Back to school

The PSLE Results Is Here!

I hope everyone got the results they had strived for today. I'm sure all of you had done your best so there's no reason to be disappointed.

Anyway, I apologise for not being around just then(even though I had promised to be there) since I had to attend a mandatory IT conference at Republic Polytechnic.
Hope you can email me (dannyasmara@hotmail.com) to tell me your results and how you feel about them and also the school you are posted to. If not, I can always read about it on your blog right?

So this is it. The end of your Primary School days. Hope you have had many great memories to look back to.

And remember to always treasure the friends you've made along the way.

That would be my final lesson to you.

All the best and class dismiss :)

- MrDA13

PS: Lastly, don't forget to keep in touch.

High School Musical 2 - All for One

The closing song for this year's Graduation Nite ceremony was 'All For One' from High School Musical 2. I had predicted it to be so since last year's closing song was 'We're In This Together' from High School Musical 1.

Hmmm... since reports from the Internet is abuzzed about Disney making a High School Musical 3 next year, no prize for guessing what the closing song for next year would be.

Anyway, enough of my ranting. Hope you enjoy this year's closing song I've put up.

GradNite|02 - And the Oscars Goes to...

Oscar Winners for 'Best Drama' :)

GradNite|01 - Final Curtain

The reward for a job well-done
- getting a rare opportunity to take a photo with Mr Danny himself :)

Stayed back till the very end at about 8pm and the stage was deserted. It was the last best chance to take a group photo with the banner displayed prominently at the background.

It's the Little Things

the Hello Kitty is there for effect :)

I was pleasantly surprised to find an envelop in my in-tray today. In its content was a card made by my Primary 2 pupil for me with few simple words that touched my heart.

For me, it's the little things that makes teaching so rewarding.

Dedicated to the P5E 2006 - YTPS Pioneer Bloggers

The 'Guyz'
(from left) Nickson, Zi Quan, Willis, Daryl, Huan Jia and Kevin

The 'Galz'
(from left) Geok Teng, Hui Min, Michelle, Sze Yee, Deanne, Denise Wee and Denise Chew

Dear P5E 2006,

Can't believe that it has been one and half years already. Time really does past by fast. Now here you are in the final moments of your Primary school life.

You guyz and galz (the P5E 2006 cohort) were a bunch of warm, friendly and lively pupils and I'll always remember all of you fondly for participating in Project:Blog-O as well as being my first English Language class at YTPS. Looking back, I didn't know what to expect from the pupils of P5E 2006 but you had certainly exceeded all my expectations in a very positive way.

Not wanting to sound more nostalgic than I already am, I just want to end this entry by congratulating all of you. You've made it!

PS: See you for your graduation tomorrow :)

PSS: Apologies for the other guyz and galz who are not featured in the photos. Can't find you people then.

-Mr Danny

Team Happy

To my P5B 2007 pupils who've helped me paint the last day of school, thanks a lot for making the Pokemons come alive at YTPS :)

PS: Special thanks to the 'Giggly Girls Club' too for helping out in the painting the day before.

Prize Winnners of P5B 2007

(from left) Ke Xuan, Maverick, Jamie and Xue Yin

1st in class
Best in English Language for P5 Level

Jamie Foo

2nd in class
Maverick Cheok

3rd in class
Best in Chinese Language for P5 Level
Leow Ke Xuan

Best in Mathematics for P5 Level
Chia Xue Yin

Congratulations to all of you for being prize winners and bagging almost all the Best in Subjects award for the entire level :)

Keep up the good work!

Creative Writing - Individual Work

art by Prisca Lim

Henry spun around and saw a bright green BMW tearing down the road towards him. Gripped with visceral fear, Henry stood frozen to the spot. The world seemed to cease as pedestrians stopped in their tracks. Some screamed at him to get out of the way while others were dumbstruck at the inevitable catastrophe. The motorist jammed onto his brakes in a futile attempt to avert a disaster. However, it was too late. There was a loud screech that was followed by a sickening thud as Henry was flung a few meters away from the car. A blinding pain tore through his body as he lay helplessly on the road in a pool of blood.

