Me and the Recorder ( A HUGE NO NO )

I remember back in primary school, we had music lessons and a big part of music lessons was the recorder. I don't know if that's still the case now, but back then we had lots of lessons, teaching us on how to use the recorder. 

In case you guys don't know what the recorder is, well here it is. 



In order to play the recorder, you have to blow and cover certain holes with your fingers to get the tune or sound that you want.  

That, was one of my LEAST favourite lessons in primary school. I wasn't really interested in the recorder and whenever it was time to practice, I would usually just play for the sake of playing. 

Don't get me wrong, it's not like I don't like music. But it's just that I am not really interested in listening or playing tunes with musical instruments WITHOUT anybody singing to it. I mean, I find it dull to listen to purely tunes. 

There was this one time, we had a recorder test. I can still remember it because it's one of the funny highlights of my primary school life. HAHA. I'm laughing at the thought of it now. 

So we had a test, and we each take our turn to play the recorder in front of the teacher. We had several practices, but I wasn't really paying attention during those practices. 

When it was my turn to play, I OBVIOUSLY do not know how to play it. So my plan was to just play randomly and hope that it annoys her, and it did. She became annoyed ( I can see by the looks of her face and eyes ) and just said, " GO GO GO. NEXT. " 

This, was what I thought after that XD : 



It's mischievous isn't it? Yeah, I was a mischievous kid, and I think I still am ^^ To be honest, my parents had quite a hard time disciplining me when I was a kid. The more they punished me, the more I would rebel. 

But you know, those were the good old days. That's the thing about childhood, sometimes because you are immature, you don't exactly know what you're doing. Sometimes I do really feel like face-palming myself in the face when I recall certain things I did back then.  

But hey, If you don't do stupid shit when you're young, you have nothing to laugh about when you're older. 

So after I sort of TROLLED my teacher, I told everyone about it. Yeah. I don't know why, I just had the urge to tell everyone that I just trolled a teacher. Was it fascinating or amusing? I don't know. 

National Cashflow Board Game Competition

I attended the National Cashflow Board Game Competition at Outram Secondary school on Wednesday with a few of my schoolmates. It is an event that promotes Innovation, creativity and Entrepreneurship. Since I am interested in business, this was a really fun and educational experience for me. 

Basically, we were to supposed to play a board game called " Cash Flow " and it was a game whereby you have to manage your finances, get business deals, get rich, and finally buy your dream business.  



( You can play the game online @  http://www.richdad.com/classic )



There were two parts to the game. The first was the rat race. It is a place where we are still receiving salaries, made to pay expenses, taxes and car loans. We also had to make business deals to increase our passive income and top up our. Occasionally, we would have to pay for certain mandatory expenses such as having a new born baby ( Damn I hate this, drained my money >< ), daughter's wedding, Son's College tuition, etc. 

In order to get out of the Rat Race, you have to increase your passive income ( The income you get from the businesses you get ) until it is higher than your total expenses. 

Once you actually get out of the Rat Race, you advance to the next part of the game, the Fast Track, it is where the rich play the game of money. Your initial Cashflow will increase by 100 times and you won't have to pay anymore expenses. 

In order to win the game, you have to either buy your dream business in the Fast Track, OR earn 50 million dollars. 


Getting to the fast track is easier said than done. There were only 3 people who got to the Fast Track and were awarded trophies. I think the problem is that you have lots of expenses to pay in the Rat Race, which drains your cash and prevents you from buying businesses. 

I managed to buy 2 businesses, increasing my passive income to only $340. Yeah I know it seems pathetic but it's really difficult, and there's a time limit to the game. 

I didn't win any trophies, but at least I got my Certificate Of Participation ^^ YEAH. 

It's a bit crumpled ._. 

I will definitely bring this cert to my DPA ( Direct Polytechnic Admission ) interview if I decide to apply for Business. 

The lesson we learnt, that one of the teachers there talked about was that in this age, the one that keeps the most money in their pocket, isn't the most successful or likely to succeed in anything. But it is those who make use of their money to invest SMARTLY on businesses, properties, etc. increasing their passive income, so that they wouldn't have to be stuck in the Rat Race FOR LIFE. 

