BULLSHIT. Just pure b-u-l-l-s-h-i-t. Isn't L1B5 still grades? And wtf does the stars represent anyway? Whether i'm naughty or nice? Once again, an age old problem that could be resolved by some simple modifications here and there instead of a total revamp. We are Singh-kapur, Sing-kapur-re-ans, not sing-pletons. If I'm the parent, I'M STILL going to choose the school with the best L1B5 for my kiddo to go to. If my kiddo likes to do sports or sing, the stars don't say very much do they? In the end I would still need to rely on the comprehensively thick PSLE Sec sch book guide for reference rite? That is if I've not already decided that my kiddo's smart enough to take the super duper brainiac 6 yr course. I can still keep the old ranking system, but arrange it by CCA excellence instead. Would be an even more comprehensive and achieve the same if not better effect. Much ado about nothing.

Anyway lousy mercenary st makes u pay to access their archives, so here's the article. Just cut-and-paste and enlarge the fonts manually.
Radical shift in school ranking lists
Banding replaces ranking of secondary schools and there is now a greater emphasis on the non-academic areas
By Sandra Davie

THE latest school rankings no longer rank secondary schools here on how well they did in their O-level results. Instead, they band them according to groups with similar results. There are nine bands in the new listing called the School Achievement Tables. Gone will be the exact academic score of each school in the Top 50 Express and the Top 40 Normal stream listings. The new tables will also display, just as prominently, how well a school performs in value-added academic areas as well as non-academic fields such as the arts and sports.

The change marks a radical shift from the controversial 12-year rankings of academic results that had resulted in a single-minded pursuit of academic excellence. The new emphasis: The all-round development of students. As part of the shift, an award that tops all others is being given for the first time since 1999. This is the School Excellence Award, which is for overall systematic excellence in providing a holistic education. The schools which earned this award: Anglo-Chinese (Independent), Raffles Institution and River Valley High.

These main changes were announced yesterday by the Ministry of Education (MOE), which is also scrapping the annual ranking of junior colleges (JCs). In the new achievement tables, four schools are in the first band: Cedar Girls' Secondary, CHIJ St Nicholas, River Valley High and Singapore Chinese Girls'. They have an average aggregate score of below 11 for English or Mother Tongue and the best five subjects of all its Express students, also known as the L1B5. Each of the nine bands is separated by one O-level point, with Band 9 having an average L1B5 of 18.

The new banding sends the strongest signal yet that academic excellence is no longer the sole measure of success. More importantly, it transforms the closely watched annual list into a tool to develop all-round education as Education Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam, who took charge in August last year, seeks to revamp Singapore's school system. His mission is to create a learning environment that nurtures creativity, encourages non-academic talents and provides diversity for children to discover where their talents and interests lie.

As a result, some schools that have long hogged the top spots in past ranking tables are absent from the banding tables. They are Raffles Institution, Raffles Girls' Secondary, The Chinese High, Nanyang Girls' High, Dunman High and Anglo-Chinese School (Independent). They are left out because their students will no longer need to do the O levels since their integrated programmes (IP) allow them to move straight to junior college. And with five JCs offering the IP, it would leave just 12 for comparison and since the A-level results among them do not vary significantly, it was decided to scrap the JC ranking, said the MOE.

But like secondary schools, the JCs will have an honour roll that will highlight achievements beyond academic excellence.The Honour Rolls for secondary schools is one of several additional sources of information being given for the first time. Another is a Web-based interactive system that allows parents and students to produce comparative lists of schools based on specified parameters. It is available on the MOE website.

These new ways to encourage excellence in both the academic and non-academic domains have delighted school principals. Said Miss Susan Leong, principal of Cedar Girls' Secondary: 'The old ranking system led to schools fretting over a school's exact position on the list or whether it moved up or down. It was unhealthy.' But there is no let-up in the pressure because teachers now have to ensure all-round development. 'If a school does well academically but not in the other areas, then that shows clearly as well in the tables. So it is a good kind of pressure,' she said.

When ranking was introduced in 1992, the MOE had intended to hold schools accountable. But it became the bugbear of educationists because of its over-emphasis on exam performance. The Remaking Singapore Committee took up the cause last year, when a sub-committee asked for a banding of schools of similar quality. In March, the MOE announced its intention to adopt it. Yesterday, Member of Parliament Amy Khor, a member of the sub-committee, called the change a 'giant step' in the right direction.

'It could have come much earlier but never mind...better late than never.'

Woke up at 1 today and ate lunch with mom semi naked 'cos everyone else was out. Me ME! Not my mum!! So there I sat starring at my flab having this conversation:

"I think I've put on weight."
"I think I'm getting fat."
pause.
"Maybe you should say you're getting old instead."

Indeed. Words of wisdom from the wise old one.

And while we're on the topic on youth sex, here's some sweet swaying propaganda that exists only in the realms of fiction and fantasy:

The Joy of Holding Hands
By Tamra Dawn, Roving Correspondent, Teen Center

If I was a late bloomer, I was also slow. I know that some of the kids around me - I was 17 at the time - were sleeping with their boyfriends. But for me - and for my boyfriend, Jeff, too - it wasn't an issue.

But holding hands with Jeff was dynamite - electric, thrilling, warm, exciting. It was the first physical contact we had - before our first kiss, before we hugged, before anything. And we kept it at that for a while. I was totally green when it came to anything to do with sex or even physical affection between the sexes, so I let Jeff take the lead.

I've seen this from the boyfriends I've had since Jeff: The incredibly wonderful way it feels to hold hands with someone you really like only feels that way before you have had sex with them. Once you go all the way, holding hands changes. It's still nice, but it doesn't embody that thrill, that excitement. I think that's because when you're still pre-sleeping together, all your longing, desire - all the sexual feelings you have towards each other - is concentrated in the contact between the skin of your palms.

We held hands all the time. There was something very sexy about walking on the beach or at Pacific Ocean Park with our fingers interlaced. Or feeling the warmth of his hand on my leg when we were at a movie. I loved the way he would take my hand and put it on top of his on the gear-shift while he was driving his red TR-4.

Once, about two years after we broke up, we went to a play together. We weren't boyfriend and girlfriend anymore but we hung out with the same crowd, so we still saw each other a lot - and we still liked each other.

Anyway, I had my hand on the armrest of my chair and Jeff started kind of lightly running his fingers over my hand. I can't even describe how incredible that felt. I just closed my eyes and let myself sink into the feelings - I can't even tell you what that play was about.

And sometime during that same year, we were at a party together. Someone had put on a slow dance and Jeff and I danced. I don't know if to this day - and it's lots of years later - I ever felt such intense feelings just dancing close with someone as I did with Jeff that night.

Now a lot of this, of course, has to do with my liking Jeff so much. And the two-years-later stuff also probably had to do with the fact that he wasn't really available to me anymore.

But all of it also had to do with the fact that we hadn't slept together

And it's the same way with kissing. At least from my experience, kissing is so much more intense before you ever "Do It." It's the same as the holding hands thing - that kiss becomes the focus, the microcosm of all your sexual feelings. It can go right through you. Before you have sex, you can hold hands and kiss all night and it stays exciting the whole time.

Maybe that's also because it's not a prelude to something. We knew we weren't going to sleep together - it was just an unstated agreement, I guess. So all of our sexual energy went into those kisses.

Just last year, I got to know a guy, about 21 year old, and we became good friends. I'm married now, with kids and Sam is way, way younger than I am, but we just really hit it off. He's incredibly good looking, smart, funny, warm, and communicative. He was a visiting student in my town for the year, and he would stay with my family sometimes on the weekends. He had quite a few adventures that year and at the end of it, he told me he decided he wasn't going to have sex again until he got married.

I couldn't believe it. Here's this amazing guy who all these girls were crazy about. But he told me that that's what he had learned that year: That he wanted to keep sex something very special, and didn't want to cheapen it by doing it with just anyone.

