the desire for continued fellowship in the long run.
Implement real-time engagement
The desire to be part of and participate in your nonprofit’s activities can quickly wane in the face of limited interaction. Value creation is not a solve-it-all solution. For communities to realize the benefits of alumni network, modes of engagement must be set and optimized.
Traditional alumni interactions rely on face to face meetings. These have the advantage of the personal touch but many limitations in time and space.
With the growth of digital technologies, virtual alumni interactions have proven effective in driving more connections and opportunities for members.
In the age of social distancing, adopting a virtual alumni engagement platform is the wisest thing to do to keep the connection going.
The right alumni engagement digital platform should save your time and boost your impact. In the traditional sense, managing and communicating with all members can be hectic and time-consuming.
A dedicated digital platform makes it possible to harmonize data, personalize messages, and keep the conversation going so that you don’t find yourself without donors in your next campaign.
Provide tangible results and impact assessment
Motivated and goal-oriented alumni networks will have a shared desire to assess their achievements. Without the data or accurate data, you risk snuffing out their passion for making positive change.
The best non-profits find ways to quantify results by establishing metrics for measuring outcomes throughout an outreach.
Historically, quantifying results has been difficult for many nonprofits. Many therefore resort to reporting inputs as outputs like the number of new volunteers or awards won. For sustained donor engagement and participation, you will need data on real, measurable outcomes.
Embrace data and relevance
The right digital platform can help you analyze impact against your set metrics. That way, you can confidently show your constituents what their time and money are achieving regarding your cause. Attaining that accurate reporting requires optimal data harvesting and analysis.
The right data can further help to keep engagement relevant. As your network grows, generalized messaging might cease to be effective.
You will probably need a segmentation algorithm in your communication to keep the engagement personal, relevant, and meaningful to the individual.
The best alumni engagement platform helps you reach and retain constituents through strong and personalized messaging.
You can seamlessly and expediently gather ideas from each member to make them feel involved. You can break down data and find out which supporters need a higher level of engagement.
It is impossible to sustain alumni networks without technology by your side. The best virtual alumni platform makes your connections easy and impactful.
Sign up for PolicyPal with referral code MATH88 to get PolicyPal credits
Don’t have an account with PolicyPal yet? You’ll need one to start earning credits! Register with referral code MATH88 to receive $10 credits.
PolicyPal is a new insurance portal that has various insurance policies. One of the famous ones is “Gigantiq”, which gives an impressive 2% interest per annum.
Once you sign up with PolicyPal, using the referral code MATH88, you will receive P$10 PolicyPal credits. Then, just take part in a few simple activities (such as doing really simple quizzes, and do some of their “challenges” which is just clicking a single button). It took me just 5 minutes to earn another P$5 PolicyPal credits.
With P$15 PolicyPal credits, you can then redeem your free $10 FairPrice E-Voucher, as shown below. Throughout the entire process, there is no need to fork out a single cent of your own.
Moonlight Sonata 3rd Movement (Presto Agitato) is the most exciting movement in the famous Moonlight Sonata by Beethoven.
The fast tempo (Presto Agitato) has to be sustained across the entire 3rd movement (around 7 minutes), making it quite a difficult piece for amateur pianists.
Many people search for the education background of Amos Yee, but the information is scattered around the internet (and some sources are now defunct). This blog post summarizes all the information on Amos Yee Education, as well as honors and awards. All the education information are/were publicly available on the internet, but scattered across various sources.
Amos Yee achieved good academic achievements, but later got into a great deal of trouble, including jail time in both Singapore and America.
Amos Yee Education (Primary School)
2005 – 2010: Pei Chun Public School.
Scored 244 for PSLE, with A* for Mathematics and Science, and A for English and Chinese.
Amos Yee Education (Secondary School)
2011 – 2014: Zhonghua Secondary School.
Scored 11 points for O Levels (L1R5)
Raw Aggregate Score: 7, due to -2 for CCA (English Drama and Debating Society), -2 for MSP (Malay Special Programme)
Floating plants are a great addition to the home aquarium. The first few times we tried to keep floating plants, it all failed. Water lettuce, frogbit, and red root floater all melted away and died within days.
After multiple tries, we think that we have figured out the tricks to keep floating plants in the aquarium! The YouTube video below summarizes 8 essential tips for keeping floating plants alive and thriving in the home aquarium.
For beginners we recommend Salvinia, or water spangles, as the first starting floating plant. It is also easy to remove, as a great contrast to duckweed.
Matplotlib is a popular plotting package used in Python. There are some things to note for plotting multiple figures, in separate windows.
A wrong approach may lead to matplotlib showing a black screen, or plotting two figures superimposed on each other, which may not be the desired outcome.
Sample Matplotlib Code for Plotting Multiple Figures in Separate Windows
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
plt.figure()
# plotting function here, e.g. plt.hist()
plt.savefig('filename1')
plt.figure()
# plotting function here, e.g. plt.hist()
plt.savefig('filename2')
plt.show()
One way to do this is to use the plt.figure() command for each figure that you want to plot separately. Optionally, you can use plt.savefig() if you wish to save the figure plotted to the working directory folder.
At the end, use the plt.show() command. The plt.show() command should only be used once per script.
With the iPhone 12 making its debut, no doubt thousands (or maybe even millions) of iPhone fans in Singapore will be queueing up to purchase the latest iPhone.
The new way of getting the $100 Singtel Recontract Voucher is to use Referral Links such as this one, whereby the Singtel Recontract Voucher is applied automatically on the Official Singtel Website. It is very easy and convenient, and basically a free $100 discount off your iPhone, or whatever phone that you select that is eligible.
Hi, heard you were looking for a new mobile phone? Here’s a Singtel mobile offer just for you. Sign up using my exclusive link below to enjoy an extra $100 OFF on all phones when you switch to a new Singtel Combo plan. When you’ve switched, I’ll be rewarded too! Singtel terms and conditions apply.
Exclusive link: Singtel Recontract Voucher Official Website
GIGANTIQ (sometimes spelled as “Gigantic” by users) is an insurance savings plan, similar to Singlife or Dash EasyEarn. As of the current date, Gigantiq (purchased through PolicyPal) is clearly superior to Singlife or Dash EasyEarn, with 2% p.a. interest and up to 8% PolicyPal bonus credits earnings.
Gigantiq (Gigantic) vs Singlife
Singlife has recently reduced their interest rate to 2% (down from 2.5%). Hence, GIGANTIQ has the benefit of the additional 8% PolicyPal bonus credits compared to Singlife. The PolicyPal bonus credits are quite useful, it can be converted to NTUC FairPrice vouchers, Grab vouchers, or even cash.
Gigantiq (Gigantic) vs Dash EasyEarn
Dash EasyEarn has reduced their interest rate to 1.8% (down from 2%). Hence, GIGANTIQ is the clear winner here.
GIGANTIQ Promo Referral Code (MATH88)
Please use our GIGANTIQ Referral Code MATH88 when purchasing the plan via PolicyPal. It is very important to purchase through PolicyPal for the following reason:
Earn up to 8% p.a. in PolicyPal bonus credits, which can be exchanged for grocery vouchers, Grab rides, or even cash. If you buy GIGANTIQ from other sources, there is no such bonus.
Tip: You should deposit as much as possible initially if you want to earn the PolicyPal bonus credits, as the 8% p.a. is only applied to the initial deposit, not counting any topups.
The Gigantiq policy is underwritten by Etiqa Insurance Pte. Ltd, which is the insurance branch of the Malaysian banking group Maybank. Maybank is the largest and most valuable bank in Malaysia.
Gigan tiq by Etiqa review (Pros and Cons)
Etiqa is the insurance branch of Maybank, which is the largest bank in Malaysia.
2% p.a. returns for first S$10,000 for the first year.
No lock-in period. Withdraw and top up anytime.
Capital guaranteed.
Up to 8% p.a. bonus credits from PolicyPal.
Protected under the Policy Owners’ Protection Scheme which is administered by the Singapore Deposit Insurance Corporation (SDIC).
Gigantic (Gigantiq) vs Elastiq
Currently, there is not much point comparing Gigantiq with Elastiq, since ELASTIQ is fully subscribed. That means, you cannot open an ELASTIQ account even if you want to, it is totally full. In any case, the interest rate of Elastiq is 1.80% p.a, which is lower than Gigantiq.
