30 Dec 2021 - Another round of Golfing Session before School starts

We brought the kids out for another session of golf before school starts in a few days' time.  Though not extremely enthusiastic, at least they showed some interest and willing to get off their screens for some time.

Same as the last time, we had our meal at Tenderbest after the golf session.

25 Dec 2021 - Xmas Lunch at Changi Jewel and J's Xmas Dropper

Merry Christmas to ALL!  We decided to drive to Changi Jewel and have our lunch at Shake Shack.  We ate at Shake Shack about 2 years ago in Dubai Mall.  We felt that it tasted slightly different here and the meal at Dubai Mall seems tastier.  Maybe it's because we were on a holiday then as such everything seems good.

Javier and his friend had been working on a project this holiday.  They had created a Minecraft game/map for Minecraft lovers to enjoy during this Christmas.  Below is a short intro video which he had created.  It has been a while since he last created a Youtube video due to his PSLE preparation.  So let's enjoy!  :-)

23 Dec 2021 - First Mahjong Session with SIA Mahjong Tiles

I bought the SIA Mahjong Set quite a while ago and today we finally took it out and play.  Some of the tiles look so different and took all of us a while to get used to it.  Luckily no one 炸胡.  Haha......

20 Dec 2021 - Celebrating Dad's Birthday

Today is my dad's birthday and we had a mini celebration at my sis's place.  Due the the gathering limit of 5 people, we could not bring along our family members.

Happy Birthday, Dad!  

19 Dec 2021 - Family Lunch

Tomorrow is my dad's birthday but due to the ongoing pandemic with all the safe management measures, we cannot gather in a big group.  As such, my family bought some food over to my dad's place to have our lunch together.  Really hope the pandemic will go away soon so that we all can have gatherings in a bigger group.

17 Dec 2021 - Edusave Scholarship

Javier finally received a letter informing him of the Edusave Scholarship Award for his good academic performance in P6.  The actual award ceremony will be held in Jan 2022.  Well done, Javier!

17 Dec 2021 - VR Experience with Oculus Quest 2 at home

After our recent VR experience in an Escape Room setting, I started shopping for a VR headset.  After evaluating and reading all the reviews of different VR headsets, I bought an Oculus Quest 2 during the 12.12 sale.  With all the vouchers and discounts that I collected for the sale, I managed to buy it at a very cheap price.  It was delivered today and we were all very excited.  

Javier having lots of fun playing his favourite VR game, Beat Saber!  It's a rhythm game whereby one slashes at all the blocks coming towards you using a virtual lightsaber.  Javier plays like a pro.

8 Dec 2021 - Edusave Academic Achievement

Our great day ended on a high with Jerlene receiving an Edusave Certificate of Academic Achievement for her good work in Sec 2.  Well done, Jerlene!

Javier was puzzled how come he did not receive it.  I told him probably it'll come in the next few days as I'm very confident that he will get it based on his good prelim and PSLE results.  :-)

8 Dec 2021 - First Golfing Session for the Kids

After our VR Escape Room game, our day of activities continue at Punggol Driving Range.  Jerlene and Javier had their first attempt of hitting a real golf ball using an actual golf club.  Once they started, there's no stopping and they both hit more balls than me.  It's great to see them enjoying some physical activities instead of non-stop screen time.

One reason we came to this driving range is that there is a Tenderbest restaurant just round the corner.  We had tried the one at Jalan Kayu and we all love the food there.  So here we were for our dinner after a satisfying golf session.

It's a great fun day for all of us!  :-)

8 Dec 2021 - Fun time escaping from Virtual Room

After our lunch, we were off to our next activity of the day, VR Escape Room.  We had played quite a few Escape Room games as a family in the past but this is the first time we experienced in a Virtual Reality environment.  Blending the escape room concept with a full 3D cinematic experience, this game delivers a unique, immersive and mind-blowing adventure.  After the initial briefing prior to game start, we were each led to our own dedicated room.  However, once we put on the VR headset, we were able to see and talk to each other, walk around, bend, throw objects and collaborate together to solve the puzzles and challenges in a Virtual World.  Amazing!

The game that we played is called "Time Travel - Chapter 1".  The game started with an in-game briefing which explains the disappearance of Alpha team during its last mission where vital pieces of information have been lost… they need to be recovered at all costs!  We were supposed to put on our equipment and travel through time to places like ancient Egypt and the moon landing to follow the path of the lost agents and save the world!  We managed to accomplish the mission within the time limit and below are some photos showing the places where we had travelled to.

It was really fun and we were so impressed with the amazing VR technology.  After this session, I guess we will go for more VR related activities going forward.  :-)

8 Dec 2021 - Lunch at Tsui Wah @ Clarke Quay

We had planned for a full day of activities today starting with our lunch at Tsui Wah @ Clarke Quay.  It has been a while since we last visited this place.

We all enjoyed the food here and every time we were here, we will have flashback of our past memorable trips to Hong Kong.