You have nothing to lose by waiting. And you have a lot to gain. Aside from knowing you're doing exactly what YOU want to be doing and not what someone else is pressuring you to do, you get to experience the joy of holding hands, of kissing, of touching in a way you never will once you go all the way.

And that's worth the wait.

Source: http://www.wholefamily.com/aboutteensnow/sexuality/teen/holding_hand.html

Got this while researching for some essay. Serious!

It feels damn weird when your friend comes to you for r/s advice simply because you are a psychology major or something. It's weirder when he starts telling you that he had sex with his ex-gf 4 times the night before - sparing the gory details of course - and expecting you to impart wisdom 'cos he don't think it's right but feels good about it.

As if I've been getting some lately. Nor am I an expert in BGR. Hell, I've gone through 3 experiences and I wouldn't exactly say that I've handled each and everyone of them very well.

So that's why I always maintain girls are fucked in the mind. Or in this case she's just fucked - 'cos it feels good while she's being confused all this while. Then once she's sort herself out and realise that this is all wrong, she'd blame the guy for being a bastard all this while. But the fact is, most guys don't care. I mean guys really ARE that simple. Serve them up in a platter and they eat it all up. Enough about venuses and mars. Men are really dogs and women are cats.

And now he's off to get the morning after or PCP - Post-coital Pill. I don't think u can even get it WITH prescription at the pharmacist (I'd have to check with my friends on that one), though it would be mighty useful, not to mention ex, though cheaper than the big A. I just don't get it how the hospitals like to screw with your minds pre-abortion. It's like gds the girl's already feeling mighty miserable about her/their decision and then the stupid clinic has to go through all that guilt-instilling tactics to try and make you change your mind. Just because someone has premarital sex doesn't make her deserving of the onslaught of mental stress from the authorities. And I don't think it has anything to do with increasing birth rates (Ask LKY to explain his concept of eugenics if you want).

This is crazy. Was just thinking about writing something blasphemous when I realised my thumb started bleeding. Haa... Well at least it ain't stigmata. So anyway, here I was, back from les choristes experience when they started playing amazing race. Just so happened that it's the last episode (somehow I have this knack of watching crucial episodes in reality tv series).

So in a nutshell, it's down to 3 teams, the holy handsome duo, the competitors and of course, the black. So the 3 teams were hikin up this cold mountain, and then the holy duo started spouting bull that was just a total turn off. "If God wanted us to win the race, we'd win the race" - or something along that line. I mean that's just pure, misguided BULLSHIT. And not just because I'm agnostic or anything, but what a total insult to the faith! If God had WANTED you to do ANYTHING, winning a million dollars would have been the last thing on his mind. I mean God would WANT you to do good. God would WANT you to help people. God would WANT you to lose a loved one so he/she may join him in his kingdom. But why in HIS great grace would he want YOU to WIN a million dollars? I mean sure, u've slogged it out over the continents, the countries, yada yada yada, but surely that don't deserve you a million dollars.

Though it was pretty sweet of them to 'draw' on his strength earlier on, when they were saying stuff like 'picture him standing atop of the mountain with his arms wide open in front of us'. Now THAT was sweet. Weak on their part, but that's fine. To each his image of him.

God didn't create us because he needed us. Man created God because we need him.

Seems like this quiz is pretty much in vogue these days, so i might as well have a go at it. Haha, and guess what? 1% of my brain is missing! So i guess that makes me 1% stupider or less efficient that other 'normal' people.

Your Brain Usage Profile:

Auditory : 69%
Visual : 30%
Left : 50%
Right : 50%

Your hemispheric dominance is equally divided between left and right brain, while you show a moderate preference for auditory versus visual learning, signs of a balanced and flexible person.

Your balance gives you the enviable capacity to be verbal and literate while retaining a certain "flair" and individuality. You are logical and compliant but only to a degree. You are organized without being compulsive, goal-directed without being driven, and a "thinking" individual without being excessively so.

The one problem you might have is that your learning might not be as efficient as you would like. At times you will work from the specific to the general, while at other times you'll work from the general to the specific. Sometimes you will be logical in your approach while at other times random. Since you cannot always control the choice, you may experience frustrations not normally felt by persons with a more defined and directed learning style.