Hence, do check out GIGANTIQ, Etiqa’s all-in-one insurance savings tool before it’s gone too!
Gigantiq Forum
As a final note, you may want to read the reviews of Gigantiq on a popular forum, Hardwarezone. Most of the reviews there are positive, and most recommend putting in $10,000. Any amount above S$10,000 has a reduced interest rate of 1% p.a.
Thanks for reading up to here. If you have decided to grow your money via GIGANTIQ, use our official promo/ referral code for GIGANTIQ:
Disclaimer: The opinions on GIGANTIQ Account expressed in this blog post is for general informational purposes only and are not intended to provide specific advice or recommendations for any individual or on any specific security or investment product. It is only intended to provide information on GIGANTIQ Referral and GIGANTIQ Review. In particular, this blog post is not a substitute for obtaining advice from a qualified investment advisor.
Update: Instead of Singlife, we now recommend GIGANTIQ. Do check out our blogpost on GIGANTIQ (2% p.a. interest and up to 8% PolicyPal bonus credits earnings).
Previously, we have written on Singlife Review before, just to update and give more details on the excellent Singlife 2.5% interest account and give an in-depth review.
Basically, Singlife’s 2.5% interest is the highest among all deposit accounts in Singapore as of September 2020. (If you know of any higher interest rate accounts, do comment below!)
Also, Singlife’s 2.5% interest does not require you to do any credit card spendings, nor do you need to credit your salary, nor purchase any insurance or investments (unlike DBS Multiplier or OCBC 360 account). Basically, you need to do nothing!
If you put in $10,000 into Singlife (which is the recommended amount to put in), it is a free $250 for you within one year. For amounts greater than $10,000, it is recommended that you put the rest into Dash EasyEarn.
In conclusion, due to reduction of interest rates in banks, currently there is no bank account (be it savings or even fixed deposit) that can beat or even come close to Singlife’s 2.5% interest. (Unless you can fulfill multiple conditions in DBS Multiplier.)
Hence, Singlife’s 2.5% interest rate is very attractive currently!
I’ve had a great experience with the Singlife Account, an insurance savings plan, and thought you would love it too! Save, spend, earn, & be insured! Install the app and sign up today to begin earning up to 2.5% p.a.* returns with your savings.
We recommend and review some laptops/notebooks suitable for data science and machine learning.
Firstly, we state the 4 core important specs (specifications) for laptops for data science and machine learning.
1) RAM: Should be 8GB or higher.
2) CPU: Should be Intel Core i5, or even better Intel Core i7.
3) Storage: Should be at least 256 GB SSD.
4) GPU: Optional, but good to have for deep learning. (Note that Mac GPUs are not usable for deep learning.)
RAM and CPU are necessary in order to conduct computations successfully and within a reasonable time. Storage is necessary to process big data which can potentially be several gigabytes. GPU is useful to speed up deep learning, but is optional since there are many cloud or server options available.
For concrete recommendations, we recommend the following 5 laptops. Certainly, there could be other laptops that are equally suitable for data science and machine learning, do comment below if you have a good suggestion!
Some photos of spherical water droplets on Salvinia floating plant.
I think Salvinia is one of the easiest floating plant to keep in an aquarium. It has 3 forms Primary form, Secondary form, and Tertiary form and will adopt the most suitable form for whatever conditions is in your aquarium. (The photos shown below are Primary form. Initially, when I bought it, it was in Tertiary form.)
Recently, one of our phoenix rasboras (cousin of chili rasbora) is getting a little round in the belly. Is it pregnant (or the more technical term is gravid)?
We are not very sure, will ask in a forum soon afterwards. Possible alternative reasons is that it is bloated, overfed or even dropsy!
From our experience, it is better that the phoenix rasbora is fat rather than thin. A thin rasbora signals a possible internal parasite problem, which proves to be fatal for this small rasbora species in our experience.
Pregnant Phoenix Rasbora?
For more footage of the pregnant rasbora, do check out the YouTube video below.
Spyder is a Python IDE that is bundled together with the Anaconda distribution.
There are some problems that are commonly faced when it comes to updating Spyder. One way to update Spyder is to open Anaconda Navigator and click the settings button which has an option to update Spyder. But the problem is that the process can take a very long time. The process shows that it is “loading packages of /User/…/opt/anaconda3”.
Updating Spyder is constricted by …
Another way to update Spyder is to type “conda update spyder” in the terminal. A problem that can crop up is the error message: “updating spyder is constricted by …”
Anaconda stuck updating Spyder [Solved]
For my case, it turns out that the version of Anaconda Navigator is outdated. Hence, I first updated Anaconda Navigator to the latest version.
Then, instead of clicking “Update application” which still didn’t quite work, we click on “Install specific version” and choose the latest version of Spyder (Spyder 4.1.5 in this case).
Then, the updating of Spyder in Anaconda Navigator worked perfectly!
How to update Spyder using Anaconda-Navigator: Click “Install specific version” instead of “Update application”.
Is your child gearing up for the upcoming academic year to set her first step in academics? You might be then in need of a prior guide about making maths fun for your child.
You’re never sure whether your child is going to love maths or stay far away from it. Although, maths is an important part of learning and helps in building a child’s analytical skills from the core. It helps them to develop their knowledge about dates, time, measurements, costs and numbers – calculating the life around them.
This makes the subject confusing and dreadful for a lot of children but the current P1 curriculum has been developed keeping in mind the psychological aspects of a child.
What will Your Child Learn in P1 Maths?
The key mathematics elements that constitute their P1 curriculum are:
Number Patterns: Helps them to develop their skills in identifying the even and odd numbers, the order of the numbers by filling out blanks that gradually enhances their knowledge towards addition and subtraction.
Identifying single and double digits: Students would get acquainted with –
Number Bonds: Children would be taught to create addition bonds such as 1+2=3 or 2+2+2=6 and so on.
Multiplication and Division Problems: Children would learn the numerical tables and learn how to perform basic multiplication or division problems.
Identify Basic Shapes: They’d learn about 2-D shapes such as squares, rectangles, triangles, circles and solve worksheets based on these shapes performing additions or subtractions.
Comparisons between Sizes, Weights and Lengths: P1 Maths also aims to cover measurements which would deal with comparing sizes, weights and lengths or given objects. It helps them to relate these concepts with their surroundings.
How to Make Maths Fun for Your Child at Home
These lessons may seem to be complicated but could be made fun for your child while practicing these at home in the following ways:
Take Your Kids to Grocery Shopping: Let your child count the number of items that you’re buying and check the price of each item. You can ask them to add the costs on the bill for you or add the similar kinds of items to give you a total of those.
Read Fun Math Books: Contrary to the beliefs of many, there are actually fun and creative Math Books available at various stores for your child. Some of these even consist of visuals that help you to catch the attention of your child. Read these books to your child so that they feel that you’re with them in their learning process.
Solve Number Patterns and Puzzles: Go through the internet and copy various maths puzzle and pattern problems. Solve these together with your child while making it look like a game.
Free Exam Papers: Get access to past year top school exam papers for your child to practise as more practice will make it perfect.
Comics and Songs are a Fun Way to Learn: There are various nursery songs that play with maths and children comics that are based on maths. These are really very helpful when you’re introducing maths to your child.
Use Props to teach Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication and Division: Your rooms are surrounded with different kinds of objects. Use these objects as props to help your kid learn about basic mathematical equations in a simple way.
Weighing Scales as a tool to learn: Use weighing scales that are readily available at home to teach your kid about mass and weight of objects.
Find a Professional Maths Tutor: Tuition Agency in Singapore provide reliable and quality tutors to your doorsteps to make learning Maths more fun
Learning maths at home can be fun when you’re using these methods to help your child become enthusiastic towards the subject and not shy away from it.
In order to use Dash EasyEarn, you first need to have Singtel Dash. The referral code is below!
Hi, we’re giving you up to $2 cashback for your first Singtel Dash transaction! Sign up with the referral code DASH-2I2KM or tap on this link https://appserver.dash.com.sg:443/mgm?DASH-2I2KM now. T&Cs apply.
Singtel Dash EasyEarn Review
We will give a short review of Singtel Dash EasyEarn. Technically, Dash Easy Savings Account is a insurance policy, but it works like a bank savings account. Basically the pros and cons of Singtel Dash EasyEarn are as follows.
