I went for tertiary service at YWCA after mugging with the CS girls in the afternoon. (finally!)
Quite a few bros and sis came to ask why I was around and I jokingly said that I transfered.
Though many things are different from what Saturday Youth Service is,
I still experienced the same God speaking to me.
If atmosphere and music determines how you praise and worship God, then it's an issue eh?
And I must say, that the UNI NS people are really sincere people, I can feel their effort, their heart of wanting to grow, their sincerity.
KimHo was around and while the group gathered to pray, we briefly talked about how in Youth, it's really our responsibility as well to disciple people to bless the other congregations.
Other than service related stuff, it feels good to be around people experiencing the same life station, going through exams, concerns about GPA, outreach in schools- it's a feeling I realised I do miss all these while. And of course to see familiar NS people like sohweekeong B-O-O-M-Z!
And it's really funny that wenjiang makes fun of enghow, yongsheng and bruce...their small congregation size probably made everyone pretty close knitted.
Psalm 119:105-110
105 Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.
It's a revelation that wenjiang shared from this passage which didnt occur to me.
God only lights up the path near my feet, and not the entire stretch of road, neither the end point. That with faith through the Word, we take the lit path, and then more of it will light up with every step we take.
Kat, thanks for the impromptu meet up today.
Thanks for watching over my life, for the waltzing of conversations (HAHA), for your listening ear, for your questioning.
I'm questioning myself alot about many things.
Finding answers are better than being told of the answers.
I need a hell of a _______ to react rightly to this. (Have I recently prayed a dangerous prayer?) What is going to determine how I feel about this epic combination, is myself.
So come on! Dont make this get ugly; make this work, make this an opportunity, make this a victory.
Another discovery of underrated korean group- 4MEN. Of course this MV's song is pretty mainstream, but the other songs in their album have a dash of jazz in them.
Particularly for this MV, love the colour contrast (feels like it's shot with 5D MII!) And the smart use of jump cuts with the song beats. And the some angles are pretty cool too!
-
God, even when I am clueless, even when I panic (like really!), even when I battle with myself...
Isaiah 63:9 In all their distress he too was distressed, and the angel of his presence saved them. In his love and mercy he redeemed them; he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old.
I have no intentions to make this an emotional post of whatever. But I can feel something going on inside of me so here goes, before I seriously turn cold blooded about many instances in life. Which I feel I am pretty much so cause I like to brush emotions aside.
Well, today's the last day of Year 2 Semester 1- how fast is that? I bid goodbye and see you in exam day yesterday after tcm with some closer CS buddies. And then we're all on our own paths and planes to all parts of the world, hoping to be updated about one another through the amazing social networking innovations like facebook and perhaps skyping each other as well. I am really going to miss everyone cause I'll be the only one from CS in Shanghai. Though I am not like ultra close to anyone, but I would just miss the random calling of names across the lecture theatre, the bearing with each other through project and much more fun and crazy stuff in school.
And seldom so ever since JC, I miss this bunch of people from GV17! I never knew these people in the heavily populated NTU, yet this module being one of the most sought after, 50 lucky students got it and then in Bel Canto, about 13 of us gathered. Siewwoon,Cheeharn,Kairu,Peishan, Sarah, Huiqi, Anna, Jayne, Huimin, Sengkim, Lionel, Joel And all the rahrah-ness from the start cause majority of us were in CS and then our constant cheering and support (really! for woon's encouragement in my 1st presentation, kairu's guidance for 2nd) for each other plus today's presentation, it was just pure fun and I am starting to miss these people already...
The title is not meant to be something scary but while the A level people are having exams, and mine coming in a week's time, some where miles away in Korea, the college entrance exam day is over.
I remember studying about the korean education system back in J1 for GP...
For this one day test, many offices and the stock market open at 10 a.m., an hour later than usual, to keep the roads free for students on their way to the test. All other students get the day off to keep schools quiet for the test takers. And while students are taking the listening portions of the tests, planes can't land or take off at the nation's airports. Aircraft arriving from other countries are ordered to circle at altitudes above 10,000 feet.
Indeed, the college-entrance exam is a national obsession. More than 80% of South Korea's high-school seniors go on to college, and the test heavily influences which institution of higher learning they will be able to attend and -- after that -- their career track to jobs with big companies and the government.
Thursday, about 590,000 students will take the nine-hour test, which consists mostly of multiple-choice questions. Around 6 p.m., when the test is over, evening newspapers publish the questions and answers. Students who fare poorly can try again next year.
