Sensei Michael

Something that has stumped me for some time, finally resolved! Answer on @Quora by Frank Dauenhauer to What is the difference between also and too? https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-difference-between-also-and-too/answer/Frank-Dauenhauer?srid=ibaJ&share=bcd25c6a

A very good piece on how English evolved to the English we know today, using the familiar Lord's Prayer. Answer on @Quora by Scott Mauldin to What happened during the transition between Old English and Modern English? https://www.quora.com/What-happened-during-the-transition-between-Old-English-and-Modern-English/answer/Scott-Mauldin-3?srid=ibaJ&share=a1cfc0cf

This post was originally written during my years in China. It is very interesting how culture comes into play when bridging two different sets of understanding of the same word. One of my Chinese friends was inquiring about teaching jobs in Singapore and she was puzzled when her Singaporean contact told her that a university lecturer is not a teacher. “难道大学教授不是老师吗？” “Isn’t a university professor a teacher too?” I had to explain to her that, to those of us whose primary culture is English, a “teacher” refers to a job that requires a certain degree of pastoral care, because a teacher handles minors (high school and below). On the other hand, a “lecturer” simply lectures, and is not expected to give the same degree of pastoral care that a teacher is expected to give. To those of us who think in English, a teacher is not the same as a lecturer, even if the lecturer teaches as well. I am reminded of another Chinese friend of mine, who was very puzzled because Singaporeans like to say 一百千 (a...

Answer by Richard Muller: I had a graduate student who, as an undergrad at Cornell, had more A+ grades than As -- about 15.  Once I asked him how he did that.  "I use tricks" he said. They all seemed so obvious when he told me, that I'm not sure I can recall all of them.  Below I'll mix in what he said with some of the things I observed in other great students. He said he always read the assignment before lecture, not after. Do that, and you know what to pay most attention to.  You can ask questions about things you didn't understand.  You can't ask a book questions, but you can ask a professor. Moreover, your professor will be impressed that you ask the best questions. Remarkably, it takes no longer to read all the material before class than after class. Visit the professor during office hours.  Some professors will just try to intimidate you into not coming so often; ignore them. Some will be delighted to have visitors.  It is a great opportunity to interact...

In life there are three sensitive matters that drive off friends and relatives fast - evangelism, politics and MLM*. I have seen what happens in the first two, and I suspect will see more of my friends and relatives putting me at arm's length when they realise I am also into the third one too. As a young Christian, I was full of fervour for God and His Kingdom. Words of "Hallelujah!" and "Praise God!" spouted out freely from my lips, and fire and brimstone issued forth in condemnation for those who did not walk in the ways of God. Many years and much life lessons later, I have tempered down as I understood more of what it meant for God to show grace and mercy to sinners like myself. I am grateful for friends and relatives that kept their relationship with me through all these years despite my craziness. The latest election fever had me on the side of the PAP, joining the party and fighting alongside Victor and my fellow comrades, in order to get him elected at A...

Our national language is Malay, as evidenced by the language of our national anthem, the language on our coat of arms and the language of our military commands. Singapore must be one of those few nations in the world where 70% of its population cannot speak its national language with any level of reasonable fluency.

The PSLE question that has parents crying foul - what is the weight of 8 $1 coins? 1) 6g 2) 60g 3) 600g 4) 6000g. "This is not a Math question!" Yes it is. Math is more than just arithmetics and pushing numbers around. Our Mathematical syllabus includes Estimation and Tessellation (both taught at Primary 5), as well as patterns and Geometry (taught since Primary 1). "How many children have an idea how much a coin weigh? This is unfair!" It is not. Children should have already gone through an activity at either Primary 2 or 3 on Weight, where they have to weigh coins and other objects and got to understand what the various weight is like. Ultimately, the PSLE is an exam meant to stream out the scholars from the farmers. The ability to answer certain questions would stream out those meant to be at the top. We seriously need to let our children know that it is not the end of the world if their PSLE score is not the most fantastic in the world, and to teach them resilie...