You may also minimally experience conflicts associated with auditory processing. You will be systematic and sequential in your processing of information, you will most often focus on a single dimension of the problem or material, and you will be more reflective, i.e., "taking the data in" as opposed to "devouring" it.

Overall, you should feel content with your life and yourself. You are, perhaps, a little too critical of yourself - and of others - while maintaining an "openness" which is redeeming. Indecisiveness is a problem and your creativity is not in keeping with your potential. Being a pragmatist, you downplay this aspect of yourself and focus on the more immediate, the more obvious and the more functional.

As a psych student, I can't really comment on its accuracy, since that would entail the issues of reliability and validity, since that would entail either explicit statistical testing or introspection which i do constantly but am not very good at.
But i do agreee with it totally. By the Likert ratio scale from 1-7 (1 being the lowest and 7 the highest), i'd say my level of acceptance is like a 6 - until i figure out where that 1% went to. Plus instinctively some of the self-perceived negative traits i'd disagree too.
I hope someday I'd be able to formulate stuff like that.

The movie 'hero' has assumed 2 universal truths:
1) world peace
2) women are fucked in the mind

And it's funny how the 2 ideas can never be reconciled, not to each other but simply, they can never be resolved. By women I mean real woman. To assign additional adjectives just wouldn't cut it. The rest are just female. People would keep on fighting, and women would continue insisting otherwise.

What an interesting movie.

So i'm ENTP, or Extrovert iNtuitive Thinking Percepting, according to some test here. So what?!

Just because you have the potential to become something doesn't mean you'll have the potential to access that potential.

Goddamnshit. I just lost my very 1st cash card. The matricard that we use to have didn't count, since i happily transferred the base value into my atm and successfully rendered it useless.

What sort of new age intelligent system is it, if you can only transfer money OUT your cash card but not combine the value within to 1 whole card? I mean don't the stupid people up there at NETS realise the issue on biodegradability and recycling? Now, there's be lots of cashcards lying around, and since it's PLASTIC, with some weird magnetic chip, it would prolly take eons before the materials get broken down and the nutrients returned back to the soil.

Damn you! Damn you all!

Ah what the fuck. I might as well do them all.

1999(Aptitude: 95%)

xin shi yi ge rong qi
bu ting de lei ji
guan yu ni de dian dian di di
sui ran wo zong shou kou ru ping
si nian que man yi
jin shi le wo yan jing (wo...)
yin wei wo tai xiang nian ni
suo yi cai hai pa
zhe gu do da de bu zhao bian ji
ruo ci ke neng ben xiang ni
jin jin yong bao ni
wo hui hao bo chi yi
zhi jue wo men ying shu yu bi qi
fo ze wo bu hui mei qi wu fa ting zhi
xiang ni xiang cheng le xin shi
deng ni deng cheng le jin chi
yen zhong ke wang lai bu ji yan shi
you ru ci cheng shi
zhi jue wo men ying shu yu bi ci
fo ze wo bu hui chang chang ruo you suo shi
bai tian zha yen shun jian li
ye wan hu xi qi xi li
dou xie man le wo shi duo mo ai ni xiang ni den xun xi

2003 (Aptitude: 75%)

I ran into a friend of yours the other day
And I asked her how you been
She said my girl is fine jus bought a house
Got a job a real good man
I told her I was glad for u that�s wonderful
But does she ever ask bout me
She said shes happy with her life right now
Let her go let her be

And I told myself I would
But something in my heart would just not let you go
I just want to know

*What if we were wrong about each other
What if you were really made for me
What if we were supposed to be together
Would that not mean anything
What if that was supposed to be
My house that you go home to everyday
How can you be sure that things are better
If you cant be sure your heart ain�t still here with me
Still wanting me*

Your friend asked me if there was some1 special
In my life that I was seeing
I told her there was no1 in particular
There�s jus I myself and me
I told her that I dream of you quite often
she jus cut her eyes at me
she said you�ve got a home you�re very happy
so jus stop your meddling

I told her that I won't
I said that things were cool
but I guess I was wrong I still cant move on

**

Now that could be my car
That could be my house
That could be my baby boy that you�re nursing
That could be the trash that I always take out
That could be the chair I love to chill in

That could be my food on the table at the end of the day
Hugs and the kisses all the love being made
What the hell do u expect me to say
What if its really supposed be this way
What if you�re really supposed to be with me

**
**

And then we have the song of '04. Aptitude 101%.

I'm usually not a fan of cliches, other than the idiosyncratic fun that I get in make irritating corny puns every now and then. And putting song lyrics on blogs would rank somewhere up there in the list of cliche-of-cliches. But I'd make an exception. I seem to be breaking alot of personal taboo recently, so what's one more right?

I can see the pain living in your eyes
And I know how hard you try
You deserve to have so much more
I can feel your heart and I sympathize
And I'll never criticize
All you've ever meant to my life

I don't want to let you down
I don't want to lead you on
I don't want to hold you back
From where you might belong

You would never ask me why
My heart is so disguised
I just can't live a lie anymore
I would rather hurt myself
Than to ever make you cry
There's nothing left to say but goodbye

You deserve the chance at the kind of love
I'm not sure I'm worthy of
Losing you is painful to me

I don't want to let you down
I don't want to lead you on
I don't want to hold you back
From where you might belong

You would never ask me why
My heart is so disguised
I just can't live a lie anymore
I would rather hurt myself
Than to ever make you cry
There's nothing left to say, but goodbye

You would never ask me why
My heart is so disguised
I just can't live a lie anymore
I would rather hurt myself
Than to ever make you cry
There's nothing left to try
Though it's gonna hurt us both
There's no other way than to say goodbye

Remember her? She's the babe in some canon ad that got her bikinis blown away with the wind. Well, I don't. But my pal just gave me her friendster and blog id. I must say I'm a bit jealous here. Good looks, good life, and a seemingly good-looking boyfriend that's difficult to fault. And she's even got a cute babe sister to match and a tasty selection of music too!

Youthful, decent singles nowadays are facing a very serious catch 22 here. The babes that they wanna go for are either attached, or if not so fucked in the head that's making them single too. The small endangered minority talent pool that they're all craving for that's normal and jude who's just recently broken off with their jackass boyfriend is close to being an urban myth.

So back to the babe. I want to be a successful youth. Not some nameless statistic existing in school doing menial hall stuff that I don't believe in (and not many other people believe in either). Not socially engaged to anyone, going places only when I feel like it, when I can afford to and when I want to. People usually question what others are missing out on when they didn't choose to stay in hall. I ask what I'm missing by limiting myself to this myopic and delimiting cesspool. a.

I dun even know whether it's manifestations of some underlying depressive streak, but everything just about sucks now... The routine that's been kicking in has ceased to serve me any meaning. I need some direction, but don't you go on starting to me about god.

There's something about techno at 4am in the morning that just keeps you going. Nope, I did not go cheonging again this weekend. Beer is bad! repeat the mantra 10 times daily and I'd stop being a self-declared alchoholic.

Heard this slow remix (more like a rendition) of the techno anthem about heaven and decided to check it out. I can't decide who's the lesser evil. I'm leaning towards him, 'cos his website is much more slick and stylish, whereas the other one offers the complete song (for listening only) and mtv as well.

baby you're all that i want,
when you're lying here in my arms
I'm finding it hard to believe
we're in heaven.

I know for a fact that I'd never have that kind of feeling, primarily 'cos heaven is a half-way pipe (nah, I'm no skater, as in the issue of heaven goes along the lines of whether there is a god), and 'cos I know there can never really anyone that's "all that i want". If she's real, she's prolly married (by law or choice to some jackass bf that she's not letting go for sentimental reasons), 26 going on 35, ang moh, dying of terminal illness or just-as-confused-as-me. And I'm not even considering if I actually know this person or not.

How can you be all that I want if i don't even know what is it in the 1st place?

Hana to Arisu (the more proper one)

2 bestest-of-friends kiddos approaching high school takes a whiff of puppy love. They fight for the same guy and that innocent dude is somehow embroiled in their tussles. Now, how interesting can a story like that be?