It has the same concept with my " Work hard AND SMART " Motto :) ( http://yhpworld.blogspot.sg/2013/11/hard-work-is-not-everything.html )

Mr Keith Ng, the founder of Gametize, was also the Guest-Of-Honour of the event. He is a young entrepreneur who believes that effective learning comes from playing. So that's why he decided to create Gametize. It is an organisation which believes in fun learning. 


More about Gametize @: http://gametize.com/index

Mr Keith Ng talked about his success stories, about his life and how he managed to create Gametize. Like any other Entrepreneur, he has failed a lot of times. In fact, he even went bankrupt at one point. But this didn't stop him. He said that it is okay to fail, because it actually improves what you do. 

I remember he said this, " We are living in a society that teaches us that failing is not an option. "  And I totally agree with him, especially in a competitive environment like Singapore. But in life, it is alright to fail because you will know what you lack and how you can improve. 

But of course, you should still try your best at everything you do. Don't fail and say " It's alright to fail. " when you didn't even try. 

I really respect and look up to this guy :) 

Overall, the programme was really enjoyable and enriching, I have learnt a lot about finances and the skills and mindset needed to start a business and run it successfully. 

Fighttips by Shane Fazen ( Review )

Just this year, I found this Youtube Channel called Fighttips and its website. It is run by Shane Fazen and it promotes self defence and Anti-Bullying. 

Shane is a pro Muay Thai fighter, boxer, Taekwondo Black belt and a personal trainer. His aim is to teach people all over the world about fighting, and at the same time how to avoid violence, and gain mental confidence. 

So what does he teach? Well, he teaches Boxing, Muay Thai, Grappling, home fitness, etc. 

What I really like about Fighttips, is that it teaches you all the elements of fighting from various martial arts. Because on the streets or a self defence situation, you can't be one dimensional. You need to know how to strike, obviously, to take out your opponent but you also need to know how to grapple, just in case he bearhugs or headlock you.

Every martial art has its own pros and cons. Eg. Boxing trains the hands efficiently but not kicks, locks, etc. So take the pros from each style and be efficient in every aspect of fighting.  

Shane has also modify the techniques so that it can be used effectively in a street fight. 

He don't just teach you how to fight and knock somebody out, but he also teaches you how to avoid violence and fight only for self defence, when your life is at stake and that you have to stand your ground and FIGHT. 

He has been through numerous street fights back when he was a teenager and he knows from experience how dangerous street fights can be. You don't know if that guy has a weapon on him, or whether his friends are around and they're gonna jump on you unexpectedly. 

He has these three mottos that he keep on stressing in each of his videos. Violence is not cool, fighting should only be done in self defence and BULLIES SUCK. 

Here's another one of his quotes that I like

He also promotes Anti-Bullying with his iPushBack Programme and that anyone who is being bullied should stand up for himself and not be a target. 

Let's take a look at some of his videos... 

Boxing 

Muay Thai 

Street Fighting 

Grappling 

Informative 

If you want to learn self defence at home, I fully recommend going to the fight tips website and sign up for the FREE email training courses. You will learn all the things you need to know to defend yourself and be safe. 

Whether you're a beginner, or you have some martial arts background, the things learnt are very simple and the email training course is structured, step by step, so that it is easy for you to learn. It's suitable for everybody. 

Website: http://www.fighttips.com/

Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/FightTipsVideos

End Of Year holiday Tip

So this is kinda a random post because I'm going to be sharing with you guys a strategy/tip that i think is pretty useful. This is targeted at the upper sec students, those who are taking their N or O levels next year. So if you're a lower sec student, you can close this tap now and play all you want. 

So as you know, the national exam is approaching in less than a year, and one year is really fast I can tell you that. So my strategy for this holiday is to spend at least a few hours everyday, doing my holiday homework, or revising what was taught this year. 

In case you have been living under a rock for some time now, I'm here to remind you guys that upper sec is not like lower sec. After an academic year in lower sec, you can pretty much forget everything that was taught, going to the holidays with the " YOLO " mentality, that was what I used to do back then, and I'm sure everyone does it. 

But the N or O levels is a 2 YEAR COURSE. You can't simply forget what was taught in the first year, you have to retain that knowledge. Especially for the N(A) students who intend to go to 5N, that's a 3 year course for you. 