- Prisca Lim, P5B 2007

edited by Mr Danny

art by Melvyn Tan

The sun hung low on the horizon, transforming the blue sky to a golden-brown hue. John the knight had been hunting for food since afternoon. His stomach was growling. All of a sudden, a heart-stopping roar broke the silence. John darted a look in the direction of the roar. Unexpectedly, he came face to face with the legendary creature, Ossaris, which had razor-sharp teeth. John’s heart skipped a beat. The Ossaris was the most feared monster in the land. It had an ability to spit fire and its fire was said to be so intense that it could melt metal. John aimed a slash at the creature’s leg but he missed and slashed the ground instead. The gigantic creature knocked John with ease. The creature tried to crush John with its huge paws but John rolled away. Summoning all the courage he could muster, he slashed the creature’s horn. Fuming with rage, the creature breathed out fire at the sword, melting the latter into an amorphous mass of molten steel. Bearing its teeth, the creature bit John’s arm. Grimacing in pain, John thought that that was the end of him.

- Melvyn Tan, P5B 2007

edited by Mr Danny

art by Ho Kar Leong

Jim and his friends were glowing with delight when Jim bumped into a vampire statue. He fainted. All of a sudden, the vampire came alive. It flew out of the plastic coffin in a blink of an eye. Jim’s friends, Don and Nate were not aware of what was happening. It then attacked Jim, planting its sinister fangs deep into the jugular of Jim’s neck. There was no struggle as Jim’s body went limp. At this point, Nate saw the attack and instinctively used his torch to hit the vampire statue. The vampire became angry and bit Nate’s neck. Nate gave out a blood-curdling scream and died. The vampire thought everyone was dead and turned stationery once again. Don saw Nate dead and was stunned. The only audible sound in the museum was the thumping of Don's heart.

- Ho Kar Leong, P5B 2007

edited by Mr Danny

Happy Deepavali!

ProjectBlogo and Mr Danny would like to wish all

Hindu friends, colleagues, visitors and pupils

Happy Deepavali!

DeepaRaya Celebration 2007

Today, YTPS celebrates DeepaRaya. The term 'Deeparaya' is an amalgam of the words 'Deepavali' and 'Hari Raya'. Thus there were tradional Indian and Malay performances such as dances and songs.

Click this link @ http://projectblogo.blogspot.com/2006/10/deeparaya-concert-2006.html for scenes from DeepaRaya 2006. Wow! Can't believe it's been a year already.

DeepaRaya|01

Mr Loh and Ms Tini lighting the Kuthuvillakku, a lamp that is lit during the festive season to usher in wealth and prosperity.

DeepaRaya|02

our Malay dancers looking more reserve than their male counterparts.

DeepaRaya|03

Clapping. All part of the dancing and singing routine.

DeepaRaya|05

our P2 Indian dancers

DeepaRaya|04

the Dikir Barat performance by mostly the P2 pupils. The Dikir Barat is a form of singing whose origins are likely from Southern Thailand or Northern Peninsula Malaysia. For more information visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dikir_barat

DeepaRaya|06

DeepaRaya|07

our hosts Vikram and Aisha hiding behind the scene while the dance items take a life of its own

DeepaRaya|08

Our P6 seniors looking chic wearing the Malay and Indian traditional costumes.

DeepaRaya|09

Yes, we have a reason to celebrate. The Deepavali holiday falls this Thursday!

DeepaRaya|10

even the performers are peeking behind the curtains to see the performance

DeepaRaya|11

P5B Sample Creative Writing

Jake walked across the dusty plains. Its dry, course sand stretching as far as the eye could see. Jutting out from the sand were dinosaur bones. In his exhaustion, he sank down to the floor and leaned against them. Taking a long drink from his bottle, he gazed into the distance when suddenly, the earth started shaking which was followed by a deafening roar which could be heard for miles. Jake squinted and what he saw made terror run down his spine. A dinosaur with razor-sharp teeth shook the ground with its thundering footsteps heading towards him. It stopped for a moment, sniffed the air for the smell of prey and let out a mighty bellow before advancing closer. In a heartbeat, Jake scrambled to his feet and ran helter-skelter to a nearby forest. Sensing that its prey was escaping, the dinosaur lumbered after Jake, and at the same time knocking over the entrenched bones which fell like pillars to the ground. It was so close that he could smell its putrid breath which came pouring out of its nostrils like a long yellow ribbon. Not wanting to fall into the clutches of death, Jake put on a sudden burst of speed and ran deep into the forest till the dinosaur's roars could no longer be heard. Panting heavily, his footsteps faltered and finally, he dropped to the ground in exhaustion.
- done by Black 2; Jamie Foo, Joell Ho, Ngoi Kai Han and Daniel Phang

