In the new breed of universities like New College, students learn via self-study and conduct research themselves and graduate using their own ability. Unlike the common universities, New College focuses on work quality instead of quantity. Students are also graded in detail on what they should improve on instead of just getting a grade. There is also no recognition nor penalty based on how well the students do so the learning environment is more relaxed and focused. The ratio of students-to-faculty is 10 to 1 thus enabling the students to interact and discuss better instead of being drilled with information. This way, students in New College are responsible for their own education and graduates from schools like these have all the qualities employers want as the graduates end up as active learners. Students in New College also do not need to burn midnight oil for revision and there are no multiple choice tests.

My favourite food....

Honestly, I have no favourite food! Food is something that keeps me alive, something that keeps my day going! Without food, there would be no life. Food supports life.

In my opinion, there are 3 very important factors that make up good food. They are appearance, fragrance and most importantly, taste. Without appearance, the certain dish might not be able to whte the consumer's appetite. Without fragrance, the consumer will definitely be turned away if the dish smells bad; and lastly without taste, why call it food?

If I really have to have a favourite food, I would say Soba. Soba is a type of thin Japanese noodle made from buckwheat. It can be served wither in a warm soup, or simply chilled coupled with a dipping sauce known as 'Soba Tsuyuu". My favourite one would definitely be the chilled version known as 'cold soba'.

Cold Soba is usually served on a sieve-like bamboo tray known as a 'zaru' and garnished with bits of dried seaweed. The dipping sauce as mentioned above, is a mixture of dashi (A type of soup base ), sweetened soy sauce and mirin (a type of rice wine similar to sake). Needless to say, being a Japanese dish it is definitely eaten using the chopsticks.

Certain misinformed people, not just Singaporeans eat it by first pouring the whole bowl of Soba Tsuyuu onto the tray of chilled soba noodles; but the correct way of eating is to hold the bowl of dipping sauce on one hand and using chopsticks on the other hand, to take some noodles and dip it into the sauce and lastly, slurping the noodles loudly. The slurping part may sound very rude, but in Japan, it is traditionally considered polite to do so. This applies to eating warm noodle dishes too as slurping the noodles also act as a cooling mechanism for the warm noodles, making it easier to chew and swallow.

What makes the cold soba so special to me? The taste of the noodles dipped in the soba tsuyuu is a mix of savoury and sweet goodness! The chill factor also makes the dish very refreshing and thus an ideal meal to consume in hot weather or summer!

This is why my favourite food is Cold Soba. (I have it almost everytime I visit a Japanese restaurant!)

Education -
"Something that ruins your life.", or so as most teenagers say.

To me education is a very important thing in my life. Education to me is like nutrients for a plant. Plants need nutrients to grow and ultimately flowers will blossom and it will bear fruits. Similarly, education is something that prepares me for my future, something that is worth investing in for the better of my future.

But there are a variety of types of education in the world. They range from pure reading and memorisation, constant practise also known as "drilling" to hands-on practice for a better grasp of a certain topic or subject.

I myself prefer a "rojak" of these different varieties. It allows me to have a more all-rounded way of learning and that makes life alot easier for me; but the one aspect of my education which I think will be the most useful for my adult life would be the excursions to other places and not forgetting overseas trips organized by schools.

Why would this be the most important aspect for me? Firstly, going out of school to take a look at the outside world will allow me to look at how adults "survive" in the outside world. How they behave or what they should and should not do. By doing this, when I grow up and step into the boundless possibilities of society, I will be able to cope better with the unfamiliar surroundings and of course, adapt faster. Quoting what a famous English naturalist once said, "It is not the fittest nor the most intelligent that can survive, but the most adaptable to change."

To be continued...

This.
























































































Is a letter to Mrs. Yeo.

Hello Mrs. Yeo!

How is everything recently? Nobody really knows what happened to you. Anyway, I am writing to you now to keep you updated on what have been happening in school and to me now that I am in secondary 4.

A lot has happened lately, for example the recent exchange program with students from Shanghai, the release of the 2007 ‘O’ level results and of course, this year’s not to be missed Chinese New Year celebrations in our school.

Firstly secondary 4 life seems to be fairly manageable right now. It’s not a surprise that it is okay when I start to do my homework and revision consistently. After all, this year is a crucial year which will decide the path I take in the future; be it education wise or job wise.

Secondly I will talk about the recent exchange program with students from Shanghai. Honestly I felt that they were not trying their best to be good guests at all, though I must admit I was a very good host too. This was probably due to our culture differences in between Singaporeans and the Chinese from China. I am so glad it’s over now! Why? That’s because I: do not have to tolerate my Shanghainese buddy’s idiosyncrasies anymore! Such as sleeping with just his underwear and shirt. ._.

Thirdly I will talk about the release of the 2007 ‘O’ level results. Though I was not one of the examinees, I must admit that I felt very excited while the results were about to be revealed. The good results of our seniors also sort of motivated me to do better than them and of course, proceed on to a prestigious Junior College. Motivation alone will not be enough though. Hard work is also another ingredient in the recipe of success. Like Albert Einstein once said, “Success is 99& hard work, 1% luck.” My results for the first round of common tests also convinced me that I was on a good start and this made me want to do better too!

Lastly I will now update you on this year’s Chinese New Year celebrations in our school. It was a very joyous occasion and rather grand this year. The performances were very good too except Drama Club’s. The actors were rather soft-spoken and I personally could not really hear them. That was the only bad point of the whole skit they acted out. I am pretty sure if I could hear them, the skit would have been rather enjoyable. The shanghainese students joined us too and contributed to some of the performances too. There was also a mandarin orange peeling contest which I honestly felt was very, very stupid. I am not able to see the fun in it! But overall, the celebration was very much enjoyable.

Anyway Mrs. Yeo, whatever is happening to you, I wish you a fast recovery! Happy Chinese New Year nonetheless!

Yours sincerely,
Wen Hao

B
BW
BWA
BWAH
BWAHA
BWAHAH
BWAHAHA
BWAHAHAH
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAA!