Stray Feeding Drive May 2020 (SoSD)

Official URL: https://petguru.com.sg/2020/04/20/stray-feeding-drive-2020/

There are indeed more stray dogs than you imagine in Singapore. With the Trap-Neuter-Release-Manage (TNRM) Programme, we aim to reduce the number of strays out there over time. SOSD works closely with stray feeders in different parts of Singapore, in order to trap the dogs, especially the feral ones. Very often, these dogs have learnt to trust their feeders, and catching them would only be possible with the help and cooperation of the feeders who feed them daily.

Amidst the fight against COVID-19, we hope to extend a helping hand to our thankless stray feeders. 365 days a year, the stray feeders painstakingly prepare the daily meals for the stray doggies that they feed, before making their rounds around industrial areas, construction sites or forested areas to deliver food straight to the doggies’ bellies.

If you’ve been wondering how you can chip in during this difficult period, why not make a contribution to ease the pockets of the feeders?

For $98, you can purchase 1 large bag of dog kibbles, to feed 1 stray dog for 40 days.

Simply place your order below, and make payment via PayPal. Orders will close at 2359hrs on 31 May 2020, Sunday. When the donation drive ends, SOSD will coordinate the collection directly with the stray feeders at our supplier’s warehouse.

Please note that tax deduction is not applicable.

Read more at: https://petguru.com.sg/2020/04/20/stray-feeding-drive-2020/

WordPress Twenty Ten Theme Replacement

WordPress Twenty Ten Theme Retired

The WordPress Twenty Ten Theme was my favorite for a long time. However, it is now retired, meaning that it is no longer updated or supported by WordPress. Hence, it is recommended to switch to a newer theme.

WordPress Theme similar to Twenty Ten

I find that the Twenty Sixteen theme is quite similar to Twenty Ten in terms of layout. It has the signature top header as well as right sidebar classic layout. After much consideration and testing out other themes, I decided to switch to the Twenty Sixteen theme!

It does take some time to get used to the theme. The theme has a very clean and minimalistic look. In fact, the only downside I would say is that the 2016 WordPress theme is a bit too minimalistic, there is not enough colors other than white.

Loki the dog euthanized

Recently, there is a sad news in Singapore about the euthanasia of a perfectly healthy dog called Loki, for purported “aggression”.

To read more, just google the following keywords:

  • loki dog
  • loki dog singapore
  • loki dog euthanasia
  • loki dog put to sleep
  • #justiceforloki hashtag on Twitter

You can also find more information on the Exclusively Mongrels Limited Facebook page. Exclusively Mongrels was the organization that Loki came from (Loki was a stray dog). One of the volunteers at Exclusively Mongrels was brave to speak out about Loki’s euthanasia, but unfortunately he is now being accused by the owners for “doxxing”.

Do sign this petition on “More stringent regulations for putting dogs to sleep in Singapore“!

#JusticeForLoki: Help Exclusively Mongrels Raise Funds for Loki

Mega Database of JC Prelim Papers

Just to reblog this post on where to find “A Level Free Exam Papers”. The link below is literally the biggest collection of JC Prelim ‘A’ level papers I have ever seen. Both H1, H2 and even the occasional H3 exam paper can be found, for multiple subjects. Do download while it is still available!

mathtuition88's avatarMathtuition88

Link:  http://tinyurl.com/holygrailrepo2

This weirdly titled Google Drive (“Electric Boogaloo”) contains a mega-database of JC Prelim papers for most if not all subjects, even esoteric subjects like “Theatre Studies and Drama”. Exam papers ranges from H1 to H3, and from the years 2008 to 2019.

Do download in advance if you need the material, from experience such Google Drives tend to “disappear” from time to time.


We have included the above link in the Free Exam Papers / Free Test Papers page, containing other large sources of Free Exam Papers.

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Cool Math Games

Some games are fun but not educational.

On the other hand, some games are educational but not fun!

This very popular website Cool Math Games is a combination of fun and educational!

Benefit of Cool Math Games

  • Their games are all browser-based, there is no need to download anything. It can be played on your Internet Explorer or Chrome browser.
  • They have a wide range of different games, ranging from Numbers, Logic, Trivia, and Strategy.
  • Their games are kid-friendly and educational.

Cool Math Games Example

This games “Swap Sums” is suitable for lower elementary school kids (age 5-10). It starts off easy, but the later stages are actually quite challenging. For example, the stage below actually requires some thinking to get it right.

This is the Swap Sums game from Cool Math Games.

Cool Math Games Review

Children naturally love to play games. When I was a child, my favorite activity was to play computer games. Hours can just fly by when playing games. When playing games that are educational at the same time, it can hugely benefit a child in terms of increasing his/her interest in the subject.

Hence, parents are encouraged to let their child play educational games, such as Cool Math Games, to relax as well as to learn. Most children learn better when the content is fun and engaging.

Fake Micro SD Card!

Recently, bought a suspected fake SanDisk Micro SD Card on Qoo10 (Singapore online retailer).

Apparently, fake Micro SD cards (used for cameras as storage) are very common, even on Amazon and eBay. A popular estimate is that 1/3 of all micro SD cards on the market are fake!

The one I bought was a 16 GB SanDisk microSD card. Basically, according to this website, “The 16GB SanDisk branded item is a fake. There is no 16GB micro SD product in the SanDisk product line — it is a fake.

What made me quite angry is that not only it is fake, it couldn’t work as well! (If it were fake but worked well, I could close one eye…) Both my Xiaomi Camera and also the card reader I got could not even detect it. The card reader with the fake microSD card could not be detected by either PC or Mac.

I think the main visible difference between the real SanDisk Micro SD and the fake is that:

  • The real microSD card has a imprinted rectangle box on its flip side (see the 1st video below for more details, the real one is on the right).
  • If you shine a light on the front face, it should say “Made in China” for the real Sandisk microSD card (see the 2nd video below).

Other differences include:

  • The fake microSD card has lower speed and volume (for example it could be rated 64GB but only has 2GB space!)
  • Lower printing quality on the fake microSD card

The authorities should really crack down on these fake SD cards. It is getting harder and harder to distinguish between the real and the fakes, some of the fakes replicate 99% of the real product up to the design of the packaging.

中学快捷华文O-Level 试卷二答题注意事项 (Tips for O-level Chinese Paper 2 answering techniques)

chinesetuition88's avatarChinese Tuition Singapore

综合填空

综合填空中需要从4 个选项中选取答案正确的那一项。选择正确答案时,需要考虑以下因素:

1,词义: 词的意思是不是符合题目。词义要通顺。(这是最基本的)

2,词性:判断要选的词语是褒义,贬义还是中性词。该填入名词,动词,形容词还是副词。

3,搭配:注意一些词语的常见搭配和固定搭配。比如:硕果+累累 或者累累硕果,严峻的考验,顽强的毅力等。还有一些词语是有特定范围的,比如,毛毛虫蜕变成蝴蝶。

4,若是四个选项中,有一个或几个词语都不知道其意思,那么先看自己认识的那个选项,如果那个选项是对的,意思,搭配都通顺,那么就大胆去选。如果自己认识的词语不符合要求,那么直接排除,在剩余的选项中去选择,只要有选项被排除掉,在剩下的选项里进行选择也会提高正确率。

阅读理解 (MCQ)