You don't have to study for the entire day everyday during your holidays, because, WHO WANTS TO?! But just spend about a few hours ( It won't take half a day ) to just do your holiday HW or some revision. This way, you are constantly recapping the things you learnt, therefore retaining the knowledge. 

Let's say you want to do your sciences on Monday, and maybe your maths on Tuesday, it doesn't matter. Break them down and plan your own strategy. I don't plan anything actually, I just randomly choose which subject(s) i wanna do on that day. 

If you have tuition during the holidays, GREAT. I fully recommend going for tuition because it will prepare you for next year, so that you are ahead of your peers on the topics and stuff. 

So try this tip out and see if it works for you. 

Hard Work is NOT everything

Ever since I started school a long time ago, I have been told numerous times that in order to succeed, you should work hard, the harder you work, the more successful you're gonna be. It is true, but over the years, I have noticed that hard work is NOT everything. 

Hard work is one of the key factors that decides whether we become successful or not, but it is not the ONLY factor, get the logic there?

Firstly, you need to work SMART as well.

Why do some people who study all night long fail their exams while some who probably just spend about 2-3 hours can pass theirs? The answer is because those who study for 2-3 hours probably know their stuff already, and all they need to do the day before the exam is just to recap, OR they know what the important things are, and will not waste their time filling their brains with unnecessary information. 

Make a plan, then execute it. Don't just execute it blindly and say that " I have worked hard, I should get my results. " 

Also, another part of working smart is knowing what you are good at, and what you need to work on. If you are good at something, don't be complacent, PERFECT IT. If you need to work on something, then work on it and IMPROVE IT. 

Secondly, you may not believe this, but LUCK is also another factor. 

For me, I believe in luck because a lot of my friends and I have been lucky before. Sometimes, when luck is on your side, you can somehow succeed without you expecting it. 

Just look at this bar graph above, It shows how luck makes a huge impact, be it on a business plan, expanding sales, etc. 

But BEWARE, do not rely on luck as the ONLY factor. Luck, is like a roller-coaster, sometimes it's up, sometimes it's down. Ie. You may be lucky at one point, but you may not be at another. 

If you don't do shit but you are lucky at that time, you MAY still get your results, but they may not be satisfactory. But if you accompany your luck with hard work ( and of cos, working smart as well ), your results will be MARVELOUS. 

But well, if you're unlucky and decide not to do shit, well, my message is, good luck to u ^^ 

I hope that after reading this, you would not stop working hard, because it plays an important part be it in your work or studies, but it is NOT THE ONLY part, that's my message.

Stop Being Pessimistic

Singapore is a very competitive and stressful country, everyone is aware of it. There is high demand for housing and thus the price has escalated a lot over the years. 

Well, this is a problem, obviously. Many working adults are stressed out trying to manage their finances in order to buy a house for their married life, I can fully understand that. 

But then, I have seen some teenagers, the same age as me, who get stressed out because of this. It's as though they are already working and are gonna get married at any time. 



Why do they get stressed out because of a problem that they are not having yet? Why are they wasting their time worrying and ranting about this instead of studying and enjoying their youth? 

They are still studying and haven't even gotten a job or earned money yet, why worry so much? 

Teenage years are the most carefree times of our life, why should we let a problem that hasn't even reached us ruin our youth and teenage life? Our job right now, is to study hard and play hard. Be happy, and live life to the fullest. 

It's like if a sec 1 boy worries about his O levels in a couple of years time. O levels is challenging, but it doesn't concerns him yet. Just enjoy your sec 1 life ( Trust me, you will miss lower sec life when you are in upper sec ). 

As teenagers, we should be spending our youth doing things that we like, discovering ourselves, see what our strengths and weaknesses are, see what we like and don't like, and stuff like that, instead of worrying about buying a house when we haven't even gotten a job yet. 

This problem may not be solved entirely in the next few years, but I have seen a lot of effort being put in to make housing more affordable and I think we should have a more positive outlook towards life. Believe that good things will come and that there would definitely be a way for us to tackle this problem in the future. Most of the time, we are the ones who decide whether we are happy, or unhappy. 

My Top 3 Preferred Poly Courses

As mentioned in one of my earlier posts, I am interested in going to Polytechnic since I already know what my passions and interests are, and that I would prefer an education with a lot of varieties, projects, internships, etc and not just primarily on studying. Learning is cool but studying is boring. 