A simple search on yahoo didn't really turn out much (until I changed the 'and Alice' to 'to arisu', but anyway...), other than this brilliant review of the story, as well as some other kiddo's picture links which I won't even bother linking here. Then there was this report on how some bugger didn't like the film and its score, though I think it's not too bad, and impressive for the fact that it was written by the director himself.

The story's pretty much simple and bordering on cliche-ness, but there's just something about it that simply stuck. The home video-ish unstable camera shots, angles, misc-en-scene and cinematography just makes the whole 2 hours worthwhile.

And that's it. I don't know what to write about it anymore. The movie magic moment's gone, and it's just different writing about it retrospectively than the epiphanous moment.

Anyway, the official movie website sux. If anyone's interested, it's here. Oh, and some knowledge in jap would be useful here as well.

Hana to Arisu (stupid blog refuses to display my japanese script)

In case I'm too lazy to do any write-up about the film, here's all the related links that I've dug up so far...

Comprehensive blog review of the film
Some bugger panning the film
The official film site (I think - in jap)
a better film site
Some cool fan art
More cool fan art
Another cool fan art
How to draw the previous fan art
Lots of H & A links
Picturelogue #1
Picturelogue #2
Picturelogue #3
Picturelogue #4

Usually, I would avoid typing sensitive words that would make my blog a dead giveaway, should anyone bother to search in lieu with my open-private policy, but in this case, I'd make an exception: simteckngee, FUCK YOU. You fugly piece of droopy cunt flap meat.

Well ok, technically it doesn't really count, but that's not the point here. Before I do carry on, lemme just do a little disclaimer here by saying that chronologically and mentally, I may very well be at the late adolescent stage, where remanance of teen angst still go very much rampant. Hence, whatever that's been said here should very well be taken at a very objective and non-prejudiced sense and large doses of salt.

Well at least as a voyeuristic psych lecturer or somebody of high stature you should be!

So anyway, consider this. I have this 8am class every week where I'm consistently late, sometimes atrociously impunctual when I come in during the lecture break. But the point is I came. Being the good samaritan, I kindly requested (for the benefit of everyone else too) during the 2nd lecture for the lessons to commence at 815am instead where people would less likely be missing lessons, which the lecturere kindly agreed.

So 1 fine day I came into class at ~830, ignorant of the fact that he's taken the liberty of 'reminding' those present about a certain 10% assignment due 1 week later that he'd post after the lecture. No news, no email, no announcements, no smses, and true enough, that info was mysteriously sneaked into the system via stealth mode.

So loser self-styled slacker-combating me only got wind of the news when I chanced upon my module mate (I didn't even know she took the module) today while on my way to have fun, only to find that I'm already 5 hours (translated to 1 day due to working hours) late.

And the shit thing was, I have no one to blame except myself. Yes, I DO check the flawed system for 'announcements', download my lecture notes AND print them, clear my email, but NO0o... It was all hush hush. BUT it was there all along. All I had to do was to SEE and click the DAMN button.

It's not as if I didn't try. I've already noticed something amiss when the WHOLE WORLD was having mid terms and assignments while I remained in wonderland, oblivious to the obvious and seeing it as luck. And it's not as if I've not participated actively in class, at the same time tried avoiding making myself seem like a smarty pants/ass, not as if I have been cutting classes regularly, not doing tutorials. And he had to ruin it all after I've watched one of the most beautiful film produced.

I tried so hard, and got so far; in the end, well, does it even matter. So fuck you for fucking me.

Generation Gap

The X-files? Alias.
NYPD Blue? CSI.
Mad About You? Friends.
Take That? Blue
The Simpsons? Pokemon.
American Gladiators? X-Games.
WWF? WWE.
Windows 3.11? Windows XP
Western Bar? Snake.

What a difference a few years make. In retrospect these days, people only know how to talk about their "transformers" and what nots... But what we often fail to realise that there comes a time when what we take for granted may just end up being part of the "good 'ol days".