MOMMY CLUB - Yr 2007 P1's (Yr2000 Millennium & Dragon Babies)

Rains,
From what I observe so far, my son's Chinese grades seem to be better than the rest of the other subjects. Higher Chinese is difficult esp the comprehension passages.
I'll see how it goes later this year. Too early to tell now, but I would ask him to drop HCL if it is too time-consuming.

Jess,
Boys will be boys after all...laziness and cutting corners is part and parcel. But if your boys have that eagerness to learn, you won't have to worry too much.
I always remind my son to be careful and focus on his work. The kids in the top few classes may be bright but they are also very careful.
 


Thanks, Jess, for sharing.

I thought that theory only applies to low-ability kids like me. I used to not want to study so that when my grades were poor, I could attribute them to my not studying rather than my low intelligence. I was afraid of being proved that my family were really right when they said that I was stupid. I was worried that if I studied, and still failed, I would be really stupid. By not studying, I could tell myself it was becos I didn't study and that's why I didn't do well.

But actually, it's difficult to apply to my kid's situation, becos she doesn't study much, so there's no opportunity for me to praise her for putting in effort in her studies. On the contrary, there're too many opportunities for me to scold her for the lack of effort and studying.

Janet,
True. The really good ones are very careful as well. I haven't met a top child who isn't careful.
 
Rains,
I didn't do well in school too, my Maths sucked.
Top students are really intelligent and don't have to do that much...plus it also boils down to being careful.

Hey, how old is your 2nd child ? My younger one is due for P1 registration this year. Next year, very busy with 2 of them...but I get to enjoy the peace in the morn. Got pros and cons of both in morn session.
 
Janet,
I don't think top students don't do that much. But they are able to do more compared to the weaker ones given the same time frame. I personally feel that all students have to do a lot of practices in order to be exam-smart because they need to know what is expected in an exam. That is probably why the top PSLE students are not necessarily from the gifted stream.
 
Janet and Jess,
Yeah, usually top students are a hardworking lot. They don't just bang on their intelligence alone. Comparatively, the weak ones are the ones who don't do practices or even homework.

I remember studying a module on psychology which I couldn't agree with for most of its stuff, but thought this was accurate: the ones who made it tend to attribute their success to hard work, but those who are not as good attribute others' success to good luck.

My 2nd one is only 19 months lah, cannot register for P1 yet, haha.

Sigh, mummies, I'm going to cane my kid when she comes home from school today. I just saw her Maths paper. It's full of careless calculation mistakes eg. 12x100=3000, addition, division mistakes. And there're questions I had made her practise on which she also got wrong.
 
Rains,
My son is also very careless. His Maths teacher just punished him the other day for being very careless in his SA1. She told my son," When you see your own paper, you will knock your own head and cry." True enough he was very upset because he could have topped the class if not for his carelessness.

I remember my own secondary school Maths teacher used to tell us,"I have many marks to give away, please don't give them back to me!"
 
Rains/Jess,
My son attended remedial lessons in April...his teacher made them practice problem sums. Can you recommend any title of assessment book which has good problem sums ?
 
Dear Dorothy,
LONG TIME NO 'SEE' !!!
How are your kids ? Is your daughter busier now than before ? I remember you mentioned something about many after-school classes to attend school religious events.
 
hi Janet,
My kid hasn't been doing her assessment books so I don't have any specific recommendation. I'm getting my kid to do onsponge Maths this holiday becos it's as clean as a sheet of paper. She made me buy it in January, saying her teacher asked them to buy. There are problem sums in there as well and they seem quite good to me. Of course, my kid hasn't reached the problem sums yet.
 
Hey Rains,
Hubby told me to get a Math assessment book to drill son this June. I bought Fabian Ng's Problem-solving processes, so most prob will be using that since it's as clean as a sheet of paper like yours. HaHaHa.
On one hand, told me not to step into Popular so as not to think about books but yet ask me to look out for Math assessment...alamak, so contradicting.
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Rains,
I choose Nan Hwa bcos i want a sec sch with only express class. Sorry, if i offended someone! This sch is in Clementi n i stays in Woodlands at the moment. I had sold my hse so we are thinking of shifting near a sec sch for my elder! We hv few places to stay temporary, no worries!

RE: Maths Assessment
My girl did Steps-by-steps.
 
VQ,
Why would you offend anybody with your choice of sec sch lah? Nan Hwa is a sap school is it? Clementi would be a good place to live in. Lots of good schools there too, and near to NUS. I always thought it's good to live near a university to allow future envisioning. Sometimes I wonder if it would have done me some good if I could see university undergraduates from the place I live in. Hahaha, me and my visions!
 
