Mathematics TfU Project

This morning, I went to school feeling both excited and nervous. It had been agreed that three of my friends, Nicholas, Anmol and Sean, would come over to my house later in the afternoon to work on a Mathematics TfU (Teaching for Understanding) project. This was the first time they were coming over to my house and I did not know what to expect as all previous projects were done at their homes. I had to play host and no one was at home! 

The aim of the project was to find the diameter of the school crest. We decided to work on the project without further delay as the task was difficult and we really needed to have a brainstorming session. Also, we did not really have much time since the deadline for the project is only a few days away on the second of February. Added to that there is a long break coming up. We chose to do the project at my house as I live the nearest to school and hence we need not waste time unnecessarily.

After school, we were lucky to catch the bus very quickly, arriving at my house in less than twenty minutes. We brought along all the materials needed, including a display board (as shown in the pictures), penknives, a calculator and a pack of coloured paper. 

The weather was really hot and all of us were perspiring profusely from the walk to my house. We had some refreshments and I showed my friends around the house, especially my room as this was their first visit and they were naturally curious. 

Then it was time for some serious work. Firstly, we outlined two methods to find the diameter of the crest. This was very difficult as the crest was positioned high up on the wall and there was no way to measure it with a measuring tape. Next, we listed the advantages and disadvantages of each method. Some time was spent trying to agree on which was the better method. Following that, we started to calculate the diameter of the school crest using the chosen method. It was complicated but we managed to obtain the answer in the end. What a relief that was for all of us as by then we were all getting rather tired, having had a long day at school. Finally, we printed out all of the work we had done. We cut them into paragraphs using penknives as none of us had a pair of scissors. We then pasted them on the display board.

We cleared up all the mess before I saw my friends off. Having overcome this difficulty, I felt a great sense of satisfaction and was really happy with the fruits of our labour. I enjoyed myself very much during the course of the project. Thankfully, we managed to finish the project, or else we might have had to meet up again on the third day of Chinese New Year to complete the project, which was the last thing we wanted.

Lost and Found!

Something really dreadful happened to me today in school. I had brought along my full NPCC (National Police Cadet Corps) uniform as I had to attend my CCA (Co-curricular activity) after school. NPCC is held from quarter past two to half past five, once every week.  

When the bell rang at five minutes past one, everyone rushed out of the classroom. All the NPCC members gathered in the toilet to change into our full uniform. We had lunch after that and went up to the fourth level to fall in. For today’s training, there was a uniform check. Luckily, I had polished my boots and seasoned my beret beforehand, or else I would have failed the check. We did many drills and we even had some camp craft sessions after changing back into our PT (Physical Training) kit. Fortunately, there was still time for games! We played captain’s ball and my team won the game.

After dismissal, all of us lined up in an orderly manner to collect our bags from the NPCC room. I picked up my clothes bag and school bag and left immediately as I was really tired and was eager to get home. It had been a long day and there was homework to attend to!

When I arrived home, I discovered to my horror that my NPCC shirt was missing! Everything else was in the clothes bag but no shirt. I retraced my movements after school and deduced that I must have left it behind in the toilet when changing back to my PT kit. I was really in a panic as there was no way I could replace the shirt if it could not be found and in that eventuality I would hate to have to face my NPCC officer with an explanation on how the shirt got lost. It would be extremely embarrassing as it was total irresponsibility on my part.

What was most worrying was that it was already late in the evening when the loss was discovered and my calls to the school had gone unanswered as all the administrative staff in the general office had already left for home. I wondered whether there would be anybody in the school to allow me access to the school grounds to search for the shirt.

I told my father, who was at home, about my predicament. He suggested that we make a trip to the school to try our luck. When we reached the school, we were really surprised. The compound was brightly lit. It turned out that the secondary four students had to stay back after school for a night study programme. We made our way to the toilet on the fourth floor and viola, my shirt was lying on the sink top, in the exact same position as I had left it!