Pros:
2% per annum interest (much better than bank savings account or even fixed deposit).
This 2% holds for deposits up to $20,000.
Capital-guaranteed.
Protected by SDIC.
No lock-in period.
Comes bundled with life insurance (Be automatically covered with a death benefit of 105% of your Account Value).
Singtel is a big company (one of the biggest in Singapore), with good reputation and long history.
Cons:
There is a $0.70 fee for withdrawing to bank account (quite a low fee though).
Minimum balance of $2000 in order to earn the max 2% interest (quite a low requirement).
The 2% interest rate is only guaranteed for the first policy year.
The insurance policy is actually administered by Etiqa, not Singtel. Etiqa is a big insurance company though, it is part of Maybank which is the biggest bank in Malaysia.
I tried the transfer of funds into Dash EasyEarn (it is by eNETS only). The speed is very fast, almost instantaneously I could see the funds in Dash EasyEarn after transferring. I have not tried withdrawal of funds yet, due to the $0.70 withdrawal fee.
Update September 2020: I tried withdrawing, the process was very smooth and instantaneous. Basically, the withdrawal is via PayNow to the bank account linked to your mobile number. Your bank account will receive the amount withdrawn within seconds, while the $0.7o withdrawal fee is deducted from your Dash EasyEarn balance.
Dash EasyEarn Lite
What is this Dash EasyEarn Lite? Apparently, it is the “small” version of Dash EasyEarn when you deposit $2,000 or less. The interest rate is also correspondingly lower, at 1%.
Update: The above information is incorrect. An official Singtel representative has contacted us to tell us the correct information.
The Dash EasyEarn Lite option is not automatically applied when the savings amount is less than $2,000 as it is only open to eligible Dash users such as work permit holders.
Is Dash EasyEarn Safe?
A popular question asked is definitely whether Dash EasyEarn is safe? The answer is it is safe.
Secondly, Dash EasyEarn is a capital-guaranteed savings insurance policy. That means, it is impossible to lose the principal amount you put in. For example, if one puts in a capital of $20k (the max amount allowed), one will get back at least $20k no matter what the circumstances.
Lastly, Etiqa (the insurance company behind Dash EasyEarn) is regulated by Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS). Their MAS license can be found on the MAS official website.
Basically, Singlife offers a higher interest rate of 2.5%, however this only applies to your first $10k deposit. Even though Dash EasyEarn offers a lower interest rate of 2%, it applies to a higher amount of $20k.
A logical conclusion is to max out Singlife first (by putting $10k in Singlife). Then, put in your excess in Dash EasyEarn.
(The Singlife referral code/ promo code is the above URL link. Just click it on your mobile device to apply the referral code.)
Dash EasyEarn Forum
If you still have any doubts about Dash EasyEarn, a good way to dispel your doubts is to read forums on Dash EasyEarn. The best forum on Dash EasyEarn is the one in HardwareZone Money Mind. The experts there will teach you more on how to maximize your earnings using Dash EasyEarn.
Disclaimer: The opinions on Dash EasyEarn Account expressed in this blog post is for general informational purposes only and are not intended to provide specific advice or recommendations for any individual or on any specific security or investment product. It is only intended to provide information on Dash EasyEarn Referral and Dash EasyEarn Review. In particular, this blog post is not a substitute for obtaining advice from a qualified investment advisor.
Update: Instead of Singlife, we now recommend GIGANTIQ. Do check out our blogpost on GIGANTIQ (2% p.a. interest and up to 8% PolicyPal bonus credits earnings).
(The Singlife referral code/ promo code is the above URL link. Just click it on your mobile device to apply the referral code.)
If you install and apply for Singlife using the above Singlife Referral Code, you will get S$10 credited to your Singlife account, as soon as you set up your Singlife account and activate your free Singlife Visa debit card.
Singlife Review
Singlife is a insurance savings plan that works similarly to a bank account, providing you a 2.5% per annum interest. You may withdraw your savings at any time, there is no lock in period.
What is most attractive about Singlife is definitely the 2.5% interest, it currently much better than many banks’ savings account or even fixed deposit account.
I find the setting up process very easy, it should take less than 15 minutes and can be done entirely online. The app is quite intuitive to use, and has a clean user-friendly interface.
I have personally tested the Singlife withdrawal (withdraw from the Singlife bank to a DBS bank account). While it is not instantaneous, the withdrawal is very fast (around 5 minutes to appear in my bank account). On paper, it can take up to 3 hours for the Singlife withdrawal process, which is still quite acceptable.
Singlife Protected by SDIC and Capital Guaranteed
One question that is bound to be asked by Singaporeans is “Is Singlife safe?”. Or “Is it safe to put my money in Singlife?”.
In addition, the Singlife Account is capital guaranteed, which means that the principal amount you put in is shielded from any losses (unlike stocks where you can lose your capital).
Lastly, Singlife is regulated by Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS). Their MAS license can be found on the MAS official website.
So let us summarize the pros and cons of Singlife account.
Pros:
High interest of 2.5% p.a. (No other bank has such a high interest at the time of writing this post, even fixed deposits cannot compare with Singlife.)
Capital-guaranteed.
Protected by SDIC.
Comes bundled with life insurance and retrenchment insurance.
Comes with free Visa card (no fees).
Cons:
The 2.5% interest rate is not guaranteed (it can go up or down in the future). According to the Singlife Facebook, it will uphold the interest rate for at least a year.
The 2.5% interest rate is only for the first $10k in your Singlife Account. Subsequently amounts above your first S$10,000 up to S$100,000 will earn 1% p.a. returns (which is still quite good). Amounts above S$100,000 will not earn any returns.
No ATM machines, it is totally virtual.
Singlife is still relatively not well-known at the moment.
Singlife Hardwarezone and Singlife Reddit
You can check out the discussion about Singlife on the popular forum Hardwarezone or Reddit.
Basically, the comments about Singlife are quite positive (especially regarding the high 2.5% interest). The sentiment is that there is no harm trying out Singlife (while the high 2.5% interest is active, and then reconsider or transfer out when the interest rates drop).
If you decide to sign up with Singlife, do so with the referral code link below, and get $10 credited to your account!
The Singlife Account comes with a free Visa Debit Card. It has no annual fees and no FX (foreign exchange) fees. You can use the Singlife Debit Card overseas, there will be zero FX fees imposed on your overseas purchases.
Even if you just intend to use it rarely, there is no harm just activating your Singlife Debit Card. You can get instant notifications on your spending in the Singlife App. For greater security, you can lock and unlock your Singlife Card all through the Singlife App.
The most important thing to note regarding Singlife Debit Card is that you must activate it in order to get the S$10 Referral or Promotion bonus.
Disclaimer: The opinions on Singlife Account expressed in this blog post is for general informational purposes only and are not intended to provide specific advice or recommendations for any individual or on any specific security or investment product. It is only intended to provide information on Singlife Referral and Singlife Review. In particular, this blog post is not a substitute for obtaining advice from a qualified investment advisor.
Just came across this free E-book on Corydoras Catfish in a FaceBook Group called “Corydoras Vault Singapore“.
It is very comprehensive, and shows rare Corydoras that many people do not know even exist. It is fascinating how many species of corydoras “armored catfish” there are.
Something I learnt from the book is that Corydoras is named from Greek “kory” which means helmet, and “doras” which means skin.
Do download this free E-book (while it is still free):
Charlie the toy poodle smiling, as he happily goes for a walk. The poodle’s facial expressions are quite expressive, we can tell the mood of Charlie quite accurately from his face alone.
Toy poodle smile.
Photos taken by iPhone 11. The iPhone 11’s camera is really a notch up compared to iPhone XR. The quality of the photographs is noticeably better.
Charlie the toy poodle smiling with mouth open.Full photo of toy poodle smile.Cute innocent toy poodle expression.Blue skies and a toy poodle.Toy poodle hanging out near a playground.
We showcase 3 fish that won’t eat shrimp, tried and tested in our very own 5 gallon nano planted tank.
1) Phoenix Rasbora
2) Neon Tetra
3) Lambchop Rasbora
These 3 fish are shrimp safe, in our experience.