1,一定要去原文中找答案!一定要去原文中找答案!一定要去原文中找答案!(重要的事情说三遍!)按照题目中的关键词去原文中找答案!为了确保自己真正是从原文中找到的答案,可以在原文中把答案画出来。一定不要自己猜测,或者自己想当然地认为。在去原文中找答案时,一定要仔细,如果改变了其中几个词语,没有影响原文的意思,那么就可以接受,若是,改变了原文的意思,那么一定要小心,不要上当。比如,原文中用的是“可能”,“部分”等词语,选项中却用了“一定”,“全部”,这就是改变了原文的意思。

2,记住新闻类关于这篇文章的主要内容/主要信息,一定去第一段(导语)部分找。

3,遇到很难懂的文章也不要怕,只要记住:去原文中找答案!再难的文章也不怕。

4,道理类,这篇文章说明了一个什么道理/作者想通过这篇文章传达什么样的想法,此类题目的答案通常在文中的结尾(最后一段或最后一句),一定要选符合意思的那个选项。

5,答题时要小心,一些题目要求选择不对的那一项,或者不包括除了,出现了这些词语要格外慎重。

6,当四个选项中,有三个选项是文中出现的具体措施,具体做法等时,要看剩下的那个一选项是不是能够概括其他的三个。也有可能三个当中只有一个符合题目给出的特定条件。

理解问答(reading comprehension)

1,通常前几题的答案可以从原文中找到,那么一定要把全部答案找对。可以根据分值去判断答案到底有几个要点,比如,4分的题目可能有4点或者2点。

2,解释划线句子的意思,请参考:

阅读理解中解释划线句子的意思 Tips for Rephrasing in Reading Comprehension

3,人物描写手法,修辞手法,说明方法,论证方法这些作用以及答题模式,请参考:

人物描写手法:

 

 

 

 

 

 

肖像描写

通过肖像描写能看出人物的内心世界,展现人物的性格,反映出人的喜好、身份、生活态度等。

例:

1.她个子高高,面容清秀,细细弯弯的眼睛满是笑意。

这段肖像描写,表现了她十分亲切,待人友善的性格特点。

2.小男孩圆圆的脸,弯弯的眉,一双机灵的大眼睛。他身穿发黄的白色衣服,脚上是一双破旧球鞋。

这段肖像描写表现出小男孩可爱又聪明的特点。而且从他穿的“发黄的白色衣服和破旧球鞋”可以看出,小男孩的家庭条件不是很好/家里不是很有钱。

 

 

 

 

 行动描写

体现人物的身份、地位 ;反映人物心理活动的进程;表现人物的性格特征;推动情节的发展。

例:

1.我几次伸手要去按门铃,有几次把手缩了回来。

从这句话中“我”伸手又把手缩回来的动作可以看出“我”当时十分为难,又犹豫的心理。

2.说完,他跳下车,三步并作两步地奔进屋里。

这句话对“他”十分兴奋又激动想要快点xxxxx的心情。

 

 

 

 语言描写

能够表现人物的思想感情,反映人物的心理活动。

例:

老师,能不能,能不能……”把“能不能”呢喃了好几遍,小男孩才很难为情地抬起那一直比脖子还低的头,小声地说:“能不能给我的作文加上一分?”

这段话中,通过描写小男孩说的话,表现出小男孩内心非常紧张又不好意思,但是又特别希望老师给自己加上一分。

 

 

 

 心理描写

揭示人物的内心世界,表现人物丰富而复杂的思想感情。也可以让文章更生动。

例:

我已经是中学生了,应该又自己的空间。更何况我又不是故意迟回家!

这段对“我”的心理描写,表现出被“爸爸”责备之后,“我”觉得自己没错,非常委屈的心理。

修辞手法:

常见的修辞手法 Figure of Speech in Chinese

说明方法:

常见的说明方法及其作用&答题模式

论证方法:

1)、举例论证:是列举确凿、充分、有代表性的事例证明论点的方法。因为“事实胜于雄辩”,所以举出确凿典型的事实来证明论点,能增强文章的说服力。

答题模式:通过列举xxxx的例子,来论证xxx,增强文章的说服力。

2)、引用论证:是引用具有权威性的言论证明论点的方法。所以这种方法使用得当,有很强的论证力量。分析引证法的作用,应先弄清引用了谁的言论,是为了证明什么,再把握引证法的特殊作用——具有权威性,论证有力。

答题模式:通过引用xxxxx,来说明xxx的道理,使论证更有说服力。

3)、比喻论证: 就是通过形象的比喻来证明论点的方法。这种方法可深入浅出地把道理讲得通俗形象,容易被人接受。

答题模式:通过把xxxx比作xxxxx,使xxx道理更浅显易懂,便于读者理解。

4)、对比论证:是用正反两方面的事实和道理进行鲜明对比,从而证明论点的方法。分析对比论证方法作用,两个方面XX比较,使其对与错更加分明,正确的观点更容易被读者接受。

答题模式:通过把xxx和xxx进行对比,是xxx道理更深刻,更有说服力。

4,文章中的xxx是一个什么样的人/有什么样的性格特点,请举例说明。

这类题目通常4分。一定要记得,在写人物的性格特点时,要写两点。1个性格特点(1分)+举例说明(1分),所以,写出两点才能把全部4分拿到。

5,结合文章内容,说说你对xxxx的理解。

通常这类题目会选取文章中的一句话,首先,要先解释这句话的意思。解释完之后,要去文章中找出和这句话有关系的部分,可能是故事中某个人物的经历,刚好印证了这句话。也有可能是作者的某个观点,证明了这句话是对的。

6,联系实际,谈谈你对xxxx的理解。

这类题目也通常会选取文章中的一句话。首先还是要解释这句话的意思。解释完之后,联系实际要怎么联系呢?可以列举生活中的例子或者现象。举完例子之后,再解释总结这个例子也说明了xxxx的道理。

7,你同意/赞成xxxxx吗?为什么?试联系实际谈一谈。

这类题目通常是5 分。

表明态度:赞成/不赞成,同意/不同意 (1分)

原因:(2分)为什么赞成/不赞成. 原因部分不可以只说一句话就结束,要尽量解释详细。可以从正反两个方面去论说。这样做为什么好,会取得什么样的好效果。不这样做又会有什么样的后果。比如,作者认为“兴趣是最好的老师”,你同意吗?答:我同意。因为若是一个人对某件事情产生兴趣,他就会在这件事情中投入极大的热情和精力,而且会让他去自觉主动的学习,这样,学习的过程对他来说充满了乐趣,兴趣推动着他不断进取,不停吸收新的知识。(正面)若一个人对某件事情没有兴趣,那么做这件事情对他来说就是一种痛苦和煎熬。即使让全世界最好的老师来教他,他也不会有想去好好学习和钻研的欲望,再多的苦心都是徒然。(反面)

举例子:(2分)可以举生活中的例子,或者名人事例。举的例子一定要符合题意。若是自己不确定要举哪种例子,那就仿照作者在文章中举的例子,写一个相近的。若是想不到生活中的例子,那就只能编故事了。一定不可以空着!通常理解问答的最后一题,即使题目没有明说要举例子,自己也要举出例子来说明。

通常理解问答的最后一题,分数最多,而且最容易得分。在考试时间不够用的情况下,建议先把最后一题做完。

在时间分配上,不建议在第一题(综合填空)花费太多的时间。因为第一题是选择题,每题只有1分,所以当遇到自己不确定的题目时,先选一个答案,做上标记,等到最后试卷全部做完,有剩余时间时再回去思考。一定不要在第一题耽误太多时间。

MCQ每题2分,所以做的时候,尽量细心,认真,一次把答案找出来。

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Ex-Actress Evelyn Tan Supports Her Kids Pursuing Entertainment Careers Without A Degree

Quite interesting, and makes a bit of sense too. In this new age where almost everyone has a degree, not having a degree may in fact stand out (for unique career paths)! It carries risk though, naturally.