From then on, I had learnt my lesson: to check my bags thoroughly before leaving for home to see if anything is missing! I may not be so lucky the second time around!

Playing with yo-yo!

Today, I had some free time in the afternoon as I had finished all of my homework. I spent the time playing with my yo-yo alone. I was trying to perfect the trick 'Atomic Bomb' with my YoYoFactory 09 888. It is probably the most complex yo-yo trick I have mastered. I learn these tricks from my classmates and videos on the Internet. I hope to learn many more new tricks. Whenever I master a new yo-yo trick, I get a sense of satisfaction. 

Besides the YoYoFactory 09 888, I also have six other yo-yos in my collection of yo-yos. They are the YoYoJam Axiom, AP08 Speeder and Sunset Trajectory, Hspin USA Pyro, Duncan Freehand Zero and the YoYoFactory plastic Grind Machine. Each and every one of these is very precious to me as I have bought them from my own savings because I play best with it. I enjoy collecting yo-yos of different colours and sizes. Of all my yo-yos, my most treasured is the YoYoFactory 888. I have yo-yos of a wide variety of colours, namely black, green, blue and red. It is definitely a worthwhile hobby in my opinion. One gets to play with the yo-yos and admire the nice artwork on the yo-yos at the same time.

I wish that I can add more yo-yos to my yo-yo collection in the future. I also want to learn a lot of the mind-boggling tricks and become a yo-yo professional. I think that playing with yo-yos is a good hobby as it allows you to do a little exercise at the same time when you practise doing the tricks.

Family Outing at East Coast

This afternoon, the weather was good and my family and I decided to go to East Coast Park for a family outing. That was the first family outing we have had for a long time, about two months. We got our bicycles and cycled to the beach. There, we had a picnic. The beach was buzzing with activity as it was a Saturday afternoon. There were people rollerblading, cycling and skateboarding. Others were either jogging or taking strolls along the beach. 

We laid a mat on the sand and sat down to enjoy the scrumptious food which we all had a hand in preparing. There were sandwiches, snacks and drinks, including my favourite drink, Coca Cola. I ate a lot of the food as I was feeling very hungry. After we had eaten to our heart's content, we decided to cycle all the way to Changi on our bicycles. It was really exhausting but my parents and I managed to reach our destination in the end. We even made it back to the starting point! We took a short rest, admiring the lovely scenery and enjoying the cool sea breeze. I walked near the shore to see if I could find any seashells. To my surprise, I found many big and unique seashells of different shapes and sizes. I was delighted. I could add them to my collection of seashells.

At about seven, we decided to leave for home as the sky was getting dark. Before we left, we managed to catch a glimpse of the sun setting. It was a beautiful sight. I really enjoyed the time spent together with my family! I hope that my family and I can spend more time together! Spending time with my family helps me to forge closer relationships and bond together.

Something unusual!

This morning, I was surfing the Internet on my computer. I clicked on a website, however nothing happened! Puzzled, I tried clicking on other websites to no avail. I found it very strange. There must have been a problem with the computer mouse. That was the first time I had problems with my computer mouse, which had been functioning well all along. I looked at the mouse carefully but could not find any fault with it. 

I then deduced that it must have been a problem with the connection. However, the connection seemed to be working fine. None of the wires were loose. I decided to wait for my cousin to come home and troubleshoot the problem. In the meantime, I had to make do with a small USB mouse meant for the laptop. It was really difficult.

My cousin told me that the mouse was spoilt and asked me to purchase a new one. Perhaps I did not find out the problem as I am not very good with fixing computers. I felt really stupid as I could not even solve a simple problem!

I went to purchase a new mouse in the afternoon and the mouse works perfectly all right now! I was really glad. I could not imagine life without a computer! These days, much of our homework is done on the computer. They include TfU (Teaching for Understanding) projects, daily assignments and holiday homework. It would be really difficult to complete these assignments without a computer.