There are many baby shrimp, juvenile shrimp, as well as adult blue shrimp (blue version of cherry shrimp) living happily alongside those fish. As well as 1 Amano shrimp.
From what we observe, the fish don’t disturb or bother the shrimp as well. Music is “Foo the Flowerhorn” style peaceful music, aka the Gymnopedie No. 3.
Usually, aggressive or predatory fish like the betta tend to eat or hunt shrimp.
It is relatively easy to breed shrimp, especially cherry shrimp and its color variants. There need to be enough calcium source in the tank, what we did is put some coral chips (crushed corals) which has calcium carbonate. The most common way for shrimp to die is due to unsuccessful molting.
In this week’s sermon “You’re Not God—Stop Acting Like It!“, Pastor Rick comes up with another gem. It seems God Himself is a proponent of work-life balance. The problem of overworking is especially prevalent in East Asia, where it even flows down to the student level.
It is quite common that the average student in Singapore has less than 8 hours of sleep. In fact, it can be argued that it is almost “impossible” to have 8 hours of sleep, one will have to sleep at 10pm and wake up at 6am, and virtually no teenager sleeps so early at 10pm.
The human body is designed to mix work with rest, overworking is not only unhealthy, it is counterproductive as well. It may be quite possible to obtain temporary success by overworking, but the health effects may catch up sooner or later.
“Only someone too stupid to find his way home would wear himself out with work.”
Ecclesiastes 10:15 (GNT)
You’re not God. You don’t have all the answers. You can’t do everything. If you’re struggling to find balance in your life, those admissions can transform everything.
The Bible says, “Only someone too stupid to find his way home would wear himself out with work” (Ecclesiastes 10:15 GNT).
It’s foolish to wear yourself out with work. Do you realize that when you overwork, you’re playing God? It’s a way of saying that it all depends on you, that everything will crash down if you don’t keep the world spinning.
That’s just not true! You’re not the general manager of the universe. The universe will not fall apart if you take time to rest, if you take time to balance your life. God has it under control.
Often we do this to ourselves because we’re trying to please everyone. Learn this lesson today: You can’t please everyone. Even God can’t please everyone! One person wants it to rain. Another one wants it to be sunny. It’s absurd to try doing what even God can’t do.
When you live for the expectations of others, you pile a ton of “shoulds” on your shoulders. You may think, “I should work more hours,” “I should be as active as all the other parents,” or “I should volunteer for this project.” But realize this: No one is forcing you to do those things. Overworking is your choice. You choose to take on the extra work or not to take it on. And you choose the consequences that come with your choice.
When you deny your humanity and try to do it all, you’re robbing God of his glory. The Bible declares this in 2 Corinthians 4:7: “We have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us” (NIV).
Paul reminds us that we’re human beings. We’re feeble and fragile. Jars of clay break easily. If you drop them, they shatter. Clay pots have to be handled appropriately and with care. If not, they’ll be destroyed.
But the good news is that through our feebleness, the power and glory of God shine through. Your humanity isn’t something to hide. Instead, you can celebrate the power of God working through your limitations.
During this current lockdown period it is a good idea to pick up a data science skill. Most occupations can benefit from such a skill, including engineers, accountants, teachers, even students. Who knows, one day you may find deep learning useful!
In this page we introduce various Udemy courses (which come with certificates that you can put on your LinkedIn profile) that are the best in their class, be it for data science, machine learning (including deep learning), and AI (Artificial Intelligence).
Best Udemy Python Course
Currently, Python is the most popular language for data science and machine learning. R is the second most popular language, and is especially good for statistics.
Hence, this Machine Learning A-Z™: Hands-On Python & R In Data Science Course is perfect as it introduces two of the most popular programming languages in one course! You will learn Machine Learning (ML) in the process as well, which is a great bonus.
If you only want to focus on Python, then check out 2020 Complete Python Bootcamp: From Zero to Hero in Python. It is designed to bring you from zero knowledge to a respectable expert in Python if you complete the course and exercises.
Best Udemy courses for data science
In the Python for Data Science and Machine Learning Bootcamp course, students can learn how to use NumPy, Pandas, Seaborn, Matplotlib, Plotly, Scikit-Learn, Machine Learning, Tensorflow, and more! The aforementioned packages are all classic and popular in data science, data analysis and data visualization.
The Data Science Course 2020: Complete Data Science Bootcamp is another bootcamp style course that gives you complete Data Science training in: Mathematics, Statistics, Python, Advanced Statistics in Python, Machine & Deep Learning. It is especially suitable for beginners, as well as intermediate students who need to brush up on their skills.
Best Udemy course for Deep Learning
Deep learning (DL) is a subbranch of machine learning that is recently very hot and popular due to its superior accuracy in tasks such as image classification and NLP (natural language processing).
The Deep Learning A-Z™: Hands-On Artificial Neural Networks allows students to learn how to create Deep Learning Algorithms in Python from two Machine Learning & Data Science experts. Templates included, which is very important. Essentially, you can use and modify the templates to suit your individual task at hand.
Complete Guide to TensorFlow for Deep Learning with Python is a course for learn how to use Google’s Deep Learning Framework – TensorFlow with Python! Solve problems with cutting edge techniques! TensorFlow is one of the more popular deep learning framework, and is slightly ahead in popularity compared to its closest rival, PyTorch.
Udemy course benefits
The first benefit of Udemy courses, is that you get to learn content from the top trainers. Often, these courses are superior to free YouTube content, and may be even better than the courses in your school.
The second benefit is that Udemy provides a certificate upon completion that you can list in your CV, as well as put in your LinkedIn profile. This is especially important if you are trying to transition into a data scientist job from another field, like engineering or physical sciences.
What is your favorite Udemy course for AI/ML/DL? Feel free to comment below!
Being fast with homework might not be good, but being efficient is definitely good. This guide shows how to do homework more efficiently.
Does homework take up too much of your time? Are you wondering how to do homework in a shorter timeframe? Perhaps you want to enhance the quality of your work.
Regardless, you can work efficiently by working in an isolated space, taking breaks, implementing time management, and eating nutritious snacks.
These tips help you concentrate better, resulting in quality work. This article will show you to get homework done fast. Let’s explore.
Making a List
Many students start on the first assignment that comes to mind. Perhaps you normally start on the hardest assignment first. Here is a better approach: make a list of everything you must complete before starting.
After listing the tasks, determine how much time you need for each assignment. Make a guess if you’re uncertain.
Time management helps you plan ahead if you need more time to complete your work. Therefore, be realistic about the homework time.
A list eliminates contemplation on your next course of action. As a result, you’ll finish much faster. Best of all, scratching items off your list gives you a sense of accomplishment.
Working without Distractions
Before learning how to do homework faster, you must work in a quiet space. First, keep the television off when working. Watching television slows down your performance.
The time it takes to look at a screen is time you could have devoted to finishing your work. Also, you risk overlooking errors and making mistakes.
Besides television, other small things can distract you, such as:
Smartphones
Electronic devices (i.e. tablets)
Pets
Parents
Siblings
Roommates
Household obligations
These distractions can also lead to procrastination. Working in a quiet room will eliminate most distractions. Turn off your phone and all electronic devices.
Note: You can listen to music (i.e. classical music) to enhance your concentration. Studies show that classical music improves mental sharpness.
Smartphone notifications interfere with studies more than many students think. The notifications disrupt your focus as you read the messages.
Further, you must utilize more brainpower to refocus your attention. To make matters worse, you could produce low-quality work in the process.
Healthy Nourishment
Before finding a quiet space, eat a light snack to give your body more energy. Avoid starting your homework when you’re fresh out of school. You’ll overexert yourself when working without sustenance. Hunger is also a distraction, and it could force you to rush unnecessarily.
Many students drink coffee when studying. Coffee is a good choice, but you must be careful. It gives you an energy boost, but it causes your body to crash later in the day.
You should also never consume coffee on an empty stomach, as it can cause heartburn and indigestion. It can also degrade your stomach lining.
Drinking coffee when hungry can also reduce your concentration and heighten your anxiety. The best time to drink coffee is in the morning or in the early afternoon.
When it comes to food, choose something that has plenty of nutrients. Avoid sugary snacks and soda, as these items can cause your body to crash. Heavy meals can also make you tired.