Source: https://mustsharenews.com/evelyn-tan-kids/

Son planned his career as streamer

When her son Jairus, 12, said he wanted to be a Twitch streamer, Evelyn was confused. According to Toggle, she did not know about the online streaming platform for gamers.

She called him a “thinker” — he had told her that if he started his career now, it would be established enough to be profitable by the time he turns 21.

Her son then pointed out that a degree would be irrelevant to his career, which Evelyn said was fine.

Evelyn Tan majored in Math in NUS

Not many people know this, but actress Evelyn Tan once majored in Math in NUS, and graduated successfully. “Upon graduating from the National University of Singapore with a degree in mathematics, Tan joined the fifth edition of Mediacorp’s Star Search in 1997.”

Read more at: https://mothership.sg/2019/11/evelyn-tan-interview/


See also (famous actors/ newscasters/ singers who majored in Math):

School holiday activities for children stuck at home

Due to the circuit-breaker, most children are unfortunately stuck at home during their school holidays. Other than playing computer games, this article suggests other educational and fun activities for children and their parents: School holiday fun at home: Kids can go online to stargaze, study about animals, do science experiments.

The live stargazing activity of Science Centre sounds quite fun: https://www.facebook.com/183389296588/videos/2534433140205259/

Most of the activities are open to children outside Singapore as well!

Motivational: Take it one thing at a time

Source: https://medium.com/mind-cafe/four-habits-of-discipline-my-seal-dad-taught-me-7ed9b13987df

Just saw this article on Medium. Quite motivational and applicable to students and even working adults. There are 4 tips on the original website. We just quote one of the tips here. The Chinese equivalent, would be 千里之行,始于足下, or “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”.


Enduring Work Ethic Stems From The Moment

I had an interesting conversation with him about Hell Week (some US SEAL army training week) a few years back.

For those who don’t know — Hell Week is ridiculous. You wake up on a Sunday to gunfire. You then work out until Friday with no sleep. Hell Week is the bottleneck that breaks a lot of talented people. It’s where the top 20% are whittled down to the top 5%.

I remember him saying, “Tuesday morning was the worst.”

It was a bizarre response. Tuesday? Wouldn’t Thursday be the worst? Or Friday morning? Then he explained and it made total sense.

You wake up on a Sunday morning at ~2 AM to gunfire. You run around getting yelled at. You are doing pushups, carrying logs, rolling in the sand. This continues all day, then into the night.

As people are sleeping in their warm beds, you continue exercising, shivering, and getting shouted at.

Monday morning comes. The drills repeat from sun up to sun down with non-stop exercise and physical torture. Then, all through the night, you do it again.

Then, Tuesday morning rolls around. You’ve gone more than two full nights without sleep. You’ve endured intense stress, cold water, and difficult exertion the whole time. By Tuesday morning, you’re more tired than you’ve ever been in your entire life.

That’s when you start to feel sorry for yourself.

“Oh man, it’s only Tuesday. How am I going to get through all of this?”

“If I’m this tired already…and I’m not even halfway through…”

The people that start thinking like this are the ones that quit.

The people who succeed — only look a few minutes in front of them. They don’t worry about Thursday or Friday. They are only focused on each individual exercise. They get through it one thing at a time.

You can apply this to many aspects of your life.

If you are studying for a massive test, take it one page at a time. Working on a huge presentation, one slide at a time.

For example, I swam in college. Our training was very grueling, 5 to 6 miles of swimming a day. Sometimes the coach would put a set on the board that made me think, “You’ve got to be f#$king kidding me. I’m going to die.” I just took it one lap at a time and got through it.

Lower your vision and piecemeal those big hurdles. It reduces the perceived mental weight of the tasks. Take it one thing at a time.

Rhodeus bitterling fish 鳑鲏鱼

I have never seen this fish before in Singapore. In China, it seems common. It is called “Pang Pi” fish, or Rhodeus /bitterling fish. Although it is not very colorful, it is quite unique due to its relationship to the clam.

As you can see from the video, it likes to hang around the clam/mussel, and it will even lay its eggs inside. Apparently, the clam also deposits its eggs on the “Pang Pi” fish.

Clams are hard to keep, and can be quite tricky for beginners. It is hard to tell if the clam has died or not. (Even an alive clam does not move much. You can see how it moves in the video.) Once the clam has died, it will start decomposing and producing toxins which may harm the entire tank. Also, it is quite common for clams to have parasites and worms in them.

The Spiritual & Humanitarian Aspects Of The Gospel – Homily by Archbishop William Goh

For the complete Mass recording go to: https://youtu.be/IzXhGM2QB8Q

The Church must never forget the priority of providing spiritual food to the People of God. This is critical and can never be replaced by mere humanitarian services. This was precisely what the early Christians did. They did not simply do humanitarian works when they cared for the poor and the widows. Their goal was ultimately spiritual. The works of mercy that they did were in continuation of Jesus’ works of mercy. They were meant to reveal the Father’s mercy and love for them. The gospel cannot be proclaimed without the works of charity, otherwise, it will merely be words. People need to see Christ and encounter His love and mercy concretely in their lives.

NUS High E-Open House

https://youtu.be/Ho5L5fAeNjU

The (promotional) video for NUS high open house is out! Parents and students who are interested to apply for NUS high are encouraged to watch it.

The actual open house will be on 15 May.

mathtuition88's avatarMathtuition88

URL: https://www.nushigh.edu.sg/admissions/open-house

NUS High will be holding its E-Open House on 15th May. Do check it out!

NUS High is famous for its strong Math and Science curriculum. Many of their students are very strong in Math Olympiad and other Scientific topics.

E-Open House
15th May (Short Presentation and Q&A session with School Leaders, Alumni and Parents)

  • 1st Session: 9:00 – 11:00 am
  • 2nd Session: 2:00 – 4:00 pm

E-Engagement Sessions

  • 1st Session: 19th May (Tue), 4:00 – 5:00 pm
  • 2nd Session: 23rd May (Sat), 9:30 – 10:30 am
  • 3rd Session: 23rd May (Sat), 2:30 – 3:30 pm
  • 4th Session: 27th May (Wed), 4:00 – 5:00 pm

For further clarifications, please email: newton@highsch.nus.edu.sg


Also check out:


Update (provided by one of my Facebook readers):

NUS High School has put out its school presentation as part of its E-Open House on…

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How to free up space on Gmail

4 Steps to clear space in Gmail

Although Gmail has 15 GB of space, it can run out of space quite fast, especially nowadays many emails contain attachments that can be quite large.

To free up space on Gmail, I usually do the following 4 steps:

1) Search “size:100k older:2018” on Gmail

The above searches for files 100 kilobytes or larger, dated 2018 or earlier.

You can modify your search accordingly, for example “size:1M older:2017” searches for files larger than 1 megabyte, older than 2017.