John turned around and to his horror, he saw a ferocious man-eating dinosaur which had razor sharp claws and teeth. It was all muscles, with rage seething at its core. John was paralysed with fear as he stood rooted to the ground. His heart pounded like a jack-hammer as chills ran down his spine. Realizing the gravity of the situation, John regained his senses, turned around and ran as fast as his legs could carry him. But to his utter disbelief, the dinosaur was hot on his heels. John started to lose steam as he made a last attempt to escape from the clutches of the gigantic dinosaur. He quickly slipped into a nearby cave that he had spotted earlier. Beads of perspiration trickled down his forehead as he heaved a sigh of relief at the thought of escaping death.
- done by Green 1; Qin Kai, Hui Ying, Kai Jie and Russell

The thin veils of clouds in the sky provided little refuge from the sun's heat. Hanks took a sip of water from his bottle and wiped off the beads of perspiration that had trickled down his forehead.

All of a sudden, a ear-splitting roar filled the air. A roar, he realised, that can only be made by sothing huge and definitely not human. Instinctively, Hanks glanced over his sholder and his worst fear was realised. To his horror and utter disbelief, he saw an enormous dinosaur with course skin and blood-shot eyes lumbering towards him.

Gripped with visceral fear, Hanks scrambled to his feet. The dinosaur came so close that he could make out its flairing nostrils and its putrid breah came in quick and shallow, pouring out like yellow ribbons while it eyed him with an icy cold stare. Hanks made a mad scramble towards a huge forest, as he dodged the sharp bones that jutted out from the ground while the dinosaur pursued him tenaciously, undeterred by the protruding bones. It did not take long before Hanks realised that fatigue was overwhelming him and as his vision blurred, he wondered whether he would be able to escape.

- done by Yellow 2; Prisca, Shemaine, Wei Bin and Melvin

Creative Writing Day 2

On Day 2, pupils worked in groups to produce a paragraph based on the scene given using the creative phrases and vocabulary that they had generated on Day 1.

Creative Writing Day 1

Argh! I'm being chased by a weird looking dinosaur!

Objective
to describe a given event in detail in one paragraph using creative phrases and appropriate vocabulary

Focus Areas

Surroundings -

Actions -

Feelings -

Characters -

The Best of Continuous Writing

A collection of good continuous writing by pupils

- The Staring Incident
written by Prisca, Jamie Foo

- The Beggar
written by Zi Ling, Jia Xuan

Criterion 9 Survey - Pupils' Learning Survey

Please click here for survey

CW- The Staring Incident

You were having lunch at a coffee shop when you noticed a group of youngsters behaving rowdily. Curious, you looked at what they were doing. Suddenly, one of them walked towards you and shouted, "What are you staring at?!"

Write a composition of at least 150 words based on the situation above. In your composition, you may make use of the points below. You may reorder the points.

- what happened immediately after that
- why you stared at the group of youngsters
- what you did and how you felt
- what happened in the end

-----------------------------

It was a typical Monday afternoon. My friend, Josie and I were having lunch at a coffee shop during our lunch break. As it was another sweltering day, I ordered a cup of ice lemon tea to quench my thirst.

All of a sudden, a gust of wind blew into the coffee shop. My packet of tissue on the table flew to the ground. As I bend down to pick up the packet of tissue paper, I noticed a group of youngsters behaving rowdily. Feeling curious, I looked at what they were doing.

Suddenly one of them walked towards me and shouted, "Hey! What are you staring at?!" Startled, I blinked and reeled back on my chair. The youngster had short spiky hair with two pairs of silver studded earrings on one ear and a gold nose ring. He wore a black shirt with a apir of navy blue jeans.

I supposed that the youngster was the gang leader of the group. The other youngsters followed their gang leader towards Josie and me. I glanced at Josie. She looked shocked and pale with fear.

"I...I was.... just ...looking ..at..your ..your...", I stammmered. "My what?!" the youngster shouted. He snarled and I saw a gold molar tooth in his mouth. "Your...earrings!" I lied. "Um yes! She was looking at your earring. It is very cool!" Josie said, backing me up.

"Oh yeah, me earrings huh? Gang, get them!" he told his gang. By now, the whole coffee shop was silent and everyone was staring at us. The group of youngsters pulled me and Josie from our seats and towards an alley.

"Help, someone, help!", Josie screamed, trying to free her hands from the youngster's grip. However, everyone in the coffeeshop was in a state of schok and they were all rooted to the ground.