Consider brain foods, which are foods that repair brain cells and improve your concentration. Take note of the following foods:
Fish: Fish contains omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 enhances blood flow to the brain and improves brain-cell neurons.
Berries: The antioxidants in berries (i.e. strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries) can improve memory and foster better communication between brain cells. They also have anti-inflammatory effects.
Whole Grains: Whole grains include oatmeal, brown rice, bread, and pasta. These foods provide your body with vitamin E, which protects your brain from oxidative stress.
Nuts: Nuts (i.e. almonds and sunflower seeds) contain omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants.
Brain food can also alleviate stress within the body. A mind that’s well-nourished will find creative ways to look for information. If you work online and must find information, you can learn how to search within a pdf to work smarter.
Rewarding Yourself
Eating sugary foods before working isn’t a good idea, but you can do so when finished. Reward yourself with something special after completing your assignments. The reward can be desserts, games, movies, shows, or outdoor activities.
Regardless, create a reward system for yourself as a motivator. A reward system makes you eager to start your work sooner. Best of all, finishing early gives you more personal time.
Taking Breaks
You should take frequent breaks even when you ‘re not hungry. Breaks will relax your mind and recharge your body. Many students work long hours to finish early.
Working long has the opposite effect, as it can slow you down. You’ll become tired sooner, placing more stress on your body.
Instead, consider working in small increments. Work hard for a brief period, and take a short break.
Example: Work for 25 minutes straight, and follow with a break of five minutes. During the break, consider doing some stretches or eating a snack. You can continue the same pattern until you finish the coursework.
You’ll also notice a vast improvement in your work performance.
How to Do Homework the Right Way
Knowing how to do homework efficiently requires time management. Time your homework sessions accordingly to finish within desired timeframes.
Also, work in a quiet place to concentrate on your assignments. Your undivided attention produces speedier homework sessions and quality work.
With that, you must balance hard work with frequent breaks and nutritious snacks. Regular breaks and good food will energize your body, allowing you to work efficiently.
Interested in learning more? Read more on our blog to get vital homework tips that will improve your study life.
Recently, we had to dose Praziquantel (EIHO Prazi Gold) in the 5 gallon aquarium due to suspected internal parasites.
Basically, we discovered that one or two of our Phoenix Rasboras were pale, skinny and looking sick.
Is Praziquantel Snail Safe?
We do have a variety of snails in the tank:
2 Horned Nerite Snails (Bumblebee snails)
Mini Ramshorn Snails (Pest snails)
Freshwater Limpets (not exactly snails, but similar)
We were most worried about the 2 nerite snails, since the other snails were considered pest snails that we wanted to remove anyway.
The online research results were mixed. We did web searches on API General Cure, and Hikari PraziPro, both of which contained praziquantel as the active ingredient. Most reviews said that they were safe for snails, but there were a few that mentioned that their nerite snails were affected by the treatment (either climbing out of the water, or even dying).
Since the negative reviews were in the minority, we decided to dose praziquantel in our 5 gallon tank, and monitor closely. If any signs of distress were observed, we have a separate tank to place the nerite snails.
Result after one day: No signs of distress, for nerite snails, ramshorn snails, and limpets. The horned nerite snails are still crawling about rather actively doing their thing. They did not attempt to climb out of the water.
Conclusion: Praziquantel seems to be safe for snails (including nerite snails).
The brand of praziquantel I used is called “EIHO Prazi Gold“. It is in liquid form, but there is quite a lot of suspended undissolved white powder in the liquid. The white powder will eventually dissolve when you put it into the aquarium. Praziquantel is notorious for being difficult to dissolve.
Overall, I think it is effective, as I can sometimes even see the dead worms that are expelled by the praziquantel. Also, the affected fish always seem to behave in a weird way, for example becoming more inactive and gasping a little (possibly the parasites are dying inside their body and causing a reaction). Other non-affected fish behave normally as usual.
Zee Bed (or Zee.Dog Bed) is said to be the best bed for dogs. Dogs spend up to 80% of their time sleeping, so a good bed is important for their well-being. Sleeping on the cold hard floor may cause problems like arthritis or sores.
According to Architecture Quote that 44.5% of architectural and engineering firms find it difficult to capture clients and forge a meaningful relationship with them. A survey by Archmark showed that 75% of the surveyed architecture companies had little to no clue how to build an online presence.
The truth is, the world has moved online. There are more brick-and-click companies today, than brick-and-mortar ones. If you want your architecture company to become visible to clients, you need to move your business online. More importantly, you need to start actively promoting online.
Here, we tell you the 8 best ways to promote your architecture business on the internet:
Use social media to engage with your prospects
Social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest have become the best places to show prospective clients what they can expect from your services. You can publish pictures of your new and old builds. You can upload a video of a property walk through.
You can also post messages about your design practices or about what makes you different from other architecture firms. Use the right hashtags to increase the visibility of your posts as well. In 2020, these are some of the trending hashtags in the architect and design space – #architectural, #archilove, #architecturephotography, #interiordesign, #instaarchitecture, #modernarchitecture and #homedecor.
Leverage the power of keywords on Google
Google keywords are very important in promoting your architecture firm online. They are the words that prospective clients use to find businesses like yours. If you want your website to come up in the first or second page of the search results, you need to use the right keywords.
The architecture-related keywords that have the high usage online include “cheap architect near me”, “recommended architects near me”, “remodel architects near me”, “licensed architect near me” and “architects[location]” (ex: architects NYC).
Apart from keywords, it helps if you are on-point with the rest of your site SEO as well:
Update all of your website content regularly – it will help you rank higher in the search.
Link your content to information-rich statistics, case studies and blog posts that the prospect can learn from. Internally link your website pages as well.
Write meta titles, meta descriptions and image alt tags for each page.
Create a brand identity that is emotionally-engaging to your target clients
Studies show that 65% of customers feel emotionally connected to brands they purchase from. 43% of customers spend more money on the brands that they are patrons of. These numbers are proof of why you need to create a brand identity that emotionally engages your prospective clients.
There are numerous architecture firms in the USA. But the only reason why a first-time client will choose you, over a competitor, is when he likes the communication you direct towards him/her.
From branding your architecture firm as a trusted family friend to showcasing yourself as the leader in corporate architectural design, you can choose a variety of imagery for your brand.
Send personalized communication to your site visitors
One of the best ways to promote your architecture business online, is to send personalized communication to each website visitor. By capturing leads through your contact page or gated content, you’ll have access to the visitor’s email IDs. You can send them insightful newsletters and emails with discount coupons & seasonal offers.
The more frequently you send such personalized communication, the more often will people visit your site and the higher the likelihood of their seeking your design services.
Speak at online architecture conferences & events
A great way to market your architecture firm to both commercial and residential clients, is to participate in online architecture conferences, panel discussions and webinars. You can showcase your immense knowledge here, display the designs you’ve previously made and answer people’s questions.
A few reputed architects even teach an online course in architecture design. They add plug-ins to their business and promote their company to students. This is a great way to attract top-quality talent to your firm.
Hold online open houses
One of the best ways to promote your business and showcase your talent, is to organize an online open house. You can schedule webinars and share the link with your social media audience. By taking your viewers through the new build that your firm has designed, you can show them how creative, sustainable and resourceful you are.
Invest in media
Press releases, public relations and newspaper/magazine articles are a great way to increase your company visibility online. These days, you have many media firms that provide end-to-end media representation to architecture companies and even provide coverage for any events you organize.
Publish blogs on topics your prospects want to learn about
Finally, a great way to promote your architecture firm is to write articles about topics that will interest your prospective clients. You can approach leading architecture publications (such as Architectural Digest, The Architectural Review, Dwell, Contract etc.) and contribute to them. You will gain thousands of readers, many of whom may contact you for your services.
Wrapping it up
Now that you know how to promote your firm online go ahead and implement these strategies.
Architecture firms face a lot of financial risks, and you may have clients or third-party contractors who may sue you for different kinds of reasons. Typically, such claims arise out of a mismatch in expectations. But this can ruin your credibility and cause massive financial losses.
The architect’s professional liability insurance could protect you and your firm from such claims and legal costs related to it. Check this website for more information about insurance for Architects.
Free Math e-books from Springer!
Do download them now while they are available!