2) Search “from:facebook.com”

The above searches for all email sent from email address ending with “facebook.com”. This can be quite effective, since many small emails typically end up being larger than 1 single big email.

You can modify your search accordingly, for example “from:twitter.com”, etc.

3) Delete unwanted emails (found using methods above), and clear Trash

Clearing trash is important (otherwise the deleted files will still take up space). Messages that have been in Trash more than 30 days will be automatically deleted though.

Double check before you delete, since once deleted it is not possible to recover the emails.

4) Refresh your browser, and see that you have more space!

Typically, by using the above steps, I can delete up to 1o0 MB of email.

 

Toy Poodle Pictures

Toy Poodle Pics and Videos

Just to share some pictures and videos of Charlie the toy poodle. Actually, we are unsure of whether he is a pure toy poodle or not, some people commented that he does not look like one! Charlie is 6 months old now.

Poodle apparently descended from a water dog in Germany. Charlie the poodle loves to play water! Also, poodle is commonly said to be the 2nd most intelligent breed, after Border Collie.

How to convert w/w% weight concentration to ppm

In this post, we describe how to convert w/w% (weight concentration of a solution) to ppm (parts per million, or mg/l), with applications to liquid fertilizers.

This method is an approximation for dilute solutions.

We will focus on converting 0.8 w/w% to ppm, with 2ml of fertilizer in a 5 gallon container. This is based on Tropica fertilizer Potassium concentration. We will then verify it with the Rotala Butterfly calculator (answer is 0.845 ppm).

1) 0.8 w/w% = 8g per 1000ml

Here we have made the assumption that 1000ml of solution weighs 1000mg, which is valid for dilute solutions.

2) This is equivalent to: 0.016g per 2ml (in the fertilizer).

3) Now after pouring the fertilizer into the 5 gallon container, the concentration is 16mg per 5 gal = 16mg per 18.9271 liters.

Here we have made the approximation that the amount of fertilizer (2ml) is negligible compared to the volume of the container (5 gal).

4) This is equivalent to 0.845 mg per l or 0.845 ppm as calculated by the Rotala Butterfly calculator!

Rotala Butterfly Calculator Formula

Let a be the w/w% concentration.

Let b be the amount of fertilizer to use (in ml).

Then,

ppm = (10ab)/18.9271

In the example above,

a=0.8, b=2, so

ppm = (16)/18.9271=0.845

Mango Sticky Rice

Recommended Mango Sticky Rice Recipe!

chinesetuition88's avatarCooking For Fun

Finally I made one of my favorite dessert: mango sticky rice.

Ingredients:

Sticky rice 1 cup

coconut milk 2/3 cup

sugar 1/3 cup

salt 1/2 tsp

1, Wash sticky rice in water till water is completely clear. Soak them overnight.

2, Drain them and steam over hot water for about 30 mins.

3, When the sticky rice is about to be done, start to make the sauce.

4, Add coconut milk, sugar and salt into a pot. Turn to low heat, keep stirring till sugar is dissolved.

5, Put sticky rice into a big bowl, pour the sauce in. Stir slightly to mix them. Then cover the bowl and let it rest for about 20 mins. Rice will absorb the coconut sauce and flavor.

Fot topping:

1/2 cup coconut milk

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp rice flour

1 tbsp water.

Heat a pot, Add in coconut milk and salt. Stir…

View original post 35 more words

NUS High E-Open House

URL: https://www.nushigh.edu.sg/admissions/open-house

NUS High will be holding its E-Open House on 15th May. Do check it out!

NUS High is famous for its strong Math and Science curriculum. Many of their students are very strong in Math Olympiad and other Scientific topics.

E-Open House
15th May (Short Presentation and Q&A session with School Leaders, Alumni and Parents)

  • 1st Session: 9:00 – 11:00 am
  • 2nd Session: 2:00 – 4:00 pm

E-Engagement Sessions

  • 1st Session: 19th May (Tue), 4:00 – 5:00 pm
  • 2nd Session: 23rd May (Sat), 9:30 – 10:30 am
  • 3rd Session: 23rd May (Sat), 2:30 – 3:30 pm
  • 4th Session: 27th May (Wed), 4:00 – 5:00 pm

For further clarifications, please email: newton@highsch.nus.edu.sg


Also check out:


Update (provided by one of my Facebook readers):

NUS High School has put out its school presentation as part of its E-Open House on 15 May 2020, and its related e-engagement events for parents and interested P6 students. The content is well planned to clarify common questions from parents and potential students.

YouTube link to the school presentation (about 30mins long):

There is also a Telegram group to receive information on NUSH Admissions for DSA 2020 (for the Class of 2026) :-
(please subscribe for timely updates !) https://t.me/nushighschool

Slow and Steady Snail (Homeschool Math Favorite Challenging Puzzles)

This is a favorite type of homeschool math challenging puzzle — The Snail question.

Question: An aquarium is 47 cm deep. A snail starts at the bottom of the aquarium. Each day, during the daytime the snail climbs up 8 cm, and during the nighttime the snail slides down 3 cm. How many days will it take for the snail to climb out of the aquarium?


This is part of a series on Homeschool Math Challenging Puzzles, suitable for Grades 2-4. (Of course, students of other grades are also welcome to try them out.) The questions are suitable for:

  • Homeschooling for gifted kids
  • Preparation for GEP (Gifted Education Programme) screening and selection tests
  • Preparation for Math Olympiad
  • Puzzles for kids interested in math but find school work too easy.

Solution:

A tempting answer would be 10 days. This is a trick! Those who get the answer “10 days” reason like this: each day the snail moves a net distance of 8-3=5 cm.

Hence, 47/5=9 R 2.

At the end of the 9th day, the snail moved 45 cm. Thus, rounding up will give 10 days as the answer. However, there is a tricky part to the question!

The correct answer is 9 days.

We can do a list:

Day 1 — 5 cm

Day 2 — 10 cm

Day 3 — 15 cm

Day 8 — 40 cm

Day 9 day time — 40 +8 = 48cm > 47 cm !!!

The snail is already out of the aquarium on Day 9!

Nano Fish Species [35 fish/aquatic creatures below 9 cm!]

Fish Max Length (cm)
Dwarf gourami 8.8
Black skirt tetra 7.5
Betta splendens 7
Honey gourami 7
Amano shrimp 6
Guppy (female) 6
Panda corydoras 5.5
Otocinclus 5.5
Cardinal tetra 5
Harlequin rasbora 5
Serpae tetra 5
Rummy-nose tetra 5
Zebra danio 5
Mexican dwarf crayfish 5
Cherry barb 5
Endler’s livebearer (female) 4.5
Cherry Shrimp (Neocaridina davidi) 4
White Cloud minnow 4
Sparkling gourami 4
Hara jerdoni 4
Neon tetra 3.5
Guppy (male) 3.5
Green neon tetra 3.5
Clown killi 3.5
Pea pufferfish 3.5
Assassin snail 3.5
Dwarf corydoras 3.5
Pygmy corydoras 3.2
Lambchop rasbora 3
Pseudomugil gertrudae 3
Horned Nerite Snail 2.5
Endler’s livebearer (male) 2.5
Celestial pearl danio 2.5
Chili rasbora 2
Phoenix rasbora 2

Credits: All images are from Wikipedia (and/or my personal collection of fish), unless otherwise specified.