In Korea, children begin to prepare for the CSAT from the time they are about 4-5 years old so that they can ultimately reach the SKY – the collective nickname of Korea’s ‘big three’ universities: Seoul National University (SNU), Korea University and Yonsei University. Getting into one of these three is the hope of every Korean child and her/his parents because not only will graduates from one of the big three have the best academic pedigree in the country, they will also have a strong alumni network – people tend to mentor and hire graduates from their alma mater. SKY graduates are also the most attractive marriage partners, along with women with degrees from Ewha Womans University – so SKYE is the ultimate goal. And all of the above are offered as INSTEP school exchange. I really wanted to go Yonsei but sadly there's only 1 space for the entire NTU and as for Ewha, it's just a matter or choice and luck. Oh wells...
To make it into the SKYE, a student has to achieve a near perfect score on the CSAT and top grades in school. To improve their child’s ‘chances’, parents enroll their children into special pre-schools, have them attend private institutes (hagwons) for extra math, science and English studies before and after school as well as on weekends. Those who can afford it also arrange for private tutoring in addition to the time spent in the private institutes. It is not unusual for parents to ‘beggar’ themselves as they invest in their child/children’s future.
In recent years, parents have also been sending their children abroad, usually to English speaking countries, to either improve their chances (or for some, to get their child out of the system). Sometimes children are sent on their own, but as younger and younger students go abroad, they have increasingly been accompanied by their mothers, while the father (aka goose father) remains in Korea to earn the money needed to finance this investment.
The concept of an exam that determines one’s future is not new to Korea. Traditionally, the sons of noble families who wished to be government officials had to take the national civil service exam (gwageo) for which they studies for many years.
Students in bigger cities tend to score higher than their peers from smaller towns in college entrance exams. The Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation released data indicating this trend after analyzing the test results of high school students for the past five years.
Students in Gwangju had the highest scores while those in South Chungcheong Province scored the lowest.
This is the first time the test results were analyzed since the entrance exam was set up in 1993. The information could stir controversy over the government's efforts to standardize the quality of education throughout the country.
Well, since CSAT is so important, some dudes brought the cram schools online and earned big bucks.
maybe exams here in Singapore aint so bad at all...
I went for tertiary service at YWCA after mugging with the CS girls in the afternoon. (finally!)
Quite a few bros and sis came to ask why I was around and I jokingly said that I transfered.
Though many things are different from what Saturday Youth Service is,
I still experienced the same God speaking to me.
If atmosphere and music determines how you praise and worship God, then it's an issue eh?
And I must say, that the UNI NS people are really sincere people, I can feel their effort, their heart of wanting to grow, their sincerity.
KimHo was around and while the group gathered to pray, we briefly talked about how in Youth, it's really our responsibility as well to disciple people to bless the other congregations.
Other than service related stuff, it feels good to be around people experiencing the same life station, going through exams, concerns about GPA, outreach in schools- it's a feeling I realised I do miss all these while. And of course to see familiar NS people like sohweekeong B-O-O-M-Z!
And it's really funny that wenjiang makes fun of enghow, yongsheng and bruce...their small congregation size probably made everyone pretty close knitted.
Psalm 119:105-110
105 Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.
It's a revelation that wenjiang shared from this passage which didnt occur to me.
God only lights up the path near my feet, and not the entire stretch of road, neither the end point. That with faith through the Word, we take the lit path, and then more of it will light up with every step we take.
Kat, thanks for the impromptu meet up today.
Thanks for watching over my life, for the waltzing of conversations (HAHA), for your listening ear, for your questioning.
I'm questioning myself alot about many things.
Finding answers are better than being told of the answers.
I need a hell of a _______ to react rightly to this. (Have I recently prayed a dangerous prayer?) What is going to determine how I feel about this epic combination, is myself.
So come on! Dont make this get ugly; make this work, make this an opportunity, make this a victory.
Another discovery of underrated korean group- 4MEN. Of course this MV's song is pretty mainstream, but the other songs in their album have a dash of jazz in them.
Particularly for this MV, love the colour contrast (feels like it's shot with 5D MII!) And the smart use of jump cuts with the song beats. And the some angles are pretty cool too!
-
God, even when I am clueless, even when I panic (like really!), even when I battle with myself...
Isaiah 63:9 In all their distress he too was distressed, and the angel of his presence saved them. In his love and mercy he redeemed them; he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old.