Here are my 3 preferred polytechnic courses: 

1) Mass Communications 





The reason why I want this course is due to my love for writing. I started to love writing when I was in secondary 1 and I have always kept that as a passion ever since. I mean, whenever I write essays or compositions, I actually love the process of transferring my thoughts into words in a piece of writing. I do not see it as work which I am obliged to do, but as something which I really enjoy doing. 

Also, I love languages, particularly the English language, and to utilise my knowledge to communicate and spread messages to the public. 

The main reason, which I've discovered myself on why I like communications is because I kinda like the idea of sharing knowledge, information and my views with people, and I am comfortable with that :) I'm not shy to share stuff any day... So those who follow me on Twitter will know that I tweet, A LOT. Haha. 

There are also lots of specialisations, advertising, public relations, journalism, event management, etc. And yeah I love varieties, so I wouldn't have to do same things over and over again. 

Preferred Polytechnic: Ngee Ann (Mass communication)  http://www.np.edu.sg/fms/courses/diploma/Pages/mcm.aspx

Alternative Polytechnics:

 -Singapore(Media and Communication)
http://www.sp.edu.sg/wps/portal/vp-
spws/!ut/p/c1/hc7LDoIwEAXQT5rpk7IELLQSxERFZGO6MKZGwIXx-y07QnzMLE_unYEOwg7u5a_u6cfB3aGFTp4PRmiaC44qygRakjdKU2ScYfDTzAtiNFpkZaUjRtHKP-njdG-eXzUhZVTKaJxgVsiF1_t1aKh3Ok71lpaK_HRVLf3Df5Pjl0kQNmbsL_DoW_T2xt-u2pEh/dl2/d1/L2dJQSEvUUt3QS9ZQnB3LzZfVUg1RTJGNTQwMDUwODBJOTZCTTVERTJPSDM!/

- Temasek (Communications and media management)
http://www.tp.edu.sg/schools/bus/dip-communication-and-media-management.asp


2) Biomedical Science 






I mentioned in one of my earlier posts that I love learning about the sciences, particularly Biology and Life science ( more about this @: http://yhpworld.blogspot.sg/2013/07/biology.html ) so that's the reason why I want this course. Also, I like learning about the human body and its bodily function, and how viruses, diseases and drugs can affect it. 

I am really interested to take up the Biomedical research option since I like discovering new things like new type of diseases, new cures, new biological theories, etc. 

I hope that I can somehow use my knowledge in Biomedical science to contribute to the medical industry, people's health and the discoveries of prevention and cure of diseases. I.e, mankind ^^

Also, I think a career in this course will give me a great sense of satisfaction as I am doing things for other people and the continuation of the human species ( WOWWW.. I think I am being over exaggerative over here, but yea you get my point ._. ) 

Preferred Polytechnic: Singapore (http://www.sp.edu.sg/wps/portal/vp-spws/!ut/p/c1/hc7JDoIwEIDhR-q0UChHlrGtBOuKyMX0YEyNgAfj81tuhLjMHL_8mSEt8dvbl7vapxt6eycNaaPzQXFkCx6CwQ2Cptu4MBIBc-b9NHFJlXcIygrjgIGO_tTH8d60L2pfKZEFLEkhl-HMzX7JQZsdJhmuWSnoTxfV3D_8Nzp8mRTISg3dhTy6Bpy-hW9qbPTJ/dl2/d1/L2dJQSEvUUt3QS9ZQnB3LzZfVUg1RTJGNTQwTzU4ODBJTzhLNDhUVjJLUTc!/)
Alternative Polytechnics:

-Ngee Ann
( http://www.np.edu.sg/lsct/courses/bms/Pages/default.aspx)

- Temasek 
( http://www-as.tp.edu.sg/asc_home/asc_courses/asc_ft_courses/asc_courses_bms.htm )

3) Business 




Business is more like an interest to me rather than something which I have a passion for. This is something which I have read and heard a few times, and then have an interest in. The specialisations that I probably have interest in are Entrepreneurship and Marketing. 