Fish Math

How to ensure a pair of male-female for fish & Shrimp

Given N fishes/shrimp, what is the probabillity of having at least 1 male-female pair?

Probability = 1 – (Prob. Of all Male)- (Prob. Of all Female)

If you have 4 fishes, Probability of having a breeding pair = 87.50%

If you have 5 fishes, Probability of having a breeding pair = 93.75%

If you have 6 fishes, Probability of having a breeding pair = 96.88%

If you have 7 fishes, Probability of having a breeding pair = 98.44%

If you have 8 fishes, Probability of having a breeding pair = 99.22%

Canon PIXMA G5020 (G5070) Review

Canon Most Ink Efficient Printer

Just bought this printer (Canon PIXMA G5020, which is listed in Singapore as Canon PIXMA G5070). It is ideal for home use for students and working professionals.

Its advantages include:

  • Very efficient “ink tank” system. The ink refill system is by bottles of pure ink liquid instead of cartridges.
  • Design for high volume printing at low running cost
  • Compact size and dimensions (Approx. 403 x 369 x 166 mm for factory configuration,  Approx. 403 x 695 x 356 mm when Output/ADF trays extended)
  • Dual paper loading (you can load paper on the rear tray as well as the front tray). If you retract the rear tray, the printer becomes even more compact (just 16.6cm tall).
  • High speed (for inkjet): ISO standard print speed (A4): up to 13.0ipm black / 6.8 ipm colour
  • Supports wireless connection to computer as well as smart phone.
  • Automatic Duplex


Canon PIXMA G5020 Wireless MegaTank Single Function SuperTank Printer | Mobile & Auto 2-Sided Printing

Overall, this is the ideal printer for work from home, as well as homeschool purposes. It is even more ideal for those who don’t want additional features such as scanner and fax. By not having those features (which you may not need), it has a very economical affordable cost. Especially when you factor in the long term savings from cheap and long-lasting ink refills.

If you do want copier, fax and scanning features, then you can consider the Canon PIXMA G7020 instead, which is basically the Canon G5020 with the additional features.


Canon PIXMA G7020 Wireless All-in-One Supertank (Megatank) Printer, Copier, Scan, Fax and ADF with Mobile Printing, Black

How to speed up R code in RStudio

I just found out by trial and error that the suppressing of print statements in RStudio greatly speeds up the R code.

In my case, code that was originally estimated to take around 40 hours to run,  just ran in under an hour after I suppressed all the print statements in the for loops.

This is supported by evidence in other forums, for example in StackOverflow: R: Does the use of the print function inside a for loop slow down R?

Basically, if your code prints too much output to the console, it will slow down RStudio and your R code as well. It may be due to all the output clogging up the memory in RStudio. R is known to be “single thread” so it can only use 1 CPU at a time, even if your computer has multiple cores.

Hence, the tips are to:

  • Reduce the number of print statements in the code manually.
  • Set quiet=TRUE in all scan statements. Basically, the default behavior is that scan() will print a line, saying how many items have been read.

This is especially true with for loops, since the amount of printed output can easily number to the millions, and overwhelm RStudio.

5 Tips on How to Survive Physics in Junior College

5 Tips on How to Survive Physics in Junior College

Many students, during the early stage of their college life, tend to struggle through an entirely new syllabus for physics. Apart from the complexity of the discipline, the problem with physics gets more aggregated when different new teachers teach it, each having their teaching methods. Surviving the ‘torments’ of physics in junior college, especially in an as a highly-ranked country like Singapore, isn’t that easy. However, it’s not impossible, either!

You don’t have to spend any more extra time or money to get into a popular physics tuition center in Singapore. Instead, you can prepare yourself with these five life-saving tips to help you survive the two-year roller coaster ride!

 

  1. A good relationship with your instructors

You need to enhance your bonding skills and treat your physics teachers more as life mentors at this point. The more you value their presence in your life, and maintain a helpful, friendly relationship with them, the better are your chances of you getting their additional assistance like extra classes. This will make it easy for you to understand the problematic theories and get more attention in the class.

  1. The priority is understanding!

The transition from secondary school to junior college is indeed one of the most significant phases students in Singapore academically go through. No wonder why the syllabus for physics looks so exhausting, right? Even if you get poor marks at the beginning, make sure you understand the theoretical maths and laws. Frequently ask questions and request further clarification in the class until you have understood correctly.

A clear understanding is what matters the most! Furthermore, pay more attention to your progress in the maths classes as wells! Physics and maths are closely related to each other so that you will benefit either way. Consider enrolling in a popular maths tuition center in Singapore, if you think you need extra help.

  1. Sign up for physics courses

While your everyday studies will most of your time, try your best to focus on something else outside the monotonous realm of academics.  Make sure you are a lead member of your science or maths club. Extra-curricular activities on physics will come in handy for you to achieve better grades. If you can afford more time, try to enroll in online physics courses on educational platforms. You can also watch physics tutorials online to clear any subtle confusions on the basics.

  1. Seek help from your seniors

No doubt that in junior college, all the students naturally go through a hard time. However, that is not enough to justify that your seniors will have no time at all to lend forward their help to those who are still new to junior college! Therefore, maintain a friendly relationship with all your seniors who are seemingly performing great in physics and maths. Shower them with respect, let them know how they inspire you. They will definitely try to make out some time to help you out!

  1. Get a private tutor!

Additional tuition, especially that too of an as complicated a subject as physics, is instrumental in junior college. Most tutors are high-qualified and are naturally aware that you’re still adjusting to the advanced level of theoretical physics, and they can help make the transition easier for you. Moreover, this can also be a perfect time to productively utilize any leisure available, which is something that most tuition centers or private tutors will focus on teaching you first.

We do understand, junior college physics is very tough, but it’s possible to pull through, especially by following the tips provided above. If you can sincerely abide by them and along with that, just a pinch of persistent merit with two spoons of will and hard work will be enough to score good grades in your physics exams!

StarHub Rebate Registration Form

StarHub Rebate Link

In addition to the apology, StarHub will offer affected customers a one-time 20% rebate on their Home Broadband monthly fee, which is equivalent to six days of free home WiFi service. A dedicated website will be made available for affected customers to register for the rebate. Details will be announced to customers soon.

Note that the deadline is: 26 April 2020!

Sign up at: https://www.starhub.com/broadband-rebate


Share this to your friends and relatives using StarHub! This rebate is typically worth around $10 (20% of $50 broadband subscription). The key thing is that only those who registered above will be given the rebate!


Related posts:

Amount of Potassium in Singapore Water

The official document for Drinking Water Quality analysis can be found on the PUB website.

Note that the above document does not contain any information on potassium (K).

Potassium Content in Singapore tap water

I managed to find another source (dated 2002) on potassium content in NEWater: http://uwatech.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/newater-study-report.pdf. In page 16, the potassium levels are stated as:

Range (Potassium): 0.504 to 3.07 mg/L

Mean (Potassium): 1.08 mg/L

Sodium Content in Singapore water

Range (Sodium): 3.16 to 42.1 mg/L

Mean (Sodium): 13.35 mg/L

Potassium in Planted Tanks

For aquarium plants, “potassium content should be at least equal to sodium content or higher.” (http://aquayer.com/index.php?page=kaliy-v-akvariume&lang=en)

Usually, the solution is to dose potassium fertilizers (for example potassium sulphate).


Seachem Flourish Potassium 500ml

In addition, many sources recommend a level of around 20 ppm of Potassium for planted tanks (see for instance this site). That is 20 times the amount found in tap water! Other sources push it further, there are sites that recommend up to 50 ppm of potassium.

Tropica fertilizer composition

Tropica has 2 brands of liquid fertilizer — Specialised Fertilizer and Premium Fertilizer.

The Specialized fertilizer has N+P (nitrogen and phosphates), while the Premium does not. Unfortunately, not much information is available on the exact ingredients, composition, or percentage of each type of nutrient. For example, it is unclear how much potassium the fertilizers have.

I managed to find the exact composition on the UKAPS forum:

Tropica Fertilizer Composition and Ingredients

Nutrient (w/w%) Premium Fertilizer Specialised Fertilizer
Nitrogen 0 1.34
Phosphorus 0 0.1
Potassium 0.8 1.03
Magnesium 0.39 0.39
Sulfur 0.91 0.91
Zinc 0.002 0.002
Molybdenum 0.002 0.002
Boron 0.004 0.004
Iron 0.069 0.069
Copper 0.006 0.006
Fluoride <0.001 <0.001
Chlorine 0.438 0.5
Manganese 0.039 0.039
The Declaration Certificate showing composition of Tropica fertilizers.

 


Tropica Specialised Fertiliser – 300 ml


Tropica Plant Growth Premium Fertiliser,300 ml


Tropica Fertilizer ppm

The composition of ingredients given by Tropica is in w/w% which is weight concentration of a solution. Usually, we want to know the concentration in ppm, or parts per million (equivalently, mg/L).

For that, we can use the Rotala Butterfly calculator. The below information is based on 1 pump (2ml) for a 5 Gallon aquarium.

Your addition of 2 ml (equivalent to 1/4 tsp + 1/8 tsp + 1/32 tsp ) Tropica Plant Growth Premium to your 5gal aquarium adds:

Element ppm/degree
K 0.845
Mg 0.412
S 0.962
Fe 0.073
Mn 0.041
B 0.004
Cu 0.006
Mo 0.002
Zn 0.002
Cl 0.463

It is quite a “light” dose. Considering that the recommended target concentration of K is 10-30 ppm (from Tom Barr). Singapore water only has on average 1 ppm for K (potassium). Hence, the once a week dose of Tropica fertilizer Premium is definitely not enough to hit 10-30 ppm of K.

StarHub Down

Is StarHub down?

The answer is yes! Please see the official news by Today: StarHub customers hit by major fibre service disruption.

It is also reported by Straits Times that, yes, StarHub is down.

StarHub Network Down (Solved)

I stumbled upon the solution to solve the issue of “Starhub Network Down”. Note: This applies if your Starhub Network is slowed down but not completely dead/inaccessible.

Solution: Google DNS

My StarHub internet slowed down to a crawl, it took almost forever to access a simple website like Gmail or Yahoo. Hence, it can be classified as “StarHub Almost Completely Down“.

Upon changing to Google DNS using this official Google guide, to my astonishment the internet sped up to be even faster than before the “StarHub Down” issue.

Speed test of StarHub internet speed (after changing to Google DNS) on the day that StarHub was supposedly down!

I am not exactly sure of the mechanism behind, but changing to Google DNS certainly solved the issue of “StarHub Internet Down” for me. I suspect that due to the StarHub network down issue, most of StarHub remaining working “servers” are overcrowded and overloaded. Hence, if you switch from the StarHub DNS to Google DNS, you are leaving the “crowded server” and that explains the faster speed.

For record, I used the following Google DNS (IPv6):

2001:4860:4860::8888 and  2001:4860:4860::8844.

For safety concerns, it is considered quite safe to trust Google DNS. (Read their details on Wikipedia.) Basically, if you are already using Google products like Gmail, Google search engine, you might as well use Google DNS.

PerroMart Discount Code

PerroMart SG is an online pet store in Singapore specializing in dog and cat food and products. It has an extremely wide range of food/products at very reasonable prices. During this COVID-19 period, it has free delivery!

For example, it has Himalayan Yak chew for dogs, which is a very rare dog chew that lasts very long and is very suitable for dogs. It also has exotic Kangaroo meat treats which are also very healthy for dogs. PerroMart also has overseas brands of dog food like the famous “Taste Of The Wild”.


PerroMart Discount Coupon

5% off coupon: PerroMart 5% Discount Coupon

Click on the above link to get a valuable 5% off coupon!


PerroMart Discount Codes

Use “PERROMART5” for $5 discount!

(The above code is valid as of April 2020.)


Absolute Bites Himalayan Yak Dental Sticks Dog Treats from PerroMart

100% Natural Himalayan Yak Chew comes from the ancient recipe of the people of Himalayas in Nepal.

KEY FEATURES

  • 100% Grain Free & Gluten Free Dog Chew
  • No Artificial Ingredient
  • Ultra Durable & Long Lasting
  • High in Protein & Minerals, Rich in Calcium
  • Ideal for Teething Dogs

In the surrounding Mt. Everest at more than 15,000 feet, these dog treats are made using traditional methods with yak and/or cow milk, and all natural products with no preservatives, binding agents. These yak chews are gluten free, and also provide health benefits like protein, minerals and calcium. An excellent and unique dog chew for all breeds and sizes.

Himalayan Yak chew is made from the milk of the Himalayan yak. Yaks can weigh up to 1,200 pounds (550 kg).

PR Solidarity Budget Application

Just to share this information with readers who may be Singapore PRs.

PR $300 for COVID-19 (with Singaporean spouse/children/parent)

Official source: Straits Times

Eligibility:

  • Adult PRs with Singaporean parents(s), spouse or child(ren) are eligible
  • Must be living in Singapore

Key date: 10 May (Sun)

Eligible PRs can apply with bank account details by 10 May at go.gov.sg/sppr. Payment will be made on 19 May (Tue).

Key date: From end-May

LTVP+ holders will receive payment by cheque via post. No action needed.

PRs who apply without bank account details will receive the payment by mailed cheque from end-May.


  • LTVP+ holders aged 21 and above, who are foreign spouses of Singaporeans, can receive the payout as well.
  • Eligible permanent residents may sign up for the one-off payout at https://go.gov.sg/sppr using their SingPass from now until May 10.

Disclaimer: The above information is correct as of 12 April 2020. Please double check with the official source on Straits Times for the official latest information: https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/coronavirus-9-in-10-singaporeans-to-receive-600-each-on-april-14

Food for Chili Rasbora

How to feed Chili Rasbora / Phoenix Rasbora in Community Tank

Chili Rasbora / Phoenix Rasbora and other small Rasboras like dwarf Rasboras have the following characteristics:

  • Very small mouths
  • Quite shy
  • They are micropredators (require “animal” / high protein food)

How I feed them is actually to take Betta food (Hikari Betta Biogold), and crush them with a mortar and pestle. Betta is also a predator hence their dietary requirements are kind of the same (high protein rather than high vegetable content).  Then, together with the Neon Tetra pellets, pour it into the tank. There is bound to be food stuck to the container, which we use tank water to soak it and pour it out.

Repeat until all food is dispensed. Due to the numerous powder food in the water, the Neon Tetras are unable to snatch all the food, and the small Rasboras (Boraras Merah) are able to sneak in a few bites. At the end, all Rasboras are well fed as shown by their round bellies.

If the food is not crushed to powder, the Rasboras would not be able to swallow the food easily, and the end result is that most of the food is eaten by the Tetras. It took me quite a few months to figure the above procedure out (I was and still am quite new to fish keeping).


Hikari Betta Bio-Gold Baby Pellets Fish Food Bundle Bonus Pack 3 Pack

AI can’t predict how a child’s life will turn out even with a ton of data

Despite the great hype of AI, there are still many limitations of what AI can do. Real life is too complicated for a machine to figure out, at least currently.

Source: MIT Tech Review

Hundreds of researchers attempted to predict children’s and families’ outcomes, using 15 years of data. None were able to do so with meaningful accuracy.

Now a new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences casts doubt on how effective this approach really is. Three sociologists at Princeton University asked hundreds of researchers to predict six life outcomes for children, parents, and households using nearly 13,000 data points on over 4,000 families. None of the researchers got even close to a reasonable level of accuracy, regardless of whether they used simple statistics or cutting-edge machine learning.

“The study really highlights this idea that at the end of the day, machine-learning tools are not magic,” says Alice Xiang, the head of fairness and accountability research at the nonprofit Partnership on AI.

Install Windows on MacBook (Fast and Easy method)

Basically, you just need to follow the instructions in the YouTube video below. It is very easy and fast. The key software is VirtualBox.

You can download the official Windows 10 ISO disc image here: https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/software-download/windows10ISO

Note that Windows 10 (Home) is free (you don’t have to activate it) and you can use it with only very minor restrictions.

Overall, the process to install Windows 10 on a Mac (using VirtualBox) is much easier than I expected.

Total time taken: Around 30-40 minutes (possibly faster if your download speed and RAM is fast)

Total cost: $0

Total space needed: Around 10-20 GB is needed initially. VirtualBox allows “dynamically allocated disks” which are faster to create and can grow to larger sizes. For example, if you set 50GB as your disk space (but only use 10 GB) then it will only occupy 10 GB on your Mac.

How to keep Python / R Running on Mac (without screen lock or sleep)

When the Mac (or MacBook) is running for a long time, it is very liable to do one of the following things:

  • sleep
  • screen saver
  • lock screen

The problem is that your Python program or R program running in the background will most likely stop completely. Sure, it can resume when you activate the Mac again, but that is not what most people want! For one, it may impact the accurate calculation of elapsed time of your Python code.

Changing settings via System Preferences -> Energy Saver is a possible solution, but it is troublesome and problematic:

  • Have to switch it on and off again when not in use (many steps).
  • Preventing sleep may still run into screen saver, screen lock, etc.
  • Vice versa, preventing screen lock may still run into Mac sleeping, etc.

The solution is to install this free App called Amphetamine. Despite its “drug” name, it is a totally legitimate program that has high reviews everywhere. What this app does is to prevent your Mac from stopping, locking or sleeping. Hence, whatever program you are running will not halt till the program is done (or when you switch off Amphetamine).

It is a great program that does its job well! Highly recommended for anyone doing programming, video editing or downloading large files on Mac.

Best way to time algorithms in Python

There are tons of ways to calculate elapsed time (in seconds) for Python code. But which is the best way?

So far, I find that the “timeit” method seems to give good results, and is easy to implement. Source: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/7370801/measure-time-elapsed-in-python

Use timeit.default_timer instead of timeit.timeit. The former provides the best clock available on your platform and version of Python automatically:

from timeit import default_timer as timer

start = timer()
# ...
end = timer()
print(end - start) # Time in seconds, e.g. 5.38091952400282

This is the answer by the user “jfs” on Stack Overflow.

Benefits of the above method include:

  • Using timeit will produce far more accurate results since it will automatically account for things like garbage collection and OS differences (comment by user “lkgarrison”)

Please comment below if you know other ways of measuring elapsed time on Python!

Other methods include:

  • time.clock()  (Deprecated as of Python 3.3)
  • time.time() (Is this a good method?)
  • time.perf_counter() for system-wide timing,
  • or time.process_time() for process-wide timing

 

The Enigma of the Erasers (Homeschool Math Challenging Puzzles)

Dan has 745 red, green, blue and yellow erasers.

If the number of red erasers is tripled, the number of green erasers is halved, the number of blue erasers is decreased by 39, and the number of yellow erasers is increased by 48, there will be an equal number of erasers for each of the colors.

How many erasers are there for each of the colors?


This is part of a series on Homeschool Math Challenging Puzzles, suitable for Grades 2-4. (Of course, students of other grades are also welcome to try them out.) The questions are suitable for:

  • Homeschooling for gifted kids
  • Preparation for GEP (Gifted Education Programme) screening and selection tests
  • Preparation for Math Olympiad
  • Puzzles for kids interested in math but find school work too easy.

Solution

Let the number of red erasers be 1 unit:

R -> 1u

3R -> 3u

This means that the number of green erasers must be 3u x 2 = 6u.

G -> 6u

(This is so that after the green erasers are halved, it is also 3u.)

B -> 3u+39

Y -> 3u-48

Hence,

R+G+B+Y = 13u – 9 = 745

13u = 754

1u = 754/13 = 58.

Hence, the number of erasers for each color are:

R = 1u = 58

G = 6u = 348

B = 3u+39 = 213

Y = 3u-48 = 126

Buy Prescription Glasses, Spectacles & Sunglasses Online from the UK’s Favourite Online Optician!

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All of our prescription glasses include free anti reflection/scratch proof/UV coated lenses, worth £25.00, a stylish hard case and a microfibre cloth as standard.

All purchases are backed up by our 30 day ‘No Risk – No Quibble’ money back guarantee.

Worry Doesn’t Solve Anything

Source: Pastor Rick Warren

BY RICK WARREN — MARCH 31, 2020

“Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?”

Matthew 6:25 (NIV)

Worry is essentially a control issue. It’s trying to control the uncontrollable. We can’t control the economy, so we worry about the economy. We can’t control our children, so we worry about our children. We can’t control the future, so we worry about the future.But worry never solves anything! It’s stewing without doing.

Jesus actually gives four reasons you don’t need to worry in his Sermon on the Mount.

1. Worry is unreasonable.
Matthew 6:25 says, “Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?” (NIV).

Jesus is saying, if it’s not going to last, don’t worry about it. To worry about something you can change is foolish. To worry about something you can’t change is useless. Either way, it’s unreasonable to worry.

2. Worry is unnatural.
Jesus gives us an illustration from nature in Matthew 6:26: “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?” (NIV).

There’s only one thing in all of God’s creation that worries: human beings. We’re the only things God has created that don’t trust him, and God says this is unnatural.

3. Worry is unhelpful.
It doesn’t change anything. Matthew 6:27 says, “Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?” (NIV). When you worry about a problem, it doesn’t bring you one inch closer to the solution. It’s like sitting in a rocking chair—a lot of activity, energy, and motion, but no progress. Worry doesn’t change anything except you. It makes you miserable!

4. Worry is unnecessary.
Matthew 6:30 says, “If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith?” (NIV). If you trust in God, you don’t need to worry. Why? Because he has promised to take care of all your needs: “God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19 NIV).

That includes your bills, relational conflicts, dreams, goals, ambitions, and health issues you don’t know what to do with. God will meet all your needs in Christ.

Don’t worry about it!