Rains,
I hope my kids will make it to University too, that's why I don't push too hard (in case son burnt out).
Nan Hua primary is a SAP school.

VQ,
I buy Step-by-step Maths every year too, as well as Problem-solving processes by Fabian Ng.
 
Rains,
i scare mah! cos i mentioned i want my girl to go a sec sch with only express class!

I dont know whether Nan Hwa High is a SAP sch.

Stays near a U and everyday "brainwash" our child, u c! u c! this gor-gor n jie-jie can go U! so u must study hard also?!?!? Hahaha.... i think i go crazy very fast like that!!! WaHahahaha......

Janet,
i find step-by-step kinda difficult! if not, my girl tutor let her do n mark for her. I wouldn't "dig a grave for myself" WOW! Janet, i salute u!
 
VQ,
I cannot teach Maths...simply hopeless.
My hubby teaches son in his Math, I only get the assessment books.

No need to salute me lah...I just buy assessment books and hubby does the teaching.
 
Hi! I just came back from HK last night. It was a good break. Now I have to slowly ease my boys back to doing some work. They seem to have much more school holiday homework this time round....
 
Jess,
Good for u! we hv not started our holiday trip yet! My girl has been going back to sch for extra lessons fm Mon til today! I hv also enrol her for a holiday intensive swimming program at sports school!

I hv a question to mommies who child has cert fm NASSA. Is it true that when they r in sec sch, they hv extra swimming lesson, after sch hrs, and if u hv a NASSA Gold cert or whatsoever level, u can be exempted fm this extra swimming lesson?
 
Wow, Jess,
You never mentioned about going to HK.

Share with me where you go, what is good, and where to eat at, can? I'm going there this Sunday and I haven't got time to work out the details esp where to eat.

VQ,
I can't help you with the NASSA thing. My kid took years to get a bronze becos she was always sick on the days she had swimming lessons. Eventually, I got her to quit swimming.
 
VQ,
I think some sec sch do practise that, at least my nephew was exempted from swimming lessons last year because he already passed the NASA bronze test.

Rains,
We took the afternoon flight after school was dismissed last Thursday. Stayed 2 days at Disney Hollywood Hotel before changing to Park Hotel in Tsim Sha Tsui. Also visited the Victoria Peak, took the Ngong Ping 360 ride to Po Lin Monastery and of course Ocean Park as well. Managed to do some shopping as well. Food is easy to find and reasonably cheaper compared to Singapore. The desserts at Xu Liu Shan is good, they have many outlets, so you can't miss them. We bought tourist day tickets for travelling on MTR which is quite cheap and also gives discounts to the entrance tickets at Ocean Park. Do bring along umbrellas or raincoats as it is the rainy season. But it can also get quite sunny, so don't forget suntan lotion as well.
 
Thanks, Jess! The places you mentioned are the ones we'll be visiting as well. I'm more concerned about the food. My sister went there and came back telling me that the dim sum she'd tried were not good. She said she probably tried at the wrong places.

Suntan lotion ah? So serious?
 
Yes, it is better to apply sun block on the face and neck because it can be very sunny if it isn't raining. My younger son has sensitive skin and suffered sun burnt on the back when we visited Disneyland. It is better to visit the major places of interests during weekdays, less crowded, no need to wait too long in the queue.

We had typical HK food and dim sum around Toyo Mall in Tsim Sha Tsui, not bad leh. The Jap food is also good with reasonable pricing. There is a noodle shop at the Peak, also very good but portion quite small.
 
Jess,
No wonder I didn't 'see' you here...so you were out of town. It's a nice break to get away. Just to check with you, what did you eat during those few days ? Is the food oily ?

The last time I went to HK (donkey years ago), the weather was so sunny that my lips cracked.
 
Thanks, Jess,
Sunburnt in Disneyland??? ... Oh my, that sounds serious. I've read that June is the worst month to go HK but didn't think it could be that bad. I thought we shouldn't feel the 'heat' since Singapore is just as hot, if not hotter.

I'm planning the itinerary, and although I don't have problem filling in the breakfasts and lunches, I have problem with dinners. Most people recommend dim sum for food in HK. Dim sum for breakfast and lunch is fine, but dinner doesn't seem to be something on most people's itinerary.

Okay, I'll try to find the noodles place at the Peak. If not, we'll have dinner after we descend. I read that the wanton noodles served in HK are generally small in portion so that the noodles don't get soggy.
 
Rains,
The last time I went to HKG was during summer...extremely hot and lips cracked.
Dimsum for breakfast & lunch is ok, but dinner is a headache. What are the kids going to eat during those few days ?
 
Janet,
We had burgers and simple stuff at Disneyland/Ocean Park, Japanese food for dinner twice - once in Causeway Bay, another in Tsim Sha Tsui, wonton noodles at the Victoria Peak, vegetarian lunch at the Po Lin Monastery besides the typical HK Chinese food. Food was not an issue at all and my kids had very good appetite, as usual. There is also Food Republic food court at one of the shopping centres that we went to.
 
Jess,
Thanks for the info...my kids are very fussy with food and that is my main concern. BTW, which hotel did you stay in and how much is it ? Sorry to kaypoh but really hope to bring kids to HKG soon.
 
Janet,
For Disney Hollywood Hotel, I booked online for about SGD800, includes 2 nights stay, breakfast for 2 days and Disneyland tickets . For the SQ tickets and 3 nights stay at Park Hotel (2 adjoining twin rooms), I paid about SGD3300.
 
Jess,
Thank you for the valuable info...will forward to hubby. So I guess you would have spent close to $5K in total including shopping and food.
Hotels in HKG and SG are expensive.
 
Janet,
I think it was the air tickets that were most expensive. The various offers available did not meet our required schedule. Also we booked 2 rooms so that everyone can rest comfortably....
 
Jess,
Airtickets during holiday period is more ex. Wanted to bring my kids for a holiday when they were in kindergarten, but hubby felt that they were too young then. Now have to plan holidays during peak season
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and pay that peak season rate too.
 
Jess,
ur information on NASSA is valuable enough. Thks!

Park Htl in kowloon is good. Near to MTR. The Shao Lah Fan shop next to the htl is GOOD!! The fruit juice stall just opposite the hotel is cheap n good too!!! Further down to the direction to the MTR, near 7-11! There are 2 stalls selling the famous Curry fish ball, egg roll cake n bbq chicken soft bone r so nice.... OH!!! i gonna drool...., just cross the road infront of park hotel. There is another HKG traditional Chai Chen Tang, order a set of breakfast at less than $5, to get a big bowl of porridge n a dumpling!! I always cant finish their breakfast set. So we order 1 set n share among 2 of us!

And, remember the tea they serve when u sit down is better not to be drank. Cos most ppl use them to wash n soak their cutlery!!! Heehee.....

Breakfast can eat at that shao Lah Fan shop or walk to another street

Rains,
Dim sum in HKG. I can recommend u Maxims (www.maxims.com.hk) & Super Star Restaurant (www.superstarrest.com.hk).

If u wanna go for steamboat, i recommend Yao Kuah Hey(You Gu Qi in chinese)! The food is nice! We were there with my elder girl once then both my DH n i went again, few mths later without my girl n the staff there started asking Y my girl was not there! we were shocked that they remember us but later thot another sales tactics. but they said they remember us cos we keep on asking for black vinegar!! Hahahaa......

Desserts at Xu Liu Shan are FANTASTIC!!!! This name is in every corners of kowloon n hong kong island!! They opened in Spore International building, orchard rd, but later closed down cos no crowd!!!
 
VQ,
HKG dessert shops which open in SG can't survive long. Maybe bcos we have our own specialty desserts here. Plus their desserts are ex and there are not enough Hongkongers here to support them.
Mei Heong Yuen in Chinatown wasn't popular before, now it's so crowded.
 
Yes, at the Chinese dim sum restaurants, we saw other people washing the cutlery with the given pot of hot water. So we follow suit...
 
Frankly, I don't really fancy theme parks, I prefer scenery... maybe old already. But my kids likes theme parks, especially the younger one, he likes the adrenaline rush when taking roller coaster rides, so he actually prefers Ocean Park where there are more variety of rides. The older one does not enjoy roller coaster rides, so he prefers Disneyland which has milder rides and other stuff.
 
Jess,
Very suaku here but is Disneyland all about rides ? I remember the super long cable car in Ocean Park. That's very memorable.
 
Janet,
HK Disneyland is very small - few rides and most of them are targetted at younger kids, very family friendly. Their shows are good, especially the 3D one. I think your K2 girl will certainly enjoy it. It has a Disney touch to it, so quite different from Ocean Park. One and a half days is more than sufficient to take all rides and watch all the shows.
For Ocean Park, they have a wider target age group and some of the rides are quite scary. If you like cablecar rides, I think Ngong Ping 360 is much more scenic.
 
Jess,
Will ask hubby if he's keen to bring kids. Thanks. I guess I will enjoy the food and shopping in HKG MOST.
A friend advised me to bring them to Perth...stay at this place called Joondalup...very family friendly. Has kitchen/microwave/washing machine/dryer.

