28 Aug 2024 - Olympiad Awards in all 3 Science Disciplines

Today Javier came home with the following 3 certificates.  He managed to achieve Silver for his Singapore Junior Physics Olympiad (SJPO).  No one in his school achieved Gold and he's the only one in IP who was awarded Silver.

For Singapore Junior Biology Olympiad (SJBO), he got a Bronze.  This was unexpected because he totally did not prepare for it.

As for Singapore Junior Chemistry Olympiad (SJCO), he received the Certificate of Participation.  He said the paper was tough because most of the questions were from topics that he will only be taught in IP4.

I must say it's a superb achievement for Javier.  First of all, not many students were selected to participate in all three science disciplines.  And he did it all by himself through his own studies.  We actually asked him if he wanted to attend any boot camps which help students to prepare for such exams and he said he can manage it by himself.  Proud of him!

9 Aug 2024 - NDP Aerial Display and Fireworks

This my yearly ritual, watching NDP Aerial Display by RSAF and fireworks at my roof terrace.

8 Aug 2024 - Our very own Mt Fuji?

Not sure if you see anything unique in the photo below.  To me, I thought I saw Mount Fuji at a distance.

We did not get to see Mount Fuji during our recent Tokyo trip.  Never did I expect to see it right at home.....hahaha.....

Nature is really amazing, especially when you have a bit of imagination.  :-)

9 Aug 2024 - Rainbow on our Nation's Birthday

Today is our National Day.  While waiting for the aerial display at my roof terrace, I could see dark clouds gathered in the east.  In fact, it started to drizzle.  However, it did not spoil my mood because a rainbow began to appear right in front of me.

The seven colours of rainbow became more and more distinct.

If you looked closely to the below photo, you could see one of the RSAF planes were flying above the rainbow!

Gradually, the clouds dispersed, and the rain stopped.  Time to get ready for the aerial display.

8 Aug 2024 - Honourable Mention in Singapore Mathematical Olympiad (SMO)

The Singapore Mathematical Olympiad (SMO) is a prestigious annual competition organized by the Singapore Mathematical Society (SMS) to identify and nurture mathematically talented students in Singapore. It is one of the most challenging and competitive math competitions in Singapore.  The SMO was held in two rounds: the first round is open to all secondary school students, while the second round was invitation-only and requires exceptional performance in the first round.

In this year's edition, Javier managed to receive Honourable Mention for the Senior Section, where he's actually competing with those Sec 4 or IP4 students.  According to him, there were many topics that he has not been taught yet.  As such, he's satisfied with the result but aims to do better next year when he is in IP4.

7 Aug 2024 - Jerlene's Drawing getting better

Jerlene showed me one of her recent sketches and I'm pretty impressed by what she drew.  Comparing to those that she drew during her primary and secondary school years, this is definitely a significant "upgrade"!

4 Aug 2024 - Bronze Award in Singapore Mathematics Project Festival

The Singapore Mathematics Project Festival (SMPF) is a prestigious annual competition organized by the Singapore Mathematical Society (SMS). It provides a platform for secondary school students in Singapore to showcase their mathematical creativity, problem-solving skills, and ability to apply mathematical concepts to real-world problems.  Students work in teams to develop innovative mathematical projects which can cover a variety of mathematical areas, including algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and applied mathematics.  The competition encourages students to think critically and come up with original solutions

Javier participated in this year's edition and received a Bronze Award for the Senior Section.  Congratulations!

3 Aug 2024 - Singapore's First Shrimp Broth Ramen

We were looking for a decent place to have our dinner this evening at Sengkang Grand Mall.  We passed by one store that attracted our attention.  It claimed to be Singapore's first Shrimp Broth Ramen.  Le Shrimp Ramen is under Paradise Group.

Le Shrimp Ramen is a perfect marriage of Japanese and Chinese culture, offering a simple menu of elaborate flavours, featuring two specialty broths – shrimp broth and tonkotsu broth.  Both types of broths were great.