Seachem Root Tabs Review

Just added 1 Seachem Flourish Tab next to my Alternanthera Reineckii Mini (AR Mini). Some “fizzing” or bubbling is observed. Not sure if that is due to the root tab, or maybe I disturbed some gas pockets in the substrate.

I am still continuing the growing of AR Mini in low tech tank (see Alternanthera Reineckii Mini Low Tech).


Seachem Flourish Tabs Growth Supplement – Aquatic Plant Stimulant 10 ct

My dog Charlie curious about the Seachem Root Tab.

Seachem Root Tab Review

The below review video is rather convincing proof that Seachem Flourish tabs are one of the best root tabs in the market, despite having low macro nutrients (nitrogen and phosphate). The purpose of having low macro nutrients is for preventing algae.

Singapore PM Lee Hsien Loong Mentions Tropical Fish Shop in his speech on COVID-19

PM Lee Hsien Loong on the COVID-19 pandemic: “I am in this for a very long time to come. To sustain this, I need everybody’s cooperation – safe distancing, personal hygiene, cooperation when we are contact tracing and discipline when people come back, stay home notification, stay home.” (Video: PMO)

 

Something interesting in this speech is that PM Lee mentions the plight of a tropical fish shop owner in Singapore.

Time around 5.22:

PM Lee chats with a Tropical Fish shop owner in Teck Ghee, who has been there for “donkey’s years”. She says her supplies come from Malaysia, and Malaysia has locked down. Tropical fish is not an essential item, how does she get her business going?

 

 

 

Home Cooked Food for My Dog Charlie

chinesetuition88's avatarCooking For Fun

My husband and I got this poodle Charlie last month. Ever since this little cutie came to our house, our life completely changed.

I feel so lucky to have such a little playful buddy as our family member.

Most time, Charlie has dog food which was bought from pet store. But sometimes, especially on some big occasion, I will cook for him.

Actually, cooking for dog is much easier than cooking for human, as there is no need to season or to make different flavor. Home cooked dog food has a very simple rule – boil.

Ingredients I use are always chicken breast, potato and carrot. Charlie is only 3 kg now. He was 1.5 kg when he first came. So Charlie has very little appetite. He can’t eat too much.

The very simple way to deal with ingredients is to chop everything into small dices. You can choose 1…

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Buy surgical mask online Singapore

Just bought this Dotafa (4-ply surgical mask made in Vietnam) mask from Qoo10.

The quality is good, with good thickness (see picture below). Delivery speed is fast as well (just 2 days using Qprime delivery). Only issue is the expensive price (around S$1 per mask), but that is the market rate nowadays…

The consensus is that made in Vietnam & made in Indonesia (3-ply or 4-ply) are the best options to get nowadays. This current batch may be the last batch since the respective countries are cracking down on the export of masks.

[S$28.90](▼52%)SG LOCAL STOCK SURGICAL FACE MASK MASKS 3PLY HAND SANITISER

WWW.QOO10.SG

Photo of the “Dotafa” surgical mask (4-ply). There are other equivalent Vietnamese manufacturers as well on Qoo10.

See also:

Where to buy surgical mask in Singapore

This is an update to the earlier post: Where to buy surgical mask Singapore.

Summary:

  • Basically, surgical masks are totally sold out in pharmacies like Watsons, Guardian, Unity, etc. Hand sanitizers are still in stock though, if you are interested to buy.
  • Korean masks on Qoo10 are mostly out of stock.
  • Currently, Qoo10 carries mainly Indonesian and Vietnam surgical masks, market price is around S$50 per box of 50 masks, i.e. around S$1 per mask.

The below Qoo10 shop (local stock) carries masks made in Indonesia and Vietnam masks (3 ply), with certificates. Basically, according to the reviews, the masks are genuine, only issue is that it is quite pricey. Apparently, the high price is set by the mask manufacturers and suppliers, it is not entirely the fault of the Qoo10 sellers that the price is so high. (Basic economics: High demand + low supply = High price.)

[S$26.90](▼56%)SG LOCAL STOCK SURGICAL FACE MASK MASKS 3PLY HAND SANITISER

 

WWW.QOO10.SG

Example of certificate for made-in-Indonesia mask:

[S$29.90](▼58%)⏰⚡ [SG Ready Stock 16 MAR] Surgical Mask 3ply ★ OneMed Sensi Masks ★ Ship within SG n to Overseas

WWW.QOO10.SG

According to the above Qoo10 seller, the current batches would be the last batches as Indonesia has crackdown on export of surgical mask. Vietnam has also banned export.

Shrimp Videos

I find that shrimp are just as interesting as fish to keep in an aquarium. Shrimp are very good at tidying/cleaning up the aquarium; it is a great idea to keep some shrimp whenever possible.

The easiest shrimp to keep are cherry shrimp (and its color variants), and also the Amano shrimp. The biggest cause of shrimp deaths is due to molting problems. Below are some videos of the shrimp I have personally kept.

Easy to keep shrimp: Amano shrimp, cherry shrimp (Neocaridina davidi).

More difficult shrimp: Bamboo shrimp (aka Wood shrimp), Bee shrimp (I have not tried these yet), Sulawesi Shrimp (not tried yet either).

AR Mini Low Tech Day 50

Read more at: Alternanthera Reineckii Mini Low Tech

Day 50 (12 March 2020): The aquarium light was upgraded around 10 days ago on 2 March 2020. It has helped the AR Mini in my opinion, making it slightly redder. The AR Mini is very much alive in the low tech tank! I think this dispels the myth that Alternanthera Reineckii Mini requires CO2 to live.

Ryo Watanabe Fish

In this video, popular fish YouTuber Ryo Watanabe is featuring the famous Clementi 328 (C328) Fish Store, arguably the best aquarium in the west (along with its neighboring shops in the stretch of Clementi Block 328).

Clementi Block 328 is my favorite fish store. Chances are very high that you can find whatever you are looking for in one of the shops in the stretch. Other than C328, other notable shops in the area include Polyart, and That Aquarium, and more.

Each store there has its own characteristics, they are unique in their own way (the fish/plants/equipment they carry are all different, it is clear they have different suppliers):

Polyart Clementi: Large collection of fish, including some saltwater. They do carry plants. Their equipment collection is very extensive, and notably they are cheaper than other Polyart outlets (the uncle will often give you a discount off the stated price without you even asking). I usually buy equipment/medication/anti-chlorine from this store.

That Aquarium: Features some of the more exotic fish (I once saw freshwater seahorses, aka pipefish) and shrimp (some black King Kong shrimp or similar that costs up to $100 per shrimp). They do have collection of a lot of “high class” food and equipment that may not be found in other shops.

C328 Aquarium (featured in Ryo Watanabe Fish Video): This store is crammed full of fish, plants and equipment. Notably, the plant section is more extensive than other shops in the Clementi 328 stretch, including frequent sightings of Bucephalandra and other rarer plants. Most of my plants are bought here.

LFS Aquarium: This store is the first fish store on the left. I have good experience buying their fish, so far their fish tend to be healthy without disease. They have good collection of nano fish, which I am interested in. For example, mosquito rasbora, lambchop rasbora are often spotted in their store. They also have Betta in their community tanks, which means that those Betta are proven to be less aggressive and can live with other fish.

Ryo Watanabe Fish Video

Ryo Watanabe also does Fish Videos in Japan, where he is based at currently. Ryo Watanabe’s fish videos center on freshwater fish, including aquarium plants and aquascaping.


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