These 2 fellas are driving me nuts at home. One wants me to put tattoo on her ears & finger nails followed by reading her a story book. The other wants me to play Wii. How do you entertain your boys ?
 
Hi mummies!

I'm back from HK at 1am this morning.

For someone who doesn't fancy travelling, I must say I've fallen in love with HK - the food is good, the shopping is good, it's thoroughly convenient.

Perhaps it's becos I've done my research better on HK than Taipei that I find myself enjoy HK so much better, but I really think I'll be back to enjoy the great food. They are nothing like what you have in Singapore.

The weather was perfect for us, except for the drizzles at Disneyland and Ocean Park, but we still enjoyed them nonetheless. The Disneyland is small but we couldn't finish it in one day. A stay at one of the Disneyland hotels would be great as after a day of fun, you would be relieved with a hotel within reach rather than travelling back to Kowloon or Hong Kong Island. In any case, the HK Disneyland Hotel was beautiful and the service was great. I couldn't get enough of the beauty of the hotel. Wish I could stay longer there.

I am not a scenic person - probably that's why I didn't enjoy Taipei as much as I do HK. I love food better
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I'm missing the dim sum already ...

We particularly love this restaurant - Tim Ho Wan. It's the cheapest Michelin (do you spell it like that?) -starred restaurant in the world. The boss is a former chef of Four Seasons. Superior dim sum at low low prices. The char siew buns are heavenly! They are soft polo buns with sweet, tender and juicy char siew in them. Really can't get enough of them. For someone who doesn't love char siew, this gets me!

Oops! My baby;s here. Will update in my facebook when I get the time. I love Hong Kong!
 
rains, glad u enjoyed your trip. i love HK too...will be going there and macau w my sis in July. i dun remember eating particularly good dim sum the last times i were in HK. i think i'll give Tim Ho Wan a try if the queue ain't long.

am heading to Melaka this weekend to binge
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Hi wen,

You need to be there early at the Yau Ma Tei branch to beat the queue. I was there at 8.50am when the shop opens at 10am. It was a weekday morning and there were four taiwanese girls in front of me. They said that they read in a book that if you are not the first, you don't know when it'll be your turn. When we came out, there was a crowd waiting to be seated at 11am.

It has another branch in shen shui pu, it's bigger, opens at 8am, but it's a few streets away.

There are a few good dim sum places it seems, but I only managed to go to this one bcos my family members were not keen to go to different places to try them out.
 
RAINS,
YOU ARE MAKING ME DROOL.....
I did hear that food in HKG is better than TW. The dimsum is cheaper and variety is so wide that you wish your stomach is expandable. I thought the 'bo lor' pau do not have char siew?
 
Janet,
Oh yes, you wouldn't believe what I'm doing - I'm searching for good deals so that I can go HK again. My parents also feel that the food in HK is better than Taipei's.

I think dim sum comes from HK so naturally HK has a wider variety.

Oh oh, they have different kinds of bo lo pau. The one I ate was actually 'char siew pau', but they use bo lo pau as the exterior. It was the shop's specialty. When I can upload my pic, I'll show you on this thread ok? Right now, my comp is so full of pics that it keeps hanging. I'm trying to export my old pics to an external hard drive so that I can load in the HK pics.
 
Haha, Rains, you are addicted to HK already... Luckily it is not too far away, you can go during a long weekend just to eat and shop, no point going back to the same theme parks on subsequent visits. I am actually eyeing on either Taiwan or Japan for our next family trip, probably next year.
 
Ahh Jess,

It feels great when you go to some place thinking that it's no different from Singapore and expecting yourself not to like it, to find that you like it very much.

It feels like 'lost and found' - an element of surprise.

Perhaps it was with a lot of expectations that I went to Taipei that I felt kinda disappointed. After hearing so much about the food in Shilin Night Market, we were like 'huh? Like that very good meh?'

But HK food didn't disappoint. It in fact exceeded expectations. Perhaps it suits our tastebud better. Even a simple bowl of noodles in Disneyland - I had expected it to be awful since we had the most horrible chicken rice and bak kut teh in our own Universal Studio foodcourt, but it was also tasty.

We were keen on taking up a Taiwan group tour last year as the package looked good, but my parents didn't want to change hotels frequently, as required by the itinerary since the tour group would move from one area to another. So in the end, I decided to just stick to Taipei.

Oh, Japan - wait till I have enough money then can go.
 
I think the airfare and accomodation is again the most expensive part. I was on course in Tokyo a couple of years ago and I remember that the food was not that expensive. You can easily get bento sets or ramen at reasonable prices.
 



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