Thanks to Joseph Nebus for the information! (https://nebusresearch.wordpress.com/)
Springer released a bunch of its e-Books for free, as one of those gestures of corporate-brand goodwill for the pandemic. The free-download period is slated to end the 31st of July. So if you have any interest in academic books, take a little while and read over the options.
Harish Narayanan kindly improved on Springer’s organization scheme by grouping them by subject and ordering them by title. Also adding their Goodread ratings, where available. You can find that grouping here, in a table easy to search. The categories are not perfect — Roman Kossak’s Mathematical Logic is grouped under “Religion and Philosophy”, for example — but it’s a good starting point. And all it’ll cost is download time.
I do not know whether this is region-limited, but if it is, it is limited in the most annoying and foolish way possible.
Those of you who are doing a job or a career, whatever it is, and you find yourself so drained instead of being energised by what you are doing, it has become a drudgery, this is not your life. This is not your vocation. In fact, you are destroying yourself. You will be making a living, but you will never live.
— Archbishop William Goh (At around 3:46 of the video.)
The above video is Day 1 (21 July 2020) of planting Monte Carlo. Hopefully it will survive and carpet in the low tech tank, without CO2!
Monte Carlo (Day 2) in low tech tank. I pushed some of the Monte Carlo plants deeper into the soil using tweezers. The bright green color of MC (Monte Carlo) is really striking.
Monte Carlo Carpet Without CO2 (Day 7 Update)
Day 7: Noticeable improvement in the Monte Carlo carpet in my low tech, no CO2 tank! I do have a mini “time lapse” photo of the Monte Carlo before and after, the difference is quite noticeable. The Monte Carlo has “rooted” itself deeper into the substrate. Hopefully it continues to improve and spread out even more.
Monte Carlo Low Tech No CO2 (Day 7 Update). Compared with Day 1 or 2, it has rooted itself deeper into the substrate!
Day 13: Monte carlo time lapse (Day 13 Photo Time Lapse), Turning a little brown!
Monte Carlo low tech time lapse (photo montage), up till day 13. Growth is noticeable, but yet there is some yellowing and browning. I think the Monte Carlo is still adapting, and possibly transitioning from emersed to submersed. I just heard that another plant, Marsilea hirsuta, may be even easier than Monte Carlo to grow. Tropica rates the Marsilea hirsuta as easy, while Monte Carlo is rated medium. Maybe will try it if the Monte Carlo melts and dies.
Monte Carlo low tech no CO2 Day 13 update. Some browning and yellowing is observed!
Monte Carlo Low Tech Day 25: Growing Upwards!
This is Day 25 of growing Monte Carlo in low tech, no CO2 tank. The Monte Carlo is growing and surviving, however the growth is vertically upwards instead of carpeting horizontally. In other words, the Monte Carlo plant is not carpeting.
How do we ensure that the Monte Carlo carpets and grow horizontally? Please comment below if you have any suggestions!
Tips On How To Set Up Your Baby Nursery After Moving
Moving to another state, such as from California to New York, can be an exciting adventure. You can probably think of a fresh start for you and your family, and you feel excited about your new place. For instance, if you have a baby, the relocation can be your opportunity to redesign your baby nursery and make it more beautiful and comfortable
If you’re moving with your little one, below are a few tips for setting up your baby nursery after your move:
Check Your Baby Inventory
While you can always buy new stuff for your baby nursery after the move, you may have existing items that should be brought to your new home. Hence, it’s crucial to hire the best interstate moving and storage service to transport your baby’s things safely. After all, you may not be able to properly set up your nursery room if some of the items are missing or damaged.
Once you arrive at your new home, find time to check the inventory of your baby’s belongings to make sure everything you need for the setup is there and intact. These can include sleeping items, bathing supplies, clothing, diapering toiletries, and even nursery storage. Also, be sure all of these things are placed in their respective boxes so it’ll be easier and faster to arrange your baby’s room right after moving.
Paint The Walls And Add Some Décor
Now that you have your baby’s things ready to be arranged, it’s time to work on decorating the space and make it beautiful. First, you can start by painting the walls with something colorful or childish. For example, if your baby is a boy, you can coat the surfaces with blue, and if it’s a girl, you can paint it with something pink.
Then, the next step in the decoration process is the setting of the curtains. Since your baby will more likely have to sleep almost the whole day, you should use some curtains such as roman shades or short tailored panels to darken the room during naptime.
Lastly, you should decorate your nursery room with items that have been there throughout your family history, such as family portraits and many more. Also, you can fill your space with baby decorations to make the new space feel like your old home.
Set The Crib
Another essential item to arrange in the nursery room is the crib. This is where your child will sleep and spend most of their time. For that reason, decorate your crib in a way that their sleep should be comfortable. You can do this by putting soft blankets and pillows and even a net so they can feel they’re protected at all times.
Have A Changing Table
With your baby’s dirty diaper, it’s best to have a changing table in the nursery room. This is an area where you can change your child’s diapers and clothes quickly and easily. If you have an existing changing table, you can opt to bring it to your new home with the help of professionals like movers near Manhattan. Just make sure the size of the table fits well in your available space to avoid having an oversized table in the room.
On the other hand, if you have no enough space, you can use the top portion of a dresser as your changing table. This can undoubtedly save a lot of space and money than buying a new one after moving.
Put Much Storage
Of course, your nursery room should have lots of storage spaces to accommodate several things such as gear, diapers, toys, books, clothes, and many more. These things need to go somewhere and not just below your baby’s crib or in an empty corner. For example, you can use a basket for their toys, wall shelves for the children’s books, and open bin storage for blankets. By having a great storage solution, your new baby nursery will look and feel clean and fresh after moving.
Designate A Play Zone
Moving can also cause much stress to your baby, especially if they’re introduced to an unfamiliar environment. Hence, if you want your child to feel attached to the room quickly, set up a play zone where they can play anytime they want. Place the toys in a way that they feel happy and excited while they’re playing in the room. Remember, your baby nursery will not be complete with a play area for your baby.
Conclusion
Indeed, moving can be a daunting task. But, it somehow becomes more challenging if you have a baby to relocate to your new home. Aside from keeping them safe during the process, you also need to arrange the baby nursery right after your move as they should be settled in their comfort zone as soon as you arrive.
Luckily, by keeping these tips in mind, you can set up the nursery room without hassle.
For interest in Math, it is totally understandable that many students may find math boring. One way to overcome it is to try to think of each Math question like a puzzle or game (like a Sudoku or Crossword Puzzle). Solving a Math question correctly should bring joy and a sense of achievement just like completing a stage of a game or a puzzle. And the more questions one solves, the better one gets at it.
“Mathematics, rightly viewed, possesses not only truth, but supreme beauty—a beauty cold and austere, like that of sculpture, without appeal to any part of our weaker nature, without the gorgeous trappings of painting or music, yet sublimely pure, and capable of a stern perfection such as only the greatest art can show.”
― Bertrand Russell
In the Singapore context, basically, Math is quite compulsory in SG education system (up till JC, even arts subject combinations requires math), but once JC is over one can skip Math entirely in university. So a secondary student just have to work hard for math for the upcoming few years, and “get it over with”, if he/she really does not like math. Similarly for Chinese, students need to work hard up till Secondary 4, score well and be exempted in JC. Math can be considered the “easiest” subject to get A, as long as one gets the answer correct he/she will get the full marks, many students complain that getting A for English or other humanities subjects like Literature is much harder due to strict or subjective marking.
The important thing is not to give up. Currently, in the Singapore education system it is quite common for students to “fail” exams (fail as in score below 50), especially in secondary school and JC internal exams. It is very possible to improve upon working hard after the failure.
“Trust me, its normal, I never passed a single A math test/exam during my sec 3/4 school years, got A2 for O levels in the end. (Mugged really hard after prelims) What matters is understanding the content I feel.”
– This student never passed a single A math test/exam up till prelims but eventually got A2 for O levels after “mugging” really hard after prelims.
trust me youre not alone. from mid sec 3 to prelims in sec 4 i got F9 all the way. but then in the end i got an A2 in olevels. one thing u need to know is to NEVER stop believing in yourself. keep on pushing urself all the way till the finishing point. aft seeing my score for prelims, i alm gave up but i told myself to atleast PASS amaths and i’d be satisfied with it. i started spamming my TYS, practice as much as i could. never give up and whenever in doubt just ask ur cher. it rly helps! atb and ik u can do it:))
dude chill. i got 8% for mye in sec 3 for A Math. form teacher told me drop the subject, but i didnt. ended up o level got A2. just do work given and practice more.