Why entrepreneurship? Well, to be honest I have thought of doing my own business ( And becoming my own boss! ^^ ) because I like getting immediate rewards for my hard work and not having to wait for a specific date to get a specific amount of money. Yeah, i'm quite an impatient person. I think it's pretty demoralizing to be like, ARGHH when's the next pay check????!!! >< 



I also do consider myself to be quite an idealistic person. Even when I'm managing and updating this blog on a regular basis, ideas will come naturally at any time. When I have the drive and the motivation to start or make something new, I will. Also, I am the type of person who takes pride in my work and I like seeing the results of it.

People say that doing our own businesses have its risk and when our businesses fail, the outcome is pretty ugly. But I believe that you will never succeed if you DON'T TRY. 

I believe that everyone has their own potentials, and if I become a boss one day, I will make sure that I help everyone who is working for me achieve their maximum potential. 

Let's move on to marketing... 

The reason why I have an interest in marketing is because I have heard of how marketing jobs are like from my parents, aunt ( who has a career in marketing ) and I think it's kinda fun. I like meeting new people, getting to know their needs and recommending things that are useful or suitable for them. I like to feel like I have contributed to society, rather than doing things just for my own personal gains. 





Preferred Polytechnic: Singapore ( Business Administration ) 
http://www.sp.edu.sg/wps/portal/vp-spws/!ut/p/c1/hc7LDoIwEEDRT-q0pbQsQUZaCda3yMZ0YUyNgAvj91t2hPiYWZ7czJCGhO3cy1_d0_edu5OaNPF5rwWyuYjA4hrB0I3MbYGAQIOfRl5QHRx4WaHkDEz8pz4O98Z9fgiVVhlnSQozkBO3u4UAY7eYZLhipaI_XVVT__Df4PBlUiBL3bcX8mhr8OYWvQHgz1gH/dl2/d1/L2dJQSEvUUt3QS9ZQnB3LzZfVUg1RTJGNTQwTzVUMjBJSzhHQ00wVFJHMjM!/

Alternative Polytechnics: 

-Ngee Ann (Business Studies)
http://www.np.edu.sg/ba/courses/bs/Pages/bs.aspx

-Temasek ( Business )
http://www-bus.tp.edu.sg/bus_home/bus_courses/bus_ft_courses/bus_diploma_in_business.htm


So those are my three preferred polytechnic courses that I would want to study after my Os next year. 

This is a video by PerryFelixShen that I have found some time ago and I think it's pretty useful so check this out. 

My nerdy past

Since this is a personal blog, I should probably write a bit more about myself. I don't usually write about myself that much other than key events and highlights, I'd rather write about my views on a certain topic or a current affair. So today, I'm going to tell you about my nerdy ( or nerdier ) past. 

When I was in sec 1, I was a real nerd in the sense that I would really focus only and primarily on my studies, neglecting everything else. I was also a very personal person and what you call it as, anti-social or, an introvert ( Yes, I WAS an introvert, in case some of you are shocked ). I didn't know what happened but it just did. 

I mean, I was a very very serious person and I would rather engage in my own work than in social engagements. I would cramp all the definitions, formulas and I could study for like an entire day, LOLS. 

So I guess this was one of the reasons why I didn't have much friends in sec 1. 

I remember during morning assemblies, I would not talk to anyone and study for tests. If there were no tests then I would just keep quiet. I also remember one time when exams are coming and It was a free time. Many of my classmates were playing around and there I was, sitting there, studying, like some nerd ._. 

HAHAHA, Come to think of it, my past was actually pretty funny. You guys will probably read this and go like, WTF, What a life man! Well yeah, It was like that. 

So in secondary 2, It suddenly hit me that I need to actually focus more on social engagements and interactions, if not I would probably be lonely and have a boring life. Not that I would not care about my studies, just that I have to balance my nerdiness and actually GET A LIFE. 

So I did exactly that and I started to have more friends. I actually learnt a lot of social skills from my lower sec classmates. So, credits to you guys. 

At the end of sec 2, my nerdiness came back, I studied really hard for the EOY exams because I wanted Double pure science since I did not want to take any electives and A maths since I did not want Principles of Accounts, and I got both of them in the end :D But at that time like I said, I started to balance my nerdiness with other things. 

You may be wondering, am I still a nerd right now? Well, actually I am still a nerd but my nerdiness has been toned down, A LOT. So I am a more sociable person right now, while still keeping my nerdiness and utilise it whenever it is needed. I have also worked on improving other things like my physical fitness and strength, and not just on studies alone.