30 Nov 2021 - Buying Textbooks and School Uniforms

Due to the ongoing pandemic situation, buying textbooks and school uniforms will require all to make an appointment.  This is to avoid huge crowd gathering at the venues.  I did all the appointment booking last week for today.  In addition to that, only one parent can accompany the child to the appointment.  After our lunch, I first brought Jerlene to her school to collect her Sec 3 textbooks.  After that, I drove Javier to Ubi Avenue to buy his Sec 1 school uniform.  I did all the purchase this year early because I hope to avoid the year end crowd, especially after S1 posting result is out around Christmas period, there will definitely be a huge crowd trying to get their textbooks and uniform before school opens next year.

29 Nov 2021 - Third Language "German"

Today, Javier suddenly came to me and said he would like to take up a third language "German" as a subject in his secondary school education.  I was surprised because he mentioned last week that he's not taking it despite being eligible.  Apparently he had some discussion with his friends and somehow that triggered his interest.  He then showed me a website called "Duolingo" where one can learn various languages in a very fun way.  And it's free!

I then asked him why German and not any other languages such as Japanese, French or Spanish.  He said he had tried out the different languages on Duolingo website and found that German seems quite similar to English, thus should be easier to pick up.  He even went on to check the class venue on MOE website and told me that there is a nearby one at Bishan.

Since he's so interested and had already done so much "homework" himself, I'll definitely support it.  Javier, just go for it!  :-)

24 Nov 2021 - Release of PSLE results

Today was an exciting day for all P6 students and their parents.  Yes, it's the release of PSLE results.  To adhere to the Safe Management Measures, only one parent can accompany the child to school to collect the PSLE results.  After entering the school, students went to their respective classrooms while accompanying parents got to wait at designated waiting venues.  At 11am, there was a briefing by the School's Principal and P6 Year Head regarding the school's performance in this year's PSLE and Secondary 1 posting respectively.  Rosyth School did pretty well this year with 100% pass for all students taking 4 standard subjects.  Out of which, 33% had achieved a total AL score of 8 and below.  During the briefing, I could hear non-stop shouting/cheering coming from the P6 classrooms as they received their results.  Once the collection of results was completed for their class, P6 students were led to the waiting venues to meet up with their parents.

When I met up with Javier, I saw that he's very calm and his facial expression did not give me any clue whether his result was ok.  He then passed me a file containing his results and said to me softly, "I got overall AL5".  I was so happy for him because it's a very good result considering AL4 is the best one can get.  He even got a Merit for his Higher Chinese Language.  The result is better than what he had expected as he was actually aiming for AL7-8 with a Pass for HCL.  If we convert AL5 to T-Score used in previous years, it will be 265 and above.  Well done, Javier!

When we reached home, I realized that there was an Eligibility Letter from MOE in the file.  Based on Javier's result, he was eligible for Edusave Scholarships for Independent Schools (ESIS).  However, he will not be offered the scholarship because he has already been admitted to a non-IS (TJC) through Direct School Admission (DSA).  I then read up more about ESIS and found out that it's only offered to the top 3% of students taking PSLE that year.  Really proud of Javier's achievement, which definitely exceeded mine some 30+ years ago......haha.......

Based on the results, he can actually get admitted into any of the so called "top" schools.  So I asked him whether he has any regret accepting the offer from TJC.  He immediately said "No, why should I?".  He said he has already thought through it very carefully during the DSA application.  At that time, he actually visited the schools' websites to find out more about the various schools.  He also made use of MOE's school finder to filter out schools that match his criteria.  His criteria are as follow:

- Prefer a co-ed school over a boys school

- School that offers Integrated Programme (IP)

- School that offers InfoComm Club as CCA

- Location after considering the above

So based on the above criteria, TJC is the best match and he's very firm with his decision.  I am very glad that he has such a logical and matured thinking at his age.  That's why I fully supported his decision.  It is very important for a child to choose a school that really suit his needs instead of just going for the "best" school based on Cut-Off Point (COP), which I see many parents are now stressing over.

Anyway, it's now time to enjoy the remaining school holidays before embarking on the next chapter of his learning journey.

23 Nov 2021 - Having Fun at Virtualand @ NEX

Originally, I've planned to bring Jerlene and Javier out to have some fun after receiving the PSLE results tomorrow.  However, Javier said he prefers to celebrate today because if he did not do well for his PSLE, he will have no mood to enjoy.  Fair enough.....so I brought them to Nex to have our lunch before proceeding to Virtualand to have some real fun!  The Taiko drumming rhythm game is really fun.  I too enjoyed it very much!  :-)

Jerlene and Javier tried out a few other rhythm games.  I must admit that I'll never be able to "conquer" the games like them.  I really admire how their brain can process details so fast in addition to their quick fingers.  Although they are good at these games, I saw several other young "experts" around who were even more unbelievable.

We spent more than an hour here and I promised them to come one more time before school re-opens next year.