– This guy even more “power”, he got just 8/100 for Mid-year exams, but improved to A2 in O Levels.
Quite rare to read an excellent article in the Daily Bread (daily biblical stories) with links to Chinese history. I really enjoyed reading this article by Poh Fang Chia. This clearly shows that Christianity is compatible with Chinese culture.
The poem by Su Dongpo referenced is 《水调歌头·明月几时有》， namely the most famous lines:
人有悲欢离合，月有阴晴圆缺，此事古难全。但愿人长久，千里共婵娟。
The entire poem is much longer, but most people just refer to these 5 lines. The classic song that encapsulates this poem is the one sung by Teresa Teng:
Su Dongpo (also known as Su Shi) was one of China’s greatest poets and essayists. While in exile and gazing upon a full moon, he wrote a poem to describe how much he missed his brother. “We rejoice and grieve, gather and leave, while the moon waxes and wanes. Since times of old, nothing remains perfect,” he writes. “May our loved ones live long, beholding this beautiful scene together though thousands of miles apart.”
His poem carries themes found in the book of Ecclesiastes. The author, known as the Teacher (1:1), observed that there’s “a time to weep and a time to laugh . . . a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing” (3:4-5). By pairing two contrasting activities, the Teacher, like Su Dongpo, seems to suggest that all good things must inevitably come to an end.
As Su Dongpo saw the waxing and waning of the moon as another sign that nothing remains perfect, the Teacher also saw in creation God’s providential ordering of the world He’d made. God oversees the course of events, and “He has made everything beautiful in its time” (v. 11).
Life may be unpredictable and sometimes filled with painful separations, but we can take heart that everything takes place under God’s gaze. We can enjoy life and treasure the moments—the good and the bad—for our loving God is with us.
By Poh Fang Chia
REFLECT & PRAY
Thank You, loving Father, for watching over all seasons of my life. Help me to trust in You and enjoy the life You’ve given me.
What are some things you’re afraid to try because of life’s unpredictability? How can you lean on Jesus as you step forward in courage to forge new friendships and deepen relationships?
SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
The book of Ecclesiastes is a book for a postmodern world. The “Preacher,” whom many believe was Solomon, speaks of the frustrations and disappointments of life. Two key phrases in the book are “everything is meaningless” (1:1) and “under the sun” (v. 3). The phrase “everything is meaningless” speaks of life lived on human terms and according to the values of this world, which is described by the phrase “under the sun.” In the end, the Preacher says that the answer to this meaninglessness is to look beyond this world and “remember your Creator” (12:1), who is the only source of true meaning in this life.
To learn more about the book of Ecclesiastes, visit The Bible Project, Old Testament Series. Bill Crowder
Just to reblog an old post on how much time to take per mark per question for ‘O’ level or IP Math. The above guideline applies for both E Math and A Math, Paper 1 and Paper 2.
The basic guideline is 1.5 min per mark.
So for a 2 mark question, the time taken should be 1.5×2=3 min.
For a 5 mark question, the time taken should be 1.5×5=7.5min.
This is the slowest speed allowed in order to finish the entire paper (there is no time to check). Hence, if one wishes to have some time for checking, it is recommended to do questions at a faster speed of around 1.2 or 1.3 min per mark.
Many universities and colleges allow students to use advanced graphical calculators for exams in math courses, including linear algebra, calculus and engineering. Having the appropriate calculator can prove to be a huge advantage in terms of getting the correct answer and saving time. Even if the handwritten manual working is required, a good calculator can help to check the correctness of the answer.
Best Calculator for Linear Algebra
The key calculations in linear algebra include calculating the inverse and determinant of matrices. Additional features that are useful in calculators include the ability to calculate eigenvalues, eigenvectors, and RREF (reduced row echelon form). These features can be great time savers (or at the minimum, useful tools for checking your answer), as matrix operations are often tedious and prone to human error.
This calculator is good enough up till senior undergraduate level or even graduate level, for computational intensive modules, such as computational physics or any module that requires linear algebra calculations.
Often, linear algebra courses include applications to differential equations as well, which overlaps with the next topic on Calculus.
Update: For the latest TI-85/86 models, there is a new “Matrix Mode” inbuilt into the calculator that can perform basic matrix operations (including inverse) and other advanced operations such as LU Decompositions, and finding eigenvalues/eigenvectors.
Note that paradoxically, the newer TI calculator models may be cheaper than the older ones.
For Calculus, the important features that a calculator should have are the ability to perform numerical differentiation and integration. There are also some amazing apps for TI83/84 that can perform symbolic differentiation, that is, find the derivative of a function in symbols (not just the numerical value at certain values of x).
In my experience as a student and educator, TI (Texas Instruments) calculators dominate the market and are generally considered a good choice. But there are other viable alternatives that can also be considered good for linear algebra, calculus or engineering math.
The Casio fx-9750 (and related series) calculator is able to calculate determinant of matrix as well as basic matrix operations such as multiplying matrices, finding the inverse of matrix, etc.
As mentioned above, the main advantage of Casio graphical calculators is their low price. For advanced features, the TI calculators definitely trump over the Casio calculators.
Another alternative to TI calculators are the HP graphical calculators. Let us check out the most powerful HP calculator, the HP 50g Graphing Calculator.
The HP 50g Graphing Calculator has a “MatrixWriter form” to facilitate the entry of matrices. It is essentially like an Excel spreadsheet. Once the matrix is entered, there is a myriad of functions that can be applied, such as finding the determinant, trace, transpose, and rank of a matrix.
Calculate the Taylor/Maclaurin series of a function symbolically (up to 4-th order relative power, i.e., the difference between the highest and lowest power in the expansion is 4)
Partial Derivatives (Multivariate Calculus)
Multiple Integrals such as double integral
Vector Calculus such as del, gradient, divergence, curl
Differential Equations
Fourier series
The list above is quite impressive! Overall, the HP 50g Graphical Calculator is a very strong competitor to the TI series graphical calculators.
Best Calculator for Engineering
Engineers often need to use Linear Algebra, as well as Calculus. Hence, the best calculator for engineering often overlaps with the best calculator for linear algebra or calculus. Do check out our above reviews and pick the calculator that best suits your needs.
Taking your little bundle of joy home comes with a lot of responsibilities and a long shopping list of items to take care of the baby. Therefore it becomes quintessential to organize all these items so that they can be used effectively.
While arranging and organizing the nursery for your newborn you may stumble upon space constraints. This calls for utilizing the available space in the most efficient way possible. Worry no more, because we are here to help you with some storage ideas and hacks to organize your nursery better.
Use convertible furniture
Convertible furniture as the name suggests can be converted and used for more than one purpose. Also, you should invest in convertible furniture because it grows with the baby and can help you avoid future investment. For example, you can invest in a crib that can be converted into a toddler bed and can be used later when your baby outgrows the crib.
Use space under the crib
When faced with the scarcity of space, it becomes important to utilize every square inch of space available. You can store less frequently used items under the crib. For a more organized look, you can use a crib skirt to cover the area under the crib. You can also use decorative baskets to store items and to enhance the overall look of the nursery.
Use dividers for hanging clothes
Dividers can be used to segregate baby clothes based on size and season. This helps you to manage the outfits for your little ones better. It also saves you time as you know exactly where each item is kept and you don’t have to waste your time searching for them.
Use dividers for drawers
Dividers in a drawer will help you utilize the entire space effectively. Necessities for your baby can be tiny and thus it becomes imperative to organize them based on categories and using dividers ensures that the entire space is utilized.
Maximize floor space.
While managing the space in a small nursery you should use tall and thin furniture. This will take up less floor area but will still help you store a lot of space because of its height. We recommend choosing furniture with adjustable racks and dividers.
Using baskets
Using baskets for necessities like toys, towels and diapers helps you organize stuff and also ensures a faster clean up.
You can also use tiered baskets to save up more space.
Use wall storage
While saving floor space, using wall space becomes inevitable. Use wall hangers with pouches to store necessary items. They not only help you keep essentials handy but may also enhance the entire look of your nursery. Wall hangers can be placed near the crib or bed for easy access.