Just as the youngsters pulled us into a back alley, we met a group of policemen on patrol. The youngsters hurriedly let go of Josie and me and their leader shouted, "Run!" The policemen immediately gave chase while two policemen stayed behind and made sure Josie and I were alright and told us to report the matter to the police station nearby before going after the youngsters themselves.

Not long after, the policemen caught the gang of youngsters. The gang threw in the towel after a fierce scuffle with the police. After Josie and I filed a police report at the police station, we went home, relieved that the youngsters were caught.

The next week, Josie and I read in the newspapers that the youngsters were sent to the Boy's Home for two years as they were underage. From that day onwards, I did not dare to stare at gangsters again, much less to even look at them.

written by Prisca Lim
edited by Mr Danny

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The teacher's dull monotonous voice droned on and on about the lesson until the bell rang for the end of the school. The students laughed and chattered noisily as they went down the congested staircases and I was no exception. My tummy was growling hungrily and I was in a hurry to go to the coffeeshop near my home to have lunch. By the time I got to the coffee shop, my hunger was almost unbearable so I quickly ordered a plate of fettuccine noodles and tucked in to my sumptuous meal.

Just then, a group of youngsters trooped into the coffee shop. They were wearing brightly-coloured T-shirts and tight-fitting pants. Their hair were all stiff and spiked with hair gel and many of the customers cast bemused glances at them. However, their bemusement turned to disgust when the group of teenagers started smoking and soon the air was filled with thick, acrid smoke. One of the teenagers even spat on the floor! He seemed completely oblivious that many of the customers were aghast at his behaviour and were staring at him. Slowly, the customers in the coffee shop began to leave and soon, only the teenagers and I were left. I wanted to leave the coffee shop quickly so I began to spoon the rest of the noodles into my mouth hurriedly. However, curiosity got the better of me and I could not resist taking another peek at what the teenagers were doing. Unfortunately, one of the teenagers noticed that I was staring and stared insolently back at me. Not wishing to get into any fights, I grabbed my bag and began to walk out of the coffee shop when one of the teenagers sauntered towards me, pushed me back to my seat, took out a penknife and shouted at me, "What are you looking at?!"

My heart was beating wildly with trepidation and I eyed the blade of the penknife nervously. Beads of perspiration began to trickle down my head ad I stammered "Nothing...Nothing." The teenager caught me looking at the penknife and smirked. He pushed the blade of the penknife threateningly to my face and dropped his voice to a menacing whisper and said," What were you looking at?!" His friends smile an evil smile watching one of their own trying his best to instill fear in me when suddenly, their menacing expressions were wiped off from their faces.

Then I knew why. The wail of the police siren began to fill the air. The teenagers tried to run away but the police had surrounded the coffeeshop. The teenagers, knowing that they were cornered, surrendered without struggle. The police charged them for criminal intimidation.

It turned out that the coffee shop's owner had called the police after he saw them bullying me and I was immensely grateful to him. After this incident, everytime I saw a group of teenagers, I avoided them altogether because as the saying goes, "Once bitter, twice shy". I do not wish to be caught in such a situation again!

written by Jamie Foo
edited by Mr Danny

The Problem With Dandelions

A man who took great pride in his lawn found himself with a large crop of dandelions. He tried every method he knew to get rid of them. Still they plagued him.

Finally he wrote to the Department of Agriculture. He enumerated all the things he had tried and closed his letter with the question: "What shall I do now?"

In due course, the reply came: "We suggest you learn to love them."

Wonder of the World - Angkor Wat

the Angkor Wat poised magnificently behind the 8th Wonder of the World :)

1 down. 99 to go.
Check out this website for the list of Wonders of The World. The website provides justification as to why a 'Wonder' is a Wonder. An interesting read!

The Masterpiece

bright colors and precise lines. Just as how my team and I envisioned it.

Helping Out

even the local children came out to help us

Precision Work

Project Hopscotch

Mr Danny and his team; the 'Decepticons' :) had to create the hopscotch design itself. We decided to create and paint one square at a time to ensure that the each box comes out the same size and in the correct alignment. Yes, I can be a perfectionist sometimes.
... oh and teh fact that I want my design to come up the best :)

The Teachers' Project

All the guy teacher that day was given a task to be in-charge of. We were to paint hopscotch-like designs on the courtyard so that the Cambodian children can use the latter to play. From the picture above, you can see Mr Kenny Chua and Mr Long hard at work with their designs.

So what is Mr Danny doing? Where's his project? Hmmm....

The Debriefing

At the end of each day, we gathered for a debriefing of the day's activities. The only thing on my mind then was a good night sleep.