18 Nov 2021 - Excellent P6 Prelim Exam Results

Javier got back his report book today and I must admit that he had done very well for his P6 preliminary examination.  The scoring system has changed this year and instead of T-Score, it's now Achievement Level.  Javier managed to score an overall of AL5 for four subjects.  The best one can get is AL4 and getting AL5, to me is an excellent result.  I'm especially surprised that he got AL1 for his mother tongue (Chinese).  He even got a Merit for his higher Mother Tongue, which is amazing.  If this is his PSLE results, he can actually be admitted to any of the top secondary schools in SG. 

Other than good academic results, he also did well for his roles as a Student Councillor, CCA Leader and Subject Representative.

Looking forward to next Wednesday, when the PSLE results will be released.  All the best, Javier!

16 Nov 2021 - Receiving Multiple Awards

Today is the P6 Graduation and Prize Presentation Day for Rosyth School.  Due to the current pandemic situation, parents were not invited to attend the prize giving ceremony.  I'm glad to announce that Javier was awarded with two medals for his contribution as a Student Leader as well as his role as Vice Chairman for the school's InfoComm Club (CCA).  I'm really proud of his achievement throughout his six years in Rosyth School.  Well done, Javier!  :-)

15 Nov 2021 - Release of results for Sec 3 Subject Combination

At 9am today, Jerlene got the result of her subject combination for Sec 3.  She was glad that she was successful in getting her 1st choice option.  Some of her classmates were not given their first choice option and decided to appeal.  The subjects that Jerlene will be taking in Sec 3 are as follows:

- English

- Higher Mother Tongue

- E. Maths

- A. Maths

- Pure Physics

- Pure Chemistry

- Elective History

- Social Studies

With the subjects now confirmed, I can proceed to purchase her textbooks online.

14 Nov 2021 - Dining out up to 5 people allowed

The government has just announced that they are relaxing some of the restrictions, including dining out in a group of 5 vaccinated people.  As such, we finally are able to dine out as a family for the first time in two months.  Hopefully, situation will continue to improve and we can see more restrictions getting relaxed.  Cheers!

12 Nov 2021 - Certificates for Science and Maths Olympiad Competitions

Javier participated in this year's Science and Mathematics Olympiad organized by NUS High School few months ago.  He was awarded with Merit for SPSO (Singapore Primary Science Olympiad) and Honourable Mention for NMOS (National Mathematical Olympiad of Singapore) respectively.  When I looked at the NMOS paper, it was tough and I myself was not able to solve some of the questions.  Well done, Javier!

5 Nov 2021 - Sec 2 year end report

Jerlene received her report book today.  She did quite alright for her year end examination considering the amount of effort that she put in for her revision.  I'm sure if she works harder, she is definitely capable of achieving better results.  Now it's time for her to decide which subjects she wants to take in Sec 3.

20 Oct 2021 - Covid-19 curbs extends for another month

As the daily cases of Covid-19 infections and deaths remains pretty high, the existing restrictions for dining and social gathering will be extended for another month.  This means we will not be able to eat out as a family for another month.  Sigh........

18 Oct 2021 - A day off from work

Tracy's birthday celebration continues today as both of us took a day off from work.  We had our breakfast at Opus Bar and Grill Steakhouse which is included in our Steak-cation package.  Due to all the Safe Management Measures under the current pandemic situation, we had to order from the breakfast menu and being served by the waiters instead of the usual buffet-style.

We checked out of Hilton Hotel at noon and proceeded to our next program, a fun game at Captivate Escape Room.  We were being entrusted with a task to investigate an unusual death of the smallest man in the world.  We managed to solve it within the allocated time frame but of course with some hints.  After the game, we walked over to Plaza Singapore to have some dessert and afternoon tea.

As we were away from our kids for about 24 hours, we decided to go home to see how they are doing right after our afternoon tea.  Though this is a short "vacation" for us, we both enjoyed it very much.

17 Oct 2021 - Our first Staycation without the kids!

As mentioned in my earlier post, Tracy and I went on a Steak-cation at Hilton Hotel today.  This is our first time staying out without the kids!  After checking in to our room, we went shopping along Orchard Road.  At about 6pm, we returned to Hilton Hotel and went straight to Opus Bar and Grill Steakhouse for our dinner.  This is included in our Steak-cation package which includes a one-night hotel stay, a dinner for two at Opus Steakhouse with 2 hours free-flow wine, and breakfast for two the next morning.  In addition, there is also a $20 credit which we can utilize at Opus for ordering extra items.

The package allows us to choose an item from the Sharing Cuts menu.  We selected the Wagyu Sirloin & Whole Grilled Lobster Platter from the menu and ordered a plate of Oysters, which is Tracy's favourite.

After the sumptuous dinner, we went to a nearby Starbucks Cafe and bought some cakes and coffee before returning to the room for a mini party.  This is as close an experience as going on an overseas holiday, after almost two years without travelling outside of SG.  It always feels great to stay in such a cozy room.

14 Oct 2021 - Happy BDay, Wifey!

Today is Tracy's birthday but we did not take leave to celebrate because she had an important meeting to attend.  However we do have something planned this coming weekend.  :-)