Use racks
It is always advisable to go for vertical storage in case of limited floor space. You can use the unused corners of your nursery for racks. These racks can be used to store baby shoes, toys, and other essentials.
Keep extra items out of the nursery
Being a parent you must have stocked extra items that may come handy in case you run out of them. This saves you an unexpected visit to the store.
You should keep your emergency supply out of the nursery to save up space in the nursery.
These are some of the storage ideas and hacks to keep your nursery more organized while managing space.And in case you need help with your long shopping list you can use valid My 1st Years Voucher Codes for exciting discounts.
Basically, once you click on the above link on the Official Singtel Website, the Singtel Recontract Promotion will be applied and you will get $100 off the phone you pick for recontracting your plan (Combo 2 and above).
Singtel Recontract Eligibility
As usual, the Singtel Recontract Eligibility rules apply. If you recontract before your contract expires, you may need to pay an early termination fee which is usually a couple of hundred dollars. To check your Singtel Recontract Eligibility date, either download the Singtel App or login to the official Singtel Website.
Singtel Recontract Voucher
As summarized above, the old methods of getting the Singtel Recontract Voucher do not work anymore. No matter what you do, just do not call 1688 and waste your time (we are trying to help you save time).
In order to get the Singtel Recontract Voucher, Promotion, or Promo Code, you need to follow the new method which is the online referral voucher, using the link below.
We need to repeat this important fact: the Singtel Recontract Hotline is 1688, but it is very hard to reach a human Singtel customer service officer using 1688. We have wasted many hours navigating the automated robotic Singtel phone system in an attempt to reach a human customer service officer, and we wish to help our readers avoid this.
Hence, rather than trying to contact the Singtel Recontract Hotline, we strongly recommend readers to use the online Singtel Recontract System:
Charlie the poodle eating strawberry. He likes licking the strawberry but actually only eats a little. Maybe Charlie finds it sour.
Back to the question of “Can dog eat strawberry”? The answer is: Yes! Dog can eat strawberry.
Source 1: AKC (American Kennel Club) Strawberries are a healthy, low-calorie, sweet treat for your dog, full of antioxidants, high in fiber and vitamin C. Here’s a bonus. By giving your dog strawberries, you are also helping him stay healthy in more ways than one. For example, over time, fresh fruit may help slow down the aging process, strengthen the immune system, and help with weight management. Strawberries can also help whiten your pup’s teeth. URL: https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/nutrition/feed-dog-strawberries/
Source 2: Purina Strawberries are good for dogs. But feed strawberries to your dog like you would any other snack. Keep the portion size small. “Treats you feed your dog should make up no more than 10% of his total calories for the day,” Purina Senior Nutritionist, Jan Dempsey says. Use this as a guide so the strawberries you feed your dog won’t cause him to gain extra pounds. URL: https://www.purina.com/articles/dog/nutrition/can-dogs-eat-strawberries
Warning: Dog absolutely cannot eat GRAPES!
Source: AKC No. Grapes and raisins are known to be highly toxic to dogs, though research has yet to pinpoint exactly which substance in the fruit causes this reaction. Because of that, peeled or seedless grapes should also be avoided. URL: https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/nutrition/can-dogs-eat-grapes/
Chinese Oral O Level Mark Weightage (O水准华文口试题目分数比重)
The weightage for Chinese Oral for O Level (classified under Paper 3) is quite high, at 25%. The duration of the Chinese Oral exam is only 15-25 minutes in total, hence this short period of time determines quite a lot of marks!
Chinese Oral O Level Topics 华文口试题目
There is a wide variety of topics that can be tested for the Chinese O Level Oral in the “Daily Conversation” section. The old format used to be based on a picture or photograph, but nowadays students view a video clip and answer or discuss questions based on the video clip.
Chinese/ Higher Chinese Oral O Level Tips (O水准高级华文口试提示）
Firstly, one common problem for some students is talking too little. Clearly, the content marks is proportional to the amount of relevant content the student says. Hence, ideally, the student should keep talking until the time is up or the teacher says stop. If only a few words are spoken, the content marks cannot be high. This is the same concept as in Chinese composition, basically if the student only writes one page, his/her composition marks will be low.
Secondly, another problem is peppering of the speech with English words like “then”, “but”, or acronyms like MOE. Even names like “Joseph Schooling” should ideally be translated into Chinese (约瑟林). A few of these English words are not fatal, but too many English words would indicate a lack of mastery of Chinese vocabulary. Hence, students are advised to memorize a key list of Chinese terms that have high chance of appearing in Chinese O level exams.
List of Ministries in Singapore (Chinese)
新加坡国防部（Ministry of Defence (MINDEF)）
新加坡环境及水源部（Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources (MEWR))
新加坡教育部（Ministry of Education (MOE))
新加坡律政部（Ministry of Law (MINLAW))
新加坡贸易和工业部（Ministry of Trade and Industry ( MTI))
新加坡人力部（Ministry of Manpower (MOM))
新加坡社会及家庭发展部（Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSFD)）
新加坡通讯及新闻部（Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI)）
新加坡卫生部（Ministry of Health (MOH))
新加坡总理公署（Prime Minister’s Office)
建屋发展局（Housing and Development Board、简称：HDB)
国家传染病中心（National Centre for Infectious Diseases，简称NCID)
新加坡文化、社区及青年部（Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY))
Lastly, one tip would be to memorize a list of “powerful Chinese idioms and proverbs” （口试好词好句）, for instance sayings of Confucius or Tang poetry. If any one of them are used appropriately, it is an instant boost to your vocabulary score and place you in the top 5% of the student cohort. Imagine if a student uses the phrase below correctly, the examiner will be impressed beyond words:
天将降大任于斯人也，必先苦其心志，劳其筋骨，饿其体肤，空乏其身，行拂乱其所为，所以动心忍性，增益其所不能. In English, Mencius is saying that, “whenever heaven invests a person with great responsibilities, it first exercises his mind with suffering, and his muscles and bones with toil. It exposes his body to hunger, and subjects him to extreme poverty. In this way his patience and endurance are developed and his weakness is overcome.”
A list of 500 proverbs (including many by Confucius) can be found in the book below, in Chinese, Hanyu Pinyin and English translation. The author, Qin Xue Herzberg, is a native speaker of Chinese and a graduate of Beijing Normal University in Chinese Language and Literature.
Basically, the Reading portion is 10 marks (5%), while the Conversation portion is 40 marks (20%).
Within the Conversation portion, the official marking scheme does not mention how the marks is broken down, but traditionally it is common that 20 marks (10%) is for Content while another 20 marks (10%) is for Vocabulary/Proper usage of Chinese Language. Alternatively, the 20% could be allocated evenly among the 3 or 4 questions asked (but note the Vocabulary is still important as it contributes to Impression Marks 印象分 that is subconsciously applied by the examiner).
How to Improve Chinese Oral O Level
As mentioned above, the key aspects to improve Chinese Oral (O Level) are in the aspects of Content and Vocabulary.
For Content, students are advised to watch more Chinese television, especially news broadcasts on current affairs. Also, students can read more Chinese newspapers to improve their general knowledge. For example, Dengue Fever is a common O Level Chinese Oral topic, at minimum students should know that Dengue is transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes (some students thought that it is transmitted by houseflies).
口试好词好句
For Vocabulary, students should aim and target for speaking in Chinese 100% without usage of English words. To achieve that, a list of common Chinese terminologies should be memorized, especially words that are unique to Singapore (see the list of Singapore ministries listed above). To achieve the highest distinction, students should in addition memorize a list of “powerful” Chinese idioms and proverbs to further improve their vocabulary score.
This book below has over 500 powerful Chinese proverbs in Chinese, Hanyu Pinyin, as well as English translation, including proverbs by Confucius. Proper usage of such proverbs have a high chance of impressing the examiner in Chinese Oral and even Chinese composition.
” when I was a teenager. It is one of my favorite Christian books, along with 
which is essentially the black and white version of the TI-84 Plus CE Color.
which still supports the linear algebra apps.
is a good suggested calculator for Calculus modules.
. CAS stands for “computer algebra system”, which means that the calculator is capable of producing symbolic results rather than just numerical results.
. An immediate advantage of Casio calculators is their low price.
.
Mathtuition88 