Mimi aka Ta-Prut

The mischievious girl we called Mimi (later Ta-Prut) who kept disturbing us doing our work.

The Thin Red Line

We quickly got back to our task of helping out the school. The girls were transported to the another school where they had to refurbish the library. The boys on the other hand were tasked with the more physical, out-in-the-sun-macho activities :)

We had to paint the entire courtyard line and the massive task spilled over to Day 2

The Local Children

We soon caught sight of the local children coming into the school. Though it was a school break for them as well, their curiosity must have compelled them to come back to find out more about their visitors

Touring the School

We toured the school to assess the help we could chip in. It so happened that according to the school's representative, the school above was the most advanced amongst all the other rural schools because of other donors that came before us.

The Miniature Replica

Tthere was this miniature replica of the Angkor Wat in front of the hotel that was carved out of stone which caught my attention. The attention to details was amazing.

Teachers' Meeting

Tthe teachers sat down from representatives of the Cambodia school to discuss the work ahead

Breakfast at Princess Angkor Hotel

We had a hearty buffet breakfast at the hotel before the imminent work ahead

1st Order of the day;- Supplies!

We stopped at a local minimart to get supplies, specifically mineral water. Unlike Singapore, water from the tap is not drinkable.

The Journey Begins!

In the wee hours of the morning at 3rd Sept 2007 at 0600hrs, 28 pupils and 10 teachers from Yew Tee Primary School embarked on our first International CIP project at Cambodia.

What You Had Missed ....

breathtakingly beautiful

Be Thankful

Be thankful that you don't already have everything you desire.
If you did, what would there be to look forward to?

Be thankful when you don't know something,
for it gives you the opportunity to learn.

Be thankful for the difficult times.
During those times you grow.

Be thankful for your limitations,
because they give you opportunities for improvement.

Be thankful for your mistakes.
They will teach you valuable lessons.

Be thankful when you're tired and weary,
because it means you've made a difference.

It's easy to be thankful for the good things.
A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who are also thankful for the setbacks.
Find a way to be thankful for your troubles, and they can become your blessings.

The Final Analysis

People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered;
Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, People may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;
Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies;
Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you;
Be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight;
Build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous;
Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow;
Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough;
Give the world the best you've got anyway

You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God;
It was never between you and them anyway

- Written By Mother Teresa

Food for Thought

a collection of thought provoking poems/stories from across the Internet.

10) The Obstacle In Our Path

9) The Frogs and the Tower

8) Everyone Is Important

7) The Problem With Dandelions

6) Chopsticks

5) The Mexican Fisherman

4) Struggle - The Story of a Butterfly

3) Be Thankful

2) The Final Analysis

1) I'm Glad You're In My Dash

I'm Glad You're In My Dash---

I read of a man who stood to speak
At the funeral of a friend
He referred to the dates on her tombstone
From the beginning...to the end.

He noted that first came her date of birth
And spoke the following date with tears,
But he said what mattered most of all
Was the dash between those years. (1934-1998)

For that dash represents all the time
That she spent alive on earth...
And now only those who loved her
Know what that little line is worth.

For it matters not, how much we own;
The cars...the house...the cash,
What matters is how we live and love
And how we spend our dash.

So think about this long and hard...
Are there things you'd like to change?
For you never know how much time is left,
That can still be rearranged.

If we could just slow down enough
To consider what's true and real,
And always try to understand
The way other people feel.

And be less quick to anger,
And show appreciation more
And love the people in our lives
Like we've never loved before.

If we treat each other with respect,
And more often wear a smile..
Remembering that this special dash
Might only last a little while.

So, when your eulogy's being read
With your life's actions to rehash...
Would you be proud of the things they say
About how you spent your dash?

Banner Test; Testing 1,2,3

The Banner Test - special thanks to the models Yoke Yay and Rachel

T-Minus 24 hours to Cambodia

the Angkor Wat;- a symbol of resplendence

Yes, Yew Tee Primary is going to Cambodia! And take a guess who will be the official photographer for the event :) Stay tune for the full report of the trip.

Happy Teacher's Day!

To all teachers out there, both past and present,

Happy Teacher's Day!

We wouldn't be here without you.

And to all my pupils who had wished me, gave me gifts, notes and such, I thank you. You've always been wonderful :)

From P5B 2007 I

From 5B 2007 II

A Fan of My Photographs?

I'm so touched. Finally somone actually wrote to tell me she likes my photos ....... and won't kill me so long as I do not throw the note away :P