Mum and Son graduate at 82 and 62 respectively

This is pretty awesome. I take my hats off them. Honestly, I don’t think I’ll be motivated to study when I reach her age. But that is me i guess. Maybe because I’m part of the generation that takes having the opportunity to study for granted. Anyhow, I thought that all of us can take a leaf or two from Mdm Tan and Mr Yap. Its really a showcase of the best of learning in humans

Learning

Confucious said that learning should be a lifetime process. And I suspect, he would also say (or might have said to my un-awareness), learning should be enjoyable.

RI, RJC to merge

RJ and RI to merge, VJ is also considering merging with Victoria. This is just so not usual, even schools are going in the direction of “Merger & Acquisition”.

MOE appoints 50 principals

I always feel that principals in Singapore are very young. Say a teacher who entered the teaching professionalism at 25. At 37, (s)he has only 12 years of experience. Compare this to MNCs, or bigger instituitions, where most likely you see (wo)men in their 50s or older at the helm, with > 30 years experience. I do think experience play part in getting any job well done. Hmmm, if i were to throw out some random theory, does it mean that school environment is more static and thus having lesser number of years of experience is fine?

Anyway, whats the role of principals in schools?

Tabla! launched

Here’s something for our Indian friends. But makes me wonder, what do they have in there that will not be in the normal english newspaper a.k.a straits times? For all the newsworthy news, they should be present in all newspaper. So maybe the entertainment part? Not too sure.

Policeman, Fireman, Doctors and Teachers

Do you remember the times when you were in kindergarten, and you had to do worksheets that asked what you want to be in the future? Which did you choose?

When I was in kindergarten, I remember doing worksheets that asked what I want to be in the future.

Bank Limits Fund Access by Colleges, Inciting Fears

Now that the global credit crunch is affecting the education industry. Its rather scary isnt. Another totally irrelevant point: Perhaps business schools should have a couple more courses on ethics, since in the real working world, grey areas are prevalent and it can all boil down to the bankers/salesperson’s ethical behaviour.

Technopreneurship

For those keen at technologies and businesses, or in the local context, fondly known as “technopreneurship”, there are a few websites that might interest you.

Tech Crunch

Group-edited blog about technology start-ups, particularly the Web 2.0 sector. (my personal favourite, rather amazed by the amount of money VCs pump into web 2.0 start-ups.)

Gizmodo

An online review dedicated to gadgets, gizmos, and cutting-edge consumer electronics.

Engadget

A multilingual technology weblog and podcast about consumer electronics

Guy Kawasaki

Guy Kawasaki is a managing director of Garage Technology Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm and a columnist for Entrepreneur Magazine. Previously, he was an Apple Fellow at Apple Computer, Inc. Guy is the author of eight books including The Art of the Start, Rules for Revolutionaries, How to Drive Your Competition Crazy, Selling the Dream, and The Macintosh Way

Do you know more of such websites? Care to share?

With Maths and Science

My Investment Banker friend was back in Singapore from the States for a holiday. She was surprised at the number of us who took Science degree in University. In the United States, she exclaimed, only those who want to do Medicine, will do a course in Science, since that is a pre-requisite.

Youth gambling to be nipped

Have you ever experienced an incident that was simply disastrous, and when you wake up the next day, you thought that everything was a nightmare and you just want it to go away?

Alas, the incident is real, and there’s nothing you can do to salvage the spilled milk.

Gambling is potentially such a nightmare-creator. And that is precisely the reason I steer clear of it, and I think all of us should.

Personally, (due to my age) people around me are buying in stocks, which in my opinion, if you are not in it for the long term, it is just another form of gambling. When it comes to stocks, the losses/wins are magnified and the consequences are potentially catastrophic (as the current financial turmoil proves it). Imagine losing $10,000 (the very $10,000 you scrimp and save) overnight, or even more.

However, even as all of us knew that gambling is a vice, it can be really hard to distance yourself as you hear about friends/families making a quick buck. But I do believe that if values are inculcated in you when you are young, you will be more equipped to stay in control and make a stand on your position without giving in to external pressure and temptation.

Good move on the government’s part!