I have no intentions to make this an emotional post of whatever. But I can feel something going on inside of me so here goes, before I seriously turn cold blooded about many instances in life. Which I feel I am pretty much so cause I like to brush emotions aside.
Well, today's the last day of Year 2 Semester 1- how fast is that? I bid goodbye and see you in exam day yesterday after tcm with some closer CS buddies. And then we're all on our own paths and planes to all parts of the world, hoping to be updated about one another through the amazing social networking innovations like facebook and perhaps skyping each other as well. I am really going to miss everyone cause I'll be the only one from CS in Shanghai. Though I am not like ultra close to anyone, but I would just miss the random calling of names across the lecture theatre, the bearing with each other through project and much more fun and crazy stuff in school.
And seldom so ever since JC, I miss this bunch of people from GV17! I never knew these people in the heavily populated NTU, yet this module being one of the most sought after, 50 lucky students got it and then in Bel Canto, about 13 of us gathered. Siewwoon,Cheeharn,Kairu,Peishan, Sarah, Huiqi, Anna, Jayne, Huimin, Sengkim, Lionel, Joel And all the rahrah-ness from the start cause majority of us were in CS and then our constant cheering and support (really! for woon's encouragement in my 1st presentation, kairu's guidance for 2nd) for each other plus today's presentation, it was just pure fun and I am starting to miss these people already...
The title is not meant to be something scary but while the A level people are having exams, and mine coming in a week's time, some where miles away in Korea, the college entrance exam day is over.
I remember studying about the korean education system back in J1 for GP...
For this one day test, many offices and the stock market open at 10 a.m., an hour later than usual, to keep the roads free for students on their way to the test. All other students get the day off to keep schools quiet for the test takers. And while students are taking the listening portions of the tests, planes can't land or take off at the nation's airports. Aircraft arriving from other countries are ordered to circle at altitudes above 10,000 feet.
Indeed, the college-entrance exam is a national obsession. More than 80% of South Korea's high-school seniors go on to college, and the test heavily influences which institution of higher learning they will be able to attend and -- after that -- their career track to jobs with big companies and the government.
Thursday, about 590,000 students will take the nine-hour test, which consists mostly of multiple-choice questions. Around 6 p.m., when the test is over, evening newspapers publish the questions and answers. Students who fare poorly can try again next year.
In Korea, children begin to prepare for the CSAT from the time they are about 4-5 years old so that they can ultimately reach the SKY – the collective nickname of Korea’s ‘big three’ universities: Seoul National University (SNU), Korea University and Yonsei University. Getting into one of these three is the hope of every Korean child and her/his parents because not only will graduates from one of the big three have the best academic pedigree in the country, they will also have a strong alumni network – people tend to mentor and hire graduates from their alma mater. SKY graduates are also the most attractive marriage partners, along with women with degrees from Ewha Womans University – so SKYE is the ultimate goal. And all of the above are offered as INSTEP school exchange. I really wanted to go Yonsei but sadly there's only 1 space for the entire NTU and as for Ewha, it's just a matter or choice and luck. Oh wells...
To make it into the SKYE, a student has to achieve a near perfect score on the CSAT and top grades in school. To improve their child’s ‘chances’, parents enroll their children into special pre-schools, have them attend private institutes (hagwons) for extra math, science and English studies before and after school as well as on weekends. Those who can afford it also arrange for private tutoring in addition to the time spent in the private institutes. It is not unusual for parents to ‘beggar’ themselves as they invest in their child/children’s future.
In recent years, parents have also been sending their children abroad, usually to English speaking countries, to either improve their chances (or for some, to get their child out of the system). Sometimes children are sent on their own, but as younger and younger students go abroad, they have increasingly been accompanied by their mothers, while the father (aka goose father) remains in Korea to earn the money needed to finance this investment.
The concept of an exam that determines one’s future is not new to Korea. Traditionally, the sons of noble families who wished to be government officials had to take the national civil service exam (gwageo) for which they studies for many years.
Students in bigger cities tend to score higher than their peers from smaller towns in college entrance exams. The Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation released data indicating this trend after analyzing the test results of high school students for the past five years.
Students in Gwangju had the highest scores while those in South Chungcheong Province scored the lowest.
This is the first time the test results were analyzed since the entrance exam was set up in 1993. The information could stir controversy over the government's efforts to standardize the quality of education throughout the country.
Well, since CSAT is so important, some dudes brought the cram schools online and earned big bucks.
maybe exams here in Singapore aint so bad at all...
